Saag Paneer

I got this recipe from a friend after she made it for a dinner party. It was amazing. After trying it myself at home, I think it's one of the best Indian dishes I've ever made. The spices are dead-on, the perfect balance between earthy (cumin, coriander) and warm (cinnamon, cardamom). If you've loved this dish in Indian restaurants, but never made it on your own, this is the recipe to try.

It's originally from Food Network chef, Aarti Sequira. I actually adapted it to make it simpler. I have access to good Indian grocery stores where they sell Indian brands of frozen spinach that differ from what we're used to. Inside one bag, you get multiple frozen chunks that look like big ice cubes. It is chopped much finer than American brands, so it's practically a puree. The original recipe is cleverly designed for American grocery stores, so it includes instructions for running chopped spinach through a food processor. With the spinach from the Indian store, I eliminated this step.

The recipe even includes instructions for making your own paneer, which my friend did. She said it was easy, and the cheese definitely had great texture and flavor. I used store bought. I've also included my recipe for absolutely perfect steamed basmati rice. It took years, but I finally hit on the right method for grains that are never to soft and perfectly separated. I love this meal, so I hope you'll give it a try!

Saag Paneer

Aarti Sequira via Food Network 

If you have frozen chopped spinach from a regular grocery store, defrost in the microwave, squeeze out a bit of the water and puree in a food processor; this approximates the texture of Indian spinach. You can use lowfat or regular paneer or click on the original recipe link and make your own. If you don't have ghee, use oil. You can just as easily use chicken or lamb instead of the paneer, both of which you'll find on Indian restaurant menus. I rewrite recipes that aren't my own using my own words about 99% of the time; in fact, I usually alter them beyond recognition. But here, I borrowed some language from the original source (especially in the 2nd paragraph) because I thought it was perfectly stated. 

Serves 4 as a main dish

10 oz paneer, cut into 1” cubes
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
Indian chile powder or cayenne to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Safflower oil

Ghee
24 oz frozen chopped spinach from the Indian store, defrosted and drained (see head note)
1 1/2 medium white onions, finely chopped
1 (3-inch thumb) ginger, peeled and minced (about 3 tbsp)
6 cloves garlic, minced
Red chile flakes to taste
1/4 tsp (generous) cinnamon

1/8 tsp (generous) cloves

1/8 tsp (generous)cardamom 

1 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/3 cup (approx) homemade buttermilk or plain whole milk yogurt

In a large bowl, toss the paneer, turmeric, chile powder, pinch of salt and about 1 tsp safflower oil. Set aside.

Add 1 tbsp ghee to the to a large skillet and heat on medium. Add the onions. Now here's the important part: saute the mixture until it's evenly toffee-coloured, which should take 15 to 20 minutes. Don't skip this step - this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste. After the onions have cooked for 12 to 15 minutes, add the ginger, garlic and chile flakes. Continue cooking until soft and toffee-colored, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven't already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cook out, and it all smells a bit more melodious, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach. Add a little salt and cook until most of the water evaporates, 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the buttermilk or yogurt to the spinach, a little at a time to keep it from curdling. 

While spinach cooks, add about 1 tbsp safflower oil to a heavy skillet and heat on medium high. Add paneer and cook until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Add to spinach. If necessary, reheat on low, stirring frequently, just until everything is warmed through. Serve with steamed basmati rice.

Perfect Steamed Basmati Rice
Julie O'Hara

Serves 4

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add 1 cup white basmati rice and cook, stirring frequently until opaque and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups water and a scant 1/4 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until rice is tender and water is absorbed, 15 to 17 minutes. Keep the pan covered and set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Wild Rice and Chorizo Pilaf

I put this together one night as a side dish for grilled whole fish and asparagus. It turned out to be so delicious that it was the highlight of the meal. It's very easy, but of course wild rice takes over an hour to cook so you have to factor that into your plan.

The work is all done at the very beginning: first brown some dried Spanish chorizo along with onion and garlic; then toast the rice in the pan for a few minutes (this builds flavor, and I swear it helps keep the grains separated rather than clumpy); and finally add the liquid and leave it alone. As with any steamed rice, that 10 minutes of resting time is important. It lets the grains absorb any remaining moisture so there's no clumping when you fluff them up.

The chorizo, by the way, must be the Spanish type, which is cured so it's ready to eat as is. The Mexican type is a fresh sausage which is totally raw. As you might have guessed, these two aren't interchangeable. Not every supermarket out there will carry Spanish chorizo, but it's worth seeking out. I get mine from a butcher. You generally use only a small amount because it packs so much flavor. I've had a piece of it in the freezer for months so I can hack off as much as I need for dishes like this one!

Wild Rice and Chorizo Pilaf

You must use Spanish chorizo, which is cured, rather than Mexican chorizo which is raw.

Serves 2 and may be doubled

Cooking spray

5 to 6-inch piece Spanish chorizo, diced

1/4 cup diced red onion

2/3 cups wild rice blend (such as Lundberg)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/8 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 cups chicken stock (such as Kitchen Basics)

Chopped parsley and a tiny squeeze of lemon for serving if desired

Coat a small saucepan with cooking spray and heat on medium. Add chorizo and cook, stirring frequently until it releases some of its juices, 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add rice, black pepper, garlic and oregano and cook, stirring very frequently until rice is opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, raise heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer, covered, until rice is cooked through, 60 to 65 minutes (or follow package directions). Check rice at 55 minutes and add more stock if needed. Remove from heat and rest for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley and a small amount of lemon juice if using.

Blackberry Scones with Lemon and Poppy Seeds

I rarely make scones with fresh berries. Actually, that's not true. I'm fairly certain that I've never made a scone with fresh berries. First off, I'll tell you that I love berries. My second favorite fruit (after figs) is berries. It can be raspberries, blackberries, blueberries--whichever is the freshest, the sweetest, and on sale.

I also love scones, but I tend to favor more "dessert-like" recipes, even though I never go overboard on the amount of butter and rarely use high-fat dairy, like cream. My absolute favorite scones are Cinnamon Chip. There's also Maple-Pecan and Pistachio. Those last two have icing.

Once I finally combined fresh berries and scones, the results were awesome. They were sweet enough; the dough was incredibly tender; and the firm blackberries stayed intact, creating juicy chunks of berry. One caveat, however, is that fresh berries add a ton of liquid to your batter. It might look very dry, but once the berries are mixed in, you'll be fine.

I tried this recipe with fresh raspberries, and they were far too soft. They broke up, so no chunks of fruit; and they turned my dough into a moist blob almost instantly thanks to their high water content. The firmer blackerries, on the other hand, held up fine (if by chance, yours are very, very soft, they may not work so well). I think blueberries would also be great. Just make sure they're sweet and tasty.

Blackberry Scones with Lemon and Poppy Seeds

I use thick, homemade buttermilk (here's the recipe I use). Store-bought should be fine, but don't use milk mixed with vinegar or lemon juice; it's too thin. I think this recipe would work well with blueberries, but raspberries are too soft and will break up. Wash your berries a couple hours, or even the night, before so they're completely dry. The poppy seeds are a nice touch, but feel free to skip them.

Makes 12 medium scones

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (300 grams)
6 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cardamom
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

1 tsp lemon or vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp poppy seeds
8 Tbs very cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

2 cups fresh blackberries, dried well and halved

2 tbsp (approx.) turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, extract and lemon zest; whisk in poppy seeds.

Add butter to flour mixture and incorporate with a pastry blender or your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal with some larger, shaggy chunks. Add wet ingredients and stir just until most of the dry ingredients are moist (dough will be quite dry as berries add moisture). Gently stir in blackberries, working them in with floured hands if needed. If dough is still very dry, you can drizzle in some buttermilk; if it’s too wet, knead in more flour.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and quickly knead together. Divide in half and pat each half into a disk about 3/4 to 1-inch-thick. Cut each disk into 6 wedges. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Margarita with Easy Homemade Sour Mix

The Margarita is one of my favorite cocktails. Unfortunately, it's one of those drinks that can be absolutely tragic to order at a bar. You can end up with a beverage that's any number of these: sickly sweet, watery, unbalanced, as big as your head. Just like it's tropical friend, Pina Colada, a lot of injustice has been done to the Margarita.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some bars (often legitimate cocktail bars at the higher end of the classy spectrum) make Margaritas with a lot of tequila, fresh lime juice and a mere touch of simple syrup or sour mix. So you're pretty much drinking a tequila martini. This is supposed to be more authentic, but I like some sweetness in my Margaritas. So, this recipe is a nice balance between the too syrupy and too austere versions of the drink.

And, of course, you can make it more or less sweet according to your taste. That's why I like making Margaritas at home. My husband came up with a really great and easy homemade sour mix that we use for all sorts of cocktails. You do not have to make simple syrup or heat anything at all. He just combines agave syrup with fresh lemon and lime juice in a jar and shakes it up. If you don't want to use agave, you can substitute simple syrup.

I uploaded these pictures before I realized that Cinco de Mayo is actually right around the corner. Total coincidence. Happy drinking!

Perfect Margarita with Sour Mix

The sour mix recipe is below. You need a good, juicy lime; an old, shriveled one will mess up the proportions.

Makes 1

1 lime
kosher salt if desired

1 1/2 oz tequila

1 oz sour mix or to taste
1/2 oz triple sec

Cut the lime in half crosswise, then cut a wedge off one of the halves. Cut a slit in the flesh of the lime wedge and run it around the rim of the glass. Dip in salt if desired (avoid getting too much salt on the inner rim so it doesn't "season" your drink). Stick the lime wedge on the glass for garnish.

Add tequila, sour mix, triple sec and all the juice you can squeeze out of the remaining lime halves to a cocktail shaker. Add a handful of ice and shake well. Taste and correct the proportions to suit your tastes. Strain into glass. You can serve on the rocks if you want. I like it straight up, then I add one or two ice cubes if it gets warm as I'm drinking it.


Easy Agave Sour Mix
Agave is about 25% sweeter than sugar, so we add extra citrus, rather than using an equal amount. These quantities needn't be exact, so feel free to use more or less citrus in your mix. Look for light-colored agave nectar since it is generally milder in flavor.

1/2 cup light-colored agave nectar
5 tbsp fresh lime juice
5 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Add all the ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until combined. Keeps in the refrigerator for a couple weeks.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie Bars

This is a easy, fast dessert that looks more complicated than it is. Great, right? It's from The Daily Cookie, a book I raved about a little while back. If you're a chocolate-and-peanut butter fiend, you'll love this. The base is ground up Oreos and butter pressed to form a firm crust. The middle layer is creamy peanut butter and cream cheese, and the topping is the simplest chocolate ganache. It's a lot like those utterly decadent peanut butter mousse pies that seem to call to me from countless web pages, but in the form of satisfying little bars that come in around 100 calories (so good ahead, eat two!).

These bars are made in a square pan, but I could see using a round cake pan and cutting them into thin slices if you want a more elegant presentation. Serve them on a plate next to some whipped cream. In bar form, they're easy to just pick up and eat out of hand. The filling is so tasty (obviously) that I'd consider doubling the amount for a thicker bar.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie Bars
Adapted from The Daily Cookie, 365 Tempting Treats for the Sweetest Year of Your Life by Anna Ginsberg of Cookie Madness

Makes 24 small bars

Crust:
12 Oreo (or similar) cookies
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
4 oz reduced fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (55 g)
1/4 cup chunky or creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp 2% or whole milk

Topping:
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 oz semisweet chocolate, chips or a chopped bar

Line an 8-inch square pan with nonstick foil (or use regular foil and coat with flour-added baking spray). Process the cookies into fine crumbs using a food processor fitted with the metal blade. You should have 1 1/4 cups. Pour melted butter over crumbs and pulse a few times to combine. Transfer to prepared pan and press tightly to form an even layer. Freeze for 20 minutes to make a firm crust.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in peanut butter and milk. Spread over the frozen crust. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until peanut butter layer is firm.

Make the topping: In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it just begins to simmer. Remove from heat and immediately add the chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute, then stir until chocolate is melted and very smooth. If still very hot, cool up to 5 minutes. Spoon chocolate over the peanut butter layer and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Cut into 24 bars, or desired size.

Note: For 24 servings, 1 bar contains approximately 104 calories and 7 grams fat according to my calculations on nutritiondata.self.com.

Curried Lentil Soup with Ginger

I've posted two other red lentil soup recipes over the years, but I feel justified in adding a third. It's not that this one is wildly different from the others. Nor is it shockingly innovative. I just thought it turned out so well, that I wanted to write it down.

In a soup like this you can always tweak the spices and their amounts. The fresh ginger, however, was a key ingredient for me and using ground wouldn't be the same. I love over-stuffing a soup with vegetables, and this one packs carrots, tomatoes and spinach. Super-hearty and nutritious. I added sauteed shrimp to make this a one-bowl meal, but serve it any way you want. And don't forget the lime. Never underestimate the power of citrus to lift the flavor of legumes with a bracing zip!

Curried Red Lentil Soup with Ginger

You can serve this soup with a sandwich, as part of a meal, or as a main dish topped with sauteed shrimp. It's great any way. I kept the recipe instructions simple, short and sweet. This is a soup you can throw together any night of the week.

Serves 4

1 Tbs canola oil

1 large white onion, chopped

2 Tbs chopped fresh ginger

1 Tbs (approx.) curry powder

Indian chile powder or cayenne to taste

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric

2 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

1 1/4 cup red lentils

3 large carrots, sliced

14 oz can diced tomatoes

6 to 9 oz spinach leaves (optional)

1 juicy lime, plus wedges for serving if desired

Greek yogurt and sliced scallions for serving

Heat canola oil in Dutch oven or large pot on medium high. Add onion and saute until tender. Add ginger and spices and cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Add broth, 2 cups of the water and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add lentils and carrots and simmer, uncovered, until tender. Add additional water as needed if soup gets too thick. Add spinach leaves if using and simmer until wilted. Add the lime's juice and season to taste with salt, pepper and more chile powder if desired. Serve with yogurt and scallions.

Braised Flanken-Style Short Ribs

I've been watching Top Chef for years, but it's only during this past season that Tom Colicchio finally grew on me. I never doubted that he was a good chef, but I never really "liked" him until recently. So, when I was searching for a good short ribs recipe and came across this one he did for Food and Wine, I was excited to give it a try.

Spoiler alert: It's a great recipe! I had a feeling it would work out well just by reading it. There aren't a lot of ingredients and the steps are simple. You do have to start the dish the day before, but only so the meat and braising vegetables can soak overnight in a red wine bath.

I did skip the step of basting the cooked ribs in their liquid and broiling them in order to create a glaze. I was dubious and didn't want to toughen the meat. I also thought the delicious braising liquid was too thin to coat the ribs or caramelize well. I don't think anything was lost due to my choice not to broil. It just seemed too fussy. The recipe below reflects this change, and I'd definitely make it again the exact same way!

Tom Colicchio's Braised Short Ribs
Adapted from Food and Wine magazine
This recipe calls for flanken-style short ribs, which are cut across the bone. I think you could also use English-style, which are cut parallel to the bone, but the cooking time may vary slightly. Either way, either cut should come from the chuck where the ribs are meatier, rather than the plate of the animal. A fat separator is really nice for de-fatting the braising liquid. I have this one, and I use it all the time.

Serves 4 to 6

2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 lbs flanken-style short ribs, about 1" thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
3 celery ribs, sliced
3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1 bottle dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
4 thyme sprigs
3 cups chicken broth
Chopped parsley for garnish

1. Heat half the oil in a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Add half the ribs to the skillet and cook, turning once, until browned and crusty, 8 to 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining oil and ribs. Transfer to a shallow baking dish in a single layer.
2. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Add the wine and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil over high heat. Pour the hot marinade over the ribs and let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning the ribs once.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Transfer the ribs and marinade to a large, enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook in the lower third of the oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender but not falling apart. Uncover and braise for 45 minutes longer, turning the ribs once or twice, until the sauce is reduced by about half and the meat is very tender.
4. Transfer the meat to a clean shallow baking dish, discarding the bones as they fall off. Strain the sauce into a fat separator, discarding vegetables (or strain sauce into a heatproof measuring cup and skim off as much fat as possible). Pour de-fatted sauce over the meat; there should be about 2 cups. Serve with sauce, over polenta or mashed potatoes if desired. Garnish with parsley.