Before I get to recipes, I can't resist this story. From the Odd News section at Yahoo News: Flying brisket whacks woman amid beef at barbecue festival
Danville police say they were called to the Kentucky State BBQ Festival after a dispute was reported between contestants who were sharing a cooker Sunday.
Mary Berry of Bardstown told officers she was hit in the shoulder, neck and head by the slab of hot meat.
I am of course not condoning assault with beef, pork, or textured soy protein.
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A few weeks ago I went out for Indian food for the first time in a long while. A buffet is great for reminding you of things you like and haven't had; here are a couple.
My previous Indian food diary is here.
Saag Paneer (Spinach with Cheese)
from Aarti Sequeira (Food Network)
4 servings
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 ounces paneer (Indian cheese), cut into 1/2-inch cubes, see link for recipe
1 (16-ounce package) frozen chopped spinach
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 (1-inch thumb) ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green serrano chile, finely chopped (seeds removed if you like it less spicy)
1/2 teaspoon store-bought or homemade garam masala, see link for recipe
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred until smooth
Paneer is a very mild fresh cheese sort of like mozzarella, but don't think about substituting. Make your own if you don't have an Indian grocery nearby.
In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3
tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss, taking
care not to break the cubes if you're using the homemade kind. Let the cubes
marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.
Thaw the spinach in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, 5 minutes on high,
then puree in a food processor until smooth. Alternatively, you can chop it up
very finely with your knife.
Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the paneer as the pan
warms. In a couple of minutes give the pan a toss; each piece of paneer should
be browned on one side. Fry another minute or so, and then remove the paneer
from the pan onto a plate.
Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the onions, ginger,
garlic and chile. Now here's the important part: saute the mixture until it's
evenly toffee-coloured, which should take about 15 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.
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, 3 to
5 minutes.
Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the
spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 cup of water, stir, and cook about 5
minutes with the lid off.
Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt, a little at a time to keep it from
curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer. Turn
the heat back on, cover and cook until everything is warmed through, about 5
minutes. Serve.
Rice Kheer (Rice Pudding)
from
Veg Recipes of India, where you'll find very detailed instructions with pictures.
4+ servings
1 quart whole (full fat) milk
¼ cup basmati rice
6 tb sugar
6 green cardamoms, powdered, or 1/2 to 1 tsp ground cardamom
a pinch of saffron (optional)
15-20 almonds, blanched and sliced (optional)
12-15 cashews (optional)
1 tb golden raisins
Rinse and soak ¼ cup basmati rice for 30 minutes.
Heat 1 quart whole milk in a sauce pan and let it come to a boil.
Drain the rice and add it to the simmering milk. Add the sugar. Simmer over a low flame, stirring often, until the rice is soft and the pudding thickens, 35 to 40 minutes.
After about 20 minutes of cooking, add saffron, cardamom powder (6 green cardamom crushed in a mortar-pestle), blanched & peeled sliced almonds, chopped cashews. Stir. [I consider anything but the cardamom optional, but the nuts are nice to give it texture.]
When the rice has cooked completely and the rice kheer has thickened to the desired consistency, switch off the fire and add raisins. You can serve the rice kheer hot or warm or chilled.
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The above was for dinner here last night, no plan yet for tonight. (There is kheer left over for dessert.) The basil plant is still going strong so I'll probably make pesto again, freeze half the batch and eat pasta with pesto.
What's for dinner at your place?