Cranberry-Ginger Chutney

This recipe is a nice twist on the traditional cranberry sauce. The addition of ginger and grapefruit gives a nice ‘zing’ to the flavor.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh cranberries
1 inch fresh ginger (very finely chopped)
juice from ½ grapefruit (ruby red, or pink)
1 teaspoon grapefruit rind
1 c water
1 c sugar

Method:
1. In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, ginger and grapefruit rind. Bring the mixture to boil, constantly stirring. Reduce the heat to low.
2. Squeeze in the grapefruit fruit juice. Add in the cranberries and continue to stir.
3. The cranberries will start popping. When the mixture thickens considerably, turn off the heat.
4. Let it cool. Store in a glass jar and refrigerate.

Palak Paneer

Nandita, this recipe is for you. I know you already have it – but it brings back fond memories of the party at your house and the wonderful reunion we all had!

Ingredients:
2 medium-large bunches spinach (loosely chopped)
1 large onion (sliced)
2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
10-12 pieces paneer (cubed)
4-6 cloves garlic (minced)
½ inch ginger (minced)
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp asafetida (heeng)
1tbsp ghee/butter/oil
2 c milk
Salt to taste

Garnish(Tadka):
1tbsp ghee/butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
4-6 red chili peppers

Directions:
1. In a wok, heat the ghee (alternatively, butter or oil) on high heat. Add cumin seeds, followed by the asafetida.
2. When the cumin seeds start sizzling, add ginger and garlic. Lower the heat to medium and stir till the mixture becomes golden-brown. Now add the onions and stir occasionally till they start to brown.
3. Add the chopped spinach to the wok. At this point I usually add salt - it releases the flavor and water from the spinach. Cover and let the mixture simmer on low heat, till the spinach looks wilted. Add the tomatoes to the mix. Replace the cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Turn the heat off and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
4. Using a blender, puree the spinach mix to a smooth consistency. Return the puree to the wok. Stir in the milk and simmer on low.
5. Add the paneer pieces and continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
6. Garnish: In a tiny saucepan melt ghee/butter. Add the cumin seeds followed by the chili peppers. Turn off the heat when the peppers start to crackle and appear deep red.
7. Add the garnish (in hindi this mixture is called “tadka”) to the palak paneer. And voila, it’s ready!!

Notes:
I have posted the recipe to make your own paneer from milk. Paneer is also readily available at most Indian grocery stores. In my experience using ghee (clarified butter) for cooking gives it the best flavor. Ghee is also available at the Indian grocers and the Whole Foods marketplace. Use of asafetida/heeng is optional (the recipe is almost as good in flavor without it).

Polenta with Goat Cheese and Roasted Veggies

I recently discovered the yumminess of Polenta. Polenta is essentially corn grits; its use is common in Italian and Spanish cuisine and has spread to other culinary styles.

I absolutely love corn and I am actually quite disgusted by the “super-sweet corn” that is widely sold in most grocery stores. I find the idea of genetically modified, excess sugar producing corn, unpalatable. Considering the biodiversity of corn crop in this continent, it’s mind-blowing to think that the super sweet corn is the only choice you have.

The reason to buy polenta – it has that wonderful corn flavor, without the artificial sweetness!! It makes a delicious breakfast meal!! And it’s a quick fix!!

So, here is my recipe:

Polenta:

1 cup corn grits

3 cups water

1/2 cup green onions (scallions), chopped

1/3 cup goat cheese

2 tbsp red chili paste (or cayenne pepper powder)

Salt to taste

Roasted Veggies:

1 medium zucchini cubed

1 red bell pepper cubed

3 cloves garlic minced

1tbsp olive oil

Black Pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

1. Bring the water to boil (add salt to the water to make it salty according to taste).
2. Add the chopped scallions and reduce heat to simmer.
3. Now slowly add the corn grits, stirring constantly.
4. The polenta will expand and mixture will start to thicken. This won’t take very long (between 3-5 minutes).
5. Add the chili paste to the polenta when almost all the water has been absorbed.
6. Slowly stir in the goat cheese, turn off the heat and let it sit.
7. In a skillet, add all the ingredients for the roasted veggies.
8. Cook on medium to high heat, till the zucchini is brown and tender and the veggies start to sizzle.
9. Serve a dollop of polenta topped with the roasted veggies.

Notes:

Goat cheese has a very intense flavor - so if you are not a goat cheese fan, go with the cheddar. I’ve noticed that the chili paste gives it a very distinct flavor. I use the stuff Dan makes at home with New Mexico red chilies - I’ll have him post the recipe one of these days). A good substitute for the chili paste is cayenne, which makes it quite spicy.

Making Paneer from Scratch

I thought it would be fitting to inaugurate our Blog with our hands down favorite Indian food - paneer. Paneer is the most widely used cheese in the Indian cuisine and is a major ingredient of several popular Indian meals and desserts.

There is nothing like home made paneer- it’s really tender, fresh and so much better than the store bought variety. And hey - you can save yourself a trip to the local Indian grocery store!!

Ingredients:
1 gal vitamin D, whole milk (I go for the rBST/growth hormone free variety)
½ cup distilled white vinegar or lemon/lime juice
cheesecloth

Directions:
Biochemistry 101: low pH + heat = protein precipitation (milk coagualtion)
1. Bring the milk to a rolling boil in a heavy non-stick pot.
2. Turn the heat off and slowly start adding the vinegar/limejuice, stirring constantly.
3. Paneer slowly curdles out, leaving the whey off-colored and transluscent.
4. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. Drain off the whey and collect the paneer in a cheesecloth of appropriate size.
5. Try to squeeze off any remaining whey from the paneer. I sometimes weight it down for a few hours to make it firm. While doing this your may mold it into a block. Remove from the cheesecloth and refrigerate or freeze, based on your needs.

Notes:
I remember the first time I tried this, I added the vinegar too soon and essentially ended up in plenty whey and hardly any paneer. So definitely, you have to let the milk boil nicely. Low fat milk is an absolute no-no. Paneer is essentially protein + fat, so you don’t want to go the low fat way here.