Indian Yum!

We've been eating more and more Indian dishes in our house. The spices are so wonderful; heat, sweetness, savory, spicey, tart, salty.... it just goes on and on with layered flavors.

Layers are a big peice to an indian dish called Biryani.

A biryani is a dish where rice and meat (or veggies) are cooked separately with spices and then brought together in a dish by layering and given one final bake. The final baking gives the rice a rich aroma of flavor, while still maintaining it's consistency and flavor.

I've fallen in love with the below mixtures, especially served with the cooling spinach and yogert or the heat of spicey fried bread. I'm hoping to try this for my family the night before thanksgiving as a really different meal going into a week where there will be tons of gravy, turkey, and potatoes :)

Biryani: Beef, rice, spices (cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin seeds, tumeric, cardamom), golden rasins, cashews

Spinach Yogert: Heat 1 tbsp mustard seeds and 2 thai chillies in olive oil till brown. Mix in 2 cups chopped spinach till wilted. Mix into 1 cup of Greek Yogert and 1 tsp salt. Serve room temp.

Spicey Grilled Bread: Mix together red onions, cilantro, garlic, tumeric, thai chilli peppers, flour, water, salt.

Grill in Olive Oil, butter mixture till fried. Serve warm.

Beef, rice, phyllo covered Biryani w/spinach yogert

Malomakarona - Greek Chrismas Cookies

Melomakarona - Greek Christmas Cookies

My new favorite little cookies.

Cookie Dough - makes 50 to 60 cookies
2 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup Sugar

2 eggs
1 cup Orange Juice

1 tsp lemon juice

4 cups Plain Flour
2 cups semolima flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda

Mix wet ingredients together well. Slowly stir in dry ingredients until well incorporated. Knead with more flour until moldable. Shape into rectangle-like cookies. Place on a non-stick surface and bake at 350 degree for about 20 minutes or until just golden.

Remove and let cool COMPLETLY.

Syrup

2 cups sugar

1.5 cups water

1.5 cups honey

1 tsp. cinnamon

8 cloves

Heat all together on a stove until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove cloves. Pour over cooled cookies in a pan. Flip cookes and let liquid soak in, for about 30 minutes.

Remove and coat in topping. Let dry.

Topping
8 cloves, from syrup
1 cup walnuts
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Grind together and toast till dry.

This recipe does make a lot. But you can store them in an air tight container up to two months... if they last that long.

Pumpkin Popcorn

With the turning of the leaves comes the mounds of squash. The are wonderful in soups, roasted, whipped or for decoration. But what about the pumpkins? Oh the pumpkins.

You get them for the carving, but the filling is rarely used. This year, from a tip (thanks mom!) we decided to try roasting them.

Mixed with butter, olive oil, thyme, sage, salt and pepper they were roasted on a pan in the oven till golden, similar to how I roast seasoned nuts. They popped just like corn kernels and tasted amazingly the same! We can't wait to try out different flavors with the next few halloweens to come.

Chix Salad

One of our most favorite things to grill in the summer is Greek Chicken. I tasty blend of lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper get mixed into a marinade for all types of chicken pieces.


While this in its self is an amazing dish, even better are the leftovers which get turned into the most amazing Chicken Salad you will ever whip up!

I will even write down the secret to this recipe…. Consistent sized pieces. The trick is to cut up the chicken, celery, and onions into very small sized bits. It blends together so much nicer and almost melts in your mouth. We also tend to eat ours a bit dry, ie not lathered in mayo. The longer it sits, the better it gets. Generally that’s not more than a day in our house though….


Chicken Salad
-Makes 4-6 servings-

2 cooked chicken breasts
3 stalks celery, washed
1/2 small onion
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup mayo
1 tbsp mustard, Dijon
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup Almonds, sliced and crushed
Salt/pepper to taste

Chop up the chicken and celery into equal small sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Dice the onion and garlic up, add to chicken mixture. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well to taste. Store in refrigerator overnight for a blended flavor. Serve on salad or for sandwiches.

A Tale of Two Custards

My sister makes the most delicious Crème Brulee, it’s always a family treat and we love to have it on special / not-so-special occasions. She taught me the secretes to stirring and chilling a few years back, so since then I’ve made vanilla, cappuccino, lavender, and toffee renditions. But while Brulee is decadent and smooth it also fills your waist line. So in the spirit of healthy living I thought I would try making Crème Caramel, the less sultry and definitely easier cousin of Brulee.

I’m not sure if I succeeded. The Caramel was sweet, but not smooth as Brulee. The almonds added a nice texture difference but something was just missing… maybe it’s the 3 cups of cream I’m used to….

Crème Caramel
1/3 c. sugar
4 tbsp water

3 egg yolks, beaten2 eggs, beaten1/3 c. sugar1 2/3 c. milk1/2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 almonds, chopped

Set up 8-10 ramekin bowls or other small bake proof dishes in a 9x12 pan (like a lasagna pan).

In a medium non-stick pot melt sugar and water together on high heat until it just starts to brown becoming caramel, about 8-10 minutes. Pour hot caramel into the dishes, coating the bottom. Caramel will cool quickly so reheat if needed. Once the caramel has cooled sprinkle the chopped almonds on top.

In a large double boiler or non-stick pot, heat milk and sugar to a low boil; when small bubbles form around the sides. Slowly stir in eggs (temper by stirring in a tbsp of the milk into the eggs first). Add vanilla and heat through stirring for 5 minutes.

Pour into the dishes, straining if the eggs have formed up slightly.

Fill the pan with water up 2/3 the side of the ramekins. Bake for 40-60 minutes in a 300 degree oven or until thickened and a knife comes out clean. Let cool and place in refrigerator overnight, up to 2 days or at least 4 hours to set. Run a knife around the edges of the dish and invert onto a plate, letting the caramel run over the sides.

Autumn Nuts

The roasted holiday nuts that I spoke about before were spreading earthy spice smells to every corner of the house last night. A recipe that seems so easy and so natural that I'm amazed more people don't roast their own every day! I know when we make them it's a challenge to get them off the baking tray.

Once you try this blend of holiday seasonings I'm sure it will be a favorite in your home too.

Roasted Holiday Nuts

4 cups Mixed Nuts (cashews, almonds, pecans, filberts, brazils)
2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Rosemary
1 tbsp Sage
1 tbsp Thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients but nuts together in a large bowl. Add in the nuts and fold until well coated. Lay out flat on a large baking sheet. Broil at 500 degrees on a low rack until just slightly brown, turn and roast again, about 8 minutes on first side, 5 on the next. Do not over roast. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes on pan. Place in a serving tray or store in original container for up to 1 month.

Hickory Nuts and Bake Shoppes

There is one more tradition that our family follows when spending a weekend in Northern Wisconsin; a visit to the bakery.

The Spooner Bake Shoppe is one of the most delicious places you will find. It boasts of Jelly Rolls, Glazed Donuts, Cinnamon Twists, and Filled Danishes. My personal favorites are the Raspberry Filled Sugar Cookies, a sweet melt in your mouth folded piece of heaven, and the plain Croissant, which is buttery and flakey all at once.

The bakery is nestled in the Main Street section of town. Faced with dark wood and carved with detail seen in the hometown villages I'm sure the ancestors who founded it remember.

Although I’ve never tried to recreate the Raspberry Cookies, I will share a cookie recipe that also goes well with milk! The Hickory nuts I use are gathered by my grandfather, who will sit at the table with a bucket and pick the ‘meat’ from the nuts out. His weathered and gnarled hands working more deftly than mine ever could even after years of farm work.


Chocolate Chunk Hickory Nut Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 cup hickory nuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl beat butter and sugars until creamy.
Beat in vanilla, then eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
At low speed, gradually add flour mixture into butter mixture; beating until just blended.
Fold in chocolate and hickory nuts.

Drop large tablespoons of rounded dough, 2 inches apart, onto a nonstick cookie sheet.
Bake cookies 10 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Note: I drizzle a chocolate gnosh over the cooled cookies for a final chocolate kick.