Cumin Spiked Cashews

It is time to wrap up another gift for a dear dear friend. I had made these cashews frequently for my parents and in-laws. Since they've been gone, these nuts have also disappeared into a memory bank. So it is with joy that I resurrect them for a friend I love. Geets, enjoy them!

Use any cashew you like. Make sure they do not have the papery outer skins. I have made them with whole and broken bits or as they are called in India, tukda kaju. Cashews are sauteed with sugar until they turn brown and the sugar caramelizes. They are then tossed with a spice powder mix of cumin, chile flakes, sugar and salt. Once cool they harden a bit. Break them up with your hands. And then sample your effort!


CUMIN SPIKED CASHEWS
Makes 2 cups
DF, GF, VN, WF, VG, EF


2 cups Cashews (whole or broken bits)
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1 heaped teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 heaped teaspoon Cumin powder
1 heaped teaspoon Chile Flakes
1 teaspoon Sugar

Mix salt, cumin powder, chile flakes and 1 teaspoon sugar in small bowl.

Heat oil in saucepan.

Add cashews to hot oil and saute for a few minutes.

Scatter sugar over the cashews. Stir vigorously.

Keep stirring every minute or so over a medium high flame till you see cashews brown and sugar caramelize. This should take anywhere from 10-15 minutes. Don't walk away or the sugar will burn. Lower flame if it is browning too fast.

The sugar has to caramelize. Some of the cashews might still be cream colored and that's okay. Take the cashews off the flame once the sugar caramelizes to a golden brown.

Pour the cashews on to an ungreased baking sheet. 

Spoon spice mix evenly over hot cashews. Toss well so all cashews are coated. 

Cool for 20-30 minutes. 

Place in an airtight container.

Enjoy them with drinks, as an appetizer or anytime the nibbles strike you! 

I save some for the nut fiend in my house. Needless to say they don't last too long.

Chocolate Snowballs

If you have a sweet tooth, then the Xmas season is your dream time. Sweet emanations permeate the atmosphere so temptation is around every corner. I make a series of cookies. One of them is this nugget of chocolate, apricot and cointreau. With a few raisins thrown in. It is chewy, not too sweet and makes a delightful two bite pleaser. Maybe three bites if you nibble! And they always bring a smile to my face even as I make them.

Whisk good quality cocoa powder with flour and baking powder. No need to sift. Soft butter and sugar are creamed till frothy. Egg, apricot jam, vanilla and milk ease the stiffness. Raisins soaked in cointreau give the cookie a sophisticated touch. Balls are coated in granulated sugar which binds the cookies, then in icing sugar which fragments them. Rolled in two sugars, they emerge from the oven with an distinct abstract art look.



CHOCOLATE SNOWBALLS
Makes 48-50


2 cups all purpose Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder (I used Ghirardelli)
21/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg powder 
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
3/4 cup golden Raisins
1/4 cup Cointreau or Orange Juice
1 1/2 sticks or 16 tablespoons Butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Apricot Jam
2 tablespoons Milk
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar


Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl.

Soak raisins in cointreau for 20 minutes.

Have all your ingredients at room temperature. 

Cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar till pale and fluffy in a stand mixer. Or use a wooden spoon and a lot of arm strength. 

Add egg, vanilla extract, jam and milk. Stir slowly till mixed. 

Spoon flour mixture into the batter on low speed. Do this till flour has just about folded in.

Stir in raisins. 

Give the batter a quick whirl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or 24 hours if you plan to make them the next day. Its a very forgiving batter.

Line three baking sheets with parchment or Silpat. I use half sheet pans sized at 18"x 13"

Heat oven to 350F or 180C.

Take batter out of the fridge. Use a scoop to make golf ball size rounds. You should get 12-15 on  a sheet depending on the size of your sheet pan.

Put the two sugars in bowls. Roll the balls in granulated sugar first and then the icing sugar and place on sheet pan.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Remove tray from oven and cool for 10 minutes. 

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. 

Repeat till the dough is finished. You might have to reuse sheet pans. Wait until they are lukewarm to place rolled cookie balls on them. 

Keep cookies in an airtight container. 

They are best eaten the day of baking, but keep well for 10 day!

Time to wrap the cookies. I save some for my sweet tooth and because these make so happy. 

Vietnamese Beef Stew

Stew equates comfort food. So I make a bowl of comfortable beefiness. This an alternate version of a classic with Vietnamese slant, as it has the spices of that region like fish sauce, star anise, cinnamon, lemongrass and palm sugar. Potatoes and carrots are the usual suspects. Lemon grass is once again the exception. 

Onions are cut two ways, finely minced and roughly chopped, one to give body to the sauce and one to add texture. Lots of garlic and ginger. Beef strips have been marinated in five spice powder, ginger and garlic and fish sauce. Tomato paste, more aromatics, lemongrass, cinnamon, star anise, potatoes and carrots give the stew a jolt. You could braise this slowly stove top, use a pressure cooker or InstantPot. All work. Give it a whirl.


VIETNAMESE BEEF STEW
Serves 4

1 lb boneless Beef, cut into small strips
1 teaspoon Five Spice Powder
1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1 large Onion
2 Garlic cloves
2 large coins of Ginger
2 Green Chiles
1 Lemongrass
1/2 Star Anise
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
1/2 teaspoon Palm Sugar or Brown Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
2 Potatoes
2 Carrots
Cilantro leaves
Mint leaves
Hot cooked Rice


Place beef strips in a bowl.

Add five spice powder, ginger garlic paste and fish sauce to beef. Mix well and marinate for 3-4 hours.

Peel onion. Chop half the onion finely. Cut the other half in large chunks.

Mince ginger and garlic. 

Peel outer layers of lemongrass. Cut into 2 inch pieces. Smash them slightly with the back of your knife.

Cut green chile into small pieces.

Peel potatoes and cut into small chunks.

Wash carrots and cut into chunks.

Heat oil in the pan you plan to use. I braised the stew stove top.

Add meat to hot oil and saute till brown.

Add onion, ginger and garlic to beef. Saute for a few minutes till onions are translucent.

Add tomato paste, star anise, cinnamon, green chiles, lemongrass, palm sugar, salt and pepper.

Add potatoes and carrots to saucepan. Stir well.

Add enough water to cover the meat and potatoes.

Bring to a boil, then cover loosely and braise for 30 minutes. 

Garnish with cilantro and mint leaves and serve with rice.

Poured over rice, the stew is a meal in one. Satisfying, comforting...a big warm hug for my belly.

Roast Lamb Loin with Potatoes and Persillade Sauce

No more turkey! On to another meat. Having unearthed a lamb loin from the depths of the freezer, I plan to roast it on a bed of potatoes. This is a one pan meal. Quartered Yukon Golds are sauteed with garlic, scallions and paprika. I push the potatoes aside so the loin can brown in the center. The browned lamb is then placed atop the potatoes and roasted in a hot oven. As the roast cooks the potatoes bathe in lamb fat, turning golden brown and crisp.

Okay, so this is a saucepan and a sauce meal. The sauce is comprised of parsley, garlic, capers, cornichons, seasonings and olive oil mixed together in a bowl. Not quite one dish but delicious all the same!



ROAST LAMB LOIN WITH POTATOES AND PERSILLADE SAUCE
Serves 4


1 1 lb Lamb Loin, rolled and tied
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper powder
1 pound Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Scallions
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Persillade Sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped Parsley
5 Cornichons, minced 
1 teaspoon Capers, rinsed and finely chopped
1 Garlic clove, finely minced
1 Scallion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin Olive Oil

Make the sauce by mixing all the items in a bowl. Allow the flavors to meld while you make the roast.

Heat oven to 375F.

Pat lamb loin dry and season all over with salt and pepper.

Cut potatoes into quarters.

Mince garlic and scallions.

Heat olive oil in a cast iron saucepan or any ovenproof skillet over a medium flame.

Drop potatoes, garlic, scallions and paprika into oil. 

Saute for a few minutes.

Push the potatoes to the outer edges of the pan.

Put loin in the center and brown all over. 

Bring the potatoes into the center. 

Lift the loin with tongs and place on top of potatoes.

Put the saucepan in the oven and bake uncovered till done, 30 minutes for medium rare, 45-50 minutes for well done. 

Take roast out of the oven. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

Cut and discard the strings that hold the loin together.

Slice and serve with potatoes and sauce.

We love the simple flavors. The sauce adds punch and color. Replete once again!

Sweet Potato Latkes

I pick up my winter CSA from Sang Lee Farms, a local Long Island enterprise. The basket is laden is yellow cauliflower, lettuce, hefty spinach leaves, squash and fat sweet potatoes. The idea is to support and buy local. Having done that I must now make a meal plan! Sweet potato is the choice.

With latka time around the corner, I improvise with a new age version. The time-saving food processor is used to grate the peeled potatoes. I add scallions and parsley, a little umami seasoning, salt pepper and flour. Beat the eggs lightly before you add them to the batter. You will not overmix the batter if the eggs are beaten separately. The longest past of this recipe is frying the latkes. Shallow fry them in a wide saucepan. Drop a quarter cup of batter into the oil. If your brave, use your fingers to drop and flatten the latkes. The thinner the latkes the faster they will cook. Though the thick ones have more bite. I like thin ones. It takes three to four minutes on one side with an additional minute or two once you flip them. Don't rush cooking them. Drink some wine, lay the table while the latkes improbably crisp up and soften at the same time. Pile them onto a platter and eat. But if you do make them ahead of time, they reheat perfectly well. 

SWEET POTATO LATKES
Makes12-16


3 cups grated Sweet Potato from 1 large or 2 medium
3 Scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped roughly
1/2 teaspoon Umami Paste or Seasoning (homemade or store bought)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Several grinds of fresh Black Pepper
1/3 cup AP Flour
2 Eggs 
Canola Oil


Place the grated sweet potatoes in a bowl. 

Add scallions, parsley, umami seasoning, salt, pepper and flour.

Lightly beat eggs and add to sweet potatoes. Mix gently into a batter.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide nonstick saucepan.

When oil shimmers drop 1/4 cup or 2 tablespoons of batter onto the oil. Do this carefully so the oil doesn't splash. You can make 4-5 latkes depending on the size of your pan. I use my fingers to gather a portion, place it in the oil and flatten the latkes....Very carefully!

Use the bottom of a spoon or your fingers to flatten each latka. They should be 1/4 to 1/5 inch thick. 

Let latkes cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes till the edges have turned golden brown. Peek at the undersides by lifting the edges with a spatula. Flip them and cook for another 2-3 minutes till they are a similar brown. 

Finish the batter in this fashion, adding dribbles of oil if necessary. 

You could make them ahead of time up to a day ahead and reheat them uncovered in a 300F oven for 10 minutes. 

Serve them warm.

There's something about crispy lacy pancakes that whets our appetites. Dinner is done and the pile diminishes into nothing.

Pork Stew with Black Beans and Salsa Verde

Cool weather and stew go hand in hand. I have a surfeit of pork tenderloin, black beans and tomatillos, which results in a mouth tingling fiery braise.

Instead of broiling or baking tomatillos,halved tomatillos are dry roasted along with garlic, green chiles and red onion. I do this stovetop using a nonstick pan. A cast iron pan would work as well. The charred veggies are blended with cilantro to make a pulpy salve verde. 

Chunks of pork are sauteed in oil till they brown. I flavor the oil with chile pequin, liberally! Once the pork has browned , add the salsa and cooked black beans. Water thins out the sauce and lets the pork braise on the fire. Cover and check the liquid from time to time. Its a slow braise that lets the pork cook till it is soft, so add patience to the recipe as well!

PORK STEW WITH BLACK BEANS AND SALSA VERDE
Serves 4


1 Pork Tenderloin
1 teaspoon Tajin seasoning (optional)
5-6 Tomatillos
2 Green Chiles
4 Garlic cloves
1/2 cup Cilantro, leaves and stems
1 small red Onion
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
3 Chile Pequin or any small dried Red Chiles
1 can cooked Black Beans, drained and rinsed 
3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
Cilantro
Cooked Rice or Tortillas


Cut the pork into 1 inch pieces. 

Sprinkle with tajin seasoning. 

Remove the papery outer skin of the tomatillos. Cut them in half.

Cut chiles in half.

Chop red onion into thick slices.

Place a flat nonstick saucepan over a high flame. 

Place tomatillos cut side down in saucepan. Add chiles, red onion and unpeeled garlic cloves to pan. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Lift tomatillo up to see if it has charred. Chiles, onions and garlic should have dark brown spots as well. Cool veggies for 5 minutes before making salsa verde.

Place tomatillos, chiles, onion and peeled garlic in a blender. Add cilantro and blend till smooth.

Heat oil in a deep saucepan.

Add dried chiles to oil and let them sizzle for 30 seconds.

Spoon the pork into oil. Stir so pork is coated with oil. Let the pork brown undisturbed for 5-8 minutes, maybe longer. Do not stir the pork as this will allow it to brown quicker. Pork should have a deep brown color and all the liquid should have evaporated.

Pour salsa verde into pork along with black beans. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add 2 cups water to pork and bring the stew up to a boil.

Cover, lower the flame to medium and braise pork for 45-50 minutes till the meat breaks apart easily. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot cooked rice or tortillas.

The stew is spiiicy!! Dried red and green chiles give the dish a huge kick. This is a southwestern power punch!!!