FOOD

Indulging in samosa cravings with a pie

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Of course it had to hit when there was no easy way to fix it. I’m talking about the intense craving I had yesterday for samosas. All I wanted was the crisp crust and the melt in your mouth filling ASAP. But, I did not have the patience to order takeout or to make samosas from scratch. Staring at my freezer to see if I had any frozen samosas, I discovered a solitary roll of puff pastry waiting to be used. I also found half a cauliflower in my vegetable drawer. On went the oven and in less than an hour, I had a delicious fix that looked nothing like a samosa, but delighted the taste buds with mimicking the flavors.

Ingredients:

  • One sheet of frozen puff pastry roll, left on the counter to thaw for 40 minutes (I used one roll from a two pack of 17.3 oz dough from Pepperidge Farm)
  • One large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 green chilis, finely chopped
  • 2 cups small cauliflower florets (about half a cauliflower for me)
  • 1 small potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 2 tbsps oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
  • .5 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1.5 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp cilantro, finely chopped for garnishing (optional)
  • 1 green chili, finely chopped, for garnishing (optional)
  • 1 small cube of paneer, finely chopped, for garnishing (optional)
  • 1 springform pan (I used a 9 inch one) or a tray for baking the samosa
  • Parchment paper to prevent the base from sticking when baking

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the onions and green chilis and sauté, stirring occasionally till the onions start turning brown. This took about ten minutes.

3. Add the cauliflower, potato, salt, and turmeric powder to the onions, give the mixture a good toss and cook covered (give it a stir once or twice) till the cauliflower and potatoes are cooked and dry. The veggies should not turn mushy. This took about ten minutes for me on a medium flame.

4. Add the garam masala, mix well and set the mixture aside to cool a bit. It should feel warm to the touch.

5. Grease the springform pan or tray and line it with parchment paper.

6.Unroll the puff pastry dough and plop it on the pan or tray.

7. Mound the filling at the centre of the dough, and bring the dough from each side towards the centre leaving the filling exposed (see picture). It is okay to not have perfection here. All you want is the samosa filling to be encased partially in some yummy puff pastry filling.

8. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for about 30-40 minutes, till the puff pastry is a golden brown. Mine took 30 minutes.

9. Wait for ten minutes (this is the hardest part). Remove the base from the springform pan if using. Sprinkle the chili, cilantro, paneer, garnishing (if using) on the samosa pie. Slice into wedges and enjoy!

FOOD

Fresh pasta the Giulia way

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Giulia is an Italian foodie who lives in Southern Italy. She shares her family recipes and delicious concoctions as @giuliaeats on Instagram. I love the food she makes and earlier this week when she posted a traditional recipe for making pasta, I had to recreate it ASAP. I did not have a pasta maker and what followed was a painstaking process of lining up a ruler on the pasta dough to cut the strips with a knife. Making the dough took about 10 minutes, there was a 30 minute resting period, and getting the pasta done took about 75 minutes. Of course, not only did I make the Tagliolini, but I also made a batch of lasagna noodles and two batches of pappardelle with the dough. If you have a pasta maker, this will be ready much quicker. With more time at home, there is no time like the present to give this a go. I am sharing this recipe with Giulia’s permission!

Ingredients:

  • 500 grams 00 flour (This is key. The flour is available on Amazon)
  • 5 eggs
  • 40 grams extra virgin olive oil

How to:

1. Mix the ingredients well with your hand to make a dough and set aside the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

2. Divide the dough into four balls.

3. If you have a pasta machine, you can run the dough through your machine.

4. Since I do not have a pasta machine, I used a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a rectangle that was around 9″ by 12″.

5. Using a ruler as a guide, I cut the rolled dough into thin strips (see image) to make the Tagliolini.

6. I rolled out two other balls of dough similarly, and using a ruler, cut it into broader pasta, pappardelle.

7. I took the last ball of dough, rolled it out and cut it into 8 lasagna noodles.

8. I’ve only cooked the Tagliolini so far, and have saved the rest. To cook the pasta, boil water, add some salt, and cook the pasta for about five minutes.

9. Serve with your favorite sauce. I just sautéed some capers, red chili flakes, and garlic in olive oil, tossed the pasta and had it topped with some fresh mozzarella.

FOOD

Three kinds of chickpeas pulao

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One reason Trader Joe’s is my happy shopping space is that they always have something new in the aisles to try, This time it was a rice made with chickpeas and lentils (in the pasta aisle) that caught my attention. It could go in dishes as rice or as a pasta like orzo. I got a pack and then got thinking about what I could make and that’s when I spotted the can of chickpeas and some crisp chickpeas in my pantry. And that’s how the idea of a three kinds of chickpeas pulao was born. Of course, you could make the same dish with regular rice and it will taste just as yum.

The list of ingredients is a bit long, but once you get everything together, it is very easy to make and the result is a delicious one pot, hearty meal.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp cooking oil or you can use a mix of ghee and oil (I used vegetable oil and ghee)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cardamoms, open pods and use seeds only
  • 1/2 inch piece cinnamon
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 inch piece ginger, finely grated
  • 1 garlic glove, finely grated
  • 2 moderate green chilis finely chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped into moderate pieces
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • A 15 ounce can of cooked chick peas, washed and drained
  • 1 cup Trader Joes chick pea/lentil rice (or you can use an equal amount of basmati rice – just wash and drain the regular rice)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp crisp chickpeas
  • 1 tbsp mint leaves finely chopped

How to:

1. Heat two tbsps of oil (or the oil/ghee combo) in a pan. Add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, and star anise.

2. When the whole spices sizzle, add the chopped onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes till they turn slightly brown.

3. Now add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the green chilis and mix well.

4. Next add the tomato, salt, turmeric powder, and garam masala and toss this well with the onion mixture.

5. Now add the drained chickpeas, the chickpea/lentil rice (or regular basmati rice) and two cups water and mix all the ingredients well.

6. Cook uncovered for 12 minutes (check and stir once or twice)

7. Turn off stove, top with the crunchy chickpeas and mint. Leave covered for a few minutes and then serve with yogurt.

Hint: If you don’t have crispy chickpeas handy, just save a tbsp of washed and drained chickpeas from the can and fry in a pan with a tbsp of oil till it crisps up.

With Food, Travel and Experiences

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