Monthly Archives: March 2012

by

Mulligatawny (Madhur Jaffrey)

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, about 1/2 inch cube, peeled and chopped
1/2 pound of boneless lamb (from shoulder or leg), with fat removed, and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 T vegetable oil (I used olive)
1 T white poppy seeds, roasted (3-4 minutes in a pan, stirring constantly) and ground (She specifies in the book that one should not substitute other poppy seeds, and I found them fairly easily for not arm and leg prices.  For the grinding I used my kitchen mortar and pestle, which worked quite well.)
1/2 tsp ground coriander (I’ve never actually seen it ground, so I used the m&p for this to, slightly more dangerous)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground tumeric (I misread this and used half, which worked)
1/2 tsp salt (if the broth is unsalted)
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 T chickpea flour
2 c chicken broth
1 T lemon juice
2-3 T cooked rice, or 1-1 1/2 T uncooked rice)

Put the garlic and ginger into the container of an electric blender with 3 T of water.  Blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste.  Set aside.
Pat dry the pieces of lamb.  Heat the oil in a 2-3 quart pot over medium high flame, and add the meat.  Turn, and fry until the pieces are lightly browned on all sides.  Remove, and set aside.  turn the heat off.
To the same pot, add the paste from the blender, the poppy seeds, the turmeric, cumin, and coriandor.  Turn the heat to medum, and fry, stirring constantly, for about a minute.  Turn the heat to low.
Now add the browned meat and any accumulated juices, the salt, the cayenne, and the pepper. Stir and leave on low flame.
Combine chickpea flour and 1/4 c water in a bowl, mixing thoroughly until you have a smooth paste.  Slowly add the chicken brother, stirring as you do so.  Pour this mixture over the meat in the pot.  Turn heat to high and bring soup to a boil.  Add uncooked rice if you are using it.  cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for a half an hour or until the meat is tender and rice is coked.   Stir in the lemon juice.
If you are using cooked rice, add to soup 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe claims to serve 4.  If this is all for the meal, it mostly feeds 2 ravenous male persons and a walnut-stomached me, quite nicely.

by

Caramelized Onion-Potato Pancakes (Lifescript)

I had to alter this one quite a bit from the original, as far as process, and size of various bits.

2 baking potatoes, baked and chilled (sizable ones, if you only have smaller potatoes, make up the differential by using more.)
1 onion, diced
1 pepper, diced
1/2 c. corn kernels
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp rosemary (might work better chopped, but I find chopping rosemary to be a danger to myself and anyone else in the kitchen.)
1 tsp oregano
2 egg whites
salt and pepper to taste

Peel potatoes, grate coarsely.  Put a little oil or butter or…  choose your cooking poison of that sort…  in a pan and saute the onions and peppers and garlic until they are softening. Add corn and herbs and cook until it smells like food, and the textures are to your liking.  (3-15 more minutes).  Set aside to cool.
After that has cooled, fold the vegets, potats, egg whites (after mixing them up a bit), salt, pepper together in a bowl.
Put by appropriate amounts for the size of potato pancakes you wish, into a skillet (again with oil or butter or…) and cook until browned on both sides.  (2-4 minutes a side, depending on temp and size)

Really tasty layered with cheese, bacon (or ham), and eggs.

by

Raisin Scones (?)

2 c flour
2 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking sode
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c butter
1 c raisins (or currants – we tend to use the latter)
3/4 c buttermilk (or cheat with milk and vinegar and heat, if you need to)
1 egg white, for glaze
sugar, for glaze

Combine:  flour, sugar, salt, powder, nutmeg
Cut in butter.  Mix in fruit, then buttermilk.  Knead.  Roll or pat out 3/4″ thick.  Cut into triangles.  Brush with egg white.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 15 minutes at 425.  (I had a bit of a temperature issue last time I cooked them, not sure whether or not that was our stove.)

by

Toni Price’s Barn Dance Buttercream Biscuits (Music in the Kitchen)

Finally a biscuit recipe that rises right here at our altitude.  Was a bit of a relief, as my grandmother’s standard biscuit recipe has fizzled, despite tweaking, ever since I came to New Mexico.

2 c. flour

1 tsp salt

1 T baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 c heavy cream

1/3 c melted butter

Combine dry ingredients.  Slowly add cream, stirring constantly.  Knead for a minute or so.  Pat, pull, and otherwise work into a square approximately 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 12 squares and dip them in the melted butter.  Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.