Celebrations of Love

 Noor's  Aqeeqah 

Aqeeqah:  A Muslim celebration, giving thanks to Allah for the special gift of a child.

This Friday I was honored to attend a celebration for one very special girl named Noor.  Noor is the youngest child of a very good friend of mine from Pakistan. Her name means light and appropriately so because her life has brought a light into many lives around her, including mine. 

Her parents in celebration of their beautiful daughter held an elegant affair,  full of memorable moments and of course delicious food!!!!

  

One of my favorite Eastern foods, samosas, were offered as an hors d'oeuvre. Samosas are baked or fried pastries filled with spiced potatoes, onions, peas, coriander, and lentils, or ground lamb or chicken.

Indian Lamb Samosas

Description: Savory filled pastry
Cuisine Style: South and South Eastern Asian

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
6 tablespoons ghee or oil, divided
Cold water as needed, usually about 10 tablespoons
1 cup minced onion, divided
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, divided
3 hot green chiles, such as serrano, seeded and finely minced, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/4 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/4 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 pounds ground lamb
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves, divided
3 cups fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Oil, for frying

Directions:

Make the pastry by combining the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and then rubbing 4 tablespoons of the ghee into the flour until well combined and mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the pastry comes together to form a ball, about 10 tablespoons. Knead the dough lightly and then form into a disk, wrap in plastic and transfer to the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour.

While the dough is resting, make the filling. Heat the remaining ghee in a medium skillet and add 3/4 cup of the onion. Cook until the onion is lightly caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the ginger, 1 tablespoon of the garlic, 1 of the chiles, coriander, garam masala, cumin seeds, tumeric, and cinnamon and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the meat, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the remaining salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and 1/4 cup hot water, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender and the water has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the cilantro and set aside to cool completely.
While the filling is cooking, make the dipping sauce by combining the mint, remaining cilantro, remaining chopped onion, remaining ginger, remaining 1/4 teaspoon garlic, remaining green chilies, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, sugar, lemon juice, and 3 to 4 tablespoons water in the bowl of a processor and process until a fine, smooth puree is formed. (Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.) Set aside, refrigerated, until ready to serve the samosas. (Taste and season with additional salt and sugar, to taste, if necessary.)
Divide the samosa dough into 10 portions and roll each piece of dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll each ball of dough into a circle about 5 inches in diameter (use a small bowl or the rim of a saucer and a sharp paring knife to trim the edges of the dough to form neat circles.) Cut each circle in half. Lightly moisten half of the straight edge of each half circle then bring the edges together to form a cone shape and press together to seal. Carefully spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling into the dough cone and push downward to compress the filling. Moisten the top edges with a bit of water and press together to seal. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough and filling.
When you are ready to fry the samosas, heat a deep-fryer or a large saucepan filled with at least 2 inches of oil to about 340 degrees F. Fry the samosas, a few at a time and stirring to promote even cooking, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain. Repeat until all samosas have been fried. Serve immediately, with the fresh mint dipping sauce and/or your favorite chutney.

Prep Time: 1 hr 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Level: Intermediate

Servings: 10 servings

 

 A Fast for Love: Karva Chauth

 

Karva Chauth: an annual one day celebration observed by primarily Hindu women in Northern India and Pakistan in which married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety of their husbands and unmarried women for their loves and betrothed. The women dress in traditional clothing and adorn themselves with jewelry and henna for the evening celebration, some even wearing their wedding attire. The dresses (saris or shalwars) are most often red, gold or orange in color. The fast is broken when the husband or love gives his beloved a sip of water and feeds her the first morsel of the day which is usually something sweet. In return for her dedication a new dress or jewelry is given as a gift.

 

Gulab Jamun is a traditional Indian dessert. The perfect bit of sweetness to break fast.

Gulab Jamun

Description: Sweet syrupy with a hint of rose
Cuisine Style: Indian/Asian

Ingredients:

1 cup dry milk powder
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter), melted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon chopped almonds (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped pistachio nuts (optional)
1 tablespoon golden raisins (optional)
1 pinch ground cardamom
1 quart vegetable oil for deep frying

1 1/4 cups white sugar
7 fluid ounces water
1 teaspoon rose water
1 pinch ground cardamom


Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together the milk powder, flour, baking powder, and cardamom. Stir in the almonds, pistachios and golden raisins. Mix in the melted ghee, then pour in the milk, and continue to mix until well blended. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. In a large skillet, stir together the sugar, water, rose water and a pinch of cardamom. Bring to a boil, and simmer for just a minute. Set aside.
Fill a large heavy skillet halfway with oil. Heat over medium heat for at least 5 minutes. Knead the dough, and form into about 20 small balls. Reduce the heat of the oil to low, and fry the balls in one or two batches. After about 5 minutes, they will start to float, and expand to twice their original size, but the color will not change much. After the jamun float, increase the heat to medium, and turn them frequently until light golden. Remove from the oil to paper towels using a slotted spoon, and allow to cool. Drain on paper towels and allow to cool slightly. Place the balls into the skillet with the syrup. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, squeezing them gently to soak up the syrup. Serve immediately, or chill.


***I like to sprinkle with coconut! Yummy*****

Prep Time: 30  minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Level: Labor of Love :)

Servings: 20 balls

Recipe of the day

  Braised Short Ribs

Brasato al Barolo
 

Description: Creamy, rich pasta dish

Cuisine Style: Italian-Piemonte
 

Ingredients:

4 pounds beef short ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
4 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1 cup red wine, (I like to use Cabernet)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard or any sweet spicy mustard
2 cups low-sodium beef stock
1 pound Penne pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or ovenproof stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and falls easily from the bone. Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a ladle, transfer the cooking liquid in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce into a sauce pan and keep warm over low heat. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce and add to the pasta. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the pasta. Toss well and thin out the pasta with more sauce, if needed. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan and chopped parsley before serving.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hrs 40 minutes

Level: Simple

Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Buon Appetito

I love you Pumpkin!

 Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins.......

Continuing with my ode to fall, it's one of my favorite months, and it's pumpkin time, at least in North America, where it's native. I always look forward to this time of year, when I walk into a market or grocery store and there is this sea of brightly colored orange pumpkins. Although, we generally see orange or yellow pumpkins, they do have the most beautiful shades of red, gray, pale and dark green that remind me of the leaves turning.

Pumpkins are considered to be a fruit and one of the most popular crops in the United States, which consumes roughly 1.5 billion...Yes BILLION......pounds of pumpkin. Of the multiple uses for pumpkin, I typically use it in cooking.  Carving out a pumpkin is just not my favorite thing to do. However, I did do it a couple times for my son. So, today I am going to share with you, three  of my favorite recipes using pumpkin, just to show you the versatility in cooking with this fruit. One is a bread, which is terrific in the mornings with your tea or coffee or as a dessert. A soup that is full of intense flavor and is the perfect starter course and finally a specialty from the Caribbean, fritters. It had to be one of my favorite snacks to take to the beach, when I was in St. Lucia.

The first thing I usually do when I know I am going to be cooking with a lot of pumpkin is make my own puree and freeze, what I don't use right away. I am not saying that you can not use canned puree, I just love the taste of the fresh puree, and you can freeze it for 4 to 6 months.

Pumpkin Puree

When choosing a pumpkin for puree, go for the smaller pumpkin with a dark orange flesh (sugar pumpkin), the larger ones (field pumpkins) tend to be not as sweet and very stringy.  Ideally,  field pumpkins are for carving not for baking.

Baking Method:

•  Preheat the oven to 375F/190C
• Cut the pumpkin in half or in quarters if it is a medium sized pumpkin. Discard the stem and seeds.
• On a cookie sheet lined with foil, place the halves or quarters face down and cover with tented foil.
• Bake for 1 hour (small pumpkin) or 1½ hours (medium pumpkin,) or until tender.
• Scoop out the flesh and mash or puree it in a food processor.

***For those meticulous gourmets, if you know ahead of time that you will be using some of the puree for a soup, press the puree through a sieve. You will be left with a smooth silky puree.****

Pumpkin Bread

The first time I made this, I was a little bit skeptical because of the coconut but it has become one of my favorites, for this time of year. This is not your ordinary pumpkin bread.

Description:  Super moist

Cuisine Style:  Autumn Dessert

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped walnuts
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup  unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
Spread walnuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Toast in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add the pumpkin puree, oil, and coconut milk, and mix until all of the flour is absorbed. Fold in the flaked coconut and toasted walnuts. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and cover loaves tightly with foil. Allow to steam for 10 minutes. Remove foil, and turn out onto a cooling rack. Tent loosely with the foil, and allow to cool completely. 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hr 15 minutes

Level: Simple

Servings: 2 8x4 inch loaves

Roasted Pumpkin Soup 

Description: Creamy with a touch of sweetness!

Cuisine Style:  Fall Comfort Food

Ingredients:

4 cups peeled cubed pumpkin
1 large yellow/sweet onion, minced
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons olive oil

 Preheat oven to 350F/180C. In a medium bowl toss pumpkin with olive oil and and salt and pepper. Cook for 45 minutes until soft, and set aside. In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot melt butter and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf and spices and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Add 4 cups of the chicken stock and 2 cups of cream. Simmer over low heat. Place cooled pumpkin in food processor with reserved chicken stock (2 cups) and puree until smooth. Add pureed pumpkin to the soup, bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
 Garnish with cream and parsley.

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 55-60 minutes

Level: Simple

Servings: 8-10

I will never forget the first time I had pumpkin fritters, maybe it had something to do with the view. It was at the Ladera resort in St. Lucia. If you haven't gone....put it on your list! But until you get there, you have to try these little miniature bits of heaven.

www.ladera.com


Caribbean Pumpkin Fritters

Description: Sweetness with a little spice

Cuisine Style: Caribbean

Ingredients:
1 cup coarsely grated pumpkin
1 tablespoon salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried yeast
½  teaspoon sugar
2/3  cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
½  teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Oil for deep-frying

Dipping sauce: raspberry chipotle, tomato chutney, baconnaise

Place the grated pumpkin in a bowl and scatter with the salt. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. (This step is to extract the moisture from the pumpkin). Squeeze extra liquid from the pumpkin and set aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the milk and egg. Stir in the pumpkin, cilantro, jalapeño and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size (1 hour). Heat the oil in the deep-fryer until 350F/180C. Deep fry 1 tablespoon full of the batter, in batches, turning once, until golden (4-5 minutes). Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.  

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 4-5 minutes per fritter

Level: Simple

Servings: 18 fritters

  

 Enjoy!!!!