Masala Farm
Page 15
Place the milk and water in a medium saucepan. Add the tea, cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and steep for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the heat to high. Once the chai returns to a boil, take it off the heat and pour it through a fine-mesh sieve and into glasses (not teacups). Serve hot.
Butternut Squash Chaat
On frigid, snowy days, it doesn’t hurt to have a root cellar full of winter squash just waiting to be used. This is a quick-to-make dish that is delicious on its own, alongside a pork chop or roasted chicken, or eaten with eggs for breakfast. You may also use a combination of root vegetables, including celeriac, parsnips, and rutabaga.
Serves 4 to 6
One 2½-lb/1.2-kg butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and diced into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes
1½ tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
1½ tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp Toasted Cumin (see Farmhouse Basics)
¼ tsp chaat masala (see see Farmhouse Basics)
1/8 to ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 limes, halved
Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas 5. Place the squash cubes in a large baking dish and toss with the canola oil and 1 tsp of the salt. Roast until the squash is tender and browned around the edges, 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.
Transfer the hot squash to a large bowl and add the remaining ½ tsp salt, toasted cumin, chaat masala, and cayenne. Squeeze the limes over the squash. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Butternut Squash, Apple, and Cranberry Gratin
We have squash in spades throughout the winter months, and I’m always looking for new ways to prepare it. I never thought about serving it with sweet apples and sweet-tart cranberries, but after trying a version prepared by the chefs at Yale during a dinner celebrating Indian food, I was hooked on the balance between creamy and chewy, sweet and spicy. It is a beautiful holiday side dish that I now prepare throughout the season. Most supermarkets sell squash already chopped into pieces. This is a great time-saver, since all of the peeling, seeding, and chopping is already done for you.
Serves 6
8 tbsp/115 g unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tbsp at room temperature
One 3-lb/1.4-kg butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and diced into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes
3 sweet-tart apples that will keep their shape after baking (see “Apples Galore”), peeled, cored, and diced into ½-in/12-mm cubes
11/3 cups/160 g dried cranberries
¼ cup/10 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 heaping cup/140 g all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Grease a 9-by-11-in/23-by-27-cm baking dish with the 1 tbsp room-temperature butter and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss together the squash, apples, cranberries, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Drizzle in the melted butter and stir to combine. Add the flour and mix to evenly coat the squash mixture.
Turn the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake until the top is golden brown and the squash is tender but not mushy (a paring knife should easily slip into the center of a piece of squash), 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Sweet and Sour Butternut Squash
When we moved to the farm, our next-door neighbors gave us a birdhouse housewarming gift that their sons had made out of a hollowed-out and dried butternut squash. It was so thoughtful and touching that when I was planning the vegetable garden, butternut squash was one of the first must-haves that came to mind.
Serves 4 to 6
One 2¼- to 2½-lb/1- to 1.2-kg butternut squash
4 tbsp/60 ml canola or grapeseed oil
2-in/5-cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 jalapeño, chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1½ tsp salt, plus extra if needed
1½ tsp sugar
Juice of ½ lime
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Peel it with a vegetable peeler or paring knife and scrape out the seeds. Cut the halves lengthwise into ½-in-/12-mm-thick strips. Then cut the strips crosswise into 1½-in/4-cm pieces.
Heat the canola oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the jalapeño and cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute. Add the cayenne and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add the squash and stir to coat with the oil. Stir in the salt and sugar. Turn down the heat to medium. Cover and cook until the squash is tender, about 25 minutes. Uncover, stir the squash every 5 minutes, and check on the cooking; if the spices begin to burn, turn down the heat. If the squash doesn’t brown at all, turn up the heat slightly.
Stir in the lime juice. Mash the squash with a spoon to break up some of the pieces. Season with salt and serve hot.
VARIATION: BUTTERNUT SQUASH FRITTATA
This is a great way to use leftover butternut squash. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/gas 6. Whisk 8 large eggs with some chopped fresh cilantro, a pinch of cayenne, kosher salt, and ground black pepper and set aside. Melt 1 tbsp butter or warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a large oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the squash and use a heatproof rubber spatula to press it into an even layer. Reduce the heat to medium, pour the eggs over the squash, and let it cook until the eggs are set, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the frying pan to the oven and bake until the frittata rises like a soufflé and is browned on top, an additional 5 to 8 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve.
Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower
From day one at my restaurant in New York City, Manchurian Cauliflower has been a huge success. It’s sweet and spicy, tender and satiny, and looks as sultry and seductive as cauliflower could ever hope to become. In the restaurant, we fry the cauliflower, toss it with the sauce, and finish it in the oven. Here I’ve simplified and lightened the recipe by roasting the cauliflower and tossing it with sauce midway through baking. Healthier, easier, and more accessible, you could make a double batch of this recipe and still never have leftovers!
Serves 8
3 tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
3 whole green cardamom pods
3 dried red chiles (optional)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp whole peppercorns
One 2½ - to 3-lb/1.2- to 1.4-kg head cauliflower, cored and broken into medium florets
1 tsp kosher salt
FOR THE SAUCE
2 tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
½ tsp freshly ground black peppercorns
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1½ cups/360 ml ketchup
½ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp kosher salt
Preheat your oven to 425°F/220°C/gas 7. Grease a 9-by-11-in/23-by-27-cm baking dish with 1½ tbsp of the canola oil and set aside.
Grind the cardamom, chiles (if using), coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and peppercorns in a coffee grinder or small food processor until fine. Mix the spices with the remaining 1½ tbsp oil in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower, sprinkle with the salt, and toss to coat. Transfer the vegetables to a baking dish and roast for 20 minutes.
To make the sauce: Heat the canola oil and pepper in a large frying pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring often. Add the ketchup and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cayenne and salt. Cook until the ketchup thickens and becomes deep red in color, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes.
When the cauliflower has roasted for 20 minutes, add the sauce to the pan and stir to evenly coat the cauliflower. Continue roasting until the cauliflower is tender, another 20 to 30 minutes, stirring midway through. Serve immediately.
>
Farm Yarn:
Goose Number1,263
City slickers’ and country folks’ attitudes are at polar opposites when it comes to animals and death; and our perspective changed irreversibly not long after we moved onto the farm. My parents were visiting from India, and my sister, Seema, and her son and husband were staying with us as well. In addition to family, we had friends in the guesthouse, so the mood was celebratory and spirits were festive.
One crisp afternoon, the kind when the sky is blue beyond what seems natural and the air is tinged with smoke and frost, we were all out walking a circle around the pond. Charlie counted twelve geese and briefly wondered where the other two had gone. We rounded the pond and there, lying in the grass, was one of our stunning Tufted Roman geese, snowy white feathers stained with blood and completely dismembered. Before Charlie could react, I called him over to a grassy area just off the pond because I had found the other missing goose. It was hissing at me, which was strange because they usually only do that when they lay eggs. Charlie ran over, still pale and out of sorts from seeing the first murdered goose. He picked the hissing goose up off the ground, and the poor thing had only one leg among other gruesome inflictions too horrible to relay. The sight made my stomach turn and my eyes well with tears. Charlie was shocked into silence.
We didn’t know what to do. So we did what we would have done at that time for any other hurt animal—we took it to the vet. While I consoled my family and our guests (a dismembered animal is not exactly the take-away snapshot you want people leaving the farm with), Charlie and our farmhand wrapped the goose in a cashmere blanket and zipped down the road at warp speed in our Mercedes wagon.
The vet took one look at the bird and told Charlie that it wasn’t going to make it. He asked if Charlie wanted to bring it home or have them euthanize it. It was not a decision we were prepared to make lightly; we discussed it with my family, with our guests, and over a civilized lunch, of course. By the time we arrived at the vet to relay our much-debated decision, they informed us that it had already been euthanized. The vet asked if we wanted to have the goose cremated with other birds and have its ashes sprinkled over the “Field of Eternity” or cremated privately and delivered to us in an urn. I mulled over what to do (thinking back on this, I realize how silly it was, of course—it wasn’t a house pet but a farm animal!). Charlie made the decision for me—”I am not going to have a room full of urns for all of the deaths that will occur on the farm!” he said. Field of Eternity it would be.
A few weeks later, we received a card from the vet conveying condolences for goose number 1,263.
That was how we dealt with our first animal death on the farm. A $2.25 goose cost us $200 to cremate. Now we don’t bother with such hullabaloo if an animal is in agony and injured. We deal with the wounded creature on-site (a quick, humane death administered by rifle and a steady hand) and compost it as nature intended.
Sally’s Veggie Dumplings with Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce
It’s not easy living in the country with taste buds that crave the flavors of the world. While it is easier now to find Mexican, Thai, and Indian food in rural America than it was even a few years ago, sadly the flavors are not always an authentic interpretation of the country and culture. So Charlie and I have learned to turn to our pantry when we get a taste for something ethnically inspired. Our dear friend Sally Longo shares our sentiments. Sally also happens to be the proprietor of the most highly regarded catering outfit in the area, Aunt Sally’s, which is known to offer some of the best food in these parts. So when she rings and says she’s on her way with fixings for dumplings, Charlie and I eagerly await her arrival. Made with a very simple homemade dumpling dough, these will spoil you forever.
Sally often drops by with the mise en place for her famous dumplings all ready to go (not even a blizzard can derail her when she has dumplings on the brain!), and we’ll gather around the kitchen island and form an assembly line—one of us rolls the dough, another fills and shapes the dumplings, and someone else cooks them up. While we always make enough with intentions of freezing some for later, we more often than not devour two batches worth in a single sitting, popping them in our mouths as soon as they come out of the frying pan. Eating too many of Sally’s crispbottomed, tender-steamed dumplings in a sitting is a food vice I am happy to succumb to. Blizzards, frigid temperatures, and even the fear of losing power during a wicked ice storm simply fade away when we come together to make dumplings, which always leads to lively conversation and much laughter. You can make these ahead and reheat them for two minutes in the microwave, but they’re best eaten straightaway, hot from the frying pan.
Makes about 3 dozen dumplings
FOR THE DOUGH
2 cups/255 g all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
2/3 cup/160 ml boiling water
¼ cup/60 ml cold water
FOR THE FILLING
2 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, shredded
½ cup/35 g finely chopped cremini mushrooms
¼ cup/35 g thawed frozen corn kernels, drained
¼ small head/200 g cabbage, shredded
¼ cup/30 g peeled and diced jicama
¼ cup/4 g finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 oz/25 g tofu, pressed between paper towels to absorb extra liquid, finely diced ( cup)
2-in/5-cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1 habanero, finely minced (for less heat, substitute 1 jalapeño)
2 tbsp mirin (rice wine)
1½ tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp minced fresh chives
1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup/240 ml water
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE
1/3 cup/80 ml soy sauce
1/3 cup/80 ml water
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1½ tsp mirin (rice wine)
1½ tsp balsamic vinegar
1½ tsp white wine vinegar
1½ tsp chile oil
1-in/2.5-cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1 scallion, root end trimmed, green and white parts thinly sliced
4 tsp canola or grapeseed oil
To make the dough: Place the flour in a large bowl and stir in the boiling water. Add the cold water and stir until a ball forms. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest while you make the filling.
To make the filling: Fill a small bowl with water and place it next to your worksurface. Place the scallions, carrot, mushrooms, corn, cabbage, jicama, cilantro, tofu, ginger, habanero, mirin, soy sauce, chives, peanut butter, sugar, salt, sesame oil, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse three or four times, until the mixture is coarsely chopped and rough textured. Scrape the dumpling filling into a large bowl.
Generously flour your worksurface. Divide the dough into two equal halves, and place one half onto the floured worksurface. Flour the top of the dough and roll it into a 1/16-in-/2-mm-thick sheet (it shouldn’t be so thin that you can see through it), lifting the dough occasionally to sprinkle flour beneath it if needed. Use a round 3-in/7.5-cm cookie cutter to stamp out 36 dough circles.
Place 1½ tsp of the filling in the center of each dough circle. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, moisten the bottom edge of each wrapper with water and fold the top half over the bottom so the edges meet. Press the edges together to seal them. Pick the dumpling up by the seam and rest it on your worksurface to create a flat bottom, and then pinch the edges together lightly to create a fluted edge (like a pie crust). Set each shaped dumpling on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet (don’t let the dumplings touch one another—they will stick together). Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours or up to 3 months (if freezing for longer than overnight, transfer the frozen dumplings to a resealable 1-gl/3.8-L freezer
bag).
To make the dipping sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, sugar, lemon juice, mirin, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, chile oil, and ginger. Add the scallion, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
Heat 2 tsp of the canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the dumplings from the freezer and add half of them to the pan, cooking without moving them, until the bottoms are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes (after 2 to 2½ minutes, use a spatula to peek under the dumplings and check the color). Pour ½ cup/120 ml of the water into the pan, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 8 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the dumplings to a platter. Cover with plastic wrap. Use paper towels to wipe out the moisture from the pan, and then begin the cooking process again. Serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side.
Shortcut Potato and Pea Turnovers
When I was a young boy, Panditji, my family’s longtime chef, would fry up hundreds of homemade samosas for Diwali, the Indian festival of light that occurs in the autumn. Anyone who ever ate Panditji’s samosas would become instantly spoiled, never wanting anyone else’s inferior version. The filling of his triangular turnovers had texture and roughness, while the homemade dough casing was as crisp and tender as you could imagine.
I have made a few concessions to allow me to fit samosas into my reality—instead of homemade dough, I use store-bought puff pastry, which saves me a ton of time. I also bake the turnovers instead of frying them, then serve as needed (you can even keep them warm in a 200°F/95°C oven for up to 30 minutes). These are excellent for serving as an appetizer, especially for large crowds, because they can be made in advance and frozen.