Katie Stew

It is almost the 4th of July! And for me that apparently means it is time to share more potato salad recipes. If you are looking for 4th of July inspiration, look here. Last year I rounded up a bunch of fun stuff to get you going. I came  across this particular potato salad in my ginormous Gourmet Today cooking book. I said to myself, I like green chilies and I like cilantro and I like potato salad! What could go wrong?!

Nothing. It was perfect. This potato salad tastes light and green and fresh. It is just the smallest bit spicy. Since it doesn’t contain any dairy, it is great for a summer bbq, because you don’t have to worry about keeping it cold. (Unless you have lots of friends who are allergic to cilantro. I feel so bad for those people. Cilantro is so fresh and delicious tasting! Oh the woes of people with allergies.) 
When I was making the salsa, I thought, this recipe isn’t going to work. It is going to be too spicy! Too oniony! But trust me, when you mix it all together with the vinegar and the potatoes, it will blow your mind.

For more potato salad goodness, try this Bacon and Ranch Potato Salad, or this French Potato Salad. I don’t even know which one is my favorite. Apparently I believe you need to keep a couple of good potato salad recipes up your sleeve.

Potato Salad with Green Chile-Cilantro Salsa

Gourmet Today by Ruth Reichl

• 4 pounds fingerling potatoes or other small boiling potato
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3 jalapeno chilies, cored and coarsely chopped
• 2 cups fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 shallots, coarsely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, but not falling apart. Drain potatoes and rinse with cool water. Set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, combine jalapenos, cilantro, shallots, garlic, 3 TB cider vinegar, and olive oil in a blender and pulse until finely chopped.

While potatoes are still warm, cut them all in half and toss gently with 1 TB vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. When the potatoes cool to room temperature, toss with the salsa. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. Then enjoy! Will get better once it sits. Great for making the day before. (If you can resist eating it all right away.)

Photographs by Jessica Yager.

I think this might be my favorite food photo ever. Or at least of food that I’ve made. I pretty much love everything about it. 

And you know what else is great about this? How awesome it tastes.

Don’t be intimidated by this just because it is an Indian dish. Honestly, it isn’t any more complicated or have any more ingredients than if you were making taco meat from scratch, or Italian sausage for your spaghetti. It is just ground meat with a combination of flavorings. It is just probably flavors that you don’t use very often. But these are not seasonings that you will regret investing in. These are excellent additions to your spice cabinet.

Also, I don’t think I’ve ever made rice that was so fast. This rice is a great side dish that you may start using all the time. The cumin gives it a great scent and frozen peas are such a simple thing to keep in the freezer, you should have them around anyways. They can brighten up a dish in a heartbeat.

Give these two dishes a go. Grab some naan from your grocery store and dig in. If your store doesn’t have naan, pita works great too. It is nice to have some thin bread item available to scoop up your tasty concoctions.

This recipe also comes from Entice with Spice: Easy Indian Recipes for Busy People by Shubhra Ramineni.

Indian Spiced Lamb

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 dried finger-length red chili pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 fresh finger-length green chili peppers, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 TB garlic, minced
• 1 TB finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp Garam Masala
• 6 large fresh mint leaves, chopped

Brown the lamb in a large skillet and drain. Set aside the lamb. In the skillet, heat the oil, tear the red chili peppers in half and toss in the pan with the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Saute until the cumin seeds turn brown and you can hear the mustard seeds pop. This will take about 10 seconds. Add the green chills, garlic, ginger, onion and peas. Cook until the onions turn translucent, about five minutes.

Add the lamb, turmeric, cayenne, salt, Garam Masala and mint. Mix and allow to stay one the heat for 3-5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve with rice.

Cumin Scented Rice with Peas

• 1 cup uncooked Basmati rice
• 3 TB vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup frozen peas

Place the rice in a bowl and rinse 5 times, or until the water is mostly clear. To rinse, place the rice in a bowl and cover with cold water. Swish around with your fingers and then carefully pour the water off the side.

Pour the oil in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. When oil is heated, add the cumin seeds. Let brown. It will only take a few seconds. Do not let them burn. Immediately add the rice and stir thoroughly until all the rice is coated with the oil.

Add the water, salt and peas. Stir it combine. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat.

Stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer undisturbed until the water is completely absorbed and you do not see any more water on the bottom of the saucepan if you insert a spoon through the rice, about 7 minutes. You might see dimples formed on the surface of the rice, which is a sign that the water is completely absorbed.

Turn off the heat, let rest, covered, for 5 minutes on the warm stove. Fluff and serve.

Photographs by Jessica Yager.

I love Indian food. I remember the first time I went to an Indian restaurant. Growing up in Arkansas, Indian food wasn’t something that was commonplace. At all. In fact, the first time that I went to an Indian restaurant was in college. There was one in the entire state of Arkansas. A little place in Little Rock called Star of India. And even though it has been many years since I’ve been there, and I’ve been to a dozen other places since then, it is still one of my favorite spots. It was at Star of India that I discovered curries, biryanis, papadum, chutneys, and one of my favorite dishes, Saag Paneer. Saag is an Indian curry dish usually made from spinach or mustard greens, sometimes diced broccoli  or other greens. It is like an Indian version of creamed spinach. Paneer is a type of Indian cheese. It is usually fried before being tossed in the Saag and is a firm, squeaky cheese.

I tend to judge an Indian restaurant by two things- the saag, and the samosas. Next week, I’ll be sharing a recipe for samosas that I hope you will enjoy. But for now, let’s talk about saag paneer! I made this dish, hoping it would be a decent replication of the stuff I get at my favorite restaurants, but it was even better! And it was easy! And I made my own cheese!

I’m sorry. That was a lot of exclamation points, but I’m telling you, it was pretty darn exciting.

First up, I made my own cheese! I went to a cheese making class a year or two ago and learned how to make some basic soft cheeses. I was surprised by how uncomplicated it can be. But this was the easiest I have come across. Seriously, you can make cheese in about two hours with about 20 minutes of work. Boil milk, add lime, drain, fry, eat. (More detailed instructions are below, but really, it is that easy.) One of the reasons I’d never tried to make saag paneer before is because my grocery store doesn’t carry paneer. Now I know that it is something I can make myself at home! 
And then the Saag. It was pretty straightforward. Sure, you have to dirty two pans instead of one, but other than that, it was very easy to assemble. I am thrilled to find out that I can make this delicious Indian dish at home. Whether you are a curry aficionado or a novice in the world of Indian cuisine, you can make this dish and make it work.

This recipe comes from Entice with Spice: Easy Indian Recipes for Busy People by Shubhra Ramineni.  I made a few more recipes from this book that I will share with you next week, and I’m very happy with this purchase. The book is straightforward, perhaps overly simplified, but full of delicious recipes. I look forward to diving into it further in the future.

Here you go! The recipe for Saag Paneer. You can do it!

Saag Paneer

Fried Homemade Paneer

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 lime, juiced (possibly a second lime)
• 3 TB vegetable oil

Heat milk over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed, medium sized stockpot. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium low before it boils over. Add the lime juice and stir gently for about 1 minute, or until the milk separates into curds (the solid clumps) and whey (the watery liquid). If the milk does not separate, add more lime juice, 2 tsp at a time until it does.

Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into four layers and line a colander with the cloth. Pour the liquid through, allowing the cheesecloth to catch the curds and drain the whey. When the whey has stopped draining, fold the edges of the cloth over the top of the cheese. Press a spoon against the cheese packet, draining extra liquid.  Move the cheese bundle to a plate. Unfold the cheese cloth and shape the cheese into a block shape, about 3/4 inch thick. Fold the cheesecloth back over the cheese. Fill the stockpot with water and set it on top of the cheese to press out any additional liquid. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Remove the pot, and then the cheesecloth. Refrigerate the cheese for 1 hour or overnight.

To fry the cheese, heat oil in a large skillet. Cut the cheese into cubes and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Saag

• 1 8 oz package frozen spinach
• 1 large ripe tomato, quartered
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 3 TB vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1 green chili, diced
• Paneer
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Put frozen spinach, tomatoes, and water in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Add the turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper. Stir and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour the oil in a small skillet and place over medium heat. Add the ginger, onion, and chili. Cook until onion begins to brown and caramelize. Add to the spinach mixture. Add the cheese and cream. Simmer for five minutes over medium heat. Serve hot over rice.

Photographs by Jessica Yager.