Thai-Dipped Beef Tri Tip – Satay, Unskewered

There are so many examples of big foods being re-imagined into smaller, bite-sized versions, but going the other direction is not nearly as common. That's what I was attempting to do with this satay-inspired, Thai-dipped beef tri tip.

I enjoy beef satay way more than I do skewering small pieces of beef. Besides, I’ve never made satay, and not stuck a bamboo skewer into my finger at some point in the process. And not only did this involve less labor, but you can cook this in any number of ways.

I decided to go low and slow, over indirect charcoal heat, until I reached an internal temperature of 132 F.  If you’re in more of a hurry, you can cook tri tip over higher heat, and it’s perfectly fine, as long as it doesn’t overcook. You can also roast this in the oven at 325 F., just in case a thunderstorm tries to mess up your plans.

All the ingredients here are easy to find, with the possible exception of lemongrass. Most big city grocery stores carry it, but in other parts of the country, I’ve seen it sold as a tubed puree, displayed in the produce department. If you can’t find it, you can add some lemon juice and zest to adjust. Either way, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one beef tri tip roast:

2 1/2 pound trimmed beef tri tip top roast

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 cup chopped lemon grass (peel off woodiest parts, pound with back of knife, then chop)

3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons grated raw onion

1/3 cup fish sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2  teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

- Grill, smoke, or roast to an internal temp of 130 to 135 F.

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Dum Ka Rote Halwa (Baked Semolina Pudding)

This is a very popular halwa in Chennai, India well known for its name "Dum Ka Rote". To make this halwa the mixture is first cooked on flame then baked in the oven on low. In olden days they baked on charcoal ovens with burning charcoals on the top and bottom of the baking dish. But they controlled the heat, by keeping it on low. It was baked on low heat for a long time till it became crusty at the top and bottom. The crust is a delicacy and we as kids used to fight for it as it was the best part of the halwa. This halwa is what you would die for as it is so insanely delicious!!

Basha's Halwa in Chennai is world famous (as he says in this video) and whosoever has tasted it once keeps craving for more. I am dedicating this recipe to one of my readers who was badly craving for it and requested me for its recipe. The recipe for Dum ka rote has been rotating in our family for many years and it is the closest to Basha's halwa I can say. Basha uses only melon seeds as garnish. I could not get melon seeds in the stores here, so had to use some which I managed to save after eating a melon,  therefore, I have used them sparingly. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Semolina (coarse)

1 Cup / 225gm Unsweetened Khoya

1 1/2 Cups / 325gm Sugar

1 1/2 Cup Ghee + 1 tbs

1 Cup / 115gm Almonds (for paste)

 Almonds and Cashews (chopped for garnish)

2 Tbs melon seeds for garnish

1/8th Tsp Saffron

1 Cup half and half / Whole Milk

1/4 Cup Whole Milk (for grinding almonds to a paste and for soaking saffron threads)

Method:

1. Soak semolina in 1 cup half and half or whole milk till it gets soaked well for 10 minutes.

2 Cut the Unsweetened Khoya (Nanak Khoya or Bapu ka Khoya) into small pieces and blend them in a food processor till reduced to powder.

3. Grind the almonds separately in a grinder first to a fine powder then add a little milk and grind to a fine paste with no lumps.

4. Mix together the sugar, ghee and the ground almonds with the khoya powder in the food processor and pulse till everything gets blended well. Transfer to a bowl.

5. Now add the soaked semolina and whisk everything with a hand whisk to a smooth thick batter.

6. Crush the saffron threads in a mortar and pestle, add some warm milk to it then add this saffron milk to the halwa mixture and mix well.

7. Transfer this mixture to a heavy bottomed sauce pan and on medium heat keep stirring till it comes to a boil and then starts slowly thickening. Do not stop stirring at this stage as it could get burnt at the bottom quickly. Finally when it starts leaving the sides, remove from the stove.

8. Grease a baking dish with ghee and pour the thickened halwa into it. Sprinkle the slivered almonds and melon seeds then drizzle the remaining ghee on top and place it in the centre of the oven preheated at 325 degrees fahrenheit.

9. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until the top and the bottom layers start browning and the sweet scented aroma of saffron is filling the air. Remove from the oven and let it cool down to room temperature.

10. The above picture was taken when I made the halwa again for a picnic. This time luckily I found the melon seeds at the Sri Lankan store. 

11. As you see in the above picture all the nuts ( I used chopped cashews and almonds) and melon seeds are gathered in the centre This is because this time I changed the baking technique a bit. I used the convection bake (temp: 350 degrees fahrenheit) instead of the regular bake and as it baked all the nuts and seeds came from the sides to the centre. Also it got crispier on the sides and center more compared to the previous halwa which got evenly crisp all over. I prefer the convection method of baking for this halwa as it had a beautiful crust and a crispy centre just like the basha halwa. And it tasted delicious!

12. You can decorate the halwa with silver paper and serve it to your guests for dessert. 

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Broiled Golden Pomfret with Chaat Masala

The golden pomfret (pompano)  is a soft mild flavoured fleshy fish with a buttery flavour and no fishy or gamy smell. When fresh it tastes very delicious. You can use any kind of spicy or herb flavoured marinade on it and it works very well. This time I used chaat masala along with the other spices and it was just so delicious! My husband who is always quite reluctant when it comes to eating fish, actually enjoyed eating it.

Ingredients:

1 Golden Pomfret fish (around 1.25lbs)

 Juice of half a lemon

1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1 Tsp Kashmiri red chilly Powder  

1 Tsp MDH Chaat Masala 

1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper 

1 Tsp ginger garlic paste

1 Tbs Olive oil 

Salt to taste

Method: 

1 Clean the fish by scraping the skin and cut into two filets with out removing the skin. You could ask the fish vendor to clean and make filets for you. 

2. Sprinkle salt and lemon juice on the fish filets and rub them well. 

3. Mix together the black pepper, turmeric, red chilly powder and chaat masala with the ginger garlic paste and smear this marinade on the fish filets well. Leave to rest for half an hour. 

4. Heat a cast iron frying pan, brush it with 1 or 2 tsp of olive oil and place the fish on the pan skin side down. Let the fish get fried on the bottom  well. 

5.  Switch off the stove, drizzle the remaining olive oil on top of the fish and then place the frying pan with the fish on the top rack of the pre heated oven.

6.  Broil the fish on high for 5 - 6 minutes till the fish is browned all over. Switch off the oven. Tranfer to a serving plate and enjoy the crispy delicious mouth watering fish. 

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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Again?

When Food Wishes was first getting started, and funds were scarce, I did some freelance video production for various outlets, and apparently lemon ricotta pancakes was one such recipe. I know this because I got a request for ricotta pancakes recently, and when I tried to refer them to the blog link, I realized there wasn’t one.

I’m looking at you, About.com. Anyway, as it turns out, this is a new and possibly improved recipe, featuring…water? Yes, I tried this recipe once, with water instead of milk, and I actually liked it more. Or I thought I did, which is really all that matters.

Most lemon ricotta pancake recipes call for the eggs to be separated, and the whites whipped to give the pancakes more “lift.” Feel free, but if these pancakes were any lighter, they’d float off the plate. Speaking of lightness, I prefer using self-rising flour for this, but if you can’t, I’ve explained below how to make your own. Either way, I really do hope you give these delicious lemon ricotta pancakes a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 2 large or 4 small portions:

3/4 cold water, or milk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon lemon zest (just the yellow part of the skin)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoon melted butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons *self-rising flour, or as needed to achieve very thick batter

* To make your own self-rising flour (2 cups worth): Sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, with 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine salt.

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Zafrani Halwa Pies

I grew up eating these baked pies filled with almond, channa dal paste flavoured with saffron. It was always accompanied with rice kheer (porridge) which went so well with these pies. I have been craving for these for a long time and wanted to bake them like my mom but smaller in size. At last I tried them out to satisfy my craving. They turned out better than I had imagined. My mom used to make the pie crust with ghee (clarified butter) but I wanted something light and healthy so I followed a different recipe for the pie crust which was light, flaky and good.  For the halwa I followed my mom's recipe

For the pie dough I followed this recipe from Simple Bites.  I cut down the recipe by half and the halwa I made following the recipe below was just enough to use up all the dough. 

For the Halwa:

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup Channa dal
1/4 cup Almonds (peeled)
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tbs Ghee
Saffron a pinch

Method: 

1. Soak the channa dal for 30 minutes after rinsing in water 3 or 4 times till the water is clear. Soak the almonds in warm water or microwave them with a little water for 30 seconds. The peels will easily come off.

2. Boil the channa dal till it gets cooked, let it cool, then grind it to a smooth paste. Grind the almonds separately to a fine paste.

3. Take a sauce pan and on medium heat add one or two cloves and 2 green cardamoms then add the ground dal and almond paste.

4. Add the sugar and keep stirring till it thickens then dd the saffron dissolved in warm milk. Stir till the milk gets absorbed and the halwa starts leaving the sides of the pan. Remove and set aside to cool.

5. Take the refrigerated pie dough and start rolling it into a fairly thick circle on a pastry board dusted with flour. Cut round shapes with a cookie cutter or a steel tumbler with a sharp rim.

6. Place some halwa in each of them, brush the edge lightly with water or egg white and close it in the shape of a half moon or turnover.

7. Press the edges with a fork to seal them then brush them with saffron water (soak a few threads of saffron in a tsp of water) to give them a coloured decorative edge.

8. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 25 - 30 minutes. When they turn lightly golden at the bottom they are done. Remove and cool on a wire wrack and enjoy with Rice Kheer.

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Rice Kheer (Porridge)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Litres Whole Milk
1/4 Cup Basumathi Rice
3/4 - 1 Cup White Sugar
15 Almonds for garnish
4 - 5 Drops Rose Essence
1 Tsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
2 Green Cardamoms


Method: 

1. Boil milk and leave on simmer to thicken for 10 minutes till it reduces a bit.  Wash the basumathi rice 3 or 4 times till the water runs out clear and leave it to soak in water for 15 minutes.

2. In another pot on medium heat add ghee. Crack the cardamoms a bit to release the flavour then add to the pot followed by the soaked basumathi rice.

3. Sauté the basumathi rice in the ghee till it dries up a bit, then add 3 - 4 cups of water and let it cook till it becomes mushy on low medium heat. Keep an eye on it so it does not burn after all the water gets absorbed.

4. Add sugar and the reduced whole milk, cook for some more time on simmer while stirring continuously. When it is of porridge consistency remove and leave it to cool.

5. Meanwhile microwave almonds soaked in water for 40 seconds on high. When cool peel, cut into thin slivers and set aside for garnish.

6. Add 4 to 5 drops of rose essence to the kheer, mix well, transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with almonds, chill in the fridge and serve. Chilled Kheer tastes better. Enjoy as it is for dessert or with Halwa pies.

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Chef John is Taking a Break!

Just wanted to let everyone know I’ll be on vacation this week. I'd call it a "Spring Break," except that makes it sound like I'm going to be chugging beer through a funnel, half-naked, while listening to Flo Rida, which is not accurate. 

I'll actually be sipping beer, half-naked, while listening to Flo Rida. Anyway, I'm looking forward to a the break, and suggest you use the time to catch up on videos you’ve missed. We have so, so many. Thank you, and we’ll see you next week!

.

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Grilled Greek Chicken – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Erin go what? On the surface, this may seem like an inappropriate St. Patrick’s Day recipe post, but I’ve always considered this holiday one of the official signs of spring, and since that means it’s grilling season, then maybe this is appropriate after all? Yes, I went a long way for that.

As I mentioned in the video, the secret to this simple chicken is a very powerful marinade. This is one of those rare recipes where, when in doubt, we add a little more. Above and beyond that, the only way to ruin this would be to singe the skin/marinade with too high, direct heat.

We really want to sort of roast these pieces on the grill. So, don’t build a huge fire, and wait for it to turn ashy, before using semi-indirect heat to slowly cook the meat through. This way we get a tender inside, as well as and a gorgeous, caramelized exterior.

This is so flavorful that you really don’t need a sauce, but some fresh lemon is nice, as is a spicy yogurt. Just squeeze a little lemon into some nice thick, Greek yogurt, spike it with hot sauce, and you have a perfect condiment. And speaking of St. Patrick’s Day, this stuff pairs wonderfully with beer. I really hope you give this grilled Greek chicken recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

For enough marinade for 6 chicken thigh/leg sections:

6 to 8 cloves garlic, totally crushed or very finely minced

2 tablespoons dried oregano and/or marjoram

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 generous teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar

1/4 olive oil

about 1 tablespoon kosher salt to season chicken

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Eggplant “Bacon” – Because Fake Bacon is Better than Real Eggplant

I love that my wife, Michele, follows Questlove on social media, but not just because it makes me feel cooler by extension, which it does, but also because he’s a huge foodie, and this enticing eggplant “bacon” came from his Instagram.

Links were followed, and I discovered the recipe was from Minimalist Baker, and although I did tweak the technique and ingredient amounts a bit, the recipe is basically thieved from this gorgeous blog post. Thank you, Dana! By the way, there they were brushed, but I decided to dip. Because my slices may have been wetter, they did take way longer to cook.

Personal taste being what it is, you’ll have to experiment with not only your sweet-salty-smoky ingredient ratios, but also with how thick you cut your eggplant, as well as how long you cook it. I went for thin and crispy, but it was closer to a bbq potato chip in taste/texture than bacon. I may slice it thicker next time, and see if I can get some chewy bits, woven through the crispy bits.

These would make for some tasty vegetable chips, but were especially enjoyable in a BLT, which I inexplicably didn’t photo. I blame low blood sugar. Regardless of how you enjoy them, I really do hope you give this eggplant “bacon” a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes enough “bacon brine” for 2 medium-sized eggplants:

2 tablespoons maple syrup

4 tablespoons tamari, or soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 to 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, depending on strength

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, a little coarser than usual

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 eggplants, sliced to about 1/8th inch

The original recipe calls for a 225 F. oven, but I would probably start this like I finished it, and that’s in a 250 F. oven. I’d plan on at least an hour baking time, but that will depend on thickness, pans, etc. Simply cook until they are how you want.

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"Norcal" Nicoise Salad – Layered for Your Pleasure

I know I’ve made fun of salads served in Mason jars before, but when I was asked to contribute a layered Nicoise to an Allrecipes Easter feature, I immediately thought of this tragically hip presentation. Also, I didn’t have a straight-sided, see-through glass bowl to do the layered salad in.

I love a good Nicoise, and it’s perfect for layering, especially if you slice/chop up the ingredients first. Not only will your layers be easier to keep straight, but chopped salads are always a pleasure to toss with dressing. Speaking of which, I really enjoyed this avocado spiked French-style vinaigrette, and it paired perfectly with the rich, fatty, olive oil-packed tuna. 

Look for something from Spain or Italy, and you will be impressed with how much nicer it is than the stuff Charlie and his buddies are pushing. So, whether you composed this on a plate, in the classic fashion, or follow my lead, and create the world’s trendiest Nicoise, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Nicoise (amounts are up to you)

3-4 ounces per person olive-oil packed tuna

tender green beans

Yukon gold potatoes

cherry tomatoes

hard boiled eggs

Nicoise olives, or other pitted olives

parsley and/or chives

anchovy fillets, optional

Ingredients for the dressing:

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 anchovy fillets

2 teaspoons minced shallots

1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/4 cup ripe avocado

1/3 cup olive oil, or more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

water as needed to adjust texture

salt to taste

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Irish Cheddar Spring Onion Biscuits - They Only Sound Irish

I’ve received many food wishes for cheddar biscuits over the years, which I used to think was odd, until I learned about a certain version served in America’s most famous chain of lobster restaurants. I eventually got to try this casual dining delicacy, and while it really wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t great either, and I pledged to take the idea, and create a new and improved cheddar biscuit. That was like five years ago.

So, why all of a sudden the newfound interest? Two simple reasons. First, I had some gorgeous Irish cheddar in the fridge. Secondly, it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, and the search engines demand something Irish, or at least something that sounds Irish. So, I combined those two facts, and decided it was time to make cheddar biscuits that would rival those at the aforementioned crustacean sensation. I know, a very high bar.

All kidding aside, these really did come out quite well, and I think that’s because we didn’t just mix the cheese into the dough. By layering and folding the cheese in, a la puff pastry, we get all the cheesy flavor, without making the biscuit too dense. Sure takes a few extra minutes, but I thought it was worth the effort. So, whether you’re going to make these for St. Patrick’s Day, or not, I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 Irish Cheddar Spring Onion Biscuits:

*2 cups self-rising flour, plus more if needed

1/4 teaspoon baking soda
7 tablespoons very cold butter

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup shredded Irish cheddar, or other sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup sliced green onions (I used mostly the tender, light green parts)

-Bake at 400 F. for about 20 minutes

* To make your own self-rising flour for this recipe, sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine salt.

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Croissant Buns with Harissa Olive filling

These Croissant buns are just divine! Their soft flaky texture, their sweet savoury taste, the distinct flavour of the black seed and as you dig your teeth into them there's more bursting flavour from the tuna harissa and green olive filling - everything together is just so yummiliciously tantalizing that you cannot stop with one bite............

Ingredients:
3 Cups All Purpose flour
1/2 Cup Butter
1X250ml Sour Cream
1Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
3 Tbs Sugar
1 Egg
1 Egg White for glaze

Filling:
1 Tuna Can
1/2 Cup Green Olives (sliced)
1-2 Tsp Harissa Paste
3 Tbs Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper as required

Method:
1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift together salt, pepper and baking powder with the all purpose flour to aerate it.

2. Cut Chilled butter into cubes. Pulse the flour mixture with the butter in a food processor till it becomes crumbly.

3. Mix together the egg and the sour cream and then add it to the crumbly mixture in the food processor. Pulse a few times till it comes together and forms a soft dough.

4. Remove, divide into two parts, place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside for an hour.

5. Meanwhile empty the tuna can into a bowl. Drain and squeeze out the water as much as possible. Add salt, pepper and 1 tbs olive oil. Flake with a fork to mix everything well. Add the Harissa paste drizzle the remaining 2 tbs olive oil, then flake again. Keep aside.

6. Take one part of the dough and roll into a ball, then on a pastry board dusted with flour flatten it with a rolling pin into a circle 12 inches in diameter.  Cut the circle into 8 equal triangles. Divide the filling into 16 portions, place one portion on each of the triangles at the base as in the picture above.

7. Take two corners of the triangle base and join them together as in the picture above. Then fold the base and roll it over while tucking the filling inside. Roll neatly again till the tip of the triangle like a croissant.

8.  Glaze with egg wash, sprinkle black seeds on top then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes till golden.

9. Remove from the oven, let them cool on a wire rack for half an hour till they are warm enough to bite into them.

10. Enjoy these yummy stuffed croissant buns with a cup of hot tea.

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Baked Cauliflower Fries – How Not to Make Baked Cauliflower Fries

I won’t add insult to injury writing a long blog post about how disappointing this recipe was. The video pretty much says it all. And while I can’t honestly say I hope you try this yourself, a small part of me secretly hopes you do.

Not that I want you to experience the misery that was this recipe, but rather because maybe you’ll think of a way to actually pull this off. The taste was fine. Maybe even better than fine, but the texture was a huge letdown. You can’t win them all. Enjoy?

Ingredients for about 24 crappy cauliflower “fries:”

2 head cauliflower (about 5 pounds total), cut into florets

1 tablespoon kosher salt

- You should end up with about 3 1/2 cups of cooked, squeezed-dry cauliflower

To the cauliflower add…

2 large eggs

4 ounce (about 1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese

1 ounce (1/4 cup packed) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

4 cloves peeled garlic, crushed fine

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon olive oil

more cheese to dust top

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