Fennel Apple Almond Chaat

1 tsp fennel seeds

5 tbsp oil

1 cup flaked almonds (alas, it is important that they're flaked; whole almonds don't work)

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp honey

salt 

1 lemon

2 fennel bulbs

3 sweet crispy apples

1/2 a cucumber or one or two Persian cucumbers

A handful of mint leaves

1 tsp garam masala

 

To make the almonds: coarsely grind fennel seeds. Heat oil in pan, fry almonds for a couple minutes until pale gold, then add fennel seeds, ginger, honey, and a little salt. Stir fry for a minute until caramelized.

 

Make the salad by thinly slicing fennel, apples, cucumbers, and mint. Make the dressing with 3 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, garam masala, and 1/2 tsp salt.

 

Source: Fresh India by Meera Sodha

Savoy Aloo Gobhi

1 tsp coriander

2 tsp cumin

3 tbsp oil

15 curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 lbs baby potatoes, quartered

1/2 lb savoy cabbage, shredded

1/2 lb black kale, cavolo nero, or regular kale, shredded

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red chile

1 tsp turmeric

Heat curry leaves and mustard seeds in oil, then add onion, cook 10 minutes until golden and sweet. Add coriander, cumin, and potatoes. Cook 10 min, turning sometimes, until crispy. Add a couple tbsp of water, put on lid, cook 5 min more.

Add cabbage and kale with a little more water, stir fry for 3 min, then add a turmeric, salt, and chile, cover, cook 4 min more or until wilted.

Source: Fresh India by Meera Sodha

Caesar Salad

1/2 loaf bread (sourdough or something bakery-like)

Greens: romaine, lettuce, chicory, endive, kale, and/or shaved Brussels sprouts

4 anchovies or 8 filets

3/4 cup mayonnaise (or 3/4 cup olive oil and 1 egg yolk) 

1 garlic clove, grated or pounded

3-4 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp white wine vinegar

3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

about 1 cup grated Parmesan (about a 3 oz chunk)

black pepper

Tear the bread into pieces, toss with olive oil and salt, bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until toasted into croutons.

Make mayonnaise by gradually whisking olive oil into the egg yolk.

Pound anchovies into a paste. Stir together with all the other dressing ingredients. Adjust salt and acid. Mix with the croutons and greens.

Source: Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat

Punch Romaine

1 egg white

1 oz white rum

1/2 oz simple syrup

1/2 oz lemon juice

1 oz orange juice

champagne or sparkling wine

Shake everything but the wine without ice, then add ice and shake again. Pour over crushed ice in a snifter or rocks glass, top with wine, garnish with orange peel.

Source: Spritz by Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau

Squash and eggplant sambhar

1 1/4 cups lentils

4 tbsp oil

1/4 tsp fenugreek

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3/4 tsp mustard seeds

12-15 curry leaves

4 big shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 butternut squash, chopped into 1 inch cubes

1 medium eggplant, chopped into 1 inch cubes

4 ripe tomatoes, chopped, or 1 can diced tomatoes

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

2 tsp tamarind paste

1 1/2 tsp red chile

1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut to 1-2 inch lengths

Wash lentils and simmer with 3x the amount of water for ~25 minutes.

Toast fenugreek, coriander, and cumin in 1 tbsp oil, then grind with mortar and pestle.

In a big pot, heat oil. Fry mustard seeds and curry leaves, then shallots. Cook about 10 minutes or until golden.

Add squash and a little water, cover, cook 5 minutes.

Add eggplant and a little water, cook 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes; the toasted and ground fenugreek, coriander, and cumin; salt, sugar, tamarind, red chile; cover, cook 5 minutes, until tomatoes have broken down and squash is tender.

Add lentils, then green beans and water to the texture you want, cook 5 minutes. Adjust salt, sugar, and tamarind to taste.

Source: Fresh India by Meera Sodha

Lemon ricotta apple pancakes

Servings: Makes about twelve 3- to 4-inch pancakes.
 

4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (40 grams) sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
fresh lemon juice to taste

4 large eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups (340 grams) ricotta
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
Melted butter for brushing the griddle

Saute apples in butter for 5 min, add sugar and cinnamon, cook 5-10 min more, add lemon juice.
 

In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, the ricotta, the sugar, and the zest, add the flour, and stir the mixture until it is just combined.

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks, whisk 1/4 of them into the ricotta mixture, fold in the rest gently.

Cook pancakes on medium heat. Serve with apples and whatever else you want: greek yogurt was good, maple syrup is probably fine

 

Source: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lemon-ricotta-pancakes-with-sauteed-apples-12793 via https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/lemon-ricotta-pancakes-with-sauteed-apples/

Sabzi polo

or, herbs rice

 

1 1/4 cup basmati rice

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup finely chopped green onion

2 cups finely chopped dill

2 cups finely chopped parsley

6 cups finely chopped cilantry

3 tbsp oil

1 small potato, peeled and thinly sliced

3 tbsp water

1 cup greek yogurt

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp olive oil

Rinse and soak rice 1-2 hours.

Put rice and soaking liquid in a pot; add a little extra water so rice is covered. Boil, simmer 1 min, then add onions and herbs and stir. Simmer 1-2 minutes, not until the rice is done. Set aside.

Rinse and dry the pot. Pour in oil, heat over medium, fry potato slices just about 2 min to get a little color. Cool.

Drizzle 2 tbsp water over potatoes, then put the rice on top of them in a centralish heap. Try to keep the rice from touching the sides of the pot. Then make 5 holes in this heap, down to the potatoes, to be little chimneys.

Drizzle rice with a little oil and 1 tbsp water, reduce to low, cover, cook 20 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for another 20 minutes to continue steaming on residual heat.

Mix yogurt and sour cream. Fold in olive oil but don't fully mix. Serve with rice.

Source: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Dan's note: there's some magic to the rice cooking here; mine keeps burning so I have to add more water. Also, the middle eastern store near us sells Sabzi Polo frozen herbs so I've made it with that a couple times to save a lot of time chopping herbs.