Punjabi Garam Masala

Over the years, I have made huge quantities of this spice blend. It is great for meat, chicken, seafood and so many other preparations. It is much better to make your own then to buy the spice blend in an Indian market. The quality of the spices and the toasting will make a classic blend that any East Indian would appreciate.

This makes a large amount, you can half or even quarter the recipe if you like.

40 black cardamom pods, seeds removed and shells tossed
6 sticks of whole cinnamon crushed with a rolling pin
2 tablespoons of whole cloves
1/2 cup of black peppercorns
1 cup of cumin seeds
1 cup of coriander seeds

I roast the spices in a large frying pan over medium high heat. You do not add any oil to the pan the spices are dry roasted. You must stir and shake the pan all the time to get a even roasting. Do not walk away from the pan or the spices will burn. The spices will begin to smoke and release a wonderful warm fragrance in the cool fall weather. This will take about 7 to 8 minutes depending on how hot your stove runs. The important thing is that the spices are dark brown and smoking. You do not want them to burn. Remove from the heat and place in another pan to cool.

Then simply grind the cooled spices with a spice grinder until they are a fine powder. Store in a air tight container and in a cool dark place.

 

Pan Asian Green Beans

This dish can be made in minutes and is really healthy, if you substitute the traditional pork, for ground turkey. Do use ground thigh meat for your ground turkey. The later is to lean for the dish.

The green beans in winter are not, as sweet as they are in the summer, so do add the sugar to the recipe. I love Ichimi Togarashi which is a red pepper mix from Japan, but you can substitute red pepper flakes for the Togarashi.

Amber colored, aromatic, and pleasantly rich tasting, ShaoHsing rice cooking wine is the most important ingredient in many recipes for Chinese cooking. Use it in any marinade, soup or sauce.

Living in my neighborhood you get the opportunity to visit all the lovely ethnic grocery stores. They will help you find the Togarashi and Shaohsng Huadiao wine.

1 tablespoon Shaohsng Huadiao wine or a dry sherry
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of corn starch
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil with a high smoking point
1 pound ground turkey thigh meat                                                                                        
1 pound of green beans tops removed and left whole
3 garlic cloves mined
1 tablespoon of minced ginger
3 green onions cut for garnish
2 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil

In a bowl mix up the sauce that includes the sugar, soy sauce, corn starch, black pepper, Shaohsng Huadiao wine, sugar, water and togarashi. Set aside.

Heat a wok or very large frying pan until the oil is smoking. Add the green beans and cook until they have brown spots all over them and are wilted a little. Now turn down the heat a little and add the ground turkey. Crush the turkey meat and cook until all the pink has been remove. Now add the garlic and ginger and cook until they are no longer raw. Now add your sauce and cook until the mixture is well incorporated. Serve this dish with steamed basmati rice. You are going to have the best home take out.

Rissotto

This is a classic risotto from the northern part of Italy where everything can be used in making risotto. Just remember that a good stock is one of the keys to a successful risotto. Another is to have the stock be very hot when you add it to the rice. I like to eat risotto on a plate. This is a "peccato mortale". Italians will always serve risotto in a bowl. Whups !

4 cups of brown chicken stock
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup butter
1 small onion diced
1/4 cup dice celery
1/3 cup diced carrot
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano shaved
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 mushrooms diced
1 slice of 1/4 inch thick deli ham diced
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup of Carnaroli rice

Heat the stock over low heat and keep it warm next to a sauce pan you will use for the rice. Now, in the sauce pan for the rice, heat the oil and butter over medium high heat. When sizzling add your diced onion, carrot and celery. Saute until the vegetables are about to turn brown. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two.

 Now add the rice and cook stirring constantly until it turns translucent. You will now add the wine to the sauce pan.












Cook until all the wine has been cooked into the rice. Now add your mushrooms and 1/3 of the warm stock to your sauce pan. Stir until all the stock has been absorbed. Now repeat this step two more times.


Now your rice will be fully cooked and you will add the cheese, ham and parsley. Season with freshly ground pepper and minced parsley.