Punjabi Lamb Kebabs

 If there is one thing I have come to appreciate about Indian cuisine is the amazing spices and spice combinations that are used and the aromas that now radiate from my spice drawer.

We are going Kebab Krazy at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  I've been scarce at IHCC lately but when I saw what this week's theme was I new I could find a kebab recipe I would like.

I love lamb.  Lovey doesn't like lamb.  When I read this Madhur Jaffrey recipe I thought it would make for great lunches at work this coming week.  Since I knew Lovey wouldn't be eating any of these I didn't hold back on the spices called for; primarily the cayenne that I usually have to leave out of recipes because Lovey is not a fan of heat either.

The recipe can be started the night before; in fact I would think it best so the lamb has some real personal time with the marinade; which is what we start with.  First order of business is allowing the yogurt to drain in a cloth-lined strainer.

While the yogurt is draining make a paste of the garlic cloves.  I mince the cloves very fine and then begin scraping the garlic back and forth with the edge of the knife blade at a slight angle.

These photos aren't very good and it's hard to take photos performing a technique that I use both hands.  Anyway, keep scraping back and forth until your garlic looks somewhat like a paste.

 

Here are all of the ingredients that are whisked together for the marinade.  The drained yogurt, grated fresh ginger, cayenne, garam masala, garlic paste and salt.

Since I was making this recipe for myself I halved it (but I did not half the marinade).  I purchased a little over one pound of boneless leg of lamb.

Once trimming up the lamb it was cut into one-inch cubes.  Although, let it be said there is no way to get every piece all the same size so please don't stress over the size of your pieces of meat.  Sorry for that little globulin of blood attached to one of the pieces of meat;  that's not very appealing is it?

 Whew!  Speak of  not a very appealing photo!  But don't let it fool you.  This marinade is so aromatic I can only imagine at this point how it will flavor the lamb.  Now, cover your bowl and stick in the refrigerator.  Mine marinated for about 24 hours.



About 30 minutes before you plan to broil the kebabs, soak your skewers.  The recipe did not mention this but anytime I use bamboo skewers for broiling or grilling I soak them first; for about 30 minutes.

Once you are ready to load up your skewers, lay them out on a towel.

Push meat cubes onto the skewers; I got about 7 cubes per skewer.  I ended up with 7 skewers with a little over one pound of meat.  The recipe stated that it served 4 to 6 people (using 2-1/2 pounds).  The recipe also mentioned using 4 skewers for the cubes of meat.  In my opinion, there is no way 2-1/2 pounds of meat would fit on 4 skewers.  I used 7 skewers for 1 pound of meat, so determine for yourself if 2-1/2 pounds of meat is really necessary.   

Before placing them under the broiler brush both sides of each kebab with melted butter.

Broiling should be at least 5 inches from the heat source.  My broiler is very hot (500°F) so I placed my broiler pan a little further away, in the middle of the oven.

Broil for about 7 minutes on each side.

You know, some say that the smell of cookies baking in the oven will serve as an aide when trying to sell your house; I think you should broil a batch of these kebabs.

 

Punjabi Lamb Kebabs
Adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
8 ounces whole-milk yogurt (preferably Greek)
6 Tbsp. mustard oil or extra virgin olive oil
1-1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic
2-inch piece of fresh ginger root
2 tsp. garam masala (or store bought)
1 pound boneless lamb from the leg
3 Tbsp. butter
 
Mise en place:

• put yogurt in a cloth-lined strainer or colander and set in sink
• mince garlic and crush to a paste
• peel piece of ginger by scraping with a spoon and grate
• measure out the oil, salt, cayenne and garam masala and place in large bowl
• add yogurt, garlic and ginger to the bowl
• cut lamb into 1 inch pieces

Method:
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients in the bowl.  Add the lamb pieces.  Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight or 24 hours.
 
Thirty minutes prior to broiling, soak skewers in water.  Remove skewers from water and lace meat cubes on each skewer.  Place each skewer on a broiler pan.  Melt the butter and brush both side of each skewer with the melted butter.
 
Preheat your oven to the broiler setting.  Place the tray about 5 inches from the source of heat.  Broil 5-7 minutes on the first side and another 5-7 minutes on the opposite or until the kebabs are done to your taste.

I'm sharing this recipe at IHCC.

 

 

 

 

 

Crispy Oven Fries

For many years when I have endured numerous kitchen conundrums Cooks Illustrated has come to my rescue.  CI has to be one of my favorite food magazines because there is no paid advertising so when they test something or recommend a product, whether it be food stuffs or equipment, it is truly their opinion; not some manufacturer paying for their endorsement.  And they know their stuff.  The other reason is because they do all the hard work of testing and trying and figuring out why something does or doesn't work.

I spent years and countless pounds of potatoes trying to produce a good crispy oven 'fried' potato. Most of those attempts produced potatoes that were either limp, underdone, overdone or so crispy they resembled a piece of coal.  I just couldn't find the right formula for making them as good as deep fried potatoes; tender on the inside and crispy on the exterior.  I wanted the taste and texture without all the oil.  The solution was handed to me on a silver platter in the form of an article in the January/February 2004 issue of Cook's Illustrated.

Particular steps became very key to transforming my oven fries from soggy and mushy to crispy perfection.  It may seem, at first, that there are so many frivelous steps taken just to get a good oven fry.  It is so worth it, however.   After a couple of times using this method you will be making them in your sleep and your family members and guests will praise your name and demand more fries.

I'm going to share with you some of the knowledge I gleaned from the article that made my oven fries creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

To begin, let's talk about the potatoes.  Russets beat out all the others for fries.  I also elect to peel the potatoes rather than leave part of the peel on.  Skins off they had more of that original french fry taste.

Once the potatoes are peeled I like to slice mine thin, but cutting them into thick wedges is perfectly fine too.  Soak them in ice cold water for about an hour.  After 30 minutes you will notice the water is all cloudy.  This is starch that is being leached out of the potato.  Pour this off, rinse and re-cover with fresh ice cold water and stick the bowl back in the fridge.  Starch prohibits moisture from leaving the potato; and you want some moisture to leave the potato so it can become crispier.

Since we've had the potatoes soaking to remove some of the starch, we now have to make sure we get the potatoes dry.  Forget about tamping the moisture off of them with mamby pamby paper towels.  Grab a good, thick kitchen towel, lay them out in a single layer and pat them dry then let them sit there while you prepare the pan.

 

 I found it interesting that in the CI testing using a heavy baking pan made a big difference. I used to grab an older, light weight jelly roll pan instead of using my better, heavier pans. CI stresses that a heavier pan is best.  A lightweight pan yielded fries that were either pale or burnt; or rather inconsistent. The heavyweight pan produced even browning because it conducts heat better.

In the past even though I tossed the potatoes in a bowl with olive oil my potatoes always stuck to the pan horribly.  Now, I cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spread about 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil over the parchment.

 

Sprinkle a light sprinkling of Kosher salt on the surface of the parchment.  CI stated that this aided even more to prevent sticking with the salt particles acting like little ball bearings suspending the potato slice from the pan.  Whatever....I actually rolled my eyes at this statement but thought what the heck, I'll try it.  Turned out to be a great idea.  Worked like a charm.

Arrange the potato slices so they are not touching.  Most likely you will need more than one pan so you do not crowd the potatoes.  Just giving you a heads up.

Slightly steaming the potatoes aided in giving them a creamy interior.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place them on the very bottom rack in the preheated oven.

Adjusting the rack to the lowest position made a big improvement for the fries due to the intense heat from the bottom of the oven browning them quickly and evenly.

Potatoes were steamed this way for about 5 minutes then the foil was removed. Bake the potatoes uncovered for approximately 10 minutes then turn the pan around for another 10, or until they are golden and crispy.

So, here's how you can make good crispy oven fries for yourself.  Now, go out and get yourself a subscription to Cook's Illustrated.  It'll do your kitchen good.

Crispy Oven Fries
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated - January/February 2004
Serves 3 to 4


Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each)
2 to 3 Tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
Kosher salt and black ground pepper

Method:
Peel potatoes.  Slice lengthwise into 1/2" to 3/4" slabs.  Slice each slab lengthwise into thin sticks.  Place potatoes in mixing bowl and cover with cold water.  Place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  Drain and rinse starchy water off potatoes and cover with fresh cold water.  Place back in refrigerator for another 20 - 30 minutes.

Drain potatoes and lay out on heavy kitchen towel.  Thoroughly pat dry and allow to sit and dry while you prepare the pan(s) and preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Line heavy 18 x 12-inch heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil on parchment paper. Sprinkle parchment with light coat of kosher salt.
You will most likely need to prepare two baking sheets so your potatoes are not crowded (that is what the 3rd Tbsp. of oil is for).

Rinse and wipe out the empty mixing bowl; return potatoes to bowl and toss with remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil.  Arrange potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet; cover tightly with foil.  With the oven rack placed on the lowest position, bake for 5 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, turning baking sheet after 10 minutes, until potatoes are spotty golden brown.

Transfer potatoes to a second baking sheet lined with paper towels.  Season with additional salt and the pepper to taste.

Roasted Green Beans

There are many uses for canned green beans but they simply can't compete with fresh.  This has proved to be an easy, quick way to serve them up on a week night.  If you're a working girl like me you can wash and trim the beans the night before.  That will save you even more time.

I can't tell from the clipping what magazine I tore this recipe out of, nor the date.  Who would have known when I started clipping recipes, back in the Stone Age, that I would one day really like to know where and when a recipe came from.

This looks pretty wicked doesn't it?  I think a witch might have a finger that looks like this.  The only criticism Lovey had about this recipe was that the tips on the beans turned into weapons when they got crispy. I had to agree with him.   I usually leave the tips on when I steam beans and it's no problem but these were definitely prickly by the time they roasted!  Be sure and snap them off!  Unless you want to injure a family member.

Simply toss the ingredients, spread out on a jelly roll pan, and bake

In 10 minutes they are ready to eat.

Roasted Green Beans
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
1-1/4 pounds green or wax beans, trimmed
2 Tbsp. slivered almonds
1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Mise en place:

• wash and trim both ends of the beans.  Allow to dry on a towel then throw them into a mixing bowl
• preheat oven to 450°F.

Method:
Measure all of the remaining ingredients into the bowl with the beans and toss well with your fingers.  When coated, transfer the beans to a jelly roll pan and bake for 10 minutes or until beans are tender and browned, stirring occasionally.

Brown Mushroom Steak Sauce

I have no idea where this recipe came from.  I can only deduce that I saw it on the telly because it's in my hand writing, scribbled down on a piece of paper.  I'm sorry I'm not able to give credit where credit is due.

The night I had this dish scheduled for dinner was on a night I was to play Bunko.  On top of it being Bunko night the train rolled into the station late, then the traffic sucked which put me at home with only 30 minutes to get dinner ready and get myself down the street for game night with the neighborhood gals.

I can attest to the fact that you can make this in a hurry.  Actually, it helped that I had cleaned and sliced the mushrooms the night before.  Being in such a hurry didn't allow enough time to take many photos. 



I used this sauce of mushrooms, garlic, vermouth and balsamic vinegar as the cooking medium for 4 - 6 ounce cod fillets.  The only thing I wasn't crazy about was that the fish itself took on a brownish gray color after cooking in the deep brown sauce.  Otherwise tasted great.

With quite a bit of sauce and mushrooms left over, I used it the next night to top off a marinated flank steak that I broiled.

So, although the original recipe was intended for a piece of cod I think it paired much nicer with beef.  In light of that, this will dwell in my file of sauces; a mushroom sauce; a good mushroom sauce for dressing up an inexpensive cut of meat like a flank steak or cube steaks. 

Brown Mushroom Steak Sauce
Yields approximately 1/4 cup

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, divided
10 ounces crimini mushrooms
4 medium cloves garlic
1/2 cup dry vermouth
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Mise en place:

• measure out butter dividing into a 3 Tbsp. piece and a 1 Tbsp. piece
• clean mushrooms by wiping with a paper towel or quickly rinsing under cold water; slice mushrooms 1/8" thick
• peel and mince cloves of garlic
• chop parsley
• measure out vermouth, vinegar, salt and pepper

Method:
In a 12-inch skillet melt 3 Tbsp. of the butter over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until well browned, 5 - 7 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until golden and fragrant, about 45 seconds.  Add vermouth, parsley, vinegar, salt and pepper and boil until liquid is reduced by half (about 2 minutes).

Reduce heat to low and gently simmer for about 5 minutes.  Over the low heat, whisk the remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter into the sauce.  Spoon over steak.

Baguette Parisienne

Isn't is amazing how 4 simple ingredients, when combined, produce one of life's greatest pleasures?  What would that be, you ask?  Mais bien sûr, it is the Baguette ordinaire or the Baguette parisienne!

Flour, water, salt and yeast.  That's all.  That's the law.  The shortening is to rub on the baking pans I use.  It's not part of the bread itself.

In a heavy duty stand mixer with the paddle, or flat beater, stir the salt, warm water and yeast together until combined then add 3 cups of the flour.  Try to stay within the range of 105° to 120° with your warm water; get it too hot (like 130° to 140°) and it will kill the yeast.  You will be committing murder of a living organism.

Cup by cup, add 3 more cups of the flour and keep incorporating it.  You will have a big gloppy mess but that's OK.  You'll take care of that in the next step.  One thing to watch, especially if you have a KitchenAid, is to avoid letting the dough ride up the paddle/flat beater all the way to the beater shaft.  It's a mess to clean up.  Please don't ask me how I know this to be true.

Throw some flour on your work space, throw the dough down and sprinkle some flour on top of the dough as well as your hands.  Begin to knead and work in the flour.  You will probably work in another full cup of flour.

To knead the dough, push the dough out front, away from you with the heel of your hands, fingers spread out (like you're 'high-fiving' someone).  Slip your right hand under the far right edge of the dough and fold it back on itself to the left.

At the same time you are folding turn the dough a quarter turn to the left. Begin kneading again pushing away from you then folding the right side over the left while turning. Keep doing this and sprinkle flour whenever the dough becomes sticky and dough sticks to your hands.

Eventually you will have a smooth, pliable mound of dough that is silky.  This may take ten minutes.  To break up your push-fold-turn routine of kneading, pick up the ball of dough and throw it hard against the work surface.  Then start kneading again.  Believe me, the dough loves this and you can get rid of all sorts of frustrations by doing this.  This is one reason I love making bread and kneading by hand; it's therapeutic.

Another reason is that I like to be able to tell by touch that the dough is ready. One way to judge is to press the palm of your hand on top of the dough.  If dough doesn't stick to the surface of your palm, it's good to go.   There is nothing wrong with kneading in your mixer using the dough hook.  I do this when I'm not in the mood to knead and allowing your dough hook to do all the work produces a fine product too.

Rub some Crisco around the inside of a large bowl.  Roll the ball of dough around to lightly coat all sides.  Cover with a damp tea towel and set in a warm (ideally, 85° to 90°F) draft-free area and let the dough double in size.  The 1st rising time will be around 2 hours.  Since Lovey and I like to keep the house fairly cool during the winter, I put my bowl in the oven (no heat turned on).  Don't worry if you don't have a warm place to let the dough rise; it will just take longer to double.

While the dough is rising, grease your pans if necessary.  My pans are dimpled and the manufacturer instructions suggested they be greased.  I use Crisco shortening.  Get your fingers in there and rub it lightly over the interior of your pans.

When the dough has doubled punch it down right in the bowl.

Fold it over a couple of times.

Dump the mound of dough out onto a work surface to begin the shaping process; don't use any more flour from this point.  With a knife or a pastry scraper divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, because this recipe will make 4 baguettes.  I know, the math is quite advanced.  Please stay with me.

Mine weighed out to around 12.5 ounces each.  Allow your pieces of dough to rest for about 5 minutes.

Working with one piece at a time, squeeze it while shaping it into a piece of rope.  Lay it down on your work surface and roll it back and forth between your outstretched palms, working the thick spots towards the thinner spots until your whole loaf is more or less uniform in diameter and about one inch shorter than the pan on both ends. 

Scoring the bread.  This little tool is referred to as a lame (pronounced “lahm.”)  It's simply a French word that means “blade.”  You don't have to have one of these tools.  You can use any razor blade or very sharp knife.  Sometimes I use a serrated knife.



My slashes aren't the prettiest today and they could have been angled a little more towards the length of the baguette.  Oh well, who cares?  Just don't slash them directly across the width of the baguette.

 

These are the loaves after they have risen in their pan.  Be sure to let them rise enough so they fill the pans and the tops are well above the edge of the pan.

Allow the loaves to cool with air circulating around them.

The more holes in the texture, or crumb, of your bread the better.  I'm sure it's recorded in the annals of French law that upon removal from the oven, you immediately tear off a piece of your hot bread and slather it with sweet cream butter.  All those holes in your crumb are made to be filled up with butter.

A fresh baguette can go stale within 2 to 3 hours so you will want to freeze what you don't eat.  I halve the leftover loaves because they fit in my freezer easier this way.  Wrap securely in foil and freeze.  When you are ready to eat the frozen loaves, heat the wrapped loaves in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes or when the bread is soft when you squeeze it.  Unwrap it when you take it out of the oven so it can cool similarly to how you cooled the loaves when you first baked them.

You can also give a loaf or two to a neighbor. You will be their new best friend.

Baguette Parisienne

Produces 4 loaves around 22" long

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp salt

2-1/2 cups warm water (100° - 120°)

1 - .25 oz. packet (or approx. 2-1/2 tsp) instant yeast

7 cups all purpose flour, divided

Method:
In a heavy duty stand mixer with the paddle, or flat beater, mix the salt, warm water and yeast.  Try to stay within the range of 105° to 120° with your warm water; get it too hot (like 130° to 140°) and it will kill the yeast.  Stir until combined then add 3 cups of the flour.

Cup by cup add around 3 cups more flour.  By now your dough should be a big sticky glob; but that's the way you want it.

Measure out 1 cup of flour into a pile to the side of your work space.  Sprinkle some flour in the area you will be kneading the dough and turn the dough out onto the work surface.  Sprinkle a little flour on top fo the dough and on your hands.

Knead your dough, adding flour as you go.  You will probably use the cup of mounded flour you measured on the side.  As you knead (could be as long as 10 minutes) the dough will start to feel more like dough than a sticky blob.  Then it will take on a different feel; more elastic.

Rub some shortening or vegetable oil around the inside of a large mixing bowl.  Roll the dough around 2 or 3 times to coat with the shortening.  This will keep the surface of the dough from crusting over.  Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel (squeezed out very well) and place in a warm, non-drafty place to rise.

While the dough is rising, lightly grease your pans with shortening.  I use Crisco.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down several times then turn out on the work surface (no more flour from this point).  Knead a couple of times then divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (weighing is a good idea).  Form in rounds and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

To loave, work with one piece of dough at a time and work it with your hands until it's shaped like a piece of rope.  Lay it down on your work surface and with outstretched palms roll the dough back and forth working the thick spots into the thinner until you have a somewhat uniform shape in diameter and that is one inch shorter than the pan on each end.  Lay it in the greased pan.  Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.

A note here on handling the dough.  Don't be timid about manhandling the dough.  The rougher you are with it the more tender your bread will be.

Take a lame, very sharp knife or a razor blade and make 4 to 5 slashes on each loaf.  Your slashes should be long and diagonal and 1/8 to 3/8 inches deep.

Set the pans back in the warm place for the loaves' final rising.  All the loaves to rise until they fill the pans and the center stands well above the edge.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Bake the loaves for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 350°F. and continue baking for another 30 minutes.

Remove the loaves from the oven and pop them out of the pans.  Lay the loaves across the pans or on a cooling rack and allow them to cool with air circulating around them.

Bread not eaten will go stale in 2 to 3 hours.  Wrap the loaves tightly in aluminum foil and freeze.  To refresh, heat up the wrapped loaves in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are soft to oyour squeeze.  Unwrap and let it cool with good circulation.