Adventure in Making Pakistani Food!!!

I love all kinds of ethnic food so I was elated when I found out our neighbors here in the D.C. metro area are from Pakistan. I am a little ashamed to say one of the first comments out of my mouth when I met them was, "will you teach me to make yummy Pakistani food?!"  Yes, that's me, always thinking with my taste buds.

Well, the neighbors delivered! They have invited us over for dinner several times and took me to the local Pakistani grocery store to purchase seasoning packets for several authentic dishes.  Check out all the loot I scored for $18!      

That is enough to make at least 15-20 different dishes...save the paratha bread in the front (which is sort of similar to pita bread, naan or tortillas, but SOOOO much better)...I'm going to need to go back soon to get some more!

Tonight I made Kebabs and Chickpeas.  I know, when an American thinks kebabs, they think kabobs (at least I did before I met my Pakistani neighbors).  Pakistani kebabs are ground meat mixed with lots of seasoning and then molded onto skewers and BBQ'd.  There are several ways of cooking the meat, I made mine into patties because I was using my indoor grill pan and my skewers don't fit in the pan.

Pakistani Kebabs:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (you could totally do ground chicken, or turkey too)
1 medium onion
2 jalapeno's - I used a red and a green one for extra flavor
1 long green chili
3 tablespoons fresh ginger
3 tablespoons fresh garlic
2 eggs
1 packet Shan Chappli Kebab Mix - if you don't have a local Pakistani or Indian store nearby, you can check out the selection on Amazon. I have to note that I got my spice packet for $0.90 at my Pakistani store in the D.C. metro area and Amazon sells the SAME packets for $4-$5 each!  Support your local Pakistani store!!!

Cut up onion, peppers, ginger and garlic and toss into a food processor.  Process until somewhere between a chunky and smooth texture.

Add to ground beef with eggs and packet of Shan Chappli Kebab mix.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or more.

Form meat into patties or around skewers and grill.

If you don't want super spicy kebabs you can use less of the season packet.  I seeded half of my peppers and use the whole seasoning packet and it turned out to medium heat.  They were VERY flavorful!!!

I openly admit I am NOT that person who puts chickpeas on my salads.  I don't dislike chickpeas, but unless they are in falafel, I am generally not a fan...that is until my neighbor made this dish for us! Now I can't get enough chickpeas!!!!

Pakistani Chickpeas:
2 cans chickpeas - I suggest using the salt free kind
1 medium onion
1/2 cup lentils
3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cups water
3 tablespoons Shan Chana Masala Mix

Drain and rinse chickpeas and add to skillet along with water.  Add Shan Chana Masala and cook on medium heat for 45 minutes or until the chickpeas turn to a darker shade.

Heat oil and cook onions for about 5 minutes then add to chickpea mixture.  Cook until the gravy thickens.

Serve with warm paratha bread!

Seriously don't be afraid to walk into your local Indian or Pakistani store and purchase these spices.  I found the people to be VERY nice and accommodating. The clerk even gave me a free sample of a box of spices to make a sweet rice dessert!

Empadas

This fall I visited the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City. They had a fun exhibit of American Indian musicians from 1900 to current.  It was fascinating to see how many artists are of American Indian decent.  It also encouraged me to add some music to my iPod that I normally wouldn't have on my playlist.  The BEST part of the visit was the American Indian Museum was the cookbook I found. :)  Yes, I added another cook book to my growing collection.  It is called Foods of the Americas, Native Recipes and Traditions by Fernando and Marlene Divina. I am blown away by how many of the recipes I want to make in this book!  The influences from this book are far reaching from South America to Canada.  The first recipe I tried out of this book is for Empadas.  They are best described as meat pies.  They remind me of Samosa's from Asian restaurants.  The flavor was UNIQUE!  I was half expecting a Mexican flare...which it had, but there was a major twist.  You CERTAINLY need to check this recipe out!

Empada's modified recipe:
Dough:
Pre-made Pie Filling

Filling:
1/4 cup tomato salsa
1 tablespoon corn oil
1 small white onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 cup diced russet potato
1/3 teaspoon ground allspice
1 small chile, seeded and minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock

Flour for dusting
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of sea or kosher salt

Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add the oil, onion, and garlic and cook without browning for about 5 minutes.  Add the salsa, beef, potato, allspice, chile, bay leaf, salt, pepper and chicken stock.  Cook, stirring often for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meat is browned and cooked through and the liquid has nearly evaporated.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.  Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Lightly oil and flour a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

To assemble the empadas, lightly flour a work surface.  Cut the dough in half horizontally and cover one half with a clean kitchen towel to keep moist.  Roll the other half of the dough out to about 1/8 inch think.  Cut into 12 squares or rounds about 3 1/2 inches wide.  Place a generous tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center of each piece of dough.  Roll Out and cut the other portion of the dough in the same manner.  Whisk the egg with the water and salt to make an egg wash.  Brush the edges of the bottom dough pieces with the egg wash.  top each with another dough piece and drip the edges with the tines of a fork or your fingertips.  Place the empadas on the prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash.  Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve warm.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

My daughter is pretty crazy about pancakes and it is our weekend ritual to have them once a week so we are constantly trying out new recipes to keep them exciting.  This recipe for Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes was a pretty decent find, but the next time I make them I'm going to do some serious tweeking.  I was vaguely aware when I was making them that there were no spices added to the mix.  There were so many positive reviews online that I assumed the pancakes stood firm all on their own...but they didn't.  Don't get me wrong, these pancakes were good, but could use some vanilla and/or almond extract, cinnamon and nutmeg.  I would also cut back on the milk as the batter was a touch runny causing the pancakes to be flat.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes:
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups milk
3 eggs beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat lightly oiled griddle over medium heat.  In a large bowl mix whole wheat and white flours with brown sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a small bowl, mix milk and oats.  Whisk in eggs and oil.  Pour into dry mix all at once.  Continue mixing until smooth.  Gently fold in blueberries.

Pour batter about 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared griddle.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until bubbly.  flip and continue cooking until lightly browned on both sides.

Pumpkin Pie with a Major Twist!

Did you know they sell pumpkin pudding now?!  Alex knows I LOVE pumpkin so he got me two boxes around Thanksgiving.  

We were invited to the neighbors house for dinner and were asked to bring dessert.  I was feeling super lazy and didn't want to run to the store so I was trying to come up with a fun idea from what I had in my house.  I found the pumpkin pudding and was racking my brain for things I could make with it. At Thanksgiving, my brother-in-law made a pumpkin chiffon pie that was light and delicious!!!  He told me they added whipping cream to a pumpkin pie like recipe to make it super light and fluffy.  So I decided I could add whipping cream to pre-made pumpkin pie pudding get get something similar...I hoped!!!  It was a bit of a gamble since I was taking to our neighbors party...they could have been pretty disgusted and egged our house as a result.  Fortunately for us and our house, it was a HIT!!!!  

 

Lazy Girl's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie:

2 small packages pumpkin pudding - make according to instructions on box

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Crust:

Gingerbread Cookie Mix 

1 stick butter, melted

Make the pumpkin pudding following the directions on the box.  Put in refrigerator for at least one hour to thicken.  Whip up heavy whipping cream until there are super stiff peaks, add powdered sugar.  Once the pudding has set completely, fold in the whipping cream until combined.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

To make the crust, combine gingerbread cookie mix and melted butter.  Push into the bottom of a pie pan to form the pie crust.  Cook in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Let cool, then add the pudding mixture to the pie crust and refrigerate for at least one hour.  

This pie is SLOPPY!  But it doesn't matter because it tastes so damn good!!!

Pumpkin Pie Tragedy!....AVERTED!!!!!

My daughter got an extra pumpkin for Halloween from her preschool Fall Festival and wanted to use it to make pumpkin pie.  I figured it was a good opportunity to teach her how we make food from foods we harvest, since we usually used canned pumpkin.

Unfortunately, I am a busy Mama.  I stopped by the grocery store and took a look at the recipe on the pumpkin puree can which listed EVAPORATED MILK in a recipe that also called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar.  When I got home, I searched on Allrecipes.com and found a recipe that called for SWEETEN CONDENSED MILK.  I didn't stop to even consider that I was using evaporated milk AND that the recipe didn't have ANY sugar in it....until the pie was 3/4 of the way cooked.  (#$&(#@#$&  REALLY?!  I was SUPER bummed because my daughter was so excited about the prospect of eating pumpkin pie that was made from her preschool pumpkin.  

To make matters worse, I overfilled the pie crust and spilled pie filling on the bottom of our stove top which caused the whole house to fill up with smoke.  At this point I'm pretty sure you're asking yourself why you read this crazy's cooking blog. :)

WELL.....I managed to save the day by dousing the pumpkin pie in homemade caramel sauce!  WHOOHOO!!!!!  

Salted Caramel Sauce:

1 cup white sugar

5 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pinch of salt to taste

Place sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat.  Stir continuously until sugar begins to melt.  Continue stirring until the sugar melts completely, begins to darken and all the chunks are dissolved, about 10 minutes.  Stop stirring and continue to cook until the sugar begins to smoke and turns a dark shade of amber, 3 to 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and wait 30 seconds.

Whisk butter until melted and combine.  Slowly pour in cream, taking care because it can bubble over.  Sprinkle in salt and stir to combine.  Transfer to a jar and cool completely before refrigerating.

I was SO worried about making this caramel.  I've always had bad luck in making candy type products, but this caramel was AMAZING!!!!  It TOTALLY saved the day!  My daughter even said I make the "best pumpkin pie, EVER!"  To be fair, she is only three and hasn't had a lot to compare. :)  I am a bit older and have a lot to compare it to and can confidently tell you this sugar-less pumpkin pie ROCKED with this caramel sauce!  Lots of it!!!!

Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

'Tis the season for yummy pumpkin!  I honestly can't get enough pumpkin from October to December, so I stock up on canned pumpkin during the holiday season to make sure I have enough to get me through January to September. :)  This recipe for Pumpkin Waffles and Apple Cider Syrup is a BIG reason why!

Of course the pumpkin waffles are great, but the Apple Cider Syrup is what takes this breakfast to delectable levels of pure yummy goodness!  PLEASE, I beg of you, DO NOT SUBSTITUTE  the apple cider for regular apple juice...you will be so sad if you do!

Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups milk
4 eggs, separated....if you want to go to the effort of whipping up the egg white separately.
1/4 cup canola oil

Apple Cider Syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, salt and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, milk and egg yolks.  Whip the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form (I always omit this part because I'm lazy...I think they taste just as good).

Stir the flour mixture and 1/4 cup melted butter to the pumpkin mixture, stirring just to combine.  Use a whisk or rubber spatula to fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, stirring gently until incorporated (See, so much effort to have fluffy batter...I really have tried it both ways and don't think it makes much difference). Fold in the remaining egg whites.  Cook waffles according to manufacturer's instructions.

To make the syrup, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a sauce pan.  Stir in the apple cider and lemon juice.  Cook ever medium heat until mixture begins to boil; boil until the syrup thickens.  Remove from heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter until melted.  Serve warm.

McCormick Knows Pumpkin Goodness!!!!

I'm letting you know up front I am not being paid for this gushing review of McCormick's Pumpkin Fruit Spread.  :)

This weekend Alex and I went up to Baltimore's Inner Harbor and discovered a McCormick's cooking store.  It was PURE HEAVEN!!!  I hate going to the grocery store looking for a specific spice only to find the store doesn't carry it...well, I didn't have to worry about that with the McCormick shop!  They have EVERY spice you could conceivably dream up!  But the BEST find was their Pumpkin Fruit Spread.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I think pumpkin has been getting overrated in the last couple of years and is becoming overdone.  Even the pumpkin spice latte's are getting too sweet and over the top... BLASPHEMY!!...but it is true.  This Pumpkin Fruit Spread is INSANE!!!  On the top of the lid is a recipe for making pumpkin pie.  Using the  2 pints Pumpkin Fruit Spread, combine 2 eggs, 1 can evaporated milk, pour into a 9" pie shell.  Bake 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees.

I tried to find a link so you can purchase this fruit spread, but couldn't find it even on McCormick's web site.  :(  The next trip I plan up to Baltimore, I'm going to LOAD UP on their Pumpkin Fruit Spread!