Bon Voyage

I am leaving tomorrow for a week away with family, a week in South Dakota (Yes, that’s not a typo).  As I prepare to leave, a feeling of guilty swept over me…I haven’t blogged in a week.  The chances of me blogging while I’m away are nil, zip, zilch…not going to happen!   While I enjoy a week with my nieces and nephews ( I have a brand new 2 week old nephew I’m going to meet for the first time)  I leave you a recipe that I’ve wanted to post for the last year!  Yes, I have 2 posts about this recipe that were never published.  I will update later with more information about Sorrel, but for now, just a recipe!

Sorrel

4 cups water

1/2 cup dried sorrel

1 cinnamon stick

10 cloves

1 inch peeled piece of ginger

sugar to taste

Add all ingredients in pot and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 30 mins.  Remove from heat, remove all solids by straining.  Chill and serve over ice.


Tags: ,

I love my blog!  I love the fact that it pushes me to try new recipes in an effort to share them with you.    Lately I’ve been having alot of failures I must admit, but I keep trying.  I revisited old favorites, recipes I haven’t cooked in a long time and the results weren’t always great.

Today I revisit Dhal.   Originating in India, dhal is a soup made with the yellow dhal/yellow split peas and seasoned with warm spices such as curry, tumeric and cumin.  To finish it off  you “chunkay” garlic, which is a process where you brown the garlic  in oil to bring out a slightly burnt flavor and you add the hot oil and garlic to the dhal.

Soup? Sauce? Dip?  We Guyanese can admit that dhal fits into every category.  There is no right way to eat it.  I’ve had it in a mug by itself as a soup, used it as a dip for my roti or poured it over my rice to use as gravy.  You can’t go wrong, either way its very delicious.

A favorite dish of using  is Dhal and rice with sauteed saltfish and baigan choka or Aloo with coconut milk on the side….seriously authentic, seriously delicious!!  As I wrote that last line, I had a vision of myself and my siblings sitting Indian style on the floor and eating this with our hands to much disdain of our mother.  But we loved it, it allowed us to mimic a part of our culture that we didn’t practice.  How could a child not enjoy eating with their hands??  Especially when our mom forbade us?? Today I will use a spoon, but I will enjoy it just the same and I hope you do.

Dhal

1/2 cup Yellow split peas

5 cups water

1 cup chicken stock*

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp curry powder

1 hot red pepper

1 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic

3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

Boil split peas with 4 cups water on a medium fire for 1 hour or until peas are tender.  Remove from heat and pulse in a blender until smooth.  Return to a medium fire and add chicken stock, 1 cup water, cumin, curry powder, pepper and salt.  Cook for 1o mins.  While dhal cooks, in a sautee pan, heat 3 tablespoon oil and add sliced garlic.  Fry until dark brown, do not burn or the garlic will add a bitter taste to the Dhal.  This process should take no more than 3 mins.    Add garlic and oil to the Dhal, stir ;cook for an additional 10 mins.

*To make this meal vegetarian, simply omit the chicken stock or replace it with vegetable stock.


Tags: , , ,

Tender flaky crust with a surprise filling.

I love these tarts!  Pumpkin jam and tarts have been in my family ever since I was a wee little lass.  When I decided to share this recipe with my blog family, I asked my mom about how these tarts came about.  She explained to me that many, many years ago there was an abundance of pumpkin in Guyana and the people were tired of cooking it the same way over and over.  So the local newspapers printed some new ways in which to use pumpkin and these tarts were one of them.   My mom tested the recipe and we all loved it!

I loved pumpkin tart before I even knew or had a bite of pumpkin pie.  This was the only sweetened pumpkin dish I’ve had up until pumpkin pie, so it was new to us but we loved it anyway.   To all my Guyanese who are not familiar with this, if you love pinetarts you will love these!   Usually pumpkin is used in fall or winter dishes but this is very light and has a hint of citrus flavor so I think it will compliment your summer menu at your next picnic.

P.S.  The jam is delicious and great with fresh bread or crackers.



Tiny specs of vanilla bean add a lovely flavor

Pumpkin Jam

2 cup finely shredded West Indian pumpkin/calabaza

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp water

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (extract will be fine also)

Makes about 1 cup jam

Place pumpkin, lemon juice, sugar and water into a pot and stir well.  Over medium heat cook for 50 mins or until pumpkin is tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Allow to cool.

Pumpkin Tarts

1 cup pumpkin jam

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter, cold

1/4 cup shortening

3 tbsp ice cold water

1 egg yolk

2 tsp water

Makes 8-10 tarts

To make Pastry:

Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut butter and shortening into flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Add 3 tbsp of water and mix until well combined.  Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 mins before using.

Prepare egg wash but beating egg yolk and water to combine.  Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry to 1/8 inch thickness.   I used bowl about 6 inches in diameter  to cut out the circles.   Place about a heaping tablespoon of pumpkin jam in the center.  Brush edge with egg wash and fold over making a half circle.  Press edges with a fork and brush the top with egg wash.  With a knife make two slits across the top to let out steam, this will prevent the pastry from bursting.  On an ungreased cookie sheet, bake for 20 mins or until golden brown.



Tags: , , ,

« Older entries

Amy