Sick + New job = No new recipe

Alas, the combo of a new, busy job and having a cold mean I didn't cook anything this week. Also, I'll be out of town next week, so there probably won't be a new post then either. We'll see.

Lamb Shank Korma

This is an Indian curry recipe that is quite delicious, if a bit time-consuming. Depending on your spiciness tolerance, it is medium-ish spicy. It is an adaptation of the lamb shank korma recipe in Camellia Panjabi's book "50 great curries of india," which is an excellent book for curries.

This recipe is interesting for a couple of reasons:

- It uses lamb shanks: This is a cut of meat that American's don't cook with any frequency, but is quite delicious. One should treat it like beef stew meat or any other cut that is best when braised (i.e., browned over high heat and then cooked in liquid over a simmer for hours). Indeed, this recipe is an excellent example of the power of thoroughly browning meat - it increases the flavor enormously.
- It's spicy! I grew up eating virtually no spicy food, so this is a pleasant change (albeit one that makes me sweat a bit...)
- It has spices! I.e., it has interesting spices like coriander, garam masala, mace, and cardamom. Some of these can be a bit difficult to find, but I highly recommend it b/c there really isn't any substitute. Especially for mace, I recommend finding a good Indian grocery store - they usually have an excellent selection of spices.
- It uses saffron! Saffron, which is the world's most expensive spice, is the stigma of a flower. It is traditionally grown in Spain and India, and is a very labor-intensive crop. It is excellent for adding lots of color to dishes and a unique aroma.

As an fyi, plan a full 3 hours to make this recipe.

So, without further ado, here is the recipe:

3 tbsp oil
2 1/2 lbs lamb shanks (about 2 shanks)
2 strands saffron
1 tsp rosewater (or koera)
1/4 cup oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 oz cashews or almonds (or a mix)
1-2 jalapenos (remove seeds and pith if you want it milder)
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chipotle powder or ground cayenne
3 tbsp full-fat yogurt
3/4 tsp ground mace
3 green cardamom pods, ground
juice of 1 lime

Heat 3 tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat in a large dutch-oven. Thoroughly brown the lamb shanks on all sides. Remove the shanks and deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of water. Set the deglazing liquid with the meat.

Soak the saffron strands in the rosewater for at least 15 minutes

Heat 4 tbsp of the oil in the dutch-oven over medium to medium-high heat. Fry the onions for 15 minutes or until medium-brown. Add the cashews and almonds and continue to fry for 10-15 more minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions are deep brown.

Using a spatula, extract the oil from the onions by pressing them against the side of the pot. Transfer the onions and nuts to a bowl and leave to cool. Place in a food processor and puree.

In the remaining oil, sauté the jalapeno, bay leaves, ginger, garlic, coriander powder, half of the garam masala, and the salt for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Lower the heat to medium-low. Mix in the paprika, chipotle powder, and yogurt. Add the lamb (but not the deglazing liquid). Stir continuously for 3 minutes and then leave to simmer until the yogurt is absorbed.

Add the friend onion puree and mix well. Add the remaining garam masala, the mace and cardamom powders, and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the deglazing liquid and 3 3/4 cups water and cook for approximately 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.

Right before serving, add in the rosewater and lime juice and take out the bay leaves. Serve over basmati or jasmine rice.

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons!

Mmmm... delicious! These are a relatively simply treat that aren't terribly difficult to make. But, there are a few things that need to be watched out for:

• Many macaroon recipes call for "lightly toasting" the coconut flakes. This is probably a good idea, but they burn super easy, so be careful. And burned coconut flakes smell almost as bad as burned popcorn.
• Double Boiler: Melt the chocolate of medium heat using a double boiler or a heat-safe bowl set over a bowl with 1/2 inch of barely simmer water. This will substantially reduce the chances of burning the chocolate. Also, make sure that the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the water - this defeats the purpose of using a double boiler, which is to heat the bowl slowly through steam.
  
• Whipping egg whites: This was the main task for me b/c I'd never whipped egg whites before. It isn't to terribly difficult (just keep whipping them with your hand-held or standing mixer), but do keep an eye on them. Overwhipped egg-whites are no fun. A few specific tips on whipping egg whites from "The Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute of America:
  
• The egg whites should be at room temperature. They will whip up easier.
• They must be totally free of any trace of yolk. Yolk inhibits the whipping process.
• The bowl and whip must be totally free of any fat. Any fat present will coat the egg white molecules, and prevent them from forming the correct structure.
• The bowl should be large enough to allow the egg whites to expand to 8 to 10 times their size.
• Begin whipping at a slow speed, just until the whites start to losen and become foamy. Then increase the speed until the whites hold soft or medium peaks (see below for description). The reason why you don't want to overbeat the eggs is that they will become "dull, grainy, and dry looking." They also "collapse quickly and separate as they are foled into a base or batter."
  
• Here is a short description of "soft," "medium", and "stiff" peaks:
• Soft peaks: These are peaks that "barely hold their shape. The peaks tip over when the whip is lifted."
• Medium Peaks: These "become stiffer and retains its shape for a longer time when the beater is lifted from the bowl." (As it were, after reading this description, I believe I had something between soft and medium peaks instead of the suggested stiff peaks when I made the macaroons).
  
• Stiff Peaks: These "will hold a peak that comes to a sharp point."

Anyways, enough with the tips and hints! Here is the recipe I made! It is a combination of this Alton Brown recipe and a Cook's Illustrated recipe. It makes about 35-40 cookies

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 oz sweetened shredded coconut, very lightly toasted
8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a totally oil-free and clean mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip egg whites and salt until they become white and begin to stiffen. Add sugar in 3 parts. Continue to whip until the egg whites are very stiff. Using a rubber spatula fold in toasted coconut.

On parchment-lined cookie sheets, drop a teaspoon of the mixture leaving 1 inch around each cookie. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The outside should be golden brown but the insides should still be moist.

Cool cookies on cookie sheets until slightly set, about 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack with metal spatula and cool to room temperature, about 20-30 minutes.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or use the original ones). Melt 8 ounces chocolate in small heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth. Remove from heat. Dip the macaroon bottoms in chocolate, scrape off excess with finger, and place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Simple Indian Beef Curry

Ahhh... curry! I love it! Interestingly, this is a simple homestyle curry recipe that doesn't actually even have curry powder. Instead, it uses a variety of spices that make up a simple curry powder.

I don't cook Indian food frequently, but there are a few things I've learned:

(1) Use fresh spices. People don't realize it, but most spices simply lose all or nearly all of their flavor in 6 months to 1 year's time. At the very least, you should always replace all of your spices after 1 year. Honestly, my recommendation is to buy spices in bulk, but to only buy a small, small quantity (e.g., 2 Tbsp or less). This removes the problem of having to keep track of how old something actually is.

(2) When you add the spices, mix them in and let them cook a bit in the hot oil. This brings out their flavor tremendously.

(3) Brown the onions until they are reallyreallyreallyreally brown - this is important for creating a depth of flavor.

(4) Use ghee instead of vegetable oil if possible. Ghee, if you're curious, is a form of clarified butter. But, instead of simply clarifying the butter and then removing the milk solids, ghee is made by letting the milk solids brown in the clarified butter at a low temperature for anywhere from 10-40 minutes so that the butter fats develop a wonderful, strong toasty flavor. It really is superb stuff, and is easy to make. Here is a recipe for it from Alton Brown of the Food Network.

So, without further ado, here is a recipe that I adapted from Camellia Panjabi's "50 Great Curries of India", a book I just recently got and have enjoyed. It is a very basic "beginner" curry that isn't too tricky. The only challenging part is searing the beef chunks without burning them, but don't worry - just keep a close eye on them and check the browning side often so as to not burn them.

3 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
20 oz beef stew meat
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
2 large yellow onions, small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch square piece fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp paprika
1 cup water
4 plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
2 cups water
Salt to taste
1/2 cup cilantro, minced

Heat the ghee on medium high heat until nearly smoking. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add half of the beef chunks to the hot oil and brown thoroughly on all sides. Do not let the bottom of the pan burn. Remove the beef chunks and put in a bowl. Deglaze with 1/4 cup water, scrapping all of the browned bits from the bottom and adding the liquid to the beef bowl. Repeat the same process with the second batch of the beef chunks.

Once all of the beef is browned, reduce the pan to medium and add the ghee. Add the onions and brown until thoroughly browned, 20-25 minutes. You will need to scrap the bottom frequently during the last 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute. Add the coriander and cook for an additional minute, mixing it into everything. Add the turmeric, cumin, garam masala, and paprika. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup water and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scrapping up the brown bits. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Put in the tomatoes and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the 2 cups water, beef chunks, and beef water. Simmer on medium-low for about 2 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. Serve over basmati or jasmine rice and sprinkle with cilantro just prior to serving.

Enjoy!