Clams in Spicy Coconut-Lime Sauce

Check out this recipe on my new and improved website: thewalkingcookbook.com



My favorite thing about clams is that they wear so many hats.

No-- not that kind of hat. But they do relate to so many parts of life! For some, clams evoke memories of spending summer days by the ocean. For others, clams serve as a reminder of what they learned about in biology about the evolution of living organism (something that I have completely forgotten). For yet another group, they conjure up thoughts about an amazing dinner (pasta alle vognole, anyone?). No matter what comes to mind when you think of clams, it's hard to deny that they make a lovely meal. This week I cooked fresh clams for the first time, using Asian flavors like ginger and coconut milk as a broth.

About Clams

Clams are shellfish (hence the shell), and in the US seafood industry they are usually classified based on size and region.

The first main division is between soft-shell and hard-shell clams. Soft-shell clams look quite similar to a hard-shell clam, but the shell is significantly more fragile. Not to be confused with soft-shell crabs, the shells of these molluscs should not be eaten.

Hard-shell clams are more common because there are so many more types. Reluctant Gourmet has a fantastic summary of clam varieties: size, coast, and methods of preparation.

A big thing to consider when cooking clams is that you need a reputable source for them. Please-- please don't get them from a grungy market because they are on sale. Clams are called filter feeders, meaning they hang out on the bottom of the ocean floor and filter in and out all the stuff that comes their way. Without scaring anyone away from trying clams, just be sure that "stuff" doesn't get into your meal. I'll explain the cleaning process along with the recipe.

Scrub before you soak, rinse after you soak.
This eliminates all the grit. Read on for more.

Choosing the Recipe

Since my priority with this recipe was to memorize how to cook clams rather than memorize a specific recipe, I had a lot of flexibility. My first instinct was to do a clam pizza or pasta alle vognole, but I couldn't help but want to branch out. I knew that I wanted to serve the dish with the clams still in their shell but accompanied by something hearty (carbs, basically), and I wanted some strong flavors to go with it. I flipped through my cookbooks and searched online and eventually found a recipe on Epicurious that made me smile: Clams in Spicy Coconut-Lime Sauce. Perfect! I could leave the clams in their shells, serve it on some wonderfully sticky rice, and rest on the strong and complimentary ingredients such as coconut, lime, jalapeño, and ginger.

Memorizing the Recipe

I never knew that preparing clams would be so simple! Since this week's recipe emerged from a desire to have an idea of what to do with fresh clams, the memorized part was almost too easy. Clean, tap, put over heat with some liquid, cover, and seven minutes later you have a lovely seafood dish. I didn't mess with shucking this time around. If the clams were going to be kind enough to open right up for me, I'd take the favor.

As for the actual recipe, I completely botched the shopping list and forgot jalapeño and fresh ginger. Oops. I made a few substitutions (listed in the recipe with the ingredients) and found that cayenne pepper and powdered ginger did the trick to add some spice and zest. Next time I think I'll use the original ingredients.

Step 1: Cook shallots & spices

Step 2: Add liquid

Step 3: Add clams, cover, and boil 7 minutes

Step 4: Keep opened clams & add blanched veggies

The Verdict

This was definitely the first time I have ever cooked a living creature. I'm not usually one to mess with others' lives, but I may have found my exception (further exceptions, like mussels, will probably be coming). It is just too simple. The cleaning process, even though I had to shorten the soaking time a little bit, was a success; I only encountered one gritty clam, and none of my roommates did. The clams were delicious with the slightly sweet, slightly spicy, warm broth (it was more brothy than saucy, in my opinion), and adding snowpeas to the pot made the meal nice and balanced. The dish had protein, carbs, and veggies, we had fruit for dessert, and my dairy came from the excess of cheese that I ate throughout the week. It made my roommate's top five recipes list, though he is biased due to his Bostonian origins. Including soaking time and prep, the meal took 40 minutes to prepare. With a couple of large pots, it would be easy to double or triple the recipe too.

4 simple liquids for the sauce

The Recipe

Clams in Spicy Coconut-Lime Sauce
adapted from Epicurious, with cleaning instructions adapted from The Kitchn
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger or 1 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 lbs littleneck clams
• 1 1/2 cups bottled clam juice
• 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup diced canned tomatoes with juices
• 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and chopped, or 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 lb snow peas
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and julienned
• 2/3 cup salt (for cleaning)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal (for cleaning)

Cleaning:

• Scrub clams shells with a stiff brush under cool running water.
• If any shells are open, tap them against a hard surface. If they don't close shut, discard them.
• Examine each shell, discarding any extra beard hairs and any cracked or damaged shells.
• Place in a bowl of cool water so the water is about 1 inch higher than the clams.
• Add 2/3 cup of salt and 1/2 cup cornmeal for every 8 cups of water and mix around.
• Let sit for about 1 hour. 
• Remove clams with a slotted spoon, tongs, or your hand, and place in a colander. Give them a final rinse with cool water.
• After your final rinse, the clams are ready to cook.

Preparation:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the snow peas, blanch for one minute, drain, and immediately place in extremely cold water. Let sit for two minutes, drain, and set to the side.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add chopped shallots and saute for about three minutes, until tender.
• Add ginger and turmeric and stir for one minute.
• Add clams, clam juice, coconut milk, tomatoes with their juices, jalapeño or cayenne pepper, and lime zest and bring to a boil.
• Cover and cook until clams open, about 7 minutes. Discard any clams that don't open.
• Stir in lime juice, snow peas, and bell pepper and sprinkle with green onions. Serve over sticky white rice.

I recommend having tongs and a large spoon available for serving
so guests can take out the clams they want and get the flavorful broth

"Swordipán" - Grilled Swordfish Sandwich with Argentinean Chimichurri

Check out this recipe on my new and improved website: thewalkingcookbook.com

Chimichurri has always eluded me a bit... it's green, it's fresh and tangy, it's from South America (Argentina/Uruguay), and it's a... marinade? A sauce? A condiment? This week I set out to find some of the most traditional recipes and uses for Chimichurri. I did so successfully and proceeded to twist tradition to fit my own dietary preferences. In the end, I took an Argentinean Choripán (a street sandwich made with chorizo and a touch of Chimichurri as a condiment) and replaced the chorizo with grilled swordfish to make a "Swordipán" (my favorite invented word so far in my blogging adventure). My memorized recipe was a traditional Chimichurri from a dear Argentinean friend's family, and it's one that I can see plenty of use for in the future.

About Chimichurri & the Original Choripán

Any information source you encounter will give you a similar confession: Nobody truly knows the origin of the word chimichurri. Planeta Joy (a thoroughly entertaining Spanish-language website for those of you who speak it) described the most common legend behind the name of this condiment (which is, indeed, a condiment and neither a marinade nor a cooking sauce). As the story goes, Jimmy Curry, an Englishman living in Argentina, prepared the sauce out of admiration of the Argentinean barbecue (asado). After he left the country, people kept referring to his sauce as the chimi (not Jimmy) churri (not Curry) sauce and continued making it to go with their asado.

As for the Choripán, this is a typical street sandwich from Argentina. Its preparation is straightforward, with only three key ingredients. As they say on Asado Argentina, "Chorizo + bread + chimichurri = Simplicity at its best." Argentinean chorizo (sausage) is made with red wine, garlic, paprika, and something spicy for a little kick (additional variations include the addition of cloves, cumin, or nutmeg), so this flavor can be transferred to other proteins to allude to the original meat's flavor profile.

Choosing the Recipe

Since I decided to make swordfish taste like Argentinean chorizo, I had to pull from a few different recipes to ultimately create my Swordipán. I was inspired by the seasonings in the chorizo recipe from OChef and extremely grateful for my friend's family Chimichurri recipe. To get my vegetable fix, I turned to the Hairy Bikers, a hilarious BBC cooking duo, who prepared some salads to go with a meal of empanadas that they made. The grapefruit and avocado salad had the perfect natural combination of oil and acid to lighten up the meal. As the Bikers say, "It's a brave man that makes a salad for a gaucho," because Argentinean cuisine is so meat happy. One normally doesn't hear "light" or "vegetarian" when discussing this cuisine. For me, though, that ship sailed the second I replaced sausage with fish!

Speaking of fish, I debated between two types of fish for this sandwich-- halibut and swordfish.  Both have a fairly mild flavor on their own (unlike salmon or trout) and they are both pretty firm and therefore resilient to all the treatment I would give them. They also both fall on the good end of the spectrum in terms of seafood sustainability. I try to consult the Seafood Watch guide when I cook fish to ensure that my choices are not going to have a harmful impact on the ocean ecosystem or my own body. By choosing your geographical region, the Monterey Bay Aquarium will give you a straightforward glance at the fish that can be caught or farmed sustainably and those that can't (or aren't). Ultimately I decided on swordfish for its steakier texture. I knew that it would hold up well to the strong spices that mimic chorizo, and it would shine despite the bread surrounding it.

Memorizing the Recipe

Since so much of this recipe was invented, it was easy to get it right (or at least not get it wrong). The Chimichurri is the standard dish that I knew I needed to memorize for future occasions, so I put most of my energy into that. Even so, it wasn't too tricky. Parsley is obvious, garlic is essential, mustard is the memorable, (not-so) secret ingredient, a few spices gave a kick, and there were two liquids, with twice as much oil as vinegar. Simple and lovely, and fantastically available in most people's kitchens.

The Verdict

I completely agree with "Simplicity at its best." This is one of the most relaxed meals I have in my Walking Cookbook repertoire. The Swordipán was completely balanced once we added a salad, and using fish made a street food-inspired dish quite healthy. The fish tasted nothing like chorizo, which was okay. The red wine and spice rub did, however, gave an earthy and smokey flavor to the fish. I was worried about the sandwich being too dry, which is why I put out the mayo. However, the swordfish was perfectly done after 10 1/2 minutes on the grill. It had a beautiful char on the outside and a tender, juicy inside texture. The Chimichurri had tang and freshness that was essential in such a hearty dish. The mustard in the Chimichurri gave some bite and a lot of seasoning to the sauce.

If I owned a burger joint, I would absolutely include this sandwich in my menu. It's filling, good for you, and has a mix of warm and cool and dark and bright, all coming together to make you sit back and say, "That was great!" No tricks necessary-- simple food never lets you down.

The Recipes

"Swordipán" Street Sandwiches with Chimichurri
from The Walking Cookbook
Yield: 8 sandwiches
Ingredients:

• 8 rolls (pan de agua, Kaiser, or any roll that is not too thick or dense)
• 8 pieces Chorizo-Spiced Swordfish (see recipe below)
• Olive oil for brushing the rolls
• Mayonnaise (optional)
• 3/4 cup of Euge's Chimichurri (see recipe below)

Preparation:

• Split the rolls down the middle to make a top and bottom bun. Brush some olive oil on the cut side of each roll and place cut-side down on the grill pan. Press down on the roll pieces (or weigh them down with a grill weight) for 30 seconds and remove to a separate plate.
• Serve in a "make your own" fashion or assemble the sandwiches by spreading 1-2 tbsp chimichurri on the roll, putting a thin layer of mayo on the bottom roll (optional, but gives good moisture), and placing a piece of swordfish in the middle. That's it!

If you set out all the ingredients, dinner guests can choose
how much Chimichurri they want or what size piece of fish they prefer

Euge's Chimichurri
adapted from the Sincovich Family Recipe
Yield: 3/4 cup
Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup parsley, stems included
• 2 cloves garlic
• 8 tbsp vegetable oil (not EVOO because it´s too scented)
• 4 tbsp vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
• 1 tsp non-grainy mustard or grainy mustard made into a paste (As my friend says, "THIS IS THE FAMILY SECRET!!!!")
• salt and pepper to taste (the mustard adds salt also)
• 1 tsp Paprika, depending on whether you want to make it spicy or not, you can add more of this.

Preparation:

• Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly incorporated.

Tossing all the ingredients into the food processor
makes this a 30 second condiment

You can process the Chimichurri a little less if you want it
to have more texture, but be sure it all gets emulsified.

Chorizo-Spiced Swordfish
from the Walking Cookbook, with inspiration from OChef
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:

• 2 lb Swordfish steaks, skin removed and cut into fairly equal pieces
• 1 cup red wine
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 heaping tbsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

• Bring wine, crushed garlic, and cloves to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and filter through a cloth or fine mesh strainer.
• Let cool, transfer to a wide, shallow dish, and place swordfish steaks in the marinade. Coat on both sides, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours (you can leave it for up to 12 hours).
• Meanwhile, prepare a spice rub by combining the nutmeg, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
• Remove the fish from the marinade, blot with a towel, and drizzle on the oil. Add the spice rub and really massage it into the fish, coating both sides. Place on a dry plate.
• Heat a cast iron grill pan until it barely starts to smoke. Place the pieces of swordfish on the grill, cover with a large sheet of foil, and let cook over medium heat for 6 1/2 minutes.
• Using a pair of tongs, flip the fish over, cover again, and let cook for 4 minutes.
• Remove the fish from the heat and place on a separate dish.

Be sure to get any leftover skin off of the swordfish.
See that little layer that's still there?

Although the gross white stuff that oozes out of the fish in its first grilling stages is completely unappealing, it's completely edible and will not even be noticeable once you flip the fish and keep cooking. No need to worry.

Tilapia Piccata: The Verdict

Check out this recipe on my new and improved website: thewalkingcookbook.com

The final dish, served with a roasted artichoke and a winter fruit salad

The Process:
I was shocked at how straightforward the recipe was. With help from my apartment family, we chopped all our veggies, pounded and floured our meat, browned and deglazed, and were eating in no time. In fact, the item that took the longest was the side dish!

The Verdict:
One of my roommates declared that this was his favorite dish I have ever made, and he is not one to lie about such important things! In addition to being delectable, it was simple enough to whip up in about an hour. I love how pounding the meat (I used tilapia as well as chicken) makes it cook so quickly, the coat of flour makes browning a painless process, and the deglazing of the pan with broth and wine adds aroma, flavor, and volume to the dish without slaving away to make a fancy sauce. In the future, I would probably let my deglazing liquids simmer a little longer before serving them as a sauce... it was a bit strong on the wine. Nevertheless, everyone was happy.

The more coverage you get, the better browning you get.
Take the dredging seriously!

Orzo was not available at the store where I did the shopping, but the even more petite seme di melone was, so I used that as our grain. It was delicious for leftovers with a little bit of the sauce on top. I also mixed a few spoonfuls of the sauce in with some mayo to make a last-minute dipping sauce for our roasted artichokes. Perfect.

Deglazing with white wine, lemon juice, and veggie broth

For a simple meal that is a definite crowd pleaser, I highly recommend the not-quite-Italian dish. Whether you make it with tilapia or chicken, the recipe is wonderful.



The Recipe: Tilapia Piccata, adapted from Giada de Laurentiis on The Food Network
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 tilapia filets
• salt and pepper
• flour, enough for dredging
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large shallot, sliced very thin
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/8 cup brined capers, rinsed
• 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation:

• Lay fish fillets side by side on a sturdy surface. Cover with plastic wrap and pound lightly with a weighted pan or meat tenderizer until about 1/4-1/2 inch thick (don't demolish the fish, but a few quick bops will help it cook faster and more evenly.)
• Season fish with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and shake of excess.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbsp buter with 3 tbsp oil. When melted, add two pieces of tilapia and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• When the bottom is browned (don't the fish move around until this happens... just a quick peek should do), flip and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes.
• Remove the fish from the pan and set aside. Refill the pan with 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp oil and repeat the cooking process with the remaining tilapia filets.
• Once all filets are browned and out of the pan, toss the shallots in the pan with the remaining butter until soft.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lemon juice, wine, stock, and capers to the pan. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, scraping off the cooked bits of flour and fish.
• Return the fish to the pan and simmer for about 3 minutes. Take out the fish and plate. Add the final 2 tbsp of butter and whisk vigorously.
• Pour the sauce over the plated fish and garnish with parsley.

Round 1: Chicken, pounded for quicker cooking

Round 2: Tilapia, with the butter browning even more around the edges

Risotto Verdict and Tilapia Piccata: The Recipe

Check out this recipe on my new and improved website: thewalkingcookbook.com

Risotto: The Verdict
Last week's risotto was a huge success... and I mean HUGE. We made enough risotto to feed a small country... Maldives, perhaps? And it was so much fun to see how three risotto recipes, which all looked and tasted identical during the initial stages of cooking, became completely unique by the end.

While making three risottos was a little bit daunting at first, knowing that the basic steps stayed the same was a comfort:
1. Saute onion in butter
2. Toss in the rice and coat it in the butter
3. Add broth one ladle at a time, stirring like a maniac and letting it all absorb before adding more
4. Once the rice is al dente and the liquid amount is to your liking (some like it dry, others like it soupy), toss in parmesan cheese and any other mix-in you want.
5. Serve hot and enjoy!

A beautiful picture from closetcooking.com, a lovely blog for little kitchens

Moving on... all about Piccata
Chicken Piccata is a staple of American restaurants with a varied menu. That's right... I said American restaurants. It's actually fairly rare to see Chicken Piccata on the menu of Italian restaurants. In NYC, I searched Piccolo Angolo, L'Impero, Babbo, Pepolino, Po, and Pasquale's Rigoletto, and there was no Chicken Piccata. Or Fish Piccata. In fact, I only found one Veal Piccata. It is far more likely to see it on the menus of places such as California Pizza Kitchen, Pete's Tavern, and TGI Fridays. Now, that does not mean that Piccata is of low quality. It does, however, mean that it is not fully Italian. Italian-influenced may be the better term to use.

I have been interested in understanding the basic components of Piccata for a while, and it now seems quite simple. Marlene Sorosky Gray, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, explored different restauranteurs' takes on the four basic components (the more traditional ingredient is in italics):
-Liquid: broth, wine, sherry
-Citrus: lemon, orange, lime
-Cured flavors: capers, marinated artichokes, piquillo peppers
-Accents: parsley, garlic, nuts

I'll be keeping it pretty classic with some tilapia coated in flour, browned in the butter/oil with some shallots, then removed so I can deglaze the pan with lemon juice, wine, and broth. A quick return to the pan, a sprinkle of parsley, and we're good to go. I plan to serve the fish on a bed of orzo with whole roasted artichokes. The pan sauce will be a perfect dip for the artichoke leaves, and I have an odd fascination with orzo. Pasta that looks like rice? Double carb heaven!

The Recipe: Tilapia Piccata, adapted from Giada de Laurentiis on The Food Network
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 tilapia filets
• salt and pepper
• flour, enough for dredging
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large shallot, sliced very thin
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/8 cup brined capers, rinsed
• 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation:

• Season fish with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and shake of excess.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbsp buter with 3 tbsp oil. When melted, add two pieces of tilapia and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• When the bottom is browned (don't the fish move around until this happens!), flip and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes.
• Remove the fish from the pan and set aside. Refill the pan with 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp oil and repeat the cooking process with the remaining tilapia filets.
• Once all filets are browned and out of the pan, toss the shallots in the pan with the remaining butter until soft.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lemon juice, wine, stock, and capers to the pan. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, scraping off the cooked bits of flour and fish.
• Return the fish to the pan and simmer for about 3 minutes. Take out the fish and plate. Add the final 2 tbsp of butter and whisk vigorously.
• Pour the sauce over the plated fish and garnish with parsley.

Days to memorize: 2 (oops... that's what happens when you are sick and forget what day it is!)

Tikka Masala: The Results and Modified Recipe

Check out this recipe on my new and improved website: thewalkingcookbook.com

With basmati rice and naan, this recipe is a hit!

The Process:
Getting back into the habit of memorizing recipes was quick and painless, with the Tikka Masala being the perfect starting recipe. We had a group of 8, and it was simple to multiply this recipe for a larger crowd. Since I am not completely familiar with Indian spices, I wasn't able to use the common-sense approach to memorizing the spices (I didn't actually know that coriander and cardamom are common in Indian recipes). However, the alliterative component helped me out a lot. For the marinade, remembering the "four Cs" was simple: cumin, coriander, cardamon, and cayenne. Are there any other hard Cs worth thinking about?
...
...
...
None that I can think of.

The onion/ginger/garlic base for the curry reminded me a lot of the Ethiopian recipes I cooked last year, so this base was simple to memorize as well. Anyone who has ever had Tikka Masala knows that it is tomato and cream based. The interesting twist was the almond powder... who knew?

Long story short, if I wanted to whip this up on a random weeknight, the overnight marinade would stand in my way a bit. But if I didn't mind a shortened marinade time, I know I'd have no problem remembering the ingredients while at the grocery store. Oh, and as a side note, we used naan from a restaurant. I am a procrastinator and the grocery store Washington Heights did not have the yeast I needed at the last minute. Looking on the bright side, it was delicious naan!

The 4 Cs for the marinade:
 coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, and cardamom

The meat should marinate overnight. 
Here I have the two yogurt marinades and a dairy free olive oil marinade

The Verdict:
This was a delicious and comforting dish that was fairly easy to prep and make. I was able to finish it in under an hour, which I don't think is too shabby for a dinner party meal. I would love to see this recipe done on a really small scale... I wonder how the timing would turn out.

I ended up using salmon and chicken, which both were gobbled up. The salmon broke down into smaller pieces, making the flavor of the salmon infuse into the gravy. The chicken, on the other hand, maintained its structure. The gravy was a little less spicy and a little chunkier than the Tikka Masala that you get in a restaurant, but I didn't mind having something to chew on. It was still saucy enough for covering a bed of rice and dunking in a piece of naan.

I would definitely make this recipe again-- it was warm, filling, tasty, and felt fairly healthy once I added all the cauliflower. Basmati rice is really the way to go in terms of a side dish. I now have motivation to keep expanding my Indian repertoire!

My two pans ready to go: 1 for chicken, 1 for salmon.
The onion/ginger/garlic base is simple and delicious

The Modified Recipe: Chicken (or Fish) Tikka Masala, adapted from Grace Parisi at Food & Wine
Yield: 4 servings

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• 2.5 lbs meat (skinless, boneless chicken thighs; salmon or swordfish cut in 1.5" cubes)

Gravy Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup whole almonds, no skin
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger*
• 1 1/2 tbsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 35-oz can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped and juices reserved
• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces and lightly steamed (3-4 minutes)
• pinch of sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

• Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
• Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in the pieces of meat. Add to the marinade, turn to coat, and refrigerate overnight.
• Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Remove the meat from the marinade and scrape off the marinade as much as possible. Place on the grill and cook until the bottom third of the meat is cooked through (3-5 minutes). Flip the meat, cover with an aluminum foil tent, and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Keep in mind that with fish you will reduce these times significantly, since rare fish is far less dangerous (and disgusting) than rare chicken.
• Transfer grilled meat to a cutting board and let rest.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. Move to a food processor* and pulse until finely ground.
• In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add the garam masala and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes, their juices, sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Cover partially and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
• Add the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer.
• Stir in the meat and cauliflower; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve.

*Tips:

• Grating Ginger: I am never ever chopping ginger again. Between the frustrating fibers and the chewy bits that inevitably get into the food, it is too much of a hassle. What is not a hassle, though, is grating ginger. After a quick peel, just run it up and down a fine grater. What you will get is the smoothest ginger puree you will ever see.
• Grinding almonds: The thought of hauling my entire food processor onto the counter just to grind up some almonds made me want to change recipes, but I realized that I could just as easily pulse the almonds in an electric coffee grinder. I did the same with my whole cardamom seeds. It's far quieter, easier to move around, and small enough to clean up quickly. Just be sure that you do give it a good cleaning before and after use so you don't have coffee-flavored Indian food or Indian food-flavored coffee (although that might become the next food trend!)

Tikka Masala: The Recipe

Check out this recipe on my new and improved website: thewalkingcookbook.com

Aaaaand, we're back! I hope that everyone had a lovely and restful holiday filled with delicious food and all of the other important things in life.

The end of a year and beginning of the next is always accompanied by lists. So I am going to make a list of predictions for my culinary life for the upcoming year. Look forward to the following Walking Cookbook trends:

• Indoor grilling (I just seasoned my cast iron grill pan/skillet and can't stop looking at it)
• Bread (and other bread-related products, to overcome my fear of yeast)
• Celiac-friendly, egg free, and dairy free dishes (shout out to my super-allergic best friend!)
• Sauces of all varieties
• Micro-portions (I got a tasting party dishware set for Christmas)

We'll kick off 2013 with some food that will heat things up in two ways... Indian Tikka Masala. I'll prep some chicken and some salmon (or maybe swordfish, a new favorite of mine for its steaky texture and chickeny flavor) in the Tikka Masala style, which takes two separate steps. First, I will marinade the meat and grill it. Second, I will make the gravy (the actual meaning of the word curry) and mix it all together. Served with rice and naan, it will be a full (though not very balanced) meal.

Quick note: The meat should marinade overnight, so keep that in mind when choosing when to make this recipe.

A cilantro garnish is the perfect topper, both in color and flavor

The Recipe: Chicken (or Fish) Tikka Masala, adapted from Grace Parisi at Food & Wine
Yield: 4 servings

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• 2.5 lbs meat (skinless, boneless chicken thighs; salmon or swordfish cut in 1.5" cubes

Gravy Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp garam masala
• 1 1/2 tbsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 35-oz can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped and juices reserved
• pinch of sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

• Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
• Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in the pieces of meat. Add to the marinade, turn to coat, and refrigerate overnight.
• Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Remove the meat from the marinade and scrape off the marinade as much as possible. Place on the grill and cook until the bottom third of the meat is cooked through (3-5 minutes). Flip the meat, cover with an aluminum foil tent, and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Keep in mind that with fish you will reduce these times a bit, since rare fish is far less dangerous (and disgusting) than rare chicken.
• Transfer grilled meat to a cutting board and let rest.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. Move to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
• In a large pan, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add the garam masala, chile powder, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes, their juices, sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Cover partially and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
• Add the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer.
• Stir in the meat; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve.

Will I make naan from scratch? Not sure yet, but if I do I will use this recipe.

Time to Memorize: 6 days