Sheet pan cooking: Gochujang Chicken, Za’atar Chicken, Roast Rhubarb Chicken

Three Seasonal Recipes of the Summer
Hello there! I'm not sure there is still anyone checking this, as I have been so negligent. But I am still cooking and making discoveries every day and I want to share them with you. Unfortunately, my busy schedule and my poor work habits have stopped me from updating since Thanksgiving, which is just wrong!

As some of you know, I have been a private chef to a great family with very specific dietary needs for the past two years and I have learned so much about alternative ingredients in cooking and baking. I love a challenge! So here are three recipes which started as recipes from the New York Times recipe website which I have modified and—I think—improved. I love the idea of throwing everything on a sheet pan, popping it into a hot oven, and—like magic—dinner is ready!

Great in theory, but the reality is different ingredients take different amounts of time. So you're better off staggering when you add each ingredient and have them all finish at the same time. That being said, once you have a good understanding of how things cook, you can get really creative. (BTW, I could not find my photos of these dishes so you get a pic of this weird tattooed bunny mannequin instead. I am full of sheet!)

Gochujang chicken

Ingredients
4 tablespoons gochujang (spicy Korean chili paste)
3 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon)
4 tablespoons neutral oil, like grapeseed or canola, plus more for drizzling
2 pounds squash, such as butternut, acorn, or delicata, unpeeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 5 loose cups)
1 pound turnips, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 3 1/2 loose cups)
10 scallions, ends trimmed, green and white parts separated, but not chopped
Kosher salt
2 1/2 to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 bunch radishes (about 10 ounces), trimmed
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil (optional)

Procedure
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the gochujang, soy sauce, ginger and 3 tablespoons oil in a medium bowl or resealable bag. Add the squash, turnips and scallion whites, toss to coat with glaze, or seal bag and shake to coat. Lightly season with salt and transfer to an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Season the chicken with salt and toss to coat in whatever is left of the glaze in the bowl or bag. Arrange the chicken pieces skin-side up on another baking sheet. In the original recipe it was all on one sheet but I found the vegetables got soggy, followed by mushy, so I separated it.

Roast until vegetables are tender, chicken is cooked through and the skin crispy and browned in spots, about 40 minutes. Check your chicken and make sure it is done. Skin should get crispy and dark.

While the chicken cooks, thinly slice the scallion greens. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, cut the radishes into thin rounds. In a small bowl, toss the sliced scallion greens and radishes with the rice vinegar and sesame oil, if using. Season to taste with salt and set aside to lightly pickle.

Top the roast chicken and vegetables with the quick-pickled scallion-radish mix and transfer to serving plates. Serve with steamed rice, if desired.

Za’atar chicken

Ingredients 6 garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed, or minced
2 lemons, zested
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more sprigs for garnish
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons za’atar, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or marjoram, plus more sprigs for garnish
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound tiny potatoes cut in half

Procedure In a large bowl or container, stir together 5 of the grated garlic cloves, half the lemon zest, 1/3 cup yogurt, the cilantro, oil, za’atar, oregano or marjoram, salt and black pepper. Add chicken and toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Overnight is way better.

When ready to cook, heat your oven to 425. Remove chicken from bowl, shaking off any excess marinade, put on oiled sheet pan, along with the potatoes which have a drizzle of olive oil and salt on them. Cook for should take 25-30 minutes. Make sure to mix it a little and check that the potatoes are tender.

While the chicken is cooking, place remaining 2/3 cup yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserve grated garlic clove and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut one zested lemon in half and set aside for serving (save the other zested lemon for another use). To serve, place chicken and potatoes on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil and a large squeeze of the zested lemon. Top with cilantro and oregano or marjoram sprigs and serve with yogurt sauce.

Rhubarb Roasted chicken

Ingredients
1 3/4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
5 thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
8 ounces rhubarb stalks, sliced into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons honey, plus more to taste
1/2 cup cilantro or mint leaves and tender stems

Procedure
Heat oven to 425 degrees and line sheet pan with parchment paper. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Place onion wedges on the prepared sheet pan and lightly season with more salt and pepper. Add chicken and thyme sprigs to the pan and drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over everything. Toss until well coated, then spread chicken and onions in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, combine rhubarb and 3 tablespoons honey in a medium bowl. Lightly drizzle with oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss until rhubarb is well coated.

Remove chicken from oven and carefully spoon rhubarb onto the hot pan around the onions and chicken. Continue roasting until the chicken is cooked through, and the rhubarb and onion are tender and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes longer, tossing the rhubarb and onions (not the chicken) once about halfway through.

Stir the rhubarb and onions very well, making sure to incorporate all the browned bits and chicken juices from the bottom of the pan (this is the tastiest part). Then sample a piece of rhubarb. If it’s very tart, drizzle with a little more honey, tossing well. Serve chicken with rhubarb-onion mixture garnished with herbs.

Adventures in Molecular Gastronomy, Part 2

As promised, I went back to the kit I got from Uncommon Goods, read the instructions more carefully (I put down my cocktail first), then re-tried the failed yogurt ravioles and made three new recipes.

REVERSE SPHERIFICATION - YOGURT RAVIOLES, take 2

The first thing I tried was a re-do of the yogurt thingies I tried last time. Guess what? Everything works better with the right equipment! The recipe is in the previous post, so I won’t bore you with the details, but this time I used full-fat yogurt and milk and I think it gave them more strength. I also used the round spoon provided (which looks like a tablespoon) and dropped them very close to the liquid so they held together in a round ball as opposed to a series of gross, squid-like forms. I still can't think of a good application for this item, it's just weird for the sake of being weird.

basic spherification - cantaloupe purée

They suggest you can create a sort of faux sushi roll using Prosicutto as the wrapper, a bread crouton in the center topped with Cantaloupe balls which look sort of like fish eggs. Why is this a good idea? Anyway I could not resist so I tried the cantaloupe part.

Ingredients
diced cantaloupe, puréed in blender to get 1 cup of strained purée
15 grams sugar
2 cups water
Sodium Alginate 1 gram (1/2 sachet provided)
Calcium Lactate 2 grams (2/3 sachet provided)

Procedure
Take the one cup purée and mix with the sugar and Sodium Alginate. Use your burr mixer to combine and then let sit 1 hour. Dissolve the Calcium Lactate in the water stirring with a spoon. Fill the provided pipette with the cantaloupe mixture and drip droplets into the Calcium Lactate mixture. Let them sit in there for 3 minutes and then drain using the small spoon with holes in it (provided). Rinse the balls in warm water before serving.

So here is the problem, no matter how hard I tried they looked more like little sperm them balls, and they were gross, enough said. Oh yeah, they also did not taste good.

 

Gelification - Edible Margarita

I tried this recipe because it sounded like a high-end Jello shot but cooler. I used the half-sphere silicon mold provided but had very poor results. Perhaps they forgot to tell me to lightly oil the mold? They did not come out well (see photo). Fortunately I had lots of extra mixture, so I poured it into a dish and was able to cut it into squares and serve it that way. Not bad and they had quite a kick!

After tasting the basic recipe mixture I found it was way too strong for me, so I added the Pomegranate molasses and the Agave. Yummy!

Ingredients
1/2 cup Tequila
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
1/4 cup Lime juice
2 tablespoons Pomegranate Syrup
1 tablespoon Agave
4 grams cold-soluble gelatin (1 sachet provided)

Procedure
In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with your Burr mixer till smooth. Pour the stuff into the lightly oiled mold or flat-bottomed dish. Put in fridge and let set for 3 hours. Unmold and serve. Or why not just make yourself a damn cocktail!

  

Gelification - chocolate spaghetti

My final experiment was the funnest one. I made chocolate spaghetti! I used all the right equipment and it worked perfectly. But what should I do with this stuff? Make a nest and put it on top of my head?

Ingredients
1 cup milk
3 ounces dark chocolate
2 tablespoons Tia Maria, or another liqueur
20 ice cubes
1 large bowl cold water
2 grams Agar Agar (1 sachet provided)

Procedure
Bring milk and 2 grams Agar Agar to a boil. Add the chocolate and stir till it melts. Remove from stove and mix in the liqueur (Shout out to my friend Teri, and her homemade Kahlua!). Place ice cubes into large bowl of water. Using the syringe (provided) siphon off some chocolate mixture and then attach a piece of silicon tube (provided) and inject it into the tube then submerge it into the ice water for 4 minutes. Next, use the empty syringe to force air into the tube, squeezing the chocolate spaghetti out onto a plate, or into your mouth, maybe?

   


Ultimately, I thought this kit was lots of fun, and there are more things I want to try because I love weird science, but for now I am going back to real food. Thanks again to Uncommon Goods!

Adventures in Molecular Gastronomy, Part 1

What is Molecular Gastronomy? It's a culinary trend that started around 1992 — a style of food preparation that blends physics and chemistry to transform the tastes and textures of food. It borrows tools from the science lab and ingredients from the food industry to make foods we think we know behave in a totally different way. Two of the big superstars in this weird world are Wylie Dufresne, who runs a trendy East Village establishment called WD-50 (which will soon be closing due to real estate issues), and Ferran Adrià, chef at Spain's now-closed 3-Michelin star elBulli which was voted the best restaurant on the planet a few times. Some of the things you can do with this technology are make liquids into foam, gel, pearls, or crusty bits. Some people find this amazing, I always found it kind of disgusting. Flavored saliva has never been a goal of mine.

So with this totally biased outlook, I never really explored this technique, but was secretly curious how it worked (I like to know how everything works). And then, much like other trends, it passed from the realm of ultra-haute cuisine into the realm of DIY, so I figured now was my time to try it out. In stepped Uncommon Goods, an online catalog full of all kinds of cool stuff from earrings to housewares, and they sent me a molecular gastronomy starter kit to review.

For those who don't want to read the whole thing, here's the TL;DR version: It's cooler and more fun than I expected. But I need to try some things again, because, apparently, I'm incapable of reading all the instructions first. I'll post a follow-up review next week.

So, the well-designed and beautifully packaged kit costs $65.00 and comes with everything including sachets of chemicals, a DVD, a beautiful recipe book (there's a $49 version that comes without the book) and even some cool tools (which I did not open because I did not recognize them until half way through my tests). There is enough stuff to do lots of different experiments so I will continue my tests and will post again when I make something actually edible with my bits. In the meantime, here are the results of my first 3 tests.

All recipes are from the pamphlet that comes with the kit. A note about that little booklet – I started at the beginning and started making the first recipe, which was confusing, but I forged ahead anyway. It wasn’t until later that I realized that along further in the pamphlet were more explicit instructions, including troubleshooting tips and technical points. I should have read the whole thing first!

Reverse Spherification - Yogurt Ravioles

Ingredients
2 cups water
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup 2% plain yogurt
Sodium Alginate 2 grams (1 sachet provided)
Calcium Lactate 2.5ml (1 sachet provided)

Procedure
In a flat-bottomed bowl, dissolve the Sodium Alginate in 2 cups of water using a hand held burr mixer. Set aside for 15 minutes. Dissolve Calcium Lactate in milk and yogurt using a spoon. Fill one measuring spoon with the mixture and drip it into the sodium alginate bath. Stir the spheres for 3 minutes to allow the membrane to form. Using a slotted spoon, remove the Ravioles and put into a bath of water to rinse.

My problems
I apparently do not follow instructions well. I used low-fat yogurt and fat-free milk, I think this was why things were so wobbly and gooey. I also could not figure out how to get a smooth, round ball. It wasn't until I realized there were tools provided in the larger box which would make this job easier. Needless to say, I will redo this test and repost results later. The other problem is the instructions say do not let them touch while you are stirring them, does this mean you need to make one at a time? I did however make a cool-looking Michelin man out of yogurt!


   

Emulsification - Lemon Cloud

Ingredients
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup lemon juice
2 g Soy Lecithin (1 sachet provided)

Procedure
Combine Soy Lecithin, lemon juice, and water and, using a hand blender, whip it up to produce foam.

My problems
I did not get much foam. Then I read the technique notes which said the best way to use the hand mixer is in a flat-bottomed bowl with the hand blender at a tilt with it partially submerged. Okay, but what do you do with the foam?


 

Gelification - Balsamic Vinegar Pearls

Ingredients
4 cups cold vegetable oil
3/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 g Agar Agar (1 sachet provided)

Procedure
Place the oil in a tall glass and put into freezer for at least 30 minutes. Combine Agar Agar and Balsamic vinegar in a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove oil from freezer. Using the pipette provided, pick up some balsamic mixture and drop it into the oil. Pearls will form and drop to the bottom. When you are done, strain out pearls and put into a bowl of water to rinse. You can reuse the oil. The pearls look just like caviar!

My problems
Whoops, I had none! This recipe was by far the winner! These are cool and delicious and would be great in a salad, on a piece of fish, or with some cheese, or a beautiful garnish on an hors d'oeuvre.

  

In conclusion, I had fun with this kit. It’s always good to learn something new. I plan to doing more experimentation and will start to find recipes (using the big book provided) that hopefully create products that are tasty, not just strange, and will post again next week.

Thanks again to Uncommon Goods! Check out these links for these cool wine glasses and wine-related gifts!

Savory Yogurt Dough

Excellent Ingredient of the Week
The excellent ingredient of the week is dough! Everybody needs dough, (bad pun). You should have at least one good go-to dough recipe in your repertoire. This is a great one.

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus some more for rolling
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek style yogurt
1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

Procedure
To make the Yogurt pastry: Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and yogurt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined.
Mix in flour and salt mixture at low speed until fully incorporated (dough will be sticky). Halve dough and shape each half into disk. Dust disks with flour, wrap in plastic and chill at least 3 hours or overnight.

Dough is often easier to work with when well chilled. It becomes less sticky and the gluten relaxes so it is easier to roll out and work with. What to do with this dough-a savory crust for a chicken pot pie, a wild mushroom tart or how about a asparagus and dill quiche?

Herb and Citrus Yogurt Granita

Altitude adjustment section
How about a simple little recipe which incorporates sweet and savory — garden herbs to be specific — in a light, no-bake dessert that's great with some grilled apricots as garnish?

Ingredients
1/2 cup honey
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 cup fresh citrus juice, (tangerine, lime, Meyer lemon, orange or combinations are excellent)
1/4 cup citrus zest
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine

Procedure
Whisk together all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until well combined. Pour in a shallow metal pan and allow to freeze. Remove from freezer and break up and throw into your food processor the pulse till evenly broken up. Refreeze and puree again. Let sit at room temp or in fridge 15 minutes before serving and break up again if necessary. Garnish each serving with a sprig of thyme.Or you can give it a smoother texture by processing the mixture in your ice cream maker. That method gets my vote!

Greek Yogurt and Lemon Tea Cake

The Altitude Adjustment Section
You know the French, they just seem to have a way with food. It's all about excellent ingredients prepared properly and enjoyed slowly. How can you argue with that system? The 4 ingredient pound cake called quartre au quartre which I have posted has become my stand-by go-to cake served with anything from berries and cream to chocolate sauce. Here is another excellent and easy cake which uses Greek yogurt and lemon, you must try it!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
3/4 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a standard 81/2 by 41/2 loaf pan with non-stick spray. Dust with flour and shake out excess. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips rub the sugar and the lemon zest together in a separate bowl. Now add the yogurt, veggie oil, eggs, and vanilla to the sugar zest mixture and whisk to blend. Fold in dry ingredients just till blended, no electric mixer required. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake about 50-55 minutes or until top is golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan 15 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.

Muhammara and Rosemary Yogurt Flatbread

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This week I have been thinking about some new hors d’oeuvres to add to my repitoire and I tried these items and I think they have great potential so here they are. An unusual dip and some all purpose flatbread.

Muhammara

Ingredients
1 cup walnuts
3 stove roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon Sambal
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Olive oil and parsley for garnish

Procedure
In a dry hot skillet, toast the walnuts until they start to get a little brown — not burnt — and smell good. Remove from skillet and let cool. In the food processor, combine all ingredients except olive oil and parsley and blend till smooth. Top with oil and parsley and serve with dipping bits like bread or veggies.

Rosemary Yogurt Flatbread

From the El Farol: Tapas and Spanish Cuisine

Ingredients
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Procedure
Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Stir in yogurt. Knead till a smooth dough forms. In a lightly oiled bowl, let dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour covered with a damp cloth. Cut cough into 12 pieces and roll each into a ball. Then roll out each ball into a 1/4 inch thick disc. Heat a stovetop cast iron grill, which you have oiled with the veggie oil. Cook one piece of bread at a time 2 minutes on the first side, 1 minute on the other side. Serve warm.

Low-Cal Crab Dip

Low-Cal But Still Lovely
How about a great low-cal crab dip? With a few simple changes, this recipe went from high-fat to low and kept all its deliciousness. Now don’t blow it by dipping potato chips or fatty crackers, use red and green pepper triangles or Jicama sticks.

Ingredients
2 spray(s) cooking spray
6 oz light cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup low-fat, plain, Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp onion, finely minced
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, fresh or canned, drained
1 tsp hot pepper sauce, or more to taste
1 tablespoon Heinz chile sauce
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
2 Tbsp dry sherry
Spanish smoked paprika to garnish

Procedure
Preheat oven to 325ºF. Coat a 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into prepared dish and bake until dip is heated through and center is no longer runny, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving and top with a little smoked paprika.

Cardamom Yogurt Pudding with Orange and Cinnamon Honey Syrup

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Sometimes a simple pudding is all you need. Garnish with your choice of fresh fruit.

Ingredients
2 cups plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons rose or orange blossom water
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (available at Ziggy’s)
4 navel orange
4 tablespoon mild honey (preferably orange blossom)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Procedure
Whisk together yogurt, sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Put water in a saucepan, then sprinkle gelatin and cardamom evenly over water. Let stand 1 minute to soften. Heat mixture over low heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved, about 30 seconds. Whisk hot gelatin into yogurt until combined well. Pour yogurt into 4 ounce ramekins and chill, covered, until set, about 1 1/2 hours.

While yogurt is chilling, cut peel and white pith from 2 orange with a sharp knife. Working over a small bowl, cut segments free from membranes from half of orange, letting segments fall into bowl, then squeeze the juice from the other 2 oranges. Bring orange juice, honey, and cinnamon to a simmer in cleaned very small saucepan, stirring, and then simmer until reduced by 1/2. Add orange segments to syrup, gently stirring to coat. Cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Spoon syrup over pudding and arrange orange on top. You can also turn puddings out of ramekins onto a plate and serve that way.

Spinach Greek Yogurt Dip with Baked Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips

Low-Cal But Still Lovely
There are those who do not feel complete if they do not have chips and dip. It’s a New Mexico thing I think. However, that is really not part of a healthy diet because before you know it, chances are you have eaten an entire bag of chips — which are not your best choice — and if the dip is Queso Fundito you have also consumed an entire day’s calories. So I have this suggestion: how about a fat free yogurt based dip with home baked whole wheat tortilla crisps?

This recipe is adapted from food52 and is based on an Iranian dish called Borani. I removed some of the fat, changed it to fat free yogurt, and took out the walnuts.

Spinach Greek Yogurt Dip

Ingredients
12 ounces baby spinach
1 clove garlic, minced and divided into two separate batches
1 tbsp olive oil
10 ounces drained fat free Greek Yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste
Dried mint for garnish

Procedure
Sauté 1/2 clove of garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil and add the baby spinach. Add a pinch of salt. Stir for a few minutes. Remove from stove, allow to cool, and then squeeze out any excess liquid. In a bowl, add yogurt, 1/2 clove of minced garlic, baby spinach and stir gently. Add salt to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with dried mint, Serve with whole-wheat tortilla crisps.

Baked Whole Wheat Tortilla Chips

Ingredients
2 whole wheat tortillas
Olive oil spray
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Take your tortillas and stack them up and then cut them into 16 triangles. Place them on a lined sheet pan. Lightly spray them with olive oil and then sprinkle cumin and salt and pepper on top. Bake them in a preheated 350 oven for 10 minutes or until browned and crisp. Each tortilla (16 crisps) is 1 point. I suggest making a bunch at a time and then storing one tortilla's worth in a ziplock bag. This way you can control your portions. Remember: baked is better than fried!

Cucumber Yogurt Soup

Low-Cal But Still Lovely
This is a super refreshing low-cal soup which is easy to make and great to keep in the fridge for a snack. If you want a little more yogurt flavor, use fat-free Greek yogurt.

Ingredients
1 quart (4 cups) plain nonfat yogurt
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water
1 lb English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped fine
1 cup dill, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
a few grinds of fresh black pepper

Procedure
In a large bowl, whisk room temperature stock into the yogurt. Take 1 cup of this mixture and put in blender with about 1 cup of chopped cucumber and blend 'till smooth. Now add this mixture back to the rest of yogurt mixture. Add the chopped cucumber, dill, cumin and mint and mix well. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice to your taste. Chill at least 2 hours and then enjoy! This makes 6 servings.

Lamb Korma

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love lamb and it’s been a while since I did a lamb recipe. The great thing about Indian lamb recipes are they are all basically stews so you don’t need to buy expensive meat, you just need to let it cook long and slow so it gets tender. But you do have to keep an eye on it, because things with cream and nuts burn easily. Lamb Korma is a sensuous curry made by simmering lamb with yogurt and cream and thickening the sauce with a cashew paste. It’s got amazing flavor. Yes, there are a lot of ingredients but good Indian food is impossible to buy in a restaurant in this town so just make it at home and have a party. Ziggy's is an excellent source of Indian ingredients, so shop there.

Ingredients
2 1/2 lb boneless lamb leg, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
Salt as needed
Ground white pepper as needed
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (I like Greek yogurt)
2 tbsp minced ginger root
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp ground cardamom
12 oz cashew nuts
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter) or canola oil
3 cups small-dice yellow onion
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground fennel
2 tbsp ground coriander
6 Thai bird chilies, the hot little red ones or Serrano chopped, or to taste
1/3 cup chopped cilantro stems
1 cup heavy cream
Salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 cup toasted cashews

Procedure
Trim the lamb and cut it into large pieces. Season with salt and pepper and put in a bowl. Add the yogurt, 1 tbsp ginger, the garlic, and cardamom. Stir or toss until the ingredients are evenly distributed and the lamb is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.

Put the cashews in a small bowl and add enough hot water to cover them. Let the cashews soak for 30 minutes and then drain. Grind the drained cashews to a coarse paste in a food processor. Set aside.

Heat the ghee or oil in a casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and sauté until transparent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cumin, cardamom, fennel, the remaining ginger, and the coriander. Cook, stirring often until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the chilies, cilantro stems, and cashew paste and stir well to be sure that nothing is sticking. Sauté, stirring frequently and adding water a tablespoon at a time if necessary, until the mixture is very aromatic, about 2 minutes.

Add the lamb and the yogurt marinade, increase the heat, and stir until the pieces are evenly coated. Once the meat's juices begin to flow, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer very slowly, stirring occasionally, until the meat is nearly tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Add the cream and continue to simmer until the curry is flavorful and thickened and the lamb is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt, pepper, or chopped bird Chile. Serve garnished with the cilantro leaves and toasted cashews.

The Absolut Mango Lassi

Refreshing Beverage of the Week
You say summer, I say mango. What passes for a ripe mango in this country is very different than what you get in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica (or any other country where they grow and properly ripen), but I still love them. In real life, a ripe mango is incredibly messy, aromatic, and juicy and needs to be eaten over the sink after which you need a shower to get all the sticky sweet pulp off your hands and mouth. This has never happened to me here. But I do enjoy a cold mango beverage and here is a recipe, which takes the traditional Indian beverage, a lassi and tarts it up a bit with vodka.
(This recipe makes 1 yummy drink.)

Ingredients
Ice
1 1/2 ounces Absolut Mango vodka
1 ounce whole-milk yogurt
1 ounce one-percent milk
1/2 ounce fresh mango pulp
1/2 ounce honey syrup (1 part honey dissolved in 1 part warm water)
2 dashes Bitters
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated cinnamon
Rose water

Procedure
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the Absolut Mango vodka, yogurt, milk, mango pulp, honey syrup, bitters and cinnamon. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball glass. Add 1 large ice cube and top with 1 drop of rose water

Almond Gazpacho

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love cold soups and I think many people think cold soup means either gazpacho or cucumber yogurt soup, which are both excellent choices, but the possibilities really are endless. So here is a great old recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook (the red one) for a Middle Eastern-flavored cold almond Gazpacho. It's best done at least a few hours ahead of time, so the flavors have time to blend.

Ingredients
1 cup blanched almonds
2 cups water
3 slices firm white bread with the crusts removed
1/2 cup milk
2 cups Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
Juice of 2 lemons
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cucumber, peeled seeded and diced
1/2 honeydew melon, peeled seeded and finely diced
1 1/2 cups halved seedless grapes
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh mint to garnish

Procedure
Process the almonds and 1 cup water in the food processor with the steel blade till almost smooth. Soak the bread in the milk and squeeze dry. Stir the bread into the almonds. Stir in the yogurt, remaining 1 cup of water, the vinegar, and lemon juice. Add the zests and cardamom and stir to blend. Now stir in the cucumber, honeydew, and grapes. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate covered for several hours or overnight. Serve in chilled soup bowls garnished with mint.

Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

The Altitude Adjustment Section
Even those of us on diets need our sweets. Deprive yourself of sweets and you are sure to fail — trust me on this one. So I have a number of sweets I indulge in when necessary. Yes, they do contain artificial ingredients but this is where I let it go. We all make our own deal with the devil and for me it's Crystal Light lemonade and artificially sweetened ice cream bars. Now, if you want to make something luscious and delicious how about trying this recipe for chocolate frozen yogurt?

Ingredients
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar and 3 packs Splenda
1 12 ounce can evaporated skim milk
1/4 cup Egg Beater
2/3 cup Hershey's syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup non fat vanilla yogurt, stirred

Procedure
In a medium saucepan, combine cornstarch, Splenda, and sugar. Stir in milk and Egg Beater. Cook and stir over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, till mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and add chocolate syrup and cool. Stir in vanilla and yogurt. Freeze in ice-cream maker. This recipe makes 8 1/2 cup servings at 137 calories each.

Baked Smoked Paprika Chicken stuffed with Spinach and fat-free Feta Cheese with Greek Yogurt Sauce

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Those of us who cook at home each night know the value of a new chicken recipe. Personally, I could eat a chicken dish every day and almost always have some grilled chicken on hand to mix into my lunch salad. But that’s just me. Here is a very flavorful baked chicken dish, which seems real fancy but is easy and delicious. And legal on Weight Watchers! It makes 4 portions.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons good quality olive oil
4 pieces boneless chicken breast
1 pound fresh baby spinach washed and spun dry
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup fat-free Feta cheese
1 cup red onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons smoked sweet Spanish paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
or
1/2 teaspoon dried ground rosemary
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of Splenda

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 375. Spray a sheet pan with olive oil spray coating. In a sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add onions and garlic and cook till tender, 5-8 minutes. Add spinach and stir till spinach wilts. Squeeze in 1/2 a lemon. Take off burner, add Feta to filling, adjust seasoning and let cool. Cut a slit horizontally in each chicken breast. Take spinach filling and coarsely chop. Put a few spoonfuls of spinach filling in each breast. Place breasts on sheet pan. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle on paprika, thyme, and salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes or till done — it depends on the size of the breasts. Cheese should run out of inside of breast and be liquid. Serve with Greek Yogurt Rosemary sauce. To make the sauce, just combine Greek yogurt, cumin, salt, balsamic vinegar, pepper, and rosemary. Sweeten with a pinch of Splenda. Serve sauce on the side.

Cold Cucumber Yogurt Soup

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Cold refreshing cucumber yogurt soup. A must in the summertime, especially if you get over to the farmer's market and buy those local cucumbers. Not a hint of bitterness. Here are the ingredients for 6 portions:

Ingredients
7 small cucumbers, peeled, cut in half, and seeded
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 cups Greek yogurt (low fat is fine)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
1 1/4 cup mint leaves
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Garnish
3 finely chopped radishes
6 sprigs fresh mint

Procedure
Cut 6 of the cucumbers into 1 inch pieces. Cut the remaining cucumber into 1/4 inch dice and save for garnish at the end. Combine the 1 inch pieces and the garlic in the food processor and process for 30 seconds. Add chicken stock, yogurt, salt, pepper, cumin, dill, lemon juice, and 3/4 of the mint leaves. Process till smooth. Pass mixture through a strainer (to remove any unpleasant bits) into a large bowl. Coarsely chop remaining mint leaves and stir them into soup. Refrigerate covered for at least 3 hours.

To serve, ladle into chilled bowls, martini glasses, or even hollowed-out cantaloupe halves, and top with radish, cucumber, and sprig of mint. Voila!