Fragrant South Indian Beef Curry

Since starting this blog at the beginning of the year I have come to the conclusion that most recipes need the "three times at bat" rule.  The big exception to that was the Chile Spiced Skirt Steak Taco Recipe.  That won me and my family over on the first try and we keep going back to it time and again.  Since not every recipe is going to be that captivating here is my plan:

• First try:  Follow the recipe as closely as possible omitting or substituting only absolutely when necessary to stick with our dietary restrictions.  (Coconut Oil for Canola Oil is a good example)
• Second Round:  This is where I either liked the recipe and try it again to make sure you followed it correctly or I  mix it up to make improvements.
• Round Three:  Is where I either experiment with sides or re-try my round two improvements.

The Fragrant South Indian Beef Curry recipe required all three rounds, even though I changed very little. (As noted, I switched out the steamed rice and used Quinoa and, of course, went with the healthier Coconut Oil)  The reasons for all three rounds:  I can't decide if I like this dish or not.  I clearly don't dislike it since I made it three times but I'm also on the fence about liking the very strong "fragrant" flavors.  Star anise is a very new ingredient for me and wow, does it pack some seriously strong, perfume-y flavor.  Should I eat it or dab it behind my ears?

Either way, the dish does smell amazing while cooking!  If you give it a try I would love comments back to see what you think.

Curry with a side of steamed brocolli

Fragrant South Indian Beef Curry

2 tablespoons canola oil Coconut Oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

12 fresh curry leaves or 2 bay leaves

6 garlic cloves, grated

4 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 cup of water

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

4 small dried hot chiles

4 star anise pods

Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks

1 3/4 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

Salt

In a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and curry leaves and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in the dissolved tomato paste along with the coriander, garam masala, cayenne, turmeric, dried chiles, star anise and cinnamon sticks. Add the ribs, season with salt and stir until coated with spices. Cover partially and cook over very low heat until the meat is tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Spoon off as much fat as possible and discard the star anise, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves, if using.

MAKE AHEAD

The beef curry can be refrigerated overnight.

SERVE WITHSteamed rice. Quinoa

SUGGESTED PAIRING

Spiced, dark-berried red. We went with our usual Rex Goliath Malbec.  Its heavy, fruity flavor worked well with the hot, spicy, perfume-y beef and this curry dish needs a wine that can stand up to its bold flavor.

Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2013, page 212

Chile Spiced Skirt Steak Tacos

When on earth have I NOT had limes in the house?  When?  

Everyone has their go to grocery item that always makes it into the cart.  For my mom, it was ALWAYS, ALWAYS celery.  No matter how many stalks already resided in the fridge, mom bought celery.  For me, its limes and lemons.  Always...

Not that this is an excuse, but this last week we had some pretty significant flooding in the area and my trip to the market was nixed.  So, no limes or lemons bought....or anything else for that matter.

Tonight, here I am trying to make a recipe to blog about and finding little in the pantry in the ingredient department.  My previous recipe ideas put on hold, I find the steak taco recipe. There is NO way I can't have everything at my finger tips.  Its my standard fare.  

We begin the construction of dinner...paprika...check.  Ancho Chile, check. Garlic, onion, check.  etc....How can I be out of LIMES?  How CAN I be out of limes!?!  HOW can I be out of limes?  While mind-boggling, its not to late to send my dear husband off to the store.  Buy limes,  LOTS and LOTS of limes.  Oh, and pick up a bottle of Zin...

Enough of my lime rant.  Lets get on to cooking some FABULOUS Skirt Steak Tacos and I do mean FABULOUS.  (Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2011, page 140) Only three minor substitutions in this recipe which can be seen below.  And, since starting this around 6 pm there was no way I was going to wait the two hours for the meat to marinade fully.  (We had two skirt steaks on hand.  Both went into the bag and one came out for dinner.  The other steak will be grilled another night and I'll get back to whether or not the extended marination made any significant difference)

The lime and spice combination on the skirt steak was delicious.  This will no doubt become a menu staple.  As for the wine pairing of Zin...meh.  I could take it or leave it.  But keep your hands off my taco!

Slightly over toasted tortilla but delicious

Chile Spiced Skirt Steak Tacos

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon light brown sugar Xylitol

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil Olive Oil

1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 5-inch strips

12 corn tortillas,gluten free Rice tortillas, toasted

Pico de Gallo, Avocado Salsaand shredded cabbage, for serving

In a large re-seal-able plastic bag, combine the paprika, ancho powder, garlic powder, onion powder, xylitol, chipotle, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Add the lime juice and oil and shake the bag to blend. Add the steak and seal the bag. Let the steak stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Grill the steak over moderately high heat, turning twice, until lightly charred on the outside and medium-rare within, about 10 minutes. Transfer the steak to a work surface and let rest for 10 minutes.

Thinly slice the steak and serve with tortillas, Pico de Gallo, Avocado Salsa and cabbage.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

Spicy Zinfandel

Herbed Lamb Meatballs

When I had the idea for this blog, I was very much excited about the transformation of recipes. My main goal was to make regular recipes available for those of us following a gluten free, sugar free, dairy free lifestyle.  My first post required several attempts and a few tweaks here and there until I came up with an acceptable end result.

Since my hubby and I are HUGE fans of lamb, the Herbed Lamb Meatballs with Rich Tomato Sauce and ricotta (Food & Wine Magazine, January pg 96) seemed like the next great experiment.  Besides loving lamb, I really love recipes that are full of fun herbs I can pick directly from my garden and this recipe had that going for it.  Full of excitement, I read the ingredient list.  Marker in hand, I was ready to make my substitutions.

While this recipe IS delicious, it was a bittersweet read.  I WANTED to make substitutions and transformations and prove that eating in my new found "free zone" was doable.  I wanted to show change! And with this recipe, there was little to change.  And then it hit me...who said everything has to be changed?  This recipe (other than the ricotta topper) was good on its own. There was no need to change.  Proof that we can eat healthy and fun and tasty without turning our world upside down.

The recipe below does have a few tweaks but those had more to do with the state of my pantry than fitting into my diet.  I substituted coconut oil for the olive oil only because I was running low on Olive Oil.  And, as you will find out if you continue to follow, I only use Pink Himalayan Sea Salt.  Lastly, I added more wine.  I have a feeling I will be doing that a lot as well.

Herbed Lamb meatballs served with my homemade red cabbage slaw with capers.

Sauce
1/4 C Coconut Oil
4 large garlic cloves minced
1 C lightly packed basil leaves, torn
2 T oregano leaves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Two 20 oz cans whole Italian tomatoes with the juices, crushed
6 large anchovy fillets, chopped
1 C Red wine (this is totally my idea.  A good red sauce needs wine)
Himalayan sea salt and pepper
Meatballs
1/2 C raw almonds, finely chopped
1/2 C coconut milk
2 1/2 lbs ground lamb
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1/4 C finely chopped basil leaves, plus whole leaves for garnish
1/4 C finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 T finely chopped mint
1 T finely chopped oregano
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped thyme
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T dry red wine (just one T?  guess that means a glass for me while cooking)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground fennel
1 1/2 T Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 C coconut oil

Warning:  After an hour of cooking this sauce, your house will smell AMAZING!

MAKE THE SAUCE In a large saucepan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the anchovies and cook until they basically "melt".  Next, add garlic, basil, oregano, bay leaves and red pepper and cook over moderately high heat for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring, until the tomatoes are saucy, 1 hour. Stir in the about a cup of red wine.

MAKE THE MEATBALLS In a bowl, cover the almonds with the milk and let stand until most of the milk has been absorbed, 30 minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the whole basil leaves, olive oil and mix well. Form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

In a skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Working in batches, cook the meatballs over moderately high heat, turning, until nearly cooked through, 7 minutes per batch.  I had issues with the meatballs sticking to the pan.  De-glazing with a bit of red wine worked wonders.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer until cooked through, 8 minutes. Spoon into bowls, top with basil.

MAKE AHEAD The meatballs can be refrigerated in the sauce overnight.

SUGGESTED PAIRING from Food & WinE

Traditional Chianti Classicos, made with only Sangiovese, have an herbal edge that befits these meatballs.

While my initial plan was to have the suggested pairing on hand, that didn't happen with this recipe.  On hand at my house was BV Coastal Cab, a personal choice with heavier tomato based dishes.  The wine that WOULD have been my choice is BV Coastal Pinot Noir.  Unfortunately, it was sold out at my local liquor store.  Probably because Food & Wine named it a great wine under $10.

Pan Roasted Shrimp with Citrus and Quinoa Risotto with Lemon

Recently, on a flight from Wisconsin to Florida I picked up the January issue of Food & Wine Magazine to occupy my time.  For four hours I poured over the fabulous recipes and wine pairings.  As an avid cook, I couldn't wait to get home and fire up the stove.  The "note" section of my smartphone was now chock full of ingredients to Google, wine and ingredients to purchase. The car ride from airport to home must have sounded like an episode from Food Network.

My head was spinning with ideas.  While so many of the recipes in the magazine caught my attention, most had ingredients outside of my health zone.  I am not one willing to be bland and taste-less even though I have eliminated what some consider staples of a regular diet. (No Gluten, No GMO, No corn, No sugar, No dairy, No peanuts, No Soy)  It was time to reinvent a few wheels...and here we are.  My versions of fabulous recipes from Food & Wine fit in to my very structured lifestyle.

And, what better way to start this blog than with Shrimp.  Is it not one of the universally loved sea foods?  The original recipe can be found in Food & Wine Magazine January 2014, pg 71.  (Eliminated from the original recipe:  butter and grilled country bread.  Added to the recipe:  coconut oil.  Change to recipe:  Head On shrimp not used and I use Himalayan salt)

We found the this dish to be so delicious!  So delicious, in fact, that we made it two nights in a row just to make sure it met our flavor standards.  The dish is easy and flavorful.  The olives and citrus turned out to be a fabulous flavor combination which was very unexpected.

My Version of Pan Roast Shrimp with Citrus

1 Poblano pepper—halved, cored and thinly sliced crosswise

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup mixed pitted olives, chopped

Two 1/4-inch-thick slices of lemon, halved

Two 1/4-inch-thick slices of orange, halved

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

rosemary sprig

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup coconut oil

1 1/2 teaspoons pink Himalayan salt

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp

1.       Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the shrimp.

2.       Scrape the ingredients into a large ovenproof skillet and roast for 10 minutes.

3.       Remove from oven and add Add the shrimp and toss to evenly coat.  Cook another 10 min or until the shrimp are just cooked through. 

Since this dish originally was to be served with grilled country bread, I made a substitution of Quinoa, also a recipe from Food & Wine with some tweaks.  The original recipe can be found in Food & Wine Magazine January 2014, pg 70. 

My Version of Quinoa Risotto with Lemon and Roasted Tomatoes

( I really took more liberty with this dish since I wanted to service the shrimp dish over the risotto.  I'm sure it would be equally delicious with the tomato portion I eliminated)

   1 1/2 cups white quinoa, rinsed

2.     Kosher salt

3.     1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

4.     6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5.     1 1/2 teaspoons minced rosemary

6.     2 garlic cloves, minced

7.     Freshly ground pepper

8.     4 whole canned Italian tomatoes, drained and halved lengthwise

9.     1 lemon

10.  1 large shallot, finely chopped

11.  2 cups chicken stock

12.  1/4 cup crème fraîche, plus more for garnish ¼ cup coconut milk

13.  1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

14.  Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

15.  Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

1.      In a saucepan, bring the quinoa with 2 1/2 cups of water and a large pinch of salt to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 20 minutes. Let stand covered for 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

2.     Peel the lemon with a sharp knife, being sure to remove all of the bitter white pith. Working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the sections. Cut the lemon sections into 1/4-inch pieces.

3.     In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil until shimmering. Add the shallot and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the rosemary and cook for 1 minute.

4.     Stir in the quinoa and stock and bring just to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring, until the quinoa is suspended in a thickened sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in the 1/4 cup coconut milk, lemon zest, lemon sections. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls; serve.

Food and Wine says: Pair it with California Savignon Blanc.  

Clearly the magazine knows what they are talking about, it was a great choice.

A side note:  The lined through items are the eliminated ingredients in the Risotto recipe.  I'm guessing you guys could figure this out....but why leave anything to chance. 

I'm really excited about our next test:  Herbed Lamb Meatballs with Rich Tomato Sauce.