Shubhra Ramineni’s “Palak” Paneer

I first met the genteel and beautiful Shubhra Ramineni at a pasta class hosted by fellow Chowhound Jay Francis.  With her handsome husband and the cutest baby in tow, she graciously allowed us a first look at her cookbook, Entice with Spice, Easy Indian Recipes for Busy People which was in the process of publication. 

Upon opening the book, I was greeted by a collage of family photos, travel images of India and of course, Indian food and markets.   Particularly catchy to me was a colorful map of Shubhra’s motherland citing family members’ birthplaces, notable monuments and regional food products.  What followed was a listing of over 90 recipes and a veritable account of how a successful engineer became a cook and author:  it came from a need to drop the unhealthy eating habits she had developed as an overworked corporate individual and go back to the nutritious diet on which she was raised.  

Shubhra naturally turned to her family for recipes and developed them with a busy lifestyle in mind.  The novice cook will find an invaluable 25-page mini-encyclopedia within the book which includes sections headed Indian Cooking Made Easy; Cookware and Tools; Tips and Techniques; Freezing, Refrigerating and Reheating Methods; and Essential Indian Ingredients.  Did you know that in India “curry” is a plant and also means ‘gravy’ or ‘sauce’ and not the blend of spices developed by English colonists; that the bright red color of tandoori chicken comes from the addition of coloring (!); and that carom seeds (a new one for me) aid in settling upset gassy tummies?   The book has helpful tips accompanying many recipes; some including instructional photos showing the important steps.

I have had limited success with cooking Indian food because I was usually following recipes with a mind-boggling array of spices and complicated and long-winded cooking methods.  After less than stellar results, my family would drop hints about “going out for Indian” more often!  That’s not the case with Shubhra’s Saag Paneer.  It’s my favorite Indian dish and the first recipe I made from her book.   Hubs and I finished it off quickly and I made more a few days later.  It is easy to make and it’s full of spicy flavor!  For part of the spinach, I substituted chard and kale that I harvested in the beautiful garden of Ralph Smith Photography.   The garden is an organic wonder that provides herbs, fruits and vegetables year round, some of which are used in Ralph’s photo shoots.

  

A colorful feast for the eyes

Creamy and spicy with home made paneer

“Palak” Paneer slightly adapted from Shubhra Ramineni’s Saag Paneer. 

Serves 4

1 pound (500g) fresh chard, washed, de-ribbed and coarsely chopped

1 pound (500g) fresh spinach, washed, trimmed and coarsely chopped, or a 10-ounce (285g) package of frozen spinach

2 ripe tomatoes, quartered

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ to ½ heaping teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1 small onion, diced

1 – 2 serrano peppers, diced

1 recipe Paneer (Indian cheese), cubed and pan-fried, see recipe below

½ cup (125ml) heavy cream, or more to taste

Place chard, spinach and tomato in a medium saucepan over medium heat. If you’re using frozen spinach add ½ cup water. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add turmeric, red pepper, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The greens will become soft and tender and the tomatoes will become mushy. Remove from heat and puree using an immersion blender or transfer contents to a blender and puree until smooth.

Pour the oil into a small skillet and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, onion and serrano pepper. Sauté until the onion is browned, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Pour into the saucepan with the greens. Add the paneer (cheese cubes) and heavy cream and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Enjoy immediately or cool and refrigerate for later.

Paneer (Indian cheese)

Makes ¼ pound (125g)

4 cups (1 liter) whole milk

juice of 1 lime

Pour milk into a heavy medium pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently as it comes to a boil. Don’t let it boil over. Immediately reduce the heat to medium-low.

Add lime juice and stir for about 45 seconds or until the milk separates into curds (solids) and whey (liquid). If the milk does not separate add more lime juice - 2 teaspoons at a time – until it separates.

Fold a large piece of cheesecloth to create four layers. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl to catch the whey. Pour the curds into the cheesecloth. Let the whey drain through the cheesecloth into the bowl.

Gather the sides of the cheesecloth to create a bundle and press it against the side of the pot to squeeze out the excess whey. Be careful as it will be hot.

Place the bundle on a plate. Unfold the cheesecloth and with your hands, mold the cheese, now paneer, into a square block about ¾-inch thick. Fold the cheesecloth back over the paneer.

Pour the whey into the pot that the milk boiled in. Place the pot on top of the paneer and allow the rest of the whey to drain out, about 30 minutes.

Remove pot and discard the whey. Unfold the cheesecloth. Transfer the paneer to a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour and up to one day before using.

To fry Paneer:  Cut the paneer into ¾-inch cubes. You should get about 16 or so. Pour 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil into a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the cubed paneer. Fry the cubes until they are lightly browned on all sides, turning very carefully to retain their shapes. Remove from skillet and drain on a plate that has been lined with a paper towel.

Prijatno!

Pluott, Ploo-ot – no, Pluot cake!

Friendship is a wonderful thing, especially if one of your friends is the finest food photographer in the world.  Ok, so I’m a little biased, but you have to check Ralph Smith Photography sometime.   He rocks the industry and has photographed several beautiful cookbooks including this award-winning beauty for the Junior League of Houston.   Seriously, the cookbook has won so many awards for design and content, I’ve lost count…it’s brilliant!

Occasionally we are gifted with delicious and unusual food products that come through the studio to be shot (by the camera, people!) for cookbooks, vendors or events.  I will never forget when Ralph showed up at our doorstep with a cooler full of exotic mushrooms --  amazing varieties and some I had never seen before:  ‘hen of the woods’, chanterelles, oyster, enoki and more.  See -- I told you it’s a wonderful thing to have a food photographer as a friend!

But the best prize of all that was brought to my kitchen from Ralph’s studio was an enormous, solid, 11 pound (5kg!!!) slab of dark Callebaut baker’s chocolate.  Holy Moly!  I could have died and gone to chocolate heaven right then and there!  I did share some of it…

Last week, I attended a culinary affaire at Ralph’s studio and came home with a bag full of juicy and perfectly ripened pluots.  Pluots are new enough on the stone-fruit scene that my spellchecker doesn’t even recognize the word yet!  Same with the plumcot, a similar variety.

Intensely sweet, pluots are a cross between a plum and an apricot – but much more plummy than apricoty.  Rich in vitamins C and A and fiber, they range in color from light green to shades of yellow and through the color wheel to deep purple.  They are best eaten fresh (as with most fruits), but also lend themselves well to the sweet and moist Pluot Cake here.

Pluot Cake  adapted from The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook, by Marian Burros and Lois Levine.

Staying true to the title of the book, this recipe is VERY EASY to make. 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon sugar for the top (optional)2 eggs1 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powderpinch of salt4 pluots or plums, pitted and quarteredwalnut halves, optional1 teaspoon cinnamonArrange a rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Prepare a 8” or 9” springform pan by greasing it with butter and dusting with flour.  As you can see from the top picture, I used a 5-inch and a 7-inch pan for one recipe.

Cream the butter and 3/4 cup of sugar in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer or use a stand mixer.  Add eggs, one at a time, until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add flour, baking powder and salt and blend on slow speed until just combined.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan/s.  Place the pluots or plums, skin side down, around the edge of the pan, with the plums pointing inward.  Mix the cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional) and sprinkle over the top.  Place a few walnut halves between the pluots, if desired.Bake for 30-40 minutes (or less if you are using smaller pans) until the top is golden and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool.Using a small sieve, dust the top of the cake with 1 teaspoon of confectioner’s sugar, if desired.  Serve plain, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  Serves 8.

Prijatno!