Bread Around the World: Naan

Today's "Country of the Day" was India, so you would think that our culinary adventure of the day would be some amazing curry, or spicy tikka masala, or some kind of satay. With the whole world of unfamiliar but delightful spices and flavors, who couldn't help but be adventurous? Yeah, my son opted for naan. In other words, bread made from flour, egg, sugar, salt, and a splash of milk.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, by any means. I love naan. And since my son is a fellow bread-aholic, it didn't come as a surprise that he chose bread as our foreign food of the day. It actually kicked off a fascinating discussion of how people throughout the world have some form of bread as a dietary staple, no matter where on earth they live, whether it's the soft white bread we eat in America, crustier loaves in Europe, tortillas in South America, or sadza ( or ga'at, or posho, or ugali) in Africa. Everybody loves bread.

So we found a simple recipe, collected our ingredients, and got ready to cook! For the complete recipe, please scroll to the bottom.

First, we collected our ingredients: flour, sugar, yeast, salt, an egg, some butter, and a little milk.

The first step is to dissolve a package of yeast in a cup of warm water (handwashing warm is about the right temperature). Do this in a large bowl - you can do not only the mixing but also the kneading right in the same bowl. Fewer dishes to wash, yay! Give the yeast about 10 minutes to work its magic. We took advantage of those 10 minutes to measure out the rest of our ingredients. 

Measure out 1/4 cup of sugar, then add 2 teaspoons of salt. They'll be added at the same time, so it doesn't matter if they're mixed together.  

Measure out 3 tablespoons of milk. We used 2%, but anything from whole to skim is fine. I suspect that even soy or almond milk would do. We measured it into a small bowl before adding, because we had just opened a new gallon of milk and it was hard to pour neatly!

Next, break the egg into a small bowl and beat it with a fork.

 

Measure out 4 cups of flour. You may need 1/2 cup or so more, but 4 cups is a good starting point.

After the yeast has been in water for 10 minutes, add the remaining ingredients, except for the flour. Mix well with a spoon.

 

 

Next, gradually add the flour. You may want to trade your spoon for a whisk at first. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl. It's handy to have a friend scrape while you stir. Once the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, it's ready to mix with your hands.

 

 

The dough will still be lumpy and sticky, but keeping it in the bowl while you knead makes it easier to work in the extra flour that's already in the bowl. If the dough still seems very sticky after it absorbs all the flour, feel free to add some more. Once the dough forms a nice ball, you can start to knead it properly: Fold the far side of the dough ball towards you and push it down and away from you with your knuckles. Then turn it a quarter-turn and repeat. Keep pushing and turning until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. You can flip the dough lump over now and then, if you like. If your bowl slips, put a rubber pot lid gripper under it, or a few layers of damp paper towels.

 

Your dough is now ready for its first rising! Spray another large bowl with cooking spray and turn the dough into the bowl. Cover it with a tea towel (to prevent the dough from drying out) and place it in a warm place (if your oven has a "proof" setting, that's ideal; if not, the top of your fridge is usually nice and toasty). Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about an hour or so.

When it's done rising, you get to do the funnest step: punch it down! Seriously, take your fist and punch straight down, right in the middle of the dough ball.

Knead it a few more times to get it all smooth and even.

Next, cover a couple of cookie sheets with non-stick foil. 

Divide the dough into golf-ball sized pieces, rolling each into a smooth ball and laying them out on the cookie sheets with a little space in between. A dozen balls fit nicely on each pan, and the dough made exactly two dozen balls. My small helper didn't like handling the dough at its sticky stage, but he enjoyed helping roll it into balls at this stage.

 

Place the trays of dough balls back into your warm place for about 30 minutes, for a second rising. I didn't bother covering them this time.

When they're finished rising, spray your grill or griddle with non-stick spray (be sure to have the flame OFF when spraying!!!). Pre-heat the grill to high. 

While the grill is heating, melt 1/4 cup butter in the microwave.

I moved all the dough balls onto a single tray and used the empty tray (still covered in non-stick foil) as my rolling surface. Well, technically, it was my "squashing" surface, since I used the ball of my hand instead of a rolling pin. Flatten the dough balls until they're quite thin, pushing and stretching as you would pizza dough. My final circles were about 6 inches in diameter.

When the grill is hot, place the flattened circles on it. Cook for about 3 minutes, then brush the uncooked surface with the melted butter and flip with tongs.

 

Cook for another 2 or 3 minutes on the second side, then use tongs to put on a paper plate to cool. The buttered side keeps the grill well greased, so there's no need to re-spray the grill.

Fresh naan, hot of the griddle, is the best! But the leftovers will keep nicely if well-wrapped (I reused the foil I had used to line the cookie sheets), and can be reheated either in the oven or on the grill. A few seconds in the microwave will soften it slightly, but it's still delicious. Enjoy!

FULL RECIPE:

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp milk
4+ cups flour
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Add sugar, salt, egg, and milk and blend well. Gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes on a lightly floured board (or in the mixing bowl) until smooth and elastic, adding flour if needed. Turn dough out into an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down dough, then pinch off golfball-sized handfuls of dough and form into smooth balls. Place balls on a cookie sheet lined with non-stick foil. Cover with a towel (or not) and allow to rise an additional 30 minutes.

Spray the grill with oil and preheat to high heat. Flatten each dough ball into a thin circle with rolling pin or hands. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned and puffy. Brush the uncooked side with butter and flip with tongs. Cook the second side for an additional 2-3 minutes, until browned, and remove from grill.

Recipe makes approx. 24 6-inch diameter rounds.

Book Review: "Mother, Can You Not?" by Kate Siegel

The first paragraph on the book jacket of “Mother, Can You NOT?” by Kate Siegel reads, “There is nothing more wonderful than a mother’s love. There is also nothing more annoying. Who else can proudly insist that you’re perfect while simultaneously making you question every career, fashion, and relationship decision you have ever made?” This dichotomy may not be unique to Jewish mothers and daughters, but something about Jewish culture gives it great potential for humor.

Unfortunately, the potential for humor was not entirely realized in this book. Written in a combination of narrative and screenshots of text exchanges between mother and daughter, Siegel’s description of her relationship with her mom as a child seems to be one of public humiliation and lack of personal space and boundaries. Her mother (who refers to Siegel as “Spawn” throughout the book) seems to revel in making her daughter cringe by revealing personal information publicly, talking loudly about everything from menstruation to masturbation to Kegel exercises to penis sizes, all in great detail. Had this story been in the context of a genuinely loving and respectful relationship, mingling in a few of these exchanges would have been funny, even hilarious. But there were too few moments that made me feel like this was a healthy, supportive relationship. I spent more time cringing than I did laughing.

I really wanted this book to depict a relationship with an outgoing, larger-than life mama bear who wanted the best for her daughter but occasionally crossed a line, but instead I got the story of an overbearing narcissist who wanted her daughter to go to an Ivy League college, marry rich, and have a successful career for her own bragging rights, regardless of her daughter’s wishes. I couldn’t bring myself to like either of these women.

But the most frustrating part was that there were a few moments that did hit the right notes. About halfway through the book, there was a lovely scene where the college-aged daughter has just sent a male friend a long letter declaring her undying love for him. Her mother advises against sending the letter, but stops short of actually preventing her from sending it. The situation goes about as you would expect, and naturally, heartbreak ensues. But, as the author writes, “…my mother knew that letting me suffer was the only way to help me grow up: ‘Sometimes, you have to get your heart broken to find your way around the penis.’“ That is the kind of writing that would have redeemed this book. That is the balance between a genuine relationship and the humor that can come from a blunt and unfiltered approach to sexuality.

Although I found this book disappointing, Siegel displays a clever writing style, and if she can work in more depth and fewer one-liners, her future work could very well be worth reading.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. For additional information on this book, please see the Penguin Random House website. 

The Last Eight Years

April 12, 2008, was a lovely, sunny day in New England. Well, actually, the early part of the morning was a bit overcast. You could see some brightness through the clouds as my mom and I climbed into a black stretch limo in front of the house I'd grown up in. We pulled up in front of a picturesque brick church on top of a hill, and just as we went inside the sun burst through the clouds. You could practically hear the angels singing.

It was a perfect day for a wedding: not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, not too bright. Not that anything short of a tornado would have bothered me; it was my wedding day, and there was enough sunshine in my heart to brighten up the darkest day.

One of the advantages of getting married older is that many of your friends have been married for a number of years and can give you good, practical advice - not only about the wedding, but about the marriage. One of the best pieces of wedding advice I got was to consciously take moments throughout the day to mentally step back and look around. Look at the faces of the family and friends around and share their joy. Take a good look at the flowers on the altar, the wedding cake, your groom in his formalwear, your bridesmaids dancing with their shoes off, your mom and your mother-in-law chatting with their faces close together. I have a lot of wonderfully clear memories of my wedding day because of that advice.

But by far the more important advice was regarding the marriage. One of the best pieces of marriage advice I got was that it's okay to not like each other sometimes. That may seem like rather odd advice, but if you understand that liking and loving are two very different things, it makes sense. Loving someone is a choice; it affects how you treat them, how you speak to them, how you relate to them. Liking someone is a feeling of the moment; it is affected by your own moods, circumstances beyond your control, and external events. If you love someone, you treat them with respect even when you're angry or frustrated with them. It protects you from saying something you don't mean, something you'll regret, in the heat of the moment. It guards your heart and your mouth from making stupid, hurtful mistakes. It guides your behavior.

And it gets easier with practice. I've learned how to weather those moments of not liking my husband, even when I love him dearly. And I suspect he finds his moments of not liking me a bit easier to take after these eight years. Because we've both learned to trust the underlying love and respect. We know that these small clouds will blow away and the brilliant sunshine behind them will break through. Because the sunshine is always there, even when we can't see it for a moment.

So I look forward to the next eight years together, and the next eighteen, and the next eighty. I know my love will continue to grow, even as my moments of dislike grow fewer and further between. I can manage any situation, as long as my love is beside me, sharing this wonderful, wacky, wild ride called Life!

"About That Much": Easy, No-Measure Recipes

There are times when I thoroughly enjoy cooking dinner from an involved, complicated, picky recipe. But much more often, I just want to dump a few things together and be done. Fortunately, over time I've developed an arsenal of recipes that don't require careful measuring or exact amounts. So here are a few of my favorite recipes. I've included measurements with each, in case you need more specifics for the first time you make these dishes, but chances are you'll be just fine winging it even the very first time. Happy cooking!!


APPETIZERS AND SIDES

Balsamic Bruschetta

The short version: Toss together some diced tomatoes, shredded basil leaves, grated Parmesan, minced garlic, a generous splash of balsamic vinegar and a splash of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Slice up some French bread and toast in the oven at 425 degrees for 3-4 minutes and top with tomato mixture.

The "real" recipe amounts: 8 Roma tomatoes, 1/3 cup basil, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 2 cloves (or 2 teaspoons) garlic, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 loaf French bread.

Triple Treat Salad

The short version: Cut up a bunch of broccoli (florets only) and toss with a package of pre-cooked bacon, crisped and crumbled, and a bag of shredded cheddar. Whisk together a few spoonfuls of mayonnaise and equal amounts of red wine vinegar and sugar (adjust amounts to taste) and pour over the salad, mixing well. Let marinade in the fridge for a few hours to overnight for best flavor.

The "real" recipe amounts: two medium-sized heads of broccoli, 10 slices of bacon, 2 cups of cheese, 1/2 cup mayo, 4 tablespoons each red wine vinegar and sugar.

Roasted Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

The short version: Mix together equal parts melted butter and olive oil and add some dried rosemary. Splash a little in the bottom of a baking dish. Slice a few sweet potatoes very thinly and arrange vertically in the baking dish. Pour the remaining oil over. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and roast at 400 degrees for an hour, then increase temperature to 450, remove foil, and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, until browned and crisp (watch carefully to avoid burning).

The "real" amounts: 3-4 sweet potatoes, 3 tablespoons each butter and olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon rosemary.


MAIN DISHES

Orange Chicken
The short version: Throw some chicken breasts in the crockpot for 3 hours on high. Drain liquid, cut into bite-size chunks, and return to crockpot. Mix together equal amounts of sweet orange marmalade and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, plus a generous splash of soy sauce, and pour over chicken. Leave on high for 30 more minutes. Serve over rice.

The "real" recipe amounts: 4 chicken breasts, 3/4 cup each marmalade and BBQ sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce.

Shepherd's Pie

The short version: Brown some ground beef; season with salt and pepper and drain fat. Place in deep baking dish. Cover with a generous layer of frozen corn and then a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, removing foil for last 5 minutes to brown.

The "real" amounts: 1 lb. ground beef, 2 cups corn, 6 servings mashed potatoes, 1-1/2 cups cheese.

Chicken Taco Salad

The short version: Heat equal amounts of butter and vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season some chicken breasts with your seasoning of choice (taco mix powder and Montreal Chicken Seasoning both work well) and cook on both sides until done on the inside (about 4 minutes per side). Cool for 10 minutes then cut into bite-sized chunks. Dump some frozen corn into the same pan, tossing it in the seasoned oil and scraping up the browned bits. Cook until thawed and warmed. Layer together shredded lettuce, chicken, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, corn, chopped cilantro, and top with some crushed tortilla chips. Feel free to add chunks of avocado, black beans, green onions, or any other veggies you like. Serve with ranch dressing with some salsa mixed in (whatever spiciness you prefer), and a little cilantro as well, if you like.

The "real" amounts: 2 whole chicken breasts, 2 tablespoons seasoning, 3 tablespoons each vegetable oil and butter, 1 head Romaine lettuce, 2 tomatoes, 2 cups shredded cheese, 1-1/2 cups corn, 1/2 cup cilantro, 3/4 cup ranch dressing, 1/4 cup salsa (even the real recipe doesn't list a measurement for the tortilla chips).

Citrus-Dill Salmon

The short version: Soften some butter and mix it with some lemon zest, minced fresh dill, and black pepper. Place on plastic wrap and form into a log, sealing the wrap snugly. Place in fridge until 30 minutes before serving salmon. Divide some salmon into individual servings and brush with olive oil then sprinkle with salt (on both sides). Rub a little olive oil on your grill grates with a paper towel and preheat to medium-high. Reduce heat to medium and grill the salmon skin-side down for 6 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 6 minutes. Serve topped with a pat of the herb butter and a squeeze of lemon juice.

The "real" amounts: 1/2 cup butter, zest of 1 lemon, 2-3 tablespoons fresh dill, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1-1/2 lbs. salmon (divided into 4 pieces).


DESSERTS

Sweet Apple Dip

The short version: Mix together 2 parts vanilla yogurt, 2 parts creamy peanut butter, and 1 part honey and blend well. Use for dipping slices of tart and sweet crispy apples.

The "real" amounts: 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons honey.

Pumpkin Muffins

The short version: Mix together a box of yellow or spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree. Spoon into a muffin tin lined with paper liners. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

The "real" amounts: 1 box cake mix, 1 can pumpkin. (Duh.)

Grasshopper Pie

The short version: Soften up some mint chocolate chip ice cream and spread in a pre-made chocolate pie crust. Chill in freezer for at least 1 hour. Serve with chocolate sauce and/or whipped cream, if desired.

The "real" amounts: 1 crust, most of a half-gallon of ice cream, a few squirts of Hershey's chocolate syrup and a dollop of whipped cream.

Crockpot Bolognese

I'm trying a new recipe today, and even without eating any of it yet, I already love it. I love it because a) it's made in the crockpot, b) it's made from ingredients that I usually have on hand, c) the amounts of all the ingredients are essentially "eh, however much of this you like," d) the directions are pretty much "dump everything in, mix it together, then come back 6 or so hours later and eat it," and e) it's making my house smell fantastic.

Here's what you need to make a nice big pot of bolognese (scroll down to the bottom for the complete recipe):

• Ground beef - my grocery store has 3-lb. packs on sale on a regular basis, so I use half a pack right away and freeze the other half for recipes calling for crumbled or browned beef (tacos, shepherd's pie, chili, etc.). I quick thaw it in the microwave, pulling off the thawed outside parts and then throwing the frozen core back in for a few more minutes. Be sure to use fairly lean ground beef for this recipe, since the fat doesn't get drained.
• 3 cans of diced tomatoes - either plain or with herbs. I happened to have some with sweet onion on hand, so I used that, but since you're adding herbs anyway, tomatoes with basil and/or garlic are fine, too. 
• An onion - frozen diced onion can be used if you don't have any fresh onions on hand. And since it simmers for 6 hours, dried minced onion is also an option. 
• A handful of carrots - these are best if diced small, so I'd avoid using frozen carrots (plus they'll get mushy rather than tender). I like slicing them very thin instead of dicing them. 
• A couple of stalks of celery - these add more crunch than flavor, so you could probably omit them completely. Maybe throw in a sprinkle of celery salt if you like. 
• Garlic - I usually used minced garlic (you could even get away with garlic powder, in a pinch), but I happened to have a few heads of garlic on hand, so I used fresh. 
• Parsley, basil, oregano, nutmeg, salt and pepper - Dried herbs are fine, but if you have any fresh on hand, by all means use them! I have a great herb garden in the summer, but my crockpot recipes tend to get more use in the winter, so I usually use dried herbs.  
• A half-cup of red wine - this is the one drawback to this being a crockpot recipe: I'm usually putting it together in the late morning so I can't use it as an excuse to snitch a glass of wine while I'm cooking! Whatever red wine you like is fine; if you're not a wine fan, you can either omit it or throw in a splash of red wine vinegar for a hint of tartness and fruit. 

Start off by lining your crock with a slow cooker liner. These bags don't work well for anything that requires shredding (like chicken or pork for BBQ), as they tend to get torn or pierced and leak), but they're perfect for recipes like this which don't require anything more than the occasional stir. They make cleanup SO much easier!

If you have fresh ground beef, just crumble it up and throw it in the crock. If your beef is frozen, give it 3 or 4 minutes in the microwave on the defrost setting (or half power). While you're waiting, start chopping your ingredients. Everything gets stirred together anyway, so it makes it easier if you layer the ingredients to start with. 

If you're using fresh garlic, peel it and mince it finely. My family loves garlic, so I threw in a little extra. 

When your beef has thawed a little, pull off the thawed edges and toss them in the crock. When you can't pull off any more pieces, or the pieces are still quite frozen, throw what's left back into the microwave for a few minutes and chop up the next ingredient. 

Next, peel and chop your carrots. I like using skinny carrots so I can just slice them thinly instead of dicing them. And since carrots are one of the few vegetables my kids will (occasionally) eat, I went a bit generous with these, as well. As with most of the ingredients in this recipe, feel free to add less or more according to your personal preference. Toss them in and then add the next layer of thawed ground beef.

Chop up a couple of stalks of celery. I don't love the texture of big chunks of celery, so I chop it up fairly fine, but you can leave it in thick slices if you like it that way.

Finally, add your onion. If you're using fresh, chop it up finely so it gets nice and soft and the flavors blend with the sauce. Bigger chunks give more distinct crunch and flavor, but this sauce benefits from having the onion infuse into it, so finer is better.

Add any remaining ground beef, then dump in all three cans of tomatoes (without draining).

 Then add the spices, and pour the wine over everything. (Sampling is allowed, and even encouraged.)

Stir it all up to mix well.

Then cover it and leave it on low for 6-7 hours (or on high for 3-4). Give it a stir every hour if you can. If you can't, don't worry about it.

Serve over your favorite pasta, top with a little grated Parmesan, and enjoy!!

COMPLETE RECIPE (all amounts can be adjusted to taste):

1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
5 garlic cloves, minced (or 5 tsp minced garlic)
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (or diced)
2 celery stalks, chopped (may be omitted)
1 medium onion, diced

3 can diced tomatoes (plain or with garlic, herbs, onion, etc.)
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
pinch nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine (may be omitted, or substitute a splash of red wine vinegar)

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and stir until well mixed. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours (or on high for 3-4 hours), stirring every hour or so.