Na' any Banany ( na'an )

As promised, this magical, easy na'an recipe will ACTUALLY make you feel like you're sitting in the best, hidden secret Indian restaurant in town..........     or better yet, Bangalore.

SO quick to make, on-hand ingredients and it really makes the difference in making your homemade Indian dishes LEGIT.

also in case you were wondering, the answer is no, it doesn't have anything to do with bananas.. i just thought the post name was clever so i went with it. ;)

*Give yourself 30 minutes to an hour to prep this before actually cooking it just before dinner... dough needs to sit a little. *

adapted from this blog here.
INGREDIENTS: for six large pieces

• 2 cups all-purpose flour or half and half it with whole wheat and all-purpose
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 big pinches baking soda
• 6 Tablespoons greek yogurt, or regular, European style, whatever
• LOTS of freshly minced garlic (optional.... but not really) ;)
• few Tablespoons cold water if needed

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well until evenly blended. Then add in the greek yogurt and garlic and mix mix mix it all together with your hands, making sure to press into the globs of yogurt to make sure the flour really gets in there. If the dough doesn't seem like it'll come together enough to make a large ball, add in 1 Tablespoon of cold water at a time until it does.... mine usually never takes more than 3 Tablespoons to get there. Once it can be pressed into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Flour your work surface GENEROUSLY and have a stick of softened butter and a knife on hand nearby. Keep in mind you'll want to continue flouring your work surface as you go, so have an extra mound of flour close by, as well.

Once the dough has rested and your awesome chickpea curry dish is almost finished, flour your hands and separate the dough into 6 balls. I like to split it in half first, then in threes.... makes it a little easier to get them roughly the same size I think. One at a time, begin to roll the dough balls out until they're thin but not sticking to your workspace. Make sure to flip the dough over if you need to for a nice consistent rolling out. Butter the front and back of each piece and if you need to, gently begin to stretch them out even thinner by hand (the baking soda will make them fluff up when they go into the skillet so the thinner the better).

And now the fun part! Get out your cast-iron skillet or just a regular large skillet and heat it up with some butter in the middle! Medium high heat will work best. Have a spatula on hand as well. Once the butter is melted and the skillet is hot, place one dough piece in the middle and wait to watch a bubble or two start to form before flipping it over. This should take anywhere from 10-20 seconds. After you've flipped it over, begin to gently press down, flattening it out one last time. Once you see bubbles forming on that side, flip it over one or two more times and it's done! Continue with the rest of the dough pieces, adding in another small pad of butter in between each one so they don't burn.

And there you have a beautiful pile of fresh, warm, garlicky na'an right from your own stove. Serve it with your favorite indian dish, the curry recipe I showed you the other day or just by itself as an appetizer before dinner with some fresh cucumber and yogurt!

This na'an will be the star of your dinner show and it's SUCH a versatile recipe, too... add in whatever you like! We prefer lots and lots of garlic but even adding just seasonings would taste fantastic too... paprika, curry, masala garam... whatever your fancy! I've even thought of making it more mediterranean and adding in chopped black olives, sea salt and rosemary! The point is, make this a regular part of your cooking repertoire because it's just that good. 

But beware... it's addicting!

XOX

Darjeeling Unlimited

And HELLO!

Feels like it's been WAY longer than two weeks since we've had a little chat, doesn't it?? I SO appreciate you all being patient and understanding during our move, but now, WE ARE IN! (and we're mostly unpacked... crazy?)

I'll have to upload a few photos of the new stove so you can see how much joy I get every morning in looking at it, let alone actually turning it ON! And you know what's funny? We've been in this house just one week now and the thing that we've made THREE times already is Indian food. I think it was inspired by my beautiful friend, Nicole, who brought me home BOAT LOADS of fresh spices and herbs from some magical international grocery she found in Atlanta... and they really are inspiring. I've never smelled nutmeg so POWERFUL before... ANYWAYS- we're on an Indian kick at the moment and I know that's new to Recitherapy so I thought, "why not?". Let's get on the Indian train, shall we?

This is a really simple curry chickpea and chicken... be mindful that I didn't have a roasted chicken on hand, otherwise I would have used that. But baking chicken breasts will work just fine, as well.

You'll Need:
2 chicken breasts or 4 tenderloins, seasoned with LOTS of salt, pepper, curry powder and Indian masala garam
(or just use roughly 2 cups of shredded and seasoned roast chicken)
drizzle of olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced thinly
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
a little fresh ginger, finely chopped or minced
1 & 1/2 cup chickpeas
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
3 whole carrots, diced in discs or small bits
3 chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved in 3 cups boiling water
1 big dollop greek yogurt
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 & 1/2 teaspoon cumin
more salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked basmati, white or even jasmine rice

Okay! This whole process from start to finish is a "toss in and keep goin' " method, so don't feel like you've got to be on any one step for too long.

**if you're baking chicken, preheat your oven to 375, line a baking dish with foil and put your chicken on, drizzle olive oil and all those seasonings all over the top and bake uncovered for just under an hour. then dice it so it's ready to be added to the mixture.**

So to get started, drizzle a little olive oil in a deep simmering pan that can hold some liquid and toss in the onion, garlic and ginger. Simmer it for a few minutes over a medium low heat. Now add in the chickpeas, spinach (yes, it's alright if it's still frozen, a little extra water won't hurt this dish) and carrots. Stir this all around and let the garlic and ginger flavors get all over the veggies. Now add in your spices... curry powder, cinnamon and cumin... maybe a little salt. Before the veggies begin to stick to the bottom of pan, go ahead and add in your chicken bouillon. I find it easier to actually dissolve the bouillon cubes in water first separately and then add it, but whatever floats your boat. Now turn up the heat SLIGHTLY and let it all simmer away, stirring every few minutes. Once the mixture begins to thicken a little bit, toss in your well seasoned chicken and let simmer some more, now turning the heat back a bit. Let the mixture simmer for about another 5 minutes and then stir in the greek yogurt, turning the heat back even more now to low.

At this point, I'd sprinkle in a little extra salt and pepper, stir it around, taste it, and maybe even add in a little more curry powder if needed. You should still have a fair amount of liquid left stirring around and you WANT that... it's good to have that gravy like sauce to pour over the rice. To serve, just mound a pile of that fluffy rice and dish it just over the top, spooning on some extra liquid if you want.

If you end up loving the flavors and smells of this dish and you want to make something similar again in a few days... i've got more recipes coming, INCLUDING THE EASIEST, BEST, MOST LEGIT HOMEMADE NA'AN, too! :) :) AHH I can't wait to share that one with you. You'll love it so much. We love it so much. We love it so much we made it two days in a row WITHOUT having an Indian dish to go along with it. (makes a great flatbread for eggs in the morning) ;)

So there you have it... a simple, delicious and FRAGRANTLY intoxicating Indian dish for you to make tonight... it's Saturday! Make Indian!

More delicious recipes and maybe some photos of the stove shortly. ;)

XOX

Grace !

Asking for a little bit of grace and patience as James and I have been PACKING in preparation for our big move! Yes, we bought a home and yes, the kitchen appliances are NEW and we cannot WAIT to christen our new oven with something deliciously shareable!!

If you will, CHECK BACK SOON for an updated yummy post... And pray for our sanity ;)

XOX

Italian Pie

"Heh, come over here, kid, learn something. You never know, you might have to cook for 20 guys someday. You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; ya make sure it doesn't stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs; heh....? And a little bit o' wine. An' a little bit o' sugar, and that's my trick." -Clemenza, The Godfather

This is the way I feel about this pie... heh... it's just what you do. Throw it all in, this and that, and that's my trick. Only problem is that, sadly, I'll never be as cool as this guy because I'm simply not Italian, it's not my nona's recipe and I'm not a cast member of The Godfather...

but this made me feel preeettty darn close! And it will for you, too. ;)

No better way to finish out British Pie Week than with a big Italian BANG! Just to give you a head's up, yes, this is a pie because we do use phyllo dough and bake it, but it's really like eating a giant casserole of noodle-less pasta... and it's AMAzing.

You'll Need:

• 5 chicken tenderloins or 2-3 breasts, cooked and shredded. I did mine over medium heat in a little olive oil in a skillet with the lid on for 15 minutes if that helps.
• half an onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• extra virgin olive oil
• sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
• handful fresh basil, plus extra for garnishing
• your favorite marinara sauce, homemade or good quality store bought
• greek yogurt
• a splash of port wine
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs. I made my own, just crumbled and chopped a piece of our whole wheat bread, added a good sprinkling of italian herbs and seasoned salt and mixed it all together.
• FRESH mozzarella... makes all the difference
• phyllo dough, only a few sheets... i was working with pathetic leftover bits and it still worked.

Right! Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place your frozen chopped spinach in a bowl, finely chop your basil and toss it together. Set it aside and in a saucepan, drizzle some olive oil and toss in your onions and garlic and saute until smelling amazing.

While those are sauteing, get your breadcrumbs ready if you're making your own. 

Make sure to really rub the seasoning into the crumbs with your fingers.

Now that your onions and garlic are beautiful, let's add in the spinach and basil mixture and a splash of that port wine. Give this a minute to saute and let the water melt away from that spinach, don't worry about it looking a little watery, you'll need some liquid for the sauce anyways. Once that port is smelling delicious, add in as many sun-dried tomatoes as you feel fit.. I'm personally obsessed with them and think they add such a distinctive flavor I probably added two handfuls worth... but do what you think! Mix it all around.

Now add in your marinara sauce... remember, you're going to be adding all that chicken so you want to make sure you have enough sauce for it to still be 'saucy' and not too chunky. Let that simmer and all the flavors of your sauteed goodness infuse into that sauce. While that's simmering, let's lay the groundwork of phyllo to your baking dish. I literally had crumbled pieces to use, but it still worked fine. Lay the pieces as flat as you can get them and drizzle with olive oil.

for real i mean shreds, here... so don't feel discouraged if you've ripped yours to pieces, it'll work!

Now let's add in your chicken and a big dollop of greek yogurt... toss it in and stir it until well combined, turn the heat down and let it get yummy for another 5 minutes.

Now we start layering. Layer about half the mixture on top of that phyllo. Top with more flakes of phyllo, a little drizzle of olive oil and top with the rest of your mixture. Top again with phyllo, a little drizzle of oil and let's get ready to decorate the top!

Slice your mozzarella and cover the top... just remember, fresh mozzarella REALLY melts beautifully so don't overdo it. You want to MOSTLY cover the top, but leave room for melting to cover a few holes so you're not cheesin' yourself out. Then top each bit of mozzarella with a fresh basil leaf and sprinkle your breadcrumbs all over the top. Lightly finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil and pop it in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the crumbs are golden and you've got a few browned bits of cheese.

Pour yourself a glass of red wine, turn on The Godfather and enjoy... and yes, we served this all by itself. Didn't need any accompaniment. ;)

 Godere! (enjoy in Italian)

And thanks for celebrating British Pie Week with us!! On to the next adventure!

XOX

Gravy Chicken Pie

British Pie Week continues here on Recitherapy and we don't regret participating ONE BIT! We've got a RIDICULOUS recipe here for you today!

But before we continue... let me brag a little on one of my friends and a Recitherapy reader, Shelley! Shelley is a wife and a NEW MOTHER and somehow found time this week to make her family our Spanakopita! In her words, "It was so easy and there's pictures, it's lighter than other spinach pies!" Shelley's pie looked amazing! Here it is:

Perfect, Shell!! Well done and thanks for showing me this... makes my heart happy and puts a smile on my face! Friends, always always always let me know when you've successfully made one of our recipes and send me photos! I love it.

Moving on! I know the name of this pie is a little silly, but it only seemed appropriate for what it was. Also you'll think it's basically chicken pot pie, and it sort of is... but the gravy we used and the way we did the crust makes it a little different.

Let's talk about how easy this one was to make! I "crock-potted" my way all the way til the baking process... set it and forget about it is the name of this game. SO- let's get started.

Ingredients for the crock pot section:

• 5 chicken tenderloins (or 3 breasts)
• 3 chicken bouillon cubes (dissolved in 3 cups of boiling water and sprinkled/stirred with cornstarch)
• olive oil
• seasoned salt
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• half large onion, diced small
• 3 large carrots, chopped how like
• roughly two handfuls haricot verts, green beans
• 2 potatoes, diced small, skin on
• 1 can sweet corn, drained
• 1 can young peas, drained- reserve a few for serving decoration

Ingredients for crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Crisco shortening... yes you can use butter if you prefer but I like to stick to my mom's original recipe
• 6-8 Tablespoons cold water
• a few sheets phyllo dough
• olive oil

Ingredients for gravy:

• 2 large spoons butter
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 large spoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 large spoons soy sauce

So in the bottom of your crock pot, drizzle olive oil, add half the minced garlic and all the diced onion. Place the chicken on top of that, yes it can still be frozen, top the chicken with the rest of the minced garlic and lightly sprinkle with seasoned salt. Then add all the vegetables EXCEPT the corn and peas. Pour the chicken broth with the cornstarch over the top and close the lid. Turn it on "high" for four hours or on "low" for six. During the last hour, break apart the chicken with a large serving spoon and toss in the corn and peas. Mix well and put the lid back on. At this point, let's make your dough for the crust and start preheating the oven.

The crust is truly the easiest. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Cut in the shortening with two knives or a pastry cutter if you have one until the mixture is pea-sized balls. Add in a few tablespoons of cold water at a time until you can form the mixture into a ball that holds together well. Split the mixture into two parts, one part being a little larger than the other. The larger portion will be the base of the pie and the smaller will be part of the top crust.

Now get out your casserole baking dish and let's lay the foundation crust. On a well floured surface, roll out the base dough as large as need be to cover the base and some of the sides of the baking dish. Remember how to transfer it easily to the dish? Once it's rolled out, place the rolling pin at the top and roll the dough onto the pin until you can lift it completely up. Then starting at the bottom of the dish, simply unroll the dough onto the dish and press gently into the bottom. Score it with a fork to let air in during baking. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove it and set it aside. Turn your oven back to 425 degrees. Also now is the time to get your phyllo out of the freezer, let it rest for a few minutes then before it's too warm, unroll it so it's laying as flat as possible.

Now let's make your gravy! In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once melted add in the boiling water and the dry ingredients (it's helpful if you mix the dry ingredients together first in a coffee mug or something). Whisk whisk whisk so there's no lumps. Once it starts to bubble a little, add in the soy sauce and whisk some more. It'll thicken fairly quickly and form that funny little film on top but don't fret, it whisks right out when you need it to.

Now in a big mixing bowl, transfer all the crock pot goodness and pour that gravy all over it. Mix it well with that big serving spoon and transfer it all to the crust filled baking dish.

Once it's transfered, start laying a few bits of phyllo on the top, lightly olive oiling each sheet before adding the next. I think I only did 3 bits of phyllo here. THEN, roll out your other smaller portion of homemade crust as thin as you can get it before you can't roll it onto the pin. Roll it on the pin and unroll it over top the 3 bits of phyllo. Add a few slits in the top of it to allow air flow. Then top THAT with 3 or 4 more sheets of phyllo, again, oiling between each sheet. Tuck the edges in and oil the top once more.

Now bake it for 30-40 minutes, until that phyllo is golden and flaky. Tada!!! When you slice into this, it will literally be oozing with that savory brown gravy and it will break your heart.

I suggest whipping up your favorite mashed potatoes and a second helping of that gravy for serving. We served ours English style (in honour of the week) and we topped each portion with the potatoes, a HEAPING ton of gravy and a spoonful of peas. SO delicious and irresistibly comforting.

Invite over a few friends and serve this with a tall pint of Guinness. There's SERIOUSLY sometimes nothing better for the soul than a comfort food pie with beer and friends.

Oh... and a really fine husband. ;)

 How fun is British Pie Week!! Loving this fun challenge and can't wait to make ANOTHER pie tonight... onwards!

XOX