Vegetable Korma

Aaaand, the second part of the experiment...the main course. This really turned out well and its not very hot so Lisa can actually eat it, unlike the last time we tried Indian.

1 small onion, diced

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root

4 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut

2 potatoes, cubed

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced

3 tablespoons ground unsalted cashews or walnuts

1 (4 ounce) can tomato sauce or 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste + 1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder

1 cup frozen green peas

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup raisins

1 cup heavy cream

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until tender. Mix in ginger and garlic, and continue cooking 1 minute. Mix potatoes, carrots, jalapeno, cashews, and tomato sauce. Season with salt and curry powder. Cook and stir 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Stir peas, red bell pepper, raisins and cream into the skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.

Naan

Well, I got a wild hair today. From someone who doesn't really know baking, to jump into something that seemed so different from anything I ever saw my parents make was a bit off the normal road. However, they turned out WONDERFULLY!

Risk = reward

Naan

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth (I didn't). Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a baseball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

During the second rising, preheat grill/oven to high heat.

Spread out dough as thin as possible. Lay on non stick cookie sheet and add to grill or oven in the hottest part, until puffy and lightly browned (recipes call for 2-3 min but it took me 7ish). You may need to flip naan and cook other side - I didn't. When complete, brush with melted butter and nom!

The Beef Roast

Ok, I actually got the beef - Beef Sirloin Tri Tip Roast. I browned the outside in the roasting pot, added Worcestershire sauce, basil, and water to nearly the top of the meat. I added the pot to the over set at 275 for an hour. Then I added 5 peeled and cut carrots and 5 peeled and cut potatoes along with some celery. I cooked it for another 55 minutes.

Recommendations for the next time...

There were 2 pounds of beef, and it came out at about 170 degrees (well done). I'd like it a little less done, but it was very tasty.

The veggies were not quite done. I'd add 10 more minutes to their cooking time (total of 65 to 70 minutes).

The juice was thin. I'm not sure if that was the cut of meat or if we just needed to add some more flour. I know that mom's was always thicker.

The Elusive Roast

Alrighty, this happened a week ago today, but I wasn't going to say anything. Lisa, however, is forcing me at gunpoint to write this. For a woman who doesn't own a gun, she's very effective at this (yeah, I've been reading Terry Pratchett, hence the British humor).

So, I've been craving the beef roast my mom used to make. Really, I think I'm craving the carrots and potatoes in that wonderful gravy, but the beef is awesome, too. Anyway, I set out to do this. I decided on the fly while I was at HEB getting groceries. That meant I had to buy a roasting pan, too, since ours is in storage...somewhere. But I got this absolutely beautiful blue enameled cast iron one, so color me happy.

I went to the meat section and was only seeing steak. I'm looking around for the shape of the thing I want and then to the names to verify its a roast. Finally, I see some. I look at the 2 kinds they have, but the recipe on my phone said a shoulder roast is one of the best and they have them. That settles it. I get the carrots and potatoes and call it good.

When I get home, I flour the roast and begin searing it. I have found like 4 different recipes to cook it so I'm trying to pick the one in the middle of them all. I get the thing browned...kinda...and get it in the oven. Now my options range from 350 to 250. Since I want one that's falling apart, I'm thinking the lower temp. I decide to go ahead and call mom.

Mom and I are talking. She tells me that when she does it, she fills the pan with water up to the top of the roast but makes it sound like this isn't very much water. The roast I have in there is something like 4 inches high. After she says this a couple of times, I question her about it.

"You know, that would be like 2 GALLONS of water. Are you sure about that?"

"What kind of roast did you get?"

"Hold on and let me get the wrapping out of the trash and I'll give you the exact name..."

*sounds of digging*

"Ok, it says a pork...shoulder...wait...PORK? SHIT"

*sounds of mom laughing*

"Dammit, I'm going to hang up now before I start yelling."

After a little sulking and beating myself up, Lisa got me to look at some recipes. These vary a lot too - internal temp of 145 to 170. Geeze. I went to the store and got a thermometer and when I got back, it turned out the thing was already at 185. I pulled it out, left it covered, and waited an hour or so to cut into it.

Actually, it was an amazing pork roast. Since there was 3 1/2 pounds of it, it was a little much for us. In the future, I'll freeze some of the cooked meat for later. Now, I've purchased the actual BEEF roast and I'll make it soon. I just wanted to get this entry in before I work on the real thing. For the record, a pork roast is exceedingly economical ($5 for 3.5 pounds) and lasts awhile. Also, the drippings make a terrific gravy.