MISSION BIALY:2012 THE YEAR OF BAKING DANGEROUSLY

A little over four years ago, I was on the second leg of the around the world trip that became, EAT MY GLOBE. The first part of the journey had taken me to Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Mongolia, Russia and Finland. It was a life changing start to journey that confirmed that I had been absolutely correct to quit my job and head off in search of a new life.

The second leg of the journey was just as exciting and challenging and, over four months of hard travel, took in many cities in the USA, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. It began, however in one of my favourite cities on the planet, New York.

Even then, I knew New York better than just about any city on earth other than London and, at the time of writing my book, I had been there well over one hundred times. You can add another fifty times to that now, but even so, it still has capacity to surprise and most visits there find me discovering something new about the city and something new and delicious to eat.

In 2007 my “discovery” was the Bialy. It came courtesy of my still good chum, Sandra Levine who took me to a shop called Kossar’s Bialy’s (full name, for the record, Kossar’s Bialystoker Kuchen Bakery) on Grand St to introduce me to this cousin of the bagel, a bread roll that draws its name from the Polish town of Bialystock.

in the late 19th Century, Poland was occupied by Russia and the onion and poppy seed topped rolls were made by Russian bakers who later brought the Bialy to New York City. Nowadays, although Bialys can be found throughout the USA, they are particularly associated with New York and particularly with the lower East Side institution that is Kossar’s.

I had never encountered them before and, although Sandy bemoaned the fact that the bialys were not as good as they had been under the previous owners, who retired in 1998, they still tasted pretty damn fine to me and certainly a good deal better than the slightly pillowy bagels that seem to be all the rage these days.

Move on to 2012 and one of my many goals for the year is to work hard to improve my baking skills. Believe it or not, I used to bake a lot and back in the mists of time, I even went through a phase where I made all my own bread, keeping it in the chest freezer belonging to my next door neighbour in return for handing over a few sunflower seed loaves every now and again.

I have no idea why I began to crave bialys again last week, but I did and started to research the best recipes for making them at home. They actually turned out to be rather straightforward and, just before New Year I spent a very happy day mixing, kneading and waiting patiently for dough to rise, while I got on with my real life.

I was quietly pleased with the final results and they are definitely something I shall be making again very soon.

I thought I would share my recipe. Do let me know if you give them a try.

INGREDIENTS (Makes around 16-20 Bialy)

For The Dough

3 Cups Bread Flour
2 Cups Warm Water
1 Packet Active Yeast
1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tsp Salt

For The Topping
1 Large White Onion (Chopped)
½ Tsp Poppy Seeds
½ Tsp Salt

METHOD
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.

Add the salt.

In a cup, combine ½ cup of warm water with the yeast and the sugar.

Allow the yeast mixture to sit for 10 minutes until it begins to froth up, showing that the yeast is active.

Add the yeast mixture to the flour and gradually mix with the remaining water until it forms a sticky dough. (I used my Kitchen Aid with the dough hook attachment for this, mixing on a slow setting for about 8 mins)

Add more flour or water if it the dough mixture looks too dry or too loose.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with cling film.

Place the bowl in a warm place and leave to prove until the dough has doubled in size. This may take around 90 minutes.

After 90 minutes remove the cling film and knock back the dough.

Remove from the bowl and place on a floured surface.

Knead the dough gently for about 4 minutes and return to the bowl.

Cover once more and leave to sit for a further 45 minutes.

While your dough is proving for a second time, you can prepare the topping. Simply fry the pieces of chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until they are golden brown (and even have a few bits of char). Add the salt and poppy seeds, combine well and allow the mixture to cool.

After 45 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl, place on a floured surface and form into a log shape.

Cut the dough with a sharp knife into 16-20 equal sized portions.

Roll these into balls.

Take a ball of dough and with thumbs and forefingers press it into a circle of around 3in in diameter making a depression in the centre with your thumb for the toppings.

Lay the bialy on a baking tray lined with a layer of parchment paper.

Lay another piece of parchment paper on top and place another baking tray on top of that. This helps the bialys keep their flat shape.

Pre-heat the oven to 425oF and cook the bialys on the middle rack for around 6 minutes.

After 6 minutes remove from the oven and remove the top baking tray and the top layer of parchment paper.

Brush the top of each bialy with water. This helps give the outer shell the chewy texture I am told is the hallmark of a great bialy.

Return to the oven and cook for a further 6 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and transfer the bialy to a wire rack to cool.

These are great eaten hot, but are good cold too and can be stored in Ziploc bags in the freezer.

I had mine with smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and cream cheese.
ENJOY

MISSION MURGH MAKHANI (BUTTER CHICKEN)

Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken is a dish whose origins can be traced back to the middle of the 20th Century and a restaurant in Delhi named, The Moti Mahal.

The restaurant was, apparently, famous for its Tandoori chicken and the recipe developed as a way of using left over scraps of chicken which were cooked in a sauce made of cream, spices, tomatoes and, butter.

It is a cousin of the Chicken Tikka Masala, which some claim was an attempt by Bangladeshi cooks in British curry houses to recreate the Murgh Makhani.

Whatever the origins, the dish is one of the most delicious I have ever cooked and is definitely now a staple on menus for any Indian dinner parties I might throw.

Recipes vary, but I hope this one (and the accompanying pictures) might prove interesting enough for some of you try it and report back if you do.

INGREDIENTS

8 Chicken Thighs (Boned, skinned and cut into 1in chunks)
2 tbsp Thick Yoghurt
1 Large White Onion (sliced)
Green Chili (deseeded & finely minced)
Ginger/Garlic Paste (Made by blending 2 in fresh ginger & 4 cloves
1 12oz Can Tomatoes
½ Cup Fresh Coriander Leaves
½ Cup Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Optional)
2 Cups of Chicken Stock
3 Tbsp Butter
¼ Cup Double (Heavy) Cream
1 Tsp Coriander Seeds
3 Whole Cloves
3 Green Cardamom
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp GroundTurmeric
1 Tsp Ground Corriander
1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

METHOD

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and add the yoghurt, half the ground spices, 2 tablespoons of the ginger/garlic paste, and half the minced chili.

Mix well, cover the bowl in cling film and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours. You can leave overnight, but don’t add the yoghurt until two hours before you need it as it can make the chicken mushy.

While the chicken is marinating, add 2 tbspn of vegetable oil to a pan and toss in the whole spices.

When the spices begin to pop, add in the onion and cook until soft and golden.

Add in the remaining ginger/garlic paste and cook until it loses its raw smell.

Add in the remaining minced green chili and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add in the remaining ground spices and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add in the tomatoes, the chicken stock, half the fresh coriander leaves and the dried fenugreek leaves (if you are using them)

Simmer the sauce gently for 30 minutes and then blend with a hand blender (I also like to pass my sauce through a sieve at this point. This is optional, but gives a much smoother finished sauce)

While the sauce is reducing, place the marinated chicken pieces on a wire rack on a baking sheet.

Grill them under a hot grill for 5 minutes each side (if you have a BBQ, they are even better cooked that way).

They should begin to develop a little char on the outside, which adds to the final flavor of the dish, although do be careful that they don’t burn.

Reserve the chicken pieces, making sure to capture all their juices.

Add 3 tbsp of butter to a hot pan and allow to melt.

Return the sauce to the pan and add the heavy cream (reserving a little bit for garnish)
Cook the sauce until reduced by half.

Add the chicken pieces to the pan along with any juices they have released.

Cook the sauce gently until the chicken pieces are warmed through and the sauce has reduced to a thick gravy.

When ready to serve, garnish with the remaining fresh coriander leaf, drizzle with the remaining cream and serve with boiled rice and Indian breads to sop up the sauce.

ENJOY!

MISSION KOFTA CURRY

Dos Hermanos may not be exactly dead yet, but it’s certainly been coughing up blood lately.

HP seems to be eating all his meals in Chiswick these days, which is great for him, but wouldn’t make for fantastic reading. I, on the other hand, am all over the place and rarely get time to sit down to do the writing I am paid for let alone keeping you saps, suckers and ne’er do wells entertained with my Shavian musings.

So, here’s the deal. I shall continue to post when I can and, if you remain even vaguely interested, you can tune in every now and again to see what we are up too.

There won’t be many restaurant reviews anymore. As I said, HP will probably soon own a debenture at Hedone, and I don’t care enough about the Los Angeles dining scene to post a series of consistently expensive and mediocre meals just to keep the blog current.

What I can do is post about my trips (when time allows) and about the increasing amount of time I am spending in our little kitchen trying to improve my skills and test recipes for some book and TV ideas.

I can’t promise the recipes will be life changing, but hopefully they will be worth trying and worth eating. That is about all I gotsta put on the table at the moment. I hope it sounds fair enough?

Starting as I mean to go on in 2012, here’s a terrific recipe for that Northern Indian favourite, Kofta Curry. It’s a stunning dish of lamb meatballs cooked in a sauce of pureed onions, yoghurt and fresh ground spices.

It has already become a “must cook again” for my Mrs, which is high praise indeed. Let me know if you try it and if you feel the same way as she does if you do.

LAMB KOFTA CURRY (Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

For the Kofta

1 ½ lb Ground Lamb Shoulder (I mince my own)
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp Coriander Powder
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Whole Egg
1 Cup Fresh Breadcrumbs

To make the kofta, combine all the ingredients well. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill for at least an hour. After they have chilled, form the meat into the size and shape of meatballs you prefer, cover again in cling film and place back in the fridge.

For The Sauce

1/2 Cup Cashew Nut Paste (made from soaking raw cashews in milk for 30mins and then blending with a little of the liquid to a fine paste)
1 Large White Onion (Pureed to a Paste)
Ginger/Garlic Paste (made from blending 2in fresh ginger with 4 big garlic cloves + a little water and salt)
2 Green Chilies (de seeded and finely minced)
1 12oz Can Tomatoes
2 Tbs Thick Yoghurt (whipped)
2 Tsp Garam Masala (I made mine from freshly toasted spices including bayleaf, fennel seed, cinnamon bark, black cardamom and clove)
½ Tsp each of Ground Turmeric, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Chili Powder and Salt

To make the sauce, heat up two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a deep sided frying pan.

Add all the ground spices (except the garam masala) and cook for three minutes making sure it does not burn.

Add the ginger/garlic paste and cook for a further three minutes.

Add the minced green chili and cook for a further three minutes.

Add the cashew nut paste, combine well and cook for a further three minutes.

Add the pureed onion and cook for five minutes.

Add the whipped yoghurt and the garam masala spices and cook for a further five minutes.

At this point, I like to blend my sauce with a hand blender and pass it through a sieve. This is optional, but I think it gives a much better end result.

While the sauce is cooking, remove the Kofta from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.

If you blend the sauce, return it to the pan and add the Kofta. Cover the pan and cook on a gentle heat for fifteen minutes.

Uncover the pan, turn over the kofta and cook for a further fifteen minutes.

Reduce the sauce over a gentle heat until it reaches the desired consistency. I like mine to be a thick, dark, rich gravy. Be sure to turn the kofta every few minutes so they do not dry out.

Serve with plain boiled rice (or Indian breads) and more whipped yoghurt.

Enjoy.