South Indian Kathirikkai

This spicy, tangy curry is delicious with just plain rice. It's a bit of a pain to make, but well worth the effort. 

1/2 c dessicated unsweetened coconut
2 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp chana dal
4 red chiles
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp urid dal
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp asafetida
1 tsp tamarind concentrate
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 c water, or as needed
1 pound Indian eggplants (about 15 small eggplants)
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves

In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, dry-roast coconut until golden brown. Remove coconut to work bowl of a Magic Bullet style food processor. Increase heat to medium-high. Add 2 tsp coconut oil; when oil shimmers, add chana dal and red chiles. When dal begins to brown, add coriander, urid dal, cumin seed and asafetida. When urid dal is golden brown, remove mixture from heat. Scrape into food processor. Blend until powdery. Add tamarind concentrate, salt and water; blend into a uniform paste. Set aside.

Cut the stem of each eggplant as short as possible. Cut each eggplant in quarters lengthwise to the stem; do not remove stem. Stuff each eggplant with spice paste. Reserve any remaining paste.

Heat 2 Tbsp coconut oil in the same heavy skillet. When it shimmers, add mustard and cumin seed. Cover quickly; when popping subsides, add curry leaves. When crackling subsides, lower heat to medium-low and add eggplants in a single layer. Stir gently to coat with oil. Sprinkle leftover stuffing, if any, over eggplants.

Add 1 cup water, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until eggplants are tender. Remove lid and cook a few more minutes, stirring only gently as necessary. Serve hot with rice.

Coquito

Coquito, a traditional Puerto Rican nog, is a staple in many homes during the holidays. It's rich and flavorful without the eggy aftertaste of eggnog that puts some people off. 

If left at room temperature too long, the cream of coconut will start to separate out into chunks; simply re-blend to emulsify.

15-ounce can cream of coconut

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

12-ounce can evaporated milk

6 ozs white rum

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender. Process for 3 minutes at high speed until frothy. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator. Serve chilled. 

Molasses Spice Crinkles

I found this recipe in Gourmet Magazine in the late '90s to go alongside a Pumpkin Spice Mousse. I have upped the spices and decreased the baking time to customize the cookie to my own personal taste.

2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ancho chile powder (or to taste; can be omitted)
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
1 c packed brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
1/4 c granulated sugar

Into a large bowl sift together half of flour, baking soda, and spices. Whisk in brown sugar. 

Whisk melted butter, molasses and egg into flour mixture until well mixed. Stir in remaining flour. Chill dough, covered, until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Roll level tablespoons of dough into balls. In a small bowl, roll balls in granulated sugar to coat. 

Arrange balls 2" apart on baking sheets. Bake in batches in middle of oven until flattened and just set, about 9 minutes. Cookies will puff slightly and then collapse slightly, and tops will be covered with little cracks.

Cool cookies on baking sheets 2 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely. 

Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days. Makes about 56 cookies.

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

1 small onion, diced
1/2 each poblano pepper and red bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
16 ozs tater tots
3/4 c shredded pepper jack cheese
12 eggs, beaten
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Bake covered at 375° for 25-30 minutes, then uncovered another 5 minutes or until browned on top

Wild Mushroom Risotto

This dish is a Thanksgiving tradition in my household. I usually make the mushroom mixture ahead so that it comes together with no stirring in the last few minutes before dinner is ready. I also often double the recipe and use the leftovers to make risotto cakes – simply pat the mixture into patties, dredge in panko, and pan-fry until golden.

1 oz dried wild mushrooms (porcini, shiitake or a combination)

1 c boiling water

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 c minced onions

4 c sliced cremini mushrooms

several sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1 1/2 c Arborio rice

1/3 to 1/2 c white wine
3 1/2 - 4 c broth
1/2 c grated Parmesan, more to taste
3 Tbsp minced Italian parsley

Pour boiling water over dried mushrooms. Stir to coat. Soak 20-30 minutes or until rehydrated. Remove mushrooms to a cutting board; chop finely. Reserve soaking water, passing through a coffee filter if needed to remove grit. 

Heat butter and oil over medium heat in pressure cooker. Saute onions until soft but not browned. Add fresh mushrooms in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Cook until greatly reduced and beginning to brown. Stir in wild mushrooms and fresh thyme leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Mixture can be set aside at this point and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Add rice, stirring to coat thoroughly with oil. Add wine; when liquid looks mostly absorbed, add mushroom soaking liquid and 3 1/2 c broth. Bring to high pressure. Cook 4 minutes. 

Release pressure using the quick release method (cold running water on the lid). Return to stovetop; stir uncovered over medium heat 3-5 minutes until risotto thickens and rice is al dente. Add broth as needed for consistency. 

Stir in Parmesan, reserving some for top. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with reserved Parmesan and fresh parsley. Serves 6. 

Harvest Lasagna

This elaborate showstopper, a delicate layering of handmade paper-thin noodles and fresh roasted vegetables, bears little resemblance to the lasagnas of old. The bechamel and cheeses make it rich and filling but not heavy; it's beautiful enough for the main-dish pride of place at any Thanksgiving table. (If you prefer a more traditional gooey lasagna, add some shredded mozzarella in between the layers.)

Pasta:
2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil

Squash:
a 1 1/2 lb butternut squash
Olive oil
Salt

Mushrooms:
1 Tbsp olive oil, butter, or a combination
1/2 red onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs cremini mushrooms, washed and sliced
several sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bechamel:
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter
1/3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 c milk
3/4 c grated Pecorino cheese

Cheese filling:
2 c ricotta cheese
5 ozs soft goat cheese
1 egg
2 Tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp salt

Make the pasta: Process the ingredients in a food processor, pulsing until just blended, 15-20 seconds. Add a tablespoon or two of water if needed for proper consistency. Remove to a stand mixer with dough hook. Knead, sprinkling on flour by tablespoonfuls as needed to achieve proper consistency, for 10 minutes. Divide into 4 pieces. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let stand 60 minutes.

Roast the squash: Preheat oven to 400°. Peel, seed and cube the squash. Toss with olive oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer; roast until squash is tender and lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside.

Cook the mushrooms: Heat oil and/or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute until softened and translucent. Add mushrooms in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Saute until mushrooms have given up their liquid, are greatly reduced in volume and beginning to brown. Stir in fresh thyme leaves; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Roll out pasta: Lightly flour one ball of dough; flatten into a disc with your palm. Set your pasta machine's rollers at their widest setting. Pass through rollers, guiding it flat with your palm and flouring sparingly as needed to prevent sticking. Continue, notching rollers closer together with every other pass and stretching the dough gently as it emerges from the rollers, until pasta is paper-thin. Cut the sheets in half lengthwise; trim edges. Allow to stand for 60 minutes at room temperature if there is time.

Make the bechamel: Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in flour and salt. Whisk in milk, stirring constantly, until all milk is added and no lumps remain. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 c Pecorino. Set aside.

Make the cheese mixture: Stir together all ingredients. Set aside.

Assemble the lasagna: In a 9"x13" baking dish, layer ingredients as follows: 1 c sauce in the bottom, then layer noodles, squash, noodles, sauce; ricotta, noodles, sauce; mushrooms, noodles, the remaining sauce; and sprinkle with 3/4 c grated Pecorino. Cover with foil. (Can be refrigerated for 2 days before baking.)

Bake covered at 375° for 45 minutes, then uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until the top is nicely browned. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serves 12 to 16.

Kalakhand

This soft, fudgy milk-based Indian sweet is very simple to make.

400g paneer
1/4 c nonfat dry milk powder
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp rose water
1/8 tsp powdered cardamom
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped pistachios
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped slivered almonds

Grate paneer into a Pyrex bowl using a coarse Microplane grater. Mix in milk powder until it disappears. Pour in condensed milk and stir well with a silicone spatula. As you stir, you will notice the volume of the paneer decreasing. This is normal.

Cook in microwave on 100% power, uncovered, for 6 minutes. Remove and stir in any liquid at the bottom. Microwave mixture for an additional 5 minutes. Texture should be solid, moist but not runny.

While mixture cooks, butter an 8" round thali or cake pan very well. Set aside.

When mixture is cooked, stir in rose water and cardamom. Turn out into prepared thali, pressing flat with spatula. Sprinkle nuts atop kalakhand, pressing in with spatula. Let stand a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. Refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 36 pieces. 

Mushroom Cheddar Breakfast Bake

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bunch scallions, greens only, or 3/4 c chopped arugula
12 eggs
2/3 c white whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 c nonfat cottage cheese
3 ozs sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms; cook over high heat without stirring until mushrooms give up their liquid. Stir; add soy sauce and thyme. Cook until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms are browned. Stir in scallion greens or arugula. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with balloon whisk attachment, beat eggs until lemon-colored and tripled in volume, about 3 minutes. Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix until smooth. Stir in cottage cheese.

Butter a 9"x13" casserole dish. Spread mushroom mixture evenly over bottom of pan. Top with cheddar cheese. Pour egg mixture atop. Bake in a preheated 350 oven, covered, 35 to 40 minutes or until cooked through. 

Christmas Miracle Breakfast Casserole

I have been trying to get my kids to eat breakfast casseroles for years. YEARS. Nobody wants to be in the kitchen cooking on festive holiday mornings, and these "take it out of the fridge and pop it in the oven" casseroles promise to solve that problem, but not if your family uniformly turns up their noses every time you present one. So I sat down with my kids and we looked at recipes. Lots and lots of recipes. We picked and chose our favorite ideas from various recipes, and I assembled the resulting concoction. It's not that different from other breakfast casseroles I have made for them in the past. But they ate it. Both of them. And they enjoyed it. Talk about a Christmas miracle. 

Edited to add: I made this for Thanksgiving 2015, cooked it in a 6-quart oval slow cooker for 10 hours on LOW, and woke up to a perfect breakfast.

1 26-oz bag frozen hash browns (I use Trader Joe's)

1 Tbsp butter

1 c diced onion

1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced

12 eggs

1/2 c milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ancho chile powder

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

12 ozs grated pepper jack cheese

Butter a 9x13 casserole dish or the ceramic liner of a 6-quart oval slow cooker. Set aside.

Heat butter over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add onions; cook until softened and beginning to brown. Add mushrooms in batches, stirring as needed. Add spices; saute just until fragrant. Turn off heat. 

While vegetables cook, beat eggs and milk together. Place one-third of hash browns in bottom of prepared casserole. Top with half of sauteed vegetables, then a little less than half of cheese. Repeat this process with one-third of hash browns, the other half of sauteed vegetables, a little less than half of cheese, and the rest of the hash browns. Pour egg mixture atop vegetables, poking gently as needed to coat evenly. Top with the rest of the cheese.

I baked this in a casserole dish immediately after assembling it. It took 45 to 50 minutes at 375 degrees, the first half covered. This was much longer than I'd anticipated. Next time I'm going to try to cook it overnight in my slow cooker, which has a "keep warm" feature once the set time has elapsed. I'll start with 6 hours on HIGH, and we'll see how it goes. 

Ginger Spice Crinkles

These soft, chewy little cookies have a slightly more spicy and complex flavor than the traditional gingersnap. I like to prepare them to the "ball rolled in sugar stage" and stick them back in the refrigerator, then pop a baking sheet in the oven at dinnertime for fresh-baked cookies after we eat. 

2 1/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ancho chile powder

1/4 tsp cayenne1 c Sucanat
3/4 c unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
parchment paper
1/4 c granulated sugar

Stir together half of flour, baking soda, spices and Sucanat. Add melted butter, molasses and egg; mix until well integrated. Stir in remaining flour to make a soft dough. Remove dough to a container; refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place 1/4 c sugar in a small bowl. Roll level tablespoons of dough into balls; roll balls in granulated sugar to coat. Arrange balls 2" apart on baking sheets. Bake in batches on middle rack until flattened and a shade darker, 8 to 10 minutes. (Cookies will puff slightly and then collapse slightly, and tops will be covered with little cracks.) Cool cookies on baking sheets 2 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Christmas Morning Strata

This breakfast casserole comes together easily the night before. In fact, not only can you put it together in advance, you are supposed to! In the morning, remove it from the refrigerator and preheat the oven. Then take a quick break from presents to pop it in to bake. Right around the time your family frenzy slows down, and people start asking what's for breakfast, it will be ready.

1 Tbsp each butter and olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced1 large bunch kale, stems removed, cut in chiffonade
6 c stale sourdough bread, cut in 1" cubes
8 eggs2 c milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 c shredded Italian cheese blend (mine has mozzarella, asiago, fontina and provolone)
1/2 c shredded Pecorino Romano or other hard Italian grating cheese

Butter a 9"x13" or deep 10"x10" casserole dish. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove to a large (5-quart) bowl. Add mushrooms in batches; cook in a single layer until beginning to give up their liquid, then stir. Remove to bowl. Add 3 tablespoons water; stir to bring up browned bits. When water boils, add kale; cover skillet and cook until wilted. Remove kale to a cutting board; finely chop. Add to bowl along with bread cubes.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add milk; whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over bread-vegetable mixture. Layer ingredients in casserole dish as follows: 1/3 of bread-egg mixture, 1/2 of Italian cheese blend, 1/3 of bread-egg mixture, other 1/2 of Italian cheese blend, final 1/3 of bread-egg mixture, top with Romano. Cover with foil; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight to allow bread to soak up custard.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350. Remove casserole from refrigerator; let stand 30 minutes to allow to come to room temperature. (Reserve foil.) Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until nicely browned, then cover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until cooked through in the middle. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Bourbon Balls

This is one of those cases where it doesn't pay to use expensive alcohol. I used a Trader Joe's brand bourbon, to fine effect. Make sure to leave time for these to age; 2 to 3 weeks is optimal.

1 c powdered sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/4 c bourbon
2 Tbsp honey
2 1/2 c vanilla wafers, crushed
1 c pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa. Stir in bourbon and honey. Add wafer crumbs and pecans. Roll into 1" balls; roll the balls in additional powdered sugar. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

New England Clam Chowder

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 c onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
3 Tbsp flour
2 c vegetarian broth
3 6.5-oz cans chopped clams in juice
1 c heavy cream
1 bay leaf 

4 small russet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled, cut in 1/2" cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Smoked paprika and minced flat-leaf parsley
 

Heat butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; saute until softened, mixing often. 

 

While onion and celery cook, drain canned clams through a fine-mesh sieve. Reserve liquid. Check clams for bits of shell. Chop clams if desired.

 

Stir in flour to distribute evenly. Add broth, clam juice, cream, bay leaf and potatoes. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 20 minutes, stirring often, until potatoes are tender. Add clams, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until clams are heated through. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and minced parsley. Serve with sourdough bread. Serves 4.

Super-Tender Cashew Burfi

This burfi is crumblier than the other recipe I have on this site, but also very tender.

Hardware:
Candy or frying thermometer
Silpat (silicone baking mat)
Heatproof spatula
Parchment (not waxed) paper
Butter or ghee

Software:
3 c raw cashews
1/2 c water
2 c sugar
1/8 tsp ground cardamom

Grind cashews in batches to a fine powder. Don't over-process, or you'll get cashew nut butter! Set aside. Thoroughly butter your Silpat.

Place sugar in a saucepan; shake gently to distribute. Pour water over, starting at edges and finishing in middle, so no sugar crystals stick to sides of saucepan. Place over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook without stirring until syrup reaches "thread" stage, 223º to 234º F (106-112ºC) on thermometer.

Remove from heat. Add powdered cashews to syrup. Sprinkle cardamom over top; stir until thoroughly combined. Pour onto buttered Silpat. Using a well-buttered spatula, pat until thickness is even and shape is rectangular. Let cool 5 minutes, then use a table knife dipped in hot water to cut diamond shapes. Allow to sit at least 20 minutes, then break into individual pieces. When thoroughly cool, store in an airtight container.

2019 note: Made this with 2 3/4 cups almond flour instead of ground cashews. Stopped the sugar syrup at the high end of the range (231º F). It saved time and came out VERY well — evenly textured, not as crumbly, poured a bit thicker and set faster. 

Chiwda (Bombay Mixture)

Bombay chiwda is the original Kettle corn: a bit spicy, a bit sweet, a bit salty, and thoroughly wonderful. Since poha consumes a lot of oil when fried, this dish falls firmly in the category of "special occasion food." But do make it anyway; you won't be sorry. If your household includes no homesick Indians, you can easily halve the recipe and it will turn out just the same.

2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 c thick poha (beaten rice; available at Indian markets)1 c golden raisins
1 c whole skinned peanuts
1/2 c whole or halved cashews
3/4 c curry leaves, halved if large
1/2 c large-flake unsweetened coconut, broken into pieces if large
1 c rice bran or other oil for frying

Mix together cayenne, sugar, turmeric and salt; set aside. Measure all ingredients; set aside. Have ready a 5-quart stainless steel bowl and two heatproof silicone spatulas.

In a large stainless steel skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil. When it shimmers, scatter a small handful of poha over the top. It will immediately puff. Toss in skillet with a clean spatula until evenly puffed and browned, then remove to stainless bowl. Put another Tbsp of oil in skillet to heat. Using the second spatula, toss puffed poha with a bit of spice mixture until evenly coated. Repeat until all of poha is puffed and all of spice mixture is used.

Fry peanuts and cashews in a very little bit of oil until beginning to brown; add to bowl. Crisp curry leaves in batches in a bit of oil; add to bowl. Toast coconut, using up any remaining oil in skillet. Toss thoroughly. When cool, store in an airtight container. Makes 4 quarts.

Murukku (Chakli)

Traditionally these spicy palm-sized treats are fried by pressing dough in spirals directly into hot oil. I am neither that talented nor that brave, so I pre-press them in batches onto the oiled backs of metal bowls, then invert the bowls carefully into the hot oil. The oil detaches them and they keep their shape perfectly as they fry. You may also use a flat perforated metal ladle, if you own such a thing.

1/2 c moong dal
1/4 c chana dal
3 c rice flour
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp untoasted sesame seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt
large pinch asafetida powder
1 1/2 Tbsp ghee
1 to 1 1/2 c water
rice bran oil or other high-heat oil

In a large skillet, dry-roast moong dal until very slightly brown. Remove and let cool. Grind until very fine; sieve and re-grind large pieces. Repeat with chana dal. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine dal powders, rice flour, cumin and sesame seeds, salt, and asafetida. Stir to combine. Drizzle in ghee, working it in with your fingers to a breadcrumb consistency. Add water, starting with 1 cup and adding by tablespoons until proper consistency is reached. Dough should be very stiff but not crumbly.

Heat a 2" depth of oil to a frying temperature of 375 (temperature setting 6.5 on my induction cooktop). Place a quantity of dough in your murukku press. Squeeze dough out into spirals, giving 4 or 5 revolutions per murukku, onto oiled bottoms of metal bowls or an oiled perforated metal ladle. Fry until intense bubbling stops and murukku is lightly browned. Remove to a metal rack set over a sheet pan to drain and cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Store in an airtight lidded container.

Kara Sev

Time once again for Diwali preparations! I get a little braver every year, so this time around I'm making my own namkeen (spicy snacks). This one is traditionally made by rubbing dough through the holes of a sevai ladle. This struck me as unnecessarily laborious, and anyway I don't have a sevai ladle. So I used my murukku maker. If you don't have one, I'm sure something could be worked out using a spritz press, or even a handheld (not box) grater. You might not get the traditional short-fried-noodle shape of kara sev, but they would still be delicious.

1 c besan (chickpea flour)
1 c rice flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ghee
Water (5-6 Tbsp)
Rice bran oil for deep-frying

Sift together besan and rice flour to remove lumps. (Besan will clump up a traditional sifter, so it's better to use a metal sieve.) Add baking soda, pepper, cayenne and salt; stir to combine. Add ghee and 4 Tbsp water. Mix this, adding water by tablespoonfuls, until you have a moderately stiff but not crumbly dough.

Heat oil on high until it shimmers, then back off to medium-ish (I used 6.5 setting). While oil is heating, prepare a resting place: put a single layer of paper towels on a cooling rack, and set this on a sheet pan to catch any drips.

Put dough in a murukku maker with the sevai plate (many large holes). Squeeze out 1" lengths and cut them off into the frying oil. Fry until bubbling subsides and sevai are just golden. Remove with a spider to your cooling rack. When completely cooled, store in an airtight container. Makes 6 cups.

Sweet Potato Pie

I got the idea for this pie looking in the fridge at a container of already-roasted sweet potatoes and then in the freezer at an unbaked pie shell. Next time I think I'll add some fresh grated ginger and maybe some vanilla extract.

 

20 ounces sweet potatoes, roasted whole, then peeled
1 1/4 c nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
3/4 c Sucanat or other dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 9" deep-dish frozen pie shell
 

Preheat oven to 350. Place sweet potatoes in work bowl of a food processor; process until well blended. Add yogurt, brown sugar, spices, eggs and salt; process until well combined. Pour batter into pie shell; smooth top with wet fingertips. Bake 1 hour or until done. Remove from oven; set on rack to cool. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Hot Cheesy Artichoke Crab Dip

3/4 cup light sour cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
8 ozs neufchatel (light cream) cheese, softened
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp chiffonade fresh basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 scallion, minced
1/4 c roasted red pepper, finely chopped
14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup (2 ozs) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese 2 cans (9 ozs) lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
Vegetable cooking spray
Smoked paprika

Mix all ingredients in order given. Scoop into a 1 1/2 quart oval baking dish prepped with cooking spray. Top with paprika. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until bubbling. Serve with pita bite crackers or crostini and fresh vegetables (carrots, red bell peppers, etc).

Spaghetti with Mascarpone, Blue Cheese and Pecans

10 oz penne
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
6 oz blue cheese, crumbled
6 oz mascarpone cheese
freshly grated nutmeg
3 1/2 oz pecans, toasted and chopped
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta. While pasta cooks, melt buter in a saucepan. Gently fry garlic over low heat 2-3 minutes, until soft but not browned. Stir in cheeses, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Cook gently until sauce is heated through but sauce still has a little texture. Remove from heat; stir in pecans and chives. Stir in cooked, drained pasta. Season to taste; serve hot. Serves 4.