Apparently the "Syrian Christians" in India are referred to as such because when they were converted to Christianity nearly 2000 years ago, Syrian and Aramaic were the languages of choice for their sermons. They are apparently markedly distinct -- in both religious and dietary customs -- from the Latin-based Christians who were converted some 1500 years later.

I will admit, I don't really know anything about either sect beyond what Iyer has written about them in his book. But I do like this vinegary curry. The acidity puts me in mind of a vindaloo, but it has far less heat and more black pepper and other spices. The inclusion of the potatoes with the meat also puts me a bit in mind of a Goan gosht curry. And that one also includes vinegar and not too much heat, but the vinegar doesn't come through nearly as strongly in that one due to the inclusion of tomatoes and coconut milk, so the flavour profile feels quite different, even if it has several elements in common. Either way, it's delicious. Not a favourite, I think, but very good nonetheless.

Syrian Christian Lamb Curry

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 2 tsp. fennel seeds
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 (~7cm/3") cinnamon stick, broken into smaller pieces
• 500g boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1/2 c. vinegar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 1/4 c. oil and/or ghee, divided²
• 500g potatoes, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 20 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves

Directions

1. Combine the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, and cinnamon in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
2. Add the ground spices to a bowl along with the lamb, vinegar, salt, ground chilies, and turmeric. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour (and up to overnight).
3. Meanwhile, place the onion and garlic in a food processor and process until finely chopped. (Or mince both by hand.) Add the ginger paste.
4. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the potatoes and stir-fry until nicely browned and almost cooked through (~15 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
6. In a new pan, heat another Tbsp. of oil over medium heat.
7. Add the onion mixture and stir-fry for ~5 minutes.
8. Add the lamb, along with its marinade, and cook until oil begins to separate (~15 minutes).
9. Add the water and bring to a boil.
10. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until lamb is tender (~30 minutes).
11. Add the cilantro and potatoes and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, heat the remaining Tbsp. of oil (or ghee) over medium to medium-high heat.
13. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
14. Add the curry leaves and immediately remove from heat.
15. Stir-fry in the residual heat for a few seconds to allow the curry leaves to crisp up a bit.
16. Once the potatoes are cooked through, pour the tadka into the curry and stir to combine.
17. Serve over rice and/or with your favourite flatbread.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 1 tsp. of ground cayenne, but I decided that I wanted a slightly milder curry, so I swapped out the cayenne for half the amount of Kashmiri chilies. I was quite happy with the result, the curry had a bit of warmth to it without being spicy/hot. ^Back
2 The original recipe simply calls for 5 Tbsp. of oil: 2 Tbsp. to stir-fry the potatoes, 2 Tbsp. to cook the lamb, and a final Tbsp. for the tadka at the end. I opted to use the full 2 Tbsp. of oil for the potatoes, but only 1 Tbsp. for the lamb, and then switched it up and used a Tbsp. of ghee to make the tadka. Either approach will work just fine. Use whatever's convenient. ^Back

We had to clear some things out of the freezer when we swapped the fridge over and that left me with a batch of sourdough pastry that needed using. In theory this pie is meant to have a spiced almond-spelt pastry, but I figured the sourdough pastry would work just fine. And I took the spices that were meant to go into the pastry and added them to the filling instead.

The result was okay, but not great. That said, it was the filling, not the pastry that was the issue. The recipe called for "apple purée". I had a can of unsweetened applesauce on hand, so I used that and then added a sliced apple to make up the missing volume. I don't like how mushy the filling came out though. I think next time I'd just use sliced apples rather than sauce or purée. The recipe also didn't make enough filling, so I ended up having to chop up a couple of extra feijoas to add to the mix. I also feel like it could've done with more spices and a little extra sweetener as well. So, all-in-all, probably not one that I'd bother making again. At least not in this form. But I'm glad that I tried it.

Apple-Feijoa Pie

Adapted from NZ Women's Weekly

Ingredients

Pastry

• sourdough pastry
OR
• 125g butter
• 1 1/2 c. ground almonds
• 1 1/2 c. spelt flour
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 large eggs

Filling

• 2 c. chopped feijoa flesh
• 2 c. sliced apples
• 1/3 c. honey
• 1/4 c. brown sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (if using sourdough crust)
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon (if using sourdough crust)

Topping

• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds or sugar

Directions

1. For spelt pastry, add butter, almonds, flour, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and baking soda to a food processor and pulse until mixture looks sandy. Then, with processor running, add eggs, one at a time, and process until mixture comes together. For sourdough pastry, follow instructions for that recipe.
2. For either pastry, chill for ~30 minutes before continuing.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
4. Roll out 1/2 to 2/3 of the pastry and use it to line a 23cm (9") pie plate.
5. Combine the feijoas, apples, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon (if using) and dump into the pie shell.
6. Roll out the remaining pastry and use it to make either a plain or a lattice top for your pie, then crimp the edges.
7. Brush with egg and sprinkle with your choice of sesame seeds or sugar.
8. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 35-40 minutes.
9. Serve with cream or ice cream.

Menalina Saru (Peppery Pigeon Pea Stew)

I've been exhausted lately and Reiver is fighting a cold, so I threw together this simple dal for dinner last night. It takes very little effort and can be made entirely from pantry ingredients. And Iyer notes that the woman who gave him the recipe said that her mother used to make it for her whenever she got a cold, so it seemed particularly appropriate for the occasion.

Photo goes here.

Menalina Saru

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toor/toovar dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 4 cloves garlic (or 4-5 tsp. garlic paste)
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2-5 dried red cayenne or Thai chilies
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the pigeon peas well.
2. Add the peas to a pot with the water and bring to a boil.
3. Skim any foam from the surface, add the tomatoes, and allow to return to a boil.
4. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, add the cumin seeds, peppercorns, salt, and garlic to a food processor or molcajete and process into a damp, gritty blend. (Or, alternatively, grind the cumin, pepper, and salt in a spice grinder and then stir them into some garlic paste.)
6. Heat the ghee over medium to medium-high heat.
7. Add the chilies and toast until slightly blackened.
8. Add the garlic mixture and stir-fry until garlic is browned and mixture smells fragrant.
9. Once the peas are tender, stir in the garlic mixture.
10. Simmer, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes to marry the flavours.
11. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. (Preferably over rice with your favourite flatbread.)

Sauerbraten (German Sweet and Sour Beef)

When I was in NZ last year, I found an excellent deal on beef brisket and came home with a nice piece. It went in the freezer to be cooked later... But then I never quite got to it before I left. So it was still waiting for me in the freezer when I returned this year.

Another time I might've tried to smoke and/or barbecue it. But we're kind of out of grilling season in this hemisphere now and, after a year in the freezer, it was a bit freezer-burnt, so I decided to go for a slow cooker option instead.

After giving it a bit of thought and tossing around a few different ideas, I settled on taking a crack at turning it into sauerbraten. I have fond memories of the sauerbraten that my dad made. And, while I don't have his recipe, I figured I could at least ask the internet and try to come up with something similar. And it seemed like the ideal thing to do with a big chunk of slightly freezer-burnt beef.

The recipe that I used recommends using a bottom round or rump roast for this, but I figured the brisket would also work quite well. And it did! I really enjoyed how it came out. That said, I'm sure it would be good with other cuts too.

Sauerbraten

Slightly adapted from Daring Gourmet

Ingredients

• 2 onions, chopped
• 2-3 carrots, cut into large chunks
• 1 leek, white parts only, thoroughly rinsed and chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 juniper berries
• 6 whole cloves
• 10-12 black peppercorns
• 2 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 1/2 c. red wine
• 1 c. red wine vinegar¹
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 1.5-2kg beef roast (brisket, bottom round, rump, etc.)
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil or lard
• 4 slices bacon, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/4 c. raisins
• 75-85g gingersnaps/gingernuts (6-7 gingernuts), crushed
• 1 Tbsp. honey

Directions

1. Combine the onion, carrot, leek, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, juniper berries, cloves, peppercorns, salt, sugar, wine, vinegar, and water and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
4. Nestle the roast into the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 4-7 days, turning each day if the marinade does not completely cover the meat.
5. When ready to cook, remove the meat from the marinade and set aside.
6. Strain the marinade and reserve both the solids and the liquids.
7. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
8. Add the beef and sear on all sides. Set aside.
9. Add the bacon (if using) to the now-empty pot and cook.
10. Add the vegetables and sauté for ~5 minutes.
11. Add the flour and cook until no longer raw (3-4 minutes).
12. Pour in the reserved marinade, raisins, gingersnaps/gingernuts, and honey and bring to a boil.
13. Add beef, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2-4 hours if cooking on the stovetop. Otherwise, transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on "high" for ~6 hours. (Or use an InstantPot-style multi-cooker to do the whole thing in place.)
14. Once beef is cooked through and tender, remove from the pot and set aside.
15. If desired, remove the bay leaves, juniper berries, and cloves from the liquid and purée the veggies into it to make a thick gravy. Otherwise, adjust consistency by mixing in a cornstarch or flour slurry and boiling until gravy thickens to desired consistency.
16. Adjust seasoning to taste.
17. Slice beef and serve with the gravy (and veggies if you chose not to purée them).
18. Serve with a starch (potatoes, bread, etc.) and rotkohl (sweet-and-sour red cabbage) or another vegetable dish of your choice.

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¹ I couldn't find any red wine vinegar, so I just used white wine vinegar. Either is fine. I think that cider vinegar would also be good in a pinch. ^Back

I made this a few weeks back, but I didn't get around to writing it up at the time. It's ideally made with nectarine halves grilled on the barbecue, but you can also roast them in the oven for a few minutes to achieve a similar effect. Very simple, but quite tasty!

Photo goes here.

Grilled Nectarines with Brie

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 4 nectarines, halved and pitted
• olive oil
• 150g brie or camembert

Directions

1. Prepare grill for direct heat cooking and brush the grates with oil or preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
2. Brush the nectarines with olive oil.
3. Grill nectarines for ~5 minutes, turning once or twice, or place in a baking dish and roast for 5-8 minutes, turning once or twice.
4. Arrange cheese and nectarines in a serving dish or plate and serve.

I haven't gotten much baking done this year, but I really wanted to try a few more feijoa recipes and I finally found a little time and energy to do so today. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it smells delicious!

Photo goes here.

Feijoa Slice with Coconut Crumble Topping

Slightly adapted from NZ Women's Weekly

Ingredients

• 220g salted butter, softened
• 200g sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. dessicated (fine shredded) coconut¹
• 1/2 c. thread (coarse shredded) coconut
• 10 large feijoas², peeled and sliced
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Grease and line a 18x20cm baking tray and preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Cream butter with first measure of sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in vanilla.
4. Sift in flour and baking powder and stir in with spatula.
5. Stir in dessicated (fine) coconut.
6. Separate out ~1/3 of the mixture into a separate bowl and set aside. (This was ~245g for me.)
7. Press the larger measure of dough into the prepared baking tray.
8. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10-12 minutes (until just starting to brown).
9. Meanwhile, mix the thread (coarse) coconut into the remaining dough and chill for 10 minutes.
10. Toss the feijoas with the remaining sugar and cinnamon.
11. Once the crust is par-baked, dump the macerated feijoas on top of it and spread into an even layer.
12. Crumble the coconut mixture on top.
13. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25 minutes.

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¹ I didn't have any of the fine dessicated coconut, so I just used "tread" coconut for both coconut portions. It didn't mix into the crust as well, but I think it'll still be fine. ^Back
2 My feijoas were very large indeed and I still found that I needed all 10 to make enough filling for my slice. If you have average-sized feijoas, I'd recommend using up to 20 for your filling. ^Back

Pyaaz Tamatar Gosht (Onion-Tomato Lamb Curry)

Reiver found discount lamb at the butcher's last week, so I turned it into a tasty curry! I haven't had a chance to do many lamb curries, so this was a treat. It was also very easy. Definitely going on the "favourites" list!

Pyzza Tamatar Gosht

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 4 tsp. garlic paste
• 450g stewing lamb
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 4 cardamom pods (pref. black, but green is also okay)
• 2 bay leaves
• 250-400mL canned tomato (pasta) sauce¹
• 1/4 c. fried onions²
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine the coriander, cumin, salt, paprika, cayenne/Kashmiri chilies, turmeric, ginger paste, and garlic paste and toss with the lamb to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil over medium to medium-high heat.
3. Add the cardamom pods and bay leaves and sizzle for 20-30 seconds.
4. Add the lamb and sear for 5-8 minutes.
5. Add the tomato sauce, fried onions, and water and bring to a boil.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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¹ The original recipe only calls for 1 c. of tomato sauce. I used ~350mL and it was great and Reiver said that he wouldn't've minded it with even more sauce, so I think I'll just use the whole tin next time. Follow your heart! ^Back
2 Iyer calls for 1/4 c. of fried onion paste here. I didn't really want to make fried onion paste, so I just tossed in 1/4 c. of fried onions along with 1/4 c. of water. This seemed to work very well and I wouldn't hesitate to use this approach again. ^Back