4 Great Recipes From Our Place’s New Cookbook
Chana Masala, Shiza Shahid
In Pakistan, chana masala wouldn’t be the first dish to come to mind when you’re going to host. It’s home food, a simple chickpea curry – cosy, something my amma would make me when I was sick. Maybe it’s for that reason I love it. Rich in healing spices like ginger and turmeric, it’s a dish I think is perfect for winter. Plus, it is gloriously hands-off. Once you temper the spices and prepare your base, you leave everything to stew, letting time aid the flavour. Ultimately, the chickpeas should reach a thick, gravy-like consistency.
In a medium pan, heat the ghee over medium heat until hot and shimmering. Add the onion and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Add the cumin seeds and toast until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook until fragrant and barely starting to get colour, about 4 minutes.
Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the spices have bloomed lightly and the mixture has darkened in colour, about 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and stir often until they start to break down, 7-10 minutes. Add the chickpeas and 2 cups water, stirring well to combine everything.
Bring the chana masala to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a soft simmer and cook until you have a gravy that coats the chickpeas and the back of a spoon, about 25 minutes.
Use your spoon to lightly smash around two-thirds of the chickpeas, adding half a cup water if the masala gets too thick. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.
Garnish with the cilantro, garam masala, some chopped onion (if using) and the julienned ginger (if using). Serve with the lemon wedges.
Herby Olive Grilled Salmon, Maryah Anada
I made this on a whim a few summers ago and wow, was it good. The fat from the fish balances perfectly with the briny, brightness from the lemon and olives. This will become one of your grilling favourites. If you don’t have access to an outdoor grill, you can also use a ridged cast-iron grill pan inside.
For the sauce, in a blender, combine one and a half cups of the olive oil, the olives, parsley, chives, basil, garlic, coconut aminos and lemon juice. Blend until completely combined.
Slowly add more olive oil until you reach a super smooth, creamy consistency. Taste and adjust the salt and acid levels with sea salt and lemon juice. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Line a large bowl with a sealable bag. Pat the fish dry. Add the fish and sauce to the sealable bag and mix until the fillets are fully coated. Seal the bag so that it’s airtight and let marinate for at least 1-2 hours and up to overnight in the fridge.
Clean the grates of your grill and oil them with a paper towel. Bring the grill to medium heat.
Add the salmon to the grill skin-side down over direct heat (over the flame). Cover the grill and cook until the skin is browned and releases easily from the grates, 5-8 minutes. Carefully flip the fish and let it cook until it is completely cooked through to your preferred temperature, about another 5 minutes. (Alternatively, to cook on a cast-iron grill pan, oil the pan well and cook the salmon over medium heat until the skin self-releases. Then flip and continue to cook until you’ve reached your desired temperature.)
Slice the salmon into 2-inch pieces, then brush with more fresh green sauce, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. If you have leftover herbs, use them to decorate your platter as a final touch.
Tian of Eggplant, Summer Squash, Tomato, Basil & Perilla, Susan Kim
This layered vegetable dish reminds me of the ratatouille shown in the food critic’s memory in the movie Ratatouille. It’s definitely a labour of love. With shingled layers, it’s a beautiful dish to present at the dinner table and showcases the beauty of the long summer season. It can also be served at room temperature, so you can make it a day ahead of time so your hosting day is that much less stressful.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Season the eggplant, squash and tomatoes with salt.
Oil a medium pan liberally, with about half a cup of the oil. Begin arranging the vegetables. The idea is to shingle them in layers, like a gratin. The vegetables should be tightly packed in. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top, then tuck the herbs in between the layers sporadically, reserving some for garnish. Cover the pan with foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and reduce the oven temperature to 180°C. Continue to bake the tian for another 45 minutes, checking periodically and pressing down with a spatula.
Garnish with the remaining basil and perilla leaves.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Slab Pie, Bill Clark
I can’t remember the first time I made a slab pie for a crowd, but honestly, it’s not much more work than making a standard 9-inch pie. It shows off the berries that are just coming into season, ribboned into a base of sweet cream cheese in a buttery crust. This crust recipe is another to hang on to – it can be used for a slab pie in any season. You can cut this recipe in half and bake it on a baking tray instead.
Make the crust. Working in two batches in a food processor, add 2 cups of flour, a tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of salt, and pulse to combine. Add half of the butter to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal and there are pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and repeat the process with the second half.
Drizzle the cold water a couple of tbsp at a time over the butter-flour mixture. Using your fingertips, incorporate the water, being careful to not overwork or knead, until the dough sticks together but is not sticky. Gently press into a disc and wrap tightly with plastic. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to overnight. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Make the jam. Hull and slice the strawberries into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, lemon juice and salt. Cook over medium heat until the strawberries begin to soften and their juices are released, about 8 minutes.
Ladle out about a quarter cup of the strawberry juice into a small bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch until completely combined and smooth. Return to the saucepan and continue to cook until the mixture comes to a boil and is thickened. Spread on a sheet pan and cool in the refrigerator.
Make the cream cheese filling. In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, salt and flour. Set aside until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
To assemble the pie, divide off two-thirds of the dough. On a well-floured surface, roll into a rectangle of 15.5 × 20.5 inches. Line a half-sheet pan with the dough; it should come up the sides with a quarter-inch overlap.
Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the pie shell. Place the sheet pan in the fridge while you prepare the remaining crust.
Roll the remaining a third of the dough into a rectangle roughly 9 × 20 inches. Using a roller cutter, slice the dough lengthwise into strips 1.5 inches wide and 20 inches long.
Remove the filled crust from the refrigerator and dot the cream cheese with the strawberry jam. The jam should be evenly distributed, but some patches of cream cheese should show.
Lay the pie crust strips across the pie on top of the jam on a diagonal. You may basket weave them if desired. Finish by tucking in the quarter-inch overhang in the ends of the strips. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.
Transfer the pie to the floor of the oven (or the very lowest rack) and bake for 10 minutes.
Move to a rack in the centre of the oven and bake until the crust is golden and crisp, another 35-40 minutes.
Let cool completely. Slice the pie in a 5x5 grid to create 25 servings.
Dinner at Our Place is now available for pre-order at AMAZON.CO.UK
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