Granola

I've been making my own granola for several years now. I always found store bought granola too sweet and I like to control what I eat. I started with a traditional recipe that included oil, sugar and raisins. It's evolved into a much simpler and healthier cereal.
This recipe does not form the traditional clusters we've come to expect with granola. Instead the crunch is provided by lots of nuts, and the chew by dried fruit.
It's sweetened with Grade B maple syrup and local honey.
If you would like oat clusters, just add a beaten egg white for every 4 cups of oats before roasting.
Feel free to add any nut, dried fruit or seed you enjoy.
Watch my Granola Video for cooking instruction

8 cups oats
1 cup sweetened dried coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
1/2 cup honey

1 cup diced dried figs
1 cup diced dried apricots
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix together oats, coconut and nuts in a large heavy gauge roasting pan.
Pour in the honey and maple syrup and mix well.
Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. At this point give the granola a good stir, paying close attention to the sides and bottom of the pan.
Return the pan to the oven and roast another 10 minutes, at this point the granola should be golden. If not, stir well and return to the oven for another 5 minutes but watch it closely, it can scorch easily.
Once the granola is finished roasting, stir in the dried fruit.
The granola will keep several weeks in an air tight container.

All recipes and photographs are property of The Gypsy Chef unless otherwise noted.

Golden Beet and Purple Potato Salad

I am having an ongoing love affair with golden beets and beet greens. When I spied some purple potatoes in Whole Foods Market I decided to pair them with the beets and place them on a bed of beet greens for a delicious and colorful spring salad.
I started by boiling the beets in salted water until tender. I then peeled, quartered and tossed them with a white wine vinaigrette.
I sat them aside and let them soak in the flavor while I prepared the potatoes and greens.
After washing the potatoes I cooked them in plenty of salted boiling water until they were also tender.
I drained and cut them in half.
I was wowed by the centers. The color knocked me off my feet! I made a stronger vinaigrette with lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic and Dijon mustard. Tossing them gently I seasoned them with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and set them aside to marinate. I julienned the beet greens and blanched them in salted boiling water until they were bright green. I drained them and chilled them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Once cool, I placed them in a salad spinner to remove the excess water. When I was ready to serve the salad, I tossed the greens in the white wine vinaigrette, and placed them on a platter. I then added the potatoes and beets. I felt the dish needed a few chives. Not having the time or inclination to run to the market, I found wild onions in my yard. Minced, they made a perfect garnish! Purple Potato and Golden Beet Salad

1 pound medium golden beets with tops
1 pound purple potatoes

Wash the beets, trim reserving the green tops and cook in a sauce pan in plenty of salted boiling water for about 15 minutes for medium beets. Rinse and when cool enough to handle peel and quarter. Place in a bowl and toss with just enough white wine vinaigrette to moisten. Set aside.

Wash the potatoes and place in a pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil turn the heat down and cook about 7-10 minutes. Drain. Halve lengthwise, place in a bowl and pour in the lemon vinaigrette, toss. Set aside. Do not mix with the golden beets, the potatoes will bleed.

Lemon and Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Place all ingredients in a jar and shake until blended.

White Wine Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground pepper
sea salt

Place all ingredients in a jar and shake until blended.

All text and recipes are property of The Gypsy Chef.

Shrimp al Ajillo

Many years ago in Madrid I ordered Shrimp al Ajillo for dinner. Served in an old dented aluminum pot, it didn't look too promising when it came to the table. Once the waiter removed the lid however, I knew we had ordered a winner. The strong aroma of garlic filled the room. Served alongside fried potatoes, we ate until every last morsel had disappeared. Shrimp, garlic and olive oil are always a winning combination. I've often changed the recipe to suit the season adding chopped basil, parsley or even tomatoes. Serve it over rice, pasta or eat it like a Madrileno with a side of fried potatoes. But be certain to always include a crusty bread for sopping up the extra sauce.
Shrimp al Ajillo

1 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 handful chopped fresh parsley

Pour olive oil and garlic into a large pot over medium heat. When you can smell the garlic aroma add the pepper flakes and paprika. Stir in the shrimp and raise the heat to high. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until the shrimp are opaque and firm about 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more hot sauce or crushed pepper flakes if needed. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Serves 4.


All recipes and photographs are property of The Gypsy Chef unless otherwise noted.

Springrolls in a Saigon Seminary

Chinese New Year always brings back fond memories for me, fireworks in Hong Kong, fire crackers in San Francisco and the fiery questions in Vietnam. In a Catholic Seminary in Saigon, as the South Vietnamese natives call this vibrant town. I was helping student priests practice their English, being asked every question they could think of, some inappropriate. One in particular still stands out in my memory, "Why do Americans have sex before marriage?". As the hour wore painfully on the questions kept coming. "Why are so many Americans divorced?" and "Do you pray for your son to have a vocation?". As they shot these questions at me, and many more, I struggled to answer without offending anyone. They seemed so naive I just couldn't give totally honest answers. I mean how do you explain sex to a priest?

But once my hour of torture ended we were herded downstairs to have dinner in the communal dining room. It was a typical Southeast Asian room, chest high walls with screens stretching to the ceiling. Too much light and floral table cloths, stretched on long family style tables. In other words, utterly charming. As the first course sat before me I remember thinking, thank heavens everyone would be eating and the questions would end. What I was unprepared for was the sweetest, freshest and most tasty Spring Roll I had ever eaten. It consisted of rice noodles, pork, carrots, bits of hot pepper, mint and cilantro. They were served along side a spicy sweet and sour sauce that had been made with Vietnamese fish sauce. It was that moment I fell in love with Vietnamese food. The rest of the meal was delicious pork meatballs with rice noodles in broth, a platter of fresh fruit and fresh coconut juice to drink. But the memory of those spring rolls stayed with me.

Recently I had a request for Spring Rolls from Susanna, an eleven year old who was having a "Chef's Birthday Party". I began researching and making different versions. This one is the closest I have found to the original I enjoyed on that hot, uncomfortable January evening.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls
adapted from Nina Simond's Asian Noodles

½ pound thin rice stick noodles, softened in hot water, cooked until just tender, rinsed under cold water and drained,
1- 6 ounce package Teriyaki Baked Sprout Tofu, julienned*
2 large carrots, peeled and shredded or grated
¾ cups fresh mint leaves, coarsely shredded
¾ cups fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely shredded
1/4 cup finely sliced scallions
35 round rice paper wrappers (about 8 inches in diameter)
2 heads Boston lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed, dried, and tough center ribs trimmed
1 ½ pounds shrimp, poached in boiling water until pink, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, and deveined














Place rice noodles, tofu, carrots, mint and cilantro in a large bowl and toss to mix.














Place 1 rice paper wrapper in a large skillet filled with 2 inches of warm water. Keep it submerged for 3 seconds, it will begin to soften immediately. The hotter the water the quicker the wrappers soften.













Remove the wrapper from the water and place it on a clean dish towel. Immediately place a piece of lettuce on the side of the wrapper nearest you.













Top it with a handful of the noodle mixture.











Fold the wrapper over the noodle mixture and add 3 shrimp, side by side, below the lettuce and wrap tightly. The shrimp will show thru the wrapper and make a beautiful presentation. Fold the sides in and roll tightly to to seal.











Serve immediately with Spicy Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce and Peanut Sauce.

Spicy Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
juice of 3 limes or lemons
¼ cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons grated carrots

In a medium bowl, soak the crushed red pepper in lime juice for 2-3 minutes. Add the fish sauce, sugar, and garlic and stir to dissolve the sugar. Just before serving, add the carrots. Refrigerated, in a covered container, the sauce will keep for up to 5 days.

Peanut Sauce
¼ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 ½ teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon safflower or corn oil
1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

In a small bowl, combine the hoisin, peanut butter, tomato paste, sugar, and water and stir until smooth.
Heat a small heavy saucepan over high heat. Add the oil and heat until hot, about 20 seconds. Add the garlic, and crushed red pepper and stir fry about 5 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the peanut butter mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Sold at Whole Foods Market
All photographs and recipes are the sole property of The Gypsy Chef or Pamela Dockery Food, unless otherwise credited.

Bloody Crepes Suzette

The first time I saw a blood orange I was in a restaurant in Florence, Italy. It was 1980 and we had finished dinner. The waiter had brought a bowl of oranges, a wedge of Gorgonzola Dolce and a bottle of Grappa to the table. As I began peeling the orange, I couldn't believe the color. It was beautiful. Too beautiful to be real. I actually wondered if they added dye to obtain the dramatic, red flesh. The peel had a blush to it and the juice was tart, but sweet. It was at that moment I fell in love with the Blood Orange. The waiter told me they were from Sicily, a variety called Tarocco and were the favored orange of Italy.
When I returned to Manhattan, I began searching the specialty stores for these Sicilian gems. The only store that stocked them at the time was Balducci's in Greenwich Village and they were only available in Feb and March. Every year I would anticipate their arrival in the market. I would buy loads and use them in tarts, salads, cocktails or place them in bowls on the coffee table for an evening treat.

Over the years they have become available everywhere. But I still find myself anticipating the arrival of the deep red Morro Blood Orange. This year I made Blood Orange Crepes Suzette, perfect as a Valentines Day dessert. Red, sweet and romantic. Enjoy them with a glass of Champagne and the person you love.

Cooks Illustrated has the best crepe batter recipe ever. I use that one, period the end. However that said, the sauce you can certainly play with and change to you hearts delight.

Crepe Batter
adapted from cooksllustrated.com

3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk, the original recipe calls for whole milk, but I found skim works well
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cognac
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons oil for greasing the pan

Place all ingredients in the blender 5 seconds, scrape sides and blend for another 5 seconds. Allow to rest in the refrigerator 2 hours.
Heat a 9 inch crepe pan and brush with butter. Pour 1/4 cup batter in center of pan. Swirl pan to spread batter all around. Don't worry about small holes, you will fold the crepes, cover them in sauce and believe me, no one will notice a few small holes. If they do they are undeserving of your crepes.

Cook until the crepe looks set, not wet and lightly colored on the bottom, less than one minute.
Loosen the edges with a spatula and turn. Cook another 20 seconds and turn out onto a plate to hold.


Continue until all the batter has been used.
This recipe makes approximately 12 crepes in a 9 inch crepe pan. Serving 4.

Blood Orange Sauce
adapted from cooksillustrated.com

4 tablespoons cognac or brandy
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 1/4 cups blood orange juice, from about 4-6 oranges
2 tablespoons triple sec
6 slices of blood orange, halved

Adjust the oven rack to lower position and pre-heat the broiler.

Using an oven proof skillet, add 3 tablespoons of cognac to the skillet. As the cognac heats it's easier to ignite. Hold the handle and tip the skillet away form you, as the cognac reaches the edge of the pan it will ignite and burn for about 30 seconds. Don't let it alarm you, it looks dangerous but it's not. If your timid about igniting the cognac, just heat it and use a chimney match. Shake the pan until the flames subside.
Add the butter, sugar and 1 cup blood orange juice to the pan and simmer briskly over high heat whisking occasionally until it reduces to a thick syrup, 6-8 minutes. You should have just over 1/2 cup of sauce. Do not wash the pan.

Pour the syrup into a large glass measuring cup and add the rest of the orange juice, triple sec, cognac, zest and cover to keep warm.

Using the same skillet, fold the crepes in quarters and place 9 crepes along the sides of the pan, the edges facing outward. Arrange 3 in the center, sprinkling evenly with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Place under the broiler and broil until sugar caramelizes and the crepes start to brown, about 5 minutes. Watch the crepes, you don't want to scorch them.
Remove from the oven and pour half the sauce over the crepes. Place on serving dishes and serve immediately, garnished with an orange slice and pass the extra sauce separately.
All pictures and recipes are the sole property of The Gypsy Chef, unless otherwise credited.

Goa in my Dreams

Last week a friend suggested I move to Goa for 5 months and work in another woman's restaurant for the season. My heart raced and I immediately saw myself in a long billowing skirt, wearing gold bangles on my wrists and bell like ankle bracelets. Long thick wavy hair flowing down my back and deliciously handsome men hanging on my every food quip. No kids, dogs or bills. Just an exotic, exciting adventure. All that night I just couldn't get the opportunity out of my head. As I slept, sounds of waves, a snake charmers flute and lilting Indian voices floated through my sub conscience. Morning came too soon as it always does when you're dreaming of adventure. I realized while I can't leave this year, I can make plans for next year. In the meantime I would make Indian dishes, wear those gold bangles and grow my hair.

Enjoy this Vindaloo Chicken, with the Cumin Scented Rice, Garlic Naan and Mango Sorbet for dessert. It's the next best thing.

Goan Chicken Vindaloo

Serves 6

10 cardamon pods, split and small seeds removed

1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seed

10 whole cloves

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 onion sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced into a paste

1 inch piece of ginger, grated

2 bay leaves

2 serrano chilies, slit, keep the seeds

3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon tamarind paste*

2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger, grated

pinch nutmeg

1- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon tamarind paste*

1 tablespoon brown sugar
*available in Asian markets or the international section of grocery stores

Heat a small skillet over high heat until hot. Add the cinnamon stick pieces, mustard seeds, cardamon pod seeds, and whole cloves. Toss around skillet until fragrant, remove to a bowl and allow to cool.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook until well browned. Browning the onions deeply will ensure a sweet and dark colored sauce. Add the chilies. Saute 1 minute and add the ground roasted spices. Cook 1 minute while stirring. Add the chicken and saute until cooked on all sides. Stir in the rest of the spices, cook one minute and add the water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, immediately turn down the heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes.

Stir in the tamarind paste and brown sugar. Cook another 5 minutes to develop the flavor.

Cumin Rice

1 tablespoon clarified butter (ghee) or oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 cups uncooked Basmati rice

1 1/2 cups water

Salt

Dash of lime juice

Lime wedges

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, heat butter until foaming. Add the cumin seeds and saute for 2 minutes, until the seeds sputter.

Add the rice, lime juice, water and salt. Stir well. Bring to a boil on high heat, turn the heat to very low, cover and cook 20 minutes until all water has evaporated. Turn off flame and leave on stove covered for 10 minutes before serving. Fluff with a fork.

All recipes and pictures are the sole property of The Gypsy Chef or Pamela Dockery Food, unless otherwise credited.

Coffee and a Doughnut

In a constant struggle to improve my mind and body I developed new habits and shed some old, not so healthy ones. For instance, I spend at least 30 minutes running on the treadmill for my heart, do 200 crunches at a sitting for those rock hard abs and work out with free weights to maintain healthy bones. I never eat more than 3 spoonfuls of Ben and Jerry's Pfish Food, enjoy one glass of wine with dinner and never ever eat processed sweets and I always buy organic, fresh, hormone free food. Yesterday I broke all my rules and succumbed to an Old Fashioned Chocolate Doughnut with a cup of French Roast. It wasn't Crispy Cremes, Dunkin or any other national brand, but a small store in San Francisco, " The Barbary Coast" with the freshest, most moist doughnut imaginable. You're thinking I just haven't had a doughnut in a while, and you're right I haven't. There was never anything to recommend them, with their flavorless, greasy, cold and too sweet taste.This doughnut was a revelation. Crunchy outside, moist inside, not too sweet and iced with just enough chocolate to whet your appetite and dusted with a sprinkling of coconut for that little added crunch. The second one was even better, iced with maple cream it melted in my mouth leaving a sweet, lingering taste of maple syrup. I was ready to order another, a glazed French Cruller, when a very good friend dragged me out of the shop. Yes, I will still hold to my discipline, but now I will include an occasional doughnut with my one cup of coffee. The simple pleasure of a cup of coffee and a doughnut.

How did I live without it?

All pictures and recipes are the sole property of The Gypsy Chef or Pamela Dockery Food, unless otherwise credited.