Doubles

While brainstorming “tropical” things to cook for dinner on the night of the hurricane, Matt thought of a dish he had tried called Doubles. They’re a street food from Trinidad and Tobago that he described to me as spicy, curried chickpeas sandwiched between fried flatbreads and served with a variety of hot sauces and chutneys. I was sold.

We threw together a probably not-very-authentic but extremely tasty version of Chana Masala as the filling, and then found a recipe for the fried bread, which are called “bara,” on Saveur. For sauces, we used both a store-bought chutney and Jamaican jerk hot sauce. It was a perfect thing to cook on a (very) rainy day.

Doubles

For the Filling

Vegetable oil
½ a yellow onion, chopped
1 fresno chili pepper, seeds removed and minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 ½ tsp. garam masala
1 ½ tsp. chili powder
Shake of turmeric
2 tbsp. whole milk yogurt
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 can of chickpeas, drained
Handful of cilantro, chopped

Start by sautéing the onion in some oil over medium heat. When it starts to soften, add the fresno chili, garlic, and ginger. Let this cook for a couple of minutes until softened, and then add the cumin, garam masala, chili powder, and turmeric. Cook for another minute or so, until the spices are fragrant. Add the yogurt and tomato paste. Let this mixture cook down so that it resembles a paste (about five minutes).

Add the chickpeas and just barely cover with water.

Let the mixture cook until the chickpeas are heated through. Then, scoop out roughly a half cup of the mixture and blend.

Return the blended chickpea mixture back to the pot.

At this point, you just want to cook it until the flavors come together. We let it sit on the stove while we cooked the bread, adding a little bit of water here and there if it dried out too much. Add the fresh cilantro at the very end before serving.

For the Bread
(Adapted from Saveur)

1 cups flour
1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 ¾ tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. sugar
3/8 c. water

Whisk together the flour, years, turmeric, salt, and sugar. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil the dough and transfer to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, transfer to a warm place, and let it rise for about 1 ½ hours.

After it has risen, divide the dough into 8 1-ounce portions and form into balls. Press each ball until it resembles a thin disk.

Heat some vegetable oil to about 325 degrees and fry the bread one portion at a time, flipping once, for about 30 seconds total.

Transfer the breads to a paper towel lined tray and sprinkle with salt while they’re still hot.

Assembling

I assembled all four “sandwiches” before serving and put them on a platter, but you could also just make them as you go.

We topped our doubles with a drizzle of jerk sauce and a nice heap of mango chutney. It was a spicy, sweet, and crunchy combination of goodness!

Banh Mi Picnic

The day after our Summer Rolls and Satay, Matt and I made our own version of Banh Mis with our leftovers and picnicked. Banh Mis are Vietnamese sandwiches usually made on a baguette made partially with rice flour. They can include a variety of fillings, but they traditionally include pate, grilled meat or ham, pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro, butter and/or mayonnaise, and chili peppers. I am by no means an expert on the Banh Mi, but Serious Eats has a great article/rant all about them if you’re interested in what’s truly authentic. I can’t claim that ours were authentic, but they were delicious and the perfect picnic food.

We started with a French baguette, sliced mostly in half lengthwise but not all the way through. Since this bread was a little denser than the typical Bahn Mi baguette, I tore out a little of the inside to make room for the fillings. Then, I spread each side with a thin layer of room temperature butter.

Next, I added a layer of meat. I used leftover satay beef that I had marinated and grilled the night before. Matt used some fried tofu.

I sprinkled a sliced chili evenly around the sandwich (but I wish I had actually added more).

We had quick pickled the leftover carrots and cucumber from the summer rolls the night before, so I added a generous pile of those next.

I topped the pickles with a handful of cilantro, stems and all.

I then sprinkled some fish sauce over the top, because I love the stuff.

Finally, I added some squirts of Sriracha for even more heat.

We ate our Bahn Mis with a 2010 Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, one of my favorites. I’m no expert in wine pairing, but I thought it went wonderfully.

Make That Sandwich!

I’ve decided to try out my luck again in another recipe contest - Mezzetta’s Make That Sandwich. I don’t want to get my hopes up because the huge cash prize has probably drawn tons of people, but I thought I’d share my recipe anyways. I think it’s pretty darn good!


Smokey Spanish Potato and Egg Sandwich

2 Tbsp Mezzetta Brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
4 baby potatoes (1 1/2 - 2 inch diameter)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp Mezzetta Brand Crushed Garlic
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 Tbsp Mezzetta Brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Mezzetta Brand Roasted Bell Peppers
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp spicy smoked paprika
2 Tbsp Napa Valley Bistro Brand Pitted Greek Kalamata Olives , chopped
2 Tbsp celery, chopped
4 Tbsp Mezzetta Brand Gourmet Baby Carrots, chopped
2 tsp liquid from Mezzetta Brand Gourmet Baby Carrots
Few pinches of kosher salt
1 large French baguette
4 romaine lettuce leaves

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook on low for 35 minutes, or until caramelized.

2. While the onions are cooking, start the boiled potatoes and hardboiled eggs, as these will each take about the same time to cook. Add the potatoes to one pot and fill with water so that the potatoes are covered with about an inch of water. Do the same with the eggs in a separate pot. Put both pots on the stove on high heat.

3. When the eggs begin to boil, take the pot off of the heat and let sit (covered) for 15 minutes. Let the potatoes boil for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.

4. While the eggs, potatoes, and onions are cooking, prepare an aioli by combining all of the ingredients from the mayonnaise through the paprika in a food processor. Set aside.

5. Prepare a relish by combining the olives, celery, carrots, and carrot liquid. Set aside.

6. When the eggs and potatoes are cooked, submerge in ice water to cool. Peel the egg and slice both the eggs and potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle the slices lightly with kosher salt.

7. Split the baguette and pull out some of the bread on the inside to make room for the fillings. Spread about four tablespoons of the aioli on each side of the baguette. Add the romaine lettuce to the top side of the baguette on top of the aioli. Spread the relish on the bottom half of the baguette on the aioli. Top the relish with a single layer of egg slices, then a thin layer of the caramelized onions, then a single layer of potato slices*. Place the top half of the baguette with the romaine onto the bottom half Cut the sandwich crosswise into fourths and enjoy this hearty vegetarian sandwich!

*Note: there might be some potato and egg slices left over depending on the size that you're using.

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

I was contemplating breakfast on my walk home from the gym the other morning and started craving smoked salmon. I had to stick with my standard ham sandwich breakfast that morning (yeah, I eat lunch food for breakfast), but I went to the grocery store after work and crafted this smoked salmon sandwich to have for the rest of the week. The possibilities are endless, but I decided on a filling of smoked salmon, herbed goat cheese spread, arugula, and cucumber. I also lightened up the goat cheese by adding some non-fat greek yogurt and lemon juice. It’s a great incentive to get myself out of bed in the morning!

½ c. non-fat greek yogurt
4 oz. herbed goat cheese
Juice of 2 lemons
1 shallot, chopped
Ground black pepper
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Arugula
Smoked salmon
Wheat bread

For the spread, combine the yogurt, goat cheese, lemon juice, and pepper in a food processor. Stir in the chopped shallot.

For the sandwich, spread a thin layer of the goat cheese spread on both sides of the bread. Add a layer of cucumber, a thin layer of salmon, and top with the arugula.