Thanksgiving Samosas With Green Chutney Food

THANKSGIVING SAMOSAS

Steps:

• For the pastry: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub the grapeseed oil into the flour mixture until well incorporated. Add the ajwain and nigella seeds. Gradually add the water, mixing after each pour, until a smooth dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes. Drizzle the bowl with a little oil; turn the dough to coat. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside on the counter.
• For the filling: In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute the red onions, chiles, ginger and turmeric in grapeseed oil until softened and slightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cranberries and peas; cook just until the peas are thawed, a couple minutes. Season with salt.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl with the potatoes and turkey and sprinkle with some lime juice and cilantro. Stir together, then taste for seasoning.
• To make the samosas: Heat 3 inches of oil in a Dutch oven over medium until the oil reaches 375 degrees F on a deep-frying thermometer.
• Divide the dough into 9 balls. Roll each ball into a 5- to 6-inch round. Slice each round into two semicircles. Set up a small bowl with water. Wet the straight edge a semicircle with a little water, then set the semicircle on a work surface with the straight edge facing away from you. Place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle of the semicircle. Fold one corner over the filling, forming a triangle; fold in the other corner to make a cone. Seal the ends with water, pinching and folding the edges to seal tightly. Repeat with the remaining semicircles.
• Fry the samosas in batches until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet on a paper-towel lined plate. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• For the green chutney: Add all the ingredients except for the creme fraiche to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the creme fraiche and blend until incorporated.
• Serve the samosas hot or at room temperature with the chutney.

HALLOUMI FRIES WITH BEET CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Turn the heat under a stovetop pressure cooker to medium-high and add the avocado oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the dried red chile. Cook, stirring, until deepened in color and puffed up, a few seconds. Add the cumin and fennel seeds and the turmeric and cook until deepened in color and flavor, about 30 seconds.
• Add the beets and stir to coat. Add the brown sugar, tamarind paste, salt, if using, and 3/4 cup water. Stir well. Secure the pressure cooker lid and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. Once at a high pressure, cook for 13 minutes. Turn off the heat and carefully release the pressure using the quick-release valve, then remove the lid. Pour the contents into a blender along with 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning until you like it.
• Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to a nonstick skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Pat the halloumi well with paper towels until it's dry. Place the halloumi in the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Spoon the beet chutney into a small side dish. Add the fries to a platter, then sprinkle with mint and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

BAKED SAMOSAS WITH MINT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Filling: In a small saucepan, add the potato and enough cold water to cover. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
• In a second small saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a simmer and add a generous pinch of salt, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, peppercorns, chili flakes, and chicken breast. Simmer until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Mash the potato and finely shred the chicken and put into a large bowl. Combine with mango, lime juice, chipotle sauce, remaining coriander seeds, cumin, cilantro, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mixing with a spoon or your hands, until well incorporated. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Set aside.
• Samosas: Roll the puff pastry out slightly, to flatten the seams. Using a paring knife to trace a 7-inch ring mold or bowl, cut the dough into 8 (7-inch wide) rounds. Cut each into 2 semicircles.
• Put a tablespoon or so of the filling in the center of a semicircle. Have a small bowl of water handy. Dip your finger in the water and run it along the edges of the semicircle. Arrange the samosas so the flat side is facing away from you. Grab the left corner and fold it over the dough in a triangular motion, so that this corner lands on the bottom right side of the filling. Do the same with the other corner.
• Squeeze bottom shut, and fold over, sealing with water. If you like, seal using a fork. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Arrange the 8 samosas on a lightly greased baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg and 1 teaspoon water with a fork until thoroughly combined. Brush the tops of the samosas with the egg wash.
• Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then turn heat down to 375 degrees F and bake for 10 more minutes. You can flip them over just before you turn the heat down, if you like.
• Chutney: In a food processor, whiz together the mint, cilantro, ginger, lime juice and water until it all comes together as a sauce. There'll probably still be little bits of leaf in the sauce, but I like how those taste, so no worries. Pour the chutney into a bowl.
• In a small pan, over medium heat, warm the oil until it shimmers. Add mustard seeds; they should sizzle. Immediately cover with a lid until they stop spluttering. Make sure they don't burn! If they do, start over. No big deal. I do it all the time! Immediately add the seeds and oil to the chutney. It will sizzle so stand back. Once you've poured in all of the oil, you can even spoon a little chutney into the pan (cue sizzling again!) so that you pick up all that lovely oil. Pour into the bowl with the chutney.
• Serve samosas hot, with the chutney... and bask in gratitude for the great ideas we all come up with, for our sensitive taste buds and for the blessing of good friends!
• In large bowl, combine the flour, buttermilk, oil, salt and ajwain seeds. Bring the ingredients together until a dough forms. Knead until it has softened a bit, about 5 minutes. Allow to rest, at room temperature, for 15 minutes. You can put this in the refrigerator, but make sure you let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so, in order for it to soften.
• Roll the dough into a short cylinder. Slice in half, then slice each half into 2 pieces, so you have 4 bits. Roll each bit into a ball. Flatten the balls into discs then, on a floured surface, roll them into a 1/8-inch thick, 7-inch wide circles. Cut in half to form 2 semicircles.

SAMOSAS WITH TAMARIND-DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• For the pastry: Add the flour, salt and nigella or ajwain seeds to a medium bowl and mix. Add the ghee or oil and mix in with your fingers until the dough looks crumbly. Begin by adding 3 tablespoons of cold water, then add more water a little a time to make a stiff dough. Try to knead the dough as little as possible (think flaky pie crust). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• For the spice blend: To roast the spices, heat a small cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the whole spices: coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, clove, cardamom and cinnamon and roast, shaking the skillet often, until the mixture darkens slightly and becomes toasty and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a small bowl to cool. Add the amchur powder, red chile powder and turmeric. Once cool, transfer to a grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a medium-fine grind.
• For the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let sizzle until they darken slightly, about 30 seconds Add the peanuts if using and cook until crunchy, about 2 minutes. Add the chiles and ginger and cook, stirring often, until the raw aroma of the ginger goes away, about 1 minute.
• Add the potatoes, peas, roasted spice blend and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until the peas soften and the mixture is well mixed and seasoned, about 3 minutes. Add the cilantro if using. Add salt to taste, amchur for additional tang and red chile powder for spice.
• To assemble and fry the samosas: Pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven or wide heavy-bottomed pot to come up the sides about 3 inches. Place over medium heat and heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 340 degrees F.
• While the oil is heating, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball (a kitchen scale is helpful here but not necessary). For smaller samosas, you can divide the dough into 8 balls. Cover all but 1 ball with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Flatten the uncovered ball into an oval patty. Lightly brush with oil and roll the patty into a thin oval (8 to 9 inches long and 5 to 6 inches wide). Cut in half widthwise into 2 semicircles.
• Set a small bowl of water beside you. Working with one semicircle at a time, fold over one end of the straight edge halfway toward the rounded edge. Using a fingertip, lightly wet the outside edge with a little water as well as the inner edge of the other half of the straight side. Then fold the other half up and overlapping the wet sides, about 1/4 inch, to form a cone. Press the edges together to form a seal. Hold the cone in one hand, pinch the seam again to make sure it's sealed and fill it with 2 tablespoons of the potato filling. Make a little pleat opposite of the sealed edge by pinching it over about 1/4 inch. This is the backbone of the samosa and will help it stand. Wet the inside of the rounded edge and fold it over the filling to enclose it. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat with a second dough ball and some of the filling to make 4 samosas.
• Double-check that the oil temperature is 340 degrees F (it's important for the oil to be medium hot; if it's too hot, the outside of the samosas will brown too quickly, while the inside dough will not be cooked enough and the samosas won't crisp up). Gently slip in the 4 samosas and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. If the samosas haven't browned by then, increase the temperature to 360 degrees F and cook, turning over as needed, until golden brown. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
• While the samosas are frying, shape and fill 4 more samosas, then repeat until all the samosas are shaped, filled and fried. Serve immediately with Tamarind-Date Chutney.
• Stir together the seedless tamarind, date paste, jaggery, cumin powder, red chile powder, ginger powder, fennel powder, black salt, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low so the sauce is simmering. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes; when you dip a spoon into the sauce and run your finger across the back of it, it should hold a line. Taste and add more salt or jaggery if needed. Remove from the heat and strain. Allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight glass jar and refrigerate.

TURKEY SAMOSAS

Steps:

• Make the samosa dough:
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the shortening and use a pastry blender or 2 forks to cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Gradually add the water in 3 batches and use the pastry blender or forks to gently work it into the dough (the dough will be shaggy at first). Transfer to a work surface, and knead the dough until it's hydrated and starting to smooth out, about 5 minutes (the surface of the dough will still appear shaggy; it will smooth out during resting). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
• While the dough is resting, make the samosa filling:
• In a heavy large saucepan over moderate heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, garam masala, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry powder and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mustard seeds begin to pop and the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, and hot chiles and stir to combine. Adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and set aside to let cool before filling the samosas.
• Fill the samosas:
• Divide the samosa dough into 6 equal parts and roll each into a ball. On a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each ball into a circle that measures about 8 inches across and is about 1/8 inch thick. DO AHEAD: The circles of samosa dough can be made ahead, layered between sheets of wax paper, wrapped in a double layer of plastic, and refrigerated for 24 hours or frozen up to 3 months. Defrost before using.
• Cut the dough circles in half, so that there are 12 semicircles. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the flat edge of 1 semicircle with water then fold 1 corner up and over middle. Fold the second corner over to make a triangle, and pinch the corners of the triangle to seal (leave the rounded side open). Hold the triangle in your hand with the open rounded side facing up and let dough fall open to make a cone. Fill with 1/4 cup filling, lightly brush the remaining open edge of the dough with water and then pinch along the rounded side to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. DO AHEAD: Filled samosas can be frozen, well wrapped in plastic, up to 3 months. Fry them from a partially defrosted state.
• Fry the samosas:
• Line a large baking sheet with paper towels.
• In a heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven over moderate heat, heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325°F. Working in batches, fry the samosas until dark golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer as done to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain and cool. Continue to fry the remaining samosas, returning the oil to 325°F between batches. Serve hot with the Cilantro-Mint Chutney and/or the mango Chutney, if desired.