curds and whey

Fall always makes me feel industrious. This may be why it's my favorite season - the air starts turning a little crisper, my energy level increases as the humidity fades, the shorter days make me feel like I should make the most of them. So far this fall, I have finished a Christmas present project that I gifted incomplete in 2006 (shame on me!), made significant process on another crafty project that I should have done years ago, and..... made cheese! (Oh, also beer and apple cider donuts, but more on that another time.)

The cheese making process was much easier than I initially would have thought, especially for this simple, mild Indian paneer. All you need is milk (it really should be whole or even creamier) and some lemons.

When the milk comes to a rolling boil, you remove from the heat, add some lemon juice, and stir gently until the curds form. Let it sit ten minutes or so and then you drain it through cheesecloth, press it with something heavy (and leave it under that heavy object for about 20 minutes), and then it's ready to use!

I made an Indian saag paneer, which was a bit like creamed, intensely spiced, spinach with fried cheese. It was so good, after having the leftovers for lunch, we decided to make a second batch for dinner the next night. Here's the recipe I used (with my tweaks):

1 box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 large onion, diced
4 t. tomato paste
1 c. - 2 c. half and half (depending on how saucy you want it)
2 c. paneer cheese, fried if you want (and you do!)
1 t. fresh grated ginger
1 t. chopped garlic
1/2 t. cumin seeds
1 stick cinnamon
Dash of cardamon
Dash of cloves
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. turmeric
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. garam masala

Saute the onion in vegetable oil until translucent, add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, ginger, and garlic. Saute for a minute or so, then add the spinach and the rest of the dry spices and salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, then add tomato paste and cream. (Pan fry the paneer now.) Simmer 5 minutes or so, and then add the paneer. Serve with rice.

p.s. new book on the sidebar!