Pumpkin White Chocolate Cookies

My Dad was a generous host who treated Halloween like a well-orchestrated dinner party. The candy he handed out had to meet a certain standard much like the imported cheese and crackers that he carefully assembled for dinner guests. In southern Illinois, mini candy bars were considered top of the line and a few weeks before Halloween, he and my Mom would drive to a wholesale store to buy them in bulk.  

My Dad would pile bags of the bars into a shopping cart to ensure that every witch, ghost, and goblin that rang the doorbell left with a generous handout. My Mom would tell him to cut back by a bag or two knowing that he cushioned the count to accommodate his sweet tooth. But my Dad would insist that they also take part in the celebration.

On Halloween, my Dad would leave his medical practice early to ensure that the yard was presentable. He brought out the blower to clear leaves from the driveway and the front walk. Afterwards, he would put on a well-pressed shirt, pair of slacks, and a sweater vest to guard against the cold each time he popped open the screen door. Before my parents sat down for an early dinner, my Dad would transfer the bars into wide-mouthed wicker baskets, making it easy to dole them out. He also loaded his camera with film to document the parade of costumed guests.

PUMPKIN WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES
 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg

3/4 cup chopped pecans

2 cups white chocolate, finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well blended. 

Add the vanilla extract, cardamom, cinnamon, ground ginger, and cloves and beat until combined.

Add the pumpkin puree and egg. Beat until well combined.

Add half of the dry mixture and beat until the dry ingredients are just combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients.

Gently fold in the pecans and white chocolate.

Drop teaspoons full of cookie dough two inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake until edges brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.



Over Memorial Day, my partner Chris and I traveled west to attend my cousin Mithu’s wedding. The ceremony took place at the Fort Mason Center, which overlooks the San Francisco Bay. After the couple said their “I dos,” we stood in the sun, sipping Cochin Gin and Tonics flavored with a pinch of cardamom. Waiters wooed us with pan-fried plantains and melt-in-your-mouth ceviche. The hors d'oeuvres were followed by platters of perfectly seasoned tacos. Drunk with happiness (and booze), we embraced day five of our royal treatment.

As guests, we had been treated like royalty the moment we landed in California. My Uncle Mathew and Aunt Anu insisted on providing us with curb side pickup at the airport. They fed us scratch cooked meals three times a day (which included dosa and sambar, appam with egg roast, and barbequed tandoori chicken with potatoes). In between, we snacked on homemade beef cutlets and samosas from Trader Joe’s. In the evenings, my Uncle cracked open several bottles of wine to wash it all down.

Over the course of our stay, neither of us lifted a finger or spent a dime. It reminded me of trips to India where hospitality means everything.

BEEF CUTLETS

Thanks to its Christian population, Kerala is one of two states in India that allows for the consumption of beef. In our family, Beef Cutlets are a staple at family reunions and large celebrations. Preparing them is a multi-stepped process. But don’t worry. I’m sure you (and your guests) will find that it’s worth every bite.

Makes 30

INGREDIENTS

2 medium Idaho or Russet potatoes
2 pounds 90% lean angus beef
2 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks
16 cardamom pods
16 cloves
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
20 black peppercorns
3 tablespoons olive or canola oil plus 2 cups for frying
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 small serrano pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups bread crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil the potatoes until fork tender. Cool. Peel and mash.

Place the beef, cinnamon sticks, 12 cardamom pods, 12 cloves, and water in a medium sized saute pan. Cook on medium low heat for about 20 minutes or until the beef is thoroughly cooked. Transfer the beef to a colander to drain the fat. (This helps to ensure that the beef patties will hold together.)

Blend the remaining cardamom pods, cloves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and black peppercorns in a spice grinder until they form a fine powder.

Heat the oil in a medium sized saute pan on medium low heat. Add the ground spices and cook for 1 minute. Add the onions, serrano pepper, ginger, and salt. Cook until the onions turn translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the cooked beef to the onion mixture and stir to combine. Add the potatoes and mash all of the ingredients together to fully incorporate the potatoes.

Shaped the mixture into 30 2-inch patties and place them on cookie sheets.

Place the eggs in a small bowl and beat together. Place the bread crumbs in a small bowl.

One by one, coat each patty with eggs and then bread crumbs. Before transferring a patty to the bread crumbs, hold it above the bowl of beaten eggs to allow any excess to drain off. When the bread crumbs become clumpy (which will happen after you’ve dipped enough patties), add a few more tablespoons of bread crumbs to refresh bowl. Also, your fingers will become breaded at some point. Rub off the coating over the garbage or sink periodically.

 

Layer two cookie sheets with paper towels.

Heat 2 cups of oil in a fry pan over medium high heat. Place a pinch of the bread crumb egg batter in the pan. When it rises to the top and bubbles, the oil is ready to use.

Carefully lower 4 patties into the oil. Flip immediately with a slotted spoon (otherwise the breading will crack). Cook until teddy bear brown.

Place on the cookie sheets to cool.

To reheat cutlets: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not microwave cutlets as the breading becomes soggy.

Cooking with Cinnamon Sticks

Earlier this week, I placed a few pears in a pot with a pinch of ground cinnamon, splash of water, and smidge of brown sugar, and left it to cook over low heat. A few doors down, I moored myself to my laptop determined to do some work. Within minutes, the how-do-I-love thee scent (or should I say how-doth-though-love me allure) of stewing cinnamon filled the room, and I felt transported to the safety of my mom’s womb. Really my friends, that is what cinnamon does for me.  

Obviously, my love for the sweet spice is deep. During the gray winter months, I use it as a talisman to ward off the blues, stirring it into hot cocoa, layering it in oatmeal, and dusting it onto buttered toast along with a bit of sugar.  Cinnamon is my secret ingredient in fudge brownies, chocolate cake, and chocolate chip cookies. 

Cinnamon is also one of my favorite flavors in savory South Indian dishes. In Kerala, Syrian Christians use cinnamon sticks to flavor egg and meat dishes along side cardamom and cloves. For me, the three “Cs” (cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves) offer an unrivaled mix of warmth, punch, and sweetness. I keep a stockpile of cinnamon sticks in my pantry. 

Purchasing Cinnamon 

In the U.S., the spice sold as cinnamon is often really cassia, it’s botanical cousin. Cinnamon and cassia both come from the bark of evergreen trees. However, cassia sticks (pictured below on the left below) are thicker than cinnamon (on the right). 

Cassia is also darker in color and stronger in flavor than cinnamon due to a higher concentration of volatile oils. You can see below that the ground cinnamon on the left is several shades lighter than the ground cassia. 

In my experience, cinnamon has a much more nuanced flavor than cassia and, brings the dynamism of a symphony to a dish rather than the tone of one well-played instrument. However, cinnamon is hard to find outside of specialty spice stores (though it’s worth visiting one to learn the difference). In addition, because of it’s bold flavor cassia can stand its ground next to cloves and other bossy spices. For these reasons, I generally use cassia when cooking Indian food, and refer to it as cinnamon in recipes as is the general practice.

Cooking with Cinnamon Sticks

Kerala cooking involves the layering of flavors. Cinnamon sticks are often used to season hot oil. Onions, ginger, and other aromatics, which are sauteed in the oil, become the base for meat dishes and rice pilaf. Cinnamon sticks are also combined with water to stew beef.

 

Mom’s Chicken Biriyani

By mid-December, I feel deeply vexed by the commercialism that threatens to swallow up Christmas. To cope, I meditate on places that are deeply meaningful to me: my parent’s kitchen, a friend’s comfy couch, a peaceful aisle at the public library. I also ponder places beyond my reach. High on that list is my grandma Amachi’s prayer room. 



Counting all the family trips we took to India and the one time she visited the states, I spent a year with Amachi at most. She was a boxy woman with soft, doughy cheeks. When anyone leaned in for a kiss, she gently inhaled as if trying to breath in their essence. Like other women of her generation, Amachi fastened her hair in bun and wore a white chatta and mundu which seemed to glow when she moved about her kitchen and other dimly-lit spaces.



Since Amachi never learned English and I spoke Malayalum like a toddler (‘patti’ (dog), ‘poocha’ (cat), ‘kozhi’ (chicken)) our communication rarely involved words. We pantomimed. We nodded. We laughed. We frowned. 



During our trips, I came to know Amachi best by observing her gentle, rhythmic ways in the kitchen and watching her undetected in the prayer room. By mid-afternoon, she began boiling water for tiffin. Around 4 p.m., she covered a section of the expansive table she had used to nourish 14 children with perfectly steamed plantains, unda rolled from avalose podi, and hot, milky tea. Even now, when I eat a ripe plantain I think of the safety of her kitchen
.


Amachi’s prayer room was the size of a walk-in closet. It had a Syrian Christian cross (with curly ends) and a large statute of Mother Mary with the Christ child, arms open wide. On occasion, I walked by it at night, having misplaced a book or a hairbrush. In shadowy light, produced by the bouncing of candles, I would see Amachi’s outline: head bowed, hands clasps, lips moving in prayer. 



Mom's Chicken Biriyani

Serves 6 to 8

Biriyani is a richly-flavored Muslim dish commonly prepared with lamb or mutton in Kerala. We always serve it at Christmas (swapping in chicken) and for other meaningful occasions. The ingredient list is admittedly long, but friends that’s what it takes to eat like a Mughal Empress.



For rice:

½ cup butter
10 cardamom pods
10 cloves
1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water
Pinch saffron
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt

For chicken:

3 tablespoons coriander
1 tablespoon fennel
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
8 cardamom pods
10 cloves
3 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2½ teaspoon minced ginger
1 medium jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise
1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
¾ cup chopped tomatoes
1 pound chicken, preferably bone-in
3 tablespoons yogurt
1/3 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice

For garnish:

3 tablespoons butter
½ cup thinly sliced onions
¼ cup roughly chopped cashew nuts
3 tablespoons raisons

INSTRUCTIONS

For rice:

Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Rinse until the water becomes clear. Drain. 

Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the onions and cook until they just begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. 

Add the rice and stir to coat it with butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice granules separate and begin to look opaque.

Add the water, lemon juice, salt, and saffron, pinching it to release its essential oils. Stir. Bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not stir the rice while it is cooking. 

For chicken:

Blend the coriander, fennel, turmeric, cardamom pods, and cloves in a spice grinder.

Place the onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, cinnamon, tomatoes, chicken, yogurt, water, salt, lemon juice, and ground spices in in medium-sized stockpot or a Dutch oven. Stir together. 

Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the chicken flakes when pulled with a fork, about 20 to 25 minutes. If there is more than 1/3 of a cup of gravy, remove the chicken using a slotted spoon and cook the gravy to reduce it to 1/3 of a cup. 

For garnish:

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. 

When it melts, add the onions and cook until they begin to caramelize. Transfer to a bowl. 

Melt the remaining tablespoon butter and add the cashews and raisins. Cook until the cashews turn golden, stirring frequently.

You’re almost there (!):

Place a layer of rice in a large casserole dish (or one medium-sized casserole dish and a small casserole dish). Remove the cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon stick. 

Top with a layer of the chicken. 

Add another layer of rice, removing the rest of the cardamom pods and cloves. 

Add another layer of the chicken.

Top with the cashews, raisins, and onions. 

Bake at 400 degrees for an hour. 

Serve with cucumber tomato salad and lentil wafers.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

When the trees on my street shed their leaves, I go digging for pureed pumpkin. I usually find a can or two stacked near the cannellini beans that I have ignored in my cupboard. But the brisk air and jack-o-laterns scowling from stoops help to refocus my attention. Pumpkin pairs perfectly with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger ,and other warm spices. So I perfume the squash with the aromatics at every chance I get.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

This year, I started my pumpkin marathon with Matt Lewis's recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream-Cheese Filling. It calls for oil, which helps to produce pillow soft cakes. I recommend reducing the cloves to 3/4 of a tablespoon. A whole tablespoon leaves an unpleasant bite. Also, if you can, chill the pumpkin puree before adding it to the batter as it keeps the cakes from spreading when baked.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

I browned (and cooled) the butter for the cream-cheese filling, which adds a warm, nutty flavor.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Be sure to beat the butter thoroughly, and sift the powdered sugar to keep the filling free of lumps (and bumps). Also, blend in the powdered sugar in several batches.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)