Multi-Taskers: Cheese Substitutions + Saag Paneer Recipe

More on "culinary zeitgeist."  

Much in my previous substitution post, it looks like substitutions come in threes:

India: Paneer
Italy: Ricotta Salata
Cyprus: Haloumi

(Possible addition to this discussion US: Cheese curds  I say possible because I do not know if cheese curds actually melt. I will experiment the next time I encounter cheese curds while shopping.)

I fully embrace what I call "multi-taskers" in the kitchen. They make life easier.  I've been cutting back on how many food stores I go to on my errand day, just to make my life easier, save time and effort. My local Korean grocer supplies everything I could possibly need--except paneer. 

The last time I went shopping, I was looking for paneer, none to be found. Same thing with Haloumi (which was out of stock at the Armenian market last time I went there). However, what H-mart DID have was Ricotta Salata. A hard pressed, dry, salty version of ricotta.

Remembering what I know of the paneer making process, I know it's got some similarities--though it's a smidge tangy and definitely saltier. I solicited the opinion of Niv over at Panfusine for her thoughts on cheese substitutions, as my discussion with her was regarding making saag paneer quiches with the leftovers. 

I had enough information from the chat to know the ricotta salata would work. Rather than saving it for the quiches, I used it for the saag paneer, and I will say that it did not melt, and I held off on adding any additional salt, as the cheese was salty enough!

Now to backtrack a bit...

While in India in January, Maharajah's cousin provided me with her recipe/formula for saag paneer which was so RIDICULOUSLY simple, I thought to myself, how could it possibly be tasty. Her version has something like 5 ingredients, thereabouts, and I felt as if she were playing a prank on me.

Her ingredients were:

Onion
Tomato
Chile pepper
Spinach
Paneer

That's it. Oh, and a little oil to cook the onion a bit. And no fancy techniques or spices. Not even turmeric. Grinds the onion with the chile and cooks that a bit in oil, then throws the washed spinach and diced tomato on top. Cover, and cook until spinach starts to wilt. Then puree that, put back in pan and toss in cubed paneer. DONE. Too simple. 

Anyway, here's my recipe for what I made this morning, however, mine is a bit more stripped down because I outright FORGOT about the onion. Oh, and no chile pepper in this, since Maharajah is preferring less heat these days (and I also forgot to mince it up). Kizmet!

Ingredients:

1 T Neutral oil
1 tsp Jeera 
2 tsp garlic paste
1 Big bag fresh spinach (pureed with enough water to make it loose, but not watery)
20 Grinds black pepper
1 package Ricotta Salata (roughly 6-8 oz?)
Half and Half
Butter

How-To:

I fried up the jeera until it was starting to turn golden brown and fragrant in the oil. I then added the garlic paste, and cooked about a minute until it started to turn golden. I then added the spinach puree, and lowered heat to a simmer, while I diced up the ricotta salata. I stirred the cheese cubes into the gently bubbling spinach sauce, and then added, like I said, about 20 grinds of black pepper. I let it cook maybe if that, 5 minutes more, and added a pat of butter (like the French chefs do to finish a sauce), and about 1-2 T of half and half to round out the saag mixture.  

Thinking it needed something "more," I took my ginger root out of the freezer, and shaved a bit of it into the sauce with a microplaner (thank you, Chef Roger, you ENABLER, YOU!). I also like a particular consistency to my sauces/gravies/curries, and there is a magical thickening agent I use, which I'll keep to myself, but use your judgment and add your thickener of choice (or none, YMMV!)

The lack of excessive spices accomplishes a couple of things:

1. Keeps the recipe SIMPLE.
2. Keeps the vibrant green of the spinach in tact. (Sorry, no photo this time!)
3. Keeps the recipe from tasting like EVERYTHING ELSE.  

Sometimes, I think, when you intensely season EVERYTHING, then EVERYTHING you cook tends to get lost--but if you have one intensely seasoned thing, and another item seasoned more subtle, there's a nice interplay, where both items you serve can shine in their own right.  

I made this up first thing this morning before leaving for work, as the Maharjah is working from home--so let's see what he thinks of it! 

ETA: 
Final analysis: Delicious but the ricotta salata adds an obvious tangy aspect to the saag, which in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you are expecting ultra smooth, luxurious on the tongue saag paneer, you might be surprised by the tang, so in hindsight, perhaps the haloumi would have worked better.

Another Rainy Day Project: Homemade "Ricotta" & Then "Whey Bread"

Homemade Ricotta

As published in: Homemade ricotta is as simple to make as it is versatile
Special "Hat Tip" to The Traveler's Lunchbox for bringing my attention to it!

Makes about 2 ½ cups

The flavor of homemade ricotta depends on the flavor of the milk and cream that go into it, so use the best you can find. I love the dairy from Fresh Breeze Organic in Lynden.

Ingredients:

2 quarts whole milk (not ultrapasteurized, preferably organic)
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt

Procedure:

1. Set a colander in the sink and line it with a triple layer of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) that you've rinsed and wrung out. Combine the milk, buttermilk, cream and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and place over medium heat. Stirring frequently to prevent scorching, heat the milk to a gentle simmer. Watch it carefully; when it reaches 175 degrees, it will start to curdle. As soon as you see this, give the milk one last stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom, and turn off the heat. Let the pot sit there, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. The soft white curds will separate from the yellowish whey and rise to form a raft on the surface.

2. Using a wire-mesh skimmer or large slotted spoon, gently lift off the curds into the colander, leaving as much of the whey behind as possible. Go slowly so as not to break up the curds too much. When you've transferred them all, pour off and discard the whey left in the pot, and salvage any curds that are stuck to the bottom. Let the cheese drain for about half an hour; when the draining slows, gather the edges of the cloth, tie them into a bag, and hang the bag from the faucet. Continue to drain until the ricotta is as thick as you like it, up to an hour longer.

3. Pack the ricotta into a covered container and store in the refrigerator. It's at its best during the first 3 to 4 days, but it will keep for about a week.

And in the comments section, I managed to find some useful information from user Gnwwolf, who makes their own buttermilk (thus saving money):

I take it one step further and make my own buttermilk, that way I only have to pick up a gallon of whole milk which is running around $1.99 in Burien:

Just under two cups milk
2 Tablespoons white vinegar.

Put the white vinegar in a two cup glass measure, pour in enough milk to bring it to two cups, let sit 5 minutes, then proceed with the ricotta making process.

I do save the whey for using in the 5 minute bread recipe, so win-win all around.

And of course, I couldn't let it "just be," as I'm now curious about the elusive "5 Minute Bread Recipe," too. Though I couldn't find the specific "5 minute bread recipe," I did manage to find a promising Whey Bread recipe over at Small Potatoes:

Copied and pasted from their blog post:

Ingredients:

5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tbls. sugar
4 1/2 tsp. yeast

3/4 hot whey leftover after the making of ricotta
1 cup warm water
5 tbls. butter, melted

Extras: cornmeal, sesame seeds, egg white

Procedure:

1. Add dry ingredients to the bowl and stir.
2. If the whey has cooled, heat whey and water. Slice butter and stir into the hot liquid to melt.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir well until combined. Or! Use your mixer and the dough hook to mix and knead. Either way, stir and knead for an additional five minutes, until the dough is smooth and warm.
4. Divide dough into desired portions. I suggest two pieces for full size loaves or three pieces for moderate, individual loaves. Pat the dough into a rectangle and then roll up into a cylinder. Pinch seams and edges and shape a little bit more.
5. Place onto a sheet pan that’s been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
6. If you want, paint the loaf with egg white and/or sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Bake at 425F for 30 minutes.

-This recipe easily doubles.
-Loaves freeze well after they have been cooled.
-Makes great garlic bread!
-Dry leftover pieces and process to make bread crumbs. Keep a container of bread crumbs in your freezer for later use.

I can see myself using the ricotta, pressing it until it is firm and dry, and using it as I would paneer (I believe it is the same process to make), and using the whey bread recipe for naans.

Tuesday Tastespotting, 6/10/08

Things I saw at Tastespotting which made me salivate and want to file away for future reference:

Fig Pistaschio Goat Cheese Spread
Pea Shoot Bubble & Squeak
Corn Pudding
Quinoa Muffins
Lemon Scented Quinoa with Asparagus

George Duran's Mom's Homemade Herb Cheese

George's Mom's Homemade Herb Cheese
Recipe courtesy George Duran

Ingredients:

1 gallon whole milk
1 pint half-and-half
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, to serve

Directions:

1. Drill holes into the bottom of a round plastic storage container (approximately 6 inches wide and at least 4 inches high) and set aside. Line a colander with cheesecloth and set aside.
   
   
2. Put the milk and half-and-half into a large pot over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until it reaches 195 degrees F. (There will be a slight simmer and the top will be very foamy.)
   
   
3. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the vinegar.
   
   
4. Put the colander into the sink and pour this mixture into the cheesecloth. When most of the liquid has passed through, add the tomatoes, basil, and salt and stir gently to incorporate. Gather up the ends of the cheesecloth and transfer the cheese to the plastic container.
   
   
5. Set the container on a rack on a sheet pan to catch the whey. Put a plate on top and weight it down with some heavy cans to squeeze out the excess liquid. Let rest for 1 hour, remove the cheesecloth, and return it to the plastic container with the plates and weights. Put it into the refrigerator overnight.
   
   
6. To serve, put the cheese onto a plate and brush with a little olive oil.