Baked jalapeno poppers

The first time I ate these little things was at a work party in Singapore and they were the frozen store-bought type - but they were so delicious that I made a pig out of myself over them. I don't remember eating anything else that evening, actually. It could have just been the relief of finding something to eat that was vegetarian (our office parties had plenty of delicious looking things to eat, 98% of them barred to me), but that was not the real reason I monopolised the poppers - the real reason was a sort of disbelieving greed that something could be so darn good. I didn't imagine that replicating them at home was possible, so I didn't bother. I didn't even know what they were called, other than the generic "stuffed pepper".

Eventually, though, years later and thanks to the Internet and food websites, I discovered that the peppers were called jalapenos, and that the stuffed ones had a name - poppers. Going by my own experience, I imagined that was because you couldn't stop popping them into your mouth. Pop pop pop...

Anyway, if I was making these just for myself, I would not have bothered to remove the innards from the jalapenos. But as there were other less chilli-tolerant people who would be trying out the poppers, I removed every last vestige of seeds and pith that I could manage. So, stuffed with cheese as they were, the poppers didnt quite give me that hit of heat I would've ideally liked. That said, they were still quite, quite delicious. One of the few things, in my opinion, that are just as gorgeous baked as deep-fried. 

Don't get me wrong, just because they are baked doesn't mean these jalapenos are low in fat or can be classified as health food (oh how I wish...!) - far from it. But they're that much less fattier than deep-fried, that's all. They're best had fresh and warm - I don't think I would recommend eating them oven-hot, because the cheese would probably strip the lining from your cheeks. Eat them warm, though, and tell me these poppers aren't the scrummiest thing you've ever tasted...

Recipe for: Baked jalapeno poppers

Ingredients:
10 jalapenos, all of a size
1/3 cup garlic-herb cream cheese
1/3 cup Boursin cheese
1/3 cup grated mature Cheddar cheese

2 tsp milk
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 egg + 1 egg white
Breadcrumbs as required (1 generous cup)
Water



Method:
1. Halve the jalapenos lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds and pith without cutting through the flesh.


2. Mix the flour, pepper and garlic powder in a shallow, wide bowl.

3. Put the cream cheese, Boursin and cheddar in a bowl and mix together well.

Dribble in the milk and blend again.

4. Whisk the egg and egg white till well blended but not foamy.

5. Fill the jalapeno halves with the cream cheese mixture.


6. Put some plain water in a shallow bowl. Dip each filled jalapeno first in the water, then in the flour so that both sides are well covered,

then in the beaten egg,

and finally in the breadcrumbs.

Place on a non-stick foil-covered baking tray.

7. Heat the oven to 180C/350F and bake the jalapenos for about 30-40 minutes - it took 30  minutes in my fan-assisted oven.

8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RECIPE: BAKED JALAPENO POPPERS
Ingredients:
10 jalapenos, all of a size

1/3 cup garlic-herb cream cheese

1/3 cup Boursin cheese

1/3 cup grated mature Cheddar cheese

2 tsp milk

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 egg + 1 egg white

Breadcrumbs as required (1 generous cup)

Water

Method:

1. Halve the jalapenos lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds and pith without cutting through the flesh. 

2. Mix the flour, pepper and garlic powder in a shallow, wide bowl.

3. Put the cream cheese, Boursin and cheddar in a bowl and mix together well. Dribble in the milk and blend again. 

4. Whisk the egg and egg white till well blended but not foamy. 

5. Fill the jalapeno halves with the cream cheese mixture. 

6. Put some plain water in a shallow bowl. Dip each filled jalapeno first in the water, then in the flour so that both sides are well covered, then in the beaten egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Place on a non-stick foil-covered baking tray. 

7. Heat the oven to 180C/350F and bake the jalapenos for about 30-40 minutes - it took 30  minutes in my fan-assisted oven.

8. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Palak matar paneer (Paneer and peas in spinach gravy)

Some time ago, we went to a little Indian takeaway restaurant to see if it was any better than the others that we had visited (short version – it wasn’t). When I say Indian, of course, I mean Bangladeshi… most of the take-aways are (over)run by Bangladeshi folks. No, I actually mean Bangladeshi men, because I’ve never seen any women working at any of these take-out/eateries (shall we just say “takeouteries”?), ever. Anywhere.

Anyway, the menu had palak paneer (translated to “spinach with cheese” for the edification of non-desi types) listed under side dishes, so we ordered it, as Pete likes paneer.

What we got, however, was as far away from paneer as… well, as cheddar cheese. Because that’s what it was – pureed spinach with over-melted (read crusty) cheddar cheese on top. It wasn’t inedible, but it also wasn’t paneer. When I questioned the server about this travesty of a North Indian dish, he actually insisted that it was what I’d ordered - spinach with cheese. Well, yeah. Technically, it was, I suppose… but it wasn’t paneer.

I wasn’t inclined to take it further with him because for one, Pete thought the dish was okay, and for two, it wasn’t like we’d paid through our noses for the meal… but of course I knew we’d never go back to that particular restaurant again.

A few weeks later, I went to our usual takeouterie for some plain naan (which they make really well). While I was waiting for my order, the restaurant guy engaged me in some idle chat, trying to get me to order some of their main dishes as well. When he recommended the palak paneer, I told him about our cheddar experience and he fell about laughing, calling his mates to hear all about it as well. They all wanted to know which restaurant we’d been to, but I decided not to fuel their gossip quite that much, so I was deliberately vague.

They had a terrific time laughing about my experience (which made me wonder why, as it wasn’t THAT funny! Or perhaps they were bored and this was their only entertainment for the week), but he recovered enough before I left to say to me: “Madam, this is why you should come only to our takeaway”.

What I thought was: “This is why I should make palak paneer at home” – but I didn’t say it to him. I went home instead, clutching my oven-hot plain naan.

And some considerable time later, I made palak-matar-paneer - which, translated into posh restaurant-speak for non-desi readers is “Lightly sautéed cubes of Indian cheese, cooked with fresh green peas and served in a mildly spiced, silky spinach gravy finished off with a swirl of fresh cream”.

Does that description make you want to lick your monitor screen, or at least your lips? :o)

Recipe for: Palak matar paneer



Ingredients:

2 medium tomatoes, chopped (reserve two tbsp)
1 medium tomato, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
4 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup cooked fresh green peas
1 cup paneer, cubed
2 cloves garlic
3 fresh green chillies (or to taste), chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
1 tbsp coriander leaves, roughly chopped
A few tbsp cream for garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and lightly fry the paneer pieces till they turn a pale gold. Drain and reserve.



2. Add the remaining tsp of oil to the pan and when it's hot, fry the chopped green chillies, cumin seeds and garlic for 30 seconds.

3. Add the sliced onions to the pan and fry till they turn soft and pale brown. Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they begin to turn mushy. Toss in a handful of spinach leaves, stir till they wilt, add another handful of leaves and continue till all the spinach is wilted.



4. Let the mixture cool for a bit, then blitz it in a food processor along with the remaining sliced tomato,



till it's a smooth puree. You wont need to add any extra water.



5. In the same pan, add the reserved 2 tbsp chopped tomatoes and fry them till they just begin to break down.



6. Add the spinach puree to the tomatoes in the pan, stir in salt to taste along with 1/4 cup water, and let the sauce simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.



7. Toss in the paneer now and simmer the mixture for two minutes.



8. Add the cooked green peas and garam masala, stir it in.



Leave on the hob for a minute longer, then turn the heat off. Garnish with chopped coriander.



9. Just before serving, swirl some fresh cream into the gravy (if desired) and serve hot with rotis or jeera rice.