Garam Masala Star Cast

[Amice Golden]

Thissimple recipe for how to cook salmon steaks is something I came up with while doing Whole 30 a few years ago (we just left off the compound butter back then but have added it back in since) and it is a dinner we have kept making over and over. It is healthy, so easy (you can make it from start to finish in under 15 minutes) and so good!

Start by seasoning the salmon steaks on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be sure to sprinkle both from at least 6 inches over the salmon for more even coverage. I also like to season our fish with a little garam masala which adds a wonderful warmth to the dish, but simple salt and pepper will work just fine and let the meat shine through with its own wonderful flavor.

When the pan is hot, add a little olive oil (or brush onto the grill with a paper towel), then arrange the steaks in the pan and let them sear without moving. They need to cook between 3-5 minutes on the first side and should release pretty easily when they are ready to be flipped.

Carefully flip them to the other side with a large spatula (watch out for grease splatters) and let them cook another 3-5 minutes until opaque in the center. Be careful not to let the fish overcook or it will be dry. I like to stop just shy of fully opaque because the residual heat finishes cooking the salmon while it rests before we eat.

You might want to make an easy compound butter to add to the pan during the last few minutes of cooking or to place on top of the hot salmon to melt as soon as it comes off the grill. To do this, just mash a few of tablespoons of salted butter with some minced garlic and chopped fresh herbs. I did chives and fresh oregano this time and it was absolutely delicious, but rosemary, basil, and tarragon are all really good.

I love cooking salmon at home and thanks to your easy recipe and instructions it was perfect! This was my first time cooking salmon for dinner and it was such a hit. We loved all the flavors too. Thanks for another delicious meal Amy!

I will try this for dinner tonight. My neighbour went fishing yesterday and caught salmon and trout. He offed me the salmon and have to say was about 7 pounds. I cut 8 nice steaks discarding the head and tail. Froze 5 right away now have three fresh. Yum yum

This garam masala recipe comes from the excellent Indian cookbook Indian for Everyone by Anupy Singla. The book is full of authentic recipes with tips on how to make them gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan Indian food.

Making your own spice blends is easy, as long as you source all the ingredients ahead of time. Having spice blends on hand quickly adds complex flavours to your dishes. Use them in traditional Indian recipes and sprinkle on your everyday cooking as well.

While I've never been much of an everyday meal planner, I can plan a holiday feast with the best of them. Thanksgiving dinner has always been my favorite meal of the year. Over the years I've collected Thanksgiving cookbooks, bought and saved the Thanksgiving issues of more magazines than I can count, and compiled favorite recipes from family and friends.

So most years, my carefully crafted menus are filed away to become inspiration for another year. But as we know, sometimes life has its own plans, and we wind up having Thanksgiving dinner at home, just the 5 of us plus a couple of guests. These are the years that my menus come to fruition.

No matter which scenario plays out, I wouldn't trade my Thanksgiving menu planning tradition for anything. It's part of what makes fall my favorite time of year. This year's location hasn't been decided yet, but I sure am excited at the prospects!

Hand-in-hand with the menu planning is a carefully organized shopping list. I divide it into columns, grouping together all the beautiful season produce in one, proteins in another, dry goods in one, and of course, the all important dairy column. Because let's face it, one can never stock up too much butter during the holiday season.

One of my themed menus this year is going to revolve around infusing Indian flavors into classic turkey day offerings. I'm thinking turkey that has been marinated in the style of Butter Chicken, with gravy that echos that rich, silky sauce...cauliflower roasted and tossed with turmeric...rice pudding infused with pumpkin, cardamom, and cinnamon as a dessert offering...and these utterly irresistible mashed sweet potatoes that are scented with garam masala and rich, nutty browned butter.

This side dish would actually fit in nicely at any Thanksgiving table, not just one with an Indian theme. I've never been the biggest fan of the overly sweet, marshmallow-topped side dish that is customary this time of year, so I'm always working out a recipe that I can actually stomach.

One of my favorite ways to tame the sweetness is to combine sweet potatoes with regular potatoes, like I've done here. Maple syrup enhances the natural sweetness, while the warming spices in the Garam Masala spice mix help keep the flavors grounded. But the real star is the browned butter, whose fragrance alone has been known to make grown men swoon.

I like to use Land O Lakes Unsalted Butter to achieve the delicious results, but if you've used up all of your butter in baking (remember when I said one can never stock up on too much butter?), salted butter will work just fine here, too; just hold off seasoning with extra salt until you've tasted the sweet potato mixture.

And if you really must have your sweet potatoes covered in marshmallows, then by all means, scatter a layer across the top and give them a quick run under the broiler. I'm guessing that the brown butter that gets drizzled over the top before serving will still be your favorite part.

Combine both types of potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by an inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until they are tender, 13-15 minutes; drain. Return them to the same pot set over lowest heat, shaking every once in a while, until the potatoes are dry, 3-5 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the butter in a small pan (preferably a light-colored metal pan) over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will start to bubble and foam. Once it does this, stir or swirl often, until the milk solids have turned golden and start to smell nutty. This doesn't take very long, just a couple of minutes or so. As soon as this happens, pour the butter into a heatproof bowl, scraping out all of those browned bits, to stop the cooking.

Use a hand mixer to whip the potatoes. Add the half of the browned butter, milk, maple syrup, Garam Masala, salt and pepper to the pot, beating until combined. Transfer to a serving dish.

Drizzle the rest of the brown butter over the sweet potatoes and serve, sprinkled with a little more Garam Masala.

Notes:

As a nod to traditional sweet potato casserole, you can scatter a layer of mini marshmallows over the top of the dish after transferring to a (heatproof) serving dish. Set it under the broiler for a few seconds, until the marshmallows have turned golden. Finish with the final drizzle of brown butter and sprinkling of Garam Masala.

The word garam means hot in Hindi. This references the warming effect that spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom have on the body. The world masala means a blend. So essentially it means a warming spice blend.

This recipe is made with seven spices- cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, cumin, black pepper and star anise. Sharper spices like cumin and black pepper balance out the sweeter spices to ensure a bouquet of nuanced flavors.

To keep the garam masala fresh make this in small batches. The blend is a finishing spice. Use this to finish stews and dishes like Chana Masala or Alu Gobi. It is great in baked goods, instead of pumpkin pie spice. The stronger flavor screams winter and fall with a much louder voice. It is great for roasting root vegetables as well. Try to avoid letting it cook for too long, as this dulls the sweetness and results in a slightly bitter taste. It is the base spice for tandoori masala, so it is great for roasting or finishing roast chicken with. It is super easy to make, but if you have to buy it from the store buy a small bottle. Replenish it when needed. The best part of making garam masala is that the kitchen smells magical for hours.

This site is a personal effort at chronicling the recipes that I created. It also showcases our small commitment towards reducing our family carbon food print. There is more about me and how the family fits into the equation on this page and all about our little curry garden, here. Like most of the good cooks in my life, most notably my grandmother and mother, my cooking is very practical and approachable.

For my birthday last year, I went to Foreign Cinema. I spent the evening sipping champagne cocktails and laughing until my face hurt enjoying the company of two of my best girlfriends. Aside from the delicious company and those champagne cocktails, the most memorable thing about the evening was the garam masala fried chicken served with fresh grilled peaches.

Sabrina Modelle is the girl behind The Tomato Tart (www.thetomatotart.com). A web designer by day and a food writer by night, she lives, eats, and loves in El Corazon- right off the 24th Street corridor. She finds that inspiration comes easily in this city full farmers markets, mercados, food trucks, and food obsessed folks. Comments are her favorite, so speak up!

Hi Alicia,

I am so glad to have inspired you! As for the milk, you could use either (or even soy or almond if you like). I keep both on hand. Some people have issues with the guar gum in the boxed milks, but I can tolerate them fine in small amounts.

Sabrina

Last week, while scarfing down some Italian sausages from Marrow, our local confluence of butcher shop and restaurant, I got to thinking about how fennel in the U.S. seems most commonly associated with Italian cooking. But then I remembered my grandmother's garam masala recipe, where fennel emerges not as a background note but as the lead.

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