Thatsaagreat pizza!

Ever since I left Paris I've been dying to find another slice of delicious saag pizza (Oh how I long for my Pink Flamingo Pizza) I've been begging my parents to show me how to make saag properly so I could make it at home, but they always thought it was a silly idea. Alas, the beautiful day has come and my tummy is oh so satisfied with my beloved saag pizza! My parents were really stoked tonight since I rarely please them and even more so rarely please them by eating Indian food.

Saag Paneer Pizza

Tonight, mom and I teamed up. Pizza girl plus Indian mom yields amazing Indian fusion pizza!!! This recipe for saag paneer is stand alone - she's made this recipe for years - and you can easily prepare it and serve it with naan as eaten traditionally. Or you can have it my way, slathered in melted cheese.

• Canola oil
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp plus more Laal mirch
• Garlic cloves
• Fresh ginger
• 2 10 oz frozen spinach packages, thawed
• 2 T butter
• Ready made paneer, cut into cubes (soak in water for ten minutes to soften)
• Ghee
• Asafoetida (in India known as Hing)
  
• 2 8oz fresh balls of mozzarella

Makes 2 14-inch pizzas


Put a little oil in a medium sized pot on medium heat. Add half tsp turmeric, laal Mirch, garlic, and ginger. Fry a half cup chopped onion and stir occasionally. Then add the spinach and mix well.

Allow it to simmer, and ensure no more frozen pieces are present. Add in the butter and stir. Mix the contents of the pot with a hand blender and blend until smooth. Add one cup Indian yoghurt and stir well. Add the paneer and mix.

Separately prepare the Tarka. Heat ghee and add 5 little shakes of asafetida powder, pinch of laal mirch, just for a minute!

Pour Tarka immediately in. Mom scoops up the spinach afterward and then pours it back in so that all the the tarka mjxture absorbed and the yummy oil doesnt stay in the other pan.

Add a pinch of cumin to the spinach mixture. Stir. Remove from heat!

On a floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle or circle depending on your pizza pans. I prefer to cook on either a pan with holes to allow the crust to cook well or a pre-heated pizza stone. Otherwise especially with a saag pizza you may have some soggy saag pizza on your hands. Place crust in pan.

Grate or slice the mozzarella depending on your preference.

Brush dough with olive oil with a pastry brush. Cook at 425F for 8- 10 minute you want dough cooked. Don't worry, the crust will get crisp/golden when you put it back in with the toppings.

Remove the crust and spread palak paneer on both crusts in a manner that you would put tomato sauce.

Sprinkle cheese evenly on both pizzas. Cook for ten minutes and then broil for a few minutes. Keep a watchful eye so the pizza doesn't burn! My dad prefers a more golden look so I broil for a full 3 minutes.

Quiche Queen Goes Florentine

Quiche Florentine

Mmm, mmm, mmm. Quiche is so good. Especially when that crust is done right, buttery and flaky, it can really complement that savory egg flavor. Naturally, when it came time to make quiche I consulted my favorite gal pal, Martha.

Before we get started here, I'm just going to say when you approach a Martha Stewart recipe, you can either follow it exactly... or what I like to do when I'm feeling a bit lazy is take the easy way out and try to substitute with already prepared items i.e. PIE CRUST. I hate making pie crust. In fact I refuse to make it unless my Daddy is around to roll it out. I'm usually too tired from all the rest of the cooking going on in the kitchen to get to that part. Finding a healthy, tasty pie crust can be quite the task, and your best bet is head straight to Whole Foods or Central Market and pick up some frozen pie crust made without corn syrups and hydrogenated oils. You will also want to watch out for the Prepared Time! Some of the recipes can be quite long or use ingredients that have to be prepared in advance. I always investigate my recipes a couple of days in advance just to be sure I'm well prepared for any surprises good, old Martha might throw me.

Here's the recipe I used to make my Quiche Florentine. I suggest half-ing it unless you're planning on feeding a lot of hungry people. One quiche was plenty for my family of five and we definitely had leftovers. Keep in mind, I did serve it with a side dish. As for the recipe, as usual I did not follow it exactly. Dad couldn't find gruyere cheese at the store and picked up swiss instead, but honestly a strong cheese is the key to a flavorful quiche. I like to try any cheeses I haven't tried before if I'm going to rely on it heavily for the success of my dish, and the deli workers are usually willing to give you a taste.

I love how the leaves of spinach swirl in the egg on their own. The quiche becomes a canvas for dancing flowers, and the best part is YOU CAN EAT THE FRAME!

In the end, Quiche Florentine is a buttery delight perfect for breakfast or for dinner. It's so easy if you've got the frozen pie crusts ready to go. If you're a home-made elitist, this recipe for Basic Pie Dough is kid-tested, mother approved. I'm eager to give the quiche recipe another go, but with individual sized pie crusts making it easy to serve guests. Bon appetit!