Baked garam masala turnip fries

Ali and I joined the Stanton Street CSA this summer, which brings us farm-fresh produce from Windflower Farm, and our first pickup of the season was this past Thursday. Sadly, Ali was in Chicago for her brother's graduation, so it was just my friend James and I walking over to the garden in Sara D Roosevelt Park for pickup. We got a nice, manageable first half-share, at a size I am sure is to grow as the season progresses: turnips, radishes, bok choy, lettuce, salad greens, garlic scapes, and a basil plant all made their way back to the apartment in our bags.

Though we were excited to jump in immediately and make a veggie-feast for the ages, my dad was also in town, and, he not being one for veggies, we agreed to go out to dinner. To get a taste of our spoils, though, we made these turnip fries in a flash before heading out to dinner. They were like potato fries, only earthier, on account of the truly fantastic turnips we got from the farm. They were fantastic, and, though they were good baked, I have a feeling they'd be even better fried, if you're feeling naughty.

BAKED GARAM MASALA TURNIP FRIES

3 large turnips
1.5 tbs olive oil
1.5 tsp garlic salt
1 tbs garam masala powder
Pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
1. Peel the turnips, then cut to fry size, about 3/8" by 2". If you have one, julienne them with a mandoline.
2. Put the fries in a bowl; toss with olive oil.
3. Put all other ingredients in a bag; shake to mix. Put oiled fries in the bag; shake vigorously.
4. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil. Place the fries on the foil, and put the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, until brown.

Yield: A quick snack for two.

Curried scallops with acorn squash

I am impressed by the simplicity of most scallops you find in nice restaurants. They're caramelized, sautéed in some subtle reduction, and served. Even more simple is scallop sushi, the deliciousness of which proves once and for all that scallops were doing just fine as a food even before our species carved its first spear. This meal, partly inspired by the perfect scallops we ate at Little Giant a few nights ago, was an attempt to see what happens when one does seriously spice their scallops, and it proved to be an extremely easy way to prepare an impressive looking (and tasting) fleshed-out full-plate entrée.

To be honest, this is the first dish I have made that I would be thrilled to receive at a nice restaurant. The curry sauce adds spice to the scallops and squash without overwhelming their natural flavor, and, if you brown the squash just right, all the colors become perfectly matched.



CURRIED SCALLOPS WITH ACORN SQUASH
adapted from epicurious

1 large (1 1/2- to 2-lb) acorn squash
2 tsp butter
3/4 lb sea scallops
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup water
3 tsp garam masala powder
3/4 cup coconut milk

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Halve acorn squash, and remove seeds.
3. Rub each half of the squash, including the cavity, with salted butter. Place face down on a baking sheet and put in oven.
4. After squash has been roasting 30 minutes, pat scallops dry and season with salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown scallops on both sides, 4 to 6 minutes total (scallops will be almost cooked through). Remove from heat. Add turmeric and toss until scallops are yellow, then transfer to a bowl.
5. Cook jalapeño, garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon lime juice in remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add water and simmer until water is evaporated and chile mixture is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add coconut milk and garam masala and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cover.
6. When squash is tender, add remaining 2 teaspoons lime juice and scallops with any liquid that has accumulated in bowl to sauce and simmer until scallops are just cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
7. Remove from heat, and spoon scallops and sauce onto squash.

Garam masala beet chips

I've always been a huge fan of beet chips, but have been frustrated by the generally unhealthy commonly available bagged varieties. Most of them are fried, or, if baked, baked in a thick layer of oil. So, with little to do on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I decided to try my hand at making them from scratch. These beet chips, which are the result of a combination of a couple recipes I found, are baked without oil, and they're the better for it.

Aside from being a fun experiment in making healthy snack foods, this was a great way to use two presents my mom gave us when she was here: garam masala curry powder (which Ali already used to make sweet potato latkes), fresh from the spice market in Istanbul, and an OXO mandoline that I used to slice the beets thin. The (organic) beets themselves are from a stall at the Union Square Greenmarket.

Make sure you slice the beets as thin as you can – they're best when they're crunchy.



GARAM MASALA BEET CHIPS

Time: 1 1/4 hours (20 minutes active prep, 50-60 minutes to bake)

2-3 medium-size beets
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
4 tbs garam masala curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel the beets, and use a mandoline to slice them as thin as possible.
2. Boil the water and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Remove the sugar water from the stove, and add curry powder and beet slices.
4. Stir beets until covered, and leave for 10 minutes.
5. Drain beets, let sit for another ten minutes.
6. Spray a small amount of cooking spray on a baking sheet. Arrange beet slices on tray so they don't touch.
7. Season beets with salt, pepper, and additional curry powder to taste. Bake for 50-60 minutes, flipping once. When you flip them, season again to taste.