Book of Yum

Some of you may remember my post for Aloo Masala Samosa where I took BytheBay’s Chebe dough pastry crust and filled it with the same potato filling used in Masala Dosa. It was delicious, and the tapioca starch Chebe crust worked beautifully. I baked it rather than frying it for convenience and health reasons, but one of these days I’ll try a genuinely deep-fried samosa. I enjoyed that rather unconventional samosa very much, but lately I find myself pining for whole-grain flour blends and the heartier flavors found at vegetarian restaurants. Chebe is always a nice, mild pastry, but I thought that perhaps I could come up with a flour blend that would approximate a whole wheat-pastry crust, and bake it just as I baked the former dough. I also wanted to make a vegan samosa for my readers who have egg or dairy intolerances or follow a vegan diet. I played with some of my favorite flours to come up with this tasty samosa. The dough has its quirks, but if you follow the directions carefully I think you can get the same satisfying results that I did. I could really imagine having this samosa at some local vegetarian restaurant, maybe with a nice fresh Indian chutney and/or raita. I made so much potato filling I had way too much for just the whole-grain GF pastry, so I decided to make a (non-vegan) Chebe pastry recipe as well. The best thing? both of these recipes keep and travel well, so the next morning when I had to leave in a hurry for an early flight, I was able to heat one in the oven and devour it in the car.

Below you can see the step-by-step guide to making the vegan dough. The crust is very delicate so if you just try to roll it out and shape it, it is prone to cracking. BUT, if you follow my super-sneaky steps, you can make perfectly smooth and lovely samosas! This trick would work for any gluten-free pastry dough. Chebe with the typican non-vegan ingredients is easier to work with, and also nice, with a sweet and salty “white flour” flavor. But if only whole-grain and vegan will do for you, I recommend my tasty brown rice and teff flour pastry. Enjoy!

Vegan Dough

Gluten-Free Whole Grain Vegan Baked Indian Samosa Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Potatoes  Indian

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups Rebecca Reilly’s Brown Rice Baking Mix* 1/2 cup teff flour (or other whole grain brown flour) 1 tsp. xanthan gum 1/2 tsp salt 3 tbsp. of spectrum shortening 2 tbsp. GF Margarine 5 tbsp. of water Filling: 1/2 batch of Potato Samosa Filling Dairy-free milk or nonstick cooking spray Rebecca Reilly’s Baking Mix: 1 cup brown rice flour 1/3 cup potato starch 1/6 cup tapioca starch Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (Paper is optional, but it does make them easier to remove!) Whir the dry ingredients together in a food processor and then add the liquid ingredients. Let it combine together for a few minutes and then take off the lid. The dough won’t have come together in a ball on its own, but see if it clumps together nicely when you squeeze it into a clump with your hand. If not, add a little more shortening or water until you get a workable texture. *Make sure to check out blog post for step-by-step photos of the next steps* Take the dough out of the processor and shape six to eight balls and place them in a bowl. You can either roll out each dough circle with a rolling pin, OR (and this is my preference) use a tortilla press. Either way, take a freezer safe gallon ziploc bag and cut out the sides. If you’ll be using a tortilla press, cut it around the edges (keeping it a square) to make it fit the press. Make your dough into eight to ten balls- big enough to make one small tortilla shaped round of dough. Press or roll out one circle of dough. DO NOT remove it from the ziploc bag. The dough is delicate and will require careful handling, but I have a trick for dealing with it and creating beautiful samosas. Peel off the top half of the ziploc bag, leaving the bottom of the round still attached to the bag. Pick it up in your left hand (if right handed) UNDERNEATH the bag (so you are not actually touching any dough. Curve the Bag GENTLY so the dough is shaped almost like a fried, curved taco. DO NOT remove it from the bag yet! Take a large spoon and put a spoonful of filling inside the “taco” in the center and then gently continue folding over the dough to complete the samosa shape. Press the edges of the samosa together (through the ziploc) and then CAREFULLY begin peeling off the ziploc side, now wrapped around the samosa. Continue crimping as necessary (the middle part is the hardest.) You can now carefully move the sealed samosa to your baking sheet. Don’t move it around, though! Make all the rest of your samosas, following the same procedure. Just re-use that same ziploc bag for the whole batch! In fact, if you’re making a second batch or the Chebe you can use it for those two, but once you use it for Chebe (with egg!) it must be thrown out after use. Cut some cute little lines into the dough to let the steam come out. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Bake the samosas for 20-25 minutes or until they look golden brown and the bottom is medium golden brown. Turn over the samosas and bake them for five more minutes or until they look (and taste) as crunchy as you want. Serve with yogurt or cucumber raita if you want to be fancy. Notes See step-by-step instructional photos in blog post

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without my permission or I will have to send Ra and his minions after you. Recipe ID:  1280 Added:  August 13, 2008 Last Modified:  August 20, 2008

Non-Vegan Chebe Version (easy-to-handle)

Baked Chebe Samosa Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Potatoes  Indian

Ingredients 1 7.5-ounce package Chebe All-Purpose Gluten-Free Bread Mix 2 large eggs 2 tbsp oil or softened margarine 5 tbsp milk, liquid milk substitute, or water 1/2 batch of Potato Samosa Filling (recipe below) Non-stick cooking spray Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine bread mix, eggs, oil, and milk together in a medium to large bowl. Mix with a large spoon and then your hands, beginning to knead the ingredients together until you can form a ball of dough. Knead it until it seems firm and pliant. Then separate it into smaller balls- big enough to make one small tortilla shaped round of dough- and place them in a bowl. Cover them with a damp towel. You can either roll out each dough circle with a rolling pin, OR (and this is my preference) use a tortilla press. Either way, take a freezer safe gallon ziploc bag and cut out the sides. If you’ll be using a tortilla press, cut it around the edges (keeping it a square) to make it fit the press. Press or roll out one circle of dough. Place a square of filling in the center of the dough circle and fold over all three sides to make a triangle shape. Place on baking sheet. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Crust inspired by By the Bay Perogies Recipe ID:  1282 Added:  August 17, 2008 Last Modified:  August 17, 2008

Vegan Potato filling, enough for two recipes:

Vegetarian Potato Spinach Samosa Filling Recipe Main Course  Potatoes  Vegetables  Indian

Ingredients 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (mustard or peanut is good) 3/4 tsp. whole coriander seeds 1 tsp. cumin seeds 1 medium onion, minced 1 in. ginger, peeled and minced 1/2 or 1 green serrano chili, minced 1 tbsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. paprika OR cayenne pepper (paprika for those who prefer it mild) 1/2 tsp. turmeric 1 scant bunch spinach leaves (maybe 3/4 of the leaves), rinsed, chopped, and drained 2 very large potatoes (baking monsters) OR 3 large potatoes, boiled and peeled 1/2 cup cooked green peas 1/2 or 3/4 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped Directions Heat oil in a nice cast iron pan or wok on medium and add your coriander and cumin seeds. As they start to brown, throw in your onions and lower the temperature if needed. Allow them to slowly caramelize, stirring occasionally. This may take up to fifteen minutes, but I only took about ten minutes on my super-fast ceramic stovetop. Then add the ginger and chilies and let them cook for a minute or so, adding the coriander, paprika (or cayenne) and turmeric. Let the spices heat, releasing fragrance, and then add the spinach, letting it wilt. Fold in the spinach and crumble the potatoes into the pan. Add salt, mix, and then gently fold in the salt and cilantro. Enjoy as filling in your favorite samosa dough or with rice or GF flatbread. Yum!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Adapted from The Bombay Cafe, with my own variations. Recipe ID:  1281 Added:  August 13, 2008 Last Modified:  August 17, 2008

I wasn’t exactly intending to blog about tonight’s dinner, honestly. I mean, how many pizza recipes does one need? We’ve already had some pretty fancy pizza recipes here at the Book of Yum. But this week, due to a chaotic household, it just seemed better not to use the oven, and so when I was planning the menu I thought I’d try a new pizza technique- grilling the pizza crust. It’s a technique I’ve heard about many times but never tried myself, and I thought it was high time. It’s perfect, really, especially in hot weather when turning on the oven seems like cruel and unusual punishment. (Granted, it hasn’t been all that hot here… but it should be!) I have a lot of Chebe mixes left from the last bulk order I did with them, and during busy weeks, there’s nothing I love more than the “open the package and dump it in the bowl” style of baking. This time I made two small ones from the mix because I just love making more than one topping but still having separate pizzas. Then it was time to grill. I’m big into the propane grill, baby. Supposedly it is the DH’s, but I use it about 10 times more often than he does- I’m always grilling veggies or tofu or something because it adds so much flavor to everything. But what could a grill do to a pizza crust? The answer? A lot. I was worried that the crust might stick to the grill, but happily, it didn’t. And it baked so fast- far quicker than if you had baked it in the oven. Just a few minutes and one side of the pizza looked DONE, and even had sexy grill marks to prove it. I turned it over, let it grill for another few minutes, and then went happy with my toppings. To be honest, I had something of a little problem- largely, no pasta sauce in the house whatsoever. I did have half of the juice from a can of chopped tomatoes, and some tomato paste, so I made a very basic red sauce base. To my surprise, it worked just fine and actually tasted great. Then I grilled up a portabella mushroom basted with olive oil, garlic, and seasoning, and did the same to my sweet red pepper. With the addition of some sliced calamata olives and cheese, I had a great basic veggie pizza that matched my taste buds perfectly. But I still didn’t have enough red sauce for the second pizza, so I decided to go all out and try something I’d never had before- marguerita pizza. According to online sources, this is one of the first official pizzas and was produced by Italy’s Royal chefs in honor of Queen Marguerita in 1896 when she asked them to make her an assortment of pizzas resembling the bread pizzas she had enjoyed among commoners. Traditionally, the marguerita pizza contains “fresh sliced tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil, fresh garlic, onion and a hint of Romano (no tomato sauce).” (source: In Mama’s Kitchen) Sounded good to me! And in fact, it was absolutely delicious. I’ll definitely be making BOTH of these pizzas again, and I have a feeling that my grill is going to be even busier this summer baking up a slew of yummy pizzas. Oh, and since there was cheese AND grill marks involved, the DH loved this recipe too.

This pizza would be perfect for an Independence Day party, or just for a quick dinner before you see the fireworks. Looking for other gluten-free fourth of July recipes?

Try my Recipe for Grilled Sesame Vegetables
with this accompanying Ginger Peanut Sauce (Complete with pics from our 4th of July last year)
My World-Famous Grilled Sesame Tofu Recipe
a classic Gluten-Free Macaroni Salad Recipe
Japanese potato salad Recipe
Grilled Kabocha and Sundried Tomato Pate
GF Lemon Blueberry Muffin Recipe (Add raspberries and white frosting for a red,white and blue treat!)

Want another yummy pizza recipe?
Try my favorite Grilled Veggie and Smoked Cheese Pizza Recipe
Allergen Free Gluten-Free Pizza Recipe (with crust recipe)
Or this unexpected Zucchini Crust Pizza Recipe

Hope this helps you get some ideas for your Fourth of July Celebration! If you have links to your favorite recipes for the forth of July, share in the comments and I’ll add them to the list!

Gluten Free Grilled Chebe Marguerita Pizza and Grilled Veggie Pizza Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Italian

Ingredients Pizza Dough: 1 pkg. Chebe pizza mix 2 eggs 1 tbsp. oil 4 tbsp. your choice of “milk” (dairy or non-dairy) Marguerita topping: Grated nonfat mozzarella cheese (1/4 packaged ball) or favorite non-dairy substitute 1 medium organic tomato Handful fresh basil salt Traditional topping- Tomato sauce: 3 tbsp juice from can of chopped canned tomato 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp. olive oil sprinkle of sugar and salt Veggies: 1 portabella mushroom 3 peeled garlic cloves 1/2 sweet red pepper 8 kalamata olives nonfat mozzarella cheese, grated (or favorite nondairy cheese substitute) Directions Combine Chebe pizza ingredients according to package instructions and knead dough into a ball. Separate into two balls. Take a gallon sized ziploc bag and place your chebe dough inside the bag and flatten it out (pressing on the OUTSIDE of the bag so your hands don’t get icky) into a nice circle in about 1/4 or 1/8 of an inch thick. Remove dough from bag and place on a plate, and reserve. Now make your second pizza. Turn on your grill to medium high heat and place your pizza crusts on the grill (without toppings) letting it cook with the lid open for a few minutes. You may wish to rotate the dough if your grill cooks unevenly. Turn your pizza crust over when that side has nice grill marks and grill the other side for another few minutes. Remove from grill and cover with toppings.* Grill for a few minutes on low, covered. When cheese has nicely melted, remove from grill and cut into pieces. Yummy! *For the marguerita pizzas, top the pizza with mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, a sprinkle of salt and a handful of basil. Drizzle with a little high quality olive oil and finish grilling. *For the traditional veggie pizza, crush your garlic cloves and put them in a small bowl with a tablespoon of high quality olive oil and your favorite pasta/italian seasoning herbs. Baste your portabella mushroom and red pepper and grill, turning when each side is done. Remove from heat and chop into pieces. Also mix your tomato sauce ingredients in another bowl. Top your pizza with tomato sauce, grilled veggies, and cheese, adding olives on very top. If you like, after the pizza has baked with toppings, you can broil it in the oven so the cheese gets all brown on top. Be careful not to burn!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Grilling technique from chebe site, toppings my own creation. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1263 Added:  July 1, 2008 Last Modified:  July 1, 2008