Receta Samosas, with Peanut Sauce; end of garden time
It was a sunny, fairly warm day today and I spent it working outside.
I weeded, cleaned and tidied my herb garden for winter.
Then I planted a few dozen spring bulbs to come up amongst the new herbs in a few months time.
That was all fun.
But, delay tactics only last so long.
I had to tackle the potager clean-up.
It was a melancholy task, unlike 6 months earlier.
I love the spring garden chores, tilling, planting, nurturing the seedlings.... It's all filled with the hope of fresh summer flavors and a bountiful harvest.
The fall garden chores are filled with memories of all that was.... And the knowledge that winter is on it's way.
In the spring I strive for a perfect garden (I said strive - not achieve). I hoe, trim and thin, keeping it all as neat as possible.
In the fall I pull up and haul the dead plants to the compost heap but don't really care if they actually get that far. Anything that gets left will just decompose and fertilize. It won't get tilled until spring, it's too muddy now and will only get worse as winter approaches. Some weeds will germinate and grow over the winter... Regardless of what I do now, it will still be a mess in the spring.
So... Good enough is good enough.
Actually, that's rather a cheerful thought (mentally tick off: garden - done!)
New subject: Have you ever noticed how many sheets of phyllo come in a package? I need 2 sheets; I get 50. Yes, I know it keeps for awhile in the fridge and can even be re-frozen, but, still....
To the purists, these would be fake Samosas, but we liked them. True Samosas are Indian, usually hot and usually deep-fried. Add hot sauce to the filling if you like.
- Samosas, with Peanut Sauce
- 4 sheets phyllo dough
- 14oz (400gr) mixed Chinese vegetables
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- olive oil
- sesame oil
- Peanut Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tbs chicken stock
2 tbs sherry
Drain the vegetables well and put into a bowl. Add the soy sauce and stir well.
Remove 1 sheet of pastry and re-wrap the rest. It's important to keep filo covered at all times or it will dry out very quickly. Lay the sheet out flat and lightly brush all over with olive oil. Fold phyllo in half the long way. Brush top layer with oil. Take one corner and lightly fold it so that the corner touches the opposite side. Do not actually make the fold. We just want to determine the placement of the filling. It will form a triangle. Unfold it and place one fourth of the filling on the half of the triangle that will be the 'bottom'. Now make the fold, taking the corner to the opposite side. Continue to fold over and over, maintaining the triangle, like a flag. (It will make sense when you are doing it) You will end up with a nicely sealed triangle. Brush the top and bottom with sesame oil and place on a baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets and filling, making 4 samosas in all. Bake at 400F (200C) for 15 - 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Peanut Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well to combine.
To serve: Divide the Peanut Sauce in half and put into small bowls or on small plates. Add two Samosas to each plate and serve.
In addition to this, for the week of October 29 we have Sesame-Crusted Salmon, Bean and Barley Soup, Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash, Chicken and Savoy Cabbage with Feta, Popovers....
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