Spicy Onion Paratha #TwelveLoaves

The name paratha comes from two words in Hindi and Urdu, parat meaning layer or flake and atta, which is flour, but not all paratha are multi-layered; some are simple flatbreads. All are cooked on a tawa or griddle. (P.S. It's pronounced prata. Just two syllables with the stress on the first.)

When we lived in Malaysia all those years, I volunteered in a monthly Booster Club fundraiser called PAC Shack. PAC stood for Panther Activity Center and once upon a time, it was actually a shack out in the field where moms and dads and even students served burgers with all the fixings and other goodies to raise funds for team uniforms and sports equipment.

By the time I joined the Booster Club roster of volunteers, we had a kitchen up in the main high school building with little ventilation, sad extractor fans and cardboard spread on the floor to stop us sliding around on the inevitable grease that accumulated from cooking fatty meat patties on the big diner-type flat grills.  By the time I had left KL, we had moved into bigger better facilities, with room to work and a kitchen sink with actual hot running water. But the one thing we never could get around were the tears when it was time to peel and slice onions in an enclosed space, no matter how well ventilated. The onions were always my job because I was the only one who didn’t bawl.

I’d take my 10-15 pounds out to a picnic table overlooking the school pool and get after it all by my lonesome, creating mountains of sliced onions to adorn the more than 600 burgers the other ladies were inside grilling and wrapping and popping in huge warmers before the lunch bell rang.

The moral of this story is, always get someone who wears contact lenses to slice your onions.  Those were my shields of eye protection! I found out the hard way that without them, I do cry.

This month my Twelve Loaves group decided on onions as our theme and I was delighted! I've been making paratha and chapati and naan for years so they seemed like the perfect oniony departure from the normal yeast bread I usually undertake for these challenges. I found a recipe online for an onion paratha that sounded fabulous. And indeed it is. I've added garlic and a bit more coriander, quantified for clarity and changed the method up in a quite a few ways that I hope will encourage someone to give it a try.

Ingredients
1 cup or 150g wholemeal wheat flour, plus extra for dusting as you roll the flatbread out
1 medium onion (about 6 1/3 oz or 180g)
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 small hot chilies
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Small bunch (about 3/4 oz or 20g) cilantro or coriander leaves
1 tablepoon olive oil, plus extra for sautéing the vegetables and greasing the griddle
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method
Mince your onion, garlic and chilies as finely as you can. Do the same with your cilantro. I cut off the long, hard stems but minced the tender parts with the leaves.

In a medium-sized saucepan, drizzle in a little oil and add your cumin seeds.

Watch closely so they don’t burn but let them toast till they are a little darker and then add in your minced onion, garlic and chilies and stir well. If the pan is too dry, drizzle in a little more oil.

Cook the mixture over a low to medium heat, stirring often. You want everything to brown but not to scorch. When the mixture is nicely browned, add in the chopped cilantro, along with the ground coriander and the garam masala. Stir well and remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, onion mixture, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the salt.

Add in 1/4 cup or 60ml warm water and mix thoroughly.

Now add more warm water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing well in between additions. Different flours require more or less water but you are looking for a nice cohesive soft dough. I ended up adding three tablespoons to get the right consistency.

Knead the dough by hand or machine for a few minutes.  Form it into a nice round ball.

Drizzle a little oil in a bowl and roll the ball around to grease it. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside to rest for 20-30 minutes. I find that the longer I let the dough rest, the easier it is to roll into circles once it’s divided, so I make it earlier in the afternoon and let it rest until just before I am ready to serve dinner.

When you are ready to cook the paratha, divide the ball into six equal pieces.

First cut it in half, then each half into three pieces.

Sprinkle your clean work surface with some flour and use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a circle. Sprinkle on extra flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

The hand is for scale. Each circle is about 8 inches or 20cm across.

Heat your griddle pan and drizzle on a little oil. Place the circle on the hot pan and watch it carefully. Brush the top with some more oil.

When little bubbles start to form on the top flip the paratha over to cook the other side.

Press down with your spatula to make sure that the paratha is making contact with the griddle. Cook for a few minutes, flipping a couple more times if necessary, until both sides have lovely brown spots all over.

I like to stack the paratha in a little sleeve made of folded aluminum foil to keep warm until I am ready to serve.

These are great with any kind of curry, like potato, chicken, fish or just dal but I must confess to warming one the next morning and nibbling on it while I sipped my cup of coffee. Divine.

Enjoy!

Are you a fan of all things bread and all things allium, by which I mean the onion family?  Then you are going to love this month’s Twelve Loaves recipes.

• Caramelized Leek and Onion Focaccia by Renee at Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Caramelized Onions Muffins by Kathya at Basic N Delicious
• Caramelized Vidalia Onion Rolls by Lora at Cake Duchess
• Crusty Cheese and Onion Bread by Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Leek Bread with Red Curry by Rossella at Ma che ti sei mangiato
• Onion and Fennel Rye by Donna at Cookistry
• Onion Cheddar Bread by Dionne at Try Anything Once Culinary
• Onion Rolls by Holly at A Baker’s House
• Rustic French Onion Focaccia by Felice at All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
• Sausage, Onion and Cheese Muffins by Renee at Magnolia Days
• Spicy Onion Paratha by Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Spinach and Onion Braid by Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake 

Leek and Zucchini Tarte Tatin

Created in the late 19th century by the sisters Tatin as a special apple dessert in their hotel restaurant, Tarte Tatin gained first French then worldwide popularity when famous 20th-century epicure Curnonsky published the recipe in his 1926-volume “La France Gastronomique.” The original ingredients were simple: sugar, apples and butter for the inside, flour, butter and water for the dough. This savory version is not much more complicated and the fresh vegetables shine.

I’ve spoken here before about the two years we lived in Balikpapan, Indonesia and the limited access we had to a variety of fresh vegetables. Aside from the local greens, I really only remember potatoes and green beans and carrots on offer. I had so taken for granted the well-stocked grocery stores of my youth but those two years gave me an appreciation for what I was missing. And then, because there is a God, we moved to Paris for three years of abundance and gorgeous markets with fresh seasonal produce of every variety. I bought Roger Vergé’s Vegetables and devoured both the sweet stories of his childhood in his father’s garden and mother’s kitchen and the simple recipes that featured all the goodness and light of the vegetables available to me. In short, I fell in love. I look back upon those years as an awakening to the potential of fresh vegetables to nourish with big flavor and beauty. Even though we have lived in several different countries since then with varying degrees of produce available, I’ve always tried to follow Chef Vergé’s instructions to buy the shiny eggplant, the greens that are crisp and vibrant, the firm carrot, the unblemished tomato and, if at all possible, the newly podded pea.

The week’s Sunday Supper theme is Meatless Meals but privately, in my own head, I’ve been calling it Vegetables on Center Stage. I’ve adapted this recipe from one of my new favorite cookbooks, another French one that focuses on vegetables in all their glory, The French Market Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from My Parisian Kitchen by Clotilde Dusoulier.  Many thanks to my friend Tammi of Momma’s Meals for hosting this great event, which could not have come at a better time for me. I’ll be visiting my two vegetarian daughters in the United States soon so I know I’ll be pinning a bunch of these recipes to try while I’m there.

Ingredients

10 oz or 285g leeks

If they are more or less the same circumference, that would be good.

10 oz or 285g small zucchini
3 small purple onions (not quite 4 1/2 oz or 125g total weight)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
9 small cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt flakes
Black pepper
1 circle of short crust pie pastry (I used this recipe here.)

To serve: 3/4-1 oz or 25-30g Parmesan, freshly grated

Method
Trim the hard green ends and the roots off of the leeks and then cut them into lengths of about one inch or two centimeters long.

Rinse them thoroughly in running water to get rid of any dirt that might be inside, but make sure to keep the pieces whole. Drain the water and set them on a towel to dry.

Add a good drizzle of olive oil to a stovetop pan, preferably one that is also ovenproof,  and place the leeks in the oil, running them around a little to make sure the whole bottom of the pan is oiled.

Rinse and trim the ends off of your zucchini. Cut them into lengths the same as the leeks.

Place them in the pan in and amongst the leeks.

Peel your purple onions and cut them into quarters, making sure to leave a bit of the core at the bottom of each piece. Place them in your pan, core side down, amongst the leeks and zucchini.

Put the pan on a medium fire and cook until the bottoms of the vegetables are beginning to brown. Check a piece of zucchini. It's less likely to fall apart.

Add in a good splash of water and pop a lid on the pan.

Allow the vegetables to steam for a few minutes. When you can poke a fork in the zucchini but still feel some resistance, take the lid off and let the moisture evaporate. Cook for a few more minutes or until the bottoms of the vegetables are nicely caramelized.

Carefully turn them over, trying to keep them upright in their places. I used a combination of a small spoon and tongs to make the turn. If your pan or its handle is not ovenproof, you can transfer the vegetables to a baking pan now. Make sure to oil the new pan and keep the vegetables brown side up.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Add your cherry tomatoes to the pan, placing them around the leeks and zucchini as evenly as you can manage. Sprinkle the vegetables with a little salt and pepper. Remember that you are going to finish this with some grated Parmesan so that will add saltiness as well.

Pull the leaves off of the thyme sprigs and scatter them on top the vegetables.

Top the whole thing with your circle of pastry dough, tucking the sides in down around the vegetables.

Using a sharp knife, cut slits in the dough to allow the steam to escape. This will ensure that your crust comes out of the oven crunchy instead of soggy.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until the tart crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the crust to loosen it.

Place your serving plate on top of your pan and, using oven mitts, quickly turn the pan over. Replace any pieces of vegetable that stuck to the pan.

Sprinkle liberally with freshly grated Parmesan and serve. I must confess that I didn’t use all the cheese before I took photos because that would have covered up the lovely vegetables. You go ahead and put it all on, unless you are taking pictures.

Enjoy!

If you are looking for some great vegetarian options, I’ve got the best list of links for you right here:

Salads, Soups, Stews and Starters

• Spicy Vegan Potato Salad by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Veggie Salad Trio with Zucchini Noodles and Pesto by Hip Foodie Mom
• Olive Tapenade by MealDiva
• Chickpea Chile Soup with Greens and Grains by Shockingly Delicious
• Thai Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Potato Chickpea Stew by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• "Beef" Stew with Potato Cake Tops by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup by Cindy's Recipes and Writings

"Meat"balls

• Teriyaki Quinoa "Meatballs" by The Foodie Patootie
• Black Bean "Meatballs" with Marinara by Foxes Love Lemons
• Spicy Vegetarian Meatballs by Mess Makes Food

Pastas, Pizzas and Casseroles

• Zucchini and Mushroom Skillet Lasagna by Curious Cuisiniere
• Four Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Shells by Melanie Makes
• Spicy Penne with Tomatoes and Havarti by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cheesy Tomato Casserole by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Deconstructed Vegan “Lasagna” by What Smells So Good?
• Ramen Stir Fry by Ninja Baking
• Roasted Red Pepper Lasagna by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Broccolini Macaroni and Cheese by Family Foodie
• Sundried Tomato and Zucchini Pizza with Goat Cheese by Healthy. Delicious.
• Creamy Parmesan Mushroom and Leek Pasta by Neighborfood
• Roasted Veggie Manicotti by Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
• Pasta Patate by Webicurean
• Spaghetti and Chickpeas and Roasted Tomato Sauce by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Broccoli, Mushroom, and Rice Casserole by Momma's Meals
• Radicchio and Gorgonzola Tortelloni with Butter and Walnuts by Manu's Menu

Burgers

• Quinoa Black Bean Burger with Ginger Cilantro & Turmeric by Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Garbanzo and Brown Rice Burgers by girlichef
• Tofu Burgers by Small Wallet, Big Appetite

Tacos & Everything Wrapped

• Blackened Tofu Tacos with Asian Slaw by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Mushroom & Poblano Tacos by La Cocina de Leslie
• Green Chile Enchiladas by Cookin' Mimi
• Beet and Goat Cheese Tacos with Avocado Cream by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Black Bean and Avocado Flautas by Supper for a Steal
• Black Bean Spinach Quinoa Burritos by Alida's Kitchen

Other Main and Side Dishes

• Vegan, Gluten Free Breakfast Bars by Pies and Plots
• Mushroom and Lentil Cottage Pie by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Mediterranean Tomato Tart by Magnolia Days
• Lentil Stuffed Peppers by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Fontina Polenta with Sauteed Porcini Mushrooms by La Bella Vita Cucina
• Leek and Zucchini Tarte Tatin by Food Lust People Love
• Tofu and Peas Curry (Tofu Matar) by Soni's Food

***This post contains affiliate links.***

Salmon with Homemade Caper Onion Mayonnaise

Making homemade mayonnaise is a dying art but one I would love to see revived.  It reminds me of my grandmother’s cheerful kitchen, painted the same friendly shade as lemon zest and her café-curtained window with bright, warm sunshine beaming in.  The yellow yolks whipped into creaminess bring back the nostalgic taste of her warm potato salad.  Proceed slowly, and you will be amply rewarded. 

I don’t recall if my maternal grandmother ever had store-bought mayonnaise in her dark brown doublewide Admiral refrigerator.  It’s possible she did.  But I can tell you that when Sunday rolled around and she was making potato salad, she was also going to be making homemade mayo to put in it.  My mother is the same.  She says that when she was growing up, she avoided the kitchen when she saw the potatoes and eggs go on to boil, because otherwise she would be roped into making the mayonnaise and she lived in fear of the darn stuff splitting.  Now she can’t get enough of homemade mayonnaise and makes it willingly.   I imagine years of being press-ganged into service have made her an expert.  When it came time to make a sauce for this week’s Sunday Supper theme of Sauce It Up, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.  My own concoction of onion and capers added to my grandmother’s homemade mayonnaise.  So I consulted the family expert.   And this is what she sent me.   Thanks, Mom!  (My comments in green.) 

Ingredients
For Mother’s (by which, she means my grandmother's) homemade mayonnaise:
(Yields about 1 1/2 cups or 350ml)
2 egg yolks (raw)
2 egg yolks (hard-boiled)
1 cup or about 240ml vegetable oil or more as needed (I used canola.)
Black or white pepper  (I used about 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.)

For the caper onion mayonnaise:
1 recipe Mother’s homemade mayo
1/2 medium purple onion (about 1 1/4oz or 35g)
2 tablespoons capers in brine with a little of the brine
More salt and pepper to taste – you can let it sit for a while after adding in the capers and then add more, if necessary.  Remember that capers in brine are salty.

For the salmon:
One filet per person (about 6-7 oz or 170-200g each)
Sea salt flakes
Black pepper
Olive oil

Method
Mash the yolks real well with a fork.

Using an electric mixer, add a little oil at a time to egg mixture and beat well.  Be very careful, mayo can curdle if you add too much oil at one time.   Continue mixing and adding oil gradually.   (I used a whisk and added about a tablespoon or two at a time, whisking thoroughly in between.  It took a while but I was watching The Great British Bake Off so I didn’t care!) 

Just the four egg yolks.

Adding the first of the oil.

After the third or fourth addition of oil.

Add a few drops of water to mayo as it thickens.  Sometimes I will use lemon juice or vinegar instead of the water.  As it thickens, you may have to add more than one time.  (Since I knew I was going to add the grated onion and capers at the end, I skipped this step.  If you are making plain mayo, you may need to drizzle in a bit of water if it gets too thick.) 

Continue the process until you have the desired amount of mayonnaise.  (I stopped after adding the whole cup of canola, which gave me almost a cup and a half of mayo.) 

The last of the oil going in. 

Season with sea salt and black pepper.

You have now mastered my grandmother’s homemade mayonnaise.  Well done!  (If by some chance you did pour in the oil too fast and it split, rescue it with the instructions here.   They work and, sadly, I know that from past personal experience.)

Now to make the caper onion mayonnaise, simply grate your onion very finely and make sure to collect the juice as you grate it.  I actually left the onion whole and grated half off, which is easier than trying to grate a cut onion.

Add the grated onion and the juice to the mayonnaise.

Add in the capers with a little of their juice.  Stir well, cover with cling film and, if you aren’t eating right away, store in the refrigerator.

And on to the salmon.

Season the salmon on both sides with a light sprinkle of sea salt flakes and black pepper.

Pan-fry it skin side up in a small drizzle of olive oil for a few minutes or until you can see the color of cooked pink come half way up the sides.

Turn the salmon filets over and cook for another few minutes or until the salmon is just cooked though and the skin is crispy.

Taste the caper onion mayo and add more salt and pepper if necessary, stirring well.  Add a liberal dollop to the top of each salmon filet and serve.

Enjoy!

For lagniappe, as we say in south Louisiana – here’s just a little something extra:
If you are only serving two with salmon, you are going to have plenty of caper onion mayo left over.  Stir some through a drained can of tuna and serve on toast.  Delicious!  I don’t know that my grandmother would approve but I think it would also be pretty good in potato salad.  The caper onion mayo will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Join today’s host and all-around good guy, DB from Crazy Foodie Stunts, and the rest of the Sunday Supper group as we Sauce It Up!

Savory Sauces

• Creamy Dairyfree Mushroom Sauce from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Guava BBQ Sauce from Basic N Delicious
• Homemade Steak Sauce from Juanita's Cocina
• Homemade Tartar Sauce from The Foodie Army Wife
• Homemade Teriyaki Sauce from Curious Cuisiniere
• Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce from Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
• Port Wine and Fig Sauce from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Red Wine Sauce | Molho de Vinho Tinto from Family Foodie
• Tomato Kasundi from What Smells So Good?

Pasta Sauces and Pastas with Sauce

• Amatriciana Sauce from The Weekend Gourmet
• Angel Hair Pasta with Neapolitan Sauce from Cookin' Mimi
• Basil Pesto from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Black Walnut Kale Pesto with Zucchini Spaghetti from Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Chardonnay Seafood Sauce (with Linguine) from Country Girl in the Village
• Homemade Guiltless Alfredo Sauce from Momma's Meals
• Italian-Style Tomato Sauce from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Lamb Ragout from Maroc Mama
• Lentil Marinara Pasta Sauce from Alida's Kitchen
• Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Sicilian Marinara Sauce from Growing Up Gabel

Entreés with Sauces 

• Chicken Tikka Masala from I Run For Wine
• Chicken with Mushroom Demi-Glace from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Garlic Mushrooms In Red Wine Sauce from Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Jack Daniel's Honey Barbecue Baked Wings from Chocolate Moosey
• Mrs. A's Skillet Lemon Chicken from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Philly Strip Steaks with Provolone Sauce and Caramelized Onions from The Texan New Yorker
• Pork Tenderloin with Plum Sauce from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Salmon with Homemade Caper Onion Mayonnaise from Food Lust People Love
• Sweet & Sour Garlic Chicken Wings from Big Bear's Wife

Sweet Sauces 

• Apple Cider Caramel Sauce from The Messy Baker
• Banana Pudding Sauce from Killer Bunnies, Inc.
• Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Sauce from Daily Dish Recipes
• Port Wine Cranberry Sauce from Webicurean
• Pumpkin Applesauce from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Pumpkin Caramel Sauce from Noshing With The Nolands
• Raspberry Red Wine Sauce from Treats & Trinkets
• Slow Cooker Applesauce from Citronlimette

Desserts with Sauces 

• Baked Espresso Berry Pudding from The Urban Mrs
• Bananas Foster from MidLife Road Trip
• Caramel Apple Sheet Cake from Pies and Plots
• Pear Tatin with Rum Caramel Sauce from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce (over Chocolate Rosemary Cake) from Gotta Get Baked
• Sticky Toffee Pudding w/ Toffee Sauce from girlichef