What do Curry and Apple Crisp have in common?

At our house - dinner last night! This was my (Jennifer) first attempt at Indian food and it turned out pretty yummy indeed. I found the recipe in a Nutrition magazine from our local health food store and followed it pretty much true. The recipe follows with my adjustments.

Chana Saag Chickpea Spinach Curry (Serves 6)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbs curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1.5 cups finely chopped yellow onion
5 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs grated gingerroot
1/4 tsp sea salt
dash white pepper (I did not have so used a dash of black pepper.)
1 15-oz can chickpeas
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 lb. baby spinach ( I thought this was too much and added a few handfuls only.)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

1. Warm oil and ghee in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cardamom, cinnamon, curry and cumin. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and cook 4-5 minutes, until onions are just tender. Add garlic, ginger, salt and white pepper; cook 1 minute.
3. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, covered for 10 minutes, until chickpeas are soft.
4. Add spinach and cook 1-2 minutes, until spinach is just wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Garnish with cilantro and serve with basmati rice, if desired.

YUM!

As I typed the UPS man arrived with this:

Yes - Indian spices for my new love affair with Indian cooking! I borrowed the book from the library as one of my first goals after finishing my season at CAVE. This is so exciting!

So now, on to the apple crisp. I know it's not a traditional Indian dish, but we had two apples just waiting to be used and last night seemed the perfect night. Steve was quite happy when he arrived home from work.

Steve's Apple Crisp
(adapted from Rosetta June Stuck's recipe)
4 cups apples
1 tbs water
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter cut into small pieces
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup oats
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease pan. Put apples in pan and sprinkle with water and lemon juice and cinnamon. In small bowl combine butter, sugar, grains and salt with hands until it forms clumps. Distribute the clumps evenly over apples. Bake 1 hour until the topping is dark and bubbly. Makes 4-6 servings. Mm mm good!