From Backyard to Table: The Rewards of Urban Gardening

This spring has been the coldest one I have ever experienced. Just when I thought I wouldn't be able to take another cloudy day that wouldn't even break sixty, the weather finally started to warm up.

Saag with homemade tomato chutney and mango chutney. 

When the weather warms up, my favorite place to be is my backyard. Most people wouldn't consider it anything special. It's not sprawling, and there are areas that some would consider an eyesore. When the grass is mowed, I hardly notice the weeds. The concrete sitting area— once the site of a garage long ago removed— is desperately in need of TLC. Still, it's my sanctuary amidst the urban chaos.

This is a totally random picture of the crumbling concrete in our sitting area, but I like it and thought I'd share.

The thing I love most about my backyard is my vegetable garden. It's small— only three planter boxes totaling less than 50 square feet— but it will supply us with fresh produce till the first frost. Currently we're harvesting lettuce, kale, and various Asian mustard greens. Soon (but not soon enough!) the sugar snap peas will be ready. By the time August rolls around, the first of the tomatoes will show up, followed closely by zucchini, cucumbers, chili peppers. Let's not forget the herb garden: Thai basil, Italian basil, cilantro, thyme, oregano and mint. Amazing how much can be produced in such a limited space.

Staggering plantings allows us to have lettuce available all season. 

Once you go mesclun, you never go back. Isn't that what they say? No? Well, they should! 

Asian mustard and sugar snap peas. Okay, maybe I did plant them a little too close together, but they seem to be doing just fine.

When we were in Las Vegas this past Christmas, Mom gave me a bag of Asian mustard seeds she collected from her garden. She said to just spread them around, and they pretty much should take of themselves. She did not exaggerate. It took me all of 5 minutes to sprinkle them out, throw a thin layer of soil on top and walk away. That was mid-March, and despite the miserable weather, these bad boys still grew like gangbusters. The warmer weather is causing them to go to seed, but that's okay. I'll just collect the seeds and plant them next year.




Last fall, my neighbor gave me a pack of kale starts. I planted them and basically forgot about them. They didn't seem to do much over the winter— not thriving, but not dying either. Then about a month ago, they just took off, much to my kid's chagrin.

This week, I found myself with a ton of mustard greens and kale. There are a million and one things I could have made, but I decided it was time to revisit an old favorite. Saag. The best Indian dish. Ever.

I've blogged about saag before and received a lot of good feedback on it, so if you're looking for a good recipe or guidelines,  check out that post. The one thing I did differently here was use my pressure cooker, which did a magnificent job of breaking down the greens in a fraction of the time. By the old method, I'd have to braise the greens for a while to get them tender and evaporate most of the liquid.   And normally, I let my saag sit overnight for the flavors to meld together.  Don't have to when I use the pressure cooker because it does such a good job of extracting the flavors from the spices.

Shallots, garlic, ginger, cloves, cardamom, fenugreek, cumin seed and cinnamon—wonderfully aromatic. 

See those tough stems? They are no match for the pressure cooker. 

I had enough greens to fill the cooker two times over. As you can see, they wilted down quite a bit.

At this point, all that's left to do is blend and enjoy! Easy peasy!

So tell me, what are you growing?

Eat Your Greens: Saag Paneer

My absolute favorite Indian dish is saag paneer (or gosht). But one thing I’ve come to learn is the wonderful creaminess I get at the Indian restaurant is actually harder to replicate at home than I thought. Maybe it’s just me??

This time around, I used lamb because I didn't have any paneer. If you want to use lamb, I recommend braising it separately then adding it back into the saag.

When I encounter a difficult or involved recipe, I take it as a challenge. I usually look for ways to cut down on the prep time or slim it down. For this dish I didn't want to do either. I just wanted to get it right. It's taken a few times to get results I'm happy with. Here are some observations that someone out there might find useful.

1) There seems to be many versions; some have a long list of spices while the simplest I’ve run across just has chilies, ginger and salt. I’ve come to realize that it’s not so much the list of spices as it is an adequate dose of salt. With that said, I do like adding “sweet” spices like cinnamon and cloves because they add a little complexity to the dish.

2) The only way to achieve that smooth, creamy texture is to process the saag, even if you started with chopped greens. I find using ghee gives the best flavor and texture, but I also like mustard oil. Cream also works. If using ghee, use it at the beginning in place of oil while the cream would be added during cooking. Yogurt just seems to curdle, so I avoid it.

3) This dish is best made a day or two in advance. Like a good stew or chili, I find the flavors are enhanced when they are allowed to sit and meld. In fact, it tastes even better after it’s been frozen and reheated! So if you end up making more than you can eat, freeze some and you’ll see.

4) The flavor is better if you use a combination of spinach and mustard greens or kale. I don’t recommend collard greens; I think they give the dish a funky taste.


Saag Paneer
Serves 6

• 4 tbs ghee or 2 tbs mustard oil + 2 tbs vegetable oil (optional)
• green chilies (use as many or as little as you want), split lengthwise (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1 onion, grated or finely chopped
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 2 x 3-inch stick cinnamon
• 5 cardamom pods
• 5 whole cloves
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ tbs grated ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 2 frozen packages chopped spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out
• 1 bunch kale or mustard greens, de-stalked and chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (optional)
• 1 portion paneer, cubed (either homemade or store-bought is fine)
• salt to taste

In a Dutch oven (or the like), ghee (or just regular old vegetable oil) over medium heat. When hot add the chilies, onion, fenugreek, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Sautee until the onion begins to brown slightly. Adjust the heat if necessary to prevent burning. Add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook for about 1 minute. There should be a nice fragrance coming from the pot. Add the dry spices and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the tomato paste and greens. Mix well. Add about 1 to 2 cups water (the amount will depend on how big your pot is) to give about ½ inch of liquid above the greens. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to allow the greens to simmer, partially covered, for about 30 to 45 minutes (longer is better). Stir it occasionally. When the water evaporates, add either the cream or a little more water. By the end of the cooking time, the greens should be tender and most of the liquid should be evaporated. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes (or for a day or two). Now is the time I would add salt. I find it's hard to gauge the spice and salt level when foods are piping hot. Start with a half teaspoon then add more according to your preference.

Whether you let it sit for 15 minutes or overnight, I recommend processing the saag in a food processor or with a stick blender to get the “perfect” consistency. This is optional. Just be sure to remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods (if you can find them) before blending! If you’re planning on freezing, now’s the time to put some aside.

Before serving, fry the paneer in a little bit of oil (or ghee) until browned on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Check the saag again to make sure it's the consistency you want. If you prefer, add a little more water to thin it out. Add the paneer to the saag and mix gently.

Serve with basmati rice or Indian bread of your choice.