Pistachio & Cranberry Shortbread

This is my version of a recipe that I translated from all-purpose flour to a gf 1-1 blend with a few other tweaks to make it even better.

This holiday shortbread cookie is pretty easy to make and with fresh orange zest in the dough it has a delightful flavor. Of course, I made it with butter, so it has the proper shortbread texture and flavor. No one will ever guess that they are gluten free. They will just keep eating them!

Pistachio and Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter

2/3 cup sugar

Grated zest of a large orange; do that before you squeeze some fresh juice for these cookies. If small orange do zest of 2

1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/3 cup King Arthur 1-1 GF flour blend

1/4 tsp. salt if using unsalted butter; leave out if you went with salted butter

3/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped after measuring

3/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped after measuring

INSTRUCTIONS;

Put softened butter and sugar in stand mixer bowl, beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Can use a portable mixer if that’s what you have. Add juice and extract, beat until blended in. Add flour, salt and zest on low speed, blend well. Fold in the nuts and cranberries on low or with a spatula. Form dough into 2 logs; about 2-2.5 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in your freezer for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350. Put parchment paper on 2 baking sheets. Slice dough in 1/4-inch diameter coins. Place an inch apart on the parchment papered sheets. Bake 12-15 minutes, I did 15 minutes until edges are golden brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5-9 minutes and then carefully move to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before eating so they have the desired crunchy texture. Store in a cookie jar. Makes about 40 cookies. Enjoy!

Note: I only baked half; other log is tightly sealed in plastic to bake in a week.

Lamb Keema Curry

This is a recreation of a curry recipe my older sister Margie had given me, it took me a while to try it as cooked lettuce sounded weird. But it was easy to make, it was so delish and therefore I made it quite regularly. I lost the recipe a few years ago and Margie has been gone since 2013, so I couldn’t ask her. I have done my best to make it as close to what I remember. It is my favorite mince or ground lamb curry. The original recipe was made with shredded lettuce. I do that occasionally but most of the time I use finely shredded green cabbage. I have never found a similar recipe in a cookbook or online so it’s a real treasure of a recipe. It’s a one pot meal and I love that too! You could also make this with ground beef. Probably will work with ground turkey or chicken.

Notes: I have an old frying pan I use only for curry as some of these spices really get ingrained into the pan; turmeric particularly comes to mind. Use lettuce or cabbage for the shredded greens. It’s a long list of ingredients but most of them are the spices, it’s really not complicated to construct.

I serve it over brown or white rice and sometimes I go all out and make flatbread to enjoy with this one dish meal. Enjoy!

Angie’s Keema Curry

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloved minced

1/2 inch of fresh or frozen ginger shredded on fine side

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp ground cardamon

skimpy tsp. of ground cinnamon

rounded 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1 pound ground lamb (or beef)

1 14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes and juices

1/2 to 1 cup filtered water; I like to rinse out the tomato can with half a cup of it

1 cinnamon stick (optional)

1/2 a small cabbage shredded, remove core; about 3-4 cups

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. garam masala (optional)

Directions:

Heat large frying pan with the olive oil. Add the diced onions, cook on medium 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add minced garlic and shredded ginger and cook 30 seconds. Add all dry spices, stir and cook a minute. Add lamb to center of pan; pushing out the raw meat so the onions etc. are on the outside edge like a ring. Let cook 3 minutes, flip lamb with a turner; I have a wide wooden one that I like for this. Let cook 3-4 more minutes until pink is gone. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Top with the shredded cabbage and then half the water. Cover and cook 30-35 minutes until the cabbage is fully cooked. Check on it and add more water if needed. Add fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with garam masala if you want. Serve on rice and with flatbread if available. Enjoy!