Besan

So I am SO tired of the same old same old in terms of menu items. So I have decided to branch out. Enter: Besan - chick pea flour...

I have used it to coat pork chops or chicken before pan frying. Yummy. Just toss some besan in a zip lock bag - add herbs/spices du jour - shake. So easy.

Tonight I made somamos (you know those Indian savories - with veggies and potatoes tucked inside. I had no recipe - I just made it up.)

I package - ArrowHead Mills Gluten Free Pizza crust mix
1 c. besan

5-7 small yellow fingerling potatoes (cubed - small)
half a bag of carrot match sticks (chopped)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine

1-2 tsp garam masala
1-2 tsp curry powder mild
2 generous pinches of red pepper flakes
Some olive oil for the pan

Make the crust following the boxes directions - adding in 1/4 c besan.

Meanwhile (while the dough rises) add olive oil and onions to a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook a few minutes. Add in potatoes and carrots. Cook for about 5-6 minutes or until tenders. Toss in spices and cook a few minutes more. Remove from heat.

Using a plastic board or wax paper - dust generously with besan. Coat hands also. DO NOT ROLL THIS DOUGH _ IT WILL BE A STICKY MESS) Instead pull off balls of dough about the size of the palm of your hand, coat with besan and flatten into circles. (like a mini pie size or size of a desert plate.)

Fill with a spoonful of the filling, fold dough over and press to seal. Place on a cookie sheet - covered in parchment or cooking spray.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or so.

Apricot Chutney (ok so I totally made this one up...)

1 medium onion, 1 green chili or small pepper of your choice, 2 tsp cumin, salt to taste, lime juice to taste and about three spoons full of apricot preserves (I admit - I just dumped it in)

Finely chop the onion and chili. Saute in oil until soft. Add in spices and salt. Stir in a bit of water and using a hand blender - pulse a few pulses (if you want to) then stir in the lime juice and preserves. Cook until mixture thickens. When you serve - stir in some chopped cilantro.

It was YUMM-O.

Besan is really fine and it is yellow and I think it works best in savory dishes - as it has a funny smell to it.