Saag Paneer

makes 4-6 servings

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

4 tablespoons ghee, divided (see instructions below)

1 can organic diced tomatoes, pureed

20 oz fresh organic spinach, stems removed and chopped

1 1/2 cups freshly-made paneer (see recipe below)

1. Mince the ginger and garlic cloves. Place both in a small bowl and use the back of a spoon to create a paste. Set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Blanch the de-stemmed spinach leaves in the boiling water (I did about three batches) for about 30 seconds. After removing the spinach from the boiling water, place in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Use a potato masher to squeeze out most of the liquid from the spinach leaves. Place the drained spinach leaves on a cutting board and roughly chop. Set aside.

3. Heat 2 T ghee over medium-high heat in a medium-sized skillet. Fry the paneer until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat, and place the paneer cubes on a paper towel to drain off any excess oil.

4. Add 2 T ghee to a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.

5. Add in the ground coriander, whole cumin seeds, garam masala, paprika, and ground turmeric. Cook until fragrant, stirring frequently. Stir in the tomato puree and ginger-garlic puree. Next, stir in the spinach and paneer. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until heated through.

6. Serve with basmati rice.

For the ghee:

makes ~8 tablespoons

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat.

2. Once the butter has melted, turn up the heat slightly and bring the butter to a boil. Continue cooking until the butter stops sizzling and brown solids have formed.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and let butter sit for at least 10 minutes.

4. Pour the liquid butter through a sieve to remove the milk solids.

For the paneer:

makes about 1 cup of cheese

8 cups organic whole milk (be sure that it is not ultra-pasteurized)

100 mL lemon juice (about 2 lemons-worth)

1. Bring the milk to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir while heating to prevent the milk from scorching on the bottom of the pan.

2. Stir in the lemon juice until curds form. Remove from the heat.

3. Line a colander with cheesecloth. Pour the milk mixture through the cheesecloth to capture the curds.

4. Gather up the ends of the cheesecloth to form a ball. Squeeze out any excess moisture.

5. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth around the sink faucet or onto a wooden spoon placed over a bowl to drain off the excess liquid. (I did not use a long enough piece of cheesecloth, so I used a rubberband to tie up the ends of the cheesecloth and another rubberband to attach the cheesecloth pouch of cheese to the sink faucet.)

6. Let the paneer drain for at least an hour.

7. Compress the cheese by placing it underneath a heavy item (such as a cookbook) for 15 minutes or more. Cut into cubes for immediate use, or store in water in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to week.