Pea and Potato Samosas!

The thing about Peas is that they have to be one of the most versatile vegetables in the culinary universe. They show up in all kinds of cuisine and, thanks to the wonders of modern refrigeration and the frozen bag of peas, are easily added to any dish should the desire arise. That is why The Husband and I keep a bag of them on hand at all times. Pasta dish need a little splash of green? Add peas. Making fried rice? Add peas. Want a slightly sweet and refreshing frozen snack? Grab a handful and munch (try it... You'll thank me later). So when peas showed up in The Box I already had a million and one ways to use them. But because dear reader, I love you so and don't want to bore you with another pasta dish, I put my mind into finding a recipe that was a little bit more of a challenge. Besides it was still too hot for risotto. 

So I sat, and sat and sat and strained my brain, browsing on The Google Machine and skimming the cookbooks until, like a flash of lightening, I found my inspiration in the only Indian food I ever order at an Indian restaurant ... Samosas! 

One quick phone call to The Husband with a grocery list later, I was on my way to turning this:

Into those deliciously little pockets of curry love.

When The Husband got home I unpacked the ingredients excited to get to work. And then I noticed:

• Me: Where are the potatoes?
• The Husband: What potatoes?
• Me: I am making samosas, I need potatoes, didn't I put it on the list?
• The Husband: ::checking his phone:: Nope, not on the list
• Me: Could you maybe... Kinda... Because you love me...
• The Husband: ::sigh:: I will go back out

While I waited for The Husband to get home I got to work chopping onions

Mincing ginger and garlic (non-pro tip... use a spoon to peel your ginger).

And sweating it all in the pot along with some of the carrots and celery that I keep in the chopped in the freezer just for these occasions.

When the potatoes arrived, I peeled, chopped, and added them to the pot along with the curry powder and coconut milk.

Once it was done I gave it a quick mash with my new masher.

I then set to the task of making the samosa dough. Samosa dough is a mix between pita and pie dough it consists of five ingredients, butter, yogurt, flour, salt and water. I mixed the first four ingredients in Tyler, the way the almighty Mark Bittman has taught me and slowly added the water until a ball formed. This took two tries, the first ball was a sticky crazy mess. The second was much nicer.

While that ball rested in the fridge for a half hour I took to the task of shelling fresh peas and turning my fingers blue in the process.

I got about 1/2 a cup of peas.

I then took on the task of rolling out twelve 3 inch circles. (P.S. I halved the recipe).

Filling each one.

And attempting to crimp and seal them in an attractive way.

Some of them came out better then others.

A quick trip in the hot box and they came out GBD.

The final result:

THE VERDICT:

This was another successful recipe and fun to make. I have always wanted to try making these from scratch and am really glad it came out so well. The Husband was similarly enthusiastic, he ate six of them for dinner. Next time I think I will make them a little bit bigger and less of them. Plus more salt in the dough; it was a little bit dull and salt usually fixes that. 

Also I might try to make them a little bit prettier.

The Recipe:

Taken from the almighty Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian?"

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, like grape-seed or corn
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb potatoes peeled and cubed
• ½ cup frozen or shelled fresh peas
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water
• 2 tablespoons garam masala or curry powder
• 2 cups all‐purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons cold butter, plus more for greasing the pans
• 2 tablespoons yogurt

1. Put the oil in a deep skillet or medium pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, and ginger and keep cooking and stirring until all the vegetables start to wilt and are fragrant, another 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, coconut milk, and curry powder to the pan. Turn the heat to high. When the mixture begins to boil, lower the heat so it bubbles gently. Cover and cook, stirring every so often, until the potatoes are very tender, 20 minutes or so, checking to make sure they are not too dry or wet.  Mash roughly, stir in peas and set aside to cool. 
3. While the lentils are cooking, combine the flour with a large pinch of salt, the butter, and the yogurt in a food processor; turn on the machine and, a few seconds later, add about ½ cup water. Let the machine run, adding a little more water if necessary, until a dough ball forms. Knead the dough for a moment by hand, adding a little more flour if necessary, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (You can make both the lentils and the dough to this point up to 1 day in advance. Cover or wrap tightly and refrigerate and bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a couple of baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. Sprinkle a work surface with flour, then divide the dough into quarters. Cover three of the pieces and divide the fourth into 6 pieces; roll each piece into a round ball. Roll each ball out flat into a 3‐inch diameter circle. When you have rolled out the first six, put about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each. Brush the rim (you can use your fingertip) with a little water, then fold over and seal. Put the samosas—about 1 inch apart—on the prepared baking sheets. Keep covered with plastic wrap while you repeat with the remaining dough. Bake the samosas until golden brown, turning as needed, about 30 minutes, and serve hot.