steakhouse saag
with tallow tadka!
A handful of disparate forces were at play in my life and the universe to produce this recipe. First, I’ve been creaming spinach in the comfort of my own kitchen like nobody’s business. It started with a delicious, greens-packed cheddar gratin number that I pulled out for a family dinner last fall and has snowballed into full-on steakhouse dinners at home. It has been top of mind.
Second, the Union Square Greenmarket has been overflowing with fun and interesting greens perfect for cooking down into something dreamy and creamy. I grabbed heaps of lamb’s quarters, mustard greens, stinging nettles, and good old-fashioned spinach. When I saw bunches of fresh fenugreek, or methi, at a farmstand the other week, smelling somehow of maple syrup, like the seeds do, but fresher and more herbal, the pieces started falling together.
Third, I woke up one night in a cold sweat with the alliteration of “tallow tadka” swirling around my brain. The classic Indian technique of tempering whole spices in ghee to finish a dal or curry, why shouldn’t that be done in straight beef pan drippings? Forget a pan sauce.
So this dish is a customizable array of greens, ranging from sweet and tender to bitter and hardy, cooked down with full-fat yogurt and coconut milk, flavored with aromatics such as garlic, ginger, and onion, and finished with a hunk of steak and spices, including chile, coriander, cumin, mustard, and curry leaves, tempered in rendered tallow. It is somewhere between steakhouse creamed spinach and Indian saag. Check it out!
Steakhouse Saag
2 - 3 pounds fresh greens, I used a mixture of lambs quarters, mustard greens, stinging nettles, and spinach.
2 Tbsp ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 or whole small red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 thai chili, sliced
1/4 tsp turmeric
3/4 cup fresh fenugreek leaves, picked or 1 to 2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup full-fat yogurt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp amchur powder
For the tallow tadka:
a steak (ideally with a large fat cap)
3/4 tsp of cumin seeds
2 whole dried red chilies
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
1 tsp curry leaves
To start, blanch the greens in boiling water. If any of the greens have tough stems, remove them before or after cooking. If you’re using stinging nettles like I did (which you absolutely do not have to) be sure to avoid touching them with your bare hands until after they have been blanched for 2 minutes. They sting! Shock the greens in an ice bath, wring out any excess water, and give the cooked greens a rough chop. Set aside. You should have about 3 cups.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the ghee followed by the cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Cook, stirring, until the seeds begin to toast and pop. Add in the onion, garlic, ginger, thai chili, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes or until the vegetables are fragrant.
Add in the greens followed by the fresh or dried fenugreek leaves. Add in the coconut milk and yogurt. Bring to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally for around 5 minutes or until the liquid has partially reduced and the entire mixture has thickened. Add in the garam masala and amchur powder. Cook for another 2 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary.
Meanwhile, cook a steak. Sear it in a pan, making sure to render out that ideally large fat cap. Avoid butter basting.
Once the steak is cooked and resting, you should be left with a hot pan of beef grease. This is the base for your tallow tadka. Keep the heat on and add in the cumin seeds, dried red chili, mustard seeds, kashmiri chili powder, and curry leaves. Allow to pop, sizzle, and toast slightly before pouring directly over your plated steakhouse saag/creamed spinach situation. Eat it with the steak!
