RECIPES
January 1, 2024
Mixing up homemade
granola is simple
By Katie Workman
The Associated Press
N
eed a gift for a friend or family member? A
homemade gift with a little personal touch might
be a good choice. For me, granola fits the bill. Not
only is it good to eat, it can be shared.
A beautiful jar of crunchy, chewy, slightly sweet granola
for quick breakfasts, tossing onto little bowls of yogurt or
skyr, or (if you are my older son) grabbing by the handful
every time you pass through the kitchen, is perfect.
Granola is so customizable that once you start playing
around with it, making it can become almost as addictive
as eating it. Change up the dried fruits, use all maple
syrup or all honey, add a bit of crystallized ginger or a
pinch of ground cloves.
Because nut allergies are so prevalent (I speak from
personal experience), keeping your granola nut-free will
make it a gift that almost everyone can enjoy.
Many store-bought granolas have a lot of added fat and
sugar. This recipe has a much more manageable amount
of oil and sweeteners. Note this granola is vegetarian but
not vegan, thanks to the honey and egg whites. The egg
whites help create nice little clumps of granola without
necessitating the addition of more fat or sugar.
This is also a great recipe for getting the kids involved.
They can measure, mix, and spread everything out on the
baking sheet. With supervision around the hot baking
sheet, older kids can gently stir the granola during baking.
Baking tips
Because the dried fruit will burn if baked too long, add it
to the oat mix only during the second part of bake time.
Baking it lets it becomes chewy and incorporated into the
mix.
If you want your granola crunchier, bake the oat part a
bit longer before stirring in the fruit.
If you’re certain nut allergies aren’t an issue, add a
handful or two of chopped nuts when you add the dried
fruit midway through baking.
This granola keeps for three weeks in a cool place, well
sealed (though I have never once had it last that long).
Presentation
I like to package up this granola in clear glass Mason
jars with attached lids, ribbons, and labels. You can also
find jars that have spoons attached.
Think about adding some suggestions on a little card
attached to the jar for how the recipients can use the
granola. Recommend using it as a topping for everything
from ice cream to yogurt, a complement to oatmeal, a dip
for a banana, or blended into a crumble on a fruit crisp.
You can double or triple the recipe easily — and I always
do, because I don’t want to give it all away!
Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press.
She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking,
Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.
Granola Recipe
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus oil for
the baking sheet (optional)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon grated orange zest, optional
4 cups old-fashioned oats, not quick-cooking
2 cups mixed chopped dried fruit such as
apricots or prunes, and/or dried cherries,
blueberries, cranberries, and raisins
Nonstick cooking spray (optional)
Preheat the oven to 275° Fahrenheit.
Place the honey, maple syrup, egg whites, oil,
vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and orange zest, if using, in a
large bowl and mix until well blended. Set 1/2 cup of
the honey mixture aside in a medium-size bowl. Add
the oats to the large bowl and mix with a spoon or your
hands until everything is well combined and coated.
Add the dried fruit to the reserved 1/2 cup of the
honey mixture and stir to combine. Set the dried
fruit mixture aside.
Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick
cooking spray, or coat it lightly with oil, or line it with
parchment paper. Spread the oat mixture out on the
prepared baking sheet in a thin, even layer. Bake the
oat mixture for 30 minutes (see baking tips above).
Add the dried fruit mixture to the oat mixture and
stir well with a spoon or spatula to combine. Spread
the granola out again in an even layer. Bake it until
the oats are golden brown and crunchy, 25 to 30
minutes, stirring it once more halfway through the
baking time, but leave some clumps! Let the granola
cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack.
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13
Pitch the boxed broth! Indian-spiced
tomato soup doesn’t need it
By Christopher Kimball
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street
uying a box of broth at the supermarket feels like
a soup shortcut because most people don’t have
time or energy to make homemade stock. But
many store-bought stocks are filled with salt and lack
much real flavor.
As it turns out, you don’t need it anyway. We prefer to
use water, not stock, for soups that have clearer, brighter
flavor. It’s easy with the right ingredients as long as you
keep a couple things in mind.
For one, make sure to brown the aromatics. Browning
translates to flavor, and scraping up those browned bits
when you add the water to the pot releases flavor into the
soup.
And two, don’t be afraid to use spices. Toast the spices
first to release their delicate aromas into the dish, just as
we do in this Indian-spiced tomato soup recipe from our
book Cook What You Have, which draws on pantry staples
to assemble easy, weeknight meals.
The recipe was inspired by Indian soups known as
shorba, which comes from the Arabic word “shurba,”
meaning “soup.” Often simple, brothy, puréed soups, they
are considered comfort food — the kind of soothing dish
you’d find in home kitchens rather than in restaurants. In
our version, we stir in garam masala, a blend of warming
spices, to add depth of flavor and to complement the
slightly acidic tomatoes and yogurt.
The brightness of the tomato and ginger shines
through, and the toasted spice mixture provides the
backbone of the soup’s flavor. If you happen to have ghee
B
SIMPLE & SATISFYING. Pictured is a bowl of Indian-Style
Tomato-Ginger Soup, a soothing dish with garam masala, a blend of
warming spices, and more. (Milk Street via AP)
on hand, use it in place of butter for a subtly richer, more
nuanced flavor. We like this soup served with warm naan
for dipping.
Editor’s note: To view additional recipes, visit <177milkstreet.com/ap>.
Indian-Style Tomato-Ginger Soup
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
2 tablespoons salted butter or ghee
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 small bunch cilantro, tender stems finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped, reserved separately
4 teaspoons garam masala
28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt, plus more to serve
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the ginger and cilantro stems; cook, stirring
occasionally, until the ginger begins to stick to the pot and brown lightly, about 2 minutes. Add the garam masala
and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes with juices, 3 cups water, and ½ teaspoon
each salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the
tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes have softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat
and let cool, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.
Using a blender and working in batches so the jar is never more than half full, purée the tomato mixture until
smooth, about 20 seconds, then return to the saucepan. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender to purée the soup
directly in the saucepan.) Stir in half of the cilantro leaves and cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until
heated through, about 3 minutes.
Off heat, whisk in the yogurt, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the remaining
cilantro leaves and topped with yogurt.
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