Saag Paneer

This recipe is from my friend Ixchel, cook and roommate extraordinaire. Sadly, she no longer lives in Minneapolis so Mary and I were on our own this time. Thanks to Angelica for organic spinach fresh off the farm and to my mom for a never-ending supply of tomatoes. Delicious and nutritious. Especially good if you listen to Erasure while you make it.

Paneer:

1/2 gallon whole milk

2-3 tbsp white vinegar

Saag:

2 pounds fresh spinach, trimmed, washed and coarsely chopped

1 1/2 tsp ground fenugreek

1 jalapeno, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cornmeal

2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp cinnamon

-To make the paneer, heat the milk in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat.

-Meanwhile, place a colander in the sink and line it with 3-4 layers of cheesecloth.

-When the milk begins to boil, turn the heat to low. Quickly add the vinegar and stir. The mixture will curdle at this point, the whey separating from the curds.

-Empty the mixture into the colander and drain out the whey (which you can save for other uses). Twist the cheesecloth tightly to form a ball. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can.

-Place the ball, still in the cloth, on a cookie sheet, top it with another cookie sheet and put some giant books on top of it. Let sit for about 45 minutes.

-Meanwhile, make the saag.

-Bring one cup of water to a boil in a large pan. Add the spinach, fenugreek, and jalapeno and cook covered for 15-20 minutes.

-In a separate pan, saute the onion, ginger, tomatoes and remaining ingredients until thickened.

-Blend or mash the spinach, depending on what consistency you like.

-Combine the onion/tomato/spice mixture with the spinach.

-Slice the paneer into rectangular chunks and add to the saag.

-Heat and serve with rice or naan.