Old Fashioned Carrot Cake

First of all, I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet; shame on me!  Second, I have no clue where this recipe came from, but it has been in my mom's recipe cards since I can remember.  I have done research to try and track down its origins (Wesson oil ad? some old cookbook?), but unfortunately I have come up empty-handed.  Regardless, this cake is fantastic, and I've been happily eating it my entire life.  Nothing fancy, no raisins or pineapple or coconut, just carrots and spices with a cream cheese frosting.

Note: You can use walnuts instead of pecans, but seeing as this is the South, it's always pecans in my kitchen.

Old Fashioned Carrot Cake

1 cup canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups finely grated carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
1½ cups chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease well two 9-inch round cake pans.

Beat together the oil, sugar, salt, eggs, and spices. Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir in. Add the carrots, and mix until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake the cakes for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Remove the layers from the pans after about 15 minutes, and place them on a rack to cool. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.

Mix chopped pecans into Cream Cheese Frosting, frost the top of one layer, top with the second layer, and frost the top and sides of the cake.

Makes 16 servings

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 (1-pound) box powdered sugar (about 3½ cups)
Milk or cream to adjust consistency of frosting, if necessary

Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the salt and vanilla. Beat in the sugar. Add a teaspoon of milk or cream if the frosting is too stiff to spread; add additional sugar if it's too thin.

I Am From Here: Peanut Curry

Okay, stay with me a minute, I promise it's not as gross as it initially sounds.  I ran across this recipe when I was flipping through I Am From Here, which is basically a cookbook of Indian-Southern fusion recipes.  And I was fascinated by the peanut curry.  I hadn't ever thought of peanuts in those terms, but I couldn't see why it wouldn't work.  So of course I had to try it.  Sourcing the raw peanuts was the hardest part, but I was able to finally get some from a Chinese grocery.  The curry itself is very tasty, and the peanuts, while unusual, are actually pretty good with the spicy sauce.  If you're feeling adventurous, give it a try.

Peanut Curry
From I Am From Here

3 cups raw unsalted, shelled peanuts, skins removed
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as peanut or canola
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves (optional)
1 large red onion, minced (about 1¾ cups)
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
½ cup canned full-fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon light brown sugar
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
1 serrano chile, stemmed and thinly sliced, for garnish
Steamed rice or flatbread, for serving

Fill a large pot with water and add the raw peanuts and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and boil for 25 to 30 minutes, until the peanuts are soft but not mushy. (You may need to turn the heat down slightly so that the pot does not boil over.) Drain the peanuts, reserving 1½ cups boiling liquid.

Put the roasted peanuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have as fine a powder as possible. Set aside.

Toast the coriander seeds in a small, dry pan over medium heat, shaking the pan gently so that the seeds toast evenly and do not burn, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and, when cool enough to handle, grind in a spice grinder or coffee grinder, or with a mortar and pestle. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the curry leaves (if using) and onion. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the onion is very soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in the garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, and ground coriander. Cook until the spices become fragrant and darken slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the roasted peanut powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add the coconut milk and the liquid reserved from the boiled peanuts. Bring to a simmer and cook until you have a thick, gravy-like sauce, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the boiled peanuts, lime juice, sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow the curry to sit for 5 to 6 minutes before serving so that it thickens up and the flavors have a chance to meld. Garnish each serving with chopped cilantro and serrano slices. Serve with rice or flatbread.

Makes 6 servings