"...pleasure from the thorns...": it's my blog and i'll do what i want to

although i remain passionate about the culinary arts, i decided at the outset that this blog wouldn't creep too far into the "foodie" category. however, there are times when my level of success and feeling of utter triumph prevail and compel me to share with the world. sad, i know, but true.

transplanting from the DC metro area where the population (and subsequently the restaurant selection) is so amazingly diverse to the more remote and decidedly more homogeneous colorado springs has left us in want of some of the ethnic cuisines we'd come to know and love. also surprising is the lack of restaurants here that cater to vegans. those two conditions have forced us to cook and eat at home almost exclusively and we're happy to say we're the better for it.

one of the food items we'd been missing the most was samosas. my task was laid before me. i was a little intimidated at first but i did some research and pulled from several different recipes until i came up with the knowledge and courage to try it for myself. i made both the dough and filling from scratch and, with a little help from Manjula (see below), my samosas were awesome!

[non foodie types may skip to the pictures at this point :-)]

i'll spare all the gory details but the dough was flour (white and wheat all purpose), water, veg oil, salt, and my secret ingredient...smoked paprika. the filling was potatoes, peas, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, caraway, cardamom, and cayenne. my sous-chef :-) prepared a simple yet divine dipping sauce by blending cilantro, coconut milk, jalapeno, lemon, and a little raw sugar. look!