I developed the recipe for the classic Indian dish that I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon to showcase not just traditional spices but also homemade cheese and homegrown vegetables, even out of season. When I started delving into spices commonly used in Indian cuisine and teaching workshops on how to create spice blends and make fresh paneer at home, I couldn’t just sit down in a local restaurant and enjoy traditional Indian cuisine. Northwest Montana’s food offerings have become far more varied over the years, but I still enjoy simmering homemade cheese in spices in my own kitchen.

In spring, I’m just planting the onions, tomatoes, and peppers that will become this recipe’s savory sauce, and it will be months before I can make a fresh-from-the garden version. But I can make it tonight from vegetables I grew last summer: I simply pull them from my freezer.

Learn more about cooking with paneer and get the complete recipe for Paneer Tikka Masala in my column.

Make it, share it.
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Twice as Tasty

As you buy seeds and starts and plant your garden, I encourage you to think about what you eat and how you can store it to enjoy well into fall and winter. This thoughtfulness is how I ensure we have enough garlic, onions, tomatoes, and peppers dry-stored, frozen, canned, and dehydrated to last until the first harvest the next year—and not so many zucchini or snap beans that I can’t keep up. Even if you aren’t growing your own produce, what you receive in your CSA shares or buy at the farmer’s market can be saved and used beyond that week’s meals.

These are a few other recipes on the blog that I make fresh when the ingredients are in season and from the freezer the rest of the year. You can find more in the recipe index.

• Tangy Rhubarb Muffins
• Pasta That Pops
• Sunshine Risotto
• Shrimp and Summer Squash Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce
• Tomato–Basil Mac and Cheese
• Broccoli, Tomato and Pasta Soup
• Squash and Coconut Milk Curry

You can also learn more about planning what you will grow in your garden by thinking about what you most enjoy eating in this blog post.

Want more Twice as Tasty recipes? Get my books! Click here to order a personally signed, packaged, and shipped copy of The Complete Guide to Pickling directly from me. I also share tasty ways to use pickles in The Pickled Picnic; it’s only available here.