Chickpeas and Cheese Pie

From Nine Naughty Novelist Skylar Kade

Tiropita

WHAT YOU NEED:

16 oz. feta cheese
8 oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
4 eggs
1 box Fillo Dough, set out and thawed to room temperature
oil
2 eggs, beaten

WHAT TO DO:

In a large bowl, mix feta, ricotta, mozzarella and eggs together until well blended.
Cut Fillo Dough in half lengthwise.
Take one sheet of Fillo Dough and brush lightly with oil. Place another sheet of Fillo on top and brush top Lightly with oil. Top with a third sheet of Fillo.
Place a heaping spoonful of cheese mixture onto one of the corners of Fillo dough.
Fold up (as demonstrated in pictures) until you have a triangle shaped Tiropita.
Arrange on cookie sheet and repeat with remaining Tiropita.
Brush the tops of the Tiropita with beaten egg wash and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

From Maison Domine...

"Realizing how hungry she was, Lara filled her plate with the delicacies overflowing the two buffet tables. The foods were so elegant, she didn’t know the proper names for most of them, but knew they would be delicious. She had just popped something light and flaky and cheese-filled into her mouth when another guest arrived to the party. His broad shoulders filled the doorway, his face still trapped in the shadows of the hallway. Tight jeans encased his muscular thighs. Her eyes were drawn to the promise of length and girth tucked to the left of his zipper. Lara immediately started to drool. Wow, she thought, there is one man who would be able to satisfy a woman over and over…and over."

Maison Domine

Organic chemist Lara Brunner is at loose ends. Since childhood, her life has been focused on work and achieving success in her field. Only now, weeks away from her tenure review, she realizes she’s pushed herself too far. Casting about for a way to release her stress-crazed body from career tension, she visits a BDSM retreat, hoping a weekend of sexual submission will do the trick.

Inducting her into the lifestyle is her at-work nemesis—Jaxon Greene. But the sinful intent she encounters in Jaxon’s sexy eyes makes her heart race with desire…and fear. Gorgeous men like him don’t go for zaftig academics like her. Once the fantasy weekend is over and real life returns, he’ll forget all about her.

Jaxon is blindsided by his intense attraction to Lara. The more time he spends with her, the stronger their invisible bonds become. Bonds that are stronger and more permanent than any knot he can tie. He’s not normally into converting vanilla women to his lifestyle, but something makes him want to cast his inhibitions aside and claim her for his own.

First, though, he has to free her from preconceived notions of proper sex…and love.

Buy Maison Domine at Amazon today.


From Guest Author Suleikha Synder

It’s kind of funny that my upcoming novella from Samhain is called Spice and Secrets, because when it comes to both my writing and my cooking, there’s a whole lotta spice and very few secrets! See, the thing about Indian home cooking is that recipes are, to paraphrase Pirates of the Caribbean, “just guidelines.” When I get in front of my stove, I am a total pantser. I just throw stuff into the pan and hope for the best! Still, lest I be derelict in my guest-posting duties here at Nine Naughty Novelists, I’m going to do my best to nail down my basic curried chickpea, aka “chole masala,” recipe.

This serves four, or one singleton over the course of a few days. All spice amounts are approximations. I always throw extra in as I go along.

Chickpea Masala

WHAT YOU NEED:

Two 15.5 oz cans of garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained of water
One medium-sized yellow onion
1tbsp of canola oil
1tsp of pre-chopped garlic, or 1-2 cloves, chopped
3-4 whole green cardamom pods
2-3 cloves
½ tsp ginger powder, + extra ½ tsp for later
½ tsp coriander powder, + extra ½ tsp for later
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp of turmeric (for color only, too much makes food bitter!)
1 tsp salt
1 ½  cups of water

WHAT TO DO:

In a large frying pan with a cover, or a saucepan with a cover, heat one tablespoon of oil. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook on medium heat until the onions go clear. Add all powdered spices except for the salt, cooking until it’s a nice aromatic base. The spices should stick to the bottom a little. Add the drained chickpeas and stir until they are coated. Add the salt. After a few minutes, add the water and turn up the heat to medium high, bringing the chickpeas to a boil and stirring occasionally. This is where I like to throw in the extra ginger and coriander. (Oh, Hell, who am I kidding? I keep throwing in spices at every stage.) Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce to low heat and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until the chickpeas are no longer raw and most of the water has been absorbed. There’s nothing wrong with keeping it a little saucy (hey-oh!). Probably around 10 minutes in to this stage is where you want to toss in the dry spices, cloves and cardamom, for flavor. And then…voila! There you have it: quasi-authentic chole!

Serve with rice or flatbread.

Plating up Spice and Secrets is slightly less time-consuming. Pre-order it now.

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Spice-and-Secrets-ebook/dp/B008Z434WE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1352121222&sr=8-3

NOOK: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spice-and-secrets-suleikha-snyder/1112568002

Samhain store: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/spice-secrets-p-7065.html

Spice and Secrets’ leading man, Rahul Anand, enjoys cooking as well. There’s even a scene where he’s making rogan josh — a dish that I have never made! Be sure to let me know if the story tastes okay…

About Suleikha

Editor, writer, American desi and lifelong geek, Suleikha Snyder published her first romantic short in Ravenous Romance's 2011 TOUCHDOWNS anthology. 2012 brought a bevy of releases, including Suleikha's first novella from Samhain Publishing, SPICE AND SMOKE, a Wild Rose Press short story called HEART MURMURS, and a short in Cleis Press' June SUITE ENCOUNTERS anthology. Suleikha lives in New York City, finding inspiration in Bollywood films, daytime and primetime soaps, and Hell's Kitchen wine bars.

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