Applesauce with Dates and Star Anise

December 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

 There are many benefits to retrying recipes other than perfecting them. One of the things that I have found is that, in most cases as I retry recipes they tend to get simpler. My inate preference is cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients and simplifying the recipes everytime I try them, until I reach a comfort level that works for me.

I have made this applesauce which really is a hybrid between an applesauce and a chutney, a few times since the first time I made it a year ago. I think today’s variation was about the right level of flavor and simplicity.

Tart and smooth with just a hint of spice, this applesauce will be a great side for an assortment of dishes. It would be great with crackers as well.

Applesauce with Dates and Star Anise

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

2 granny smith apples

1/2 cup (about 10) dates, seeded and chopped

3/4 cup of apple juice or cider

4 star anise

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder

Method of Preparation

1. Core and chop the apples leaving the skin on and place in a cooking pot.

2. Place the apple juice, dates, star anise, lime juice and red chili powder in the same pot and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

3. Cool the mixture, discard the star anise, puree until smooth in a blender.

4. Use as needed.

This will keep in the refridgerator for 3-4 weeks.

 

 

 

Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Apples, Applesauce, Chutneys, Condiments, Dates, Green Apples, Holidays, Star Anise, Vegan

Blueberry Ginger Chutney – A forgotten jar

November 5, 2011 Leave a Comment

 I watched the movie Forest Gump, what now seems like in another lifetime.

Well, given that I watched the movie way too close to the screen (those were the only tickets we got, for the first week of release. I have since learnt one can even wait as long as getting the movie on DVD to watch in one’s jammies and the world does not end. Well, what I did get from the movie was a saying, that I still love using, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get….”

Today, has been one of those days, I have been doing almost nothing that I planned to do. I am getting a cold, somethig that I absolutely hate dealing with. I actually used this chutney with something else and realized that I had not written about this chutney. It is simple, but we loved it. It has become one of my favorite condiment. The beauty of preserving fruits and vegetables is just that, you can enjoy it even when the season is gone, without trying to savor blueberries on a chilly fall day from halfway across the world. Blueberries are an amazing fruit, rich with antioxidants and with enough vitamins and minerals to obtain a superfruit status. I have paired this well with scallops and shall talk about that one of days, but for today I am sticking to just the chutney.

Blueberry Ginger Chutney

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Makes 2 small jars of chutney

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon Bengali 5-spice blend (panchphoron)

2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

2 sticks cinnamon

3/4 cup grated jaggery or dark brown sugar

3 cups of fresh blueberries (preferably the tart late spring variety)

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil on medium heat for about 1 minute (this should be done in a large saucepan to allow room for the chutney to cook) and add in the panchphoron. The spices should crackle as soon as it makes contact with the oil.

2. Add in the ginger and stir lightly for about 1 minute.

3. Add in the salt, lemon juice, chili powder, cinnamon and the brown sugar and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar has melted and a sauce has formed. This takes about 5 minutes

4. Add  in the blueberries and cook for another 8 to 1o minutes, until the liquid is a deep blue almost purple color and the berries have just popped and released some of their juice. Do not overcook the berries as they should retain their shape.

5. Cool the mixture and remove the cinnamon sticks and place into jars. I usually keep mine in the fridge where it stays well for 2 – 3 months, so I do not worry about sterilizing the jars, but this can be preserved and will keep for about 1 month.

This entry is my submission for Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn, in its sixth year, with its home in Haalo’s blog. It is being hosted this week by Haalo as a birthday celebration.

Filed Under Bengali, Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Bengali, Blueberries, Chutneys, Ginger, Panchphoron, Summer, WHB

Purslane Tzatziki

September 28, 2011 1 Comment

 After the crazy weekend I had it is not surprising that I am posting summer recipes almost two in succession, well, summer was not really un crazy for me but the good thing about summer is that almost every else pauses and takes a little hiatus at least the weather tries to. Well, the rain lover that I am with all the rain we have been having the past several days. Although, this might be because I am spending more time battling the elements since the past year due to being back to commuting and walking around for now over a year, I am not so sure I really understand the weather. This past week has just been strangely humid.

The new thing in my life has been fitting in soccer into the already crazy thing we call a weekend. It really is the weekend when I actually offer some thought to the term soccer mom, although leading my husband to point out all the shuttling he does during the week and yet no one really acknowledges the effort. Actually this is not quite true, just that people have not added a term to the hands on dad yet, maybe that is what this election season should zone in on.

Well, one of the novelties of this summer was us discovering and begining to use purslane for the first time. Well, I realized that it was growing in our backyard last year, when my husband informed me that he was weeding out this pretty weed. Yes, indeed this is a free spirited and pretty week that does grow in your backyard out of its own volition.

So one of the things I do like doing in a salad is adding yogurt, yes, if you are thinking of raita, you are pretty close but I was actually thinking of also a little garlic and essentially thinking of the garlicky greek meze called tzatziki. The more commonly seen form of the meze usually consists of cucumber that nicely mellows and balances out the sharpness of the garlic. In this version, when I mixed all together and tried the recipe I was at first disappointed and then between kitchen to table and other stuff about 20 minutes elapsed and then at second taste it was all there like an evolving concerto, getting progressively bolder. What I learnt was that the key to the recipe was to wait.

Purslane Tzatziki

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 pods garlic, minced

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Several grinds of fresh black pepper

1 cup of low fat (2%) green yogurt

3/4 cup chopped purslane

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1.  Mix together the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

2. Whip the yogurt and mix in the garlic mixture.

3. Fold in the purslane and the cilantro and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.

I shall warn you that this is quite adictive, Anshul and I ate the whole thing with some chips for dinner.

Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Chutneys, cilantro, Condiments, Garlic, Greek, Greek Yogurt, Meze, Purslane, Purslane Tzatziki, Summer, Tzattziki, Yogurt

Habanero and Yellow Tomato Salsa

September 14, 2011 4 Comments

 The habanero pepper is one to be reconned with, it is one of the fierest in the pepper family and needs to be worked on with caution. It is one of the few things that I actually where gloves for when working in bulk with these potently spicy devils, possibly making the faint of heat wonder why on earth would I bother with them. Well, there are a couple of reasons, the pepper is good for a very spicy dish such as a phaal or even an Andhra Chicken curry that I promise to post soon.  In addition to its heat the pepper does have a very interesting and unusual flavor, so as they say no pain no gain.

This evening, with the last official day of summer, well I know the calendar probably stretches the season a little more, but if like me you are packing school bags and getting ready for school, you will agree that break week is kind of over and so is summer.  Deepta, get a new backpack since she made a complete mess of hers, while little brother’s backpack survived the year. He is not pleased since he feels this is along the spirit of no good deed going unpunished.

I made a great bowl of spicy salsa and whipped up some Guacamole,  we actually enjoyed this with a good cold rose and salvaged the rest of the weekend. Actually, this salsa works well with fish and I shall tell you my recipe when I get a chance.

Habanero and Yellow Tomato Salsa

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

4 pods of garlic, skin on

1 orange habanero pepper

2 yellow tomatoes

1 red tomato

1 teaspoon powdered cumin

1 small red onion, very finely minced

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar (optional, I like the contrast)

Method of Preparation

1. Heat a heavy bottomed skillet and add the garlic and the pepper and cook until blistered.

2. Peel the garlic and roughly chop the pepper removing the seeds.

3. Chop the tomatoes.

4. Place the garlic, pepper and the tomatoes in a pan and cook for about 5 minutes.

5. Add in the cumin and mix well.

6. Place the mixture in a food processor and mix well.

7. Stir in the onion, cilantro, salt and sugar.

Mix well and enjoy!

This recipe is being sent out to Srivali’s Condiment Mela, which is yet another fun mela event. Also adding and sending this to Toreview Torview, for the color palette series since it includes the color yellow.
 

Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Chutneys, Cumin, Habanero, Mexican, Roasted Salsa, Salsa, Spicy, Summer, tomatoes, Yellow Tomatoes

Guacamole with Grated Carrots

September 3, 2011 2 Comments

 

 

If I had read the title of this post, I would be skeptical too, but read on, remember Green Eggs and Ham. I mean, carrots in Guacomole?

Yes, you might have guessed that we have loads of carrots in the garden, but we have loads of chili peppers too, so you shall be seeing an assortment of palate tickling spicy creations comming your way the next few days and maybe even weeks.

This creation is extremely simple and actually in real life rather colorful, will remind you of the colors of the Indian flag. This recipe is a great way to add some veggies and crunch into your daily diet. My children love this, in fact, the displayed version is very proudly made by my daughter.

She has been wanting to help me in the kitchen for the longest time, although still very hesitant. I think as with all things it is important to have the will and the rest will follow. Her constant question to me is when I started in the kitchen, this is tricky because although I probably did not start any semblance of cooking for a while, I sometimes feel that I have grown up in the kitchen with Ma and Dida.

[Read more...]

Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Avocado, Backyard Cooking, carrots, Chutneys, cilantro, Fresh Flavors, Guacamole, Local Indian, Mexican, No Cook Dishes, Side Dishes

Roasted Beetroot Chutney

May 31, 2011 Leave a Comment

 Last weekend, I picked up some amazingly sweets beets and carrots. These were from the Briarcliff Manor, indoor farmer’s market. This weekend the outdoor markets have begun and I shall be tell you all about the produce from the Pleasantville Farmers Market as I start cooking the stuff.

The beets and carrots would actually be good for halwas. They have a generous amount of concentrated sugars since they have been underground thought the winter. I have been roasting the beets and using them for salad and using them with the lettuce that is now a plenty in the backyard, however there was a recipe that I tripped upon actually through conversation with a friend of mine, about a South Indian style chutney made with these red beauties. I am sure that there are all kinds of innovative uses for these vivid beauties since in India they are considered very healthy and “good” mothers find all ways to introduce them into their childrens diet.

What I have discovered however is that the best way to eat these red iron rich vegetables is to roast them. This deepens their flavors and in turn offers a nice dense taste to the vegetable. I actually did the same with this chutney, in  that I roasted the beetroots first. This also simplified the process of cooking since, the beetroots roasted pretty much unattended and need the whole condiment got put together in about 15 minutes.

To roast the beets, I wrap them in foil and then bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. I have noticed that this is the time it takes to cook fresh beetroots to sweet and buttery perfection.

So now onto the chutney recipe

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Filed Under Deepta and Aadi, Local and Backyard Cooking, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Beetroots, Chutneys, Side Dishes, Spring

CPR – Chili Peanut Relish

May 17, 2010 Leave a Comment

What an accronym – CPR – does that get you into action mode or what? But this is what is funny, this really tasty, full-flavored creation took me all of 15 minutes to make. I made a later variation of chicken with this, much like an Indian chimichurri chicken, believe me when I tell you, this was good. Anyhow, down to the relish.

CPR – Chili Peanut Relish

Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes
Makes 3/4 cup

Ingredients

3/4 cup raw peanuts (shelled)
4 green finger chillies
1 small tomato

 1 small carrot, peeled

3-4 tablespoons cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 lime

Method of Preparation

1. Dry roast the peanuts on a skillet for 2-4  minutes, until fragrant and beginning to turn gently aromatic and gently golden brown at edges.
2. Place in the bowl of a food processor.
3. Remove the tops of the chilies and place in the same container.
4. Chop the tomato and  the carrot and place in the food processor with the salt and blend until the mixture is coarsely blended.
5. Remove and place in a mixing bowl.
6. Stir in the salt, cut the lime and mix in the juice and stir well.

Filed Under Regional Indian Tagged With carrots, Chutneys, cilantro, Class Recipes, peanuts, Relishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Green Chutney – Mint and Cilantro Chutney with Ginger

May 3, 2010 Leave a Comment

There are many variations of your basic chutney, a spicy fresh condiment that we use as a dipping sauce for savory snacks such as samosas, pakoras and even crackers.

I like this zippy variation, among others and its uses range way beyond the condiment stage. I like to use it as a no cook sauce for fish or even chicken. I shall tell you about this soon. I myself have a couple of variations to this classic sauce. For a lot of the condiments, I like to use black salt for a couple of reasons. I like the addictive taste of black salt combined with lime or tart mango powder, I also like the fact that natural salts like black salt do not have any sodium and are rich in minerals.

Here is how I made it in class one evening.

Green Chutney – Mint and Cilantro Chutney with Ginger

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Green Chutney – Mint and Cilantro Chutney with Ginger
Author: 
Recipe type: Condiment
Prep time: 
Total time: 

 

A classic traditional Indian condiment that is enjoyed with an assortment of appetizers.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves (leaves and tender stems)
  • 3 green chilies
  • ½ teaspoon black salt
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • ½ inch peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ coriander seeds

Instructions
  1. Place about ⅓ of the cilantro and mint in the blender with the lime juice and process to a puree.
  2. Add the chilies, ginger, cumin and coriander and process into a smooth paste. This will take about 3 minutes and will need a combination of pulsing and blending actions to make sure that the spices are ground until smooth.
  3. Add in the remaining herbs in batches and continue grinding until smooth. The key is to try to get a relatively thick and pasty chutney and this cannot be accomplished by adding all the ingredients together at the same time.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Makes 1/2 cup of chutney

 

Ingredients

1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves (leaves and tender stems)

3 green chilies

1/2  teaspoon salt

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 inch peeled fresh ginger

1 teaspoon cumin seeds 

1/2 coriander seeds

Method of preparation

1. Place about 1/3 of the cilantro and mint in the blender with the lime juice and process to a puree.

2. Add the chilies, ginger, cumin and coriander and process into a smooth paste. This will take about 3 minutes and will need a combination of pulsing and blending actions to make sure that the spices are ground until smooth.

3. Add in the remaining herbs in batches and continue grinding until smooth. The key is to try to get a relatively thick and pasty chutney and this cannot be accomplished by adding all the ingredients together at the same time.

Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Regional Indian Tagged With Black Salt, Chilies, Chutneys, cilantro, Classic Indian, Ginger, Green Chutney, Mint, Vegan, Vegetarian

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