Harvest Latkes with an Indian Accent

December 28, 2011 Leave a Comment

I first started making these inspired potato pancakes, three years ago. Living inNew York, especially in the shadow of  New York City, I have found it very easy to get caught up in the Jewish festivities.

Latkes, however come to my kitchen courtesy my daughter. She loves to bring and share traditions, both our own and those that she sees around her. In is difficult to resist these crisp, onion garlicky creations. Anymore, than one can resist good pakoras.f

Like with most things, I add an Indian accent to my latkes. Well, turns out this year, it is even trendy to do this, look at this recipe .

As with the applesauce, I have progressively simplified them. This year we were invited by my dear friends Helen and Eric, to join in their celebration. I always marvel how simple and elegant she keeps her meals. Room temperature appetizers, an elegant offering of balanced foods and a luscious fruit salad to balance and end things out. Note to self, “Thou shall be simpler and more organized in your entertaining next year”.

I brought in an offering of these crisp beauties that I call harvest latkes, to my delight they disappeared in less than 20 minutes. The best endorsement for food always lies in the taster’s palate. I had served these with my spiced applesauce, I also often serve them with a pomegranate raita, I shall wait for the prodigal brother and serve them for him with the raita.

Every evening has its highlights, and last evening it was my daughter playing the piano. She walked up spontaneously to the piano and began playing a Scot Joplin piece. This drew another musician to the piano, with the evening ending with a couple of duets between Deepta and Richard and finally all of us singing around the piano.

Harvest Latkes

Prep Time: 40 minutes (includes time to drain the vegetables)

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

½ medium sized rutabaga

1 large russet potato

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

4 pods of garlic, grated

1 onion, grated

1 teaspoon caraway seeds (sold as shah jeera in Indian stores)

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Lots of freshly ground black pepper

Oil for frying the latkes

Method of Preparation

1. Peel and shred the rutabaga, using a hand grater, this should yield about 2 cups.

2. Peel and shred the potato, should yield about 1 cup.

3. Place the vegetables with the salt on a colander and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

4. Squeeze out the excess water.

5. Place the vegetables in a mixing bowl.

6. Add in the cilantro, garlic, onion, caraway seeds, flour, cornstarch and the black pepper and toss to coat.

7. Heat the oil in a large flat skillet.

8. Shape the vegetables into small 2 inch flat pancakes and gently ease into the oil. Cook them for about 3 minutes on each side, until they are nice and golden.

9. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

 

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Havest Latkes with an Indian Accent
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Serves: 6
 

A crisp and spicy take on traditional potato pancakes with rutabaga
Ingredients
  • medium sized rutabaga
  • 1 large russet potato
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
  • 4 pods of garlic, grated
  • 1 onion, grated
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (sold as shah jeera in Indian stores)
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Lots of freshly ground black pepper
  • Oil for frying the latkes

Instructions
  1. Peel and shred the rutabaga, using a hand grater, this should yield about 2 cups.
  2. Peel and shred the potato, should yield about 1 cup.
  3. Place the vegetables with the salt on a colander and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Squeeze out the excess water.
  5. Place the vegetables in a mixing bowl.
  6. Add in the cilantro, garlic, onion, caraway seeds, flour, cornstarch and the black pepper and toss to coat.
  7. Heat the oil in a large flat skillet.
  8. Shape the vegetables into small 2 inch flat pancakes and gently ease into the oil. Cook them for about 3 minutes on each side, until they are nice and golden.
  9. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Filed Under Cumin, Deepta and Aadi, Uncategorized Tagged With Hanukkah, Helen and Eric, Holidays, Latkes, Rutabaga, Rutabagas, Scot Joplin, Winter

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

Gingersnaps

December 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

 My first Christmas in the US a little over two decades ago was an odd one. The small New England town, where my college campus was located was all snowed in. I was recovering from the pace of school coupled by with my first internship. I declined my aunt’s invitation to stay with her over the break.

As Christmas eve dawned, I was surprised to see the streets getting quiter and quieter and the roads were cold, white and lonely. Festivals in Kolkata, where I grew up are a noisy affair, even you you have nothing to do. I have since learnt that “holidays” in the US are family celebrations and time for catching up with friends and family. This is of course something I have learnt to enjoy and appreciate now that I have my own crazy family.

I looked at the scrap bag gifts, including the one from my roommate – a cookbook. A cookie cookbook to be precise. Ironically enough, this is one cookbook that has survived the test of time. It was a book named – Mrs Field’s Cookie Book. I leafed and marked some recipes. I have made some of these marked. My favorite from this is her Gingersnaps recipe, which for me does fall in to the amended category, but my variation is now somewhat modified from the original, especially since I add in a nice dose of fresh ginger. I had initially done this by accident however, looks like this variation is a keeper.

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Gingersnaps

Ingredients

  • 2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon powdered allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup molasses

Instructions

  1. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the ginger, allspice, black pepper and sugar.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix in the butter, egg, ginger paste and molasses until well mixed.
  3. Gradually add in the dry ingredients and gently mix in until well mixed.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  5. Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.
  6. Shape into small balls and flatten and place on the sheet about 1 and 1/2 inches apart and bake for about 20 minutes, until the kitchen is fragrant and the cookies are done.
  7. Gently remove the cookies. This recipe yields a crisp cookie that is great for dunking with tea or coffee.
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Filed Under Cakes and Bakes Tagged With Christmas, Cookies, Easy Cookie Recipes, Ginger, Gingersnaps, Holidays

Thinking Thanksgiving

November 20, 2011 Leave a Comment

The Fall’s favorite holiday and the ultimate Ode to Food approaches. This year, I have been greeting my favorite festival with a little out of the ordinary pensiveness.

It is hard to say that I feel truly grateful and then again looking at all that life has to offer today, tomorrow and always it tends to be difficult not to feel grateful. So this year I am planning compact table with a few ground rules,

1. We shall try to eat either from our garden or all the wonderful stuff that I picked up from the market today.

2. I shall be using Olive oil and keeping butter down to a minimum.

3. I shall be sticking to the menu plan as much as possible.

4. I shall keep the cooking compact to make it peaceful for all of us.

5. I shall try to post my turkey recipe and will update the blog with pictures on the day of the cooking.

So here is my menu,

Appetizers

1. Crackers and Crostini

2. Spice Brined Turkey with an Apricot Glaze (this will be my fourth year doing this, so with any luck, I might actually get pictures this time)

3. Lime and Cilantro Mashed Potatoes with Olive Oil (Picked up a nice batch of Yukons from the Market)

3. Cranberry Ginger Chutney (another recipe that I sort of make every year)

4. Slow Cooked Green Beans with Almonds and Sour Cream (this one is a new idea, I have and yes, these our green beans

5. Wild Rice Stuffing – Possibly an adapted version of Elsie’s Recipe.

6. Carrot Salad

7. Sprouted Moong Salad

8. Apple Pie with Rum Raisins (this one shall be my adventure this year)

Actually, if I am a good girl and stick to this, I think it just might not be too daunting for the husband to clean up. So tell me, what is on your menu this year?

Filed Under Uncategorized Tagged With Fall, Holidays, Local, Seasonal Meal Planning, Thanksgiving

The one that did not make it – Corn and Pomegranate Salsa

November 27, 2010 Leave a Comment

Today was one of those days that you enjoy, after a day well spent and savored. Yesterday was an incredibly  busy and very successful day for the most part, the food was all complete on time, the turkey well cooked and moist (thanks to the brineing) no major disasters, just the right number guests and all in just what you would want from an evening where you spent an incredible amount of time cooking.

The highlight of the evening for me really was a surprise visit from the brother all the way from Seattle. He wanted to make it in time for the holiday meal but actually missed the flight he was planning to take partly due to the X-ray machine being tripped off by the camera.
We both spent the day today around the house, noshing on the remains of the feast. I do not know if it happens to you but quite often in the middle of a frenzy I forget things that I make and plan to serve, this corn salsa that I am about to tell you about is actually one such dish. We enjoyed it today and I think it deserves a special mention.

Corn and Pomegranate Salsa

Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 cup frozen organic corn kernels, defrosted (I use the fire roasted variety by trader Joe’s)
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 lime
2 tablespoons of minced cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Place the corn and the pomegranate seeds in a bowl.
2. Mix in the onion, red chili powder and the salt and toss well.
3. Cut the lime and squeeze in the juice and mix well.
4. Stir in the cilantro and serve with chips or with your choice of meal.

So tell me, do you have items on your menu that sometimes do not make it to the table?

Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking Tagged With Corn, Holidays, Pomegranates, Salsa, Starters

Sandesh for Durga Puja – Rose Scented Bengali Cheesecake Balls

September 22, 2009 2 Comments

This year, I shall actually try to do a festival series on the blog. This series is really for my little daughter. She went to the Durga Puja in Stamford, CT this weekend and now wants the entire lowdown! To make the festive spirit complete, it is important that I dug up the recipe for Sandesh, a traditional bengali style cheesecake.

The next two months are really festive season all across Indian – with a multitude of festivals, Durga Puja, Navratri, Eid, Diwali. I wish I knew all about each one of these in detail, but I think I know enough to cover most of them. Actually one of the benefits of growing up in a secular country like India, there really is no dirth of festivals.
Simply speaking the story of Durga is the eternal commemoration of the victory of good over evil.
 I realize that there is nothing new in that, since almost all cultures have their version of this story of magic and excitement, and fanfare when good triumphs over evil.
Well, the bengali version, is interesting in the the bad guy is actually destroyed by a powerful woman, albeit a ten handed one, but nonetheless does demonstrate female power or shakti, which makes it an especially interesting story to come up with for my daughter.
 The demon Mahishashura was rewarded by Shiva with a boon that he would not be killed by any man. He took advantage of this and continued to terrorize people. The gods fed up of this, created the goddess Durga, who epitomizes the power of the woman. She is a 10-armed mother goddess who rides a lion. She is show with her 4-children who come to earth with their mother and also in turn merit their own festivals. Durga is shown as slaying Mahishasura thus symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.
While this is technically a ten-day festival commencing with Mahalaya, most of the religious festivities take place during the last five days of the festivals. There are different religious offers, most notably prayers including pushanjali (floral
There are food offerings most popularly the myriad number of sweets.
However possibly what I miss is the incredible transformation that takes place in the city of Kolkatta during these days – the city gets caught up in a week long carnival where Mardi Gras meets Christmas with a very Indian flavor. There are makeshift pavelions created in every nook and corned with different variations of Durga, there are food stalls, balloon stands and the city forgets to sleep!
To bring back just a little memory of this period, I made Sondesh probably the closest to Indian Cheesecake make with fresh paneer. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this turned out, call it luck…
Now, my recipe simply shapes these into handmade balls, in India, there are actually various moulds available for this dessert that allows you to shape it in a multitude of ways.
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Sondesh - Rose Scented Indian Cheesecake Balls

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon 2% milk
  • 1/3 cup tart natural yogurt
  • 1/3 cup sugar can be more if you like it sweeter
  • 1 teaspoon rosewater
    • To Garnish
  • Chopped Crasins
  • Powdered Pistachios

Instructions

  1. Place the milk in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, when the milk is bubbling, add in the yogurt and stir.
  2. In about 10 to 15 seconds, the milk should separate into cottage cheese or whey, if needed you can add some more yogurt.
  3. Strain the mixture in a cheesecloth, discarding the whey, drain the cheese for about 11/2 hours.
  4. Place the cheese in a food processor and process for about 1 minute, the mixture should collect into a ball at this point.
  5. Place the cheese and the sugar in a large wok and cook on low heat for about 7 to 8 minutes, on medium low heat stirring frequently. The mixture should thicken and begin separating from the sides of the cooking pan.
  6. Cook the mixture and sprinkle with rosewater.
  7. Shape into small balls.
  8. Top with chopped craisins and dust with powdered pistachios before serving.
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Filed Under Bengali, Regional Indian Tagged With Bengali, Desserts, Holidays, Milk, Sandesh

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