Spice Stuffed Baked Baby Eggplants – Masala Dum Baigan

April 4, 2013 Leave a Comment

Stuffed Pickle Spiced EggplantsThis recipe is called Bhabi’s baigan (older SIL’s eggplants) by my family.

It was an accidental attempt to remake something that I had tasted when visiting my husband’s family in Northern India. I have gotten a better handle of their flavors these days, however interestingly enough this supposed recapture became quite a hit. It cooks for just a little on the stove and then gets finished off in the oven, gently simmering and softening in its own sauces.

In fact, this has gotten a nod from a lot of purists if I do not tell them of my unconventional ways.

My husband is the oldest in his family, so I have been the undisputed Bhabi or elder sister-in-law to almost every family member his generation and now I even have an eggplant recipe to show for it.

It has been a week where I have been trying to stay on top of things. That is the only way I cope with multiple priorities, to my credit, I do it better than some, but I still get exhausted. Today, my bright note of the day was a mention for the book. It often is like the kids doing something interesting, like getting an essay right, it brightens my day.

So now back to the eggplant, I realize we call these eggplants baby eggplants, the only problem being I thing they really are mini eggplants, because they do not grow any bigger and tend to get small and seedy if left alone too long. So, I snag some anytime I see the really tender varieties in the India grocery store. They can be made with Japanese eggplants as well, you will just have less of a “cute” factor! Well, to be honest, the taste might be a tad different since you will be changing the spice to eggplant surface area, ratio.

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Spice Stuffed Baked Baby Eggplants – Masala Dum Baigan

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Serving Size: 1 to 2 eggplants

My variation of spice stuffed eggplants inspired by the flavors of northern India.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds baby tender eggplants (about 15 to 20)
    • For the Spice Filling
  • 2 teaspoons panch phoron (Bengali Five Spice) powdered
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)
  • 3/4 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
    • For the coating base
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 medium red onion, cut into a dice
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste
  • 2 tomatoes, cut into a fine dice
  • Salt to taste
  • Cilantro for garnishing

Instructions

  1. 1. Cut the eggplants halfway, almost all the to the top but do not separate from the top. Repeat the same on the other side, so in other words, cut into quarters.
  2. 2. Make a paste with the panch phoron powder, yogurt, amchur, red chili powder and salt.
  3. 3. Gently smear generously into the eggplants. Note, depending on the size of eggplants you might need more spice mixture, in which case increase in the same proportion mentioned.
  4. 4. Set this aside for about 30 minutes.
  5. 5. Heat the oil on medium heat for about a minute and add in the onion and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the onions are fairly soft.
  6. 6. Add in the ginger and the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are nice and soft.
  7. 7. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees and line the eggplants in a single layer in a casserole.
  8. 8. Top the eggplants with the freshly prepared sauce and bake uncovered for 45 minutes. The eggplants should be nice and soft with a thick coating sauce that has meshed and married the stuffing spices.
  9. 9. Serve the eggplants with chapatis.
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Filed Under Cilantro, Masala - Listing by Spices, Panchphoron, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With baby eggplants, baked dishes, Eggplants, North India, Slow Cooking, Summer, tomatoes, Vegetarian

Summer Intertia – Eggplant and Purslane Pilaf

October 6, 2012 Leave a Comment

This time of year, I move into Fall, with anticipation and joy at the colorful translation of the landscapes. It is also the time of the year, when I do not want to lose sight of some of the good summer recipes that I did not have time to share with you. So, here is my Eggplant rice with Purslane. It is an adaptation of the classic Vangi Bhaat or South Indian style Eggplant Pilaf. The outside is slowing down, but we still get a steady supply of greens and enough lone vegetables to keep us going.

This week seems to have been all about the book, even though I had promised myself when the time came I would not lose focus. I guess, the book is much like a new baby that steals the show from everything else in the house. I remember how unprepared I was for the older one, anxious, nervous and hard on myself. My son Aadi, though more of a handful, had been easier just because I was more prepared and also more willing to be easier on myself.  Being a good learner most of the time, I have realized that the it is ok not to be perfect and also learnt to forgive myself for mistakes as a mom.

This has helped me make peace with the fact that I will not be great at promoting the book baby. This being said, it will be special to me.

Now, back to cooking, this time of the year I often have several residual summer dishes, that I have to decide whether to blog and share for posterity or just forget and let them meander into nothingness, this fresh and lively pilaf, a riff on the classic version called Vangi Bhat, was certainly worth bringing out and saving for next summer when both the eggplants and purslane will grow.

Purslane, grows on its own terms a colorful and nutritious weed. I was exceedingly surprised when I realized that it is quite popular in Southern India, and aparently was also liked and eaten by Gandhi. The taste of this plant varies with the time of the day, it is eaten and usually tends to be tarter in the mornings and more mellow and almost sweet in the evenings.

So, it was a happy and colorful marriage, when I paired it with eggplant and peanuts in this colorful rice dish. Given how much we all liked it, chances are this will be a long lasting late summer marriage. In that, we shall see the duo and welcome them again, next summer.

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Summer Intertia – Eggplant and Purslane Pilaf

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6

A brightly colored light and nutritious one dish meal.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup raw shelled peanut
  • 2 tablespoons oil (olive or mustard)
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 11/2 teaspoons ginger paste
  • 2 dried red chilies
  • 1 medium sized eggplant, diced
  • 1 cup of basmati rice, washed throughly
  • 2 cups of water
  • 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped purslane

Instructions

  1. 1. In a skillet, dry roast the peanuts until they are a few shades darker and are fragrant, this will take about 5 minutes, and needs to be watched and shaken while cooking.
  2. 2. Set the peanuts aside.
  3. 3. In a cooking pot add the oil and heat on medium heat for about 45 seconds.
  4. 4. Add in the black mustard seeds and wait unitl the mustard seeds begin to pop.
  5. 5. Add in the red onion and the red chilies and stir well and saute for about 4 minutes until the onion melts and is transluscent.
  6. 6. Add in the eggplant and stir well. Cover and lower the heat and let the eggplant cook for about 4 minutes, it should be somewhat tender at this point.
  7. 6. Add in the rice and the water and mix well.
  8. 7. Add in the turmeric and the salt and when the water is simmering, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
  9. 8. Remove the cover, at this point the water should be almost absorbed and the rice fluffy and yellow.
  10. 9. Stir in the purslane and the peanuts and mix with the light hand.
  11. 10. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes and turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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Filed Under Ginger, Grains and Lentils, Local and Backyard Cooking, Turmeric, Uncategorized Tagged With Eggplant, Mustard Seeds, One Dish meal, peanuts, Purslane, Rice, Summer, Vangi Bhaat, Vegan

Emily’s Red Wine and Sweet Sausage Pasta

September 18, 2012 Leave a Comment

Cooking and posting pasta twice in quick succession will tell you two things, one that I am pressed for time and secondly that I am craving comfort food. My husband though is almost reaching the end of his pasta meter, he is good with pasta about once a week more than that he starts thinking he is a neglected spouse. This pasta recipe is one of my comfort stock recipes that I like to call Emily’s Red Wine and Sweet Sausage Pasta. Of course, given how many variations I have had of the recipe, chances are today it is more of a Rinku’s Red Wine and Sweet Sausage Pasta. To be fair, like most of the recipes that I attribute to people, this is something that I saw being made rather than actually recieved a recipe for, but even from my memory over the year’s I have fussed and strayed. Swapped the butter for more olive oil, added some more vegetables, generally, I think you get the picture.

To tell you about Emily, I have to tell you about my uncle. He was my third uncle, or my grandmother’s third son, my father being her fourth. I am often likened to him by family and they call me a prodigal like him. I shall tell you my story some other day,  today let us stick to my uncle. He was the first of our family to venture overseas, he went to England for a medical degree and came back to India with both the degree and an English wife much to my conservative grandmother’s shock. Well, just as she was begining to make her peace with the foreign daughter-in-law they decided to leave for the new world – America.

This sort of put me out of touch with them, until I later moved to come and study here. I got quite attached to them and did marvel at their courage in forging their own identity. They lived happily together for 33 year, with a love all the more stronger for surving the odds. However, after this my aunt died unexpectedly from cancer. This was painful and heartbreaking for my uncle and not really something that he could recover from.

Left with a broken heart, he retreated to his own vacuum and eventually died himself three years laters. I did visit them and later him, frequently, his large and peaceful home in small town Ohio, offered me a taste of home and solace when I needed it the most.

Somehow, in these last rather reclusive years, he managed to befriend Emily and her quite gentle friendship helped him with his sadness. I do not know where she is today, but somewhere I often say a silent prayer for her and thank her for keep my uncle company when he needed it.

One of my visits, Emily had invited me for dinner and was making pasta, at that time my kitchen and pantry was rather sparse and uninitiated so I was amazed and intrigued at her use of ingredients like foreign pasta, olive oil and red wine in cooking. Well, these today have become such staples that this pasta dish as become one of my summer fixes in late summer, when the tomatoes are still in their bounty and the herbs are plentiful and as for the red wine, that too is free flowing in all seasons.

Depending on the pantry, I have added bell peppers to this sauce as well, I used to add tomato paste to it at one point of time, I have now given that up in favor of cooking it a little longer.

 

 

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Red Wine and Sweet Sausage Pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

A well seasoned thick and chunky pasta sauce, that makes a hearty and satisfying dinner.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 pods garlic, pressed
  • 1 red or white onion, finely diced
  • 6 ripe red tomatoes, cut into a dice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaved, miced
  • 3/4 cup of red wine
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 pound of sweet fennel sausage cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup ground lamb (optional, but helps in the thickness and flavor)
  • 1 zucchini, cut into a small dice
  • 21/2 cups of prepared al dente pasta, I like radiatore
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. 1. Heat the oil in a deep heavy bottomed pan for about 1 minute, add in the garlic and cook until it is pale golden and add in the onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until it is soft and transluscent.
  2. 2. Add in the tomatoes, oregano and thyme leaves and cook on medium low heat until the tomatoes reach a soft, gentle simmer.
  3. 3. Continue cooking the tomatoes for 10 minutes, stirring and breaking the tomatoes with the back of the spoon to form a thicker sauce.
  4. 4. Gradually add in 1/3 of the wine and the sugar and red pepper flakes.
  5. 5. Stir in the sweet fennel sausage and ground lamb and continue simmer the sauce for 20 more minutes.
  6. 6. Add in the zucchini and simmer for 10 minutes, stir in salt as needed and mix in the pasta and serve.
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Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Slow Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Lamb, One Dish Meals, Oregano, Pasta, Red Wine, Sausage, Summer, Thyme

Green Beans with Toasted Mustard Seeds and Garlic

September 3, 2012 2 Comments

 I should probably re-label this the determined Green Beans with Toasted Garlic and Mustard seeds, because for some reason this site has been a little resistant in allowing me to post this recipe. It pretty much wiped it out the first time around.

Maybe it is upset at being the second fiddle to this whole foods contest, where this recipe ended up winning and paying for itself. Ha! But seriously speaking, I like to think that my seasonal take on Indian cooking could use all the endorsement it gets and a contest like this helps! The feedback and emails from my weekly small bites column also helps!

Down to other thoughts and speaking of small bites, my fellow columist JL, wrote a post about how she accidently ate food that was well, non-vegan. This generated a lot of controversy and while the traffic for the blog was good news it got me thinking. about opinions and food preferences. I realize that as someone who in my small way am espousing a choice and preference (seasonal eating is a choice), and writing about it in an open forum I too am voicing an opinion, but do I really have the right to impose this choice or speak about someone who eats and feels differently.

Growing up in a country where more than half the people still lead a vegetarian lifestyle, I cannot help wondering why we have disected food into so many categories – vegan, paleo, you get the drift. Worse yet, why do we feel when we have decided to eat a certain way for phillosophical, ethical or even health reasons that our way is the right way? And by the way what about taste? I bring this boring concept into the equation, mostly because I have realized that over 50% of the recipes on this blog, interestingly enough happen to be vegan. This just happens to be the preffered way of cooking them. Of course, you can ask why the hell do I even tag them in these categories? This is for a lot of my students and the few followers who express an interest in this kind of cooking. I guess, what I am trying to say in my own special way is why can’t we live and let live? Well, now that you have my unwanted and strange ramblings on a rainy summer night, here is the very simple and fresh tasting recipe, which yes, is vegan, vegetarian and guaranteed to offend my MIL. I shall tell you after the recipe why.

 

 

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Green Beans with Toasted Mustard and garlic

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6

A light and lively rendition of green beans, garlicky with a nice dose of mellow tempered heat!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh green beans
  • 11/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3/4 teaspoons black mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (about 4 pods)
  • 3/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes or to taste
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Trim the beans and finely chop the beans (I like to cut them into small breadth wise slivers).
  2. Heat the oil and the butter on medium heat for a minute and add in the mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle and pop, this takes about 30 seconds.
  3. Turn off the heat for a minute or so and then turn back the heat on low and add in the garlic and gently cook until the garlic is pale golden and fragrant. This takes less than a minute and it is important to make sure that the garlic does not get burnt or it will taste bitter and ruin the dish.
  4. Add in the green beans and stir well with the red chili powder and the salt and stir well.
  5. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the beans are cooked through.The beans are soft with a slight hint of crunch in this recipe.
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Ok, just in case you are interested, back to the MIL…

She does do milk and dairy, why because you are not killing anything but simply using milk, to her this is as natural as nursing your child. However, anything in the allium family, onion and and garlic to be specific is live, potent and if you are to subscribe to a certain variety of hindu thinking, bad for life. So, there you have it, I have honestly concluded, it is really not possible to eat and please everyone.

However, eat, cook and do what makes you happy!

Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Mustard, Uncategorized, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With easy, Garlic, Gluten Free, Green Beans, Indian, Mustard Seeds, red pepper, simple, Summer, vegan. vegetarian

TGIF – Masala Mushroom Bhuna

August 25, 2012 2 Comments

If you are are looking for a friday night dish that tastes like it was cooked on a slow, relaxed sunday with loads of attention and affection, I think that you will agree my Masala Mushroom Bhuna, or flash cooked spicy mushrooms might do the trick. The term Bhuna is a reference of slow sauteeing of the spice base or masala, until it reaches a well balanced carmelized perfection. All of these conjure images of long well attended cooking, these mushrooms evoke and bring to your table all of these, except that they are cooked in a relatively short period of time.

Technically, today marks the begining of my short summer vacation. I have to confess, it has been a well earned one. I have worked extremely hard the past couple of months at work, on the book and at home (since the husband fell sick). I have not even had time to think through the visit to Yellowstone, but the kids are happy and excited.

I wrapped up most things at work with the exception of getting my out of office mail organized and came home. Made a last ditch trip to pick up a few essentials and then had to fix dinner. Friday night dinners for me are rather tricky. I am usually rather tired and ready to wrap up the week and recharge for the weekend. I have usually done away with going out on Friday’s, but then the husband usually expects something weekend like (I know, the man is spoilt and does not know it).

Ever so often however you get lucky with your kitchen exploits. What makes this dish special are the full flavored summer tomatoes, that have been cheering me with their beautiful, brightly colored beauty and filling the table with with their vivids hues. On the other hand, yes, the tomatoes help, but what really seals this dish is the fact that it is a dish that is a friday kind of dish in terms of cooking time and efforts but almost convinces you that it is a Sunday afternoon kind of flavor.

The dish is quick cooked with constant stirring (I know, constant does not sound easy, but only for aboout 15 minutes) and tastes like it has been cooked to slow perfection for hours. The general technique here is what we in Bengali call kasha and in Bangladesh or North India bhuna, or cooking without water, and it essentially yields a slow cooked rich tasting gravy. The catch here is that, since I am doing this with mushrooms, I do not actually have to wait till the dish cooks down or until the meat is down to a super tender consistency, but it still offers a nice and satisfying taste. Just the kind that you would expect from a Sunday kind of dish.

As I run through the rest of the refridgerator cleaning ritual that is typical, I am sure I shall cook up more fun. I shall brace myself before I can get ready for another season of rehersals, dance and soccer practice routines and a full and bright flavored welcome to my favorite season – Fall.

On to the recipe,

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TGIF – Masala Mushroom Bhuna

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 large red onion, peeled
  • 3 pods garlic
  • 1 inch piece of peeled ginger
  • 2 fresh green chilies
  • 4 tablespoons oil
  • ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
  • 3 cups of cremeni (baby bella) mushrooms, halved
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 11/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Quarter the onion, place in a food processor with the garlic, ginger and green chilies.
  2. Process until finely chopped.
  3. Heat the oil on medium heat for 1 minute.
  4. Add in the cumin seeds and wait until they begin to sizzle, this will take a few seconds.
  5. Add in the onion mixture and began cooking on high heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. At this point, the onion should turn dry and begin to turn translucent.
  6. Add in the tomatoes and cook on high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.
  7. Add in the cumin coriander powder and cook for another one or two minutes.
  8. Add in the mushrooms, salt and the sugar and continue cooking the mixture, stirring frequently until the mixture forms a thick fairly dry sauce that coats the mushrooms. This should take another five minutes.
  9. Stir in the cilantro and serve.
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Filed Under Uncategorized, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Bhuna, Indian, Mushrooms, Slow Cooked, Summer, tomatoes, Vegan

Sunday Raspberry and Sour Cream Crepes

August 20, 2012 Leave a Comment

A fresh tasting crepe recipe, for a Sunday morning Raspberry and Sour Cream Crepe, fits with my dreamy imagination of Sunday. 

In my dreams, I imagine a life filled with orderly mealtimes, where the food looks perfect, the table is organized and well set and I am supervising the eating of two well behaved and calm children. Well, this is not everyday in our household, while for the most part we eat well and I will go as far as saying the kids appreciate what I cook for them, the ongoing and everyday is more chaotic than calm, filled with school, work, piano and the usual that makes the hustle and bustle complete. In the middle of these we fit in the garden, that is now filled with berries, specifically raspberries that we enjoy in the mornings and evenings.

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Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Breakfast, Brown Sugar, Crepes, Dessert, Pete and Gerry's, Raspberries, Sour Cream, Summer

Baigan Bharta – Char Roasted Eggplant Puree

August 15, 2012 1 Comment

I am grateful for various reasons that I actually waited until this morning to truly formulate this post. Heading out this morning, taking in a truly beautiful day allowed me to pause for a few moments, breathe and remember what was important. Just as grateful as I am for the heady bounty of summer eggplants and tomatoes. The small expanse of the yard as I walked through was a riot of bright yellows, squash blossoms and these pretty black-eyed Susans that are hardy and a consistent harbinger of summer at its peak. I was initially drawing a blank at the name, I guess, I needed that espresso shot in this morning’s coffee.

 

My friend Julianna’s quiet comment to me had been, not easy, I actually could not size it up better. The weekend just had not been easy. There I said it!

Baigan Bhartha

Anshul has been sick for over a week. It also coincided with a deadline for the book. Thank goodness, I never wait until the last minute, usually. It gets a little scarier for me with every step, wonder if this is a weird reaction. In fact, this weekend was so crazy I did not have the energy to open the manuscript. To add to the craziness, Deepta to coincide with the fun has a ear infection and since her doctor feels that she should not have fever with this, she just might have introduced a totally different bug to the household. So much for the rest of August!

To smooth out the weekend, I made a whole bunch of comfort meals, one of them includes this baigan bharta, or fire charred, spicy pureed eggplant. There are no set rules to these recipes, so I vary them from time to time, in summer, I tend to add more tomatoes so the dish tends to be darker in color, however one of my favorites. I actually made a stack of tandoori rotis, to go with these and was quite pleased with the results.

Ironically enough, char roasted eggplants are more of a winter specialty in India, and once upon a time I was ok with cooking them in winter, the problem is that the tender summer eggplants have spoilt me, the seedy eggplants usually found off season in the supermarkets do not cut it. Sorry, A&P, even your loyalty percentage off cannot fix this one. The husband has been also very sad that his garden has been withering, well, unfortunately, I cannot help with that one.

Too exhausted to even try, thank goodness for all these automated sprinklers. We have a fridge full of food, well, anyone who knows me does know that I cook to de-stress. I just wish it burned more than fuel, some calories, maybe?

My dear friend Dawn, has been asking me for this recipe for a while. I will say that like with all dishes such as this one there are several variations. In fact, my own kitchen has at least three. The first two are close cousins, I sometimes add the bell peppers and other times I skip that out.

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Baigan Bharta – Summer Eggplant for the Soul

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4

Char Roasted Pureed Eggplants in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sized eggplants
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • ¾ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 1 small red onion, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 tomatoes, blended into a puree
  • 2 green chilies, minced
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons minced cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place the eggplant on an open gas flame on a corner of the grill if you are grilling. If neither of these are options then place the eggplant in a 350 degree oven and bake until soft and then broil until the outer skin is charred. Back to the open flame eggplant, cook until it is soft and the outer skin is completely charred. Set aside to cool.
  2. Heat the oil on medium heat for about 1 minute, and add in the cumin seeds and when they begin to sizzle, add in the red onion and sauté lightly until the onion softens and wilts and finally gently turns pale golden in corners.
  3. Add in the ginger-garlic paste and sauté lightly until the paste is somewhat dry and begins to turn fragrant.
  4. Add in the tomatoes and the chilies and begin to cook this mixture to allow the tomatoes to turn into a thick fairly dry sauce, you should begin to see the oil leaching again from the edges.
  5. While the tomatoes are cooking, peel and discard the charred skin from the eggplant and mash lightly.
  6. Add into the tomato spice mixture and mix well.
  7. Stir in the cilantro and mix well.
  8. Enjoy with your choice of bread or rice.
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Filed Under Ginger and Garlic Paste, Local and Backyard Cooking, Regional Indian Tagged With Baigan Bhartha, cilantro, Eggplant, Summer, tomatoes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Thai Inspired Salmon Salad

July 21, 2012 Leave a Comment

The weekend cooking is now a big deal, earlier the kids used want to try out different restaurants which they still like doing, but they have morphed in to this mode where they want me to make different things for them. All this is well and good, but there is still a marked difference between their flavor palates and my husband’s.

I realize that this is not an uncommon dilemma, in that different members of the household tend to like different food preferences. My friend Susan is mostly vegetarian with a meat loving husband, JL here, who is a passionate and committed vegan has an omnivore husband. We have worked out the meat versus non-meat issues in our household. We tend to agree on fish and seafood and some chicken, on occasion I do like lamb, very rarely though. In general, the food I post is the food of our household and I think for the most part we get our veggies and grains in without disavowing them completely.

Speaking of fish and seafood, one of the pantry staples or should I say refrigerator staples is wild salmon, usually the sockeye variety. Although this week, I had some frozen silver brite salmon. I am trying to wind down the frozen fish supplies since, I have finally found a fish supplier near us that I am happy with.

Once, I had identified the main dish, so to speak, I was trying to figure out a way to cook it that would work for all of us. I tried poaching it with classic Thai seasonings and continuing the theme of ingredients to arrive at a moist and flavorful salad.  The red pepper flakes were tossed in at the end for us. The kids had their as regular whole grain sandwiches and we had them as open sandwich, over slightly warmed whole grain baguette slices from my favorite local bread maker.

This recipe was an amazing surprise and fits in beautifully into the summer table, and adds a touch of soothing brightness with its soft colors. Lobster roll lovers might want to give this recipe a try.

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Thai Inspired Salmon Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 and ½ pounds wild salmon fillets
  • 3 to 4 kafir lime leaves, torn
  • 1 and ½ tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter
  • 4 tablespoons red onion, very finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ fresh lime
  • 1 small fresh, thinly sliced cucumber
  • 1 fresh whole grain baguette
  • Olive oil for dusting

Instructions

  1. 1. In a large flat wok or saucepan, add the salmon, lime leaves, fish sauce, water and ginger.
  2. 2. Cover and poach for 7 to 8 minutes, the fish should be just cooked though.
  3. 3. Drain the liquid and remove the lime leaves. Skin the salmon, if there is any skin on the fish.
  4. 4. Place in a mixing bowl.
  5. 5. In a separate bowl mix the mayonnaise and peanut butter thoroughly and then add to the salmon and mix well with the fork, to flake the fish but leave some texture.
  6. 6. Mix in the red onion, chopped cilantro, red pepper flakes and squeeze in the lime juice and mix well.
  7. 7. Thinly slice the cucumber.
  8. 8. Heat the oven to 350 degrees, slice the baguette and brush with olive oil.
  9. 9. Place the slices on a baking dish and cook for 6 minutes, until nice and warm.
  10. 10. Pile with the salad, top with cucumber and serve.
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Filed Under Fish and Seafood, Uncategorized Tagged With Cucumber, Kafir Lime Leaves, Red Pepper Flakes, Salads, Salmon Salad, Summer, Thai

Peach and Fresh Papaya Lassi

July 17, 2012 Leave a Comment

 There are many joys to summertime, including of course the rich bounty of fruit, especially stone fruit – there are cherries, peaches, plums and a whole bunch of others that would fill up the page. This summertime for various reasons, I am back to Indian drinks. Actually, we have a local lassi bar, I shall tell you about our visit there one of these days. The are a sister enterprise run by the folks at Little Kabab Station. The drinks I have been enjoying are non-alcoholic and I shall not insult them by calling them mocktails, since somehow the word seems a little fake, almost suggestive of an imposter.

A lassi folks, is a quitessential Indian drink and contrary to popular believe is not always made with mango, in fact, the best lassis are light and made with a mixture of whipped yogurt and sweetened as an optional choice. In fact, most restaurants in India offer a choice of sweet or namkeen (savory) lassi.

Well, we all know what a local freak I am, so I usually tend to substitute ripe, soft and sweet peaches for a lot of the mango recipes and yes, I make a lot of fruit lassis. My favorite one being the strawberry one here.

Now,  it just so happened, I had some ripe papaya left over, so this added a touch of color and the flecks in the drink are from the peach skin.

So, here we go,

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Peach and Fresh Papaya Lassi

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1 8-oz glass

Ingredients

  • 3 peaches, seeded ( I do not peel)
  • 1 cup papaya chunks, peeled
  • 3 tablespoons agave nectar or a sweetener of choice
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed cardamom
  • 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice (1 lime)

Instructions

  1. Place the peach, papaya, agave nectar, cold water, cardamom, lime juice in the blender.
  2. Blend for about 3 minutes, till smooth and frothy,
  3. Serve over additional ice or as is.
  4. Enjoy!
  5. For a lighter vegan version of a fruit drink, try my watermelon smoothie.
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Filed Under Green Cardamom, Local and Backyard Cooking Tagged With Cardamom, Lassi, Papaya, Peach, Peach and Papaya Lassi, Summer, Yogurt

White Bean Spread/Dip in a Slow Cooker

July 12, 2012 1 Comment

The truth of the matter is, I do not really function well when it is very hot. I tend to get tired, and even the kitchen which is my usual solace seems to become a rather unwelcome place. Well, that is when I turn to my slow cooker, this week it was to create a white bean dip. Grilling on a really hot day never quite made much sense to me. I am strange that way.

The kids have settled nicely into camp. They are finally enjoying it. I too have gotten into a routine. They get an extra half hour in the mornings since camp starts at9am. I get 15 minutes, extra since the dad drops them and I can avoid the bus drop off. To celebrate this new found quarter hour, we have been enjoying breakfast. Nothing elaborate, but I have been relishing the morning routine of scrambling eggs and toasting bread. I have been indulging myself with fruit smoothies. My latest is a frothy banana and fig creation. I shall tell you about it sometime.

Back to the rest of the day, I am totally back to slow cooking. I use my slow cooker happily and extensively all through the year. It is less about fixing and forgetting, since I do tend to supervise and nurture the dish, it is mostly about the quite cooking that does not generate a lot of heat.

A few days ago, I made this French inspired lovely white bean spread. It is surprisingly creamy, mostly the soft combination of white beans with olive oil and keeps fairly well in the refrigerator. The cherry tomatoes are out, so today we enjoyed this with whole grain crostini and tomatoes. I have revived and improved this fish curry that I made last year and of course made this mint and almond slow cooked chicken curry.

So how do you cook and survive when its hot?

Slow Cooked White Bean Spread

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours (in a slow cooker

Makes 1 cup spread

 Ingredients

¾ cup white beans ( I used northern  and cannelloni beans)

4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups vegetable stock

Salt to taste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

½ lime or lemon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Toasted whole baguette slices

Cherry tomatoes

Method of Preparation

1. Place the beans, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes and vegetable stock and salt in a slow cooker.

2. Cook on high for 3 hours. The beans should be soft and the moisture mostly absorbed.

3. Cool the mixture slightly.

4. Place in a blender and add all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.

5. Squeeze in the lemon juice and blend until smooth.

Print
French Inspired Slow Cooked White Bean Spread/Dip
Recipe type: Appetiser
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 1 cup
 

A flavorful and easy french inspired white bean spread.
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup white beans ( I used northern and cannelloni beans)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ lime or lemon
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • Toasted whole baguette slices
  • Cherry tomatoes

Instructions
  1. Place the beans, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes and vegetable stock and salt in a slow cooker.
  2. Cook on high for 3 hours. The beans should be soft and the moisture mostly absorbed.
  3. Cool the mixture slightly.
  4. Place in a blender and add all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.
  5. Squeeze in the lemon juice and blend until smooth.
  6. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil before serving with toasted whole grain baguette slices and cherry tomatoes.

6. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil before serving with toasted whole grain baguette slices and cherry tomatoes.

Slow Cooked

 

So, how do you beat the heat?

 

 

Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Local and Backyard Cooking, Slow Cooking Tagged With French, Gluten Free, Parsley, Rosemary, Slow Cooker, Summer, Vegan, White Bean Dip
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