{Eating}

Dum & Dummer

1.9.12
photos by gluttonforlife

I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that the firm white head of the cauliflower is referred to as “the white curd,” for it looks like nothing so much as a big virginal cheese. Of course it comes in other colors—orange, green, even purple—but it is the white that is the most common, the most classic and perhaps the most invitingly pristine. It’s lovely baked with cheese sauce, pureed into a creamy soup or steamed whole and dressed with a caper vinaigrette and toasted breadcrumbs, but it’s also a rather surprisingly capable foil to far more assertive flavors. This Indian “dum,” a type of steaming done in a tightly sealed pot, traditionally over a wood or charcoal fire, transforms the cauliflower into a velvety heap cloaked in a fragrant and highly-spiced sauce. You can make a simple meal of it along with a pile of nutty basmati rice, or serve it as part of a larger repast with braised lamb or grilled chicken. Either way, it’s certainly no wallflower.

 

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{Eating, Garden}

Green Thumb

10.25.11
photos by gluttonforlife

I heard a rumor we are expecting snow showers next week—can you imagine?! An impending hard frost inspired G to bring in a huge batch of green tomatoes from the garden, the last ones clinging to the now-scraggly vines. Initially, I was a tad exasperated. But then I remembered to be grateful. Not to go all Pollyanna on you, but it’s an interesting challenge to turn everything into a positive. The old lemons into lemonade philosophy. Not that a bumper crop of green tomatoes really has anything to do with that. And once they were turned into a tart-sweet, highly spiced chutney—thanks to inspiration from Winnie’s Healthy Green Kitchen—I looked at those lovely jars stacked up and felt nothing if not happy. Like all the other animals at this time of year, I’m loading up the larder with stores for the winter.

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{Eating, Health}

Letting Off Steam

10.20.11
photos by gluttonforlife

This year, I hope to bring you with me a little more often into the world of South Asian cooking. Having traveled in India, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia, I’ve been fortunate to experience many of these flavors in their countries of origin, but my real culinary knowledge of them I owe to Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, authors of two seminal—and well-thumbed—volumes: Hot Sour Salty Sweet and Mangoes & Curry Leaves. They track their recipes to the source, often cooking in humble homes alongside matriarchs of the region, and they really believe in simple authentic dishes. Mangoes & Curry Leaves features the cuisine of the Subcontinent—Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives—so you can imagine the rich variety. I’m sharing a recipe for dhokla, a Gujarati specialty that’s essentially a steamed bread. The recipe looks long, but it’s really a very simple process, and the result is light and delicious (and gluten-free). So you don’t become discouraged about trying these recipes, please find a source for South Asian ingredients. A market in Little India? An online resource? It’s exciting to try something new, and a great way to vary both your diet and your repertoire.

 

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{Eating}

Condimental: Jam Session

7.26.11

photos by gluttonforlife

I’ve been in a canning frenzy, record heat wave be damned. Blueberry jam, gooseberry chutney, sour cherry jam, strawberry-chile preserves, raspberry fridge jam, and there are yellow plums and peaches impatiently awaiting. (I’m hoping for apricots soon!) At a certain point, when things are boiling away and the sweat is trickling down the insides of my thighs, I do feel a little deranged. But I try to channel my grandmother, making jelly with the loquats from her tree on a sweltering San Diego afternoon. If you’re a cook, there are some things you just tolerate. And among the many rewards are beautiful jars of jam, destined to deliver sweet memories of summer when Christmas rolls around. In the middle of winter, I’ll pop open a jar of sour cherry jam to plop onto my morning bowl of yogurt, and it will hold the vivid intensity of this July day in its sticky red soul. If you are daunted by the idea of canning, may I suggest you cook up a small batch of something and simply store it in a jar in your fridge? Now, while all this summer fruit is at its peak. No extra steps involved, just a very easy process that leads to some very blissful moments.

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{Eating}

Meaty Monday: Lamb Vindaloo

2.21.11
photos by gluttonforlife

I arose this morning to the deep silence of new-fallen snow, a world blanketed white. Today is a holiday. An opportunity to putter about guilt-free, reading yesterday’s paper, enjoying a leisurely cup of chai. Thoughts turn to the cubes of lamb I pulled from the freezer to defrost overnight. Something warming is in order, a comforting braise of some sort, but nothing that requires too much work. Perhaps a spicy vindaloo is just the thing. It can marinate for hours, and then G can stir it on the stovetop while I’m at yoga this evening. A group effort, and yet not much effort at all. Brown rice, sauteed spinach and a little raita. That’s dinner on this Meaty Monday. A day off for you might mean ordering in, but it’s actually much more indulgent to inhale the wonderful smells of aromatics and spices, knowing that a delicious curry is in your future.


i love the earthy palette of these fragrant spices

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{Eating, Travel}

Condimental: Let’s Chaat

5.15.10
photos by george billard

Chaats are Indian snacks and appetizers, a sort of street food that is widely welcomed indoors as well. In India, there are restaurants that specialize entirely in chaat. When I told our driver in Jaipur that I wanted to eat chaat from a street stall, he raised his brows in horror and whisked G and me to an air-conditioned restaurant where we sat amongst Indian families and had delicious sweet-tart-spicy-crunchy treats accompanied by cooling lassi. Chaat is Hindi for “to taste,” and mostly consists of small dishes, often easy to eat by hand or off banana leaves on the street. As with Indian cuisine in general, chaats are quite diverse, with many regional specialties, but quite a few are fried, like pakoras and samosas, and some are stuffed breads. Dipping sauces and raita are key to the whole experience.

 

Many of these dishes are flavored with chaat masala, a combination of spices that varies from person to person and place to place. I buy mine pre-made (Kalustyan’s yet again) and it contains salt, amchur (mango powder), musk melon, cumin, black pepper, pomegranate seed, coriander, mint, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, chile, caraway, ajowain (a relative of coriander), cloves, hing and bay leaf. Hing? you ask. Read the rest of this entry »

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{Eating, Travel}

Jewel of India

3.5.10


After spending the first part of our honeymoon traveling in southern India with our dear friends Scott and Lisa, G and I made our way to Rajasthan for what would be three of the best weeks of my life. Among the many spectacular hotels we were privileged to visit was this incredible 18th-century palace in the araval hills outside Udaipur. It is not the immediate go-to hotel in Udaipur; most people head for the Oberoi Lake Palace. But G somehow managed to snuffle this one out (like the truffle hound he is) and it was absolutely stunning. Devi Garh has only 39 suites, and they all feature local marbles and semi-precious stones. Our room was appointed with lapis lazuli—enormous sleek, azure slabs of it. There was a gorgeous pool and a wonderful spa where we were oiled up and rubbed down. Other features included little outdoor sitting rooms; a bar with chaises longues piled with brilliant silk pillows where you could have drinks at night by the light of these amazing wire baskets that held small, glowing fires; and secret courtyards, including one with a swing hanging from a jacaranda-like tree. And at the end of each of the two magical days we spent at Devi Garh, there was dinner.


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{Eating}

The Saag-a Continues

2.20.10
photo by george billard

Just wanted to update you on how my saag paneer turned out. Maybe you’ll be inspired to go back and try the recipe. If you can’t face the (incredibly easy and satisfying) task of making your own paneer, you can look for it at a local Indian market (try upstairs at Kalustyan’s if you’re in New York City) or even substitute cubes of firm tofu. Now that I think of it, maybe you could try farmer’s cheese which is basically the same thing and which I often see at Fairway or Whole Foods! Anyway, this is a lovely dish and an exciting delivery system for healthy greens.

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{Eating}

Curds & Whey

2.8.10
photo by george billard

Not sure about the whey, but this little Miss Muffett definitely enjoys eating freshly made curds. And so will you, when you make your own paneer. It’s quite similar to making ricotta, if you’ve ever done that; even easier, really. Paneer is the soft white cheese you’ll find in creamy little cubes in your saag paneer, that Indian cousin of creamed spinach. Having done a bit of research and now made it at home, I understand that saag is actually any dish of spiced, stewed greens with a bit of yoghurt and cream or buttermilk stirred in. It’s traditionally made with mustard greens or spinach but you can really use any combination of greens you want, including chard, kale and collards. If you don’t want to make your own paneer (basically boiling milk, adding vinegar or lemon juice, and letting the whey drain away from the separated curds, as above), you can stir in cubes of firm tofu, chunks of fried potato, or even cooked chickpeas to your saag. I prefer to leave the greens on the toothier side, so the dish is a bit less like baby food, but you make it however you like. You can also enrich it with some cream, although I like the tangy taste of the buttermilk and yoghurt, and they have fewer calories. I imagine you could play around with soy or hemp milk, too.


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{Eating, Health}

Ghee Whiz

1.31.10

ghee1


I’ve heard that all kinds of people send you free products when you have a blog. I guess they’re hoping for a good review. I don’t have advertising on this site, but if I did it would have to be for a resource I wholeheartedly endorse. And if you ever see me touting a product or service here, it won’t be because I’m getting any recompense. That said, I recently received a free sample pack from Pure Indian Foods and I am truly impressed with this family-run company. It specializes in organic ghee, a product they have been making for 5 generations—since the great-great-grandfather launched his business in northern India in 1889! In case you aren’t familiar with it, ghee is essentially clarified butter—butter with all the milk solids removed. This takes out the casein and lactose, making it much more tolerable than butter for those with dairy issues. Ghee is a lovely, clear golden color and has a delicious, nutty flavor. You’ve undoubtedly eaten it in Indian cooking. Because of its low moisture content, ghee is shelf-stable (keep it in the cupboard for 2-3 months, in the fridge for up to a year) and has a higher smoking point than butter. Pure Indian Foods makes its ghee with organic butter from the milk of grass-fed cows produced only during the spring and summer, ensuring that it is full of the nutrients from fresh, green grass. It’s high in fat-soluble vitamins and contains naturally occurring conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and vitamin K2. Made according to the Vedic system, the ghee is produced only on days when the moon is waxing or full! Pure Indians Foods uses only glass jars, no plastic. I love this company! In addition to plain, the ghee comes in 6 delectable flavors and I’ve had some fun coming up with ways to use them.


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