Monica Saigal Bhide's Blog, page 15

Monica’s Indian Express: Spice Rubbed Purple Cauliflower

I am so pleased to share with you the next recipe in my series: Monica’s Indian Express: Simple & Sassy Weeknight Dishes.

So I have to admit that I am a bigger fan of purple foods than my family is. Purple potatoes, purple cauliflower .. I like them all. The kids have been slow to love them. (I guess this is why the purple ketchup failed!)  It took some convincing the boys but they did finally try this roasted purple cauliflower and, I am happy to report, it was a success. I purchased these at the Crystal City FRESHFARM markets. I simply seasoned the cauliflower with a lovely spice mix and a little olive oil and roasted it in a hot oven (400 degrees) for about 30 minutes. The trick here is to let the cauliflower crisp up without burning and it is hard to tell because you cannot really “see” when the purple cauliflower begins to brown! You will have to watch the texture and see that it starts to loose moisture and almost looks like it is shriveling up.. that means it is getting crisp!

I used this lovely spice mix (shown in the photo above) by the BBQ Queens - The Spud Rub. The Spud Rub contains onion powder for a little heat, lemon pepper for sassiness, Hungarian paprika for color (a classic barbecue maneuver), smoked paprika for just a little smoky flavor, cumin for its earthy quality, and sea salt to bring it all together.

Judith Fertig, one of the BBQ Queens, had this to say about the rub when I asked her about it, “Your e-mail got me to thinking about how American barbecue spice mixtures or rubs are similar to spice mixtures in Indian food.  With barbecue, you start with a somewhat sweet, raw food like potatoes or beef.  For the Flame-Licked Fingerlings with Spud Rub, we knew that the potatoes were going to grill over direct heat, so we didn’t want sugar in the rub, as that would make the potatoes burn.  However, if we were going to slow smoke a potato or a beef brisket at lower temperatures, we’d probably do a rub with brown sugar to help counteract the natural bitterness of smoke.”

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Monica’s Indian Express: Spicy Cheese Sandwich

I am so pleased to share with you the first recipe in my new series: Monica’s Indian Express: Simple & Sassy Weeknight Dishes.

I hope you will enjoy.

Monica’s Indian Express: Spicy Cheese Sandwich

I grew up eating Indian chili-cheese toast, which is the mother recipe for the one presented here. My mom used to toast bread, place a spiced cheese filling on top, broil it, and serve it with tomato ketchup. Comfort never tasted so good! I love making this with paneer, but my kids prefer the ooey gooey nature of cheese that melts. You can pick what you like!!

Variations:  If you dont have time to steam the bell peppers, leave them out. You can use thin slices of grilled paneer instead of scrambling it. You can add chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

 

Serves 4

 

2 small bell peppers, any color

4 tablespoons butter, softened

8 slices (3/4-inch-thick) good sandwich bread

2 tablespoons oil

1 green serrano chile, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons minced shallots

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 1/2 cups grated paneer or mild cheddar (see note)

Salt and pepper

Roast the bell peppers directly over the gas flame of a stove, on a grill, or under the broiler, turning occasionally until charred all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam for 5 minutes. Rub off the skin and seed the peppers. Cut them into strips.
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Flip the slices over onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper, so the unbuttered side is on top.
In a large pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the chile, shallot, and garlic and cook for about a minute, until they begin to soften and gain a little color.
Transfer to a bowl and thoroughly stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat a griddle or large, flat skillet over medium heat. (Don’t let it get too hot or the bread will brown before cheese is soft or melted.)
Mound the cheese equally on four slices of bread.  Add a few slices of the roasted pepper to each mound.  Place the remaining bread on top, buttered side up.
Place the sandwiches on the griddle. Do not crowd; if you can only fit one or two sandwiches at a time, cook them in batches and serve as soon as they’re done.
When the bread is golden brown underneath, turn sandwiches over with a spatula and press flat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the bread is golden brown on both sides. Slice in half and serve hot.

Note: You can buy Nanak brand paneer at just about any Indian grocer. If you can’t find it, but want to use a cheese that won’t melt, look for queso de freir with the Latin dairy products in your supermarket. If you prefer the melting, ooey, gooey sandwiches, use any mild cheddar. My mom used to make these with grated Amul-brand Indian cheese (again, easily available at any Indian grocer.)

(MANY thanks to Alka from Sindhi Rasoi for letting me use this photo!)

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Redeeming Spirits Cocktail

 

My uber talented friend, Kara Newman, created this recipe specially for my readers. I highly recommend it as the ideal drink when you read my fiction debut-  The Devil in Us!

Enjoy, friends! I look forward to your thoughts on the drink and the book!

Redeeming Spirits 

A variation on the classic “Moscow Mule,” this drink is powered by the heat of pepper-infused vodka. Choose a good commercial brand (I like Oola, from Washington State - https://caskers.com/product/oola-chili-pepper-vodka/), or marinate a sliced fresh jalapeno in one cup of unflavored vodka for a couple of hours. Note – a traditional Mule uses ginger beer; here the sweetness of ginger ale should help balance out the jalapeno spice.

1 1/2 ounces chile pepper-infused vodka

1/2 ounce lime juice (about half a lime)

4 ounces ginger ale

Jalapeno slice (to garnish)

In a tall glass, pour in the vodka and squeeze the lime wedges into the glass. Drop the wedges into the glass, and add a scoop of ice. Add ginger ale to fill the glass and stir.

 

NON ALCOHOLIC VERSION:

4-6 ounces spicy ginger beer

1/2 ounce lime juice (about half a lime)

In a tall glass, pour in the ginger beer and squeeze the lime wedges into the glass. Drop the wedges into the glass. Scoop in ice and stir to chill.

Kara Newman is the spirits editor for Wine Enthusiast magazine and the author of two cocktail books, Spice & Ice and the forthcoming Cocktails for a Crowd (both from Chronicle Books) – as well as The Secret Financial Life of Food, newly published by Columbia University Press.

She is the former vice president of strategic research at Thomson Reuters and a former board member of the Culinary Historians of New York. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Saveur, NPR’s “Kitchen Window” and many other publications.

Photograph by Andrea Meyers.. who did a fantastic job as usual!

 

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Video Trailer for THE DEVIL IN US

So delighted to share this book trailer created by my niece, Niharika Bhave. Niharika is a very talented high-schooler and her passion is film. She created this low-budget video which I have fallen in love with! I hope you enjoy!!!

HERE IS THE LINK – http://youtu.be/pLZPm1vPJx4 

 

More information on the book –

Friends – I am so delighted to announce the release of my first work of fiction: The Devil in Us - Stories of love, life and redemption. When I started writing about food, ten years ago, my goal was to someday write fiction… and here we are. The book releases on October 15th but pre-orders are open now. This is for the ebook. Paperback launches in November. And, no, you dont need a special gadget to read the ebook.. Amazon offers a free app.

I would so love your support. I hope you will read it and enjoy it.

I request you to join my fun campaign to get the word out: buy one, gift one! It costs only $3.99 … less than a cup of gourmet coffee!

After being a Simon & Schuster and Random House (India) author for many years, I have chosen to publish this book myself. I believe it has a market and an audience. I hope you all will prove me right!

So, what is the book about? The Devil in Us is a collection of stories about how your life can change in a second. There is a story of an addicted poet trying hard to find solace, a magical woman who can capture a dying breath, a widower learning to grieve. The stories all beg one question: what would you do?

 

A more formal description:

“In The Devil In Us, celebrated writer Monica Bhide weaves spellbinding stories of fate, fortune, and love into lessons for life. A startling train wreck inspires new passion in a disenchanted bride. A prophetic poet’s love is hopelessly doomed by addiction. An enchanting woman literally steals a stranger’s soul. These are but three of a dozen haunting, gripping stories in which each compelling character faces the fateful moment that may forever change them.

Bhide masterfully creates pivotal twists and intangible interconnections that bring together disparate threads of hope and sorrow. If you dare, you may recognize the same fears and redemption in your own life.”

I am honored and beyond grateful to all the people who have helped make this book a reality. And it is with great pleasure that I share the endorsements that this book has already received:

Advance Praise

“This book and its characters will haunt you long after you finish reading it.” – Kathleen Flinn, author of the New York Times bestseller The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry

 

“Monica Bhide’s shimmering short stories travel from Maryland to Mumbai and back again, effortlessly introducing us to soldiers and shape-shifters, hijras and housewives. With insightful grace, she illuminates the ordinary miracles and tragedies of suburban American life, intertwined with an India equally intimate and spectacular. Full of rich, delicate details and searing character portraits, these remarkable stories remind us of the demons we carry inside us on all of our journeys.” Annia Ciezadlo, author of Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War

 

“Monica Bhide’s excellent collection will transport you to unexpected places, moving you between America and India, hospitals, college campuses, ancient temples, a devastated train station. You will be entranced by the wide spectrum of characters she has created–a newlywed doctor learning to love his wife, a cancer survivor hoping for a second chance, a dying old man filled with hate, a transsexual who adopts a young orphan. Filled with surprises and heart, this book will pull you in and not let you go.”   Chitra Divakaruni, author of Oleander Girl and Mistress of Spices

 

“Monica Bhide’s wonderful, internationally-flavored collection is full of spice and life. The beguiling voice of a true storyteller will lure you out of your self into her intriguing, fictional world. Enjoy!”   Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Crescent and Bird of Paradise

 

“Monica Bhide’s short story collection isn’t impressive because it’s a first-timer’s effort—it’s impressive, period. The stories, each filled with strong, feisty characters and exquisite details of people, places, and things, will keep you riveted. There are plenty of Indian Americans writing novels these days, but far too few writing short stories and even fewer writing stories of this caliber.” – Sree Sreenivasan, co-founder of the South Asian Journalists Association and Chief Digital Officer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

“For those of us who know Monica’s superb food writing, this book will not surprise you. It’s written with the same clarity, warmth, and attention to detail as you might expect from her. But what you may not expect is to see the emergence of a fiction writer to be reckoned with—these stories have heart and characters that will stay with you long after you close the book.”   Mollie Cox Bryan, author of the Agatha-Award nominated Scrapbook of Secrets: A Cumberland Creek Mystery

 

“Monica Bhide’s riveting collection of short stories brings out the complex flavors of modern day families across the globe. Filled throughout with movement and truly international in its reach, this book is certain to keep you captivated.”   Sweta Srivastava Vikram, Amazon bestseller and award-winning author.

 

“Monica Bhide’s debut short story collection takes us on a journey of an India that few of us know. In wise, compassionate prose, she tells us stories of love, longing and redemption, weaving in the India of temples, rituals and arranged marriages with a much darker side. And memories and fantasies of the homeland continue to resonate in her tales of contemporary Indian American life. Novelistic in scope, this book effortlessly bridges both worlds and signals the emergence of a strong new voice in fiction.”   A.X. Ahmad, author of The Caretaker and The Last Taxi Ride

 

“Indian-American short fiction that will tear your heart apart and sew it back together with thin threads of hope. A must-read for those who like their stories raw and real. THE DEVIL IN US, will put the devil in you, because you won’t be able to put this down!”   Jessica Bell, Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal

 

“Monica Bhide beguiling writing takes us into the rich tapestry within private, intimate worlds that we don’t want to leave.”   Shoba Narayan, James Beard award-winning author of the memoirs, Monsoon Diary and Return to India.

 

I would be so very grateful for your love, support and blessings as I begin this new adventure in my writing career. All I have ever wanted to do with my life is tell stories. Even with my food writing, all my work that has won awards and accolades has been my essays.. my stories of food and life.

Again, with all my heart, I request you to join me on this journey. The Devil in Us needs your support! 

***** PRE-ORDER NOW — The Devil in Us *****

 

The post Video Trailer for THE DEVIL IN US appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

My fiction debut: The Devil in Us

 

Friends – I am so delighted to announce the release of my first work of fiction: The Devil in Us – Stories of love, life and redemption. When I started writing about food, ten years ago, my goal was to someday write fiction… and here we are. The book releases on October 15th but pre-orders are open now. This is for the ebook. Paperback launches in November. And, no, you dont need a special gadget to read the ebook.. Amazon offers a free app.

I would so love your support. I hope you will read it and enjoy it.

I request you to join my fun campaign to get the word out: buy one, gift one! It costs only $3.99 … less than a cup of gourmet coffee!

After being a Simon & Schuster and Random House (India) author for many years, I have chosen to publish this book myself. I believe it has a market and an audience. I hope you all will prove me right!

So, what is the book about? The Devil in Us is a collection of stories about how your life can change in a second. There is a story of an addicted poet trying hard to find solace, a magical woman who can capture a dying breath, a widower learning to grieve. The stories all beg one question: what would you do?

A more formal description:

“In The Devil In Us, celebrated writer Monica Bhide weaves spellbinding stories of fate, fortune, and love into lessons for life. A startling train wreck inspires new passion in a disenchanted bride. A prophetic poet’s love is hopelessly doomed by addiction. An enchanting woman literally steals a stranger’s soul. These are but three of a dozen haunting, gripping stories in which each compelling character faces the fateful moment that may forever change them.

Bhide masterfully creates pivotal twists and intangible interconnections that bring together disparate threads of hope and sorrow. If you dare, you may recognize the same fears and redemption in your own life.”

I am honored and beyond grateful to all the people who have helped make this book a reality. And it is with great pleasure that I share the endorsements that this book has already received:

Advance Praise

“This book and its characters will haunt you long after you finish reading it.” – Kathleen Flinn, author of the New York Times bestseller The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry

 

“Monica Bhide’s shimmering short stories travel from Maryland to Mumbai and back again, effortlessly introducing us to soldiers and shape-shifters, hijras and housewives. With insightful grace, she illuminates the ordinary miracles and tragedies of suburban American life, intertwined with an India equally intimate and spectacular. Full of rich, delicate details and searing character portraits, these remarkable stories remind us of the demons we carry inside us on all of our journeys.” Annia Ciezadlo, author of Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War

 

“Monica Bhide’s excellent collection will transport you to unexpected places, moving you between America and India, hospitals, college campuses, ancient temples, a devastated train station. You will be entranced by the wide spectrum of characters she has created–a newlywed doctor learning to love his wife, a cancer survivor hoping for a second chance, a dying old man filled with hate, a transsexual who adopts a young orphan. Filled with surprises and heart, this book will pull you in and not let you go.”   Chitra Divakaruni, author of Oleander Girl and Mistress of Spices

 

“Monica Bhide’s wonderful, internationally-flavored collection is full of spice and life. The beguiling voice of a true storyteller will lure you out of your self into her intriguing, fictional world. Enjoy!”   Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Crescent and Bird of Paradise

 

“Monica Bhide’s short story collection isn’t impressive because it’s a first-timer’s effort—it’s impressive, period. The stories, each filled with strong, feisty characters and exquisite details of people, places, and things, will keep you riveted. There are plenty of Indian Americans writing novels these days, but far too few writing short stories and even fewer writing stories of this caliber.” – Sree Sreenivasan, co-founder of the South Asian Journalists Association and Chief Digital Officer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

“For those of us who know Monica’s superb food writing, this book will not surprise you. It’s written with the same clarity, warmth, and attention to detail as you might expect from her. But what you may not expect is to see the emergence of a fiction writer to be reckoned with—these stories have heart and characters that will stay with you long after you close the book.”   Mollie Cox Bryan, author of the Agatha-Award nominated Scrapbook of Secrets: A Cumberland Creek Mystery

 

“Monica Bhide’s riveting collection of short stories brings out the complex flavors of modern day families across the globe. Filled throughout with movement and truly international in its reach, this book is certain to keep you captivated.”   Sweta Srivastava Vikram, Amazon bestseller and award-winning author.

 

“Monica Bhide’s debut short story collection takes us on a journey of an India that few of us know. In wise, compassionate prose, she tells us stories of love, longing and redemption, weaving in the India of temples, rituals and arranged marriages with a much darker side. And memories and fantasies of the homeland continue to resonate in her tales of contemporary Indian American life. Novelistic in scope, this book effortlessly bridges both worlds and signals the emergence of a strong new voice in fiction.”   A.X. Ahmad, author of The Caretaker and The Last Taxi Ride

 

“Indian-American short fiction that will tear your heart apart and sew it back together with thin threads of hope. A must-read for those who like their stories raw and real. THE DEVIL IN US, will put the devil in you, because you won’t be able to put this down!”   Jessica Bell, Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal

 

“Monica Bhide beguiling writing takes us into the rich tapestry within private, intimate worlds that we don’t want to leave.”   Shoba Narayan, James Beard award-winning author of the memoirs, Monsoon Diary and Return to India.

 

I would be so very grateful for your love, support and blessings as I begin this new adventure in my writing career. All I have ever wanted to do with my life is tell stories. Even with my food writing, all my work that has won awards and accolades has been my essays.. my stories of food and life.

Again, with all my heart, I request you to join me on this journey. The Devil in Us needs your support! 

***** PRE-ORDER NOW — The Devil in Us *****

 

The post My fiction debut: The Devil in Us appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Queens: A Culinary Passport

***** BUY NOW Queens: A Culinary Passport: Exploring Ethnic Cuisine in New York City’s Most Diverse Borough ****

 

 

The best books teach you things you ever expected to learn! This book, Queens: A Culinary Passport: Exploring Ethnic Cuisine in New York City’s Most Diverse Borough, falls into that category. I did not know that Queens has such an amaze variety of food. I did not know about all the shops, all the variety and all the culinary walks and tours of Queens! Of course,  now I want to run and visit and eat. Andrea Lynn’s book has one more little secret — all the places mentioned are subway accessible so that when I visit, I dont have to take taxis or rent a car to enjoy all that Queens has to offer.

I requested Andrea to tell us a bit about her book in her own words:

***** BUY NOW Queens: A Culinary Passport: Exploring Ethnic Cuisine in New York City’s Most Diverse Borough ****

There was a discovery I made while roaming around Queens, coaxing recipes from ethnic restaurants for my latest book, Queens: A Culinary Passport, which is a mashup of a travel guide and cookbook. Sometimes, what restaurants deemed as ordinary side dishes for their cuisine (boring, even) were anything but. Such was the case with the recipe for Sho-Go Khatsa (Aloo Dum). When trying to get tips from Himalayan Yak manager Gyaltsen Gurung on this potato recipe, he kind of shrugged and said, “It’s just cooked potatoes.” But it’s so much more than that, having moved up my recipe queue to become a favorite side dish. So much flavor is pumped into this that serving it with a tamer, albeit more boring main dish like sautéed chicken breasts brings a bit of uniqueness to dinner. Gurung also introduced me to Panch Phoran, a spice blend of seeds like cumin, nigella, black mustard, and fennel. It’s now my number one potato seasoner.


Sho-Go Khatsa (Aloo Dum)
Recipe adapted from Himalayan Yak Restaurant in Jackson Heights, New York.

2 pounds baby red potatoes
8 garlic cloves
8 to 10 dried chile de árbol peppers (or another type of spicy whole chile pepper)
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon Panch Puran (or 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or fennel seeds)
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, for garnish

Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then add garlic cloves and chile peppers. Let cook until potatoes are just barely tender, when a knife poked into the potato is still just hitting resistance, around 12 to 15 minutes. At the 10-minute mark, use a slotted spoon to remove
garlic and chile peppers from the water, and place into a bowl. Transfer potatoes to a colander, saving about ¹/³ cup the potato water. Cool down the potatoes by running cold water over them for a few minutes.
While you’re letting the potatoes cool down so they can be handled, add the reserved chiles and garlic into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Purée until smooth, adding the reserved water down the feeder tube, just until chile sauce is a desired consistency.
When the potatoes have cooled, use your hands to remove the peels. Cut the potatoes into small pieces. In a large sauté pan or a wok, warm the oil over high heat. Carefully add the potatoes, and stir-fry until potatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. When the potatoes are fully tender, stir in the reserved chile sauce, salt, turmeric and Panch Puran. Let the sauce boil until it has reduced down to a sauce that coats the potatoes, just a few minutes. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.


***** BUY NOW Queens: A Culinary Passport: Exploring Ethnic Cuisine in New York City’s Most Diverse Borough ****

Photo caption: Sho-Go Khatsa (Aloo Dum) at Himalayan Yak. (Photo by Andrea Lynn)

Bio: ANDREA LYNN, a southern-raised food writer, moved to NYC to attend culinary school and experience a diverse array of ethnic cuisine. After working at a restaurant and as a personal chef, she edited recipes for Art Culinaire and worked as senior editor at Chile Pepper, where she developed recipes for a spice-obsessed audience. Andrea now works as a freelance food writer and recipe developer and is also the author of the I Love Trader Joe’s College Cookbook. She lives in Astoria.

 

 

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Kids in the kitchen – Future Chefs!

My friend, Ramin Ganeshram, has a brand new book releasing in a few days — FutureChefs! The book has a collection of wonderful recipes from kids around the US and the world. My own kids want to cook from the book. The recipes are ethnically diverse and very accessible. Please join me in congratulating her!

The following is an adapted excerpt of the introduction of my forthcoming book FutureChefs (Rodale, Oct 7 2014)—Ramin Ganeshram

BUY NOW!!!!

Four years ago I wrote what I thought was a fantastical piece of fiction about a 13-year-old chef who gets to compete on a competition cooking show on Food Network. Based on my own youthful fantasies of becoming a famous chef, I thought my premise in the middle-grade novel, Stir It Up!was a neat bit of storytelling and nothing more.

But soon after the book was published, I found out how wrong I was. I started receiving emails, letters, tweets, and Facebook posts from kids who told me they were “just like the main character” and that they felt like I had told their life story in the pages of my book.

At first, I thought nothing of this early fan mail. The book, I thought with satisfaction, had found its niche. It wasn’t until months—and then years—passed with letters still coming in that I started to really pay attention. Maybe these kid-chefs weren’t a niche or an anomaly. Maybe they just were.

I decided to test this theory out and do a little digging. Were kid-chefs really that common? One of the first responses I got to my queries was from Alison Catanese. Her niece, Georgia, had turned her life-long love of cooking to practical end when her mom died the year before and her dad suffered a stroke 2 months later. Georgia was 11.

I heard from the mom of young Tyler Trainer in Florida who was also 11 and couldn’t get enough of being in the kitchen. His mom wasn’t sure why because neither she nor her husband liked to cook. When I read the fracas of recent weeks about the “tyranny of home cooking” and the “resentment” felt my moms in the kitchen, I immediately thought of the Trainers. Mom doesn’t have to cook because her very skilled kids can and want to. They are who we must watch when it comes to the future of scratch cooking, not the adults.

One young man, Rusty Schindler, spent the summer of his 16th year building a brick oven in his parents’ backyard so he could bake bread with the wild yeast starter he had been keeping for a few months.

Young Eeshan Chakabarti was the pickiest eater around—until he got on a step stool and started cooking for himself at age 6. Then there was Jack Witherspoon who cooked to keep his mind off his leukemia treatments. Jack was 10 then. Since then, the 13-year-old has been on The Tonight Show, a contestant on Food Network’s Rachael vs. Guy, and the author of his own cookbook. And Samantha Pecoraro who is 16 can’t even eat what she cooks, because of a rare medical condition.

The more kids I spoke with, the more stories emerged—too many to ignore as a passing fad. FutureChefs was born.

As I wrote this book, telling the stories of these young chefs, they became the teachers and I the student. I learned that while all are impressive, none is that unusual. Like their peers they are being raised in a food-aware world where whole ingredients, respect for the earth and environment, and the desire to explore beyond their physical borders is the norm. These kids are vegetarians, farmers, travelers, activists, healthy eaters, and compassionate thinkers. And they are not alone.

At first blush, it’s easy to discount these young people as unusual in some way—oddities in “size small” chef’s jackets or farmer’s overalls—but nothing could be further from the truth. FutureChefs is just a taste of a vast network of people 18 and under who are poised to change the way we as Americans and as members of the international community think about, cook, and consume food.

Yet, what the Future Chefs taught me more than anything was a lesson in resilience. Hearing the stories of remarkable young people who cooked their way out of adversity, illness, prejudice and bullying set me straight about a lot of things—not the least of which is that persistence and passion—regardless of the area—are as necessary as lifeblood in order to go on.

But why should you care about a bunch of kids in the kitchen?

Because more than anything, perhaps, these young chefs are the leaders of a new tomorrow. Consider them the forward flank of a changing American food scene that reflects the color and fabric of what we call our “national” food. Their love of real ingredients, their willingness to experiment with multiethnic flavor profiles, and their eye toward food justice and other issues of food reform are but a glimpse into a culinary future that they are changing with every step forward into tomorrow.

Karthik Rohatgi’s Butternut Squash Kale Soup 

Reno, Nevada

Serves 4 to 6

This 15-year-old crusader focuses his talents on helping the poorest residents of his city access fresh produce. Karthik, who attends an academy for extremely gifted children in Reno, first focused on feeding those less fortunate as a grade schooler when, during Halloween, he passed on the candy and asked, instead, for money and canned goods to donate to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. On one of his weekly food drops to the organization, he realized that fresh produce was never among the foods distributed to those in need of the service. In January 2011, Karthik enlisted the help of advisers from his school to create Farm Fresh For Kids whose goal is to fight childhood obesity and obesity-related illnesses by providing access to fresh food via farmers’ market vouchers and nutrition education through low-income clinics in his area. In 2013 he presented a TEDTalk in Reno about the initiative. A vegetarian for sustainability and health reasons, Karthik, who calls himself a “passionate environmentalist,” is dedicated to growing foods in his home garden and experimenting with them to come up with new recipes, such as this butternut squash soup.

Smooth and creamy without the use of cream or milk, the soup can be made vegan by substituting coconut oil for the butter in the recipe.

1 medium butternut squash

1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

5 or 6 cloves garlic, minced

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 to 6 cups vegetable stock

12 cups baby kale, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Halve the butternut squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and any loose fiber. Lightly coat the cut faces with the softened butter. Place cut side down on the baking sheet and bake until a knife goes through the skin easily, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. Let the squash cool completely, then scoop out the flesh and set aside. Discard the skin.

3. In large, deep saucepan, eat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and parsley and cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly add 2 cups of the stock, stirring constantly. Add the baked butternut squash and stir well. Stir in the remaining stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat

5. Use a hand blender to puree the soup in the pan until it’s smooth. (Alternatively, in batches, puree the soup in a blender and then return to the pan.)

6. Return the pureed soup to medium heat and bring the soup to a boil. Add the kale, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Simmer until the kale is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot.

 

Ramin Ganeshram -

Ramin Ganeshram is a journalist and professional chef trained at the Institute of Culinary Education. She is the author of Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad & Tobago (Hippocrene NY 2006; 2nd expanded edition 2010) and The Pass It Down Cookbook (Smiley Books/Hay House 2010) (with Jeff Henderson) and Stir It Up (Scholastic 2010) about a teen who gets the chance to fulfill her dream of competition cooking on the Food Network.

In addition to contributing to a variety of food publications including Saveur, Shape, Gourmet, Bon Appetit and epicurious.com, Ganeshram has written food/culture/travel articles for Islands (as contributing editor); National Geographic Traveler; Forbes Traveler; Forbes Four Seasons and many others. She is a contributor to the Encyclopedia of World Foods (Greenwood Press 2010) and award-winninge Oxford Encyclopedia of Food & Drink in America.

She has appeared on Food Network, Travel Channel, CNNfn, Good Day New York, the OWN network and other television programs, sharing her culinary expertise.

(Recipe and photos used with permission from Rodale. Photo Credit – JP Velloti)

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Best Food Writing 2014

 

So thrilled to share the news that one of my essays has been included in BEST FOOD WRITING 2014. This is my fourth inclusion in the series and really means a lot to me. The anthology features writers whom I greatly admire and am so honored to be able to share the space with them!

 

 

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Monica’s Indian Express: Blueberry Chicken Curry By Gurpareet Bains

I am so pleased to share with you the next recipe in my series: Monica’s Indian Express: Simple & Sassy Weeknight Dishes.

 

Chef Gurpareet Bains’s  Indian Superfood is a delightful collection that combines superfood and super spices to create the world famous Indian Superfood cuisine. www.indiansuperfood.com

Recipes include:

• Spicy prawns in a dry seaweed masala

• Ginger-infused yogurt with Honey and Pomegranate

• Poached chicken and mango salad with mustard seed

• Sweet potato samosa rolls with tamarind reduction

I enjoy his different tastes and combinations. In that vein, here is a curry made with blueberries. I had my doubts about this one but it was as delicious as the last recipe I made from his book: Chocolate Chicken Curry.

Chicken with Blueberries and Cinnamon (Serves 4)



This recipe is an extract from Indian Superfood (Absolute Press) By Gurpareet Bains.

“Having so many blueberry anthocyanins, which aid memory power and promote fat loss, jutting around in a chicken curry, is something quite wonderful. A whopping amount of cinnamon, one of the top three of the world’s most powerful antioxidising foods, further blasts this recipe into its superfood status. Yogurt and fresh coriander help you to stay in tip-top shape by expediting the body’s digestive processes. You may assume this curry to be sweet in taste, but nothing could be further from the truth. The tart yogurt and superspices negate much of the natural blueberry sweetness and what we are left with is a light, yet traditional and tangy-tasting, chicken curry, ideal for summertime eating. This recipe was part of the ‘world’s healthiest meal’ that I created in 2009, which became an overnight hit when Chris Evans declared live on-air that it was ‘the best curry I’ve ever tasted’
.
200g fresh or frozen blueberries
20g bunch of fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons grated (peeled) fresh root ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
500g low-fat Greek yogurt
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon chilli powder
500g skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon garam masala
extra chopped fresh coriander, to garnish
.
In a food processor, blend together the blueberries, chopped coriander, ginger, salt and yogurt to make a purée. Set aside. Place the garlic in a deep saucepan with the olive oil and cook over a low-medium heat until the garlic starts to turn a brown colour – this should take no longer than 1–2 minutes. Add the turmeric, mix well and cook for about 20 seconds. Stir in the cinnamon and chilli powder and cook for a further 20 seconds.
Add the chicken and cook until sealed all over, stirring frequently – this should take no more than 5 minutes. Now slowly pour in the yogurt mixture, mixing it into the chicken, then bring to a simmer over a low heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Mix through the garam masala. Garnish with the extra chopped coriander and serve with pilau.
Chicken photo by the very talented Reem Rizvi of Simply Reem.

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Silvana’s Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Kitchen – Crispy Fried Chicken

I normally steer clear of gluten-free cookbooks as I find them very intimidating. But, I have always loved Silvana Nardone’s work and her last book, Cooking for Isaiah, was such a delight to cook from, that I knew I had to check out her latest book — Silvana’s Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Kitchen Timeless Favorites Transformed.  

 

The book has all the elements that I like in a cookbook  – kid-friendly recipes, a very positive and engaging tone, an upbeat and approachable attitude, and, of course – delicious results. My kids loved the crispy fried chicken (recipe below), and the Iced soft oatmeal cookies. On our list to try next are the Rocky Road Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice-Cream Sandwiches.

BUY NOW — Silvana’s Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Kitchen Timeless Favorites Transformed.  

 

Crispy Fried Chicken

Excerpted from SILVANA’S GLUTEN-FREE AND DAIRY-FREE KITCHEN © 2014 by Silvana Nardone. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

  photo credit is: ©John Kernick.

Coconut milk is not the first ingredient that comes to mind when marinating chicken for frying. But much like regular buttermilk, it yields meat that’s moist and tender. If you’re not big on coconut-scented chicken, don’t worry, you’ll barely taste it.

No deep-fry thermometer? Test if your oil is hot enough by adding a pinch of gluten-free flour to the oil. If it sizzles and rises to the surface, you’re ready to start frying. The chicken is fully cooked when an instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone measures 170°F.

 

Serves: 4 • Prep Time: 18 minutes (plus marinating) • Cook Time: 20 minutes

1 13-ounce can full-fat coconut milk

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 3½-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or 3½ pounds chicken pieces, patted dry

1½ cups My Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (see below)

¼ cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

1 teaspoon baking powder

Canola oil, for frying

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, Old Bay and baking powder. Drain the chicken and dredge in the flour mixture. Place on the baking sheet.

3. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 inch of oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer measures 360?F.

4. Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil and fry, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes; drain on a paper towel–lined wire rack. (The fried chicken can be kept warm in a 250?F oven for up to 1 hour or served at room temperature.)

My Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour

Excerpted from SILVANA’S GLUTEN-FREE AND DAIRY-FREE KITCHEN © 2014 by Silvana Nardone. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

It took me months of trial and error to develop this flour blend. Since then, I’ve tested a bunch of store-bought flour mixes, and mine still outperforms them in terms of flavor and texture. Now I’m going to get technical for a minute. When making your own, in my experience, the classic ratio that mimics regular unbleached all-purpose flour is 60 percent grain flour (white rice, brown rice) and 40 percent starch (tapioca flour, potato starch). If you decide to use a gum, which I recommend, since it helps with overall texture, add about ½ teaspoon of xanthan or guar gum per 1 cup flour blend. My flour blend is an old-school mix of white starches, but if you want to add more fiber, replace the 6 cups of white rice flour with half white rice flour and half brown rice flour.

 

Makes: About 10 cups • Prep Time: 12 minutes

6 cups (870 g) white rice flour

3 cups (375 g) tapioca flour

1½ cups (246 g) potato starch

1 tablespoon (9 g) salt

2 tablespoons (18 g) xanthan gum

In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Transfer to an airtight storage container. (The flour keeps in a cool, dry place or refrigerated for up to 6 months.)

About the Author –

 

SILVANA NARDONE is the author of Cooking for Isiah: Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals. Her blog, Silvana’s Kitchen, offers recipes for feeding family members suffering from food allergies. The founding editor of Every Day with Rachael Ray, she is currently an online food columnist for Food & Wine and a regular contributor to FoodNetwork.com. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her two children, Isaiah, seventeen, and Chiara, eight.

 

 

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