Monica Saigal Bhide's Blog, page 22

Cooking with Coconut Oil

I found out about Elizabeth Nyland’s book, Cooking with Coconut Oil: Gluten-free, grain-free recipes for good living, on Twitter! Someone tweeted how great the book was and so I requested a review copy.

I used to like cooking with coconut oil until I heard that it was bad for you! That was several years ago. Luckily, better sense prevailed and I continued to cook with it. And now the research is back telling us how good it is for us: it is shown to lower cholesterol and also help us absorb more nutrients. And those are just two of the benefits! It is said to help heart health and boost our immune function. I mean how much more can we expect from our oil!

Elizabeth’s book has recipes that use coconut oil, of course, but also many recipes using coconut flour (gluten-free). We tried the book out in our kitchen and particularly loved her hummus made with beets, her butternut squash soup and her Hasselback sweet potatoes. The recipes are really simple, don’t use any complex techniques or crazy ingredients and we all agreed that she really knows how to season well!

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Cooking with Coconut Oil: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Recipes for Good Living by Elizabeth Nyland (The Countryman Press, 2014)

Photo and recipe used with permission. Copyright The Countryman Press.

Monica’s note – i really liked the fact that cutting the potato helped it crisp up more and the coconut oil really adds a nice touch along with the cinnamon. A terrific flavor combination that works!

Elizabeth’s trick for not cutting the potatoes all the way through: The key to not cutting all the way through the potato is to lay two chopsticks down next to your potato so when you slice down, you won’t cut all the way through.

2 pounds small sweet potatoes (orange fleshed)

3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

sea salt to taste

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the ends off each potato ( and a small bit at the bottom if you want them to stay put better). Slice the potato into segments crosswise, not cutting all the way through so you have a fan-like effect

2. Pour or brush the melted coconut oil over the potatoes (try to get in all the nooks and crannies). Sprinkle with salt and optional cinnamon over them and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until slightly golden on the edges and soft throughout.

3. Serve immediately.

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Grocery Store Tales

What do the contents in someone’s grocery cart say about them?
http://monicabhide.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Grocery.mp3

Of course, you can always read it here:  

Grocery Store Tales: 

I went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon. It was a gorgeous day in NoVa, sun was glittering, a cool wind was blowing and I was picking up a birthday cake for my little guy. One of the things I like to do at grocery stores, and I am sorry this will sound weird, is I love looking at what people are buying and then trying to figure out if I can tell their “story” based on their purchases. (If you have seen the new movie Date Night with Tina Fey, you will know what I am talking about as the couple in the movie does this same thing with people at restaurants. They like to look at other couples and make up stories.)

But I digress.

So yesterday I was in my merry mood, walking around and looking at people and figuring out what they were up to: a young man was trying to figure out what wine to buy. He looked like he was 12. He kept pacing up and down the wine aisle. I wondered if it was date night for him and he was trying to impress someone.

Next was the typical young mom with a kid under her arm, one in the plastic car at the bottom of the shopping cart and another one in her belly! She was buying, what else, diapers. Despite being pulled in two different directions by the kids, she was laughing and singing in a language I could not recognize. Occasionally bending down to kiss the kids. I wondered where the husband was? Fighting a war? At work as a lawyer? What would she cook him tonite? Or would he cook for her given that she was about ready to pop.

Then, I found her. This old woman, with a gentle mop of greying hair on her head. She was wearing a large red sweater, black pants and sensible shoes. She walked slowly, very slowly, which is actually how I got stuck behind her line. She was buying healthy frozen entrees from the freezer section. She had a list that she was having a hard time reading and a harder time crossing off. Her large fingers seemed not to be able to bend. Arthritis? I dont know. Maybe. I smiled at her. “I am trying to get all I need to eat this week. It is hard being alone,” she said. I just stared. She pulled another entree and put it in her shopping cart. Was she alone in this world? Did no one want to help her? “I cant cook anymore, not with these hands,” she said to me. She kept going and then came to the ice-cream aisle. She picked a few single servings of different ice-creams. I followed suit only picking larger boxes for my kids. “Ah, you have a family. I only get these for myself,” she said. Then she peeked in my cart, “A birthday cake! Who has a birthday today?” I told her about my son. “Yes, I thought it was a boy since you had the red car on there! He likes cookies? I see you have cookies? I dont eat those anymore not with my teeth. Only ice-cream for me at night,” she smiled. Then she pointed to all the vegetables in my cart and asked how many kids I had and how I got them to eat vegetables. “I see like roses,” she pointed to my flowers.

We began to walk to the checkout counter. “I love looking at people’s carts and seeing what they buy. You can learn so much about them, dont you think?” she said.

You certainly can, ma’am. You certainly can.

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Okra by Virginia Willis

 

Among the many reasons I love Virginia Willis, and I kid you not, one is that she and I have an obsessive love of okra. See, if you cannot understand that, then you know don’t know what you are missing!! Okay, so even for an okra lover like me, the slime is off putting. And in her new book, Okra, Virginia even has a list of ways to bust the slime so that you can enjoy okra even more!

I asked the gracious Ms. Willis why she chose to write this book:  I was drawn to this lovely series by UNC press because it of the study and celebration of Southern ingredients. And, even though I am published by a major publishing house with Random House and Ten Speed Press, as a former history major I had a very strong desire to publish with a university press. To really zero in on Okra, itself, I love okra and am constantly so intrigued by the love-hate feelings it brings to the forefront. People aren’t in the middle about okra. It’s a contentious vegetable.

Okra  showcases fifty recipes: twenty-six southern dishes, ranging from Southern-Style Fried Okra to Gulf Coast Seafood Gumbo, and twenty-four authentic global dishes, from Moroccan Lamb and Okra Tagine with Preserved Lemons to Cuban Pork with Yellow Rice, Okra, and Annatto Oil. I am delighted to say that Virginia spoke to me about a couple of the Indian dishes! Her Indian recipes are just terrific.

In addition to the recipes, Virginia also discusses okra gardening and heirloom varieties of okra.

 

Singapore-Style Sambal Oelek Okra

From OKRA: a Savor the South® cookbook by Virginia Willis. Copyright © 2014 by Virginia Willis.  Used by permission of the University of North Carolina Press. www.uncpress.unc.edu

Sambal oelek is a chili sauce of Indonesian and Malaysian origin. It’s made from a variety of different chilies and is most often used in cooking, not as a condiment like sriracha. This dish has a heavy dose of umami with the use of dried shrimp. It will light up your mouth with flavor!

Makes 4–6 servings

1/4 cup canola oil
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons sambal oelek
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1/4-inch coin of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 pound okra, stem ends trimmed, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch pieces
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Line a plate with paper towels. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, almost smoking. When the oil is hot, add the shallot to the skillet. Cook until browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallot to the prepared plate, making sure to get every last bit.

In a small bowl, add the sambal oelek, shrimp, garlic, and ginger. Stir to combine and set aside.

Reheat the oil until very hot. Add the okra to the hot oil and fry until bright green, about 2 minutes. Add the sambal oelek mixture and shallot. Stir-fry over high heat until combined, about 1 minute. Season with salt, but not too much as the dried shrimp are quite salty. Transfer the okra to a warmed shallow serving bowl. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

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Fennel Chile Dry Rub

This year my book, Modern Spice, celebrates five years! In honor of the book, I will be posting a few recipes over the year. Here is one of my favorite.. a very versatile rub. The photo is courtesy of Stephanie Stiavetti

FENNEL-CHILE DRY RUB

Makes about ¼ cup

¼ cup fennel seeds

4 whole dried red chilies

½ teaspoon ground peppercorns (use a medley of different colored peppercorns)

Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds. Toss until the seeds are fragrant. This takes just about 1 minute, so watch them carefully and keep tossing the seeds in the pan or they will burn.

Add the chilies and toss for another 5 seconds.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder. Add the peppercorns and mix well.

Store, covered, until needed.

 

Here is an example of the rub used on steak -

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Simply Spiced Lamb Chops

 

INGREDIENTS

8 whole cloves

2 small dried chiles (such as chiles de árbol), stemmed

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1/3 cup whole-milk plain yogurt

2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

8 lamb rib chops (each about 1 inch thick), excess fat trimmed

Pickled Red Onions

Fresh mint sprigs (for garnish)

Combine first 5 ingredients in small skillet. Stir over medium heat until spices are aromatic and slightly darker in color, about 3 minutes. Transfer spices to bowl and cool. Grind spices to coarse powder in spice mill. Combine spices, yogurt, and ginger in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Add lamb chops and turn to coat with mixture. Let marinate 30 minutes.


Preheat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Arrange chops on baking sheet. Broil lamb to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer 2 lamb chops to each of 4 plates. Spoon drained Pickled Red Onions alongside each; garnish with mint sprigs.

(This recipe of mine appeared in Bon Appetit in 2011) Photo by Lucy Schaeffer

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Vikas Khanna returns to the rivers

I have always enjoyed cooking from Chef Vikas Khanna’s cookbooks  – the recipes work and provide delightful results. So I was delighted to receive a review copy of his newest book, Return to the Rivers: Recipes and Memories of the Himalayan River Valleys. And, oh my, what a book!

First, the foreword is written His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Should I even go on?

The book is as charming as it is beautiful. It is part travel memories and part recipes. What I loved most about the book is that Chef Vikas has documented the recipes as they should be and has not modified them too much. They are rustic and authentic and quite simple. In an area where vegetables are hard to grow, the cooking is very hearty and focused on the meats.

I was worried when I first got the book that I would not find the ingredients to make the recipes. Totally unfounded worry! I was able to cook several of the dishes quite easily with everyday ingredients. There are a few ingredients that are harder to find but in all, this book is just worth buying for the beautiful stories and the simple recipes that remind us of what is really important in this world: togetherness.

Some of the recipes that I have tried – Red rice with apricots and walnuts,  tamarind onion relish and spiced black chickpeas. Just terrific!

I selected a recipe that shows you how easy the dishes are in the book to prepare and that a recipe does not need to be complicated to be good:

Tibetan-Style Lo Mein [Thukpa Dangmo]

Recipe and Photo from Vikas Khanna’s Return to the Rivers. Both are used here with permission from the publisher

This noodle dish provided me sustenance through my long journeys in Tibet and I love it.  Lhasa was the central point of my travels, and each time I had a stopover there, I would get these noodles from the street carts outside Jokhang Temple. I would request stewed vegetables and meats be added to the noodles to make this a complete meal on the go.

While “thukpa” means noodles, “dangmo” means served at room temperature.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

8 ounces cooked lo mein noodles, preferably fresh

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Salt

Pinch of sugar

3 scallions, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Carefully swirl to coat the bottom of the pan with the hot oil. Add the noodles, cayenne, soy sauce, salt to taste, and sugar and toss to combine and heat all the ingredients. Top with the scallions and serve cold or at room temperature.

Chef Vikas Khanna (bio from Amazon)

Vikas Khanna opened his own catering company at the age of seventeen and never looked back. He has worked his way up to be one of New York City’s top-rated chefs with his work at Salaam Bombay, The Café at the Rubin Museum, and the Michelin-starred Junoon. He is equally recognized for his work in humanitarian efforts with SAKIV, New York Chefs Cooking for Life, his documentary film series, Holy Kitchens, and as the host of MasterChef India television program. In recent years, he has become recognized for his television appearances on Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, and Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Khanna now resides in New York, NY.

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Understanding the World of Cookbooks

COOKBOOK WORKSHOP

Have you ever wanted to write a cookbook? Turn that dream into a reality with my (fully online) cookbook workshop.

If you are interested in participating, please let me know ASAP as I have very few spots left.

UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD OF COOKBOOKS, taught by Monica Bhide

In this three-week online class you will get an in-depth understanding of cookbook writing (both traditional publishing and self publishing). Do you need to start a blog? Is traditional publishing or self-publishing the best route to go? How long is a normal amount of time to write or sell a proposal? Top cookbook authors, aspiring writers and upcoming food writing stars give insight into their own process and lessons they learned:

“Don’t try and be the next Julia Child; be the first you.” — Luca Marchiori ( a former student of mine)

“Test your recipes.  Retest your recipes.  Test them again.  Then have others test your recipes for clarity.  People get terribly angry if a recipe doesn’t work and they won’t recommend or buy any of your future books if you’ve broken that trust.” — Chef David James Robinson

“Be flexible. The idea that was first pitched is not the book I eventually sold.” — Donna Currie

DURATION: 3 weeks

NEXT SESSION: March 25th, 2014

LESSONS INCLUDE:

1. Understanding self-publishing and how to publish your own cookbook.

2. In-depth interviews and lessons learned with some of the top most cookbook authors in the US today.

3. Interviews with agents and cookbook editors talking about what they look for in cookbooks.

4. A detailed lesson that explains how to develop recipes, write recipe head notes and test recipes.

5. A look at the world of ghostwriting cookbooks.

6.  Assignments that will help you flush out your own idea for a book.

7. How to write a cookbook proposal along with samples of proposals that have sold.

8. A half hour one on one call with me about your cookbook idea and how to refine it

At the end of the course, you will have a clear understanding of how cookbooks are written, how they are sold and how to create them. You will have a flushed out idea that you can then take to create your own cookbook whether self-published or as a proposal for an editor. You will NOT have a completed cookbook proposal but a refined idea, a plan and the tools to help you write the proposal/book. My last book proposal took three months to write. Good things take time. This class is intended to get you to forward in a productive way.

The cost is $500. The class is completely online except for the one call with me. That can be done via a landline or by Skype.

I am only taking a handful of students for this. If you would like to reserve a spot, please email me right away.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Monica Bhide has: discussed truffles with the grand-old Chef extraordinaire Imtiaz Querishi in Mumbai; sampled hamur on dhows in Dubai; sipped camel’s milk in Bahrain; followed a superstar food critic around Mumbai and an anonymous one in DC; presented Spices and Rices at the French Embassy in DC and gotten lost on the backstreets of Delhi searching for the perfect paratha; tapaoed in DC with Chef Jose Andres and sampled the amazing cuisine of Chef Ananda Solomon; taught cooking on-line (yes it can be done) and in her cooking school; sampled flights of honey and hosted colorful henna parties each spring. Monica has written on food for such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Bon Appetit, Town and Country Travel, Food and Wine, Cooking Light, Coastal Living, Health, and Better Nutrition. Her highly praised first cookbook, The Spice Is Right: Easy Indian Cooking for Today (Callawind Publications, 2001) is a collection of mouth-watering menus tempered with her up-to-date touches on classic Indian recipes. Monica’s newest cookbook, The Everything Indian Cookbook: 300 Tantalizing Recipes–From Sizzling Tandoori Chicken to Fiery Lamb Vindaloo (Everything Series) was released in May 2004. Monica was also the recipient of the Susan B. Langhorne Scholarship for Food Writers at the Symposium for Professional Food Writers in 2004 and the runner up for the 2005 award.

 

 

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Smithsonian Social Media Panel

On Saturday, February 22, I was honored to put together the panel, “Social Media Savvy: A Practical Guide to Personal Branding and Strategy,” at the Smithsonian.

The seminar helped participants create a social media identity and identify the key elements of a strategy to interact effectively and efficiently in the virtual world. Participants explored the fundamentals of social media and its tools, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others. The pros and cons of each and their use in creating a social strategy were discussed to help identify which works best for each person’s needs. Practical considerations, such as social media etiquette and learning how to use social media efficiently, were also tackled.

The day concluded with an interactive panel of social media pros who shared their experiences and practical insights. Panelists include Sarah Elizabeth Banks, manager of online engagement at the Air and Space Museum; Shashi Bellamkonda, vice-president of digital marketing at the Bozzuto Group, a real estate organization; Sean Gardner, a consultant and correspondent for Social Media Week, Huffington Post, and Smedio, named by Forbes as one of the top 50 social media power influencers in 2013; Elianne Ramos, principal and CEO of Speak Hispanic Communications and vice-chair of marketing and public relations for Latinos in Social Media, who specializes in U.S. Latino and Latin American advocacy campaigns; and Monica Sethi, founder and president of e-Buzz Edge, a firm specializing in public relations, marketing, and branding for the restaurant industry; Casey Benedict, a social media and food marketing innovator behind Kitchen PLAY and Eat Write Retreat, platforms that connect brands with bloggers.

My guest panelists for the Smithsonian social media workshop.

 

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Cilantro Chicken

In 2011, I visited my friend Charmian for the first time. It was a great afternoon filled with fun, food and fantastic talk!  My boys had such a lovely time and could not get enough of Charmian’s lovely cilantro chicken dish. And rightly so: this simple roasted chicken literally falls off the bone when cooked and is so rich and deep with the wonderful flavor of cilantro. For those who say cilantro taste like soap, leave now. This dish will not change your mind as I believe it has been proved that if you find the herb soapy, it is, literally, in your genes!

But if you dont, then read on. This is really a terrific way to introduce cilantro to your kiddos. Get them involved now in planting some cilantro seeds and you will have a pot of this lovely, fragrant herb in no time at all!

Many, many thanks to Charmian again for a wonderful afternoon and this really great recipe.

Cilantro Chicken

Recipe adapted from Rouxbe.com

1 garlic head

1 lemon

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1 whole roasting chicken (6 lbs or 7 pounds)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

4 cups chicken stock, divided

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Remove one clove of garlic from the head and put it into a food processor or blender. Cut the rest of the head in half and set aside.

Zest the lemon and cut it in half. Juice half the lemon. Put the zest and juice in the food processor and set the unsqueezed half aside.

Put the onion, jalapeno pepper, cilantro leaves, oil, ground coriander, honey and salt into a food processor and grind until you have a smooth paste.

Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the half lemon and head of garlic.

Loosen the skin on the chicken’s breast and thighs by gently sliding your fingers between the meat and the skin. Pour or spoon the cilantro paste between the skin and the meat. Use your hands to distribute the paste under the chicken skin as much as you can.

Rub the chicken any remaining cilantro sauce and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, add 3 cups of stock and cook, uncovered, basting every 30 minutes. When basting the chicken, check the color since the sauce will cause the skin to darken quickly. When the skin gets dark, cover the chicken with a lid or tin foil, and continue cooking until done. (1 1/2 to 2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180°F when inserted into the thigh.)

When the chicken is done, remove the lemon and garlic from inside and let the bird rest, covered. Meanwhile, make a sauce with the pan juices by skimming off the fat and adding 1 cup of stock. Bring the pan juices and stock to a boil right in the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed, then strain before serving.

The gorgeous photos of the chicken are taken by the terrific food blogger and photographer Soma Rathore and I am very grateful.

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Luck, the crutch

Recently on social media, I have asked the question: Do you believe in luck? How do you define luck?

I got amazing and insightful answers and I am grateful.

I had asked for a very selfish reason. Luck is my crutch and I keep trying to justify it. Whenever I don’t get something I want (abundance in money, friends, family, work, career, anything at all), I have a tendency to say, “Oh, I did not get it because I just don’t have the luck.”

I think many of us have a crutch. It is what we use to hold on when all else seems to be going to hell. It is what we use as an excuse to rely on. I know I do. I have also noticed that the crutch isn’t something that cannot be changed or is out of our control, it is just something that to us seems insurmountable.  It seems bigger than reality and out of our control.

Crutches that I have learned about from friends and colleagues:

My husband/partner hates it when I do X
I was born this way
It is the will of the Universe
I don’t have the talent
I don’t have the willpower
If only this person or situation was different, then all would be fine
I don’t have the “add crutch here”

It has been a long and difficult year for me and I have decided today that I am going to break my crutch. Why? It does not seem to be doing what it used to. When I first started saying that “I don’t have the luck,” it was comforting, it was a way to save face when I did not get the coveted TV deal or novel contract. Now, after years of using it, it seems like an excuse. It seems like what I run to when I run out of energy or hope. Instead, now, I am looking at an abundant Universe that, as someone much wiser than me said, will conspire to help me if I keep doing what I love.

What is your crutch? Are you going to break it or are you going to let it break you?

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