Rinku Bhattacharya's Blog, page 64

Perfect Chicken Broth in a Pressure Cooker

I make chicken broth often, the way my grand mother used to, in a pressure cooker, with a few fragrant spices along with the vegetables.

I have tried other methods, the slow simmering works, the slow cooker works, although it does give my broth a somewhat darker tinge. But, frankly all things considered, why spend 4 to 6 hours cooking something with about 45 minutes sort of does it for you. This is earth week, and possibly among other things a good time to think of how to best conserve energy in cooking. My grandmother used stock more to season pilafs and such, and often made us drink her version of bone broth on cold days, I use chicken or vegetable broth for all kinds of stuff. BTW, most skeptics might not agree, but actually due to fact that all the flavors are sealed you might actually find that your pressure cooked broth tastes richer.

Every person, finds their own routine in the kitchen, so from my grandmother I add the bay leaves, a star anise or two and a stick of cinnamon, I add celery and carrots from my Israeli friends grandmother’s recipe and I will soon share here favorite soup recipe very soon. I however felt that the broth should have its own space on my site as I use it for a base for all kinds of soups.

How do I get my broth working on short notice, now that is simple. In my Bengali kitchen, for all odds and ends the first dibs are for chorchori, but then there are bits of onion, sad herbs, lone celery sticks and odds and ends of chicken – think that last piece that you did not want to cook, all of these get into a large freezer bag that I call stock bag. Actually, I end up with 2 bags, one with and one without chicken, but today it is all about the chicken. About 1/2 a pound of chicken pieces and 1 pound of various veggies give me 4 cups of chicken broth. That is usually what I need at most times. If you are concerned about the aromatics, you can skip the spices however, they really do not dominate the recipe just add a nice gentle fragrance that compliments the rich natural flavors of the chicken.

For the pressure cooker skeptic, this just might be the recipe that will cause you to dust off that pressure cooker and remember grandma. What I used this batch for was a matzoh ball soup, that hopefully will make you proud.

PrintPerfect Chicken Broth in a Pressure Cooker

A rich and simple recipe for homemade chicken broth in a pressure cooker.

Ingredients

1/2 pound of chicken on the bone (any cut works, but the more bones the better)
2 to 3 ribs celery coarsely chopped
2 to 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 medium sized onion quartered
4 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
1 stick cinnamon
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 piece star anise
A few peppercorns if you want a little spice

Instructions

In a large pressure cooker add 6 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Add all the chicken, vegetables, salt, cinnamon, bay leaves, star anise and peppercorns and cook under pressure for 40 minutes.
Cool for an 1 hour.
Remove the lid and strain the broth.
Place in the refrigerator and chill for 3 hours. At this point the fat should have settled on top. Skim off the fat and use as needed. If you need to use the broth right away, go ahead and do that, it will just taste richer.3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/perfect-chicken-broth-pressure-cooker/

 

 

 

 

The post Perfect Chicken Broth in a Pressure Cooker appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

One Green Planet Green Monster App

It is with excitement and enthusiasm I write to let you know about the launch of One Green Planet’s #EatForThePlanet App. I was very pleased to try out an early preview of the app, to see what our friends at One Green Planet had come up with.

I have over the years shared many of my recipes over the years on their site, just because I felt they were good recipes rather than just sharing them because they were random vegan recipes, some of my favorites being the Alur Dom or Bengali Pot Roasted Potatoes or the ever popular Bengali Shingaras, that my son’s team demolishes on sight. Like me, countless others have shared their favorite recipes to make the site one of the largest and very delicious collections of vegan recipe online. Now, we have these recipes all searchable in a single app.

The app is colorful and beautifully designed and very user friendly and can be downloaded here. The app is full of beautiful high resolution photographs that will get you over 5,000 plant based recipes at your fingertips offering you a beautiful selection of vegan dishes available at your fingertips.

Appropriately launched on earth day, this app is going to be useful for us for all days to come. I encourage you to take a look, chances are like me you will enjoy having the convenience of all your favorite recipes available at your fingertips.

I downloaded the app on one of my commutes, and have been perusing it since. The pictures I am sharing here are actually downloaded from phone screenshots, so you get the idea.

The post One Green Planet Green Monster App appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Multigrain Spring Green Veggie Burgers

So, it has happened… The daughter has officially turned her nose up at school lunches, and declared it will be all about home cooked lunches and preferably Indian food. This week’s installment, which also happens to be the recipe redux theme is all about lunchtime and healthy quick options for the same. As things go, we love patties in our house, you can call them tikkis in Hindi or burgers in plain speak and today we are talking about a veggie burger with fresh baby spinach (lots of it), oatmeal and flax seed topped with the crunchy carrot slaw I had made over the weekend. In short, a Multi Grain Spring Green Veggie Burger.

It ended up being a pretty wholesome and if I may say so a very delicious meal. The base is made with potatoes, if you want to up the ante, you can certainly use sweet potatoes, I also experimented with baking and shallow frying the burgers, and honestly while the shallow frying resulted in a crisper patty, the baked very also worked pretty well into a nice somewhat golden patty.

These treats were a great Sunday lunch on the go, as the kids were over at Lyndhurst.

. Spring has finally sprung, and what a beautiful few days we are having. The tulips are out and about, as are the pansies. Slowly, but surely I am getting my flower groove back, there is a reason why spring is a season of renewal.  I am heading off to the farm for the first of the next three classes. Last time I checked, we still had two spots left so if you happen to have time this afternoon, do consider stopping by and joining me.

Back to the burger, here is the recipe for you. And, if you are searching for lunchbox ideas, be sure to sign up for the monthly mailing because there is bound to be a fair number of lunch box ideas coming down the pike. For those of my readers celebrating Passover, wishing you a great holiday!

PrintMultigrain Spring Green Veggie Burgers

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

A hearty and healthy multi grain veggie burger that is vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredients

6 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes
½ pound of fresh spinach or other spring greens (such as chard)
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3 tablespoons flaxseed meal
¾ teaspoon red cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon powdered coriander
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 or 2 tablespoons chickpea flour (this is optional, I have found that the flax seed meal binds this quite well)
Oil for greasing the baking pan or drizzling

Instructions

Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes, until soft, peel and mash the potatoes. In the meantime, microwave the spinach for 2 minutes until wilted and then pulse in the food processor. Try and drain out any excess water.
Add the chopped spinach to the mashed potatoes and add in the salt, the oats and the flax seed meal. Add in the red cayenne pepper and the cumin powder and the coriander powder and the chopped cilantro and mix well.
Stir in the chickpea flour if using and shape into 3-4 inch sized burger patties.
Set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Note, these can be made the day before you need them.
If frying them, heat oil in a skillet and carefully fry them for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove and serve with your favorite condiment and fixings. In this case I have used red onions and the carrot slaw.
If you are baking them, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees, generously grease a baking sheet. Place the patties in a single layer, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes on each side.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/multigrain-spring-green-veggie-burgers/

 


[image error] Loading InLinkz ...

The post Multigrain Spring Green Veggie Burgers appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Greek Yogurt, Carrot and Chia Seed Almond Slaw

Can you believe it is not even quite Wednesday?! There is so much going on other than this really simple and healthy recipe for Yogurt (make that Greek Yogurt, Carrot and Chia Seed Almond Slaw)!, well the recipe like all my recipes are pretty darn close to my heart!!! It is a part of possibly a new set of lunchtime or tiffin centered posts, inspired by the fact that the firstborn has officially proclaimed her school lunches icky!

Tonight I tossed everything aside and rushed home to vote for the lady I hope will be Ms. President!  I mean what’s with Mrs. President anyway?! Isn’t Mrs always associated with a Mr?! So, I will kind of leave that as one of the very few tiny snippets of political observations you will find on this site and I will proceed to this beautiful spring weekend where this slaw was born.

The Cherry blossoms are out, so it indeed is spring! I only pronounce this when the very few (read two) resident cherry trees bloom!

Ironically enough, this slaw is a part of my new and upcoming lunchtime series, newly inspired by the firstborn girl child. She with whom I enjoy fewer but so many more soulful words. She, who may not say it, but truly gets where I am coming from. She for who, I started this now sixteen year journey called marriage, after all what is life without a daughter?!

Granted this post is somewhat more philosophical and rambling than my typical posts, the recipe on hand is very versatile, I have made and use this slaw from every ranging to a stand along salad, sandwich spread and or burger topping! Want to make it vegan?, just swap the yogurt for coconut or other variations of non-dairy yogurt. After all life is all about the possibilities



PrintGreek Yogurt, Carrot and Chia Seed Almond Slaw

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 18 to 20 servings

Serving Size: 1 to 2 tablespoons

A colorful nutrition packed carrot slaw that is flavorful, easy and full of swaggy goodness!

Ingredients

3/4 pound (about 7 medium sized) organic or seasonal carrots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon mustard or extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 Greek yogurt or vegan yogurt alternative
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
1 teaspoon salt or black salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon chopped and slivered almonds
1 tablespoon chia seeds

Instructions

Peel and grate the carrots using the large side of a box grater. Place in a mixing bowl and toss with the cilantro, mustard or olive oil, and the freshly grated ginger.
In a separate bowl add the yogurt, cayenne pepper, salt or black salt, maple syrup and beat well and combine this mixture with the carrot mixture.
Place in the serving bowl and lighting add and mix in the almonds and chia seeds and let the slaw rest for 15 minutes and enjoy!3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/greek-yogurt-carrot-chia-seed-almond-slaw/.

The post Greek Yogurt, Carrot and Chia Seed Almond Slaw appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Lemon Cardamom Sandesh or Cheesecake Bars

Today is Bengali New Year, was thrilled to an acknowledgement from the White House, specifically from John Kerry, almost made me feel guilty about offering these cheater Sandesh bars for today. We as migrants love some popular acknowledgement, something that meshes us just a little with the mainstream, offers a little legitimacy. Dear readers, here is wishing everyone a Happy New Year and

Well, this love child of the Bengali Sandesh and cheesecake, blessed and baptized by lemon, is a super easy and truly delectable concoction put together by yours truly.

Who knew, a day would come when I would be creating my own baked goodies, especially this particular recipe found a lot of good favor with the kids, the teams and actually personally, I have tucked in quite a few. The sandesh like texture comes from the fact that I have used fresh channa or homemade paneer in this recipe.

Now, the real deal here is that this recipe barring the paneer making actually gets done in a single bowl, specifically my food processor. If you want to simplify it further, while store bought paneer or chenna will not work, you can substitute this with ricotta cheese, now this substitution will offer a richer taste, but will also tone down the interesting texture that paneer affords this recipe.

Then again, I so totally understand, the time crunch component. I have spent almost a week, trying to get this post up. However, this time of the year, I always take a little time to pause, and see what I can do to refresh those new year ideas. In fact, just to make life more on the track course, I have got myself a fitbit, hoping that it will get me back to walking more in the neighborhood, something I have made less time for ever since I started working in the city. Well, if you want to try your hand at making home style paneer, here is a video by yours truly showing you how to do it.

PrintLemon Cardamom Sandesh or Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 25 to 30 rectangular squares

Serving Size: 1 square

A cheesecake like lemon bar, reminiscent of Bengali sandesh. It is ridiculously easy and a perfect treat by any name.

Ingredients

For the bars
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup homemade paneer (aka channa) (using 1 gallon milk following the video above) or ricotta cheese
3/4 cup sugar (you can add more if you want
2 eggs
1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
11/2 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
13/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the glaze and topping

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds or a mixture of almonds and pistachios

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease the base of a square cake pan.
Place the butter, paneer or ricotta cheese, sugar and eggs in the base of a food processor. Break in the eggs, the ground cardamom, lemon zest, lemon juice and the flour sifted in with the baking powder.
Process for about 2 minutes, until everything is well mixed, do not over process.
Pour into the cake tin and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked (test with a toothpick), the sides should be pale golden. Do not overcook.
Cool for about 5 minutes, remove from the oven and invert carefully.
While the cake is cooking, make the syrup by adding the lemon juice, 1/2 cup water and sugar and cooking this down for 15 minutes to a sticky reduction. Pour this over the lemon bar square.
Scatter with the almonds.
Let it cool for at least 1 or 2 hours and cut into squares and serve.3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/lemon-cardamom-sandesh-cheesecake-bars/

 

The post Lemon Cardamom Sandesh or Cheesecake Bars appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Gandoraj Maach – Bengali Lemon Coconut Fish

I needed something calming to cook today, something that would not take the rhythm out of the rainy cool day, but would nonetheless offer a bit of up-lift to my spirits. And I settled on Gandhoraj Maach, or a Bengali Lemon Coconut Fish. I have used a combination of lemon zest and kafir lime leaves to replicate the traditional flavor of this dish.

I have been generally feeling a little somber, a little restless and slightly under weather.  I also seem to wrecked an over $200k toy, so to drown my sorrows, I created this dish. Now, I will tell you that Gandhoraj (actually translating to King of Fragrance) or the Bengali lime actually is a very fragrant kafir lime, hardly likely to be found in our neck of the woods. Having said that, I cobbled up this simple yet fanciful dish from memories of that beautiful fragrant lime, using fresh coconut (yes, very therapeutic going the entire nine yards), coconut milk and kafir lime leaves.

Now, the breaking and grating of the coconut did take some time, but was well worth the effort, it adds a natural sweetness and gentle texture to the dish. Basically, I then blended the coconut with some hot water and strained it through a fine mesh strainer.

I was thrilled with the results of this dish. Putting it together and baking it in a water immersed casserole, I ended up with a soft and very fragrant fish. Given its very gentle cooking treatment, I would recommend using very fresh fish. I In India chances are the preferred fish for a dish such as this would be the Bhetki or Barramundi, I used fresh chunks of wild caught halibut. This was a fish I was introduced to a while ago, make that now two decades ago, by my late uncle and tends to be a safe go to for Indian cooking, but then again I think cod or flounder or any firm fleshed fish would work.

PrintGandoraj Maach – Bengali Lemon Coconut Fish

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

A delicate and fragrant Bengali fish preparation with lemon, coconut and coriander.

Ingredients

1 cup freshly grated coconut (about 1/2 regular coconut)
1 cup hot water
11/2 inch piece fresh ginger peeled
1 or 2 green chilies
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 fresh lemons
2 kafir lime leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
2 to 3 dried red chilies
3 tablespoons plus 1 chopped coriander
2 pounds of halibut or any other firm fleshed fish
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Banana leaves (if available) for steaming

Instructions

Place the freshly grated coconut in a blender with the hot water and blend until smooth.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
Return the mixture to the blender. Add in the ginger and the green chili and turmeric and blend until smooth.
Pour the mixture in a mixing bowl.
Zest 2 lemons and add in the zest. Cut in half, remove the seeds and squeeze in the juice of one lemon. Set the second one aside. Thinly slice the third lemon for garnishing.
Stir in the kafir lime leaves with the coconut milk.
Stir in the nigella seeds and the dried red chilies with the coriander leaves.You should end up with a pale yellow sauce flecked with nigella and coriander. Add in the fish with the salt and mix well.
Heat the oven to 300 degrees and prepare a large baking dish with about 2 inches of water.
Line a heat proof casserole with banana leaves, and pour in the fish mixture.
Cover with a piece of foil and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
Cool slightly, remove and taste the sauce, it should be smooth and gently tangy. Depending on your preference you can add in a little more lime juice.
Garnish with the remaining cilantro and the lemon slices and serve hot ideally with steaming rice.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/gandoraj-maach-bengali-lemon-coconut-fish/

 

 

The post Gandoraj Maach – Bengali Lemon Coconut Fish appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Strawberry Srikhand Shortcake (Inspired by Intoxikate)

 

This recipe really was cobbled together last year, and then my recent visit and radio interview with Katie of Intoxikate helped me refine this and bring this to like back to my favorite space where all my favorite things live.

So, yes, Strawberry Shrikhand Shortcake is the marriage of the very Indian strained and sweetened yogurt, and classic summery creamy strawberry shortcake. Essentially, in this creation I reduce the somewhat boring and significantly richer whipped cream with a mixture of thick and rich yogurt, and then add in rose water marinated fresh strawberries. Against the backdrop of a rich warm slightly nutty spelt biscuit, you end up with a exotic version of summers favorite dessert.

I usually make these mini-shortcake biscuits, inspired by the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Kitchen Gypsy, that I talk about here. Actually, I sort of make these biscuits smaller and use spelt flour.  When we met Katie and I chatted a lot about yogurt, and that reminded me of this recipe and hence this recipe is  indeed inspired by Intoxikate and the yogurt stories that we shared and chatted about. After all, inspiration is that persuasion that makes us step out, run to the kitchen and want to create something that puts together what we thought about.

Sometimes to get really interesting results, we do have to think out side the box, and this recipe is just about that, what you end up with is a dreamy rich concoction that will bring to your life the scent of roses and cardamoms, memories of summer and an indulgence that is not as sinful as it appears. I did not have any rose petals but if you do by all means scatter some around, or maybe rescue those daffodils that are wondering why there is snow well into April, and drooping their pale golden heads. Pick one or two, and place them alongside to give this simple dessert a touch of the garden.

PrintStrawberry Srikhand Shortcake (Inspired by Intoxikate)

Prep Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

An lighter fragrant variation on strawberry shortcake using strained yogurt, rosewater and pistachios to liven things up.

Ingredients

For the Strawberries
1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon rose water
For the Shrikhand Cream Mixture
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup strained yogurt (this is strained by hanging the yogurt in cheesecloth for about 3 hours)
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
For the Shortcake Biscuits
1 and ½ cup spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons butter
¾ cup buttermilk, plus more if needed

Instructions

Mix the strawberries, sugar and rosewater and set them aside to marinate. This can be done the night before allowing the strawberries to release their juices.
Whip the cream with an electric mixture allowing it to form soft peaks, add in the yogurt, sugar and crushed cardamom, and continue beating until soft and frothy.
Pre-heat the oven to 450.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
Using your hands mix in the butter, it is key to try and use your hands for shaping the biscuits as this will prevent overmixing and keep the biscuits light. Gradually mix in the butter to have the mixture look like breadcrumbs.
Mix in the buttermilk to form rough dough that holds together, do not overmix.
Shape into 6 small (about 3 inch) rounds and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until risen, fragrant and golden.
Let the biscuits cool slightly. Split in half and to arrange, add 3 tablespoons of the yogurt mixture over the split biscuit, add in 1 tablespoon of the strawberry mixture, sprinkle with crushed pistachios and cover with the other half.
Complete all the biscuits and serve immediately.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/strawberry-srikhand-shortcake-inspired-intoxikate/

 

The post Strawberry Srikhand Shortcake (Inspired by Intoxikate) appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Curry Garden Focaccia with Fennel and Cauliflower

Aadi is the food critic in my life that I cannot displease; simple things catch his palette and attention – such as the strong, but intensely delightful taste of garlic rubbed on crust piece of bread. As he rightly pointed out, but you told me that was the right and perfect kind of garlic bread!

 

prepping for our #sunday #supper with my favorite #sous #chef. #sunday #family #myboy #spicesandseasons #spicechronicles #dinner

A photo posted by Rinku Bhattacharya (@spice_chronicles) on Apr 3, 2016 at 11:34am PDT

I like it topped with a drizzle of olive oil, he likes it with smashed avocados. However, we kind off both like the bread part of it!

So this weekend we made a Focaccia bread with garden herbs, fennel and bits of cauliflower. The first time I made this recipe, we called it the Herbs of Hilltop Focaccia, but honestly the herbs can be a combination of almost anything that catches your fancy, think thyme, cilantro, rosemary… And yes, it can therefore also be the herbs of Curry Garden focaccia.,

I think that you get the drift.

So, on to this simple and sort of good stuff bread. This focaccia, is one of those quick breads that feature in our world often. It features household staples – mixed herbs, loads of them, cauliflower, well my fridge would be empty without that, and some kind of multi grain or complex flour. In this case, the flour of choice is spelt flour. Now in my lay girl terms, spelt flour is somewhat healthier than whole wheat flour, I personally like it in this bread because of its slightly crisp tasting nutty flavor.

There you go, at the the end of the day like a lot of my recipes this one too emerged just because it needed too, there were all kinds of ingredients calling my name. And, this recipe is short of a crisp and crusty focaccia, well, mostly because I did not really have time to money with a naan kind of bread. Focaccia, is sort of like a Naan cousin, born in Italy and today kind of reinvented in my valley kitchen.

PrintCurry Garden Focaccia with Fennel and Cauliflower

Prep Time: 4 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes

A crisp gently spiced and fragrant rendition of focaccia bread.

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast
2 tablespoons mixed chopped herbs (thyme, cilantro and parsley)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 and 3/4 cup spelt flour

For the topping

1/4 cup grated cauliflower
1/2 tablespoon freshly snipped rosemary
1 teaspoon freshly ground fennel
1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor, add in the water, yeast, mixed herbs, salt, sugar and the olive oil and pulse lightly. Gradually add in the flour and lightly pulse a few times until a soft dough is formed.
Remove from the food processor, place in a bowl and let it rise for 3 to 4 hours. Give it a good knead and let it rest while prepping the rest of the stuff.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, lightly grease a flat baking sheet. Gradually stretch the dough over the sheet. Carefully "dimple" the dough by creating holes in uniform intervals across the stretch of the dough.
Sprinkle with the cauliflower, rosemary and fennel and drizzle with the olive oil, filling the dimples as appropriate. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the bread is golden and somewhat crisp. This recipe will yield a fragrant and fairly crisp bread.
Remove from the oven, cut into squares and enjoy with your favorite soup or other meal or topping.

Notes

Most of the prep time is to let the dough rise.

3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/curry-garden-focaccia-fennel-cauliflower/

The post Curry Garden Focaccia with Fennel and Cauliflower appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Poached Salmon with Citrus, Capers and Ginger

This Friday’s vibe was the polar opposite of last week, where life and time afforded me all the opportunity in the world to even make these Alu Parathas, however then again if I was always so relaxed it would not feel like my life. This was more like a foil wrapped poached sal

This Friday, felt just like another day in my life except that I knew childhood friend  from across was stopping by for a short visit. I needed to work on dinner that was simple, quick, flavorful and interesting. The result among other things was this simple and flavorful dish. I have cooked foil wrapped salmon before, even have a Bengali recipe in the Bengali Five Spice Chronicles. To keep this simple, memorable and flavorful, I began with a baseline recipe from Giada, and tweaked it to make it my own. This resulted in the simplest and gentlest of recipes that was perfect for the evening. The fresh flavors and the buttery texture of the fish came alive in this simple citrus and wine sauce, with the magic hint of flavor being ginger.

The results of this dish was perfect, I baked this in the oven but it would be the perfect make ahead dish for summer. Our meal that evening was a simple supper, just the six of us (kids, Anshul, Suchis and Sonju and myself), and this extremely simple fish created a beautiful and satisfying meal. We chatted about life, travels and the kids were excited to talk about the spring break and India travels.

The citrus used here were Cara Cara Oranges and Meyer Lemons and while you can use any citrus of your choice, the milder version actually cooked up nice and soft, resulting in a a soft edible accompaniment to the moist and perfectly poached fish, which by the way I had assembled the night before.

PrintPoached Salmon with Citrus, Capers and Ginger

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A very simple, flavorful and light tasting dish, that needs little or no clean up.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
2 to 3 pods of garlic minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup pinot grigio or any other white wine
1/4 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh capers
6 meyer lemons
4 cara cara oranges or tangerines
2 pounds of salmon fillets, cut into 6 oz pieces (Essentially I got eight pieces from this fish)
Foil for wrapping

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, add in the olive oil, garlic, ginger and white wine and mix well.
Add in the red cayenne pepper, salt and chopped rosemary, black pepper and the capers and mix well.
Zest 2 of the meyer lemons, cut and remove the seeds and squeeze in the juice.
Slice the remaining lemons and set aside.
Cut and squeeze in the juice of one of the oranges and slice the rest.
To assemble, cut a piece of foil (large enough to comfortably hold the fish, the liquid and wrap it), and place a piece of fish in the center, fold the edges a little to all the sauce not to run out.
Place about 4 tablespoons of citrus seasoned mixture over the fish. Place at least 2 to 3 of the citrus slices (mixing the lemon with the oranges).
Carefully close the foil packets. I usually make this a day ahead to let the fish absorb the flavors.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the fish for 15 minutes.
Serve the fish in individual packets. This dish also needs practically no cleaning.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/poached-salmon-citrus-capers-ginger/

 

The post Poached Salmon with Citrus, Capers and Ginger appeared first on Spice Chronicles.

Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria – The Yonkers Version

Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria is a story of tradition, good food and a family owned business.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria was founded in 1925 by Frank Pepe (b. April 15, 1893 d. September 6, 1969). A classic immigrant story, with his wife as inspiration, he decided to settle on a business, where his customers would come to him, rather than have to figure out how much and whom to deliver to.

documenting, because of his illiteracy, to whom he delivered and to the quantity, he soon abandoned his efforts of delivery. Instead, he made the fortuitous decision to start a business where his customers would come to him. Frank was illiterate, however In 1925, with his wife Filomena, who was a pivotal influence on his success (she was literate and learned to speak and write English), they started making a simple and humble product from their homeland, pizza — or as they would say in their Neapolitan dialect, “apizza” (ah-beets). They baked their pizzas offering two types, tomatoes with grated cheese, garlic, oregano and olive oil and the other with anchovy.

 

The Original Tomato Pie is still offered today and anchovy is still available as a topping. Mozzarella and additional ingredients were to follow. We ordered this both ways, and I was amazed at the rich taste of the tomatoes over a thin crisp crust.

Today, the business is owned by Frank’s seven grandchildren and Gary Bimonte their Director of Quality assurance ensures that the quality is consistent and evenly sourced across their 8 stores.

A simple menu, with select extensively tested and researched items, includes two salads. A house variety with a balsamic dressing and their Caesar Salad, which is surprisingly light tasting. This can be enjoyed topped with their house roasted chicken.

The rest of their menu included a selection of specialty pies, starting with the tomato. The next one up is a Clam Pizza, that is a garlicky white pizza loaded with clams done just right. The crust remains crisp, and the clams not overdone.

The spinach, mushroom and Gorgonzola pie was a very pleasant surprise, the amount of gorgonzola was just right, and did not taste too strong. Possibly one of my favorites for the evening.

The shrimp pizza was essentially similar to the clam, except with shrimp. This was my way to checking out the optional add ons. Simple drink options featured a few good house wines, Chianti, Merlot and a Pinot Grigio and a nice assortment of beers on tap and local bottled beers.

Other fun facts to discover was that they use a coal oven, as coal reaches a much hotter temperature than wood. These ovens ordered from the home country need to be seasoned at least 2 months before getting them to use, a lesson learned the hard way.

Ready to check out this family friend joint, now, we can just hop over to Central Park Ave in Yonkers. My only problem is that now my son has found out.

The post Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria – The Yonkers Version appeared first on Spice Chronicles.