Rinku Bhattacharya's Blog, page 65

Alu Parathas – Crisp Potato Stuffed Wholewheat Flatbreads

Morning had broken and I was up early, pulled out of bed by the inertia of the working week. As I stretched, I welcomed the long weekend with delight and anticipation. The peaceful stretch of the morning, when I am in the kitchen and the rest of the family is sleeping, is one of my favorite times of the day, it is an occasional treat usually reserved for those holiday mornings I am out and about before the others. I suddenly contemplated making Alu Parathas – a traditional potato stuffed flatbread that is comfort breakfast particularly in Northern India. These simple flat breads were an engaging project, but they never failed to bring a smile to my husband’s face, invoking the comfort of Macaroni and Cheese and decadence of Eggs Benedict all at once.

This morning, I decided that it was my turn to welcome these flat breads home. For all their purported simplicity these flatbreads involved their share of precision and effort and not something that worked well on a typical weekend morning filled with its share of errands, music lessons, games and other commitments almost as daunting as the weekday calendar. However, that is the magic of an extra day added to the weekend, invitingly called me to bring home the breakfasts of childhood, almost telling me, “Go ahead… You can do it!”  Indeed on this beautiful early spring morning, with the grass beginning to turn green and the daffodils nodding their bright yellow heads, while the sun played hide and seek with the silver lined clouds, it was difficult for me to resist their inspiring call. I knew I needed to celebrate the morning, merge it with the soulful mornings of my childhood, and bring home the simple beauty of a weekend breakfast.

It was peaceful in my kitchen, my daughter quietly working on a school project, just outside, popping in on occasion to check in on my progress. The potatoes boiled in the saucepan, as I kneaded the whole wheat dough my hands moving in an ageless rhythm. A rhythm that I had learned from my mother-in-law’s kitchen and maybe hope someday my daughter would learn from mine. The boiled potatoes were mashed and sprinkled with fresh spices. I carefully placed them into dough pockets, shaping them into circles, rolling them out without letting the filling spill out and then proceeded to cook them on my well work cast iron griddle.

The bread embraced the hot griddle, blistering and puffing ever so lightly and I gently slid some oil around the edges of the flatbread allowing it to crisp up, filling our home with the fragrance of memories and comfort. Crisp golden brown flat breads filled with soft spicy potatoes, began stacking up glistening and golden.  As if on cue, both father and son had woken up and joined me in the kitchen surveying my progress with delighted pleasure. I relinquished my solitude for the happy companionship of my family as the kitchen filled with chattering voices and the sound of plates and glasses.

As I placed the flat breads on the plate, I added a pat of extra butter on my flatbread as done traditionally, leaving my husbands without the same as he is healthier in his preferences. To my surprise, he pulled my buttered flatbread on to his plate in mock protest with the stealth of a child, leaving the children and me watching in amusement as he happily ate the hot crisp well-seasoned bread doused with melting butter with the delight of a child. As I watched him, I realized that in tradition we find nostalgia, and in nostalgia the spontaneity of childhood. As we sat down breaking bread together in happy silence, I enjoyed my breakfast basking in the satisfaction of a morning well spent.

PrintAlu Parathas – Crisp Potato Stuffed Wholewheat Flatbreads

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

A classic recipe for Alu Paratha or North Indian Potato Stuffed Flat breads.

Ingredients

For the dough

2 cups whole wheat flour (atta), plus extra flour for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil plus oil for pan frying

For the filling

4 potatoes (Yukon Gold or russet; about 1½ pounds), boiled in their jackets and peeled
1 small red onion, very finely chopped
¾ teaspoon red cayenne pepper powder
¾ teaspoon powdered cumin
¾ teaspoon powdered coriander
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder) or
2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Method of Preparation
Sift the flour into the bowl of a food processor. Add the salt and 1 tablespoon of the oil and pulse a few times. Gradually add ½ cup of water a little at a time, pulsing to let the dough form a crumbly mass. Run the food processor for about 30 seconds and the dough should roll into a ball.
Place the dough on a flat surface and knead well for about 2 minutes, it should form a smooth pliable dough. Shape into a ball and coat with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes in a warm place.
Place the cooked potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add the red onion, cayenne pepper powder, cumin-coriander powder, ground fennel seeds, amchur or lime or lemon juice, and salt. Mash the mixture until smooth and well mixed.
Give the prepared roti dough a good kneading to remove all the bubbles and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Gently knead the dough and break into 12 lime-size balls. Roll each ball out on a generously floured surface into a 6-inch diameter circle. Place some potato filling in the middle of a circle and bring the sides of the dough up around the filling and form into a ball. Place the ball seam side down on a greased platter.
Continue with the remainder of the dough circles. Let the dough balls rest in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Gently roll the filled dough balls out on a floured surface to 6-inch circles being careful not to squeeze out the filling.
Heat a griddle or flat pan. It is important to have a well-heated skillet for the purpose of making Indian breads. Place a paratha on the hot pan, cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until delicate brown spots appear on the surface, then turn and cook for another minute. Spread some oil on the top of the paratha and flip over and fry until crisp. Spread some more oil on top of the
Paratha and flip over and crisp on the other side. Repeat with the remaining dough circles. For an indulgent touch of decadence serve with extra butter and yogurt.

Notes

Recipe from Spices and Seasons, Simple, Sustainable Indian Flavors

3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/alu-parathas-crisp-potato-stuffed-wholewheat-flatbreads/

 

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Roast Boneless Leg of Lamb in a Red Wine Sauce

There have been so many fun Sunday dinners, ironically maybe just to compliment the crazy weeks I have had since the beginning of the year.

This slow roasted lamb in a somewhat spicy red wine and mushroom sauce is really perfect for easter but, since I am posting it well into the cusp/eve of the holiday maybe I can persuade you to bookmark it for another festive occasion. Maybe your next Sunday dinner…? This recipe features a slow cooked tender lamb, which is how we Indians like our meat.

It so happens I used a burgundy, when making this making it a bonafide, Indian inspired Lamb bourguignon, well sort of. Except, I have tried this with a light tasting pinot noir and it works pretty well, so I do not want to curb your wine spontaneity, that is not what I am about. For all the readers of this blog and others, wishing you a Happy Spring and certainly Easter if you celebrate. I will be making deviled eggs bright and early tomorrow, because my kids think that is what I should be doing.

In fact, speaking of spontaneity, you can see the mad dash to the table reflected in the pictures. I am joking here, but as with a lot of my cooking I really end up with these surprise hits, that beg to me documented for posterity. So, with this I made a sauce of sorts, then poured it over the lamb and cooked it forever in the oven until it was fork tender. Towards the end, I removed the cover, sliced some pineapple and grilled the pineapple with the lamb. Elegant and simple, and I made shredded lamb sandwiches later during the week. Does not get easier or better than that.

My hunch is that you can make this with any good cut of meat, pork certainly comes to mind. But, since the lamb version worked so well, I am sticking to it, for the moment.

PrintRoast Boneless Leg of Lamb in a Red Wine Sauce with Grilled Pineapple

Prep Time: 24 hours

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 27 hours

A different take on your roast leg of lamb, this one features a spicy flavorful red wine sauce and grilled pineapple.

Ingredients

For the lamb

3 to 4 pound boneless leg of lamb
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon red cayenne pepper

For the red wine sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sized red onion, very finely diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 to 8 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced
11/2 cups of red wine
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
salt to taste

For the pineapple

1 small pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely chopped mint

Instructions

Rub the lamb with the kosher salt, minced garlic and red cayenne pepper and tie securely, with the fat side facing upwards. This can be done the day before to let the mean soak up the spices.
Heat the olive oil and add in the red onion and the garlic and saute well. Stir in the mushrooms and the red wine and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the thyme and rosemary.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the lamb in the center of a large roasting pan and pour over the red wine sauce. Cover and let the lamb cook undisturbed for at least 2 hours.
Remove the cover. Baste the lamb with the sauce. Increase the heat to 400 degrees and let the lamb cook for another 45 minutes.
In the meantime, toss the pineapple slices with the salt and oil and place in the oven in a separate pan, for about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, place the lamb in the center of a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over the lamb.
Arrange the pineapple slices around the lamb, sprinkle with mint and serve.

Notes

Most of the prep time includes marinating the lamb.

3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/roast-boneless-leg-lamb-red-wine-sauce/

 

 

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Panchphoron – The Bengali Five Spice Blend…

This post is a short and spontaneous post, but a deep and sensitive one featuring panchphoron my favorite spice blend – yes, panchphoron – the Bengali Five Spice Blend, the one that my award winning debut cookbook, The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles was named after…

What’s with  panchphonron?… enough, for 19 plus years of my life I would have been able answer that question..

At the cusp of graduating Business school, yes, among a myriad other degrees I do indeed have an MBA, my mother visited me. At that, not quite 20 something, grateful that mom was cooking I led her to a stovetop that was my dorm kitchen.

Ma, because she was a Bengali mother, had brought a spice or two. I had made a whole and simple meal of chicken, and dal that was not yet tempered… or as mom would tell me,kono phoron dayo ni…

Phoron aka tempering is at the heart of Bengali cooking…It is added as an essential seasoning spice. Before, I could register many things, talk to mom, suddenly the air was filled with the scents of childhood, the magic of comfort and something that I had missed for many weeks. Yes, mom had indeed brought with her Panchphoron or the Bengali Five Spice Blend and was using it to temper that dal that so needed her love, and touch.

As the scent of nigella and cumin danced into a beautiful tango with the fennel and fenugreek, while the mustard crackled in an authoritative tone,  my eyes moistened and the scents of childhood came home.

It is in the harmony of those spice and then so much, I wrote the Bengali 5 Spice Chronicles and I hope you will get yourself a copy..

PrintPanchphoron – The Bengali Five Spice Blend…

Prep Time: 5 minutes

A basic recipe for panchphoron or the Bengali 5 spice blend.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
2 tablespoons whole fennel seeds
2 tablespoons whole mustard seeds
2 tablespoons whole nigella seeds
2 tablespoons whole fenugreek sees

Instructions

Mix the seeds carefully until well mixed.
Store the spices as needed in a cool dry space, and use as needed where panchphoron is needed.3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/panchphoron-bengali-five-spice-blend/

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Florida Keys – Visiting Islamorada

While writing this sponsored post, in partnership with Honest Cooking, I feel in love with the island of Islamorada in the Florida keys.

Born and raised in New York, Chef Michael Ledwith began his culinary training in some of the best restaurants of the Big Apple. His next career adventure took him to the

Caribbean where he learned to respect and beautifully cook seafood. Upon returning to the States, he created a name for himself in Central Florida, but longed for island life full of fresh fish.

Today, Chef Michael runs a restaurant, aptly named Chef Michael’s, in Islamorada.  Situated between the saltwater wilderness of Everglades National Park and the deep blue waters of the Florida Strait is Islamorada, made up of six islands: Plantation Key, Windley Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Lower Matecumbe Key and the offshore islands

of Indian Key and Lignumvitae Key.

As a chef who knows his way around the restaurants and activities of the islands, Chef Michael gave us the lowdown on what to see, eat, and do in Islamorada. Where saltwater fly fishing and sport fishing was pioneered and hailed as the fishing capital of the world, it is no wonder why Michael Ledwith chose to settle in this district of the



Florida Keys. Whether a hardcore fisherman or on a relaxing vacation, Islamorada has water fun, including diving, for each kind of tourist.

“It’s all about the water here!”, exclaims Michael as he talks about his perfect day in Islamorada. On one side, visitors can experience the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Bay and The Everglades. And to the left take in the Atlantic and the beautiful reef. Spend a day paddle boarding or learning how to spearfish, then find a comfy seat at one of many

waterfront spots and enjoy a sunset. According to Michael, the best sunset spots have live music nightly and great drinks while you take it all in. Islamorada will remind you of an approachable small town, but with so much to do and see. “It’s so small that we don’t even have a stop light.”

Islamorada’s cuisine is known by its fresh ­from­ the­ dock seafood mixed with ethnic flavors, fun tiki bars, dockside fish houses, and gourmet beachfront cafes. At Chef Michael’s, they are excited to always feature a fresh catch that changes daily.

While it may be the fishing capital, Michael admits that serving locally caught seafood can be difficult on a large scale. But for tourists looking for the best local catches and chefs with a passion for fine seafood, relationships are key. “Our supply cannot come close to the demand, so creating relationships with local fish houses, captains and

others helps us to provide local, fresh seafood,” says Chef Michael. On a visit to Islamorada, head to restaurants where the locals go and where the chefs have relationships with the charter boat captains.

If it’s your first time to the islands, Chef Michael recommends heading out on a local charter boat for the day and catching your own dinner. It doesn’t get more fresh than that! Many restaurants offer “Hook and Cook” and will gladly prepare the fish brought in to your liking. Besides casually elegant dining at Chef Michael’s, our fish ­loving guide recommends a meal at OO­Tray for a more modern twist on Islamorada cuisine. Wahoo fish wontons,

lobster tempura, and mussels in a coconut curry sauce are just some of the sea caught items that dot the menu. Besides the daily catch, visitors can also have a bite of the “Land” featuring bone marrow, Filipino pork belly, or Cornish game hen with pineapple chimichurri.

When in Islamorada, be sure to try something that is hard to find anywhere else. For Chef Michael, that is the locally spear caught hogfish. Over the years, Chef and his team have prepared the fish hundreds of different ways, but when it comes down to it, cooking it simply is always his favorite. An easy preparation, like this Adriatic hogfish recipe, lets the fish’s fresh, clean flavors shine.

PrintHogfish Adriatic

Paul Menta's Grouper Fritters from Florida Keys

Ingredients

Fish

? 4­six ounce portions of fresh hogfish
? salt and pepper, to taste

Adriatic Sauce

? 1?2 cup fresh cilantro
? 1?2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
? 1?4 cup fresh basil leaf
? 2 cloves garlic
? 1?2 cup good olive oil
? 2 tablespoons “Fire Cider”
? 1 lemon, juiced
? salt and pepper

Instructions

Grill the Fish (The fish can be grilled or pan seared.)
Have your grill hot and clean and Lightly season fish.
In a food processor, add all of the ingredients for the sauce and puree until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
If the sauce is too thick, slowly add more olive oil.
Serve the sauce at room temperature. The sauce stays well in the refrigerator for up to a week.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/florida-keys-visiting-islamorada/

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Florida Keys – Visiting Ilsamorada

While writing this sponsored post, in partnership with Honest Cooking, I feel in love with the island of Ilsamorada in the Florida keys.

Born and raised in New York, Chef Michael Ledwith began his culinary training in some

of the best restaurants of the Big Apple. His next career adventure took him to the

Caribbean where he learned to respect and beautifully cook seafood. Upon returning to

the States, he created a name for himself in Central Florida, but longed for island life full of fresh fish.

Today, Chef Michael runs a restaurant, aptly named Chef Michael’s, in Islamorada.  Situated between the saltwater wilderness of Everglades National Park and the deep blue waters of the Florida Strait is Islamorada, made up of six islands: Plantation Key, Windley Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Lower Matecumbe Key and the offshore islands

of Indian Key and Lignumvitae Key.

As a chef who knows his way around the restaurants and activities of the islands, Chef Michael gave us the lowdown on what to see, eat, and do in Islamorada. Where saltwater fly fishing and sport fishing was pioneered and hailed as the fishing capital of the world, it is no wonder why Michael Ledwith chose to settle in this district of the



Florida Keys. Whether a hardcore fisherman or on a relaxing vacation, Islamorada has water fun, including diving, for each kind of tourist.

“It’s all about the water here!”, exclaims Michael as he talks about his perfect day in Islamorada. On one side, visitors can experience the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Bay and The Everglades. And to the left take in the Atlantic and the beautiful reef. Spend a day paddle boarding or learning how to spearfish, then find a comfy seat at one of many

waterfront spots and enjoy a sunset. According to Michael, the best sunset spots have live music nightly and great drinks while you take it all in. Islamorada will remind you of an approachable small town, but with so much to do and see. “It’s so small that we don’t even have a stop light.”

Islamorada’s cuisine is known by its fresh ­from­ the­ dock seafood mixed with ethnic flavors, fun tiki bars, dockside fish houses, and gourmet beachfront cafes. At Chef Michael’s, they are excited to always feature a fresh catch that changes daily.

While it may be the fishing capital, Michael admits that serving locally caught seafood can be difficult on a large scale. But for tourists looking for the best local catches and chefs with a passion for fine seafood, relationships are key. “Our supply cannot come close to the demand, so creating relationships with local fish houses, captains and

others helps us to provide local, fresh seafood,” says Chef Michael. On a visit to Islamorada, head to restaurants where the locals go and where the chefs have relationships with the charter boat captains.

If it’s your first time to the islands, Chef Michael recommends heading out on a local charter boat for the day and catching your own dinner. It doesn’t get more fresh than that! Many restaurants offer “Hook and Cook” and will gladly prepare the fish brought in to your liking. Besides casually elegant dining at Chef Michael’s, our fish ­loving guide recommends a meal at OO­Tray for a more modern twist on Islamorada cuisine. Wahoo fish wontons,

lobster tempura, and mussels in a coconut curry sauce are just some of the sea caught items that dot the menu. Besides the daily catch, visitors can also have a bite of the “Land” featuring bone marrow, Filipino pork belly, or Cornish game hen with pineapple chimichurri.

When in Islamorada, be sure to try something that is hard to find anywhere else. For Chef Michael, that is the locally spear caught hogfish. Over the years, Chef and his team have prepared the fish hundreds of different ways, but when it comes down to it, cooking it simply is always his favorite. An easy preparation, like this Adriatic hogfish recipe, lets the fish’s fresh, clean flavors shine.

PrintHogfish Adriatic

Paul Menta's Grouper Fritters from Florida Keys

Ingredients

Fish

? 4­six ounce portions of fresh hogfish
? salt and pepper, to taste

Adriatic Sauce

? 1?2 cup fresh cilantro
? 1?2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
? 1?4 cup fresh basil leaf
? 2 cloves garlic
? 1?2 cup good olive oil
? 2 tablespoons “Fire Cider”
? 1 lemon, juiced
? salt and pepper

Instructions

Grill the Fish (The fish can be grilled or pan seared.)
Have your grill hot and clean and Lightly season fish.
In a food processor, add all of the ingredients for the sauce and puree until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
If the sauce is too thick, slowly add more olive oil.
Serve the sauce at room temperature. The sauce stays well in the refrigerator for up to a week.
3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/florida-keys-visiting-ilsamorada/

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Masala Blackbean Nachos (Leftover Makeover)

These Masala Blackbean Nachos, are a recipe created to use up my leftover curried black beans, this does not take away from the fact that this was the dish that made a season!

When you are the mother of two pretty confirmed geeky desi kids, your season is not so much a game season, sure they play soccer but robotics and the robot season is the real deal.

And the snack that leads you to that season finale and then some deserves its place in the sun, this year’s snack are these amazing masala black bean nachos. Now, fusion Mexican inspired flavors fare very well in the Indian kitchen, cumin, cilantro and lime after all party well with all their other friends in the spice cabinet.

My son’s team continues to the national levels, and we shall see what that brings for us. For now and today, I am bracing for a rather crazy busy week. I am nervous about the possibilities that this Thursday brings, and eager to begin putting together a proposal that really should get sent out soon.

Crazy as things sound, this week, I had promised myself to start sane, and actually have two days out of the office. One of which, I am even planning to get back to recording with my friend Amy. She and I have been out of action, it is time to shake off the dust from that somewhat neglected video channel and get back to recording.and get the videos cracking. Now, back to the nachos, at core nachos are about cheese and chips, and most of the loaded versions are meat based. It was time to change all that, and the black bean nachos are hear to tell you, never under estimate the power of meatless loaded nachos. Of course, legumes make everything better, but you knew I was going to say that right?

PrintMasala Blackbean Nachos (Leftover Makeover)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A beautiful colorful spiced version of black bean nachos, inspired by curried leftover black beans. This is dish is indulgent with enough veggies to pass off as dinner.

Ingredients

12 ounces (1 large package) tortilla chips colorful ones help!
1 cup of cooked spiced black beans (curried leftovers work very well)
1/2 cup chopped red onions
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 cup chopped tomatoes (colored grape tomatoes are a lot of fun)
11/2 cups of grated cheese (I use a mixture of cheddar and jack cheese)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Minced jalapenos (optional)
Sour cream for serving

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare a large baking sheet, spread the chips, evenly in a single layer. Scatter with the black beans.
Sprinkle with the black beans, chopped red onions, green onions and the tomatoes.
The key is to have enough of the toppings to cover the chips but not over load them.
Sprinkle with the cheese.
Place in the oven and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes until the cheese has melted and is bubbly.
Sprinkle with the cilantro and the jalapeno and drizzle with sour cream before serving.3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/masala-blackbean-nachos-leftover-makeover/

 

 

 

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Roasted Potatoes with Turmeric and Thyme

I have often said that I am blessed in the fact that I find comfort and creativity in cooking for my family.Sometime there is fun in tossing together something very basic like this Turmeric and Thyme Roasted Potatoes. I something add in sweet potatoes to the mix as well.

Like it or not, cooking for a family is an everyday necessity and so I am blessed that I can approach it with joy and creativity.

Now,when it comes to working with food for the kids, the stakes are much higher. LOL! I think I will take a NYT food critic over my two in-house food critics. Their food preferences and issues, encompass allergies,  spice preferences and everything else in between.

I might have mentioned earlier that they are chili pepper adverse. However, they are very good with most flavors. They are happy to try new things. Not all my recipes find success with them but I feel that every year we do better. We also find ways to come closer in our preferences. Ironically enough, I am probably the only one in my family who gets excited about potatoes. Today’s Sunday dinner offered me the opportunity to offer these well rooted beauties to the family in all their glory. This recipe is good either with a medley of sweet and regular potatoes, or baby potatoes, which is that is in the video. I had come up with the concept of family dinner Sundays late last year and I am happy that we have all been enjoying each others company and the meal. In fact, so much so, I passed the opportunity to get out and eat this weekend because it was a Sunday.

My initial misgivings about the fact that we can only do these relaxed dinners on a Sunday has now been abated by the fact that these have become quite the production.

With the kids it is often about the hoopla. The kids and I have been able to make family dinner Sundays a lot of fun. We plan the menu and on certain weeks we go ahead and pick different countries to cook and talk about. I take time to research their requests and often like the case of these potatoes, I have to adapt them.

They are my version of a deep fried North Indian style potato dish, originally made with carom seeds that I have nicely subbed with thyme and instead of adding the chili peppers while cooking, I finish them off with red pepper flakes later in the game. The post script on this recipe is that all the potatoes were finished and the kids agreed that they tasted almost like french fries. Not sure whether to take that as a compliment.

 

PrintRoasted Red Potatoes with Turmeric and Thyme

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

A simple and flavorful recipe for roasted baby potatoes. Addictive,vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredients

10 to 12 small baby potatoes
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into eights (optional)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Salt to taste
2 pods garlic, minced
1 and 1/2 teaspoons freshly snipped thyme
3 tablespoons extra-virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon powdered cumin (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
Red Pepper Flakes to finish (optional)

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.Peel the baby potatoes (and the sweet potatoes, if using).
Place in a bake proof casserole, add in the turmeric, salt, minced garlic and the thyme.
Add in the olive oil and toss.
Add in the cumin if using and add in the salt and toss well.
Place in the oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. You can remove halfway and mix well.
Eventually, you want a dish that is well seasoned, crisp and golden.
Stir in the dried fenugreek leaves.
Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and serve.3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/roasted-red-potatoes-with-turmeric/

 

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Black Bean Hummus

This morning I woke up to a really bright and sunny day, my mood almost mirroring the streaming sunshine. In fact, I pulled myself out of bed to get a glimpse of that beautiful bright almost spring sunshine. Yes, spring is here, easter is almost here.

I knew the kids would have their cousins over this evening, I wanted to put together an easy healthy snack and few things beat a good hummus, except that I had black beans soaked instead of chickpeas, and I thought of black bean hummus. Now, I have to tell you the word hummus really means chickpeas, so I had a few reservations about this variation, that I had first tried on a visit to Colorado (go figure!). I will tell you that once you have made your own hummus there is no going back, at least for me, but here is a lineup of all the store brands out there.

With this black bean hummus, I notched up the spice index a decent amount, sure I had my usual tahini, garlic and olive oil, but to this I added toasted freshly ground cumin, minced jalapenos, cilantro and fresh lime instead of lemon. The result was actually a light and airy recipe that was perfect for snacking.  In face, tomorrow the leftover gets transformed into breakfast quesadillas. I am ending up with so many interesting recipes that I do not want to lose, I wish I had a little more time for the blog.

Of course, having said that, I never want get to a point where posting and blogging on this spot is dictating by anything other than the pure inspiration of the moment, good or bad it is the spontaneity that makes this space my own. Of course, I am always awed when some mentioned about getting a blog post out in 30 minutes. Gosh, even a quick fix recipe like this one takes me much longer to to cobble together.

PrintBlack Bean Hummus

Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

A smokey spicy take on hummus with black beans and cumin.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked black beans
3 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno
2 cloves garlic
2 to 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice

To garnish

Sesame Seeds
Sumac
Chopped Cilantro

Instructions

Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor, add in tahini, olive oil, salt and freshly ground cumin.
Add in the jalapeno garlic and lime juice.
Process until smooth. This hummus comes together very easily because of the softer texture of the black beans.
I do not like to add extra olive oil and this leaves the hummus nice and light.
To serve, place in a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds, sumac and cilantro to taste. Let the flavors rest for at least an hour before serving.

Notes

The actual recipe comes together in minutes, the hour is needed to let the flavors rest.

3.1http://www.spicechronicles.com/black-bean-hummus/

 

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Pleasantville Cookbook Club – March Roundup

This year, I began something that I have wanted to do for a while. Begin a book group, except it is a cookbook group, which we will be doing at Pleasantville Library.

The objective is pretty simple, get a group of local residents talking, cooking and discussing cookbooks. With the help of super organized librarian Debbie Jordan, we have started the the group. Here is the report from the first meeting, where we talked about the Hudson Valley Chef’s Table.

The hope and objective is to alternate between themes and selected cookbooks, with some emphasis on the local component.  We all bring a dish, and share our experiences with the book we pick.

Now, believe it or not, we ended up with three of us, cooking the gorgeous quinoa salad from Taiim’s Falafel Shack. Now, if you are regular farmer’s market goer like me, you could not have missed their amazing offerings.

Well, this showcased a couple of things, we need to get people to list the dished that they are bringing and irrespective of best intentions the same dish is interpreted differently by different cooks. So, this chickpea happy version was mine.

Here is version two from Patty, she had slow cooked her chickpeas (yes, following my directions from the Spices and Seasons Cookbook), giving the dish a deeper hue. She had also left out the sumac in her seasoning.

Version 3 is the fancy version, the closet to the real Mccoy, served over crisp romaine leaves, Betty even brought along Pita bread and Tahini Sauce.

Fortunately, no one forgot dessert, this amazing and incredibly moist apple cake was the Hudson Valley Apple Cake from Lulu’s in Scarsdale.

About The Hudson Valley Chef’s Table:

We thought that it was a stunning, very beautifully illustrated cookbook. Everyone loved the restaurant details saying that it gave us all ideas about where to pick up our next Hudson Valley meal. Having said that, some participants did acknowledge that some of the recipes were a little complex and not well suited for everyday cooking.

If you liked this, I hope I can persuade you to join us in April, when we will back to our themed discussion this time it will be Spring Soups and Stews.

Now I would not leave you without a recipe, so here is this gorgeous salad that caught everyone attention.

PrintTaiim's Quinoa Salad

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

A lovely easy to make salad, full of loads of easy flavor.

Ingredients

For the Dressing

2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons sumac
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad

1 cup quinoa
red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
1/2 cup dried chickpeas
1 small tomato, diced
2 - 3 scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 large romaine lettuce leaves

Instructions

To make the dressing, whisk the salt, pepper, sumac, lemon juice and olive oil together and reserve.
Cook the quinoa according to package directions. If you’d like to use the red pepper flakes, add them to the boiling water in which you cook the quinoa.
While the quinoa cooks, place the dried chickpeas in a small saucepan.
Cover the chickpeas with water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to simmer and cook chickpeas for 30 minutes, or until tender.
When the chickpeas and quinoa are fully cooked, drain and place in a large bowl.
Add the tomato, scallions, peppers and the dressing and gently toss the salad together.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve on the romaine leaves.

Notes

I soaked the chickpeas and pressure cooked them separately, otherwise followed the recipe to the T.

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Creamy Indian Black Beans – Another Dal Makhani

This week, some of the intensity of the prior weeks seem to have tapered down, just a little. Just enough to have fitted in a few good meals, such as this one made with the black beans calling my name. In fact, some really genius creations.

Could this be the lull before the storm, highly possible… But, for today, I will savor and enjoy the moment, through a pot of addictive Creamy Indian Black Beans. A Dal Makhani of sorts, made from regular black beans. The idea of using black beans was inspired by something that I read in Madhur Jaffrey’s book, I had picked it up, or was skimming it in the library. I know, after all these years, she is still the one. Inspiring and making things happen, just what a classic is about.

The texture of this dish, was tighter and thicker almost by design, resulting in a comforting dish that was perfect for these rainy almost spring evenings. Made some headway with a new proposal that I am working on, but, I have had a bit of a difficult time really nailing it down. Maybe, tomorrow as I have a morning at the doctor’s office, waiting for the husband to get done with his eye surgery. Nothing major, but still a little disconcerting and I think that I can use something that keeps me focused.

Speaking of staying focused, much and I love the idea of sharing loads and loads of wonderful recipes with you, I have a very distracted process, about writing posts on this blog. Maybe because, it is that one activity that I do on my own terms, without fuss, fanfare and pressure. I start, and let my mind wander, I peruse all kinds of things and then I meander and find my way back to writing.

After our dinner, I had some leftover, stay tuned to see what I did with them.  For today, I shall leave you with these beans, cook up a indulgent potful to add warmth and brightness to these cool pre-spring days.

PrintCreamy Indian Black Beans – Another Dal Makhani

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 4 hours

This recipe for black beans is inspired by the classic Indian black lentil recipe, found in restaurants called Dal Makhani. Other than using everyday black beans, I have lightened the recipe significantly and developed it for a slow cooker, where it happily cooks into slow cooked perfection. Note: If you do not have a slow cooker, you can do this on the stove top in a heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid.

Ingredients

11/2 cups of dried black beans
2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 onions, finely diced
1 tablespoon freshly ground cumin
11/2 teaspoons freshly ground coriander
11/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1 teaspoon red cayenne powder or to taste
4 tomatoes, diced or 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Diced or sliced red onions for serving

Instructions

Place the black beans in plenty of water and soak for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.
If your slow cooker has a saute function, turn it on and add the olive oil or you can do this in a skillet over the stove.
Add in the onions and cook for about five minutes, add in the ginger and the garlic and saute until the onions are soft and golden.
Add in the cumin, coriander, salt, red cayenne pepper and cook for a minute.
Add in the tomatoes and cook for two more minutes. If using a skillet move the mixture to the slow cooker. Once the tomatoes are soft and pulpy, add this mixture to the slow cooker, add in the black beans with 3 cups of water and cook on low for 4 hours.
Remove the cover, stir in the fenugreek leaves, sour cream and cilantro and serve.

Notes

Note: You do want a fairly thick gravy for this dish, if you end up with a thin sauce, please remove to the stove top and thicken for about ½ an hour before adding in the sour cream.

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