Kheere ka Raita

Cucumber yogurt salad

DISH 49
INDIAN DISH #5

Simple, easy, better if made 24 hrs in advance and with greek or homemade yogurt.

Jheenga Pakode with Tamatar Cutney

indian shrimp cocktail, basically


shrimp maranading overnigh

DISH 47 and 48
INDIAN DISH #3 and 4

Recipes from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni

The thing about Indian food is that most of it takes a very long time to make. Most of the recipes I've come across call for long periods of marinading, letting thing rest for 20 minutes to a few hours, a few different methods of cooking. . . .

I was planning on making this for friends who were coming over on Thursday, but it wasn't done until Friday.

Indian Cooking is just like that.

Phulka aka puffy wheat bread

indian wheat puffed bread

DISH 46
New thing: cooking bread over an open flame

INDIAN DISH #2
FROM: Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni

This was one of the most interesting to make so far. You only need flour and water, then knead it into dough. Then form small (6 in) flat patties which are cooked for about 30 seconds on a v. hot griddle. Immediately after the bread is finished cooking on the griddle you throw it on a flame and if done properly it puffs up. It is pretty cool.

Green Peas Palav

DISH 45
New Thing: garam masala

INDIAN DISH #1

Green Peas Palav
* 1 cup basmati rice
* 1/2 cup fresh green peas
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 tblsp vegetable oil
* 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
* 2 small green chillies - deseeded and minced
* small piece of ginger - minced
* 1/4 tsp turmeric
* 1/4 tsp garam masala
* 1-1/2 cup water
* cilantro leaves - washed and cut into tiny pieces

Wash the rice under flowing water to remove any dust.

Keep a large non-stick skillet on heat , add 2 tblsp vegetable oil.
When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and fry for 1 minute.
Then add chillies, ginger and turmeric.
Now add rice, salt, green peas, garam masala and water and bring to a full boil.
Then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and slowly cook for 20 - 25 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender and fluffy.

Turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Pear Berry and Almond Gratin

insanly simple to make

DISH 44
New Thing: I had to get ramakins to make these.

I'm trying to use are much locally produced foods as possible and this recipe is a great one for this time of year as far as local produce. Next time I'm going to almost double the custard.

Pear Berry and Almond Gratin
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 firm-ripe Bartlett pears
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup seedless grapes
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 stick unsalted butter

Special equipment: 4 (5 1/2- by 1-inch) shallow flameproof gratin dishes or a 12 1/2- by 7 1/2- by 1 1/2-inch shallow flameproof gratin dish

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter gratin dishes.

Whisk together eggs, cream, confectioners sugar, almond flour, vanilla, and salt in a bowl until combined well. Quarter pears lengthwise, then peel, core, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges. Toss pears with lemon juice in a bowl, then divide among gratin dishes. Divide raspberries and grapes among gratin dishes, then pour custard mixture over fruit. Sprinkle with almonds and dot with butter. Transfer gratin dishes to a shallow baking pan.

Bake until pears are tender, about 30 minutes. Preheat broiler and broil gratins 4 to 5 inches from heat until almonds are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool on a rack to warm or room temperature before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Salad Nicoise

DISH 43
New thing: tuna packed in olive oil

I used the recipe from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook. I didn't love the dressing.

weird lunch

mango chutney and extra sharp cheddar

Followed by:

playa inspired tortilla with hot dog, mango chutney and pickled jalapeno. I eventually added catsup.

with what the man at the Bengal grocery store called Summer Indian Drink:

nasrus syrup: tastes like flowers and perfume

Camp Food: 12 Hour Vegi Hash

camp breakfast

DISH 42

We went camping this weekend. Remy did most of the cooking. Midway thru grilling I had a drunk insparation to chop open a huge late season zucchini, gut it and stuff it with tomatoes, sausage, a small amount of sharp cheddar, salt, pepper and olive oil. I put it back together, wrapped it in foil and threw it on the fire for an hour or so.

We also had corn, potatoes, country ribs, baked beans, hot dogs, brats, a huge amount of beer.

In the morning Remy took all the left over vegis and made an amazing hash we ate with eggs, sour cream, left over pork and beans, tortillas, and grilled peaches.

Creole Brown Rice Calas

The best thing to do with leftover rice

DISH 41
Creole dish #4

It seems like everything creole is severed with rice and here is a great thing to do with the leftover. I used brown rice instead of white and it worked will. The only detail you have to remember is you have to prepare the rice with yeast overnight.

The word Calas was first printed in 1880, and comes from one or more African languages, such as the Nupe word kárá, or "fried cake."

Here is how to make them:
Creole Calas
* 1 pkg. active dry yeast
* 1/2 cup warm water
* 1 1/2 cups cooked short grain rice
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
* vegetable oil
* 1/2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

PREPARATION:
Dissolve yeast in water. Mash hot cooked rice with the back of a spoon; cool to lukewarm. Combine yeast and rice, mixing well; cover and let rise in a warm place overnight. In the morning add eggs, sugar, flour, salt, and nutmeg to rice mixture, beating until thoroughly mixed.

Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a skillet to 375°. Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls into hot oil; cook in batches until golden brown, turning once. Drain well on paper towels. Combine powdered sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over hot calas; serve immediately.
Makes about 2 dozen.

My kids loved them, ofcourse. They are basically dougnuts.

Tamarind Shrimp with Avocado

photo from epicurious

DISH 40
New Thing: tamarind

Tamarind Shrimp with Avocados
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1/4 cup tamarind pulp (from a pliable block)
1/2 cup boiling-hot water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 firm-ripe California avocados
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
2 (1 1/2- to 2-inch-long) fresh Thai chiles or 1 serrano, stemmed and minced (including seeds)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lb large shrimp in shell (21 to 25 per lb), peeled, leaving tail and first segment of shell intact, and deveined
1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped

Fry shallot and make tamarind sauce:
Heat oil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then fry shallot, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain (shallots will crisp as they cool). Reserve oil.

Soak tamarind pulp in boiling-hot water in a small bowl until softened, about 5 minutes. Force pulp through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Add sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Cut avocados and cook shrimp:
Halve, pit, and peel avocados. Cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks and toss with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice in a bowl.

Transfer reserved oil to a 12-inch heavy skillet and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté ginger, garlic, chiles, and salt, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and sauté, turning over once, 2 minutes total. Stir in tamarind mixture and simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes more.

Spoon shrimp and avocado over rice, then sprinkle with peanuts and fried shallot.

Makes 4 servings.

I forgot to take a picture of this one so I'm lifting the photo of it from epicurious where I got the recipe. We ate it all in 10 minutes. It was great.