Rasaswad

For my dear husband's birthday. It was a nice candle light dinner, with pictures posted on WhatsApp :-) Got lots of requests for describing the food, so I figured it would be nice to break it down...and admit that it wasn't really as fancy as it seemed...and to make it easier for cousins back home to replicate some of the recipes The Menu: - Olive Ciabatta (bought from WholeFoods..any nice crusty bread is good) with herb oil (olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, just a very small pinch of fresh herbs - oregano and rosemery) - Antipasto (it's basically small, tasty bites). At some nice grocery stores, they have a large selection of anti pasto to buy, so I just select mine from there and arrange it on a plate at home. Any small, cured or pickled foods are good. This time I used marinated artichoke hearts with roasted red peppers, garlic and tomatoes poached in olive oil, olives, and pickled sweet peppers stuffed with goat cheese. Some of these are easy to make at home. ...

This is a salad which is hearty, tasty, healthy and worthy of being a vegetarian side in a fancy restaurant. Seriously, why don't more restaurants serve food like this? Mix a heaping tablespoon of Salsa Macha (recipe here: http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/salsa-macha/ mine was made with peanuts), some red wine vinegar, some olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix together to make a dressing. Add diced, farm fresh, green pepper, a carrot and some spring onion. Add about a cup of cooked, leftover brown rice. Press into a nice bowl, and invert onto a plate for a nice presentation.

I've been meaning to blog about them, but just haven't been able to. Here are some bookmarks: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mushroom-and-fontina-quiche-355191 http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/kale-salad-with-dates-parmesan-and-almonds-51137020 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/massaged-kale-salad-recipe.html http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/caramelized-onion-dip-recipe.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGbIYcH4dAI http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2013/11/chickpea-puttanesca-polenta/

Inspired by my own post earlier today, I made this nice curry for dinner with hot, steaming fulkas and ghee. Slice Japanese eggplants on a bias, and deep fry. Slice potatoes and deep fry and set aside. I made the same base and used the two veggies for the two people in the household. Soak tamarind (about the size of a lemon) in warm water. For the curry, in a pot, heat some oil, add a handful of whole, raw peanuts, one red chilly, a handful of sesame seeds,  a handful of fresh (frozen) coconut, a big pinch of cumin seeds, a big pinch of methi seeds, and roast on a low flame until sesame seeds are golden brown. Let cool on a plate for a bit, and then grind coarsely. Add Water and make a somewhat fine paste (not super smooth). Now, wipe the same pan, and add some more oil (3/4 of a tbsp should be enough). Add mustard seeds, Curry leaves, hing, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder, and the peanut paste. Stir constantly to avoid burning (it will stick a bit). Add a ...

To my non-Indian friends, who enjoy cooking Indian food..It's a rather long post, but it's meant for those who dream of exotic food all day long and constantly obsess over their ingredients.... Most of you have heard of Turmeric and Garam Masala and Ghee...But here are some ingredients that I think can help step up your game. If you want to move beyond naan, and greasy curries, and understand the beauty and simplicity of simple, home made Indian food, you need to get to know these ingredients. Some of these are short-cuts, but hey, every good cook has some dark secrets. Some of these ingredients sound really scary, but be brave, and just venture into your nearest Indian grocery store to find them, and you will be rewarded with new flavor awakenings. 1. Chaat Masala: It's a mixture of spices, usually sold in small cardboard boxes. I usually buy "MDH" brand, but most brands are good. "Chaat" means  "to lick". This spice is literally lip sma...

Boil, peel, cool, and dice 2-3 russet potatoes. Soak half a cup of boondi and set aside. Roast and chop half cup of peeled peanuts. Coarsely crush a table spoon of whole coriander seeds. Heat oil, add 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds, one whole red chilli, crushed  coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cruched red chilli flakes, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, a pinch of aesofetida, and add the potatoes. Add salt and let it saute for about a minute. Add 3/4 teaspoon amchur powder, 1/2 teaspoon chat masala, soaked boondi, peanuts, chopped cilantro and mint. Let the mixture cool. Beat about 11/2 cups of yoghurt with 1/2 cup of water. Mix it with the potato mixture, and garnish with red chilli powder, chat masala, and chopped herbs. Cool and eat for dinner on a sultry summer night...

As crazy as it sounds....done right, this can be a fabulous dish....the kind that might some day show up in a fancy farm to table kind of restaurant.... Ok, so make sure you use a fantastic bread..I had this almost warm out of the oven (and freshly sliced) seven grain loaf I picked up this evening from Wegman's. Super crunchy crust, which I think really elevated this dish. Ideally you would grill the bread like for bruscetta, but I just heated it up on a griddle. Ok, now for the main part of the dish...wash and dry Okra, slice it medium thick (I think diagonal is not the way to go here). Heat some olive oil, add cumin seeds, let it brown and then add chopped white onion and saute for a couple of minutes. Add some minced garlic, turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and amchur. Saute for a few more minutes, till the onion gets brown on the edges. Then add the bhindi and some salt and saute. Don't worry if it gets sticky. Keep sauteing on a medium heat for a while, til...