Fig Jam - 2 ways

One of the perks of living in Oregon is the local fruit. Starting from late spring to the fall it is a parade of tasty local fruit.  Hood Strawberries, Raspberries, Marionberries, Tayberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Plums,Peaches, Nectarines and Figs. Our little neighborhood is home to Plums of 2 varieties, apples, pears and Figs. None in our house; but the neighbors are super friendly and have gotten used to the batty lady that rescues fruit and presents them a bottle of jam.
My latest project was a rescue of some Figs.  Some creative harvesting and I hauled home almost two and half kilos of super sweet figs. These are the green skinned figs with the fruit inside being an amber colour.
The last time I made Fig jam; I used jaggery as the sweetener and added some ginger to it. It was a good jam; the husband liked it but I was disappointed.. all I could taste in the jam was the jaggery and the lime juice I had added to counter the sweetness.  This time I decided to use white sugar  for its neutral taste. The other technique that i used was to cook the jam long and low so that the flavor of the fruit was preserved.
I am very happy with the results - the jam evokes the delicate aroma and taste of the figs. When I eat it in winter I know I will be reminded of the crisp fall day I picked it.  I made 2 batches. The first batch was flavored with lemon and orange peels. The second batch was stewed with a small quantity of whole spices and finished with some orange flower water.

On to the recipe
This recipe will make about 4 8 oz jars of jam

1kg - 1.2 kg  figs - prepped ( 2.2 to 2.6 lbs)
200 gms white sugar  ( 1 cup/0.44 lb)
1/4 c lemon juice

Prepping the figs
Wash the figs and dry them. Take off the stock and break the fig into 2 pieces and add to a bowl. Weigh out the prepped figs. Weigh out sugar equivalent to a fifth of the weight of the figs.   I had close to 1.2 kgs and I chose to use 200gms of sugar because the figs were really sweet.
If you are flavoring with citrus peel; zest the lemons before juicing them.
Mix the figs and the sugar and all but 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice in a large bowl. Stir it all up and allow to macerate at room temperature for 4 hours or overnight or 2 in the fridge.  Once the sugar has dissolved; use kitchen shears and chop up the figs in the bowl to small pieces. Do as I say and not as I did - this is important.. the fruit doesn't break up when it is cooking (as I found out)

For the citrus peel flavored version
Zest 2 lemons in wide strips and then zest an orange the same way. I use a vegetable peeler to do this being careful not to get the pith. Stack up the strips on a cutting board and cut into matchsticks. Put the peel in a saucepan that has a lid and add enough water just to cover the peels. Simmer on a low flame until the peel is tender.

For the spiced version
6 . pods of cardamom
6 peppercorns
2 bay leaves



To make the jam
Wash and prep 4  jam jars (8 oz or equivalent). If you are planning to can it; simmer the lids and get the canning pot going.
Once the fruit has turned syrupy and the sugar has dissolved; tip the contents into a wide skillet with sides. Set 3 spoons on a plate in the freezer (this is to test the set).  Add the spices or the cooked citrus peel to the skillet and bring to a boil  over medium heat; stirring every once in a while.  Your kitchen should be filling up with the heavenly scent of cooking fruit.  The jam is ready to test when the liquid in the pan starts to sheet from your ladle rather than flowing in little droplets. Or if you create a path with the ladle; the gap doesn't get filled in instantly..  Put some jam on a frozen spoon (turn off the stove) and put the spoon back in the freezer. Check after 2 minutes. If you push the jam with your finger and it doesn't flow back immediately; it is done. Otherwise cook the jam in  3 to 5 minute intervals and keep testing. Once it looks done, taste and the last tablespoon of lemon juice. This brightens up the jam.

Once the jam is done; fill it into your prepped bottles, wipe the rim, put on the lids. If you are water bath canning - i put it in for 15 minutes.
If you are not canning; let the bottles completely cool on the counter and store in the fridge or freezer.

As for  how to eat the jam; here are our favorite ways
- warm it and use as an  ice cream topping
- stir it into yogurt
- Almond butter and fig jam sandwich
- As part of a cheese board with a tangy cheese
- Use as a filling in a jam tart.

Mung beans and Miso walked into a dip

  I imagine this is how successful food bloggers work on their recipes. Source your ingredients carefully, think about what flavors will play together. Test the recipes, iterate until you get it perfect.  Take beautiful photographs along the way in natural light .And then play on the name.. I am definitely not in that camp. My MO is - open fridge, see what you have in there, decide what needs to be used up first and then look at the other things you have in your pantry/fridge and make something together. O it is 10 at night..why bother with a photo; the light is bad anyway.

If it turns out good - write down the rough recipe at least- Rough because yours truly is literally eyeballing everything and then trying to decode — was that a cup? A teaspoon , 2? 

So people, this is a flexible recipe. Play with it and make it your own. The nuttiness of the mung bean, and the slight sweetness from the ginger make this a very special dip. The Miso adds the heft

Mung dal and miso dip

This assumes you have cooked Mung beans on hand (the green kind with the skin)

1 cup - cooked Mung beans

8 stalks cilantro 

1 bunch of scallions 

About 6 slices pickled ginger- the kind you use for Sushi

1 tablespoon red miso

Juice of 1 lime  (about 2 tbsp)

1 Jalapeño  seeds and all

1 tbsp of neutral oil

Salt to taste

Wash the cilantro and the scallions and just shake off the water. Trim the ends of the scallions; ; fit the cilantro(stalks included) and green onions into the bowl of your food processor. Add the jalapeño, ginger and Mung beans. Run the food processor till you have a homogenous but grainy  paste. Now add the Miso, lime juice and oil and  blend till you get a really smooth consistency.  Add a splash of water if you need a smoother paste. Taste, add salt if it is needed (I needed just a tad).  

Keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for 5 days. It is best served at room temperature.

Of cross country races and roasted Tomato Jam

We have become the cross country groupie parents. Those parents who go to their kids races and are ever prepared. we have the layers, the big umbrella and the rain boots on the ready. Those parents that spend an entire weekend driving back and forth for 300 + miles to watch their kids race for all of 15 minutes. We know the names of most of the kids and the other groupie parents too. Did I know we would come to this - no; but I tell myself only 2 more years before they go off to college and have to make every minute count.
Seattle was one of the more pleasant excursions. We managed to meet friends and family and had breakfast at this place called Morsel. The biscuits were huge and light and flaky all at the same time. We had a goat cheese sandwich on a tomato curry biscuit, The highlight of the sandwich was for me; a confection that they called roasted tomato jam. It was tomato heaven in winter - bright, tart and a tiny bit sweet. 
The jam gods smiled on me because I came home to a tray of ripe Roma tomatoes that were sitting unused on the kitchen counter.

Roasted tomato jam - technique adapted from the Kitchn

12 or 13 roma tomatoes ( they were smallish)
3 cloves garlic
1 big nub of ginger, grated skin on
3 hot green peppers, chopped (Serrano)
black pepper
olive oil, sugar, salt.

Heat your oven to 350 deg F on a roast setting
Quarter tomatoes, smash and peel the garlic, grate the ginger and chop up the peppers. Coat 11x13 glass pan with olive oil and arrange  tomatoes in  a layer( they will not all fit). Scatter the  green chi,lies garlic and ginger over the tomatoes. Grind a generous amount of black pepper over the tomatoes and  shake salt over. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of  sugar and lightly drizzle Olive oil. Cover with the rest of the tomatoes and season again with salt, pepper, sugar and olive oil.

Roast @ 350 for 90 mins, stirring a couple of times in between. The tomatoes should extruded their juices and collapsed but still be slightly liquid like a pasta sauce.  Raise the temperature to  450 and bake  for another 20 to 30 minutes till the tomatoes have thickened into a nice gooey jammy consistency.

Scrape into bottles. Cool on counter. Lasts for 2 weeks in the fridge and can be frozen, Great as a sandwich spread or stirred into yogurt or to boost your pasta sauce.

Quick and easy creamy cauliflower soup

Happy New Year everyone. I hope you all had a relaxing holiday. We spent a week getting pampered by my little sis, playing with the little cousins  and visiting the battle sites of the civil war. I made my first gingerbread house ever with my niece and nephew (from a kit). It takes a lot of frosting to hold the house together! Eating the gingerbread house and the leftover decorations was  more fun for the kids. I made them brush their teeth afterward, in case you are reading dear sis. We baked sugar cookies and I let my niece and nephew eat as much as they wanted becoming cool aunt in their eyes.  And my sister fed us - Dosa, Idli, Pav Bhaji, Dal, Usli, Bhindi masala and tondekai palya - this is just a partial list. I think we ate her out of the house.
Now it is back and some minor resolutions to eat well - nah who am I kidding, we got goodies galore from Bangalore. We will eat soup and assuage our guilt.

 You can make home made soup in 15 minutes - no instant pot, just operational efficiency. I whipped up this soup yesterday when the big cousins came over. I didn't cook the vegetables in stock or water. I just steamed  and cooked in a smidgen of oil. This made transferring to the blender much easier and far less clean up. And it is a healthy, filling, creamy soup that warms you up and makes you feel rather virtuous too.
Do seek out white pepper for this recipe. It adds a fruity delicate  aroma that is very different from black pepper.

Creamy Cauliflower soup 
1 red onion
1.5 tsp of oil
1 head of cauliflower
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp whole white pepper corns
6 sun dried tomato halves not in oil. If using oil packed, drain the oil
a small handful of raw almonds
salt to taste

Chop the onion into slices or chunks. Heat the oil in a tall saucepan that has a lid. Add the onions, turn the flame to medium, add a tiny pinch of salt and close the lid allowing the onions to sweat.

While the onion is cooking, clean the head of cauliflower, Take out the dried leaves and chop into big pieces - stem and all. Peel the garlic.  Put the cauliflower and the garlic in a microwave safe bowl, add a splash of water, cover with a lid and cook until tender but not mushy. It took me 6 mins in my microwave on full power.

The onions should be done by now. Tip the onions and cauliflower into a blender. Add the sun dried tomatoes, white pepper and almonds  and blend. Add water as required to keep the blades running.
Empty blender content  into the saucepan you used to cook the onions and add water to dilute to desired consistency. Heat on medium flame until heated through, Season to taste with salt.

Top with toasted almonds and a swirl of pesto. Enjoy.

Potatoes with Sumac and Z'attar

Thanksgiving or for that matter any festive meal is not complete without potatoes in my family. Everyone crowds into the tiny kitchen and snacks on the boiled potatoes and hover around till the potatoes come out of the oven or the skillet and very generously offer to be taste testers. The quantities provided in this recipe might seem alarming, but they disappear quickly. If you do have leftovers, they are great in a grain bowl or tucked into a wrap or sandwich or just warmed up for a snack.

Boiling and then cooking the potatoes in oil makes for a crunchy but melt in the mouth texture. The combination of Sumac and Z'attar elevates the deliciousness.

This is a technique more than a recipe. In my houshold, I have to figure 2 Yukon Golds per person.

8 Yukon Gold potatoes

4 tbsp of vegetable or peanut oil

1 1/2 tsp of paprika

1/2 tsp of Sumac + more to taste

1/2 tsp of Z'attar 

Salt and pepp to taste

Boil the potatoes until they are firm tender. Cut the potatoes in half. Put in a saucepan large enough to hold the potatoes ( at least a 1 gallon saucepan ) and add enough cold water to cover. Lightly salt the water and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, cook for about 10 - 12 minutes till the potatoes can easily be pierced with a paring knife. Drain the potatoes well and cut each half into 4 parts.

Or you can cook it in the microwave. Prick the potatoes well all over with a paring knife. Lay them on the microwave safe plate and cook. figure about 21/2 minutes per potato. i.e if you have 6 potatoes microwave for about 15 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, cool a little and cut each potato into eighths.

You can do this ahead of time and hold the potatoes in the fridge.

Heat oil in a large wok. When the oil is hot, reduce the flame. Add the Paprika, and about a teaspoon of salt to the oil. Now add the potatoes and gently lift and scoop to toss them with the seasoned oil. Increase the flame to medium -high and let the potatoes cook undisturbed for 3- 4 minutes till they have brown spots. Toss and cook for another 3 minutes. Do this until all the pieces have a bit of brown. Taste - add more salt if necessary. If the potatoes look dry add in a little more oil, a tsp at a time

Turn off the flame and add the Sumac and Z'attar and mix well. The potatoes should taste tart and bright. Adjust the flavorings if you have to.  Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

Katy's Cranberry relish

When I lived in Bangalore one of the Pizza chains had giant billboard all over town that said  "You won't eat Dosa with Cranberry sauce, why would you put Chiken Tikka on your pizza". I remember thinking the billboard to be rather snobbish and fantasizing about the combination of Dosa with cranberry sauce.   A year later when I came to Denver, I was told that Cranberry sauce came out of a can and it held its shape and is not something I should eat.  Dosa with Cranberry sauce dream died right then and there.
Fast forward a few more years and I discovered fresh Cranberries in Portland. My friend Katy brought in "Sugared Cranberries" to work and I fell in love with the fresh tart taste.  And then she introduced me to Cranberry Relish. Katy claims that her mom found this recipe on a bag of Ocean Spray many years back.  This is my interpretation of her instructions.

Katy's Cranberry Relish

1 lb of cranberries (fresh or frozen)

2 medium sized Navel oranges 

1/4 c of sugar + more as needed to taste

A dash of salt
Lime juice/Orange juice if needed.

For best results, make this a day ahead or at least 4-6 hours before you plan to serve it.

Wash the cranberries thoroughly and drain. Pick out any squishy ones. Chop the cranberries using the slicing blade of the food processor. Put into a bowl. Wash the oranges and dry. Take 1/4 c of sugar in a bowl. Zest the oranges into the sugar. Rub in the zest with a fork. Now supreme the oranges and add the segments to the bowl, breaking them into quarters as you go. Mix in the cranberries and a dash of salt.

Taste; the relish should taste tart and citrusy without being too sweet. Let sit for half an hour and taste again. If it is too tart, add more sugar. 

Let this rest in the fridge overnight or if you are planning to eat the same day rest on the counter for 4 to 6 hours. If you have refrigerated bring back to room temperature.
Taste again. Adds sugar or salt as needed. If it is not tart enough you can  add the zest and the juice of a lime a little at a time until you have the right balance.

Leftovers keep well up to a week. 

Muhamra's cousin - Mu akhdar?

Muhammara is well loved in our household - all the versions: the Syrian, the Turkish and the Palestinian versions. All three versions have toasted Walnuts and Pomegranate molasses.
The Syrian version is made with Aleppo peppers, the Turkish version with red pepper paste and the Palestinian version with roasted red peppers.

For this week's rotation of spreads, I made a version with Poblano peppers. And I was wondering what to call it. My hypotheses was that the name of the dip came from the Walnuts but I was so wrong. Muhammara means  'Of red color' - at least according to Google. 'Mu' is a prefix in Arabic.
'Ahmar' is the word for red. So  would I call it "Akhdara"? Muakhdara?

Language lesson done, here is the recipe. It is pretty delicious whatever you choose to call it - Smoky, spicy and creamy with walnuts.

Here is the recipe

Akhdara

makes enough to fill a 12 oz mason jar. 
keeps in fridge for a week. can be frozen.

3 fresh Poblano/Pasilla peppers
1 small clove of garlic
Tiny finger pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp toasted ground cumin
1 tsp of Agave nectar
1 tbsp lime juice (roughly half a lime juiced)
1 cup of walnuts
2 tbsp Olive oil
salt to taste


Roast the peppers. You can do it by placing it directly on a gas flame. Cook on one side for 3 minutes, turn the pepper and cook on all sides till the skin is blackened. Or you could broil it in a toaster oven for about 10 -20 minutes. 
Put the peppers in a bowl and cover with a lid and allow to steam for at least 15 minutes. Peel when cool enough to handle and discard the skin.

Toast the walnuts. If you have a microwave, put the walnuts on a paper towel and cook in 30 second bursts  till the walnuts smell nice and toasty. Otherwise you can do this in a dry skillet on a medium flame. Stir constantly for about 8 minutes or so until the walnuts smell toasty and just begin to release oil.

Blend the peppers, red pepper flakes, garlic, cumin, lime juice, salt and Agave to a coarse puree. I used a food processor.  See notes below if you want to do it by hand*. Add the walnuts and pulse till they are chopped up to a grainy structure. Taste. It should taste smoky and the pepper should be the dominant flavor. Adjust salt, lime and Agave to balance out the flavors if necessary. 

Transfer to a bowl, top with the Olive oil and serve with  Carrots as a dip. Makes an excellent sandwich spread too.

*If you are using a mortar and pestle, start with the garlic and some salt, mash to a paste and then add the other ingredients. Or  you could chop it fine on a cutting board.

Walnut+sun dried tomatoes

A long time ago the Oregonian had a recipe for this thing called Walnut Crema. I don't have the original source for the recipe but what I remember is that the walnuts were boiled to remove bitterness.Onions were caramelized and the 2 ground together.  I remember making it and thinking to myself it was a little too bland.

Here is the zippy version of that

Walnut ans Sun dried tomato dip

A creamy spicy dip with the tang of tomatoes.

1 cup walnuts

6 sun dried tomato halves (dry, if you use oil packed, drain first and use the oil for cooking the garlic and the peppers)

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp dried Pepin peppers (the small round kind )

Olive oil about 2 tbsps




Cover the walnuts with water in a saucepan or microwave safe dish. Boil the walnuts in water until tender. The water will turn brown and gunky.  Rinse and drain.

Heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add the chillies, peeled garlic and the sun dried tomato.
 Cook until the garlic begins to  smell fragrant. Now reduce to the lowest possible flame and cook some more until the sun dried tomatoes infuse into the oil.

Transfer the walnuts and the chiili, garlic, sun dried tomato mixture along with the olive oil. Blend to a smooth paste. Add salt to taste.. If necessary add more olive oil for the mixture to come together.

Use as a sandwich spread,  Pasta sauce (thinned with pasta cooking water) , crostini, crudites

Diwali and Jyoti aunty's Tomato chutney

Happy Diwali everyone. May the year ahead be filled with light and joy. Hope you have a wonderful time cooking, eating and celebrating with your loved ones.

I went on a small cooking bender this weekend.

Chakli - made from a MTR mix
Ribbon Pakoda  - from Mitho Limdo
Badami Halwa - verbal recipe handed down by my aunt.

What have you all been cooking?

And then some Chimichuri and a LOT of tomato chutney.  One with green tomatoes

And one with red tomatoes













And here  is the recipe I followed for the red tomato chutney. This is from Jyoti Aunty, lovingly written into an email.

1kg  tomatoes ,chopped  ( works out to be about 9 or 10 Roma tomatoes or 3 Beefsteak when I weighed it out)

2-3 green chillies ,slit length wise

1/4-1/2 tsp roasted methi powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric,

pinch of hing

3-4 cloves of garlic crushed(optional)

1-2 tsps sugar 

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan,add half tsp mustard, when it crackles,lower heat,add green chillies ,turmeric,hing ,methi powder ,chilli powder,chopped tomatoes (and garlic) and salt to taste. Cook until tomatoes get mushy and simmer until raw flavour disappears,and chutney thickens. Check taste,add a dash (1tbsp)of lime and 1-2 tsps of sugar. Chutney is ready. 

Love and best wishes to  the boys and you both.

Jyoti 

Ps. If you don't like  tomato skin, blanch in hot water and then chop them up. Also depending on the sweet- sourness of tomatoes, quantity of lemon juice and sugar has to be adjusted to your taste. As well as the spiciness. You may even have a better version of this chutney!

Amma's Oat and nut energy balls

Amma makes all kinds of sweets with dry fruits and nuts that she sweepingly classifies as energy balls. Her version with condensed milk and Jaggery is to die for. It is also a calorie bomb of a dessert. The high schoolers wanted a high energy snack to tide them over running practice. The stipulations were consistency, nutrition and not too sweet. The first criteria is hard to achieve, it feels boring to make the same thing week after week. I find myself negotiating what changes they will tolerate - no luck so far.

Amma of course gave me no proportions - it was chooru swalpa variety.She adds chocolate but I keep it out.

Ammas Oat and nut energy balls
(proportions adapted from Minimalist Baker)

1.5 cups rolled oats toasted
1 cup almonds toasted and chopped
1/2 c sesame seeds toasted
1 cup chopped dates or date paste (baking dates)
1/4 cup liquid sweetener (maple, agave)
1/4 c nut butter(almond, peanut)

To toast oats and nuts
- Put in a large wok and toast on medium flame constantly stirring . The raw smell should disappear and the oats will start to smell nutty
- Or use that microwave. Spread on a paper towel, put  directly on the microwave plate and cook in 30 second bursts. In between bursts, run a spoon through to distribute evenly.

Put all ingredients up to the dates in a large bowl. Measure the nut butter and the sweetener in a microwave safe liquid measuring cup. Microwave  for 30 sec to 1 min.. and stir to blend.
Pour over dry ingredients and mix with a spoon. It will be moist..
Roll into balls.- Makes about 18

Variations
- substitute other nuts for the almonds
-Use baking dates or dried Apricots
-Crush the dry ingredients in a blender .. Makes it easy to roll.
And I leave you with an image of the Mejjer Sculpture Gardens in Grand Rapids

A changing of the seasons - and a pasta sauce

We went to Olympic National park for Spring break. 2 full days. For once, I was the one that was the early bird. I got to go the beach before anyone else was up and experience the beauty and the tranquility in blissful solitude. It was magical. The photos are from my phone - nothing fancy but something that brings back the feeling of the moment.

 We hit three different beach sites - Beach 3, BEach 4 and Ruby beach and also went to the Hoh Rain forest.
Most people visit the park from the Port Angeles entrance- we visited from the East entrance and got to see a very different side of the park.

We stayed in the park - Kalaloch Lodge. The location is fantastic; right by the beach. The food - not so great. I wished I had planned a wee bit and loaded our camp stove in the van. It made me long for this pasta that I had put together a few weeks ago.

Here is the recipe. .. And if you do happen to scroll to the end, I would be grateful if you could answer the short question.



Pasta with  an Eggplant sauce.
inspired by 'Ikra' at the Los Angeles farmers market

1 lb of dried short pasta
1 large eggplant
1 red onion
6 Roma tomatoes
1/2 tsp of cumin + more to taste
1/2 tsp of Sumac
2 tsp of  Harissa - more or less depending on how spicy you want it.
1/4 cup Olive oil

Roast the eggplant -if you have a gas burner, place directly on the grill and turn the flame up to medium high. Roast till the skin blackens and then turn and roast on the other side. It takes a total of 10 - 15 minutes depending on the size of the eggplant.
If you don't have a gas stove.. Prick the eggplant and place in the  oven and broil. Rotate till all sides are evenly roasted. A toasted oven works really well.
Put the roasted eggplant in a bowl and cover with a plate or a dish towel and let it steam.

Heat water in a large stockpot (I use a pot that holds a gallon).
While water is boiling; dice the onion. Heat the Olive oil over in a large shallow pot over a medium flame. Saute the onions until they brown and become limp.

When the water boils - salt heavily, empty the dried pasta in, give it a good stir and set the timer for the Pasta cooking time indicated on the packet

Once the onions have darkened and softened - add the cumin  and saute briefly until it smells fragrant. Add the tomatoes and salt to taste.

Give the past a stir

Peel the eggplant and roughly chop. Add the chopped eggplant to the tomato mixture and let it cook.

When the timer beeps, turn off the stove and taste the pasta. It should be cooked but still retain a bite. If you feel it needs a bit more softening, let it sit in the pot for a couple of minutes.

Pour a ladleful of pasta water into the eggplant sauce and then drain the pasta.
Season the sauce with harissa and Sumac.Taste. It should taste smoky, tart and a little spicy. Adjust flavors if you have to.

Toss the pasta in, stir and serve immediately.

*****************************
And a question for you dear readers.. if I published the above recipe in the format below; would it make sense to you?  I often take notes like this and I thought I could get to publishing more often if my words are less. Please do let me know.

Roast whole eggplant
Saute 1 red onion
Add 6 roma tomatoes
Sumac
Cumin
Harissa

cook pasta, add pasta water, toss, eat
*****************************8
Thanks

A picnic and a birthday

I had this in my drafts and happened to read it today. It isn't half bad and it brought back pleasant memories so I thought I would publish.

Gubs turned 12 yesterday. Hard to believe that the baby of the family is growing up. Gubba planned his birthday very elaborately. He wanted a picnic with his cousins and aunt and uncle.
The menu was
Caprese salad
Pita chips with  Hummus, Mutabal, red pepper and cashew dip and tahini sauce
Rice paper rolls with peanut sauce
Pasta salad
Sandwiches
Watermelon

The salad was assembled onsite with tiny Campari tomatoes and marinated fresh mozzarella.

The hummus and mutabal were made from scratch.

The chick peas were soaked and cooked then blended with cumin seeds, ground sesame seeds, garlic,lime juice and salt. Scoop into a shallow bowl; dot with za'attar and aleppo pepper, top with olive oil.

For the Mutabal, roast an eggplant over a gas flame. Char all over. Put in a bowl and cover for 15 mins. Peel off the charred flesh. Start with sesame seeds and half a clove of garlic in the blender. Blend well and lime juice. Add the eggplant and pulse. Serve dirzzled with Olive oil.

The red pepper dip was made with a jar of roasted red peppers, a smidge of garlic, juice of a lime, 1/4 cup of roasted cashews, Aleppo pepper and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Pulse ingredients in a food processor and adjust to taste. Top with Olive oil.

Pasta salad was made with a whole bunch of marinated ingredients: Canned artichoke hearts rinsed and drained. Marinated mushrooms, rinsed and drained. Roasted red and yellow pepppers; drained and some green peas. Dressing was Katy's strawberry vinegar, olive oil, pepper and kashmiri lal mirch.

For the peanut sauce - Zest and juice of a lime, finely minced ginger and garlic,2 tbsps of hoisin sauce, 3 glugs of soy sauce, sambal olek, peanut butter. Add all ingredients upto peanut butter into a 12 oz glass jar and mix. Then add about 2 tbsps peanut butter and microwave for 45 seconds. stir to blend. Taste, add more peanut butter, water, sugar, salt to balance flavors.
For rice paper rolls:
Marinated tofu - Microwave 2 blocks of tofu. Drain the water, Slice horizontally in half and put on the grill. Dab sambal Olek and a little oil and flip when the first side is done. Repeat on other side.

Rice paper rolls made with, julienend carrots, cukes, lettuce, marinated tofu, cooked rice noodles, cilantro and mint.
Technique. Keep a big bowl of water ready that your rice paper will fit into. Dip the rice paper into it and lay it on a cutting board. Immediately begin assembling. Start with lettuce. Herbs, tofu, noodles, carrot and cucumbers in that order. Place on wrap on end near you. Start rolling. Wrap each roll in saran wrap to prevent sticking.

The food was eaten, games were played and a fruit tart with summer berries and a light custard filling was cut and wishes were made.

Where does time fly? and one more Edamame dip

Two whole months into the new year - really where does time fly? It has been good times in our Portland kitchen.
We ended the year with a trip to Guatemala. Beautiful and diverse country, great food, great weather and; I so wish I hadn't come back. We mainly stuck to the tourist circuit: Tikal, Antigua and Panajachel.  Tikal was by far my favorite. The forests were lush and to see the Mayan ruins poking through was quite something else. We splurged on tours with an archaeologist who is also a great storyteller and it was fascinating to listen to the story of the rise and the fall of the Maya and their understanding of  Astronomy and science. We toured Tikal and Yaxha and got drenched in the glorious tropical rain. Three days was too short; I could have stayed a few more and toured more sites.

Ruins at Tikal

Anitgua was  all cobblestone streets, colonial buildings and a festive atmosphere for Christmas. We took in colorful parades, beautifully decorated altars and great music. Christmas Eve was a partye! We went to a beautiful  late night service at the church. And then had to walk around, waiting for our host family to get back because we couldn't figure out how to operate the lock to our apartment. Long day, we decide to hit the sack and they tell us we HAVE to join them for the fireworks. What a sight it was! Antigua is in a canyon. The night sky was ablaze with fireworks, from the surrounding towns on the hill. Then we were ready to hit the sack, but we were asked to join the family for fruit punch and tamales..
Moral of the story: try to stay with a family  when visiting new country

Church in Jocotenango

Christmas Eve procession

Altar in Guatemala City

Christmas Day procession

Restaurant where we (and Bill Clinton) ate Pepian

Panajachel is the kind of place where you go to do nothing. The lake and the mountains are beautiful. The streets are crowded with vendors. There are coffee shops where one can sit and play chess.

The beginning of the year started with a massive parcel of food from my parents, followed by more food from my aunt and then followed by even more food that my cousin couldn't finish on his own!
I feel very lucky!

I do have a recipe to share. It is an easy flavorful edamame dip- sandwich spread, thin it use it as a pasta sauce, layer it between 2 tortillas and make an un- quesadilla..


Edamame and roasted Poblano dip

(fills 2 8 oz mason jars, can be frozen)

3 Poblano peppers
1/2 bag  frozen shelled  edamame(the standard is a 12 oz bag)

1 clove garlic peeled
1/2 a bunch of cilantro stem and leaves
juice of a lime (add to taste)
salt to taste
1-2 tsps of olive oil
water to thin

Roast the Poblanos directly on a gas flame, rotating until the skin is charred all over. If you don't have a gas stove, put it under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes and turn to blacken all over. Put the poblanos in a bowl and cover with a lid and allow to steam. While you are waiting for the Poblanos to cool, cook the Edamame and the garlic in a tiny bit of water( stove top or microwave).
Once the Poblanos are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin.
De- stem the Poblanos and add it along with the cooked Edamame to the blender/food processor. Add the Cilantro, lime juice and salt and pulse/blend till you have a mostly smooth paste with some chunks. Add water to thin (if needed) and blend again.
Transfer to a container and top with the Olive oil.

Used books and recipes

I have a thing with used book stores. You enter one  and you are  transported to a land of possibilities - hit with that delicious smell  of old books and visions of hidden stories waiting to be discovered.  A name scribbled, an inscription, an old bookmark left in the book seem to tell you a story in parallel with the one you are reading. One of the books I found recently had a hand scribbled recipe for a marinara sauce in it.

I hit the jackpot with three good reads this month all picked up at used book stores. 

Blue boy - tells the story of Kiran, growing up in an Indian- American household in Ohio Cincinatti and his struggle to belong. He doesn't fit into any of the existing cliques - the indian kids crowd or the crowd at school. The story is told with a gentle humor without ever making Kiran's pain feel discounted

This book moved me deeply - it is beautifully written without ever feeling pretentious

Pigs can't fly - Another book that talks about belonging and identity. Turtle springs into the limelight after helping rescue .. In Hoover Dam. The Cherokee nation discovers that she is adopted illegally and begins pursuing a return.

The dinner - Two brothers meeting for dinner; seems innocent enough. The book unfolds like a play through the dinner courses each revealing a new layer to the story.  It is dark and funny at times.

If any of you reading this are interested in any of the books above; leave me a comment and I'll be happy to mail it to you. All I ask is that you  pass it along to someone else after you read and help in prolonging a book's life

What's been cooking - a lot of recipes from other sites. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and hope to be posting more frequently next year.

Carrot Halwa
Jam Tarts (with homemade jam, made in a 9 inch tart tin)
Ginger bread with fresh ginger
Red wine caramel sauce
Fruit crisp bars (made with homemade jam again instead of the fruit)
Banana bread- my current favorite
Seeded banana bread
Butternut squash soup
Za'atar potatoes
Harissa
Chimichuri
Raagi mudde and saaru

Cake for breakfast

I had a good week - a really good one that I have to tell everybody about. I actually managed to read a book- which was not a cookbook, not a young adult novel, not a graphic novel. It is called 'The Free' and is written by Willy Vlaughtin. The book talks about war by following the lives of people that are indirectly impacted by it. The writing is simple; no convoluted sentences and so moving. There is a beauty in the simplicity. The book will leave you moved and filled with hope.

And then I  fed my family cake for breakfast.
 Whoever came up with the concept is a genius. Bake a cake in a loaf pan, call it a bread and you get to eat it for breakfast.

This ginger loaf falls into that category.  If you have the patience you could bake it in a muffin pan. It is not too sweet and has the warming heat of ginger.

Ginger loaf - adapted from Orangette

I have adapted the instructions to make this a one bowl + 1 skillet cake

One (~3-ounce) piece of unpeeled ginger root to make a heaping 1/4 c of chopped ginger

 ¾ cup  sugar

 2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

 1/2 cup olive oil

  1 1/4  cup non dairy milk + 2tsp apple cider vinegar

 2 cups all-purpose flour

 ½ tsp. salt

 ¾ tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

Heat oven to 375 deg F
Grease a loaf pan with olive oil

Chop the ginger finely(should look like rice grains) either by hand or in a food processor. If you are using a food processor; remember to pulse. You don't want ginger puree.

Measure out 3/4 cup of sugar into your mixing bowl. Take out a couple of tablespoons and combine it with the ginger in a skillet (or if you are feeling lazy, use the microwave). Cook on a low flame till the sugar liquifies and turn off the heat.
Zest the lemons/ lime into the mixing bowl and rub it in with a fork, and inhale...aromatherapy.
Add the oil, the milk+vinegar and whisk really well.
Now measure and dump the flour on top of  the whisked liquids.
Add the salt, baking powder and the baking soda and distribute in the flour. Mix with the liquid ingredients  just until blended.
Add the ginger and give it one final whisk
Dump into greased loaf pan
Bake for 35 to 40 mins.

Cool in pan for 10 mins and then finish cooling on a wire rack.

Brew yourself a cup of tea and cut a slice and enjoy.


Substitutions:
Use part or all whole wheat flour - if using all whole wheat; up the milk by a quarter cup
Oil - Olive oil imparts a lovely taste; but vegetable or canola oil works fine too
Sugar - Turbinado gives the best results. White is ok too. Next time I am trying it with Jaggery.

Herby Edamame dip

Happy spring everyone! I realize this blog has a lot of recipes for dips and spreads. This is my contribution to lunch in our household.
Today I have a recipe for a smooth, vibrant and herb laden edamame dip. It comes together pretty easily and is versatile too.
Dip for Pita Chips or veggies, sandwich spread or toss with cooked pasta for a quick lunch.

Makes enough to fill a 12 oz container
1/2 bag  frozen shelled  edamame(the standard is a 12 oz bag)

1 clove garlic 

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

6 to 8 stems of coriander 

4 stalks of green onion, green parts only

Salt

Juice of a lime

1 tbsp olive oil
some water at room temperature

Take the edamame in a microwave safe bowl. Peel the garlic and nestle it in the bowl underneath the edamame. Add a couple of splashes of water. Microwave for a couple of minutes until it is cooked.

Pulse the edamame, lime juice, herbs, salt and coriander powder in the bowl of a food processor stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Trickle in water a tablespoon at a time through the feed tube until the consistency is fairly smooth. Add the olive oil and pulse a couple more times to finish.

Keeps for a week to 10 days covered in the refrigerator. Can be frozen. Thaw in the fridge to defrost and stir.

A Sunday tradition

If doing something three times counts as a tradition; we have a new tradition in our house. Sunday nights are becoming soup/stew nights with home made bread. I resolved to tackle my fear of bread making this year and turned to Vaishali of Holy Cow for advice. Of all the recipes she suggested I could start with; the no knead version appealed the most to me, Her versionis for the slightly more experience baker; so I turned to Google and the library and decided to tackle Jim Laheyy's no knead bread. I have made it twice in a dutch oven and once in a bread tin.
And there is always soup or a stew. Always made in a pressure cooker while the bread cools. It is easy, wholesome and warms your whole being. I make it with whatever veggies I have on hand and throw in a lentil and a grain to make it hearty.

Last Sunday I made it with Kale, wildrice and french lentils.  Here is the recipe. What food traditions do you have or want to make for your family.

Kale, wild rice and lentil soup
1 white onion sliced thin

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 yellow bell pepper or 3 minis

2 Roma tomatoes roughly chopped

1 can diced tomato 

*1 tablespoon Yellow pepper paste (Aji amarillo paste - found in most Mexican/Latin American grocery stores)

2 bay leaves

1 bunch kale de-stemmed and chopped into ribbons

1/3 c of french lentils

1/3 c of wild rice

2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Red wine vinegar, Cayenne pepper and Olive oil for garnishing

Heat a couple of tbsp of  oil in a pressure cooker. Add the sliced onions and the bay leaves and fry until the onions become transparent and take on a bit of color. Add the garlic, bell pepper and the yellow pepper paste and continue cooking till the garlic becomes aromatic. Dump the kale in and cook till it wilts. 

While this is cooking, wash the wild rice and the lentils and drain. Add to the pot and stir to coat in the onion kale mixture.

Add the fresh and the canned tomatoes, a teaspoon of salt and  water as needed so that the liquid level is at least 1.5  inches above the other ingredients.

Close the lid, place the weight on the cooker and cook for 5 whistles. (Or follow the instructions for your pressure cooker)

Once pressure has released, taste and adjust with red wine vinegar, salt, cayenne powder and olive oil

Yellow pepper spread

Packing school lunches: I don't do it anymore. Hooray! I have somehow successfully managed to pawn it off on the husband (pat self on the back, feeling very proud of it). I have to admire him - he lovingly packs them a sandwich every day of the week. Not any ordinary sandwich; it is chock full of veggies; each of them artistically cut and chosen carefully for flavor and texture. The carrots are julienned, the cukes cut lengthwise, sunflower seeds and sprouts added for crunch, lettuce or savoy cabbage leaves added for cool. The sandwich is beautiful to look at; if you cut it in half you can see the layers arranged neatly.  And if I ask nicely, I get a sandwich sometimes to take to work too.

The only school lunch chore that is assigned to me is to make sure that there are sandwich spreads ready for the week. So far it has been a rotation of hummus, muhummara, muktabal, harissa, The yellow bell peppers needed to be used up and I came up with this spread. Great as a sandwich spread or as a dip for crudites.

Yellow bell pepper dip ( makes enough to fill a 8oz and a 4 oz mason jar_
by me

1 huge yellow bell pepper (roughly 2 cups chopped)

4 cloves garlic 

3 small jalapeños
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup sesame seeds, toasted 

Couple of glugs of red wine vinegar 

Chop the peppers and the garlic coarsely. Add the olive oil to a small sauce pan. Add all the peppers and the garlic. Add salt on cook on a low flame. You want the peppers to sweat in the olive oil; not get charred on high heat. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the peppers have softened. Turn of the heat and leave the peppers to infuse into the oil.

While the peppers are cooking toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet. You want them to just color ever so lightly.

Put the pepper mixture along with any remaining olive oil and the sesame seeds  in a blender jar. Add a couple of glugs (2 tbsp) of red wine vinegar and bled to a smooth paste. Taste and adjust - you might need a dash more salt or vinegar.

Favorite banana bread

I have written about my obsession for banana bread before. I don't know about you, but I get bored following the same old recipe much to the alarm of the family. "Why do you have to mess with it?" is a common refrain in our house.

This time thankfully, someone else did the tinkering. A banana bread full of seeds. I am so glad I tried it. It has healthy fats from nuts and you will feel so virtuous eating a slice for breakfast.


Seeded banana bread  veganized from Vanilla Garlic

3 bananas mashed
3/4 c sugar in the raw
1/4 c oil
1 tbsp peanut butter (original recipe calls for 1/4 c tahini)

1/2 c sunflower seeds toasted
1/2 c pumpkin seeds toasted
1/4 c white poppy seeds toasted
1/4 c sesame seeds toasted
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
11/2 c whole wheat flour

Oven temp 350 deg F


If you have a microwave, cheat like me and use it to toast the seeds. Spread each seed in a single layer on a kitchen paper towel and nuke for a minute. If the seeds need to toast longer, do it in 20 second bursts. Dump into a bowl and allow to cool. Toast the other seeds separately and dump into the same bowl. Otherwise toast the seeds(separately) in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly and watch they don't burn.

Preheat oven to 350 deg and grease a loaf pan. Line the bottom of the bowl with parchment

Measure the sugar into a large mixing bowl.Mash the bananas into the bowl with a fork(after peeling of course). Mush the bananas and sugar until there are (almost) no lumps (or when you have had enough). Add the oil and the peanut butter and mix well. Measure the flour into the bowl. Make a couple of indentations on the surface of the flour and put the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Smooth with a fork and fold into the banana mixture. Fold in the toasted nuts.

Bake @350 in the loaf pan for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 mins and then on a rack. Keeps well at room temperature for a couple of days.

Pumpkin seed pate'

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite holiday. People curiously ask me if I do a traditional Thanksgiving. I don't know how to answer that question with a straight face. I tell them there is going to be yams, potatoes,cranberries,Brussels sprouts and pumpkin pie. But ...

the yams are not candied, the potatoes are not mashed, the Brussels sprouts have an Agave ginger glaze and the main dish is not a turkey. I have started referring to this version as the heathen Thanksgiving. My friends with whom we celebrate the holiday refereed to it as the "Indian Thanksgiving" and that had me in splits.

This year we had Biriyani, stir fried yams and parsnips, green beans, rosemary roasted potatoes and cranberry relish.Everything on the table was in these warm earth shades. the pumpkin pate stood out because of its vibrant green color. I made this with ingredients that I had in my pantry and am noting it in hopes that I will remember to make it again. 

2015 has so far been a year with ups and downs, a wedding and a funeral. There is so much to be thankful for - the love of family and friends, teenage boys that are growing up with a sense of humor, a 11 year old dog that keeps me active..

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Pumpkin seed pate' 

1 cup hulled pumpkin seeds(Pepitas) soaked in 2 cups of water

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon kasuri methi

salt to taste(1/4 tsp or more)

Olive oil

Aleppo pepper for garnishing

Soak the pumpkin seeds in water for at least 2 hours( or overnight). Drain the seeds well. Put the drained seeds, garlic and kasuri methi in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the seeds breakdown. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides and repeat. Pulse until the seeds start to release oil. At this point add about a tablespoon of olive oil and a 1/4 tsp of salt. Pulse again. The mixture should come together. Empty into a serving bowl and garnish with some Aleppo pepper. Serve with crackers and veggies.