Thandai, The Holi Classic Treat, Perfect For Your Holiday Table

   Spring is here. No matter what the weather is like outside, pay no attention to the snow behind the curtain. It's officially spring. The calendar says so. I mean the H&R Block commercials are practically running back to back. This is the season of universal holidays. It seems wherever in the world one might be, people are celebrating something. Passover, Easter, Holi, Spring Break... whatever. With each holiday comes its' own special foods, some dictated by custom, religious demands or whatever one can get out of a vending machine in a Panama City Beach Quicky Mart at 4 a.m.

  When I was a kid, Easter at our house meant eating out. For some reason Thanksgiving, and Christmas were always at home. Easter was brunch somewhere nice. Normally we were not an eating out sort of family. It just wasn't in the budget. A big splurge was a pit stop at the local donut shop after church on Sunday mornings, but Easter was special. Easter was brunch at the bowling alley coffee shop. Then one year everything changed, maybe it was because we were older and well behaved, maybe my mom just got tired of eating her Easter Brunch with the background music of clattering bowling pins. All of a sudden one Easter Sunday the Goris went Uptown.

   Growing up in San Francisco, there was almost no place for a more elegant Easter Brunch than the famed Alta Mira Hotel across the Bay in Sausalito. This gorgeous, old-style, exclusive resort hotel was perched on a hillside in Sausalito. One didn't just eat there, one dined  there. It was the very first time in my life I'd ever had Eggs Benedict which nearly blew my little 13 year old mind. Holy Crap! What was that stuff?! It's freaking good!

   No matter how dank, damp and foggy it got out in the Sunset District where I grew up, it was always sunny in Sausalito. This was a place where people dressed up. Hats and gloves for the ladies, suits and ties for the men, The Alta Mira put the capital D in dining. Don Draper would have loved it. In fact isn't that him over there, closing a deal at that table on the right? Eating either inside in the dining room, or outside on the terrace with a stunning view of The City, this was The Place to be on a San Francisco Easter Sunday in the 60's and 70's.

   The Alta Mira was immortalized in this scene from the 1982 film Shoot The Moon, with Albert Finney and Diane Keaton, shot in the lovely and stately dining room of the hotel.



Today, like a lot of stuff from those days, the Alta Mira is no more. It's not gone exactly but it's no longer a hotel/restaurant.The Alta Mira is now a luxury rehab hospital. Plus ça change as they say....

   The one thing I remember from those Easter brunch extravaganzas at the Alta Mira was seeing my parents have a brunch cocktail. It seems the hotel had a signature drink, the famous Alta Mira Hotel Ramos Gin Fizz. These were creamy drinks, foamy and tinged with a silvery sheen. They were presented in tall slender glasses. On Easter Sunday at the Alta Mira Hotel it seemed that everyone over the age of 21 had one in their hand. It's the biggest thing I remember from my childhood Easters.

   That is why while  searching out a Holi recipe that would also work for my Easter Brunch I was stopped dead in my tracks by Thandai. If you haven't heard of it or had it, Thandai is a milk drink, a spiced refreshing cooler traditionally served on Holi. Now Holi, if you're not familiar with it, is the Hindu Spring Festival of Colors, which is currently being celebrated. Holi honors new life along with spring's fertility and color. People bombard each other with colorful powders and have an altogether roaring good time.
 

Of course as with any holiday, there is also food, and drink, which brings me back to Thandai. Thandai reminds me of those lovely, tall, cool drinks my parents used to enjoy on the terrace at the Alta Mira, with one exception... it's non alcoholic. Considering the current usage of the old Alta Mira, that seems somehow totally appropriate.

   Thandai is easy to make. In fact you probably have most of the makings in your kitchen right now. It's tasty, cooling and if you have any reluctant milk drinkers around the house, believe me this will do the trick. I haven't yet made a non-dairy version, but I'm planning on making this recipe again using almond milk instead of dairy. So here we go.

Thandai, Spiced Milk

Here's What You Need:

3 cups of milk
5Tbs of sugar
1and 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
2 Tbs rose water
1 tsp sunflower seeds
10 green cardamom pods
5/8 of a cup of slivered peeled raw almonds
A 1 inch long cinnamon stick

Here's What To Do:

In a small skillet, dry roast the seeds, cinnamon, and spices.
When they turn fragrant, set them aside to cool.
Crack the cardamom pods and remove the seeds.
Place the almonds, spices, seeds, sugar, rosewater and cinnamon in a small bowl with a bit of water to just cover them.
Let everything sit for 2 hours.

When 2 hours are passed, pour this mixture into a blender and grind it into a thick paste.

Pour the paste into 3 cups of milk.
Mix everything together.
Pour the milk paste mixture through cheesecloth or a fine mesh seive into a pitcher or bowl.

Chill it, and then serve it up in glasses with a bit of crushed pistachio nuts on top.

   This is not thick like a milkshake. Rather it's light and delicate like milk, only more so. Some people add saffron to their Thandai or use melon seeds, anise seeds, or toasted pumpkin seeds. You're limited only by your imagination. This makes a great special drink for Easter Brunches for either the kids in the family or any adult who's looking for a festive, non-alcoholic refresher. Give it a whirl in your blender, you won't be sorry.

   Coming up next, more Holi treats for any holiday. Gujia, festive gujia, baked not fried. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori.

Where I've been...

    For the last week I've not been cooking. What's been going on is this. I had a bit of a health scare which I didn't want to get into. It started about a month and a half ago, when I had some tests which had some strange results. Since then my doctors have been following up, I had a bunch more tests, (I was at UCSF most of yesterday), visited the surgeon they wanted me to see, and as it turns out all reports in, I'm fine.

   It was a massive relief. As any cancer survivor can tell you, any time something merits a further "look see" it can be nerve wracking. I didn't want to discuss it with friends because I didn't want to answer questions I didn't have any answers for, and I didn't want to have to explain anything unless I had to. I certainly didn't feel much like cooking. I was doing my regular writing work but didn't feel relaxed enough to experiment in the kitchen. But now, I'm well and grateful, and ready to get back behind the stove again. So to all, no matter what you're celebrating right now, Passover, Holi, or Easter, have a lovely weekend.

 

Sweet, Delicious Apple Halwa. Gluten Free.

 
   It's been awhile since my last post. First, I spent a week making soup for Alan who was recovering from a messy cold, and then I had more dental surgery. It seems I had a screw loose. No big news to most who know me. However, it was a screw holding one of my dental implants in my head. Seems I've been grinding my teeth at night (gee, wonder why?) and managed to partially unscrew my post. Soooooo a bit of clean-up work by the maxiliofacial surgeon and one night guard later, I'm back cooking and eating again, with the warning to keep it on the soft side for a week or so.

   So, what's it like when you're ordered, ordered I say, to feast on ice cream and milk shakes for a week? Yeah, I could also have oatmeal, cottage cheese, dal and yogurt but we're talking about the fun stuff. After a day or so it gets boring. I was looking for a way to change it up and I started thinking about halwa, or halva. You say halwa, I say halva. Either way it's easy, tasty and doesn't have to be dripping in ghee and sweetened condensed milk to taste good and naturally sweet.
  
   I've looked at a lot of halwa recipes over the years. Most rely on lots of sugar or sweetened condensed milk. There had to be another way. There had to be because I wanted to make this stuff and I didn't have a can of sweetened condensed milk in the house and couldn't stomach pouring a cup and a half of sugar into lovely organic apples. I could always have jerry-rigged a substitute for the milk, but what would happen if I used coconut milk? I always have coconut milk. I used butter in making this recipe, but  it's easily turned vegan if one uses coconut or another vegetable oil to cook the apples. As to the sweetener, one thing I found was that if you have good quality apples one needs less sugar.

  I did a simple taste test. I bought organic fuji apples, which looked like the runty cousins of the gigantic, shiny, brightly colored big fuji apples that are not organically grown. I took a slice of each, the flavor difference was a no-brainer. The little apples, actually tasted like apples and were no match for the bigger more flavorless fruit. I'm not even getting into issues of pesticides, GMO, etc. I'm simply talking flavor. More flavor means one needs less sugar for cooking. What I got was a halwa that tasted of the fruit, with no dairy, no gluten and very very little added sugar.
   
 

Apple Halwa

Here's What You Need:

6 apples, peeled, cored and diced.
2 Tbs of unsalted butter, ghee, coconut or other vegetable oil to turn the recipe vegan
2 Tbs water, or more if needed
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 to 2 Tbs of sugar, I used I Tbs of jaggery
1/4 cup of sultans (golden raisins)
1/4 cup of halved cashews
1 Tbs oil for toasting cashews and raisins
3 Tbs of finely chopped pistachios
1 tsp of ground cardamom
A pinch of cinnamon or to taste

Here's What To Do:

Core, peel and chop the apples.

In a kadhai or skillet, heat the ghee, butter or oil until it's hot.
Add in the apples and cook them at a medium high heat for about 10 minutes or so until they start to brown and soften. I needed to cook mine longer.

When the apples have softened, add in 2 Tbs of water.
Turn the heat down to medium low and let the apples cook down for about 15 minutes or so.
Stir them every so often so that they don't stick or burn. The sweeter the apples the more chance of them sticking, so stay on it. This will also give you an indicator of how much sweetener (if any) you need to add.

As the apples cook down, mash them with the back of your spoon. If that doesn't work feel free to break out your potato masher. I did. Cook them down for another 10 to 15 minutes. It may take more or less time depending on the apples. The texture you're looking for here is soft, and yet slightly chunky, like a good homemade apple sauce. Not a puree.
To ease the cooking progress I actually put a lid on the pan for the last few minutes of cooking, making sure to check and stir every few minutes to avoid burning. If you need to add a bit more water feel free to do so.
While this is going on, in a small pan or skillet heat 1 Tbs of oil or ghee.
When the oil is hot add in the cashews and raisins.

Roast them in the pan until the raisins are plump and the cashews lightly toasted.
Set them aside.
When the apples have cooked down properly add in the sweetener.  I used jaggery.

MIx the sweetener in well, until tit's dissolved.
Add in 1/2 cup of coconut milk.

Turn the heat up a bit and make sure the coconut milk is well blended.
Stir the apple mixture until all the coconut milk is absorbed.
When you have a nice thick, chunky apple mixture add in the raisins and cashews.

 

Stir in the cardamom and cinnamon.

The halwa  can be served either warm or cool.
I served it at room temperature topped with a bit of unsweetened Greek yogurt, and a sprinkling of finely chopped pistachios. A perfectly lovely guilt free dessert, that relies on the quality of the apples and not a lot of extra sweeteners.
 
   Coming up next, my birthday is on Tuesday and I'll be dishing up some buffet ready Indian street food for a party on Saturday, with some special treats for my gluten free, vegtarian, and vegan friends. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Easy Minestrone aka Sick Man Soup

   It's not quite gotten back to normal around here since Frans' been gone. Swept up in all the stuff that comes after the loss of a parent, mainly taking care of my father Al, I find myself suddenly the mother of a senior citizen teenager. He calls me to tell me what friends he's hanging out with. He tends to roll with the Sans-a-Belt Crowd. They're the opposite of teenagers with their pants down around their ass crack. These guys wear them up around their ear lobes.

   Lately he's been going to card games and bingo, lunches and dinners at the Country Club. Sometimes Alan and I have been his double date. Ancient cocktails are ordered, we always sit in "their" booth, and a toast to Fran is always drunk. Keeping to routine is important to him. My mom held a tight rein on what went on around there and did absolutely everything for him, so I've been getting questions about how much water and what kind to put in the iron, and colors versus white wash, and how the vacuum works, first semester at college type of questions.

  As Al is discovering the mysteries of laundry, we've been getting back to work on the TV Pilot  we were doing. We had just gotten our re-write notes when my mom took her final turn for the worse, and everything was put on hold. So at last we're back at earning our living. There are also myriad other things that haven't been done around here, stuff like going to the dentist, getting check-ups, changing the oil on the car. The usual. We're catching up on that too. Then of course we had house guests, then  Momo Madness Oscar weekend, and wouldn't you know it, Alan came down with a lousy Winter Cold.

   People always complain about Summer colds but Winter colds can be just as bad. The only good thing about them is at least one doesn't have to tell Someone Who Should Know Better to put a coat on once in a while. Of course anyone who's sick around here gets whatever they want to eat within reason, and no I'm not opening that box of Girl Scout cookies I was blackmailed into buying. Cookies seem to be where Alan goes first when he has a cold. He  informed me that if I would only open the box and just give him one cookie, then I can guard them and make sure he doesn't go cookie crazy. I had to remind him I don't need to see him go all Zero Dark Thirty, The Hunt for Savannah Smiles on me the minute my back is turned.

    My answer to what ails one is usually soup. Hot, nourishing and easy to get down, it usually hits the spot, and if done right opens the sinuses reeeeeeal good. I asked Alan what sort of soup he'd like me to make for him. The answer came back, Minestrone. Great answer. I grew up on that soup and there are a million ways to make it. No two Nonnas make it the same. Everyone has their magic tricks for perfect "brodo" with all the clarity of a pure mountain lake. To save time I used boxed chicken broth. Chicken broth is not something usually found in Indian recipes, like even and so I don't usually bother to make and freeze my own.  I've found that a good quality organic, low sodium, store bought box works just as well when paired with good fresh ingredients. A friend of mine was telling me this morning that she made minestrone once, and only once because it took nearly all day. This soup can be on the table in about 45 minutes from scratch. You probably have most of the makings already.

Minestrone

Here's What You Need:

1 medium onion finely chopped
1 boiling potato diced
1 rib of celery finely chopped
1 carrot peeled and diced
1 zucchini diced
3 Tbs of olive oil
1/4 cup of uncooked elbow pasta
1 16 oz can of tomatoes with it's juices (I say this because tomatoes are not in season here if using fresh use about 3 medium tomatoes peeled and chopped)
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
salt to taste
1/2 cup of torn basil leaves
3 cups of torn fresh spinach leaves
grated parmesan cheese to taste
1 shredded cooked chicken breast if you wish to add this, or 2 slices of pancetta diced

Here's What To Do:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot.
(If you're using pancetta, use this instead of olive oil.
Cook the pancetta and use the drippings to saute the vegetables.)
When the oil is hot, add in the onion,carrot and celery.
Cook these down for about 5  minutes or so until they begin to soften.
Add in the zucchini, potato, tomatoes, and broth.
Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat to a low medium temp, partially cover the pot and let everything simmer for about 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes add in the pasta, let it cook for another 10 minutes. (If you are adding some shredded, cooked chicken now is the time to do so)
After 10 minutes add in the shredded basil and spinach.
let it cook for another 5 minutes and that's it.
Salt to taste.
Serve it up with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan and some crusty bread or crackers.

   You'll be feeling better in no time. The soup easily reheats for a next day's serving, but as for freezing, strain the pasta out first and then use fresh pasta when you defrost and reheat. As for Alan, he's feeling much better and having the soup again tonight.

   Coming up next, finally back to Indian recipes. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori