Where I'm At

  
   I want to thank everyone who sent their kind thoughts and prayers to me and my dad over the last three weeks. My family and I are most grateful. Dad passed away peacefully in the hospital on the 22nd. He just wasn't strong enough to overcome the broken hip and also was missing my mom terribly. So, they're together again and the whole family is happy for him, as he was lost without her. We've been busy here trying to pull things together, organizing the funeral, tying up loose ends. Once again, thanks from the bottom of my heart for all the love you have expressed. It means a great deal to all of us.
   
  

 

The Great Pumpkin, Kerala Style

   It's pumpkin season! Fall has always been my favorite time of year. I like it when things turn brown and red, there's the smell of woodsmoke in the air and the dark falls early. Some of my favorite foods start showing up at the the Farmers Markets, Brussels sprouts, pomegranates and of course, pumpkins.

   Now pumpkins aren't all that hard to get most of the year, the canned ones at least. But are what we're really getting in those cans pumpkins or not? Actually, not since most canned pumpkin is actually canned squash. After all, a gourd by any other name... still tastes great and often times a whole lot better than most of the pumpkins one can find out there. As this article from the New York Times points out.

   Consider the Sugar Pie Pumpkin. I feel like Rod Serling.

Don't let the name fool you. These little suckers are neither sugary or great for pies. As you can see. They're tough, stringy and not all that meaty.

They are however, great for Jack-O-Lanterns. Just use another type of squash for any cooking and eating purposes, you'll be happier. What I usually use for my pumpkin cooking needs is a good Butternut Squash.

   This is an easy curry from Kerala that cooks up fast and is warming for those cooler Fall nights ahead. I fixed this curry for a casual Indian dinner party a couple of weeks ago. A vegetanble side dish and some rice were added and we had a complete feast.

Kerala Pumpkin Curry

Here's What You Need:

4 cups peeled and chopped Butternut Squash
1 cup cooked black eyed peas (frozen or canned is fine and easier)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
salt to taste
1 and 1/2 cup grated fresh or dried coconut
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 serrano chili
30 curry leaves
1 and 1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
3 dried red chilies seeded and crumbled
6 Tbs grated coconut (fresh or dried)
4 Tbs coconut oil or other vegetable oil

Here's What To Do: 

If using frozen black eyed peas, defrost them. If using canned, drain them and rinse them well.
Set them aside.
Peel and chop the butternut squash into cubes. Set them aside.
Pour 2 cups of water into a pan or kadhai.
Add in the butternut squash cubes.

Add the turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili and  salt.

Put a lid on the pan and let the squash cook on a low heat for about 15 or 20 minutes. It should be tender.
Keep an eye on the water in the pan while cooking. You don't want it to dry up. If it starts to, add a bit more water.
While the squash is cooking, put 1 and 1/2 cup of the grated coconut, the cumin seeds and the Serrano chili into a grinder.

Add about 1 cup of water and blend it into a paste

When the squash is cooked through, add in the coconut paste.

Add in the black eyed peas.

 

If it looks too thick you can add a bit more water to thin things out.
Stir things around and make sure everything is mixed together well.

Put it back on the heat and simmer it all for about 10 minutes or so. The idea here is to get the flavors to marry well.
If at any time the stew becomes too thick, always add just a bit of water.
When it's all cooked through, put a lid back on the pan and set it aside.

It's time for the chaunk!

In a small pan or skillet, heat 4 Tbs of coconut oil.
When the oil is hot, add in the mustard seeds.
When they start to pop and crackle, toss in the curry leaves, and dried red chilies.

Cook until the curry leaves start to crisp up and the red chilies darken.
Toss in the 4 Tbs of grated coconut and cook it until it starts to turn light brown.
Don't let it burn.
There should be an even golden browning.

Pour the whole thing into the pumpkin stew.

  I served this curry hot over Basmati rice with spices, chapatti, green beans with coconut and peanuts and a mango curd.

   Of course there was dessert.  Coming up next, a dessert from Chennai,with dal.

   I just wanted to add here that I thank each and everyone who's sent me wishes regarding my dad. Right now things are not looking too good, he's in and out of lucidity, and we'll know a lot more in the next 24 to 48 hours as to what the prognosis is. Until then, once again thanks to all for your kindness.

Eating LA. A Journey to Artesia and Chocolate Goes Back To Its Roots.

   
   Way, way back a long time ago, back before I officially lived in Los Angeles, back before I ever dreamed of cooking Indian food, all Artesia meant to me was the place my father usually made the wrong connection on the way to Disneyland. This usually entailed much swearing and gnashing of teeth. A family of Northern Californians awash on the Southern California freeway system, Artesia was the zig where there should have been the zag, and that's what it meant to me for years and years.

   Later, after Artesia became known as Little India, I would hear stories of the wonderful markets and restaurants to be found there. But of course being a typical Angeleño, I always talked about going but never did. There were so many Indian markets closer to home, it just seemed to be too much effort. Recently we were in LA on business and our friend Irving said you guys have got to go, so he threw us in his Cube and took us down there. Boy howdy was I sorry I'd missed  this place for all those years. For lovers of Indian cuisine, Artesia is the real Disneyland.
    

Wall to wall shops selling bangles, sarees, groceries, DVDs, Indian cookware and some of the best restaurants to be found anywhere. The cuisine ranges from the North to the South of the subcontinent and includes some things rarely found anywhere else.

   Irving took us on a round of his favorites which started at Udupi Palace. Of course we had to have the paper dosa.

 This was one huge freaking dosa. To give you a little idea of the scale of this thing, here's Irving next to the dosa.

That is a grown man and one big ass dosa. We would have been perceived as idiots had we ordered more than one. It was served with a sambar and coconut curd. Of course, we added some medu vada unfortunately unphotographable as the mouth is quicker than the camera.

   We did manage to snag the avial...

and a mixed vegetable uthappam...

There were vadai.

Of course we added in samosas, chapatti, and pappadums. We finished up with a vermicelli payasam which we split three ways.

   One would think that that would pretty well take care of our food needs for a while, but we set off on a march down Artesia's main drag in search of an elusive Gujarati place that Irving told us had the best Khandvi and pani puri ever. We explored Artesias many shops.

Finally after bangle shopping and buying sacks of groceries at Pioneer Cash and Carry...

... we found surati farsan mart, one of Irving's favorite places and all I can say is if you have a chance.....go!!!!! Read the Yelp reviews as they say it better than I can.

Here are some burfi.

We also enjoyed khandvi...

..., and delicious pani puri...

 ...both of which I can't wait to make here at home. We returned to LA fully sated and loaded with Indian groceries to take back to Sonoma, but wait, there's more!

   This is one excited lady.

This very excited person is one of our former neighbors in LA. We visited them one evening back in the old neighborhood and she and her husband shared a new secret discovery with us. It was actually chocolate from a little place that had opened in our old neighborhood since we'd moved North, it's called Chocovivo.

  In this small shop, Patricia Tsai, roasts, grinds and makes her chocolate by hand the old school way, and by old school I'm talking Mayan and Aztec, the original old school chocolatiers. No tempering, just stone grinding.
  

   Peter and Amy, our former neighbors shared some of their chocolate with us. It was the sort of discovery you reveal to friends when you know they're leaving town, or you're planning on killing them. Peter took out some glass containers of the sort that I hadn't seen since college party days, only this time they were filled with chocolate. He slowly opened them to share with us. The last time I'd seen someone so enthusiastic about something....



    Peter and Amy explained how to properly taste the chocolate, and even served a special chocolate-friendly wine. They were so taken with this new local shop, that we simply had to check it out for ourselves. So, the next day, off we went to 12469 W. Washington Blvd. Culver City.

   If Artesia was an Indian food Disneyland, Chocovivo was a chocolate wonderland, and I quickly turned into Alice.

We had a chocolate tasting.

Here, a sampling of chocolates were laid before us from the darkest to the lightest flavors. We sampled a cup of traditional chocolate drink, and some chocolate nut spreads. Hazelnut and almond chocolate butters. Don't get me wrong, this is not Nutella, this is Nutella died and gone to heaven.

There are several regular flavors, and special flavors made on certain days.

   Of course, we loved all of it and bought everything we tried. Loaded with chocolate and dal, the next day we headed back to Sonoma really feeling as though we'd tasted some of the best our former home had to offer.

   Now back to reality. About a week after we got back home my dad fell and broke his hip. After having surgery, he's now in skilled nursing where he's suffering from post-op delirium. If I hadn't gone through this with my mom just a year ago, I'd be pretty freaked out, but I know  that as bad as it looks, it will pass and hopefully he'll be back to normal again. I want to thank all of you who've been so supportive through all of this.

   I did manage to get back into the kitchen again over the weekend (always my happy place) and I'll be sharing a Great Pumpkin recipe from South India and a sweet dessert Payasam from chennai made with chana dal. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori.

Where I've Been...Today

   Dad had surgery last night to repair a cracked femur. He's out like a log right now but doing just fine. Quite a relief. I'm going over to the hospital in a bit to check on him as he wasn't up to talking this morning. He'll be going to rehab to get back on his feet again. Thanks to everyone for their good wishes. I'm already feeling like getting back into the kitchen again. Meanwhile here's a taste of what's coming.
 

And it's not all about the sweets....

Can't wait to share these....

Where I've Been...

  
   Los Angeles for one is where we've been. Last week on a business trip we ate our way across LA and beyond. That is what I wanted to be writing about right here, right now. However, last evening my father, Al Gori, fell and broke his hip. Unfortunately it's not uncommon for someone of his age. Fortunately, the doctor says he's fixable. Of course there are many asterisks and more fine print in that than one of those "available only on the TeeVee" offers.

   He has several other conditions that have cropped up and "fixable" has a broad spread of meaning. Define "fixable" that's a tough one. For now he's flying high on more drugs than Walter White had in Gus Fring's secret Los Pollo Hermaños sub-basement secret meth lab. He'll most likely be operated on tomorrow evening and things should settle down a bit after that. I have a lot of delicious Indian food and some other interesting treats to share. The kitchen is always my best therapy spot and I hope to be back there in a day or so.

Scallops and... Blueberries? A Surprising Salad.

   
   When I was a kid I remember scallops, and I can say not very fondly. As a native San Franciscan, the scallops that I grew up eating were wild bay scallops. Unfortunately, once they'd gone through Fran's kitchen they came out more like eraser heads, and not the good Eraserhead.

   Tiny, hard and rubbery wild bay scallops are tough to cook properly as they tend to over-cook without showing any sign of it.

   "Who me? I'm good. I always turn hard like this after 5 minutes on on the stove" I hate that. Sneaky scallops. This recipe however does not deal with wild teeny tiny bay scallops. It deals with The Other Scallop, the Ocean Scallop.

   These guys.

    Now Ocean Scallops are no walk in the park either just because they're larger. Whenever I watch any cooking show, the scallops have been the downfall of many a chef. Cooked too little, cooked too much, it sometimes seems that there's no way to win with these suckers. However, when studying up on the way things are done at the famous Danish restaurant noma, scallops can be a snap, and the combo of scallops and blueberries which seemed strange at the start could not have been more perfect.

   I served this dish as one of a series of small plates at my noma dinner. It could also be a great first course salad for a special dinner, or even a special light lunch. Either way, it's pretty fast and easy to get on the table.

Seared Ocean Scallops With Blueberry Vinaigrette and Pea Shoots

Here's What You Need:

8 large Ocean scallops  (2 per person)
1 Tbs unsalted butter
1 Tbs olive oil
salt to taste
pepper
1/2 cup of fresh blueberries
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 finely chopped shallot
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs finely shredded parmesan
fresh mixed greens
edible flowers
pea shoots or other greens, whatever you desire.

Here's What To Do:

Rinse, and clean your salad greens. Dry them and set them aside.
Heat the oil and butter in a skillet.
When the butter and oil are hot, pop the scallops into the pan.

Sear the scallops fast. 1 minute on each side.

You don't want to cook them too long as... remember what I said about Eraserhead? You don't want that to happen, so just remember: Short, hot and fast.
When the scallops are cooked through set them aside.
Divide the cleaned greens and edible flowers between four plates.
Set 2 scallops on top of each bed of greens and set the plates aside.
Don't clean the skillet the scallops were cooked in. Instead toss the blueberries, shallot, lemon zest, lemon juice and oil into the pan.

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Crush some of the blueberries with a whisk.
Add salt and pepper to taste. You can add a bit more lemon juice if you wish.
Pour the viniagrette over the scallops and greens.
Sprinkle each salad with a pinch of parmesan. Season with pepper.
Serve it up.

There it is, simple, fast and pretty easy for such a dramatic result.

   I've learned a lot from the Danes and their groundbreaking cooking. Meanwhile, back at Indian food, I just returned from a business trip to LA which included an Eat My Way Through Arteisa (Southern California's Little India) Adventure. Much was eaten and I'm going to be sharing all the details. I usually never take pictures of my food, but hey, when it involves over an hour drive on the LA freeways in search of food, I'm taking a damn picture.
   Follow along on Twitter @kathygori