Staight Out Of The Garden...Peppers In An Almond Cream Curry...But Wait, It's Vegan!

    
   I grew up a working class city kid. My mom who was no great shakes in the kitchen (never preheated an oven, 'cause...why?) had a regular rotation of meals that centered around making the money stretch to payday. As we got closer and closer, the entrees got weirder and weirder. Waffles made with beer or seven up instead of milk,  the same tired piece of meat making an appearance in its' third outfit of the week, pasta, big bags of loose hot dogs, fish sticks on Friday, Rice and Beans, and of course 89 cent boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese. To this day I cannot eat hot dogs, and it took me years to get around to pasta again. I still have a weakness for Mac and Cheese.

   One vegetable that made regular appearances was The Pepper. The pepper could be chopped up and served with whatever meat was still hanging around,  or it could be stuffed with rice and drenched in tomato sauce. When I got out on my own, I never wanted to see another pepper again, unless it was a poblano and served as chili relleno. Peppers reminded me of things being tight. After a dinner of peppers the next step was "Kathy, get the Iron Box".
  
   The Iron Box meant that after dinner my parents would sit at the kitchen table and place small amounts of money in small white envelopes which had names on them like "doctor" "PG&E" "House". There was even an envelope for paying off my sister's  birth who at that time was 3 years old. They would kid about owing money on us...and perhaps one of us would be repossessed.  The first depiction of a family like mine on TV was Roseanne, and this scene in particular.



So, that's why I hated peppers.
  
   26 years ago when I started cooking Indian food, I was a vegetarian and so was crazy about all sorts of vegetables...except peppers as an entree. The I discovered  the many ways Indian cuisine used peppers, not just for spice and heat, but as the main feature of a dish. I tried cooking some Anaheim chilies and was hooked. The Iron Box was long gone, I was grown up and peppers were delicious when the budget wasn't holding a gun to ones' head.

   When we bought our house in Sonoma, we xeriscaped for the drought, removed the lawn,  built big wooden planter boxes on a drip irrigation system, and started growing vegetables. One of the first things I planted was Anaheim peppers. They can be prepared a variety of ways in Indian cuisine, and this recipe is simple, quick, and makes a great main dish served with spiced Basmati rice. Plus it's vegan, so there's that. Get your Anaheims ready and break out the coconut milk. Peppers are going Uptown!

Anaheim Peppers in Almond Cream Curry

Here's What You Need: 

2 Tbs vegetable oil 
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger
2 Tbs ground almonds
1 Tbs coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili
1 lb Anaheim chilies
2 fresh tomatoes
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom


Here's What To Do:

Slit the Anaheim chilies down the middle and remove the seeds.
Rub them with a bit of oil and place them in a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave them for about 3 minutes, you just want to soften them a bit. ( I do this sometimes with Anaheims and eggplant if I am in a hurry)
Take the softened Anaheims, remove the stems and cut them into slices.

Heat 2 Tbs of vegetable oil in a skillet or kadhai.
When the oil is hot, toss in the onion.
When the onion has started to brown a bit, add in the cinnamon stick, chopped shallot, chopped ginger, ground almonds.

Stir fry this over a medium high heat until the spices and ground almonds begin to darken. This happens pretty fast, about 3 minutes.
Add in the ground coriander, cumin, and Kashmiri chili.

Stir this around for about 15 seconds, then add in the coconut milk.

Bring this to a boil then turn the heat down to low, put a lid on the pan, and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
Check it every now and then to make sure nothing is sticking or burning.
When the mixture has reduced to a thick sauce, pour everything into a bowl and set it aside.
Meanwhile back at the pan.... add another Tbs of vegetable oil and when it's hot toss in the sliced Anaheim chilies.

Turn the heat down and bit and saute them for about 5 minutes.
Cut the tomatoes into 1 inch thick wedges.

When the peppers start to look glazed, toss in the tomatoes.

Stir everything around.

Turn the heat up and saute for another couple of minutes until the tomatoes soften.
Pour the sauce back into the pan.

Lower the heat and continue to cook for another few minutes....make sure nothing is burning.
If it starts to stick or burn you may add a bit of water to keep things moving.
When the peppers are soft but not too limp add in the cardamom and salt.

Once again, stir. Take the pan off the heat, add in another Tbs of coconut milk to smooth things out and serve over spiced Basmati rice.

Sprinkle a bit of cilantro on top of each plate. I happened to have some fresh, raw, shredded coconut so I scattered a bit of that on top also.

 
   This dish was delicious. Not too hot, creamy without any cream and filling. Alan who has never been a vegetarian loved it. He was totally happy with his peppers and never missed any meat. Obviously this Hyderabad classic is going to be a keeper at our house, especially since we have a bumper crop of Anaheim chilies this year!
Coming up next more Indian treats from the garden follow along on Twitter @kathygori 

Vegetables Go Old School. Carrots, Fingerlings and Chanterelles Cooked In Hay With Seaweed Pesto

   
   One of the things that has always intrigued me about cooking has been how people have come to cook the things they do, and the methods they use to cook them. Maybe it comes from growing up with a lot of defrosting and can opening but I always thought from an early age that cooking should involve something a bit more interesting than watching something rotate in a little box. When I did my recent research into Danish Cuisine, I found a cooking method that was very ancient and also in its own way led me right back to Indian food. Who knew?

   I'm talking about cooking in hay. Haybox cooking is sort of the original crock pot. It involves heating up what one wants to cook, then placing the hot pot, into a box packed with hay, putting a lid on things and then letting the food cook slowly. This is a method of cooking that preserves fuel, a lot of intense labor, and water. It's been used all over the world for ages. It's still being used in India.
 
   Rumor has it that this method of cooking originated in Scandinavia which is where I ran across it in my investigation of Danish cuisine. The restaurant noma features dishes cooked in hay such as these quail eggs.

Other things can be cooked in hay also as I discovered. So I set off to see what I could do with some vegetables, carrots in particular, and I fell in love with the results. This is one of the easiest and delicious ways to cook vegetables, plus it's also fun. All you need is a sturdy pot and a pet store that sells hamster food. It doesn't get simpler than that, or weirder. I'll get to the seaweed later.

Carrots, Fingerlings, and Chanterelle Mushrooms Cooked In Hay With Seaweed Pesto

Here's What You Need:

2  small carrots per person
3 fingerling potatoes per person
2 oz dried Chanterelle mushrooms
A package of clean alfalfa, the sort used for food for hamsters, rabbits and other small varmints.
2 Tbs salt
1 qt water

1 cup of dried seaweed. Toasted nori sheets  used for sushi are just fine and easy to get in most markets.
1/2 cup of walnuts
walnut, hazelnut, or olive oil
1/2 Tbs of lemon juice
2 large shallots chopped.

Here's What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Wash and dry the carrots and fingerling potatoes.

Use organic vegetables for this recipe as you will not be peeling them. Small carrots are the best as they cook easily. Leave the tops on them but cut them down a bit.
Set the vegetables aside.
Soak the Chanterelle mushrooms in hot water for about 20 minutes until they're hydrated.
Fill a dutch oven or heavy oven-worthy pot, ( I used cast iron) with clean fresh alfalfa.

The reason for using hamster fodder is for cleanliness. Anything that is clean enough for animal fodder is clean enough for cooking purposes. Don't just go out to the barnyard, field, etc looking for hay. Clean fresh hay is what you need.
Place the hay in the bottom of the pot.
Wrap the cleaned and dried vegetables in cheesecloth.

Place the cheesecloth bundle on top of the hay in the pot.

Place more hay on top of the cheesecloth.

Light the edges of the hay so they smolder a bit. DO NOT set it on fire.

When the hay smokes a bit, pour 1 qt of water mixed with 2 Tbs of salt over the hay.

Put the lid on the pot, and pop it into the oven for about 40 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, make the seaweed pesto.

 

Tear the seaweed into pieces and soak it in water for about 1 minute to hydrate it.

Place the seaweed, the chopped shallots and walnuts into the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse the food processor.

When you have a rough paste add in the oil.

You'll have to eyeball this to get the right proportion of smoothness. I added in about 1/4 cup of oil
You may want more.
Add in a bit of lemon juice for tartness.

Blend the mixture by pulsing.

Taste test your pesto. When you're happy with the results, set it aside.
When the vegetables are done take the lid off of the pot.

The carrots and potatoes should be fork tender.
Lift the cheesecloth bundle out of the pot, and remove the vegetables.

Season them with a bit of sea salt  if you wish.
Put them on a plate, 2 small carrots, 2 fingering potatoes and a few of the Chanterelles  per person.
Drizzle the seaweed pesto over the vegetables and serve them up.

   Cooked this way the vegetables are naturally sweet and tender and perfumed lightly with the fragrance of the hay. I served these carrots and potatoes as a single course in a multi-course meal. If you're looking for a way to truly experience the freshness of the season's vegetables, give this a try, plus cooking in hay is a fun novel way of cooking that you might just make a kitchen habit. I have a hot of hay left over, so I'm going to be doing a lot more experimenting with hay and seeing how it can be used in my kitchen with Indian cuisine... either that or I'm getting a hamster.

   Coming up next, things get fishy with scallops, follow along on Twitter @kathygori

New Eating For A New Year

   When I stop and think about it, it seems as though 2012 was hardly here. One minute I was just plain cooking and writing, the next I was plunged into parental illness, and bobbing back there in the rear view  mirror was the Mayan Calendar End of the World As We Know It. I feel like I have to add that last part since the planet is still whirling and maybe we just don't know enough yet. So there's that.

  I spent most of last month sick with some sort of bug that's still left me with croaky vocals and I've now emerged from a haze of antibiotics, cough lozenges and desserts (can't forget those) into 2013. It seemed only right that I get back to some healthy Indian vegetarian cooking in order to start the New Year off right. Yes, my pants guilted me into it. I wanted to make something simple for lunch that didn't involve sugar or chocolate. I was also eager to try my new toy.
 
   A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a company named GitaDini.

   GitaDini makes housewares based on traditional Indian kitchenware and gives them a contemporary tweak. They asked if they could send me a couple of their items to try in my home kitchen and I was intrigued. One of the things they sent me was a Yin Yang spice box, or as they're called Masala Dabba. The box fits together in a nice snug pattern that nestles next to wherever you need it.

And once you open it, there's all the spices you need right at your fingertips in cute little stainless steel containers.

   I've always wanted one of these but have never bought one because, well what else do I have an incredibly messy pantry for? God forbid I should ever get organized, 'cause what's more fun than being in the middle of a big cook and shrieking "Where the hell's the damn coriander seed?!!" while spilling a bottle of peppercorns all over the floor and racing the dog to pick them up. Using the spice box however, nice and easy and nobody gets hurt. See?

So, I busted out the YinYang box and set out to make the first healthy dish post Mayan Calendar.

Kerala Style Coconut Eggplant

Here's What You Need:

1 Eggplant
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 Tbs of grated unsweetened dried or fresh coconut
2 dried red chili peppers
1 green serrano chili seeded and chopped
1 large shallot chopped
One medium onion  peeled and choped
2 tsps ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp of garam masala for garnish
1/2 tsp of turmeric
4 thin slices of peeled fresh ginger
3 Tbs vegetable oil (I usually use coconut)
salt to taste
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbs chopped fresh mint

Here's What To Do:

Cut an eggplant into 1 inch pieces. Set aside.
In a food processor or blender grind the green chili, red chilies, ginger, onion, shallot and grated coconut into a paste.
Add in the turmeric, coriander and 1 tsp of garam masala.
Heat the vegetable oil in a kadhai or skillet.
When the oil is hot, toss in the onion coconut paste.
Cook for about 4 minutes or so.
Add in the c
oconut milk, salt and the eggplant pieces. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes.

Turn the heat down, put a lid on things and cook for about 25 minutes or so.
Check it every now and then and give things a stir to make sure nothing is sticking or burning.

Add in the lemon juice, cilantro, mint, and cook everything for another couple of minutes.

Put the eggplant in a bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of garam masala.

Serve it up. The ear flaps hat is because our house gets really cold this time of year and in the interest of energy saving, we like to bundle up rather than turn on the heat if we possibly can. Also I was having a classically bad hair day.

This recipe will serve about 4 people as a side dish.  Probably you can stretch it a bit further if you run it through the woodchipper.

   
   I want to thanks the nice people at GitaDini for sharing their wonderful Yin Yang spice box with me. If you don't want to use it for Indian cooking it makes a great stash box for nuts, candies, or whatever you've got floating loose around your kitchen.

   Coming up next, an easier and lighter version of an Indian sweet, because after you've eaten your vegetables what could be better? Also I give the Rotito from GitaDini a test run. What pray tell is a Rotito? Well, stick around and find out. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Perfect Party Poppers. Date Pistachio Truffles

   This is the time of year to roll out the sweet stuff. Even if you never indulge at other times of the year, holidays seem to give natural immunity. I can eat this, it's so small. With various family parties work gatherings and religious celebrations, it seems The World and his Uncle are shoving food at us 24/7. And if the food shoving and eating weren't enough, there are the demands to "just bring something for pot luck". That pot luck table seems to be the final resting place for all those tins of Swedish Butter Cookies one sees at the Dollar Store this time of year. The road to hell is paved with Dollar Store Swedish Butter Cookie tins. So what to do when one wants to try bringing a homemade treat that doesn't take a day and a half worth of prep? These little bites may just be the answer.

   The little truffles  you see above are a twist on Kajur Pak, aka, Date Burfi, aka Date Fudge. I've made various versions of burfi over the years, but strangely  enough I've never made simple American style fudge. Life is strange that way, go figure. When I saw these Date Truffles on my friend Perna's site Indian Simmer I knew I was going to have to make them. Of course, I wanted to try adding my own twist, which I did. I added some grated orange zest to the mixture and then since I prefer things less sweet than spicy, I used unsweetened dark cocoa powder along with some ground spices as a coating. They were delicious and the easiest thing ever to make, perfect to bring as a holiday party gift or just to keep around for movie nights with family and friends.

Date Pistachio Orange Truffles

Here's What You Need:

1 lb of pitted dates coarsely chopped
1 Tbs of melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup of raw pistachios
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 and 1/2 Tbs of unsweetened good quality cocoa powder (I used Valhrona which seems to always be available at Whole Foods)
A pinch of ginger powder
2 pinches of cinnamon
A pinch of ground cloves
2 pinches of ground cardamom
3 Tbs of powdered sugar

Here's What To Do:

Chop the dates coarsely.

In a small pan melt the butter.
When the butter has melted, add in the dates and the orange zest.

Stir things around on a medium heat until they start to get pulpy. This doesn't take too long.

Let the mixture cool a bit, then scoop out the date and orange mixture and put it in a food processor or blender. Save what's left of the  butter in the pan.

Add the pistachios to the butter that's left in the pan, stir them around until they're coated and slightly toasty.

Add them to the mixture in the food processor.

Blend everything together until you have a thick paste.

Roll the paste into small, truffle-sized balls and set them aside.

In a bowl mix together the dark, unsweetened cocoa powder and the sugar until you have a blend that tastes right to you. I like things with a bit of bite you might like yours sweeter. The measurements I've given are what worked for me. This is the creative part.

Add in the spices. As with the cocoa use your judgement.

Pour the cocoa sugar spice mixture  into a bag.

Drop in the truffles.

Shake them around for a bit then take them out and place them on a baking rack.

Serve them up!

They're great with coffee or tea. Moist and delicious. If you're storing them, keep them in an airtight container until serving them. I use a cake dome. I'm planning on making these again and experimenting with what they're rolled in. I'm thinking mandarin orange ganache made with some of this stuff from CocoaPlanet.

   On the home front we've been dealing with parental illness issues, so it's great at times like this to be able to stick something sweet in your pie hole. Comfort food, you know? Coming up next, it's a gluten free Good Cookie For Kids Cancer courtesy of the good people at OXO. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori