Super Bowl Bites, Something For Everyone.

   With Super Bowl coming up it's time to start thinking about what to toss out to your family and friends that's easy and fun to eat. Making ahead helps, as do recipes that meet dietary needs for those who might be gluten free (a whole lot of my friends are.) So here are a few suggestions for weekend eating that may take you a bit off the beaten path of simple chips, dips, burgers and dogs and some that might be a bit more familiar.

   Starting off with one of my favorite party time recipes Chili Verde.

Make a big pot of this and you can cool your jets while you let your guests put their own toppings on. Did I mention it's even better the next day? So make it ahead.

If you're looking for a spicy bread for gluten free guests, try this:  Gujarati Handvo.
Make the batter ahead of time and pop it in the oven for baking when they arrive.

For a switch up in the potato department, there are always Tater Tots done South Indian style aka Bonda.

Why spend a fortune on store bought when it's so easy and much cheaper to Make Your Own Kale Chips.

Of course who can forget these tasty little gluten free Indian savory donuts? Vada, perfect for Super Bowl noshing, Make the batter head of time and cook them up before your guests arrive. Keep them warm in the oven before serving.

Want something a biut fancier? You can always get a nice piece of salmon and smoke it, especially if you're a Seahawks fan. Smoked Salmon is a lot easier than you think.

If you're a Denver fan, try making this Dal Makhani. It's an Indian version of chili . Let your slow cooker do the work for this make ahead treat.

For other finger food, you can use a dim sum theme and make your own Bao.

Yam Koftas make for a fast and easy gluten free finger food, that's great with a cold one.

If you've got a butternut squash or a pumpkin hanging around try making these  Gluten Free Pumpkin Koftas with a simple sauce.

Or try a big old plate of Indian Style Fries.

There are always Momo dumplings made fast and easy with pre-made wraps from the market.

Baked Crab Samosas are simple using frozen filo dough as a wrapper.

For dessert try a simple Ricotta Pudding.

Or try Caramelized Apples With Pistachios and Walnuts 
it's easy and gluten free!

Want home made ice cream but don't have a machine? Get out a mold and try this Easy Indian Kulfi.

If you're feeling ambitious and have gluten free guests coming, bake this Gluten Free Pear and Almond Cake.

It's easier than you think.
And for the Big Easy, try making these individual Individual Cakes in a Jar using a microwave. It doesn't get much easier than that.

So there they are some suggestions for party food for Super Bowl Weekend.
 Coming up next, nettles go gnudo! 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

Chocolate and Mint. Mousse for the Masses

   This last weekend was Oscar weekend or as it's known around our house, The Hollywood Super Bowl. For years, even when I was a little kid, the whole family would park itself in front of the Teevee to watch the dresses, the glamour and all the envelope ripping. Oscar Day was like a national Holiday for Fran. Where my dad would yell at us during any sort of football game if we stepped on the loose board in the living room that sent the television picture spinning, everyone knew to stay out of mom's way on Oscar night. It always started early with the Red Carpet arrivals and didn't end until Barbara Walters had made someone cry.

   When I had my own home, I followed those rules handed down by my foremothers. One does not move from the TV during the Time of Oscar. For many years I had food prepared and waiting for my guests to help themselves so that I could watch everything, beginning to end. And then there was this year. The Year of the Momo.

   It had started the week before when our house guests from LA were up at working at Pixar and decided to come spend the weekend with us in Sonoma. I had a request to make some momo, and that request turned me into a momo making fool. The momo were so easy and quick to make that I thought to myself, self, why not just make momo for your yearly Oscar event? It would be easy. And fast. And who doesn't like momo? You can serve them with various Indian side dishes and homemade chutneys. Easy peasy. And then I started inviting people. More than a dozen to be exact. I remember lying in bed and thinking to myself, how many momo can one person eat? They're small, they're tasty, they're eaten in one bite. Holy shit!! I'm going to be making like over a 100 momo!!! What the hell have I done?!

   Then I started checking out our guests for food allergies, something I always do. I had 2 gluten frees, 1 vegetarian who was also a piscatarian, 1 nut allergy who could only eat coconut and 1 lactose intolerant. **** Bad word of choice goes here. So now I was faced with a math problem. How many gluten free, how many nut free how many....Arrrrrgh! I would need a slide rule to figure it out.

   Needless to say I spent the first 30 minutes of the Oscars in the kitchen with the sound turned up surrounded by tall stacks of various bamboo steamers. Multi steamers marked for no allergic cross contamination. My kitchen looked like a hole in the wall dim sum parlor run by a bamboo steamer hoarder.

   At least the dessert was easy. A few days before, my friend and fellow Sonoman Anne McKibben who founded CocoaPlanet asked me if I'd like some chocolate to use in whatever I was concocting for dessert.  When someone offers me chocolate they usually don't have to ask twice, especially this CocoaPlanet stuff.

   What can I say about a company who's motto is "More Taste Less Sugar." Each piece is less than 100 calories, and contains only 8 grams of sugar. Plus it's Gluten Free and Kosher. I actually buy the stuff myself, to use at home, but of course if Anne wants to give me some, that's okay by me. It comes in several flavors. After she heard I had a bag of Mint Crystals that Marx Foods had given me, she contributed Cocoa Mint chocolates to the pot and a chocolate mint mousse was born.

Chocolate Mint Mousse

Here's What You Need:

7 oz of semi sweet chocolate. I used 7 squares of CocoaPlanet Cocoa Mint
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbs sugar
2 cups of whipping cream
Extra whipping cream for topping
Mint Crystals

Here's What You Do:

Chop the chocolate into pieces and set it aside.

Whip the egg yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt together in a metal bowl and set it aside.

Heat 3/4 of a cup of cream in a pot.
When the cream is hot, slowly drizzle it into the metal bowl full of egg yolk mixture.

Keep stirring while you do this, otherwise you will have scrambled eggs and not a custard base for the mousse.

Note: Some mousses, (meese, mice, moussi??) are made with a gelatin base instead of eggs. Here is one recipe. I didn't use gelatin in this mousse as one of the vegetarian guests does not eat gelatin and I didn't want to take a chance experimenting with agar agar on this particular recipe. I had my hands full with momo and rice paper wraps.

Once the cream and egg mixture is well whisked in the metal bowl, pour it back into the pot.

Now it's time to cook the custard.
Keep the heat on medium low and stir it constantly. It's ready when your thermometer reads 160 degrees.
Usually I just eyeball custard and consider it done when it coats the spoon thickly, but if you want to be technical, it's 160 degrees you're looking for.
When the mixture has reached 160, pour it through a fine strainer into a bowl.

Add in the vanilla.
Melt your chocolate pieces, either in a glass bowl in the microwave at half power for about 3 to 5 minutes. (Take it out every minute or so to stir it) or as I did, in a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water.
When the chocolate has melted (it doesn't take long) blend it into the custard.

You want to whisk this stuff until it's smooth and glossy then set it aside to cool.
When it's cooled (also happens fast) start whipping the cream.
Whip 1 and 1/4 cups of cream into barely stiff peaks.

Okay, now here's a confession. I was whipping and then decided to check on my hand blender. So, I turned it off and lifted it out of the bowl to examine it. I then decided to start whipping again, holding it near my face I turned it on. Alan said he saw that was what I was going to do but couldn't believe I would actually do it. I wound up covered in whipped cream.

That's after cleaning up. So, nobody's perfect.

Take the whipped cream and whisk about 1/4 of it into the mousse well. This will lighten the color and make it easier to work with.

 Gently fold the rest of the whipped cream into the mixture...

...until it's all folded in.

Spoon the mousse into individual serving glasses, cover them in plastic wrap and chill for at least 7 hours. I made mine the day before the Oscars, which was one less thing I had to do. Much appreciated as this is a great make ahead dessert.

The one thing I didn't do was the individual glasses. This recipe serves 8.  I  doubled it and then put it all into one large bowl, which I then spooned into individual servings as I don't have 16 all of one kind of glass.

Before serving whip some unsweetened cream.
Place a dollop on top of each mousse and then sprinkle the whipped cream with crushed mint crystals.

The result is a light and fluffy cocoa mint mousse.

Postscript: While cleaning the big bowl this was served from, I was preparing to rinse it in the sink. Alan yelled "No!" and wrestled it away from me to scrape what thin shreds of mousse remained. Classy? No. Delicious? Yes.
 
   What have I learned from this Oscar experience? I will never again serve momo to an army of people when there's something I want to see on TV. But this Cocoa MInt Mousse is a big time keeper and I'm very eager to try it with some other of CocoaPlanet's chocolate flavors. I'm truly hooked on the stuff. Thanks to Marx Foods for the Mint Crystals and CocoaPlanet for the delicious chocolate!!

  Coming up next Spring is nearly here, and it's fresh, green and healthy time again. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Finger Foods For Awards Night

   This is it. Our big weekend. Others pig out over the Superbowl, but around our house it's always been the Academy Awards, and yes the Golden Globes too, but Golden Globes night does not involve the wearing of a plastic tiara.

   Usually I'm looking for easy, quick foods to fling at my guests so as not to miss any of the Red Carpet action. This year I've decided to serve a variety of things buffet style. Since I'll be having 2 gluten-free guests, one vegetarian/pescatarian, and 10 omnivores I'll be serving Indian salads and side dishes along with hot Momo and steamed Spring Rolls with a variety of fillings.

   I've been practicing my rolling, steaming and filing techniques, and one of the stuffings I'll be serving this weekend is lamb. I gave the lamb a test run this weekend when our guests from LA were visiting and it was a hit. They're simple to mix and make. One pound of ground lamb, some nuts and spices and you're in business. Once you get going you can't stop steaming and eating them. At least that's what happened here.

Lamb Momo

Here's What You Need:

1lb of ground lamb
1/4 cup of chopped pistachios
8 finely chopped dried apricots
1 small onion finely chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
3 Tbs of chopped fresh cilantro
3Tbs of finely chopped fresh mint
1/4 tsp or  to taste Kashmiri chili powder or a mixture of cayenne and paprkia.
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of salt or to taste
1 package of wonton wrappers

Here's What to Do: 

Mix all of the above listed ingredients together.
Refrigerate the mixture for about 1 hour.
Put 1 Tbs of the mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper.
Put the Momo into a steamer.
Place the steamer over boiling water
Cover it and let steam for about 12 minutes.

Serve with chutney or raita or sauce of your choice.
I served these with Mango Curd, a mint raita, and Quick Tomato Chutney. This Tamarind dipping sauce works great too. Serve 'em up and stand back.

Other great finger foods for Awards night are Indian Potato Fritters

Here's a recipe for Steamed Bao with an Indian Filling

As to desserts, I'll be working on a very special gluten free treat involving chocolate, but there are always Baked Spiced Mini-Donuts
 

...or a lovely Gluten Free Chocolate Mandarin Orange Cake

   The great thing about all these dishes is that they can all be made ahead of time, and for the things that need to be served hot, the makings can be prepped early to await steaming. It couldn't be simpler than that.

   Coming up next, that gluten free chocolate dessert, follow along on Twitter @kathygori

When Company Shows Up, Fast Snacks Do The Job

   If it hasn't been crazy enough around here, one of our best friends from LA showed up. He was doing some workat Pixar and so decided to come up to Sonoma for the long weekend. Any visit usually brings a wave of cooking, but since we've had our plate relatively full, the cooking morphed into eating out all over town and then inviting our local friends over to eat and drink late into the night at our house.

   The sudden influx of company seemed like the perfect opportunity to give a test run to some of the products that the good people at Saffron Road Food wanted me to try. I'm not a huge  night-time snacker, but when company comes for movie night or just plain whatever, I like to be able to throw some tasty stuff at them. Usually the way it works is I tell people to bring whatever they'd like to drink, I'll supply the food.

   Since the snacks are usually Indian even though this is Wine Country, the preferred beverage  for most of our guests is beer. In this case a very special beer only available for a brief period of time around here... the legendary Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing Company, Racer 5 from bear Republic Brewing and Red Tail Ale from Mendocino Brewing Company. There may have been other things too, but I was too busy preparing food and guzzling fizzy water to notice. I am after all the designated cook.

   I usually make everything from scratch so this evening of using prepared Indian snacks was a first for me. I must say Saffron Road made it pretty easy. I served three different bags of their Crunchy Chickpeas, Falafel, Wasabi and Bombay Spice. They're rated at different heats, roasted not fried, (big plus there) and Gluten Free. Yes, a gluten free snack food. You'll never miss your chips again.

   I sampled all three flavors and preferred the Bombay Spice, but that's just me. Needless to say, all three bowls of crunchies were quickly emptied. For the main event I opened a couple of boxes of their Tandoori Seasoned Chicken Nuggets. I preheated the oven, opened the box, popped the frozen nuggets on a cookie sheet and 15 minutes later we were eating chicken.

The chicken nuggets were made of lean breast meat. While everyone was chowing down on beer and chickpeas, I whipped up a couple of dips to compliment the flavor.  One was a Quick Tomato Chutney and the other a cooling Mango Curd
 

Both were fast and easy, links to the recipes are above.

Because I am a total glutton, I also couldn't resist making Momo to add to the table. In the name of ease however, I used wonton wrappers instead of making my own momo dough. It worked just great.

   So how did I Iike my first foray into using prepared frozen treats for entertaining guests? It was easy, tasty and simple. I liked the idea that while the main feature was not made by me, the dipping sauces were, which added an easy homemade touch. Will I be trying this again? I think that these products will make a nice addition to my larder/freezer. It's always great to have stuff around for company and I've learned that I don't always have to do everything myself. It's about time. Thanks Saffron Road for giving me a chance to entertain easily.

   Coming up next, my Super Bowl, Academy Awards watching food. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Dip Those Momo And Anything Else! Quick Tomato Chutney.

    I love chutneys and dipping sauces of all sorts. There's a certain zen state I get into when I'm canning things, and since nearly all my stores of chutney have been demolished because of all the holiday feasting, I need to get started and make some more. Like yesterday. I'm going to be participating in a burger cooking expo in the Plaza this coming weekend. I'm making kheema and I'm also going to be making some condiments to go with it. How all this is going to go down in a crowd I have no idea, but it should make for some interesting (read embarrassing) pictures.      
   While I worked that out I was faced with making some sauces that would be appropriate for the various momo I served last week at Tim and Irvings' party. I made two types of momo, vegetarian and for those who wanted it, chicken. The vegetarian momo turned out to come from a rather lazy idea of mine.
   One of my favorite Indian salads is a cabbage and carrot salad garnished with roast peanuts, (My version uses peanut powder.) It's quick and easy and always a big favorite at our house. For my purposes I've  changed only two things in this recipe:
 1) I shred the carrots instead of slicing them on a mandolin.
 2) I use peanut powder instead of whole roast peanuts.
 Other than that the recipe is the same, and I've found it makes an amazing stuffing for vegetarian momo.

   The Tamarind chutney I made went perfectly with the cabbage and carrot momo. The tartness of the tamarind with a hint of jaggery, or piloncilo, or brown sugar if you haven't got it was just what the sweet vegetables in the momo needed. But what of the chicken momo???  I decided to make a second chutney since of course I have all the time in the world... not. I was looking for something fast and something that would work with everything else I was making. The answer, Tomato Chutney.
  The great thing about this chutney is that it makes up fast and you can have it on the table quick, quick, quick. I used canned tomatoes as right now we're not exactly at the height of tomato season. this works fine as long as you use the best quality canned tomatoes you can get.

Indian Style Momo Dumplings

Here's what to do:
 In a large pan or kadhai heat up 2 Tbs of vegetable oil. I  use coconut oil. When the oil is hot toss in:
 2 cups of thinly sliced onions
 4 dried red chilies seeded and crumbled up
 1 tbs chopped fresh ginger.
 Stir this all around, cooking it for about 5 minutes or so until the onions  get a bit soft.

 Add in:
 canned tomatoes equal to about 4 or 5 chopped tomatoes.
 Salt to taste (if you're using canned tomatoes, remember all of them have salt unless you buy the unsalted variety as I do.)
 Cook the tomoatoes for about 5 to 10 minutes until they're cooked through and softened.

 Put the tomato mixture into a blender or food processor and grind it up to a chunky consistency.
 Put it into a bowl  and set it aside.

It's time for the chaunk or seasoning:
In a small skillet heat 1 Tbs of vegetable oil.
When the oil is hot toss in:
 1 tsp black mustard seed
 1 tsp urad dal (this is optional)
 and 8 or so fresh or frozen curry leaves if you have them.

 When the mustard seeds start to pop, pour everything into the tomato mixture and stir it up well.

That's it. This makes about 3 cups of chutney. This goes with a whole lot of stuff, everything from momo to samosas to whatever, either Indian specialties or Western dishes.

   Coming up next, I'm finally getting around to mushrooms cooked like meat. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori