Red Pumpkin Is Not A Mid 80's Spy Movie, But It's Tasty, and Vegan.

   
   Stuff has been crazy mad around here lately between writing and cooking.  Most of what I've been cooking I've not been able to publish here yet because it's for the CocoaPlanet Modern French Cafe here in Sonoma, but I have managed to get back to some home focused Indian dishes...thus, the Red Pumpkin.
    
   Now, I happen to like pumpkin in any form but to be honest pumpkin isn't always available, and even when it is, all pumpkins are not created culinarilly equal.  I've learned this the hard way several times, and so when I cook "pumpkin" many times I reach for the trusty butternut squash. Every year I grow a LOT of butternut squash. I store it in a cold room in the garage and then finally cube, vacuum seal and freeze it for future use. I am never without butternut squash. So when looking at my vast array of squashes, I turned to one of  the Grande Dames of Indian cuisine the late great Tarla Dalal who has an amazing and very simple recipe for Maharashtiran  style red pumpkin.

   I have to admit, besides being able to use one of my favorite vegetables I love the name Red Pumpkin even if I don't actually have one...it just reminds me of the cheesy Red Sonja movie from the 80s.



Which reminds me of the time I found myself seated on a couch at a producer's house party eating Mexican BBQ and talking to a perfectly normal sort of person who turned out to have been Red Sonja. Go figure. Seems like there was a lot of "Red" themed movies back then... Red Dawn, Red Heat...you get the drift. What's that got to do with Pumpkin? Nothing... just background. So without further ado here's... red pumpkin/butternut squash easy, simple, totally vegan, and gluten free.

Maharashtiran  Style Red Pumpkin/Butternut Squash

Here's What You Need:
3 cups of cubed butternut squash
2 Tbs vegetable oil (I always use coconut oil)
6 curry leaves (if you don't have them just omit as there's no real substitute)
1/2 tsp brown mustard seed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp chopped shallot
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp kashmiri chili
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

Here's What To Do:
Get your spices together.

 Chop the shallot.

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet or kadhai.

When the oil is hot add in the mustard, curry leaves, and cumin seeds.

When the mustard seeds start to pop and cumin seeds start to toast  (this happens fast so be prepared) add in the shallot.
Saute for about 30 seconds.

Add the squash cubes...

...turmeric, kashmiri chili powder, garam masala and salt.

Add in  1/2 cup of water.

Stir everything together well, and put a lid on things.

Let everything cook for about 12 minutes.

Check the vegetable every now and then to make sure nothing is sticking or burning.
When it's cooked through, serve it up garnished with the chopped cilantro.

All you need with this for a perfect lunch is some spiced Basmati rice and a roti or two and you are golden! All it takes is about 30 minutes from start to finish and that in my opinion makes it the perfect working weekday meal.

Coming up next...more vegetables of course and there always has to be something sweet. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori . Stay tuned...no flipping!

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 

Sweet, Spicy and Fragrant, Corn and Tamarind Curry.

   
   Today we started this year's planting for our garden. Actually lats week we put in the Yukon gold potatoes but this week we got down to the serious stuff, chilies of several varieties, 4 different types of eggplant, tomatoes, butternut squash, and beets. I'm still waiting on the radishes, spinach, purslane, and heirloom carrots. Hopefully we'll have as abundant a crop this year as we did last year when a simple investment in seeds and starters kept us well fed veggie-wise into the late Fall.  Right now, nothing is available in our garden except the nettles I recently harvested which will probably become some sort of pasta, so I'm always on the prowl for fresh produce. I lucked out the other day with some corn and decided that a simple corn and tamarind curry would make a great quick and easy lunch dish accompanied by a player yet to be named.
   
   As it turned out, I'd used my Ninja blender to grind rice and urad dal for dosa batter and I figured this might be the perfect opportunity to break in my newly seasoned cast iron tava. One thing led to another (mainly Alan wanted dosas) and before I knew it I was behind the kitchen island dishing out dosas stuffed with corn curry like some kind of indoor food truck. We didn't even bother with dishes... I served it all on paper plates and we ate standing up. It was that kind of day. So I thought that simple corn curry with tamarind was a real keeper. Dosas or not it's guaranteed to be a great  easy to make in a pinch dish and it's perfectly delicious even if not wrapped up in a dosa.

Corn and Tamarind Curry

Here's What You Need:
2 ears of  fresh corn
2 Tbs of tamarind paste (jars of this now seem to be found at most large supermarkets)
1 small onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes ( I use Aleppo pepper)
2 Tbs vegetable oil. I use coconut oil
3/4 tsp salt or to taste
3 Tbs freshly chopped cilantro
A couple of grinds of black pepper

Here's What To Do:
Mix together the cumin seeds  and fenugreek seeds. Set them aside.
Finely chop  the onion

Remove the corn kernels from the cob and set them aside.

Dry roast the fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds in a pan until they start to release their aromas, and then grind them together with the red pepper flakes in spice or coffee grinder.

Grind everything to a coarse powder and set it aside.
In a skillet or kadhai, heat the vegetable oil.

When the oil is hot, add in the finely chopped onion.

Stir it around until it turns translucent and golden, then add in the corn.

Stir it around a bit and toss in the roast ground spices and salt.

Cook all of these together until the corn is cooked through. This takes about 5 minutes or so.
Add in the tamarind paste.

Stir it around until it's mixed in well and then keep stirring until it starts to cook down and glaze the corn and spices.
Add in the chopped fresh cilantro.

Cook for another couple of minutes.
Place it all in a serving dish, hit it with a few grinds of black pepper, and serve it up.

   Warm sweet, spicy and fragrant with simple spices, this is a great vegetable dish all on it's own with rice or another veg, served alongside meat or fish, or even wrapped up in a dosa or two... or three which is what we did.

Coming up next,  more spring vegetables take advantage of Indian flavors, and rose petal jam right out of the garden. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Easy, Peasy. Cabbage and Peas, Bengali Style, #Vegan and #Gluten Free

   I grew up as a city kid in San Francisco before the time of crazy real estate prices and the influx of Silicon Valley Money. We lived in a working class neighborhood, where houses like the one I lived in most of my early life now sell for gazillions of dollars. Money was tight around our house and Thursdays (payday) were a big deal. My mom would go out and buy meat. Big whoop! Between paychecks we ate a lot of vegetables, unfortunately, most of them frozen as those were cheap and easy to fix. We also had a LOT of those 98 cent boxes (yeah I'm dating myself) of Kraft Mac and Cheese. If a neighbor went fishing in the Bay the whole block got in on the catch and we had fresh fish, but vegetables...not so much. One year I decided I'd attempt to grow some vegetables in our backyard such as it was. I bought seeds, planted them and at harvest time, got 2 zucchini and 1 pod of peas. That was the end of my "urban farming." It was back to Lima beans in a freezer bag and bell pepper surprise on the Wednesday before paydays.

   Flash forward to the present and I finally got my growing act together. I've always enjoyed foraging, both around the neighborhood in Santa Monica, and here in Sonoma, but this year we really got serious and planted a serious ass garden! When we bought our new house last year, besides doing interior renovation to make it water and energy efficient, as "green" as we could, we also took out the lawn and xeriscaped  both in front and in back. We put in 7 big raised growing beds, along with fruit trees, and this summer we started  reaping what we had sown.

   Here in Sonoma, there are a lot of farms so fresh vegetables are all over the place, but good organic stuff still can have a pricey sticker so we concentrated on planting things we loved and I cooked a lot in my Indian dishes. A lot of then veggies we grow are things that have a higher price tag in the markets. This Butternut squash for instance..all 8 and 1/2 lbs of it, organically grown, would coast 3 bucks a pound at the store, yet it's only one of the monsters I have in the garden. Prepare for a lot of squash recipes.

There are some vegetables however that are available very cheaply, and those I did not bother to plant, chief among these is cabbage.

   Cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables. It's amazingly versatile and can be found in almost every cuisine on the planet. There are a lot of cabbage dishes in the Indian kitchen most of them very easily, and inexpensively prepared. This Begali cabbage dish, aka Torkari is one of them. Just a note before starting. A very easy, in a cheap way, to fix this dish is to use bags of pre-shredded cabbage that are sold for coleslaw. These bags usually cost about 1 dollar and I recommend them for economy's sake for those who don't feel they'd like to commit to an entire cabbage. It's also a hell of a lot easier if you don't have the time or inclination to chop and shred. This dish can be on your table in under an hour which makes it a real keeper for work days.

Bengali Cabbage, Potato, and Peas

Here's What You Need:
1 cup of shredded fresh cabbage ( or 1 8 oz bag of preshredded coleslaw cabbage)
1 large boiling potato (cubed)
1 curry leaf (optional)
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 cup of green peas (fresh or frozen)
3 Tbs vegetable oil (I use coconut oil)
1 large tomato fresh or 1 16 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp kashmiri chili
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garam masala


Here's What To Do:

Traditionally, this dish is cooked by frying the uncooked potato in oil but I find if one wants to reduce the amount of oil in a dish, this isn't the greatest idea. Potatoes like eggplants tend to really soak up the oil, so what I do is quickly boil or steam the potato while I'm chopping up the other ingredients. This takes about 15 minutes. Cut the potato in quarters and drop it unpeeled in some water, by the time it boils it'll be pretty much cooked. When it's fork tender, it's ready.  Drain it, run cold water over the cooked pieces and set it aside to cool.

Place the grated cabbage in a bowl and pour cold water over it to cover.

Set it aside to soak for 30 minutes.
Peel the cooled, cooked potato.

Chop the potato into cubes.

Set them aside.
Make the ginger paste. Cut a 1 inch piece of raw peeled ginger into thin slices.

Place the ginger slices into a grinder along with the ground cumin, turmeric...

...and Kashmiri chili.

Add a teeny bit of water...

...and grind it into a paste.

That is your ginger paste.
Slice the fresh tomato, then chop it. This one is right out of our garden.

 
When the cabbage has soaked for 30 minutes, drain it.

 Heat 3 Tbs of vegetable oil in a skillet or kadhai. I use Sonoma Harvest Organic Coconut Oil.

When the oil is hot toss in the cubed potato.

Since the potato is already cooked, you just want to stir it around a bit so it crisps slightly.
Now, add in the curry leaf (if you are using it) and the cumin seeds.

When the cumin seeds start to sizzle add in the chopped tomato.

Stir it around toss in some salt to taste.

Cover the pan, and cook the tomato until it's soft.
When the tomato is nice and soft add in 1 tsp of the ginger paste.

Cook, stirring things around until they're well mixed and the oil in the pan starts to separate from the spices.
Add in the peas...

...and the drained cabbage.

Mix everything together well, then turn down the heat, cover the pan and let things simmer for about 20 minutes.
Take the lid off the pan, and if you have a lot of water coming off the cabbage, turn the heat up and let the water evaporate from the pan.
When the water has evaporated toss in the garam masala, and the sugar. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary.

If you  are not vegan, at this point you can drizzle 1 melted tablespoon of butter or ghee over the finished dish before serving. This is not required however.
Serve it up!

   Spicy, sweet and crunchy, this is a delicious dish that requires nothing more than some rice and chapatti for an easy Indian lunch, or you can pair it with any Western meal for a great and inexpensive side. I love cooking with cabbage almost any time of year and those little bags of coleslaw cabbage are a real money and time saver. Coming up next a very special dessert, care of CocoaPlanet Chocolate. Follow along on Twitter at @kathygori