A Light Spring Soup With Buttermilk Biscuits!

   This is a story about Nettles. Once upon a time, not too long ago, if somebody mentioned nettles to me I automatically thought Wicked Stepmother, Fairy Tales, The Brothers Grimm. Nettles were something that wicked Queens made you eat, or sleep on, or wear, or gather or something like that. After all Nettles have a first name too, and it's STINGING! So yeah, if somebody (Paula Wolfert) is telling me they're good to eat, that's a leap of faith. Why not just boil up a porcupine and be done with it?

   My main experience with nettle involved the old fairy tale The Wild Swans. I had a comic book about it as a kid. It seems these guys (Princes of course) got bewitched and turned into birds, and so this Princess who was either their sister or their girlfriend or whatever, had to go gather nettles in the field and spin them into cloth in order to make clothes for these swans and then put the clothes on the swans before they flew away in order to turn them back into her brothers, or her dates or whatever.

   In the story, he turns out like this

In reality he'd probably look more like this.

   But I digress. Stinging Nettles aren't just for avian clothing anymore, if they ever were. People all over the world have been eating nettles for eons. I'm just late to the game, but better late than never. Nettles are one of the signs of Spring in the Farmers Market. This inexpensive weed is rich in vitamins and flavorful. In fact nettles are similar to spinach or sorrel in taste and the only difference is that certain precautions have to be followed when preparing them. They don't call them stinging for nothing.

   In fact Wikipedia has this to say about them:

   The leaves and stems are very hairy with non-stinging hairs and also bear many stinging hairs (trichomes), whose tips come off when touched, transforming the hair into a needle that will inject several chemicals: acetylcholine, histamine, 5-HT (serotonin), moroidin, leukotrienes, and possibly formic acid. This mixture of chemical compounds cause a painful sting or paresthesia from which the species derives its common name.
  
   So then how does the smart nettler deal with the sharp hairy little buggers? With plain old medical gloves that's how!

   

Weirdly enough, while processing them I felt less like this:

And more like this:

But at $2.00 a bag I was sold. After all where else could I get such an inexpensive, easy, seasonal soup? If you're lucky enough to have nettles at your local market or in your garden don't be afraid to try them, and if you don't, spinach or watercress will do just as well.

Spring Nettle Soup

Here's What You Need: 

1/2 lb Stinging nettles
2 tsps salt
1 onion finely chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 cup basmati rice, or 1 lb peeled diced boiling potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream

Here's What To Do: 

Boil a pot of water add in the 2 tsp of salt.

When the water is boiling toss in the nettles.

To avoid any sort of rash or getting stung, make sure that you wear some sort of gloves whenever handling the nettles, even after cooking them.

Boil the nettles for about 1 to 2 minutes, so that they soften.
Drain them in a colendar.

Run cold water over them.

Trim off the stems, and chop the nettles. It's okay to remove your gloves now.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pot and toss in the chopped onion.

Saute the onion in the pot until it's turned translucent.
Add in the rice.

And the chicken or vegetable broth.

Add in the  cooked nettles.

Bring everything to a boil then turn the heat down to medium low, slap a lid on things and let it all cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the rice or potatoes are soft.
Put the soup in a food processor or use an immersion blender and puree everything.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.
 Decorate with a bit of sour cream or yogurt and serve it up.

There it is. The sting but not the taste taken out, guaranteed to turn any old goose into a Prince.
But what would soup be without butter milk biscuits? Alone, is what it would be, at least at my house. So follow this link to my  Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

   This is what you'll find.

   So, there you have it, a quick Spring fix, courtesy of the Farmers Market. Coming up next more seasonal Indian cooking and something extra. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

Cooking With An iPad. Sweet Potato Coconut Soup iOS 5

   I am a geek. Yes I am. Truly. My geek credentials were not immediately evident since I started out as many do as a total Luddite when it came to computers. This was way back in the big hair days of the shoulder padded '80's (in my case a duo-toned, modified mohawk or a very very short early Annie Lennox Eurythmics look.) The days of leg warmers and neon colored sweat bands, (in my case all black Issey Miyaki.) The days when the personal computer first reared it's head.
   As a professional writer, the computer scared the shit out of me. Alan and I liked to write in long hand on yellow legal pads. Every 20 pages we'd go to our respective typewriters and translate everything to the typewritten page. When the script was done, we'd take those pages to a professional typist that the studio paid for. She would type the script up and the studio would send a messenger to the house to pick up the manuscript.
   This wasn't the most efficient way of doing things. Sometimes we were late. Then I would cajole the delivery guy with offers of cookies, tea, hard liquor, anything to keep him busy while we made last minute corrections. Remember, since we were not working for the Pentagon, there was NO INTERNET at this time. Stuff was copied, and hand delivered.
   This could also be tricky if we happened to be finishing a piece of work while we were at our place in Sonoma. Then we had to chase the Fedex truck which stopped in our tiny town once a day at 3:30 precisely. If we missed it, we had to follow it to Petaluma and try and catch it there, or Santa Rosa. Sometimes we missed it all together.
   Finally  after sending a secretary to our house to cut and paste a draft together, the studio we were working for put their foot down. We MUST get a computer. No ifs ands or buts. And so we did. After hearing from all our fellow writer friends who were going the computer route at the time, we decided on an Apple Macintosh. We still have two of them in the garage. They look like little breadboxes. When plugged in (we tried this about 6 months ago) they made a soft girrrrring sound, churned a bit and then we got scared and unplugged them. They held a mighty 128K memory (impressive at the time) we were hooked.
   That is Alan was hooked. I was a Luddite remember.
    At that point, the biggest fight we ever had in our married lives (up til the French fry incident) was in the computer store the day we bought the damn Mac. I hate to admit this now but I wound up in tears storming out of the store. "Let your Mac drive you home!" I was "absofuckinloutely never never never ever ever ever going to write on that machine!" I was a freakin' artitste!
 If "that thing" was going to be brought into the house, it would be something like "over my dead body" or words to that effect. I wanted to keep using the little aqua portable Olivetti that I'd had since college. I told Alan that if he still insisted on buying that "thing", then he would be the only one to touch it. I refused. I would cook the meals, he could do all the "entering". That was the deal and I was sticking to it.
   Well, that didn't last. Sooner rather than later I became intrigued. I learned to write some code and as soon as the internet came along I was totally and completely on board. I have been joined at the hip to any Apple product I could get my mitts on ever since. So much for Luddites. I cannot get wired up enough.

  So when I got an email from Jake over at  the new app Appetites offering me a free download and test drive, I was at "yes!" instantly. Especially since this app features recipes from some of my food blogger  friends like Fujimama. I remember back when she wrote about  filming these little recipe clips and wondering what it was all about. Now I know. What it's about is pretty damn amazing.
   The way it works is the app is downloaded for 99 cents...All of a sudden all these friendly chefs are talking to you, telling you about their food, why they cook the things they do and why you'd like to make these dishes. Then the fun begins. With the first download comes a Starter Pack of 30 recipe videos. 30 short, step by step walk-throughs of 30 great recipes. There's something for everyone. It's advertised as the cookbook of the future. Damn straight it is. It's the damn Daily Prophet of Cookbooks is what it is.



 This thing comes alive, only without Lord Voldemort.
    I frequently take my iPad into the kitchen with me when I  cook. I prop it up, open to my own web page and look up which of my recipes I'm working on. Of course I  have to keep looking back at the page 'cause I'm not all Harry Pottered' up in there, unlike Appetites.
    Here's the cool part... I picked a recipe, assembled my ingredients and got to work. I'm cooking away and then I notice someone is talking to me, telling me what to do next and I'm not even pawing my iPad with my greasy, messy fingers. It's like having a tiny Mario Batalli in your ear, except actually possible and a whole lot less kinky. I loved it.
  But how's the food you ask? So far, I've fixed one recipe, Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup. I chose that one because I had all the ingredients at hand, and since we're under work pressure, it worked for me.

Sweet Potato Coconut Soup

Here's what they told me to do:
Peel and dice 2 Sweet Potatoes...(note: the soup in the Appetites picture is bright orange. Sweet potatoes are not orange, yams are orange, yet the recipe called for sweet potatoes, and so I bought sweet potatoes. In my market what is in the Appetites picture are called yams. Maybe it's a regional thing I don't know.)
Put the sweet potatoes into a large soup pot along with:
  The grated zest of 1 lime (save the juice)

  1  Peeled and diced onion
  A 1 inch square of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
  1 jalepeno, seeded and finely chopped

 1 small bunch of chopped fresh cilantro

 Add in:
  4 cups of chicken broth

  1 can of coconut milk

  The juice of 1 lime
 Salt to taste.
 Turn up the heat and bring everything to a strong boil.

  When the soup is boiling, slap a  lid on things, turn the heat down to a lively simmer and let it all cook for about 25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are cooked through.
 Place the soup in a food processor, a blender or use an immersion blender as I did. Puree it to a nice creamy consistency.
 Check the seasoning and serve it up.
  Garnish it with a couple of thin slices of the jalepeno that was not used in cooking.

  The soup was delicious, rich and creamy with Thai flavors, perfect for a chilly early Autumn evening in wine country.

   I absolutely loved this App! Would I buy it on my own? Yes. the recipes are easy, accessible, and it's fun to cook along with someone else. Kitchens can sometimes be a lonely place on a harried weekday evening and it's great to hear a friendly voice chopping along with you. And if you ever said you would never ever never ever cook with your iPad...think again.
   So what else is going on around here? Besides New Roofapalooza Day 3?! Alan's cousin is coming up from Berkeley, so a feast is in order for this weekend and I'm going to be whipping up some gluten free, sweet treats in honor of the Indian  Diwali Festival which is fast approaching. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

 Update: Appetites App is entry priced right now at .99 cents, soon to be going up to 4.99 (still a deal) another reason to snap it up now! 

Spicy, Snappy, Buttermilk Sambar. Lunch In One Hour!

   This has been an insane week around our house. We've been updating all our computer equipment and everything that that entails... don't ask. What with all of the shopping for HDMI cables at online places in Paramus New Jersey and Rancho Cucumonga (if only there were a Frys nearby) I haven't spent much time in the kitchen. In other words I haven't been cooking. We've had several dinner invitations at friends' houses (I love when people cook for me) and it all was topped off by a Valentines Day feast at our favorite date-night restaurant in Sonoma The Girl and The Fig. So finally, after all this bacchanal of cables and Divers scallops, it was time to step behind the range again and flip on all my burners.
   The idea for this Kerala sambar was built around the fact that I brought home a doggy bag from last nights' dinner. So did Alan. Okay, entree in place, all I needed to add was a veg and something to fill out the meal. That's  where the sambar comes in, a warming, nourishing soup, chock full of vegetables, that whips up in an hour or less. The perfect partner for a left overs kind of day.

Buttermilk Sambar

Here's what to do:
  In a heavy skillet put 2 Tbs of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot toss in:
1 and 1/4 tsp of fenugreek seeds
1 tsp of coriander seeds
1 and 1/2 Tbs of Toor dal
1 and 1/4 tsp of Urad dal
6 dried red chilies

Saute it all around for about 2 minutes or so until the dal and chilies and spices darken a bit.
When the spices are cooked, put them into a spice grinder or blender along with:
4 Tbs of dried grated coconut
A chopped 1 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger
And a bit of water to make it all go round. Grind it into a paste.

In a bowl mix:
2 cups of plain yogurt
1/4 tsp of turmeric

Whip it all together and set it aside.
Meanwhile chop some zucchini (I used grey zucchini) into 1/2 inch pieces until you get 3/4 of a cup.

Set them aside.

Now to put it all together:
 In a large skillet or kadhai, heat 2 tsp of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot toss in:
 1 tsp of brown mustard seeds
 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds
 1 tsp of cumin seeds
 1 dried red chili broken in half
 About 6 curry leaves

 When the mustard seeds start to pop, add in the chopped squash.

 Stir it up and saute it a bit then add enough water to the skillet to cover the squash.

Put a lid on the pan, turn down the heat a bit and simmer it all for about 30 minutes or so until the squash is tender.
Finally, add in the yogurt paste mixture.

Stir it all together and keep stirring it warming it carefully (no curdling allowed) until it's warmed through. When it looks like it's about to boil, take it off the heat and serve it up.

 

 Hot and spicy with chilies and lovely vegetables, it's goes perfectly with any leftover. In fact tomorrow, I'm turning it into the leftover when I serve it with Basmati rice and a totally different entree. Coming next, a non boring, fast meal in about an hour and experiments with high fiber, low carb, gluten free coconut flour courtesy of my friends at Tropical Traditions

Spicy Tamarind Sambar, A Dal Soup Easy and Perfect With Any Meal

   When I was preparing the menu for my Foodbuzz 24x24 pongal feast, I had one step that was easy. I knew that no matter what I had on the menu, one dish was an absolute must in any South Indian meal, and that was a sambar. This spicy dal soup is an essential part of any festive occasion. The great thing about sambars is that they make up really, really quickly. They also keep well and can be made ahead of time which saves on the work involved. This was a good thing since I was chasing all around Sonoma County looking for more exotic ingredients and stuffed velvet mini-elephants.
   Over the years, I've made variations on this basic dish, but there are two things that always make a sambar: Tamarind and toor dal. Well, actually three things, the third being Sambar Powder. Can't have the sambar without the powder that adds the necessary spice and flavor.
   Sambar powder is sort of like curry powder or garam masala. There are many variations and you can buy it ready made. However it's really easy to make a batch up yourself and then store it in an airtight jar in your spice cabinet, so why not do that? I always keep a supply of old jars around the house for just such a purpose. Paula gave me that hint. Run them through the dishwasher to make sure they're clean and they're perfect for labeling and storage of anything you desire.
    So for starters here's how to make a basic sambar powder that works well with Spicy Tamarind Sambar.

Tamarind Sambar

 Sambar Powder
 In a heavy skillet (I use cast iron) heat 1 Tbs of vegetable oil.
 When the oil is hot toss in:
 1 cup of dried red chilies
 Stir them around for about 2 to 3 minutes. They'll darken a bit and turn fragrant. Set them aside in a bowl for later. Wipe the skillet clean of oil.
  In the skillet dry-toast the following spices separately until they turn color and put off a strong scent. As each one is finished set it aside in the bowl with the red chilies.
  3/4 cup of coriander seeds
  2 Tbs of cumin seeds
  3/4 Tbs of fenugreek seeds
  3/4 Tbs of black peppercorns
  3/4 Tbs of brown mustard seeds
  1 tsp of chana dal
 1 tsp of toor dal
 1 tsp of poppy seeds
 1 large stick of cinnamon
 A few (3 or 4) curry leaves
  After all these spices are toasted, put them together in a blender or food processor along with 1 tsp of turmeric (untoasted) and grind it up to a fine powder. Store it in an airtight jar in your spice cabinet.   Bingo, there's the sambar powder!

Now to make a Spicy Tamarind Sambar.

   Soak  two pieces of tamarind, each the size of a lemon, in 4 cups of hot water for about 15 minutes. The thing about tamarind is that it seems to be very gettable, Back in the day, I used to buy it in hard blocks that contained the seeds and it was rather a chore to prepare. Recently I found blocks of seeded, dried tamarind in my local Asian market. Break off a piece, place it in the hot water and then strain the tamarind soaking water into another bowl, getting as much liquid out of the tamarind chunk as possible.
 Set the tamarind juice aside and toss out the pulp.
 In a heavy skillet or kadhai heat about 4 Tbs of sesame oil .
When the oil is hot toss in:
 4 dried red chilies
 2 tsp of brown mustard seeds
 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds
   When the mustard seeds start to pop add iin:
 2 tsp of toor dal
 2 tsp of chana dal
 2 tsp of urad dal
 A few curry leaves

Stir this all around and saute it until the dal starts to turn a light, toasty color.
 Add in:
 12 peeled and lengthways chopped challots.

 Saute them for a few minutes and then add in:
 6 tsps of Sambar Powder

  Saute for another minute or so and then pour in the tamarind soaking water

 4 Tbs of jaggery (or dark brown sugar if you can't find that).
 Salt to taste

 Put a lid on the pan and simmer it for about 10 minutes or so, until the shallots are tender.
While that's cooking in a small bowl, mix together into a smooth batter:
  4 Tbs of chickpea flour
  1 cup of water
 Add the batter to the sambar and bring it to a boil. Boil it for about 2 minutes. Serve it hot with rice and a couple of other vegetable dishes .

   This dish is a winner on a lot of fronts. Not only is it vegetarian, it's gluten free and vegan also. Plus it's delicious. So delicious that your guests/family will never realize they're getting something healthy.
 There are a lot of variations on Sambar recipes and I'll be showing a few more in the next few weeks, a perfect dish for a Meatless Monday, any day of the week.

Yes! Soup For You..Plus The Rules Of The Game! Win A Ceramic Chicken Cooker From Early Morning Pottery.

I love Meatless Monday. One reason is because it overlaps into Tuesday and sometimes Wednesday too! Whee! Leftovers.
 Soup is a natural for left over meals. Especially chilled summer soups like the one I prepared yesterday. This soup involves no cooking, no muss, no fuss. All you need is a blender or food processor, a frying pan and you're good to go.
 Here's what you do.
 Peel, chop and seed 1 large cucumber
 Place it in a blender or food processor with 2 and 1/2 cups of plain yogurt.
 Blend until smooth.
 Pour into a bowl and toss in:
 1/3 cup of toasted finely chopped  walnuts
 2 Tbs chopped fresh mint
 2 Tbs olive, almond or walnut oil. I use walnut oil.
 1/2 tsp salt
 1 tsp ground dry roasted cumin seeds.
 Mix it up, cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge to chill.
 I served it with a thin slice of cucumber floating on top and a sprig of fresh mint.
  Delish. You can also spice it up a bit with a dash of kashmiri chili, it's up to you.
  Now for The Contest
 The Colors of Indian Cooking is celebrating its' 1st Blogiversary this month and I will be giving away some prizes, generously donated by Jerry and Jerry Of Early Morning Pottery.
  They are the makers of Vertical Ceramic Chicken Cookers. Paula Wolfert gave us one of these cookers for our anniversary last year. They work like a dream. No fuss, no muss, perfect birds every time.
   Now I'm passing these little gems on to you.
 I have been given 2 Chicken Cookers and 1 set of Game Hen Cookers to give to 3 lucky winners.

 The Winners will be chosen at random but there are a couple of rules to enter.
Rule 1
 On Your Blog:  Post about The Colors Of Indian Cooking and this contest on your blog
or
 On Twitter: Tweet about The Colors Of Indian Cooking. (Include @kathygori in your Tweet)
or
 On Facebook: Become a Fan of The Colors Of Indian Cooking Facebook Page here and talk about it on your Facebook status.
 Rule 2
  Leave a comment on this blog with a link to your activity.
  That's it. 
The 3 Winners will be randomly selected on June 14th.  I'll contact you and get all the info so we can send the cookers on their merry way.
 Good luck!

You Can Take The Cream Out Of The Cow..You Can Also Take It Out Of The Soup.

I love soups. They're easy, they're do-ahead, they're economical and they're also very, very filling. Soup is my friend. In preparing my meatless Monday menu, I was trying to think of things that Alan would like and would also make him feel like he was really being fed and I wouldn't hear him rummaging around my larder late at night like some crazed possum looking for "snacks".
 For years Alan ate my Indian vegetarian food happily sated, but things change once you hop on the old meat wagon and I wanted to make sure, since we eat our main meal midday "Euro" style, he would be satisfied with what he got.
 Thus, the soup. Rich creamy soups are great. Rich creamy soups are even better when they taste like rich creamy soups but don't contain all that cream. The secret? Buttermilk.
Buttermilk soup is a staple in the Indian kitchen. From North to South. Spicy, with little islands of fresh chopped vegetables floating around, it's a low fat delight. Who needs all that cream? It's not even missed. Trust me, or go ask Alan.
I made this basic traditional soup sambar style. Most sambars have dal  as a base, this one is a bit different as it uses a paste of ground almonds and coconut along with the spices.
 You may see stuff in the market sold as sambar powder. This is similar to curry powder, a combo of ground spices used for flavoring. However, it is just as easy (and better and cheaper)  to make your own sambar powder in a blender, or food processor. It uses spices most people have in the kitchen and takes about 5 minutes.

 Here's how to do it:
  In a small heavy skillet heat :
 `1 and 1/2  tsp of vegetable oil.
 When the oil is hot add in:
1/2 cup of chopped almonds

  Stir them around for a bit and then toss in:
 1 Tbs of coriander seed
 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seed
 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes....you can add more depending on how how you'd like your soup to be
 1/4 cup of shredded dry unsweetened coconut
 1 thin slice of peeled fresh ginger

   When things have started to turn color and toast lightly, pour everything into a spice grinder or food processor. Add in 1 cup of water and blend it till it's smooth.

 Meanwhile back at the soup....Mix together:
 3 cups of buttermilk
1/4 tsp of turmeric
 1 tsp of chickpea flour otherwise known as gram flour. Cornstarch can also be used in a pinch.
Set this mixture aside.

 In a deep pan or kadhai heat about 1 and 1/2 tsp of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot drop in:
 2 tsp of brown mustard seeds
 1/2 tsp of cumin seed
 When the mustard seeds start to pop, toss in 10 fresh or frozen curry leaves and
 1 lb of diced zucchini.

 Stir fry all of this for about 4 minutes  then pour in your liquid spice mixture.
When the mixture starts to boil add in 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil again.
 Once it's boiling, pour in the buttermilk blend. Bring it to a boil one more time. Third time's the charm.

 When the soup reaches boiling point this time, turn down the heat and simmer until it thickens a bit.
 Just a few minutes will do the trick.
 Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in;
 1 and 1/2 Tbs of fresh chopped cilantro.
 You can put some more chopped cilantro on the table and when you've served the soup, let people sprinkle as much as they want over the top of their soup.

This is a great soup and if there is no zucchini available (ha! who am I kidding? ) substitute it for any vegetable you'd like.
 This soup is nourishing, makes up quickly, and with a couple of other dishes on the table is a complete  meal.  Serve the soup alone with a chapatti or other Indian bread and it's a late supper or light lunch.
 With this soup, buttermilk's not just for biscuits anymore.