Flatbread with Mustard Greens

This is one of those "fusion" recipes that a friend of CC's found in some magazine more than a few years ago.

The results of years of tinkering are presented for your collective delectation.

Ingredients

Topping

3" ginger
5 garlic cloves
1 large serrano

1 stick cinnamon
2 tsp whole coriander
1 tbsp whole cumin
1 tbsp ground cloves
1/2 tbsp whole peppercorns

5 shallots (or 1 large red onion, finely diced)
4 tomatoes (finely diced)
2 1/2 cups chopped mustard greens

crumbled feta

Dough

1/4 cup rye flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1 tsp dried yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups water
minced cilantro (or minced mint leaves)
ground pepper

Recipe

First up, the mise-en-scène.

Diced Onions
Chopped cilantro
Diced tomatoes
Chopped mustard greens
Crumbled feta

Ginger-garlic-green-chilli paste
The ginger-garlic-green chilli paste was just ground together in a food processor.

The poolish
This is a critical part of good bread. Mix together, the yeast, the rye flour, and just enough water to make a paste. Let it sit for 30 mins.

Rye flour is like crack cocaine for yeast (the science awaits a future post.) They are going to reproduce like crazy. This is an old baker's trick, and a very good one, the CC may add.


Dough
Then, we mix together the various flours along with salt, lots of ground pepper (look at the picture closely!), and the chopped cilantro to make a dough.

Feel free to change the proportion of wheat to white flour. Just remember, you will need a longer rise for whole wheat flour.

The dough needs to rise for at least 2 hours.

Dry roasting the spices
This is a critical component of using Indian spices. You need to dry roast them. The idea is simple -- roast them till they smell "good". Start with the bigger pieces and work your way down to the smallest. In this recipe, that would be cumin (not shown in the above picture.)

Fry the onions at a medium-low heat. The goal is to soften them not to caramelize them.

This is what the onions will look like.

Add the ginger-garlic-green-chilli paste, and fry for a bit.

This would be the end result.

Add the homemade tomato paste, and fry for a bit.

Then, in go the tomatoes. Do not turn up the heat. Let them reduce at the same medium-low temperature.

Add the ground spices.

You can see the color darken from both the tomato reduction, and the masses of brown spices. This takes a while. Do not attempt to hurry the process.

In go the mustard greens.

They will wilt exceedingly quickly in the heat. This picture was taken barely 30 seconds after the previous one.

The Finished Topping
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, and top it with the topping, followed by the crumbled feta.

Bake this in an oven at 450F for 8-12 minutes. (You will need to check when it's done.)

The Final Product

Mystery Mushrooms

The CC was in Chinatown recently, and he spotted what could only be dried mushrooms except he hasn't a clue of what they are, or how they could be used.

Any clues, fellow foodies?

On Bouillabaisse

Right after she gives the recipe, the lovable Paula Wolfert had something to say in her book "Mediterranean Cooking" on why one could never make a true bouillabaisse in America.

1. For a true bouillabaisse, people will tell you that it must be made in sight of the Mediterranean and, at the very least, cooked within 100 kilometres of Marseilles. There are even purists who proclaim that the water in the soup must be taken from the fishing grounds off Cacalaire. The fact that this air and these waters are now polluted is, to the fanatic gastronome, utterly beside the point.
   
   
2. For a true bouillabaisse, as I noted above, you need rascasse. A scorpion fish is hideous and you should touch it unless its poisonous fins have been removed. A variant, Heliconlenus dactylopterus, is found in North American waters but fishermen ususally toss it back.
   
   
3. For a true bouillabaisse you need a base broth made from at least a hundred tiny Mediterranean rockfish and clam juice simply won’t do.
   
   
4. Finally, no matter what you do there will be some silly snob who will say “This is a rather nice fish soup, my dear — but, of course, NOT a true bouilabaisse.”

Pumpkin Risotto

Well, it's the season and all so what better way to spend a bitterly cold evening than cooking a delicious pumpkin risotto?

First, the CC hied himself to the farmers' market where two small pumpkins, and two leeks were sourced.

After that, the CC made a jaunty saunter to his freezer where previously frozen vegetable stock could be obtained.

Ingredients

1 red onion (diced fine)
2 leeks (diced fine)
2 small pumpkins (or 1 large one)
1 stick cinnamon

2 cups vialone nano, or carnaroli rice

freshly shaved parmigiano-reggiano

Recipe

We roast cut the pumpkins, sprinkle salt and pepper over them, invert them over some water, and roast at 400F for 45 mins in a tightly covered pan.


When they are cool, scrape out the flesh. It should be roasted and very soft. Mash it to a pulp.

Here's the mise-en-scène.

First, the roasted mashed pumpkin.


Here are the diced onions and leeks.


Here is the grated parmigiano-reggiano.


Add the stick of cinnamon to the vegetable broth, and keep on a low simmer.


Sauté the onions on a medium-low heat. The point is soften them by evaporating their water. Do not let them brown.


Add the leeks, and sauté for a bit.


Then, add the rice and let the oil coat each grain. Do not worry if they toast just a little bit.


Now, here's the trick. You want to ladle hot broth into the rice so that the temperature does not fall. Plus, you would like to add the pumpkin.

So alternate! Broth, pumpkin; broth, pumpkin.



Finally, the mantecura. Tasty milk fats to finish off the risotto. First take the pot off the fire, then add the shaved parmigiano-reggiano.


Doesn't that look gorgeously yummy?

Special-ized Equipment

A martini maker.

Now the CC has seen everything.

It's "special" alright, just like the Special Olympics!

A martini is not exactly hard to make as the recipe here points out. Of course, we've seen our share of silly ideas like here.

"Deconstructed" Gazpacho

Before we proceed on this deconstruction, let's just observe what makes the gazpacho so tasty.

First off, the overwhelming purity of the tomato taste. Secondly, the textural crunch of the vegetables (onions, bell peppers, cucumber.) Thirdly, the starch via the bread (which makes it "filling"), and lastly, the sharp tartness of the vinegar (which makes it "vibrant" or "alive".)

So all we have to do is capture the above flavors. The "deconstruction" is going to consist of the fact that we are going to keep each of the ingredients separate and blend them so they are clearly observable.

The heart of it is capturing the tomato flavor. Enter tomato water.

Ingredients (tomato water)

2 lbs ripe tomatoes

Recipe (tomato water)

Pass the tomatoes through the finest screen of a food mill.

Line a fine sieve with multiple layers of cheese cloth. Put the apparatus over a bowl. Pour the above tomato puree into it.

Cover, and leave overnight.

You will see that the puree splits into two components: the tomato water below, and a solid gelée in the cheese cloth/sieve above.

Just taste the water. You will see that it has an intense tomato-ey flavor.

(Save the gelée for later. It makes a delicious "savory tomato sorbet"; or just salt it and gobble it up!)

Ingredients ("deconstructed" gazpacho)

tomato water
1/2 spanish onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 english cucumber
5-6 dried sourdough croutons (per serving)
salt and pepper
champagne vinegar
extra virgin olive oil

Recipe ("deconstructed" gazpacho)

You still need to dice the onions, bell peppers, and cucumber as the original gazpacho. (Note the "half"; the rest is not needed.)

Note how the croutons fit the pattern of dicing too. This time you need the real deal. Real sourdough bread cut up into an appropriate size before allowing it to dry out.

Whisk together a vinaigrette with the olive oil and the champagne vinegar. (This is an O/W in the classification scheme.)

Mix everything but the croutons. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill.

Add the croutons right before serving.

"Traditional" Gazpacho

Before even beginning, the CC should note that gazpacho does not refer to the just the traditional "cold tomato" soup that is justly famous but really a family of cold soups from Andalusia.

In fact, one of the joys of life emanating from Andalusia is a "gazpacho bianca" made with almonds, garlic and grapes (sounds delicious, doesn't it?)

Secondly, there are as many recipes for "gazpacho" as there are Spanish mamacita's so there will always be some silly sausagey snob who will object to whatever is given below.

In fact, they will scoff at a very specific thing below which is that everything needs to be hand-pounded. Well yes, if the CC had super-ripe tomatoes, and a day to kill but there's reality and there's "reality" (see?!? those scary deconstruction quotes do actually work!)

However, they are not completely wrong. There's a method in their madness in their demand for hand-poundage.

What's given below is what the CC feels is a suitable compromise between spending a day pounding, and just tossing everything in the blender (which would just bring out the howls from the purists, and not give a very good result either, the CC may add.)

Also remember the recipe below is super-approximate so feel free to deviate. Just don't destroy the recipe's soul.

Ingredients

2 lbs tomatoes (left to ripen till nearly over-ripe)
8-10 slices dried bread (read below!)
1 medium spanish onion
1 english cucumber
1 large green bell pepper
1 large red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
champagne vinegar
salt and pepper
olive oil

Recipe

The dried bread is something that is essential, and your gazpacho is only going to be as good as this bread. Ideally, you'd get a traditional sourdough (which will dry out.) This doesn't refer to the crap you get in a supermarket called sourdough. We are talking about bread that is "naturally fermented". (There's a scientific logic here that must wait for a later post.) Otherwise, just get the best baguette or Italian bread you can, cut it into pieces, and let it dry out for a few days.

Prep work

Peel the skin off the bell peppers with a peeler. (yeah! you heard that right!)

Peel the cucumber. (this should not be a surprise.)

Dice half of the bell peppers into uniform squares. Retain the other two halves.

Dice half the onion into the same sized squares. Retain the other half.

Dice half of the cucumber into the same sized squares. Retain the rest (see the pattern?)

Pass all the tomatoes through the finest screen of a food mill. This is labor-intensive work but is totally necessary.

Prep

Take the tomato pulp, the bread slices, the three halves that were not diced (onion, bell peppers, cucumber), the garlic cloves, and a slug of olive oil and blend them in the blender.

Go easy on the garlic. Raw garlic packs a fierce punch so tone it down.

Now, pass this mixture through the finest screen of a food mill a second time. Yep, this is hard work too.

Mix the diced stuff above with this mixture. Add salt, pepper, and the champagne vinegar to taste. There should be a slight vinegarish bite but overall the flavor should be balanced.

Chill and serve.

Obsessive Failure

So the CC seems to have lied albeit inadvertently. He has not sourced that elusive cuttlefish ink.

They lied. They always do!

Armed with a map of the Upper West Side, the CC scoured every single store between 72nd and 96th St, and nary a store carried it. The closest he came was one store that "usually" carries it. Ironically, this store is among the closest to the CC's apartment.

Yes, the CC is aware that he takes "obsessive compulsive" to a new level but what better way to spend a Friday evening than searching for "black nectar"?

After that, he called every single fancy store in town, and only one had it, and that too for nose-bleed prices.

There's always the internet but the CC remains optimistic. New York's reputation as a foodie town is on the line here!

Lemongrass Sorbet

This was the other wonder the CC encountered at the restaurant in San Francisco in August.

This is truly an object of greedy lust, and any of you who know that the CC is not that fond of dessert should know that when a dessert item inspires food lust in the CC, well...

Ingredients

7-8 stalks lemongrass (outer leaves peeled)
2 cups water
2/3 cup fine sugar
1 cup mint (torn into pieces by hand)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
large pinch of salt

Recipe

Cut the lemon grass into vague rounds. Smash them once with a pestle.

Add the water, sugar, and lemon grass together. Bring to a rolling boil.

Do not boil. Remove from the flame immediately.

Toss in the mint leaves, and let it steep for at least 20 minutes (until cool.)

Add the lime juice and salt, and blend in a blender.

If you want a sweeter presence, tone this down. If you want a traditional "sorbet", leave it tart. Remember that as it chills, the acid is going to lose a large portion of its edge so the solution may be quite tart but the sorbet will be "refreshing".

Line a sieve with several layers of cheese cloth, and filter the mixture. Toss the residue. (Yes! you need both the cloth and a fine sieve.)

Now, do the "sorbet" thing. Freeze, and every 30 minutes break up the mixture with a whisk/fork until you get fine crystals.

Langoustines

Also known as the Norway Lobster. A denizen of colder waters which you may have encountered under the Italian name of scampi.

It's quite delicious grilled, and in the spirit of Halloween, be sure to eat the salty succulent meat near the head and the eyes.

Don't be un Americain, as they say in France.

Food Deconstruction

Well, it's trendy and all but is it any good?

The CC having consumed a "deconstructed burger" at a cocktail party (mini-bun, meat, tomato, onion on a toothpick like a mini-kebab) and a "deconstructed gazpacho" at a fancy restaurant in San Francisco can say, "Yes, provided it's well thought out."

In fact, the CC was so impressed by the above "deconstructed gazpacho" that he spent a whole day making a "traditional gazpacho" and the "deconstructed version" side by side.

Just for the record, the scary quotes ("") are de rigeur. There's a difference between deconstruction, deconstruction, and "deconstruction" (insert literary theory joke here; or is that "literary theory"?)

Which brings us to a food riddle:

Q: Why is Derrida like a piece of wilted lettuce?

A: Because they are both wrinkled and rank-led.

(Get it?)

Anyway, back to the gazpachos. They were made a few months ago but in the spirit of exuberant discovery, and in the fading memory of a vanished summer, the CC will post the recipes soon.

Nero di seppia

Nectar of the gods assuming they like an iodized salty flavor. Rich, intense, over-the-top, and unforgettable.

For the record, this is not squid ink. Seppia is cuttlefish; squid would be calamari. They are quite different.

The CC has just sourced this after two weeks of trying in New York (which is borderline unthinkable) so there may be recipes forthcoming.

Strange Succulent Snacks

The CC is quite fond of these.

First up, we have tiny dried crabs in a faintly sugary glaze. You can just pop these like peanuts.

Dried Whole Crabs

Next up is dried shredded squid. Wonderfully chewy like jerky except it's tastier. Great with a beer or three.

Dried Squid

Sicilian Pasta with Broccoli

This is a sensational recipe marrying classic Italian technique with North African influences. A complete hit especially after a hard day's work.

In case you're wondering, the anchovies are critical.

A couple of points of note:

You should unambiguously see the medieval influence by the presence of the raisins. You can also see the influence of the New World via the tomato. Of course, the North African influence should be obvious.

Ingredients

1 large onion (finely diced)
4 anchovies
1/4 cup raisins
1/8 cup pine nuts
1 large broccoli (cut into small florets)
2 tbsp tomato paste (homemade)
1 large pinch saffron
salt and pepper
olive oil

shaved pecorino (or parmigiano-reggiano)

1 cup penne.

Recipe

Fry the onion at a medium-low heat until soffrito. Add the anchovies and fry for about another minute. Add the tomato paste, fry for a bit, and add some water along with the raisins and pine nuts, salt and pepper to taste.

Add the broccoli and cook until slightly under done. The saffron should go in towards the very end otherwise its delicate fragrance will disappear.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta slightly under al dente, and add it to the sauce. Heat, and serve.

The pasta should be thoroughly covered with the delicate saffron sauce, and will be tinged golden because of it.

Shave a modest amount of cheese over each serving. The dish has a really delicate taste where all flavors are key partners so be careful not to overwhelm.

Harmony is key!

French Classical Sauces

Escoffier may list hundreds but there are only 23.

W
O
W/S
O/W
S/W
(O + S)/W
(W/S)/W
O + (W/S)
(G + O)/W
(G + O + S)/W
(O + (W/S))/W
(S + (W/S))/W
((W + S)/O)/S
(O + S + (W/S))/W
((W/S) + (S ⊂ W))/W
(O + (W/S)/W)/S
((O + (W/S))/W)/S
(O/W) + ((G + O)/W)
(O + (W/S) + (S ⊂ W))/W
(S + (W/S) + (S ⊂ W))/W
(((W/S) + (S ⊂ W))/W)/S
(O + S +(W/S) + (S ⊂ W))/W
(O + S +((G + O)/W))/W

Key (letters): O = oil, W = water, G = gas, S = solid
Key (operators): + = mixed into, / = dispersed into, ⊂ = included into

For example, both broth or vinegar are just W, and butter is (W/O)/S.

Note that in a given formula, the multiple W's and S'es may be different.

This is the work of the magnificent Hervé This, co-inventor of the field of molecular gastronomy.

See if you can come up with examples of the above sauces, fellow gastronauts!

Garnish

When the CC looks back on Wall St. in his anec-dotage, he will be pondering one eternal question:

Who, in their right mind, would garnish a bowl of cut fruits with parsley?

Comparing Parsi Cookbooks

Well, a few months ago, the CC was cooking traditional dhan-saak (recipe to follow) for some friends, and had the opportunity to actually sit down and compare all his Parsi cookbooks.

There were three in all.

A tiny book by Bapsi Nariman, a recent one by Niloufer Ichaporia-King, and two books published in India by Katy Dalal.

Right off the bat, the CC noticed that Katy Dalal's books are written for other Parsis so you can only understand it if you already know how to do it, or have eaten it before. There is no hope for a beginner here.

Niloufer Ichaporia's is excellent but she has lived in the US way too long starting at a time where things were not easily available. Now that they are trivially available everywhere, she has not actually gone back to the originals. The recipes are top-notch, and the explanation of technique is impeccable but why substitute when you don't need to?

For example, she excludes vaal from the dhan-saak recipe. The CC considers it utterly crucial. While the CC agrees that the soul of dhan-saak comes from the masoor, the sweetness comes from the vaal so to get that effect, she adds sweet potatoes but starch has very little place in a meat-lentil dish.

No matter what she thinks, balsamic vinegar is not a substitute for tamarind + sugar. It just isn't. No one would ever confuse the different tartnesses of lemon, lime, vinegar, and tamarind. They are just too different. And fine vinegars taste nothing like the much cruder coconut vinegar necessary for certain Indian dishes.

She only states the importance of masoor in a traditional Parsi household in a throwaway sentence or two on page 302. If you were someone who already knew what masoor was, you'd probably just miss the sentence. The CC only found it because he went looking for that sentence, and that particular cultural interpretation.

The other two state it upfront.

Many Parsis will simply not eat a meal without a side helping of masoor, and they have tons of creative ways of cooking it to avoid boredom. Virtually every culture or sub-culture has a signature dish, and it behooves a good cook to know cultural details of this nature.

Bapsi Nariman, on the other hand, gives the recipe straight. No messing around, very minimalist but he takes other short-cuts which are not right. For example, it is important that the meat and vegetables be cooked separately, and then combined. The CC knows why his short-cut would work in India but it won't work here because you have fattier meat.

Oddly enough, Ichaporia's masalas are much more detailed and authentic, and "correct". However, she makes them in industrial sizes. Anything that starts with 1/4 cup of cumin is doomed. You'll never use that up in this lifetime.

But they are absolutely amazing and delicious!

The CC also hopes her readers know that if you toast cloves, cumin and poppy seeds, you need three rounds of roasting because if you toss them all in, the poppy seeds will burn. (It's a simple size thing.)

So what's a beginner to do?

Use Ichaporia but cross-check with Nariman. Adopt her techniques for the spices but check his basic ingredients first.

Vaal

Also known as "split lablab beans". They have a unique sweetish taste, and silky texture.

The CC was known to compose odes to this bean at a very young age.

Gingered Cauliflower

One of the CC's favorite "home" recipes. Particularly good when served with parathas.

Ingredients

1 large cauliflower (cut into florets)
5-6" ginger
4-5 Thai green chillies (substitute with serranos.)
1 tbsp roasted cumin (ground into a powder)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp garam masala
oil
salt to taste

Recipe

Grind the ginger and green chillies into a paste. (This is where food processors rock! Just try and use the minimum amount of water to get a paste with some texture.)

Fry some oil. Fry the ginger paste. Toss in the spices, and the cauliflower. Sautée for a while. Add some water, and let it cook until done.

Sometimes the CC adds fresh beans.

Oddly enough, this is one of the few cauliflower recipes that does not work with broccoli.

Orange Cauliflower

Bounty from the Farmers' Market!

Professionals v/s Non-professionals

A brief throwaway comment by a friend sent the CC into a reverie about the distinction between the two. The CC was talking about a gazpacho (forthcoming entry) and the CC was explaining the pains it took to get there.

It was pointed out to the CC that commercial kitchens couldn't possibly do that.

Well, they can, and they can't.

If they charge enough, they can. If not, they can't.

Commercial kitchens also have all these little Jamies running around all thinking they are going to be the next celebrity chef but they're just all earning a pittance, and truly a pittance it is.

No home chef can possibly have the luxury of the help, and symmetrically, no commercial kitchen has the luxury of detail.

The CC would love to have industrial-strength stoves ("BTU's, baby!!!") and an army of little minions but reality is neither going to be forthcoming nor obliging.

On the other hand, no commercial kitchen can afford to take the kind of care and detail that even an average home cook lavishes on their meals. They are ultimately a commercial enterprise, and have to get a return on their investment.

So why does their food "appear" better? They do have an army of minions, and they do have an army of tricks but they may or may not have the wealth of detail (not unless you pay steeply for it, and even then it's a bit of an illusion.)

So what's the CC's point?

The two enterprises are truly different, and it seldom behooves anyone to compare them.

Kitchen Instruments (The List)

Promised before the CC went on vacation, here are:

"The Indefensibles"

Prep work

French chef's knife
trimmer
kitchen peeler
mortar & pestle
kitchen scissors

Pots & pans

stock pot
any ol' pot
skillet

Miscellaneous

coffee grinder
food mill
food processor
blender
measuring cup

Pre-serving instruments

cheese grater

Everything else is icing on the cake; there are tons of items that would be "useful" but they are not "necessary".

Dips, Raitas, and other assorted goodies

Virtually every country that consumes milk has some variations on this theme.

The CC had a lot of leftover yogurt (don't ask!), and some assorted stuff (cucumbers, carrots, mint, curry leaves) in his refrigerator. His thoughts turned to how to consume most of it efficiently, but also leave it in a form that could be easily stored for later consumption.

Inspiration struck, and out came the thought of making a bunch of yogurt-based foods.

There are more recipes here than humans. Writing a book on these would be the ultimate waste of time. Who'd read all these basic variations on the same theme?

Tzatziki

Ingredients

1 english cucumber (grated)
2 cloves garlic (minced fine)
mint (chopped into ribbons)
strained yogurt
salt and pepper

Recipe

Mix everything, and let it sit for an hour.

South-Indian Carrot Raita

Ingredients

carrots (grated)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp urad
5-7 curry leaves
strained yogurt
salt

Recipe

Heat a tiny amount of oil in a pan. Toss in the mustard seeds. When they splutter, toss in the urad. When they turn light brown, toss in the curry leaves. Add the carrots and sautee for about a minute. Let it cool.

Mix everything together, and let it sit for at least an hour.

HaT3rZ!!!

There's always going to be things you hate.

You can't like everything, and if as they say, you are what you like, then you are just as much as what you hate.

Or as Goethe put it more poetically, "I hate everything Egyptian."

Please note that these are not things that you dislike. These are things that you hate. The difference lies in the intensity of the feeling.

So here are the list of the CC's hates:

Fast-food restaurants

"Kill me! Kill me now."

Rice pudding (and variants)

Vile texture. Utter failure as rice; utter failure as dessert.

Most Indian sweets

Too sweet. Failure at a balance in taste. Why not just eat sugar?

Soft-boiled eggs

Too yolk-y early in the morning. Worse after a bender. Would like to like them but can't.

Brownie-Coffee combo

Bad enough being "wired". This is like being "wired", and wanting to throw up. Can't imagine how bad it'd be after a bender. Wouldn't care to try.

The CC is sure there are more but this will do for a start.

Audience participation welcomed!

Dated-ness

Well, recently the CC has been making some of the older recipes on this blog (pure coincidence) and he notices that the recipes are kinda dated.

It's not really dated in the traditional sense ("ooooh! that is soooo 1997".)

While the ingredients are exactly what they should be, the description of the execution is not quite what the CC does in reality. He takes extra steps, or even skips some which he realizes are not that important. It's really a deepening of technique not a dating of the blog.

For the record, the two most important things the CC seems to have learnt in the last five years is how to "fry vegetables" (look for an upcoming post), in regards to all kinds of dishes; and the importance of texture in a dish. Controlling texture is very very important even for something that is eaten daily (a little harder to post about.)

Saffron Roasted Potatoes

The CC never thought that anything could give properly made french fries a run for their money.

If you find new potatoes, by all means use them!

Ingredients

new potatoes halved, or roasting potatoes cut into large cubes
tomatoes
saffron
salt & pepper

Recipe

First you need to dunk the tomatoes in boiling water, and pass them through a food mill to collect the pulp.

Heat some olive oil, and when hot, toss in the tomato pulp. Add salt, and lots of pepper. Let it reduce at a very low heat for at least 30-35 mins. If it thickens too much, you can always add water later.

Towards the end, toss is two large pinches of saffron, stir it, and take it off the heat.

Lay the potatoes in a baking sheet, pour the liquid all over it, and bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browned.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts

Well, the CC was never fond of brussel sprouts until he actually figured out how to make them well.

Well, the chief problem with cooking anything of the brassica family is that overcooking will make it smell bad, taste like nothing, and flabby to boot.

No taste; bad smell; no texture. How much worse can it get?

Moral? Don't overcook.

There's a simple way to handle it. Boil some water, and when it has come to a boil, dunk them, and cook for no more than 3 mins. Cool; cut each in half; then roast them.

Verdict? Very gobblicious.

Ingredients

1 lb brussel sprouts
balsamic vinegar (we used a fig vinegar)
walnuts (coarsely broken/chopped)
salt and pepper

Recipe

Boil the brussel sprouts as above. Cut them in half.

Lay them in a baking pan. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. (Alternately, you can mix them with the above in a bowl, and then lay them out.)

Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, and chopped walnuts.

Roast at 425°F for about 20 mins. Check if they have caramelized. If not, roast for another 5 mins or so.

Blistered Shishito Peppers

This is one of those concepts that almost every culture has a version of.

The idea is to serve blistered peppers, lightly pan-fried, and sprinkled with coarse sea salt. If you have very mild peppers, you don't need to control the heat. Otherwise you need to slit it, and scoop away part of the inside to control it.

Naturally, in some masochistic cultures (there's one in India), they amp up the heat by using the hottest peppers, but we need not go there.

The CC encountered some lovely shishito peppers (quite mild, with a modest heat) at the farmers market. You can also use cubanelles, or even bell peppers (provided you peel them first.)

This is one of those "Greedy Gus" recipes. No matter how much the CC makes, there's never any left so plan accordingly.


Ingredients

shishito peppers (count at least 7-8 per guest)
olive oil
coarse sea salt.

Recipe

First, you need to individually roast the peppers over an open gas flame till they are blistered and charred in spots (This is the point of the recipe at which you can store them for a few hours. Just put a paper napkin to absorb the moisture so that they don't get soggy.)

Just before you serve, sautee them in a little olive oil.

Serve them hot in a serving dish, and sprinkle coarse sea salt quite generously all over them.

Your guests will gobble them up!

Popcorn

Well, you may or may not have been reading about the ridiculous "microwave popcorn", and the chemical diacetyl causing cancer, etc, whoop-dee-doodle-doo, blahtee-bloody-blah.

Popcorn making is trivial. In fact, the CC is a big fan so he makes it often, and no funny chemicals need apply.

Let not these complete fools dissuade you. Follow these instructions, and you will have glorious golden popcorn every single time (unless you use red or blue corn.)

Ingredients

popcorn kernels
olive oil (or any vegetable oil)
salt

Recipe

First, note the ingredient list. Do you see anything funny?

No? Then the "microwave popcorn"-people are just nebbishes and clueless retards.

Pour a smallish amount of oil into a pot, something sturdy. Turn the heat to medium-low, definitely less than medium high, and toss in three to four corn kernels, and cover the pan (you need a sturdy cover too.)

Wait for the first pop or two. (this is the "hard" part.)

When they do, and the CC assures you, they will eventually, open the pan, toss in the salt, and the rest of the kernels, cover the pan again, lift the pan with gloves, shake horizontally vigorously (to cover the kernels in the oil and salt), put them back on the stove, and wait.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

Do not turn the heat up. Just wait.

When they "finish" popping, pour them into a bowl, and enjoy. You may need to add extra salt or seasoning to taste.

Shiso

English name is Perilla, or Beefsteak Plant but the CC almost always sees it referred to by the Japanese name.

You may have eaten it with your sushi most likely as ikashiso (ika = squid; shiso = shiso.)

It has a very minty taste, and a certain sharpness that takes some getting used to.

Storing Food

The CC doesn't want to turn this into one of those self-help columns, you know, Fourteen Fast Foods, Nine Nightly Noshes, or even Help for Hapless Harried Housewives but feels a bit compelled to write this after having several conversations with supposedly intelligent people.

The CC is a firm believer in causality: you know, A causes B which causes C, etc. There isn't no magic but umami, and we are but its humble servants.

It all started one day, a long time ago, when the CC was packing something into a plastic bag, and squeezing out the air before he sealed the ziplock.

A friend asked why the CC was doing that, and the CC said, it'll increase the chances of the food not going bad (or equivalently, the food will not rot as fast.)

Firstly, scorn was heaped upon the CC for believing "old wives' tales", etc. while the CC just stood there with his characteristic supercilious save-me-from-this-village-idiot grin.

Some of you are likely to have experienced this grin yourself.

The CC asked the friend, "So why does food rot?"

The answer which the highly-intelligent, over-educated scientist did manage to come up with was "Because there are fungus and bacteria which attack the food."

The CC then asked, "So where are these fungus and bacteria?"

There was a nonplussed silence.

The CC was relentless, "So where are they?"

The CC invoked the sacred Socratic silence, tapped his foot, and waited impatiently for realization to strike.

It did strike as it always does, "All around us."

After that, the coup de grâce was delivered, "So if they are all around us, then it stands to reason that their numbers are proportional to the volume of air, and hence if you squeeze out the air, you're increasing the chances of your food not going bad."

This is not like coming up with a quantum theory of gravity, you know!

Anyway, now that he's gotten that off his chest, the CC will make a segue to talking about storing food.

The CC is a realist, and realizes that the need for fabulous food must be balanced with other concerns of modern society like making money to pay for the food, etc. And anything that can promote the cause of fabulous food is then a victory.

So how does one increase the chances of vegetables in the refrigerator?

As we have clearly noted, the process of rotting isn't magic. All vegetables are covered in gook when you buy them so wash them. Next, dry them completely. Wrap them in paper towels, and put them in open bags, and put them in the vegetable crisper. (The paper towels absorb the moisture that they give off; and you will need to change the towels every few days.)

The CC assures you that this works, and you will prolong the life of your vegetables by a few days.

And, never ever put tomatoes in the fridge. They lose their smell, and tomatoes that don't have an aroma are good for only one thing. Tossing in the garbage.

There is also no need to refrigerate onions, shallots, garlic, etc. This should be obvious.

Freezing also works but it also totally destroys the texture. The ice shards formed from the water content penetrates the walls of the cellular structure totally turning them into mush.

Happy vegetable eating. That's all, folks!

The "Right" Restaurants

Well, the CC hied himself to one of his favorite restaurants in the Bay Area, a hole-in-the-wall. We've already heard about this in an earlier entry.

The owner (who's also the server) has the right attitude to food. When he goes on vacation, the place shuts down. If he thinks something is better, he tells you that you should change your order (which brings the CC to question why the original item is on the order but let's not get too analytical about these things.)

The absence of a certain I-wont-eat-pork-or-chicken-ista provided the rare indulgence of a feast of flesh. We had catfish (amok), beef, and catfish topped with shredded chicken.

The CC was told in no uncertain terms that he should upgrade to a different catfish dish from the one he ordered, and the CC did so unhesitatingly. Only the need to look dignified stopped the CC from licking the plate clean of the wondrous lemongrass sauce.

Frittering away time with a summer frittata

Well, the CC and his friends were ambling away in sunny, freezin'-cold San Francisco, and what did we see?

A farmers' market!

Well, we had no plans, and even though it was just before noon, we decided to see if we could salvage a late lunch.

Copious amounts of fresh vegetables were obtained; a quick trip to the next-door cheese store netted some buffalo mozarella, and a loaf of bread; and eggs were obtained from a nearby grocery store.

The CC should mention the existence of a sprightly, middle-aged, white-haired lady who held a rotating chakra over all the vegetables. The CC wondered whether it would rotate, vibrate or sing? Apparently, the asparagus did not speak to her inner chakra but the kiwi fruits did.

The asparagus definitely spoke to the CC who was happy to get some for the summer frittata.

We had:

a salad with a lemon-clementine dressing,

olive bread,

chopped heirloom tomatoes (with salt),

a tomato-basil-mozarella hors d'oeuvre, and

a summer vegetable frittata

During the preparation, a few of the heirloom tomatoes were inhaled by the worker bees. If you don't know what inhale means in this context, this is where someone stands near a tomato, and whoooosh! the tomato is gone. Only happens with good tomatoes.

Much fuss was made about how many eggs the CC used to make the frittata (twenty-two, in case you were wondering) but there was nothing left of the huge repast which we ate out in a lovely outdoor backyard garden.

(Recipes to follow.)

Kitchen Instruments

Well, the CC wasn't going to post after the holiday announcement but who the hell is the CC kidding?

A brief conversation with a friend, and a Buñuel Martini threw the CC into a full-blown reverie about kitchen instruments.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the CC has reveries about kitchen instruments.

The CC has noted that the Pareto principle (a.k.a. the 80-20 rule) applies to kitchen instruments as well.

There are a very small number of instruments that are absolutely indispensable. The rest one would manage somehow even if one didn't have them.

The CC will leave the list for a later date. Think of it as an "upcoming feature" on this blog.

Holiday Break

Well, the CC is off to culinary adventures on the West Coast, and he'll be gone for the rest of the month.

Have fun, and have some tomatoes on my behalf!

Culantro

Not cilantro. Culantro.

The CC hasn't lost his marbles (yet.)

Culantro (or eryngium foetidum, if you wanna get all technical.)


It's delicious. More aggressively coriandery and peppery in taste, and absolutely crucial for certain Mexican dishes.

Well, now that the CC has finally figured out how to source it without having to wander all the way to "distant" Queens, he'll be using it a lot more.

Sprouting (An Addendum)

The CC should mention that normally you won't need to mist the cheese cloth more than once even in the height of a brutal summer because the sprouting process releases so much moisture.

This once again emphasises the advantage of cloth over plastic. The ability to evaporate, and effectively reach an equilibrium with the surrounding air.

In winter, whatever you do, do not mist the cheesecloth. You will end up with mold.

Here's a classic Gujarati recipe for sprouted moth/matki beans. The word is hard to transcribe so here's a picture instead:


The beans sprout easily, and are crazy delicious.

For the record, the CC hates the commercial sprouts. For one they are "over-sprouted" (they are almost plants.) The taste doesn't compare to the mild delicate taste of freshly sprouted beans (and the CC will go into the science in a future post.)

But let's get back to the recipe.

The recipe is a classic breakfast recipe. Yep, the vast majority of the world prefers freshly made breakfast, and the CC is one of them. Eat your heart out, land of peace and granola!

Ingredients

2-3 cups sprouted moth
1 tbsp dhanajeeru (roasted coriander+cumin, powdered)
1 tsp red chilli powder (go easy!)
pinch of asafoetida
salt (to taste)
lots of lime juice (to taste)

Recipe

The recipe is kinda trivial.

Fry some oil in a pan. Toss in the asafoetida; wait 5 seconds; toss in the dhanajeeru and the red chilli powder, and the sprouts. Saute for 10-20 seconds. Add water (about 1 1/2 cup.)

Let it simmer on low heat until the beans are edible. You may need to add more water. You're going to have to play this one by mouth.

Toss in the lime juice at the end.

The stuff is supposed to be slightly watery (but not soupy) at the end. The taste should consist of the spices, a very mild heat, and enough tartness to cut the heat, and just a tad more. None should dominate (this is still breakfast we're talking about!)

You can just eat it by itself but the CC loves to soak up the juices with a nice crusty baguette (how's that for multiculturism?)