Small ways in which I let work, soak and play.
- Covering my plannerpad in purple
- Making a 2010 booklist on the beige-y pages in my plannerpad
- Buying colorful striped folders to organize my papers
- Resolving to use this big fat and almost empty diary as my 2010 journal
- Decorating notebooks with collages of pretty paper, for brainstorming at work and at play
- Writing on the beach
Visiting Florence was a little strange. I think it always is strange visiting the place that you’ve been most excited to visit. You expect to be overwhelmed by certain things and when you are not, you are left with an annoying nagging sensation accusing you of not trying hard enough. Until you finally do reach a place or experience, that makes being overwhelmed as easy as slipping on a slide in a park. Zwiippp and you are back to feeling like you’d expected to. Except your expectations are no longer of any consequence. Only that thing you are watching or feeling.
Just as I felt a little let down, I saw the Pieta. Then the next morning Brancacci chapel. With that one guy in every Massacio fresco, who is looking away. Or atleast looking unlike what is expected of him. His frescos remind me of Degas’ paintings. With the beauty emerging in small details, or in the absence of something that should be there. And the whole stretch between the river and the Uffizi.
But Rome was different. That maybe because the feeling of being let down came somewhere in the middle and not on the first day. And more from inconsequential eating joints than from acknowledged sources of beauty.Except, I did find parts of St. Peter’s Basilica, vulgar and ugly. Only the austerely beautiful Pieta seemed to belong. Or maybe, that was the only thing out of place? Because the first day in Rome was lovely. We walked and lingered and watched people eating roasted chestnuts. And men roasting the chestnuts that the people were eating. And we heard strains of accordion music. Which was one of the happiest things I’ve heard. And also the saddest. And we slept soundly. For the first time in Italy. Which sounds great, but that is only because it took me 4 days to finally step into Italy time. But it was lovely. Lovely to wake up in the morning and hear street noises outside our window. And see bare, feathery trees that seemed happy about winter. And large tarry roads that looked liked people had danced on them. It was Sunday.
11:29 a.m (P.S.T)
I can’t find my keys. Cheerfully optimistic that I have just misplaced them, and that they will amiably turn up when I am looking for something else, I have decided that I am not going to get worked up trying to find them. Instead I have decided to work from home and enjoy the buzz of the heater while I cozily curl up under the razai with my warm laptop on my (where else?) lap.
Today is the last day of the year. And tomorrow, is the first day of a brand new year. I know, it must seem like I am just stating the obvious. But all I am really doing is letting the words roll off my tongue and onto this virtual space, wondering why they sound so important. Why intangible time stamps like the end and beginning of a year, are labels of such consequence, and to some, even infinitely comforting. But there is something so forgiving about a New Year, isn’t there? Almost like there is about a blank sheet of paper. There may have been several crumpled sheets of paper before this one, but this new blank sheet gives you the permission to let go of those, if you wish. And to place your smooth inky gel pen on it, and mark its newness. Because with a blank sheet of paper, the possibilities are endless.
It does seem cliched to wax philosophical on the brink of a New Year. But, imaginary time stamp or not, I find it very comforting to cling on to cliches on this last day of the year. And so, continuing with honoring cliches, today I thought I’d make something sour and something sweet. Or really, somethings more tangible than the moments they pay homage to.
4:30 p.m
Remind me never to switch on food network in the middle of the day. I was watching some marathon food competition that was on and just couldn’t tear myself from the TV. Till now. And now watching all the tension and kitchen drama has made me nervous. Will I be able to complete these two somethings and post the write up and pictures in time?
6:30 p.m
And yay! I did. And here they are.
Something Sour/tangy : Tamarindy Coconut Chutney (Hing Phulia)
My Konkani aunt made this for us last weekend, as an accompaniment to hot, crispy Dosas. I am usually not a huge fan of coconut chutney but I found the tangy combination of tamarind, coconut and coriander/cilantro irresistible. And so I thought I’d try making this today using the scraps of instructions that I managed to retain (in my head).
First,I dry roasted 3 slit green chillies with more than a pinch of hing/asafoetida, till 1 or 2 brown spots began to appear on the skin of the chillies. Then I extracted a marble-sized ball of tamarind in half a cup of warm water. I ground 1.5 cups of coconut with the tamarind water, chillies, 1/3 cup of coriander/cilantro leaves and salt. I found the resulting combination not tangy enough to warrant the ’something sour’ tag and so kept adding tamarind till I achieved the desired level of sourness. What I would recommend though, is to take a marble sized ball of tamarind in 1/2-3/4 cup of tamarind water and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds before extracting the tamarind.
For the final seasoning: In a drop of coconut oil, I heated a 1/4 tsp of mustard seeds and asafoetida. Once the mustard seeds were done spluttering, I added it to the coconut chutney. We plan to eat this with dosa tonight.
Something Sweet: A Figgy Payasam/Kheer/Rice Pudding
For this dish, I decided to just wing it and see what resulted.Ofcourse, winging it, has its consequences and mine was that I have learnt never to try to blend dried figs in my small food processor. For a minute I thought I’d broken it. I figured out that I hadn’t broken it, only after I’d nicked my finger on the blade. So, yes, I will not be trying that anytime soon. What I did end up doing was to tear 4 dried figs into pieces of varied sizes. I kept them aside, along with slivers of almonds that I’d roasted in a drop of oil.
I heated a fistful of basmati rice in 1/4 cup of skim milk, in the microwave for 4 minutes, making sure to check that the rice wasn’t sticking to the bottom of the dish. Then in a copper bottomed steel saucepan, I heated a mixture of a 5oz can of evaporated milk and 1 and 1/4 cup of skim milk for a few minutes, before adding the almost cooked rice. I also added 2 green cardamoms (crushed, without the green cover) along with the fig pieces and 2 tsps of brown sugar. I heated this for around 15-20 minutes and then shut it off just as S was getting in from work. I tasted it and wondered if I had added too much sugar. S, tasted it and said that there wasn’t enough sugar. Thankfully, I did not listen to his suggestion of adding more, but proceeded to heat the mixture for 10-15 minutes more, till it became slightly thicker and the sweetness from the sugar and figs sort of came together.
I, the inveterate payasam hater (ok- i don’t hate payasam. I’m just indifferent to it), just loved this version. I loved biting into the soft pieces of figs in the payasam and I am glad now that I was unable to puree them.
I garnished it with the roasted slivers of almonds. Here’s how it looked:
Have a wonderful New Year All, filled with all that is sweet and savory!
P.S I found my keys.
I like to eat on a flat plate.
The longer the better.
The wider the better.
Enough place for my elbow to
sometimes touch the spicy stews
And cabbage.
And sometimes catch the rice that falls
Accidentally from my fingers
Or mouth.
I don’t like to eat from tall
Cardboard takeout boxes.
Their white walls hiding the sauces
That I want to smear on my fingertips
And lick.
Day 6
I started typing this post to the mild thuds and hammering noises emanating from our living room. There was a leak somewhere, in a pipe that runs under the foundation of one of the neighboring houses. And so our carpets were being ripped up and the furniture draped in unflattering plastic sheets. The thuds grew louder and I realized that there was no way I was going to go downstairs to make the coconut chutney that I had thought would be Day 6’s recipe. And so I began frantically searching for photographs of food on my computer, that I could possibly use. And then I found this picture of a penne-like pasta in a pink sauce, that was on my original marathon list, but which I didn’t get a chance to make this week.
This dish was born from that green seed of restaurant envy that Nupur often refers to. I had eaten a spinach filled ravioli in a pink sauce at this restaurant in Newport Beach. The sauce was so delicious that I had to summon all the scraps of will I possessed to stop myself from licking my plate. A couple of weeks after the first time I’d tasted this sauce, I was hit by a craving to eat it again. However, I decided I would try creating something similar at home rather than go out to eat it. And so I raided my fridge and pantry and attempted to do exactly that.
The original Mama D’s pink sauce is basically a a creamy pink sauce that seems to be a red sauce with some cream added to it. I decided to create a more chunky version of it with onions and bell peppers. The resulting sauce was reminiscent of, but not very similar to the original as I didn’t want to use any heavy cream. BUT it was yummy scrummilicious. Since this was quite a while ago, I don’t remember the exact quantities that I used, but I remember the method and I also found this in my recipe drafts document:
Recipe for pink sauce:
Make alfredo sauce but with flour- like a bechamel/mornay sauce..
Then onion, garlic..then tomato- a little bit of dhania powder
And that is the gist of what I did. But here are the details of this experiment.
The basic idea was to create a red tomato based sauce with onions, garlic, bell peppers, and a white sauce containing flour, butter and cheese. Mixing a red and white sauce would obviously give me a PINK sauce..:)
For the red sauce
you will need:
1 large red onion sliced into thin strips
1 cup of green/red bell peppers
2 large tomatoes
1 can of crushed tomatoes/tomato paste
3-4 cloves of garlic
1-2 tsp of dhania/corriander powder
2 tsps oil
Method
Heat the oil. Once the oil is hot (test by dropping in a cumin seed or two. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough), add the onions and garlic and saute till the onion is a soft and a light transparent pink. Add the bell peppers and let it cook for 5 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are a little mushy add the dhania powder and the canned tomatoes. Allow the sauce to cook till the crushed tomatoes lose their raw taste. Add around 2 cups of water and cook till the water mixture reduces to a thicker sauce.
For the white sauce
You will need:
1-2 tablespoon of butter
2-3 tbsps of all purpose flour (you can experiment with a little less or more)
1/3 cup of parmesan/comte cheese
1/2-1 cup of milk
Method
Heat the butter in a non stick skillet or a steel saucepan. Once the butter has melted and starting to bubble, add the flour while continuously stirring. Roast the flour for a few minutes, but don’t allow it to brown.
Add the milk while stirring, so that lumps do not form. Heat the mixture for a few minutes and then add the cheese. Keep stirring and allow the mixture to cook till it thickens. Add salt and pepper.
Putting the two together
Mix the red and white sauce. It was quite a thrill to watch the red tomato-ey sauce slowly turn pink as I added the mornay sauce to it. Almost like the first time I discovered the multitudes of colors that I could create by mixing a few blobs of paint. Add cooked pasta to the pink sauce and place it on low heat. Mix everything to ensure that the pasta is coated with the sauce.
Top with freshly ground pepper and dried herbs. Eat. And if you are uninhibited by prim and proper company, don’t forget to lick your plate clean.
Before our trip to Italy I heavily researched the restaurants that I was going to eat at and the food that I was going to order. I dreamed about ricotta filled raviolis and pear filled pasta, drooled at the thought of thin Roman pizza and thick bready soups. But the dish that finally ended up stealing my heart was the simple but sinfully comforting Risotto. Whether it was the light leek Risotto in Florence, the tangy radicchio Risotto in Roma Sparita, or the simple peas Risotto in La Pigna(near the Pantheon), I couldn’t get enough of it . And I came back from Italy with a stomachful of longing. [The fact that I just can not bring myself to spell Risotto with a small 'r', is probably evidence of my devotion].
And then of course as it usually happens, I decided I would have to find a good recipe and make this myself. And so, with the help of dependable google, I found this book simply titled ‘Risotto‘. Which I promptly borrowed from the local library. Based on the ingredients in my pantry, I decided to make a Zucchini Risotto. The original recipe calls for parsely but since I didn’t have any, I used sage. Sage tastes a lot like the thirtham/holy water that is distributed in temples and it provided a very interesting taste to the Risotto. However, S didn’t really think so. Therefore, I pronounce sage an optional ingredient.
Day 5: Zucchini Risotto, with or without Sage
I followed the recipe in the book pretty closely.
This is what I used:
2 medium sized zucchini
around 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic-minced
5 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine (i used an inexpensive Pinot Grigio from Trader Joe’s)
1.5 cups of Arborio rice
1/3 cups of minced red onion (though usually yellow onion is used)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
7-8 sage leaves- chopped
The main principle of making a good risotto seems to be the introduction of broth into the cooking rice, in small quantities such that the rice and broth are more or less at the same temperature.
This is what I did:
I cut the zucchini into inch long strips and sauteed them in 1 tablespoon of oil, along with the garlic. I cooked them until they were tender and set them aside. Then I measured out a little more than 5 cups of broth into a saucepan and started to heat it while continuing with the further steps.
I heated 3 tbsps of the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and sauted the chopped onion till the pieces started to become soft and transparent. Then I added the rice (without pre-washing it, to retain all its starchiness) and stirred it with a wooden spoon making sure that all the grains were coated with the olive oil. At this point I added the wine, stirring all the while till the wine was completely absorbed. The smell at this stage sent me into raptures, as it was reminiscent of the smells of the Risottos I had eaten. If I had to bottle the essence of a risotto, this would be it.
Once the wine was absorbed, I added half a cup of simmering broth every 2 minutes (the broth has to be continuously on low-medium heat) , waiting till the broth was almost completely absorbed before the next addition. I also added a little more than a pinch of salt to the broth (but this step entirely depends on how salty the broth is to begin with). After around 10 minutes, I added the zucchini/garlic mixture to the rice. I stirred the mixture at regular intervals to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
The addition of broth continued for around 18-20 minutes. As suggested in the original recipe, I reserved 1/4 cup of broth for the end. Once the rice was tender, I added the reserved broth, then switched off the heat and vigorously stirred in the cheese and the chopped sage leaves.
Verdict: I absolutely loved the risotto!! I hadn’t expected it to turn out so well and I think almost all of the credit is due to the wonderful instructions provided in the book. We had some Risotto left over the next day, and as the texture was not as creamy as the day before, I made them into balls and ate them for breakfast.
The risotto seems like a cross between a pulao and khichdi and is creamy and comforting and altogether satisfying. I can’t wait to try more recipes from this book.
I’ve been having a wonderful few days. Not very lazy, but filled with meanderings, blue and silver water, swooping seagulls, orange skies and food! And all so close to home! I have been learning to enjoy the space I live in, finding new spots to love.
Of course, I didn’t have internet access at home yesterday and so couldn’t make use of any stolen moments to post the third recipe in the countdown. But in the spirit of ferreting out things to love, here is a South Indian breakfast dish that is not often given the love it deserves. This is hardly ever any child’s favorite breakfast, but now that it is no longer the commonest of breakfasts for us, S and I have grown to love it. My version is a porridgey khara bhaath meets Upma kind of dish.
Day 4: Upma
You will need:
2 sticks of cinammon
2 cloves
1 star anise
2 tsps mustard seeds
1 tsp skinned urad dal (white)
2 C pre-roasted rava (cream of wheat/farina)
1 red chilli
a pinch turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp corriander poder
1-2 tbsp garam masala (try to use either home-made garam masala or organic masala- because they are tastier. But any brand would work)
1 medium onion chopped/minced
1 tomato chopped coarsely
1 tbsp oil (I use extra light tasting olive oil)
salt to taste
Method:
Heat the oil. Once hot add the cinammon, clove and star anise.
Drop in the mustard seeds. Once the seeds are spluttering noisily, add the urad dal and red chilli.
Once the urad dal is brown (but not burnt) and the mustard seeds are almost done spluttering, add the onions.
Saute the onions, till they are soft and transparent.
Add the rava and let it roast for 2-3 mins (longer- around 5-8 minutes- if you are using the un-roasted variety).
Next, add the turmeric powder, hing, jeera powder, corriander powder and the garam masala. Then, the chopped tomato and let the mixture cook for another 5 minutes.
Pour 5-6 cups of water and cook till the water has been almost absorbed.
At this point, season with salt and the add 1-2 cups of water.
Cook till the water is absorbed and the upma reaches the desired consistency. I like it porridge-like, but if you like the upma drier, cook it for longer.
Verdict: We ate this upma with the day-old butternut squash sambhar and it made for a simple, yet, satisfying meal.
And we still wonder how this could have ever been the bane of our existence.
Sometimes, all it takes
Is a warm squishy cube
of butternut squash
on a white plate and waiting
sweetly spiced from soaking
In an orange colored
soup that spills
Autumn in my mouth
I must be honest now. I am not a huge fan of sambhar. I have my feet firmly planted in the ‘Rasam’ camp. However there are two kinds of sambhar which can make me salivate and beg for more. One is the Arachuvittu Sambhar (literally meaning, ‘the grind and keep’ sambhar) which my mother makes a droolworthy version of. The other is the Bangalore/Udipi Sambhar that is my favorite accompaniment to the bondas, idlies and dosas served in the small ‘tiffin rooms’/darshinis all around Bangalore (And I am sure, the rest of Karnataka). This butternut squash sambhar, though not like either one of these, borrows elements from both. The shredded coconut used, is reminiscent of the arachuvittu kind of sambhar. The butternut squash and the jaggery/brown sugar give it something of the sweetness of the Udipi kind.
I don’t know when this became my go-to dish. I am sure a happy series of chance happenings and accidents must have resulted in my first successful version of this. And then when it pleased the palate of S’s aunt and uncle who visited us sometime ago , I assumed there must be something special about it that works. And now when I make sambhar, I make only this version- It is tasty and more importantly extremely simple and quick.
Day 2: Butternut Squash Sambhar
You will need:
1 C of cubed butternut squash
2-3 tbs of shredded unsweetened coconut
1 C of masoor dal
1 tomato
a marble-sized ball of tamarind
2 tbs of sambhar powder
2 tsp mustard seeds
Unrefined coconut oil (or any vegetable oil)
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
2 tsp of brown sugar/jaggery
salt to taste
Method
Chop the tomatoes. Wash the masoor dal and cook, along with the turmeric and hing, with 2 to 2 1/4 cups of water and the chopped tomato. I usually cook the dal in the microwave and it takes around 22 minutes.
Place the tamarind in 2 cups of warm water.
Heat the coconut oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds are done spluttering, add 2 tbsps of the shredded coconut and roast for few secs and then quickly add the sambhar powder and let it roast for a few seconds.
Add the butternut squash and saute for a few minutes.
Extract the tamarind water, and pour it into the pot. Let this watery mix heat for 5 mins.
Add around 3-4 cups of water . After 5 minutes add the remaining shredded coconut.
Once the butternut squash is tender, add the cooked dal (around 2 cupc). Add salt to taste, and heat till it comes to a boil.
Add the brown sugar/jaggery according to taste.
Note: If the sambar powder is not spicy enough, you could add one red chilli during the tempering process.
And Done!
The best way to enjoy this sambhar is with rice, a small dollop of ghee, and papadam/appalam or banana chips.
Yes. It once was a yellow bell pepper soup like this and then it decided it needed a hint of spices. Maybe some cinnamon, some clove. Star Anise? It threw out the carrot and celery and decided it would rather break bread with the charmingly sweet butternut squash. It decided to pull a few more potatoes to the pot (for a more comfortable bed). Ah. the luxury.
And so was born this yellow creamy sunshine-y soup.
Day 1: Yellow Bell Pepper Soup (and Friends) *
You will need:
For the tempering:
extra virgin olive oil (I use and love Trader Joe’s Organic EVOO)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
1 star anise
For the soup:
2 medium red onions minced
2 large yellow bell peppers chopped into large pieces
4-5 smallish-medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled
1/2- 1 cup butternut squash cubes/pieces
4 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
For the garnish:
grated parmesan reggiano
a couple of slices of bread, olive oil, any Italian spice blend (to make the croutons)
Method:
Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cinnamon, clove and star anise and wait a few seconds till the oil is fragrant. Then add the chopped onions and saute till the onions become soft (but do not brown). Add the butternut squash.
Once the onions are soft and a light translucent pink add the yellow bell peppers and the whole (peeled) potatoes. Cover with the broth and let it cook for around 45 minutes to an hour.
[While the soup is cooking, make the croutons as outlined below].
After 30 minutes, add the bay leaf.
Once the bell pepper pieces are tender and the potatoes are cooked, switch off the heat.
Remove the whole spices, set aside and puree the rest (I used an immersion blender). Once the soup is pureed add the spices back to the pot.
Making the bread croutons:
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut 2-3 slices of bread into squares or rectangles (or really, into any shape you wish..:)). Mix oil olive oil with the spice blend. Coat each piece with olive oil mixture. Line a glass bowl (I used a rectangle pyrex bowl) with aluminum foil and bake the bread pieces for 10-15 minutes or until the pieces are crisp and browned.
Spoon out the soup into bowls and top each bowl with a heaping of parmesan cheese and a few croutons.
Verdict: The soup was deliciously velvety. The spices were subtle but there, highlighting the peppery overtones that were followed by the sweetness of the squash and the creamy taste of the potatoes. It’s structure was almost perfume-like with top, middle and base tastes. While I loved the original recipe, I really enjoyed the addition of the spices and the butternut squash. And, it tasted lovely the next day as well.
I think, a spoonful of this soup (with the cheese and a crouton or two) makes the medicine go down the world an infinitely better place.
Hope you all are having a wonderfully Christmassy day. It isn’t snowing where I am. But if it is, where you are, throw some in the air for me, will you?
* Recipe modified from Fabio Picchi’s yellow bell pepper soup recipe via Diva Cucina
When Nupur from One Hot Stove extended an invitation to bloggers to join her on a 7-day recipe countdown to the New Year’s, I couldn’t resist (She’s been on a longer 40 recipe marathon herself). A list of dishes, that I’d been dying to make for a while, started poking their starchy or lentilly heads from some dusty corners of my brain, demanding to be included in the recipe countdown. And so I put together a tentative lists, ignoring some pleas, listening to others. And inspite of several un-cooperative factors, such as the lack of internet access from home (I am in Panera right now) as well as the fact that I am probably going to be visiting family on many of the 7 days, I am going to be posting 7 recipes, one per day, starting tomorrow.
You can see the list of participating blogs here.
And falling back on a cliche that seems holiday appropriate: Eat, Drink (some tea maybe? 
) and be Merry!!
