Weave a Thousand Flavors

Irish Beef & Barley Broth

If you're looking for a hearty, rustic farmland fare this St Patrick's day, look no further. This meal-in-one-pot broth is full of meat and veggie goodness including the healthful and oh-so-Irish pearl barley and split green peas. 

The split peas turns the soup into a thick mushy base in which is nestled the meat and delicious vegetables like leeks, carrots and turnips. Cabbage is added at the very end just until it wilts. I love adding lemon juice at the end because I think it makes great strides to balance the minerality of the turnips and is not traditional.

One challenge this soup represents is preventing it from sticking to the bottom of the pot because of the thickness of the soup base once the split peas turns mushy. So it's a good idea to start on the stove top and finish with the veggies in a slow cooker. That's also a great fix to have the broth finish overnight or while you're at work.

All you need now, is some lovely thick slices of Irish Soda Bread.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2018!

xoxo

Devaki

Mooli Baingan Sabzi ~ Indian Style Radish & Eggplant Vegetable

 
We all know the benefits of eating vegetables but finding fun and interesting ways of including these in the dinner menu can be a challenge. I for one, hold to eating whole foods and not ‘faux’ foods and so I tend to cook with the whole vegetable.

Radishes, the long white ones found in the Asian market is not a veggie we easily reach for in produce aisle. But this unassuming, slightly pungent root vegetable packs more health benefits than you may suspect - aiding digestion, fat burning and being low on the glycemic index, it’s a negative calorie food. This means you burn more calories digesting radishes than they actually contain! I wish the same could be said for that lovely crusty bread with a thick slab of butter.

In this recipe, the radishes is paired with long Asian eggplants which also brings a wide range of vitamins, minerals and nutrients to the table. This Indian style recipe with this unique pairing of vegetables is incredibly delicious, using a lovely blend of spices and coming together in a quick 30 minutes.

So if you’re looking for a delicious albeit unique addition to your vegetarian menu, I think you’ll this vegetable fits the bill quite nicely. 

One Sheet Pan, Moroccan Style ‘Chermoula’ Cod & Squash

The older I get the more I realize that the ongoing conquest for perfection is futile. The conquest for excellence now is a whole other matter and one I believe in aspiring to. But this endless pursuit for perfection, will land me in the loony bin.

For me, my bête noire will always be the exasperating & often losing relationship with my weighing scale. Which brings me to the whole point of the ‘futile endeavor for perfection’ conversation.

And so I try and focus on ‘excellence’ – making the very best effort in making the best decisions for the my health – good true foods, regular exercise, vices in moderation (hello red win and chocolate!!) and keeping up a positive mental outlook for most part.

I think there is some irony to the fact that my whole life revolves around food and that I of all people should be blessed with a metabolism of a bullock cart. The universe is certainly having a good laugh at my expense!

 Enter, healthful weeknight dinners.

The reality is, I have to constantly eat well for about 90% of the time to be able to allow for the sheer indulgence of exquisite food and wine that flows during my culinary travels. Btw, did you know we have a lovely group heading to Portugal for our food lovers odyssey in Sept 2018. Please take a looksie if you are a travel and food bluff. Perhaps you’d like to join!

This lovely one sheet pan cod is one of my favorite weeknight dinners. I love buying Icelandic cod and usually buy mine at Costco. This thick flaky white fish is the perfect canvas to soaking up rich flavors. And therefore, a modified version of the Moroccan spice paste, Chermoula is just the perfect condiment for this fish.

Using one sheet pan is great, because the veggies go at the bottom and soak up all the great juices from the fish on top and all I do is cook up some quinoa-brown rice in the rice cooker to go with. 45 mins later, it’s dinner done from top to bottom and that includes the 35 minutes when the fish is just cooking in the oven.

Catching up on episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix, here I come!

I hope you’ll add this lovely one-sheet-pan cod to your menu this week.

 ciao,

 Devaki 

KARMEL SUTRA Tartlets ~ Luscious Chocolate Ganache & Caramel Mingle in a Graham Cracker - Almond Crust

 

I bet none of you are thinking about Valentine's Day just yet!

But in our family, beginning the end of January we are a family of birthdays. Which makes us mostly a family of Aquarius'.

Mr. Hubby and my father are both convinced that this is some sort of celestial conspiracy at work!

Just maybe because you know I believe in that sort of thing!

But that also means that from the end of January and into Valentine's Day we tend to love us some chocolate. Even the chocolate hater Mr. hubby of mine must concede defeat and tuck in.

But there's a trick to it - of chocolate is enveloped with caramel, he turns in mush.

Perfect for Valentine's day, I say!

The first bite should give you hope,

the second lust &

by the third you're in love!

xoxo

Devaki

 

 

Hello 2018! I'm a little late in my welcome ~ Lemon Bliss Bundt Cake

2018 is only 14 days old today and what a fortnight it's been!

Arctic blast with negative temps, the threat of thermo-nuclear annihilation & the constant barrage of tweets from a very 'stable genius'. Needless to say, I've been a bit slow welcoming the rise of this New Year - more like an otter.

I have also been hiding from you all.

For the simple reason that I have no business posting a luscious cake as my very first post of 2018.

What am I thinking?!

I know you want salads and soups and paleo and Whole30 but all I have to give you is....cake!

In fact, I hope you'll all eat this one on my behalf because you'll be doing me a favor.

I made the mistake of stepping onto the scale and tried fitting into my pants and basically the whole of my wardrobe which was a total oopsy - so no cake for me. Cake for everyone around me, but no cake for me!

The boys have been devouring it with relish. I've made this for afternoon tea, taught it at my last cooking class and needless to say, the reviews have been warm and fuzzy.

Needless to say, I think you'll enjoy this luscious lemony cake very much plus I'm sharing my no-fail tricks for getting the sucker out of the Bundt pan. If you've used a Bundt pan, you realize not one of us will ever attempt this without a prayer and in my case, the additional liberal slather of Crisco!

So without further ado, here are sweet tidings for 2018 with Lemon Bliss Bundt Cake.

Crab Fritters with Spicy Creole Sauce

If you're still on the fence and looking for an amazing, knock-their-socks-off kind of appetizer for Christmas, here's one you'll love!

I love these fritters because in putting this recipe for an upcoming cooking class, I've got rid of all that tediousness with one bowl eggs, one bowl breadcrumb, dip in sequence blah, blah, blah and instead it's an all in-one mixture that goes straight to the deep-frying! And guess what, no one will be the wiser!

If you love crab, the 1 lb. lump crab meat will make a nice size appetizer serving for 6-8 people which is great especially when working with expensive ingredients like this one.

The spicy creole sauce is a delish accompaniment and I would absolutely make this and keep in the refrigerator ahead of serving the fritters which of course are best hot.

To best minimize the quantity of oil you use, I recommend using a small 6-8" diameter deep sauce pan so you achieve the oil depth required with the least quantity of oil.

On a jolly note, this year on Christmas day, instead of our customary duck or goose, I'm making the traditional Toulouse style cassoulet and I can't wait to bring the entire recipe to you beginning with the duck confit that is marinating in my refrigerator as we speak and hits the stove tomorrow.

So as we head into the holiday weekend, here's wishing you the jolliest & merriest holiday season & a Happy New Year 2018 ahead filled with delicious bites, warm hugs & fulfilled dreams!

Devaki

 

Spread Some Holiday Cheer! Featherlight Christmas Drop Scones

I tend to take my inspiration wherever I can get it. But sometimes it come easy, infact right from my refrigerator!

Enter, candied blood oranges a.k.a. aranciata rossa from Sicily. On our trip a few years ago, I had bought back a circle of this delicious stuff from one of my favorite and one of the oldest chocolate shops in Sicily, Antica Dolceria Bonajuto and because as you know, everything we bring back from travels far and wide falls into the 'simply precious' category, I've been waiting to unwrap this beauty when inspiration struck.

It's a serendipitous coincidence when inspiration strikes just in time for my Holiday baking class that I teach annually (but it might also be that one was the catalyst for the other).

This scone recipe is a classic, one I've used over so many years with different seasonal add-ins, blackberries, pumpkin and the like that these Christmas scones were bound to come about. Add-ins like dried cranberries, pecans, orange zest and of course candied orange peels are just what you need to make these gorgeous aromatic scones.

Now as much as I hope that you all have a wonderful circle of aranciata rossa in your refrigerator, perchance you don't, Amazon is that place to go and you'll find some really delicious candied orange peels from vendors like Olive Nation. I've been using theirs for years and I don't earn a commission for saying so.

I hope you'll give these Christmas scones a try because you really will love them. I serve these with imported Devonshire clotted cream that I purchased from Wegmans at $8.99 for an itty bitty bottles that's good enough for 4 persons but I find mascarpone works just as well!

Don't gasp - think about it, same concept.

Hope your holidays are cheerful & bright!

xoxo

Devaki

 

Roasted Beet Salad with Cashews & a Maple Vinaigrette Dressing

 

 

If you recall, I first mentioned this beet salad when I made it as a side for my herbed lamb sirloins a couple of weeks ago.

This salad is a result of what makes me peevish at restaurants; order a beet salad and 9 times out of 10 it gets served with a whole bunch of greens, radicchio and what not and a couple of slices on roasted beets buried in the midst.

I don't know about you, but when I want a beet salad, I want beets to be the star of the show!

Hence this dish...

A little of experimentation with flavors and colors and textures and I think we've ended up with something good here. In the cold months, when I'm looking for a bit of sweetness, I love using pure grade 'A' maple syrup as a natural sweetener in my dressing. A little goes a long way with maple syrup.

The addition of cashews and cucumber is as much for crunch as it is for aesthetics. And the goat cheese? Well, beets and goat cheese are a match made in heaven.

Think how great these colors are going to look on your holiday table!

ciao,

Devaki

Holiday Favorite! Turkish Style Carrot Dip

All that's orange is not pumpkin or squash! Think carrots!

And if you think that's an odd choice for a holiday dip, wait until you taste it. This dip is gorgeous with strained Greek yogurt, labneh, added fresh herbs and that crucial spice, fresh roasted and ground cumin.

The star of course, is loads of matchstick carrots that come in those lovely ready to use little baggies (work smart, not hard!) and is sautéed in olive oil and a touch of salt. Once they are completely limp, they're ready to use.

This recipe came together for the Thanksgiving class I'm teaching these two weekends but just think just how handy this recipe is going to be all year round especially since nearly every gathering has one or two vegetarians for sure.

But try keeping anyone away from this dip bowl! It's a keeper.

Herb Roasted Lamb Sirloins

I'm getting all geared up for my Thanksgiving culinary class that begins next weekend. It's always great to come up with fun and new ways to dress up old ingredients.

On this particular day, I was working on a beet salad and thought it would be quite nice to serve lamb with the earthy flavors of beet on the side and creamy mashed potatoes to even the playing field.

The beet salad is coming your way soon because I think it's lovely and unexpected way to enjoy beets (no Frisee greens with this one folks!)

But the highlight here is the lamb sirloins. These boneless lean lovelies lend themselves perfectly to a simple marinade with olive oil, rosemary leaves , loads of garlic and some kosher salt. All of this is pulverized to a chunky paste in a Magic Bullet type food processor, rubbed all over the meat on both sides and set aside.

I opted to roast them in the oven but these would be just so good on an outdoor grill too. My. Hubby was just not feeling it that particular evening so oven it was.

For a nice medium (and please folks, if you want to eat you lamb well done akin to leather, I say why bother! Move on to another meat) 20-25 minutes in the oven at 400 deg. F does the trick. On the outdoor grill 10-12 minutes per side will work just fine.

Of course as with any protein, rest it before you cut it.

The flavors are just so refreshing and the simplicity is all that you need. No need to fuss up the lamb!

And did I mention, that it looks so elegant on the plate that it will floor your guests and they'll never guess you weren't slaving in the kitchen to get dinner done. Wait until you see the beet salad to go with and then you'll really have something special to go with this lamb.

Give it a try!

ciao,

Devaki

Moussaka, a Greek Classic! A Delicous Layered Casserole with Vegetables, Meat & Bechamel Sauce

As I sit here trying to recall my first introduction to Moussaka,  I draw a blank - because it seems as though I have been preparing this dish for as long as I can remember.  I do however recall without a doubt, the day I was guided from preparing a mediocre Moussaka to a great one! (I say this with all humility)

It was six months after I had given birth to our firstborn. My friend Aliki who is Greek,  had also delivered her baby around the same time so our sons were no more than a few days apart. Her mother-in-law had also arrived from Athens for the birth of her first grandson.

As a celebration, they  had invited us to dinner with her family. The meals consisted of Moussaka and Greek salad followed by a Baklava. It was by far the finest I had ever had.

Knowing what a food fiend I was, she offered to let me watch her prepare another batch  of Moussaka the next day. An idea which I jumped on with all fours! 

As I watched her prepare this dish, I was able to see glaring as well as subtle differences in the way I was preparing this dish thus far to the way it ought to be done. I have never reverted ever since.

I also learnt some interesting tit bits - it is a dish that hails from the Balkans and the Middle East. Though it is part of all the cuisines of the former Ottoman region, it has an Arabic name but  in the West, it is best-known in its Greek form.

The trick to a lighter instead of a heavy, greasy Moussaka is simple albeit key one - separating the eggs and folding whisked egg whites into the sauce in addition to adding the egg yolks for creaminess.

If there ever was a recipe that is truly the sum of it's parts, this is it folks! Here's how I would tackle this culinary giant,

• Meat sauce: 2 days ahead - this really helps all the flavors meld
• Béchamel sauce: day ahead
• Roasted veggies & assembly - the day off

I'd also make a giant tray of this because leftovers are incredible! With cold weather nipping at our heels and holidays fast approaching, this is one dish I'd definitely want in my arsenal for all those gatherings.

Enjoy!

ciao,

Devaki

PS: I would use a lasagna pan for this dish. A 9" x 13" isn't deep enough.

 

Delicous Smashed Roasted Potatoes

If you've never had potatoes like this before or even heard of these itty bitties let me just say, these will prove a revelation!

Growing up, I've eaten deep fried versions of these taters common to Sindhi cuisine and simply known as 'tuk'. But times have changed and for most part, we no longer tend to deep fry everything that comes down our merry way.

So same concept, but roasted.

I'm using baby potatoes (creamers) which are first cooked in boiling water until they are tender and easily smashed.

Liberally salted - salt and potatoes are match made in heaven, don't you think? The potatoes are then roasted in a hot oven until crispy and golden brown. You have to flip them once over of course.

Don't skimp on the olive oil folks because this is key.

So good with roasted meats, I served this a few days ago with herb roasted lamb loin chops but they make great accompaniments to any grilled meat.

A quick topping of crumbled bacon, sour cream dollops and chives and each of these lovelies can be turned into delicious appetizers too!

By the way, these are so easy to reheat; simply pop them back in the oven at 450 deg.F. for about 10 minutes so you can make big batches of these potatoes for a bi dinner party or the holidays.

ciao,

Devaki

 

Exciting News! Weave A Thousand Journeys - Bespoke Culinary Vacations

Dear Reader,

It’s been close to 8 years since I have been sharing recipes and cooking tips with you on Weave A Thousand Flavors.

Thank you for sticking with me all these years as I have home-tested each recipe, published each blogpost & taught culinary classes for Adult & Community Education. All of it stems from my deep love for good food and honest cooking that I love sharing with you.

I have been incredibly fortunate that my culinary path has brought the most amazing people into my life. From James Beard award winning Chefs to incredible home cooks in little villages, farmers & vintners all over the world.

Since 2013, many of us in my local community & beyond have been travelling together on culinary vacations in small groups to some of the most beautiful destinations in the world - from Sicily to New Orleans!

In fact, we just got back from Quebec just a few weeks ago and it was quite a culinary adventure.

 In a few weeks, we head to Philadelphia. I am constantly on the hunt for exciting culinary experiences to share with you at home and abroad.

My vision from the start has been to create the highest level of experience so each trip is hand crafted for just a few travelers, with cuisine, history, culture, art, and architecture as its pillars.

Let’s just say, Hand Crafted Culinary Journeys for the Inquiring Mind.

These vacations open the doors to kitchens lesser known, private dining rooms and chefs who are dedicated to their artisanal craft and who are kind enough to share their table and their stories with us.

In our travels, we are in the company of like-minded foodies and we share unique experiences, exchange notes and make new friends. This tour is also ideal for solo & women travelers.

I have recently launched our travel website WEAVE A THOUSAND JOURNEYS. Please take a moment visit the site & explore all the great places we've been & where we're going next.

 

https://www.weavethousandjourneys.com/

 

 

I invite you to visit the website to email subscribe to our free mailing list - get all the delicious details on our upcoming Journeys.

ciao,

Devaki

Avgolemeno ~ Greek style Chicken & Lemon soup

Everyone should have in their arsenal a low maintenance, throw together type of soup that you can make in your flannels while chugging away on your laptop.

This is ‘the one’ for me. It's insanely delicious & needs nothing more than a whole chicken (defrosted), onion, salt, pepper, eggs & lemons. Chuck the chicken in a pot with copious amounts of water, cook the orzo in the broth and finish with lemon and eggs.

I love that getting the pot on the stove gives me straight 1 hour – 15 minutes before I even have to mess with it. That means I get to do some serious paperwork in that time or watch 2 episodes of Grace & Frankie on Netflix. Either way, a win all around!

On most days we have these staples handy or in my case a teenager who often runs across to the store so I can make the soup at the 11^th hour and don’t have time to defrost said chicken.

If you’re thinking about how just exactly a handful of ingredients can render a soup so yummy, you’ll just have to take my word for it. It’s on my weekly rotation especially when cool weather descends and reminds me of the scotch broth soup my favorite Parsi restaurant would serve growing up. The only deviation being adding delicious cubed fried croutons & using barley instead of orzo.

Perhaps that’s why I crave this soup so much – it takes me back to my childhood, of memories with my parents rambling along the street on a Sunday in their Jonquil colored Fiat. If you don’t know what Jonquil is, look it up – it’s that shade of yellow, that’s right between a lemon & a banana just like the fragrant flowers whose name it takes after.

Who said you only get to read about food here?!

Happy Cooking!

Dev

Roasted Zucchini Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes & Feta

Funny story how this recipe came together.

When I was teaching my high school camps in July, I planned on teaching a zucchini salad with avocados. I had purchased one of those mega bags of avocados with a dozen.

As it sometimes happens though all signs indicted that the avocados were ripe and should have been at peak, each and every one of them was rotten and brown on the inside.

So I was faced with 16 hungry looking teenagers and the need to improvise!

We roasted our zucchini like we would have any way and then raided the refrigerator. Heirloom tomatoes & feta that I was going to use in another recipe, some parsley and a simple vinaigrette with red wine vinegar, chopped garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar. 

We gently tossed all the ingredients together and voila!

Can I just say the kids LOVED it! And I know this to be evident in the fact that they all packed little baggies to take home so their parents could taste as well. Since then, this no mayo, no hassle and healthful zucchini salad is a staple in my home and one I love to make with steaks or any grilled meat.

So good! See for yourself!

Bacon & Ricotta French Toast Casserole with Maple Cream

At work today we hosted a delegation of culinary educators and chefs from China. And yours truly had to come up with a recipe for breakfast that could feed a crowd - of 35!

So this week, my family and folks at work have been patiently critiquing the fruit of my labor before the big production. And I've got to say it after all that effort it went really well. For one I had a blast, we worked together as a team and if all the lovely compliments was anything to go by, this dish hit the spot.

A French toast casserole, stuffed with ricotta, and loads of bacon and then topped with the dreamiest luscious maple cream you can imagine - Nuf' said! . Did I mention, I added more bacon to top it off - you can never have too much bacon, can you?!

It's also pretty easy to put together because it sits overnight and all you have to do is pop it in the oven the next day. 

Everyone at work has been patiently awaiting this post and though this would have been so much better 2 months from now, just before the holidays, I've never been one to put a good thing on hold! ha ha!

So here goes and Bon Appetit!

I'm taking the next week off just in time before the kids go back to school so have a great rest of your summer and I'll see you in a couple!

ciao, Devaki

Chef Alexi's Easy Peasy Chocolate Truffles

 

I'm so happy to be back with you all! And please be patient while I disappear again for a week or so. All my shenanigans will end once the kids go back to school but until then it's come and go time for me.

It's been an absolute roller coaster ride this summer and I have been trying to tackle new projects like this one -  travels & teaching teens culinary camps as I do each year. It's a wonderful experience but one that leaves me a little exhausted after 2 weeks of non-stop teaching. Having said that, I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world!

On our culinary travels this year, we had a lovely class learning to make chocolate truffles with Chef Alexi and they were so easy to make with such great texture that I decided to teach the recipe to my teens. And they did a great job and even served them up for out last day of camp summer party to their parents. So fun!

In short if my teens can make them, so can you! Being a chocolate lover is mandatory though....

PS: Just to give you a heads up, the pics for this post are a combination of those from our trip and those in my kitchen as I was making this recipe so forgive me if they're a bit all over the place. 

Sailors Mussels in Cream Sauce

I have to be honest, I don't get folks who don't love mussels. If you love shellfish, then what's not to love!

That briny meat is so good in a myriad of ways - in a wine sauce, with tomatoes, without them, with chorizo, beans, potatoes..I could go on and on.

So if you love mussels as much as I do, this one's going to be right up you alley. Finely chopped up onions, garlic and carrots sauteed in olive oil, a liberal splash of wine, glug of cream and of course mussels. The cream sauce pairs so well with the mussels, it will astound you.

Needless to say, you've got to debeard and scrub them before you use them and toss any unopened ones, after cooking in the trash.

These do so great as a full meal with crusty bread or as a first course at a dinner with family and friends.

Basque Style Braised Chicken with Chorizo

Love a good chicken dish for sopping up loads of delicious gravy with crust bread? Then look no further.

Cook this Basque style chicken and it will leave you in a state of euphoria!

This Basque chicken uses just the most delicious set of ingredients – chicken legs – for that juicy dark meat, delicious smoked Spanish chorizo sausage, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, herbs, smoked paprika, FINO sherry (a classic and one I consider a staple in my pantry) & topped off with artichoke hearts. All of this comes together in just a fantastic medley of flavors that will leave you begging for more.

 An added advantage – want to perfect your searing skills? This one does that and then some.

First off you’ve got get that chicken dry just so with kitchen towels. Next, sear the chicken in hot olive oil for 6-7 mins on each side. Cover the pan with parchment paper so it keeps the chicken nice and juicy allowing the chicken to sear without steaming into a watery mess.

Now don’t prod it, touch it, poke it or turn it over for those 6-7 minutes on each side and you’ve got some seriously delicious golden chicken. Once you get that right, you’re on your way.

Such a good dish for a party and feeds a crowd. Hope you love it as much as I do!

 

Basque Style Seared Tuna with Tomato Concasse

Seared tuna is a marvelous thing. If you like tuna that is and especially if you like it rare.

In my home, this is the stuff of dreams even with the kids.

The Basque aren’t big on spices and certainly not on using a ton of ingredients. In fact standard fare in a Basque kitchen will use onions, peppers and garlic as pretty much the basis of most foods and with the exception of a ton on good quality olive oil and the freshest ingredients and produce known to mankind & not much else.

The tuna in this recipe is dressed with a lovely fresh tomato topping that is especially wonderful in the summer when the ripest, sweetest and freshest tomatoes are in season. I love using Campari tomatoes because the skin is thin and I am guaranteed a delicious tomato with not a lot of seeds.

If you are using large tomatoes from your garden, skin and deseed. Concasse which is a French word that means to mince or grind, requires that the tomatoes in this dish are very finely chopped and combined with equally finely chopped Spanish red onions, fresh parsley & lemon juice. I love using a dash of jalapeno pickling juices for a little bit of oomph – but that’s your call.

Like I was saying, less is more with this one but using the finest quality ingredients that money can buy and you can afford are key!

Which brings us to the tuna – use the best Sushi grade tuna. You don’t need to use a lot – 2 nice sized cuts will happily serve a family of 4 as an appetizer.

Salt, pepper and sear in a heavy bottom pan with olive oil for 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side, serve with the tomato concasse and you have an appetizer to gush over!

 As summer as it comes with this one! Enjoy!

Poshto ~ Bengali Style Ridge Gourd & Potato Vegetable from India

You'll be hard pressed to find a more beloved vegetable among Bengalis in India than Poshto. 

Poshto roughly translates to poppy seeds and refers to the singular ingredient that takes an array of vegetables, envelopes it in its creamy paste and turns it into something spectacular.

You've often heard me brag about my mother-in law's excellent culinary skills. So on a recent visit, when she was cooking some wonderful dishes for a dinner party, I stood around handy with a note pad and camera and scribbled and clicked away.

There are many veggies that are used to make poshto though potato seems to be an ever present entity. In this version, ridge gourd a.k.a tori readily found in Indian grocery stores is key.

This is what it looks hanging on its vine,

Like most gourds it holds on a ton of water so you chop up what looks like a massive bowl of veggies only to be left with a teeny tiny bit after cooking.

That said, gourds are my favorite vegetables sue to their delicate flavors.

The poppy seeds are first soaked in boiling water and then ground into a fine paste. You dont want to omit this step or you just end up with a whole bunch of seeds in the veggies and no paste.

Then come the seasonings;

Panch phoron which is particular to Bengali cuisine are whole seeds is equal parts - nigella seeds, fenugreek, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds. If you have these at home, use 1/2 tsp and mix these together in a bowl or buy ready made at the Indian grocery store.

Once you get the grocery store run out of the way and have the ingredients, there is nothing stopping you from enjoying this incredible dish. Shy cooking it of course.

Serve traditionally with a simple dal and fried fish or macher jhaal (mustard fish) and boiled white rice or equally delish with some rice and ghee if you're just not up to thr whole spread.

Dig into this veggie and you'll get why its so beloved by so many. Including moi.

 

Delicious Louisiana Style Cajun Eggs with Crawfish

These delicious eggs are inspired from past travels New Orleans and the great culinary traditions that makes Nola, simply NOLA.

Crawfish, those little suckers that are delish to make and a killer to peel.

I have to be honest, the day I take up knitting is the day I’ll have the patience to peel these. I think Mr. Hubby would have a much easier time of this than I would.

I can see him patiently sitting at table painstakingly peeling these and sharing pieces with all of us at the table while I would be out of there by shell # 3!

So why the heck would I post a recipe with crawfish you ask?

Because a few weeks ago I came across a 1 lb bag of frozen Louisiana crawfish, peeled and all at my grocery store, Wegmans.

 Life changing, if I may say so.

Out came my deep cast iron pan, cutting board, Wusthof knives, onions, peppers and egg and off we go.

These eggs are a 2 part recipe and key to both is the evaporate milk that makes it all just so darn delicious.

Part 1: Onions, peppers, homemade Cajun seasoning and evaporated milk comes together to make a wonderful creamy sauce.

Part 2: Onions, peppers more seasonings, all sautéed with craw fish and folded with eggs to make a soft and silky batch.

Sauce goes over eggs and voilà! You have a batch of the most luscious yummy eggs you can hope to devour.

The weekends around the corner folks! What say you?!

 

Shakshuka from Israel; Delicious & Easy Eggs Over Spicy Tomatoes

I don't know about you, but I never tired of yummy eggs on a Sunday.

And quite honestly, I'm constantly looking for ways to cook those eggs up in a variety of ways. I mean seriously, can we ever get enough of eggs? They're good for us, full of protein and great for cooking on a budget.

Shakshuka is one of those dishes that doesn't sound like much when you scroll down the ingredient list but when you dig into it for your first bite, it comes as a pleasant surprise! 

Now aren't those just the best kind of recipes?!

Onions, peppers and loads of tomatoes sauteed and simmered to make a delicious sauce with just the right blend of seasonings - cumin, paprika and cayenne foe a touch of heat.

Extremely easy to make, I strongly recommend you make a double batch of the sauce. Enjoy and serve one straight away and then freeze or refrigerate a second batch for a quick weeknight dinner.

Fix a salad with and serve with some pita and it's dinner done in a jiffy.

Now what's not to love?

 

Jacques Pépin's Eggs Cocotte with Creamed Mushrooms

There are things we cook that we L.O.V.E.

The kind of dishes you know you will always make forever and ever.

This is one of those. Incredibly simple to make, with just a few ingredients, I promise you once you make this, it will be your next brunch staple.

I hate to admit but sometimes, I'll fix it as a 'snack' after coming home from work. Yup, addictive!

Mushrooms are julienned and sauteed in olive oil. To which cognac & heavy cream is added. Hence the term, 'creamed mushrooms'. The whole thing is simmered until a creamy thick sauce envelops the mushrooms.

Remove to ramekins, top with a just wee bit if Gruyere cheese, top with raw egg and season with salt and pepper. Steam for 5 minutes and voila!

Insanely delicious eggs which when you break into the slightly runny yolk and mixed with the creamed mushrooms will send you straight to culinary heaven.

Hot toasted buttered points please and life just went from good to great!

Give it a go folks & Happy Mother's Day to all us hardworking moms who keep on keeping on, each and every day!

Nourishing Wonton Soup with Bok Choy, Shiitake & Enoki Mushrooms

I'm bringing back an old great favorite!

We should all know that a great soup begins with a great stock. This is even more true for clear soups because the basic flavor of the soup is the flavor of the stock. And there yet is another element that separates a great wonton soup from its lesser brethren - the wontons and importantly the thickness of the wonton wrapper. The thicker the wonton wrapper and you are basically eating a lump of boiled dough.

Here is a classic example, try ordering wonton soup at one of the endless Sino-American joints that grace our neighborhoods - most likely you'll find a very thick sheet of wonton wrapper with minimal filling floating around in a clear soup with zero embellishments.

Now order it at an authentic Chinese restaurant and see the difference.

When a wonton is prepared in a paper thin wonton wrapping and stuffed with a subtle flavorful filling that melts in your mouth,  the minute you bite into it - then my friend  you are experiencing a great wonton soup. And the soup base is full of flavor with vegetables & mushrooms - Oh its good stuff!

By the way, know how Mr. Hubby & I tell an authentic Chinese restaurant from a Sino-American one? When we walk in and see that it is filled with Asians, we know we're in the right place but when the restaurant has more Caucasians than Asians, we walk right out! Sadly, the same can't be said for Indian restaurants.....there I go again. But what's true, is sadly true!

Anyway, needless to say, Wonton soup is one of my all time favorite soups and its really interesting to note that some of the literal translations of wonton soup in Mandarin & Cantonese are:

Irregularly shaped dumpling (Mandarin) , swallowing cloud (Cantonese) , crossed hands (in Sichuan province)

There are subtle variations in the preparation of wonton soup from region to region  - some with  just pork & some with pork & shrimp & some with bok choy.

The wonton soup I prepare is a fusion of varied styles, for one I love bok choy in the soup & that is characteristic of the Shanghai style, also I fold the wonton using the ' chao shou i.e crossed hands' and then I add Japanese Shiitake & Enoki mushrooms which though not traditional to the recipe, I think is a wonderful addition to the soup with its meaty & earthy flavors & textures.

To top it off, thin slices of barbecue-flavored cha-sui pork and honestly can you say seventh heaven!

One of the reasons I also incorporate Shiitake & Enoki mushrooms to the soup is because, we really must try to eat more of it in our diet. Both Shiitake & Enoki mushrooms are considered super foods as they help in lowering cholesterol, fighting tumors & cancer - in short, we really do need to  find more ways to eat these nature's miracle workers.

I strongly recommend you begin with preparing and keeping chicken stock in the freezer at all times. It makes such a difference to the flavor of the soup. 

Let's go! What a delightful meal as an anecdote for all the rain we've been getting this weekend!