Musings

Italian Sausage & Ravioli Soup

2014-01-20T09:18:00.000-05:00

Ingredients
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage without casing
1 medium onion chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
1 can of diced or crushed tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
½ cup red wine of your choice
2 zucchini sliced (approximately 2 cups)
12 oz cheese ravioli (alternately 1 cup dry macaroni)
salt to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a pot, add the sausage and onions and saute until sausage loses all pinkness and starts browning. Make sure to break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces.
Add the garlic and saute until fragrant (30 seconds or so).
Mix in the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until they are cooked.
Add beef broth and bring to a boil.
Add red wine, zucchini and the ravioli (or the macaroni), stir in and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer.
Cook until the pasta is done (about 10 minutes), adjust salt.

I used spinach-and-cheese ravioli. It worked fine, but I think just plain macaroni is going to work better.

Chicken Kolhapuri

2013-10-22T19:27:00.002-04:00

Ingredients:
2 lb chicken (I prefer boneless, skinless thighs)
1 onion chopped
5 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 cup dried coconut flakes (not sweetened)
1 teaspoon cumin
8 cloves
10 peppercorns
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoon oil
pinch mustard seeds
salt to taste (approx 1 teaspoon)

Directions:
1. Heat oil on medium heat. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds start popping, add the onions and saute.

2. When the onions turn translucent, add the cumin, cloves, peppercorns, garlic, coconut and chili powder. Mix thoroughly, lower the heat and cook until the coconut start turning brown. This is your spice base.

3. Add the chicken and increase the heat to medium. Turn the chicken pieces over so that they are coated with the spice mixture.

4. The chicken will start turning white in about 5 minutes. At that point add a cup of water, mix well, increase heat, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add salt and mix well. It's ready to eat.

Konkani Salmon Curry

2013-06-04T12:40:00.003-04:00

This recipe comes from the coastal region of Konkan of India. It is very simple and easy to make.

Ingredients
1 lb salmon, cut up in bite-sized pieces
1 can of coconut milk
1 medium onion, small diced
1 red chili
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp turmeric
salt to taste (about 1 tsp)

Instructions

Heat a small pan and dry roast the coriander seeds until they start turning brown. Crush them in a mortar or grind them in spice/coffee grinder.
Heat the oil in the medium pan.
Add the mustard seeds. Once they start popping, add the onions and the red chili. Saute on medium heat until the onions are translucent and soft.
Add coriander seeds powder and turmeric, and mix it well with the onions. This is your spice base.
Add coconut milk, bring it to a boil and lower the heat.
Add salmon, bring it to a simmer and cook until it becomes flaky. Do not overcook.
Add salt to taste.

Enjoy with rice!

Fresh Masala Goat

2013-05-12T19:48:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:
1 lb goat meat in bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, chopped
half head of garlic, peeled & chopped
4 fresh chilies, chopped
2 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and chopped
chopped cilantro for garnish
salt to taste (about 1 tsp)

In one pan, heat a tablespoon of oil on medium heat, add the goat meat and saute to your level of doneness, 10 to 15 minutes. (Doneness will differ for chicken, needless to say.)
In second pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil on medium heat, add onions and saute until translucent.
Add ginger, garlic and chilies, mix thoroughly and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add this mixture to the goat meat, add salt, mix thoroughly and cook for another 5 minutes.

That's it. It's probably the simplest and tastiest recipes I know, and I am happy to have created it!

As you can see, it only uses "fresh" spices - onion, garlic, ginger, chili, cilantro. NO cumin/coriander/garam masala.

The interesting question is: what makes this recipe "Indian"? There are no "Indian" spices in it! I believe it is the ginger-garlic combination that does it...

Tiramisu

2012-06-13T09:45:00.000-04:00

This is the recipe followed by Irene Tripodi, our exchange student from Italy who stayed with us from August 23, 2011 to June 21, 2012.

16 oz mascarpone
8 eggs
9 big spoons (tablespoons) sugar
1 Goya lady fingers
coffee
cognac
cocoa sifted on top

=============
1. Separate egg yolks and sugar and beat it until smooth.

2. Add mascarpone cheese to the above mixture and beat until smooth.

3. Beat egg whites separately until stiff.

4. Fold in the two, mixing gently.

5. Mix coffee and cognac in a bowl. Dip lady fingers (not too much) and arrange in bowl/container.

6. Make layers alternating lady fingers and mixture.

7. Sift cocoa on top.

Let it rest overnight before serving.

Indian Chop-suey

2010-07-27T08:52:00.001-04:00

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 lb whole wheat pasta (I use macaroni or rotini), cooked
1/2 lb green peas, cooked (I microwave them)

Directions:
Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add mustard seeds. When the seeds start popping add onions and saute until translucent. Add garam masala, garlic, ginger and saute for 30 seconds. Add ground beef, mix well and cook until done. Add tomatoes, mix well, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt. Add cooked pasta & peas and mix well.

Saag-Chicken

2010-04-06T19:24:00.000-04:00

I made Saag-Chicken today for the first time and it turned out very good. This would also be called Paalak-Chicken in a restaurant. Paalak just means Spinach.

Ingredients:
2 lb frozen chopped spinach
1 1/2 lb chicken thighs (boneless, skinless; chopped into 1" pieces)
1 onion, diced
canola oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp Garam Masala (or to taste)
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups water

Heat large pan, add oil and the chicken pieces. Cook the chicken on low-to-medium until done (about 15 to 20 minutes). Remove the chicken into a bowl and cover. Add some more oil & mustard seeds into the same cooking pan. When the seeds start popping add onions and saute until translucent. Add Garam Masala and saute for 30 seconds. Add frozen spinach, water and salt. Mix well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let the spinach cook, stirring occasionally and making sure it does not stick to the bottom. When the spinach is close to getting cooked (about 10 minutes), add the cooked chicken back in and mix it in. Another 5 minutes or so and you are done.

You can make Paalak-Paneer (a.k.a. Saag-Paneer) following the same recipe. Skip the chicken, and add the Paneer at the end...

Dal Fry in Slow Cooker

2010-03-13T11:18:00.001-05:00

I just started a Dal Fry in the slow cooker.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup moog dal, rinsed twice
4 cups water
1 can of diced tomatoes
4 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 onion finely chopped
1 heaping tsp minced garlic
1 heaping tsp coriander-cumin powder
1 heaping tsp turmeric
1 heaping tsp salt (or to taste)

Heat oil and in a frying pan and add mustard seeds. When the seeds start popping, add onions and saute until translucent. Add coriander-cumin powder and turmeric and saute for 30 seconds. Add to the slow cooker. Add the dal, water, tomatoes, garlic and salt. Cook on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours (or until the dal is well-cooked).

Basic Saraswat Fish Curry

2010-03-09T23:21:00.000-05:00

I have always made this with salmon fillets. Salmon has a strong taste to hold its own against the strong coriander and coconut sauce. I happened to have tilapia handy and I decided to use that instead. Manisha said it is just like tofu, with no taste of its own! But Supriya enjoyed the curry with rice.

Ingredients

1 lb tilapia cut in 1 in ch pieces
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 to 2 tbsp coriander seeds
3 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz. or 400 mL)
2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Roast coriander seeds in a medium pot until brown and fragrant. Crush in a mortar. Heat oil, add mustard seeds. As they start popping, add onions and saute until they start browning. Add turmeric powder and coriander seeds. Saute for 30 seconds. Add coconut milk and tamarind paste. As it comes to a simmer, add fish and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and lower the heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the fish is done (flakes easily with a fork). Serve with rice.

I would recommend salmon or another oily fish for this curry. Chicken works also; it just takes longer to cook.

Black-eyed Peas

2010-03-02T21:54:00.000-05:00

This is Saraswat-style usal that I found in my recipe book.

Ingredients

2 cups dry black-eyed peas
1 medium onion diced
1 cup dry shredded coconut
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp coriander seeds
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp sugar (preferably jaggery)
2 tsp salt (to taste)
enough water to cover the beans (a couple millimeters more)

Rinse and soak black-eyed peas in the slow cooker a few hours (or overnight, as I did). Heat oil in a small pan. Add onions, black pepper and coriander seeds and saute until the onions are translucent. Add shredded coconut and keep sauteing untill the coconut starts browning. Add the mixture to the slow cooker. Add tamarind paste and sugar/jaggery. Cook on LOW setting until done. My slow-cooker took 12 hours!

Chicken Curry in Coconut Milk

2010-02-20T16:44:00.002-05:00

I made this last night and it turned out very good. It's very simple and very delicious. We had it over brown Basmati rice.

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1" pieces
1 cup cooked potatoes
1 can coconut milk (400 ml)
1 can diced tomatoes (400 ml)
1 onion finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
2 tsp Garam Masala
salt & chili powder to taste
4 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Heat oil in the pot and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add onions and saute until they start browning. Add the Garam Masala, ginger and garlic pastes and saute for a minute. Add the tomatoes and chicken. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let cook until almost done (15 minutes). Add coconut milk, cooked potatoes and salt and let it simmer for 10 more minutes until the chicken is cooked.

Gaajar Halwa in Slow Cooker

2010-02-10T15:14:00.004-05:00

Ingredients:

3 lb carrots grated
1 cup raisins
1 cup cashew pieces
1 cup sugar
3 cups milk (I had 2% on hand)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp cardamom (crushed seeds or powder)

Put in the slow cooker and cook on High for 5 hours.

NOTE: It is not fully cooked in 5 hours. I think it's also because I overloaded the slow cooker. I think it can handle only 2 lbs of carrots. Next time...

Gawaar-Batata in Slow Cooker

2010-02-10T10:45:00.004-05:00

Gawaar-Batata is one of my favorite Marathi dishes. Gawaar (also spelled as Goovar) is a type of green bean. I had not connected that the Gawaar I knew and loved was related to Guar Gum, that ubiquitous food additive!

Gawaar is very tough and takes a long time to cook. I thought the slow cooker might work out. And it did.

Ingredients:

1 packet frozen Gawaar
about equal volume potatoes, diced small
1 1/4 cups water
gur (alternatively sugar)
1 heaping tbsp Goda Masala (alternatively Garam Masala)
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric

Add the first 6 ingredients to the slow cooker. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds. Once the seeds start popping, add the turmeric and stir. Cook for 15 seconds and add to the slow cooker. Cook on High for 5 to 6 hours until the Gawaar is cooked.

Moog Usal

2010-02-07T09:39:00.003-05:00

Moong, moog, mung - it's all the same bean - just regional variations in pronunciation combined with problematic transliteration into English. Usal is a Marathi word for a bean dish such as this.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole moog
6 cups boiling water

The previous night: Wash the moog, add to the slow cooker, add the boiling water, cover with the lid and let soak overnight.

1 heaping tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp Goda Masala
2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/3 cup dry shredded coconut
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp turmeric

Add garlic, Goda Masala, salt. Dry roast coconut and add to the slow cooker. Heat oil, add cumin & turmeric, saute until they start browning and add to the slow cooker.

Cook on High for 5 hours.

NOTE: Goda Masala is a blend of spices that is a trademark of Maharashtra. If you don't have it just use Garam Masala instead.

Moog Dal in slow cooker

2010-01-31T16:49:00.006-05:00

Ingredients:

2 cups moong dal with chhilka
6 cups water
1 onion, finely chopped
1 heaping tsp minced garlic
1 heaping tsp garam masala
2 tsp salt
1 can diced tomato (14.5 oz)

Cook on high until done ;) It took me 7 hours, but I wouldn't go by that. It will take about 5 hours on High if it is sized right for the slow cooker (see Notes).

The results were less than satisfactory, unfortunately! The ingredients and the proportions were fine, but the recipe needs a couple of changes.

NOTES:

I think 2 cups dal was too much for the slow cooker. It expands a lot when it cooks. I am going to try 1 cup next time.
Unlike chicken, there is no built-in source of fat here, leading to a flat taste.
Also, the onions did not cook as well as they did with the chicken - probably for the same reason. So for next time I will saute the onion in oil and then add the mixture to the slow cooker for cooking.

MIRACLE! Well, sort of. Manisha and I talked about how the dal was tasting flat and lifeless and I decided to add a teaspoonful of ghee as an experiment. And voila, it worked! We ended up enjoying the dal for dinner. So I will be trying out both variations next time: recipe above with some fat (such as butter) added, and the recipe with onions sauteed before adding to the slow cooker. Stay tuned!

Shira

2010-01-27T12:13:00.003-05:00

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
2 cups cream of wheat
1/2 cup cashew pieces
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
cardamom and/or saffron
5 cups of boiling water

Melt the stick of butter and add the cream of wheat and cashews. Saute on low-medium heat until cream of wheat starts browning. Add sugar, raisins and spices and mix. Add water - beware of splattering! Stir until water is absorbed.

Minestrone

2010-01-26T09:05:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:

1 lb frozen veggies (Italian Blend works best)
1 heaping cup whole wheat macaroni (dry)
1 14 oz can of diced or pureed tomatoes
1 14 oz can of beans (pinto or lima)
1 onion, chopped
oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
salt (and soy sauce) to taste
6 to 8 cups of water, boiling

Saute onion in oil. When translucent add garlic & seasoning and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes. Add rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat & simmer until pasta is done, 15 to 20 minutes.

Kolhapuri chicken in crockpot

2010-01-24T10:15:00.002-05:00

I made this last week and it turned out fabulous.

2.2 lb chicken thighs (skinless, boneless), each thigh cut up in 2
2 small potatoes, small dice
1 onion, fine dice
1 cup shredded dry coconut
1 tbsp coriander-cumin powder
1 tbsp ginger
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp each of whole spices - black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water

Add to the crockpot: onions, potatoes and chicken. Roast coconut and add. Roast whole spices and add. Add rest of spices, salt and water. Cook on HIGH for 5 1/2 hours, stirring once after about 4 hours.

Slow Cooker Chicken Vindaloo

2009-07-12T14:53:00.003-04:00

I made this yesterday and it came out very good.

Add to the slow cooker:

3 lb chicken thighs
2 medium potatoes diced
1 onion chopped
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
salt to taste

All that plus six hours gets you a mean vindaloo curry.

Next time I will use boneless thighs, more chili powder and cumin powder.

"Musicophilia"

2009-06-30T12:15:00.003-04:00

Here's Dr. Oliver Sacks on The Daily Show. The NOVA documentary on music and the brain airs tonight. It so happens that I will be singing at that time! I am planning to check out the book too...

Chicken Curry in a Slow Cooker

2009-06-09T20:57:00.003-04:00

I made a very flavorful chicken curry the other day - and it was one of the least complicated recipes. I have always been intrigued by the idea of a slow cooker. Finally my friend John lent me one of his. So I Googled "chicken curry slow cooker" and of course got many hits. I settled on this one because it looked very simple. And it turned out to be a fine choice.

I of course tweaked the recipe. I couldn't call myself a cook if I didn't! Here is what I did:

Chopped up 2 big red potatoes and put them in the cooker.
Chopped up 1 green pepper & 2 onions and added them in.
Added the 6 chicken thighs.
Poured a big can of crushed tomatoes on top.
Added spices - 2 teaspoons each of garam masala, crushed garlic, ginger paste and salt. I also added a few cloves and half a teaspoon of cardamom seeds for additional flavoring.

Then came the tricky part. I was to turn it on High and let it cook for 5 to 6 hours! This is something I have never done before. I always want to stir things around and in general meddle with my recipes. I set the alarm for 5 hours. When I checked at that time it smelled great, but looked like a little more cooking for needed. So I stirred it a little and let it cook for another hour. When it was done it tasted absolutely delicious.

I am sure I will be using the slow cooker a lot. I already have plans for Chicken Vindaloo...

Avoiding Developing Cancer

2009-02-26T11:21:00.004-05:00

Today's news item on BBC: Clean living to beat cancer. Here's a quote that is highlighted:

After not smoking, it is clear that diet, physical activity and weight are the most important things people can do to reduce their cancer risk.

Professor Mike Richards, National Clinical Director for Cancer

I am going to incorporate this information into my Total Health Shield idea.

H+ Magazine

2009-02-25T23:27:00.003-05:00

I am on the Transhumanism email list where the second issue of H+ magazine was announced recently (H+ stands for Humanity+, the humanity that is to come as we continue to evolve technologically.) I am struck by the presentation of the magazine as well. Check it out...

Chicken Tikka

2009-02-20T22:35:00.003-05:00

I made Chicken Tikka today at a friend's house. I roughly followed a recipe from a book (which also claimed that Chicken Tikka is the most popular Indian dish around the world, in the FWIW department!). The recipe is very straightforward:

Marinate chicken (I cut up boneless, skinless chicken breast in large dices) in a paste made from garam masala, ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder and yogurt (plus salt to taste). Make enough paste to coat the chicken pieces. Marinate in the fridge. The book says 15-20 minutes; I did it for a couple of hours - you decide...
Pan-fry chicken in oil on low-to-medium heat until cooked, turning once - about 10 minutes.

Everybody including the kids loved it. I will be making it again. It was not exactly what Chicken Tikka looks like in an Indian restaurant. I need to investigate!

Aptera Slideshow

2009-02-12T21:46:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to post a link to this Aptera slideshow. This is the baby I want for my 50th birthday!