I can grow things, but then I get bored or I forget about them. Quite callous that way, now I think about it. As soon as the plant starts to go awry, I walk away. Bren is all about nursing it and attending it. He can’t believe that I turn my back so easily.
Perhaps it’s because I think I know how it will end, and I can’t take the idea that I failed it. Probably something true in there somewhere.
WOAH WOAH WOAH!
Didn’t expect to get that intense in this post!
Forgive me folks. I’m feeling a little under the weather and the days have been beautifully grey over here in la-la so I suppose having this cloudy ceiling over us lends to some introspection.
I promise there’s some joy in here somewhere. Where was I?
Oh yeah.
Grow. Your own. Mushrooms.
POW! How about that for a ray of sunshine!
I found this company, Back to the Roots, at the Eat Real Fest in LA a few months ago. As soon as I spotted it, I felt my ancestors’ farming genes kicking into high gear. I remember feeling positively giddy as I carried around this little box of potential beauty and life. From the outside, it’s a nasty looking box of white fungus and used coffee grounds. But on the inside, I could just imagine those microscopic spores just aching at a chance at life!
For the first few days, I wondered whether I had already squashed these little spores’ dreams. Nothing sprouted. Nothing changed. And then, one fine morning a little gross-ness appeared on the top of it. I’m being honest. I mean, it looked like, um, fungus. Which kinda made my tummy queasy.
And then, this happened…
(you can click on any of these to blow them up and get a closer look).
That’s when they took off. Every day, they grew exponentially more. In fact, they were growing so fast that they scared Bren a little…
Aren’t they GORGEOUS?
I can imagine this being a fabulous present for children, especially if you don’t have a garden… what a wonderful way to teach us not to judge a book by its cover!
Check in tomorrow — I harvested these beauties and made them into a tremendous dish, my fav at the moment: Mushroom and Potato Parcels.
At the beginning of the year (side note: holy joe! This year has whizzed right by!), Bren and I went to the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. One of the demos I knew I didn’t want to miss was of course, that handsome lad, Jamie Oliver.
At first blush, Jamie’s boy-man appeal is apparent: the excitement that pours out of him when he handles six different kinds of beets parallels that of a little boy on Christmas Day. There’s that every-man quality, gilded by that Cockney accent, that cuts right to the core of the matter. I love how he talks to the camera, or I suppose just to the side of it, as if you’re one of his best buds hanging out in the kitchen with him. When I think about it, his on-camera style has definitely influenced mine.
But I also love the way he cooks: a focus on fresh, seasonal produce combined with rustic, unfussy cooking techniques… it’s the way we all would cook if only we had his imagination. At least, that’s what I think.
That’s why when Jamie said that if anyone called themselves a cook, they needed one of these…
…I rushed out to get one (And I’m sure it’s a coincidence that Jamie actually has his own line of m&ps, teehee!).
I mean, I’ve always had a version of a mortar and pestle in the kitchen but after my teeny-tiny one broke, replacing it just fell to the bottom of my priority list.
But ever since I got a new one, I have found myself looking forward to using it. It sits permanently on my counter, not only because it’s beautiful but also because there’s a flavour emitted through the warmth of that stone crushing garlic or grinding seeds to a powder, that the cold blade of my spice grinder or blender just can’t touch.
Perhaps it’s because it reminds me of the massive mortar and pestle type of thing that my family and ancestors use in India to make the wet masala (wet spice paste) that is the foundation of curry-making:
(Photo from Ruchik Randap)
And so I bring you what I’m calling the Rolling Stone Salad, so called because the dressing comes together in the womb of the mortar and pestle (ooh! Maybe that’s another reason I love that thing; it’s so expressly feminine!): garlicky, smoky-nutty with the slight acidic sweetness of orange and a punch of sourness from the Chaat Masala. This is a salad that comes together quickly using a combination of pantry and refrigerator ingredients, a perfect hump-day dinner!
Rolling Stone Salad
Chickpea & Hearts of Palm Salad with Garlicky Dressing
Serves about 2 as a mains
1 navel orange
3 stalks of hearts of palm, sliced as thick as you like (I use the canned or jarred kind)
Small handful cherry tomatoes, halved
1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 to 2 tablespoons chives, snipped
Dressing:
1 medium clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
A hefty pinch of kosher salt
Juice from the orange (see below)
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Pinch of chaat masala (optional)
About ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1) Segment the orange: using a sharp paring knife, slice off the top and the bottom of the orange so that it sits stably on your board. Then, slice off a piece of skin by sawing back and forth from the top of the orange to the bottom. Continue this technique all the way around the orange, removing both the peel and any bitter white pith. Now, hold the orange over a bowl. Slice between membranes, creating a “v”, and releasing a perfect pitch-free segment of orange! Brilliant, huh? Continue all the way around the orange until all you have left is the membrane “skeleton”. Squeeze all juice you can out of this membrane, and reserve this for the dressing. You should have about ¼ cup of juice.
2) Add sliced hearts of palm, tomatoes, chickpeas, sesame seeds and chives to the bowl and set aside.
3) In a mortar and pestle, pound garlic, cumin seeds and kosher salt together until it’s as smooth as possible (the seeds will still be, um, seedy but pound them out at as much as you can). Whisk in the orange juice, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes and optional chaat masala. Then, slowly stream in olive oil, whisking all the while, until the dressing reaches your desired consistency. Taste for salt and pepper, then pour over the salad ingredients. Toss to combine. I like to serve this over a bed of spinach, but spring greens are tasty too.
If you’ve blessed me by coming to any of my cooking demos recently, then you may have heard me talking about how Indians, or at least the Indians in my family, often think that all good things, all civilized things, all things worth lauding… originated in India!
Whether it’s the decimal point, the number zero, traditional medicine (ayurveda), the cotton gin, lining your eyes with kohl, how Sanskrit or Tamil (depending which end of the subcontinent you’re from) is one of the oldest languages in the world… we have a lot of pride in our long, LONG history!
It reminds me a little of the father character in My Big Fat Greek Wedding… while he thought everything goes back to the Greek, for my family, everything goes back to India.
Hence the hilarity of this video that my mum sent me yesterday… and the ball-sy claim that “all food is Indian food!”.
After a trip to the naturopath to figure out why the psoriasis on my shins won’t go away, I’m trying a month off dairy, gluten, almonds, kale, pineapple, brewers yeast (welp! No beer whatsoever!), navy beans and alfalfa sprouts.
Yup, you heard me right. (Or I suppose more accurately, you *read* me right).
Kale.
Weird, huh? I think that, to date, my massaged kale recipe might be my most popular recipe, at least based on the number of people who stop me on the street and say, “Your massaged kale is a lifesaver! My (insert family member here: husband, son, daughter, sister) will finally eat some vegetables!”.
Yeah. Oh Lord, You sure do have a funny sense of humour.
I’d already been pretty good about staying away from gluten but I confess that since I don’t have the kind of allergy or intolerance to the stuff that leaves some people rolling on the floor in pain for days, or let’s be honest any self-control, I indulged in the more-than-occasional bite of croissant or sip o’ beer.
These days, I’m keeping to the straight and narrow.
I’m also supposed to be keeping my sugar low, and exercising 5 times a week. Which I’ll start tomorrow.
Ha!
While I thought I’d find myself wallowing in a pig-pen of self-pity, punctuated by the occasional wail of “poor me!” or “ay dios mio!“, I’m finding that I’m enjoying this period of restriction. Perhaps it’s because it’s only for a specific span of time, or perhaps it’s because I’m beginning to understand the value of self-control. I mean, I *understand* the value of self-control of course; it’s a virtue we hear about all the time. Eat this, not that! And only eat this much, not that much! But I feel, and correct me if I’m wrong, that we always hear it with a tone of “have some self-control for God’s sake!” as in, “you lazy, self-indulgent piggy!”.
I’m starting to hear it from God’s loving perspective though. I’m starting to understand that having limits, having a little self-control is like building a wall around your city; it guards you from attacks from the outside (work, family stresses) and contains attacks from within (emotional breakdowns). We did a Beth Moore study on the fruit of the Spirit a little while ago; one aspect of that fruit is self-control, and I love how she puts it:
“We are the temple of God…and self-control is our wall of protection! It fortifies all that is within. The quality of self-control is that which secures our freedom to love, to experience joy, to know peace, to respond with patience, to have a kind disposition, to act out of goodness, to step out in faithfulness, and to agree with gentleness. How? Because self-control is the ability to make choices which invite and enhance the authority and filling of the Holy Spirit. Self-control is the decision to remain within the boundaries of victory!”
If my body truly is a temple of God, if I am carrying around precious cargo around in my heart, it’s my honour to make sure the walls of this temple are strong and healthy, that they are able to withstand attack and fortify what’s within! What a joyful way to look at self-control, right?
Anyway, all that being said, I’m off to the local fish shop Bren discovered because my husband loves him a fish sandwich. I’ll be getting some grilled snapper. And thinking nothing of those hush puppies (seriously, the best ones I’ve ever had!) that I will have to turn down. Because I’ve got a temple to protect, people! I ain’t messin’ around!
It’s my mum’s birthday today (although as I write, it’s now tomorrow in India. Isn’t that wild?!)
Happy birthday, mum!
Thank you for carrying me so carefully for 9 months (all 10 pounds of me), for birthing me, feeding me, burping me, wiping my bum, stroking my head to sleep (which poor Bren still has to do for me when I’m too anxious to fall asleep), cooking for me, teaching me how to cook good food, sharing your joy of watching cooking shows with me, encouraging me to take piano lessons even though I didn’t want to, coming to all my piano recitals and plays, talking Dad into letting me go out with my friends that one time and calming him down when I came home with a cigarette butt burn on my throat (ugh! It wasn’t my fault), letting me get my nose pierced, shopping for and with me, rejoicing in my victories, praying me through my failures and trials, loving my husband, being a constant example of humility, strength, sweetness and persistence.
Thank you for sharing all your recipes with me; we both know that I wouldn’t be where I am without you.
I taped an episode of the Nate Berkus show a little while ago, and it aired on Monday!
I can’t believe I just said that. Hilarious.
Anyway, in case you missed it, because I’m so terrible about broadcasting these sorts of things AHEAD of time, here’s a nice chunk that the show kindly put on their page:
Nate is a total dear, with the kind of blue eyes I could stare into for a very, very, slightly uncomfortably (for him) long time.
But, for all of you who have been asking about re-runs of the show, you can now watch ‘em on COOKING CHANNEL! Isn’t that great news? It will start running this Saturday, the 1st of October, at 11am (ET).
How many of you have Cooking Channel? Have you watched it? I’m thrilled to join such an esteemed, hip and varied line-up: from vintage Julia Child to Debi Mazar and Nadia G!
Last week, I watched an old YouTube video of mine (the roasted cauliflower steaks one) and noticed how much thinner I was. And in a healthy fashion, I found myself motivated to shed a few pounds, practice some self-control (I just finished a Beth Moore study on this subject, amongst others), and get back in shape.
And so, we bought lots of vegetables, which I’ve been cooking, and I’ve been trying to do some form of exercise everyday, even if it’s walking 45 minutes to my favourite local coffee shop with Bren, then walking 45 minutes back home.
Today, I decided to attempt, for only the second time, a class at the local pilates et al studio, invitingly called “Sweat Extreme”… a title that when said out loud can only be prounounced: “sweat ex-TREEEEEEEEEEM!”. It’s an intense cardio class that uses the Tabata technique of exercising intensely for 30 seconds, followed by a 10 second break; rinse, repeat.
Part way through the Bosu ball Burpies, I felt something in my right shoulder go PING!
Yup. That pinched nerve that knocked me out for a week about a month ago? She’s back.
Bren and I went to the farmers market this week after what seemed like an eternity of eating out, impatiently prepared veggie burgers late at night and, gulp, lots of corn tortillas caressed with butter and salt.
It was lovely to be back, walking past booths replete with huge bunches of leafy greens, beets the size of my face (I’m not kidding. And they’re organic!) and, GASP! Padron peppers. We cooked those up last night with just a little olive oil and salt. They were delicious, with that characteristic capsicum flavour and just a little heat. Until I bit into one that was so spicy that my mouth spontaneously combusted. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I thought of those guys on Heat Seekers, and quietly promised myself never to do that show. The only thing that could soothe my tongue was ahem, a few tablespoons of ice cream. No, really. REALLY!
I’m breathing a bit easier with a fridge full of veggies, but I’m notorious for buying more than we can handle and inevitably, something will die a quiet death in the back of the fridge before I’ve had a chance to cook it. Being that it’s a new fridge, and I’m still getting used to where things go (did I tell y’all that we moved house?), I thought I’d better do something to ensure that these veggies don’t go to waste.
It’s such a simple idea. The best ones usually are, aren’t they? Now, when I’m planning dinner, I can look at the long list of vegetables and proteins rather than peering into the fridge and guessing at what’s in one plastic bag versus another.
You know that ol’ adage about how you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family?
Bren and I have so many good friends here in LA, that I often feel like they have been chosen for us, just like our families! One of them is Karen.
You probably already know her, either from her song-writing, ukulele-strumming talents here:
Or as one half of “Mike & Dierdre”, a completely improvised webshow featuring a couple who got married when they were adolescents because “Mike” gave “Dierdre” a cracker jack ring, and being that committed to promises made even at that age, have deemed themselves man and wife ever since. And they’re kiiiiiiinda unhappy about it.
She is a great writing partner to Bren, and they have been working hard on a comedy album, in the old-school style of Nichols and May… look for it very soon!
Since they’ve been working together on such a big project, she’s been here a lot. We love having her here, and over the years, we’ve developed all kinds of names for each other. At the moment, I like calling her Lil’ Bug. Don’t ask me why. It just struck me one day and I can’t get it out of my head. She’s just so tiny and cute, I could crush her! Like a bug!
Last night, after rehearsing their sketches, we decided that a few hours of our new favourite, Sons of Anarchy were in order. (Oh Jax!)
But first, dinner.
It was the first real dinner I’ve cooked in the new kitchen, and since it’s bigger than our last one, I can actually have people help me, without squeezing past them or making them chop on the floor! We made quick work of this standard North Indian chickpea curry, generically termed “Chana (which means chickpea) Masala (mix-up-thingamy)”, made a big batch of the most perfect basmati rice I’ve ever made (tutorial next week!), along with a simple fresh cucumber salad, dressed with rice vinegar, agave, sesame oil, sesame seeds and mint.
I had so much fun! I’d forgotten how much fun it is to cook with someone in the kitchen, and goodness, how much quicker dinner gets to the table when someone is helping you with all the prep! I’m excited to put Bren to work!
It turned out so wonderfully, that I just had to share it with you. Be sure to take a digestive enzyme if you have “issues” with chickpeas (as I recently realised Bren and I do)! UGH! Washing the chickpeas really well also helps, and if you’re feeling especially industrious, soaking and cooking the chickpeas from scratch also helps. Oh, and while we’re on this dinner-party-caliber subject, I didn’t do it in the recipe, but the next I make it, I’m adding some “hing” (asfoetida) to the mix, because it’s supposed to help deter that odious side-effect!
This is a perfect weeknight meal, and if you already have the spices, it’s a really cheap, satisfying dinner, especially if you’re staying away from meat.
One note on amchur (sometimes spelled “amchoor”) — it’s dried mango powder. You can find it at the Indian supermarket, and I encourage you to get it. It has a scrumptious sour note, akin to that powder they put on sour patch kids (except not sweet, since it’s usually made from green mangoes)! Mmmmmmm! I use it whenever I roast veggies (see my Cauliflower Steaks) to bring out some of the smokier spices like cumin, that I usually sprinkle over them. If you don’t have it, then use the juice of a lime. That will come close. Or, if you happen to have some tamarind concentrate, then a teaspoon or so of that, dissolved in some water oughta do ya.
There’s nothing too complicated about this one — it just requires a little patience, but all in all, the whole dinner was ready in one hour, start to finish!
Chickpea Curry for Lil’ Bug
Chana Masala
2 teaspoons cumin seeds + 2 teaspoons extra for grinding
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2-3 tablespoons coconut, peanut or canola oil
1 large red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1 tablespoon amchur (see note)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon hing (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 roma tomatoes, finely diced (about 2 cups)
1 cup water
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
Salt and pepper
Juice of half a lime
1) In a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast coriander seeds and 2 teaspoons cumin seeds until fragrant, slightly darker and faintly smoking. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then grind in a spice grinder until pretty fine. Pour into a bowl with the rest of the spices (amchur, hing, paprika, garam masala, cayenne pepper)
2) Set a large skillet over medium-high heat, and warm oil until it’s shimmering. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds; they should sizzle as they hit the oil. Let them cook about 30 seconds, darkening slightly, then add the onions. Season with a little kosher salt, and saute until starting to brown (about 15 minutes). If the onions start to stick or you can see the brown bits that have developed on the bottom of the pan are starting to burn, sprinkle with a little water, rub vigorously with your spoon and pick those browned bits up.
3) Add garlic and ginger; saute 30 seconds.
4) Add the spice mixture (“masala”), and saute for 30 seconds. If they start to stick or catch, then add the tomatoes immediately. Cook, seasoning with a little salt again, picking up anything that’s sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the tomatoes soften, deepen in colour and form a coarse ragu-type sauce, about 5 minutes.
5) Add chickpeas, and cover in the masala (the ragu thingy), cooking a minute or so.
6) Stir in water, then gently simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper and lime juice as needed. Turn the heat off, cover and let sit for 10 minutes, allowing all the flavours to marry further. Serve over plain white basmati rice or with Chapatis, Naan or some crusty bread.
