Bombay Potatoes

Bombay Potatoes

So my one day I’m sitting in the kitchen going through the new cook books either my mom or dad picked up and in this all Indian book was the recipe for potatoes and I think, hey who couldn’t use a little variation in their starches.

Most of these ingredients can be found at the grocery store or Wal-Mart.

You will need:

1 pound new potatoes*

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon turmeric

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 dried red chilies

6-8 curry leaves

2 onions, finely chopped

2 fresh green chilies, finely chopped

2 cups fresh coriander (cilantro), coarsely chopped

¼ teaspoon asafetida

½ teaspoon each of cumin, mustard, onion, fennel, and nigella seeds

Lemon juice, to taste

And Go!

First up:

Scrub the potatoes under cold running water and cut them into small pieces. Boil the potatoes in water with a little salt and ½ tsp turmeric for 10- 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain the potatoes well then mash**. Put aside.

Next:

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the dried chilies and curry leaves until the chilies are nearly burnt. Add the onions, green chilies, fresh coriander, remaining turmeric and spice seeds and cook until the onions are soft.

Lastly:

Fold in the potatoes and add a few drops of water. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring well to ensure the spices are evenly mixed. Add lemon juice to taste, and serve.

*You can use regular yellow potatoes but new potatoes are preferred.

** You always need some whole pieces so do not fully mash them in this step.

I made this to go with two diffrently coooked roasts added bell peppers and less spices (since my brother wont eat it).

Once you try it a few times you can always change it to your tastes….or what you’ve got on hand, haha. 

 Straight from the book The Complete Book of Indian Cooking by Shehzad Husain & Rafi Fernandez pg 158

Moscato d’Asti : Risata

Moscato d’Asti : Risata

“Risata, meaning laughter, will honor its Italian name by being the focus of any occasion. The supple sweetness of this wine will shine as an aperitif, with dessert, or on its own.”

Again that ^ is what the back of the bottle says. So not being a gifted, practiced, wine connoisseur, I can’t tell the difference in this one and the Beviamo, since it sparkles as well…but either way its very, very tasty, The bottles are very similar but the Risata has what looks to be a grape vine printed across the bottle.

Biggest pro for this…its more available then its sister and it goes for a pretty decent price at around $14 a bottle. Num num num for this Italian import.

Feel free to leave a comment in the box be-low.

As always enjoy and please drink responsibly.

Chapati (Whole wheat flat bread)

Round(ish) Chapati

So before I get to the recipe-ing, the only reason why I ventured into this bread making is because of that movie Bend it like Beckham. “Who wants a daughter –in-law who can’t make round Chapatis.” It doesn’t take much aaha aaanywho:

Prep time: 15 minutes

Standing time: 30 mins to 2 hours

Rolling and cooking time: 2 to 3 minutes for each

Yields: 15 Chapatis

You are going to need:

2 ½ cups atta or sifted whole wheat flour (yes you must sift)

½ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup lukewarm water

2 or 3 tablespoons melted butter

Step 1

 Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Slowly add water, while gathering the flour together as you do so, until a soft, moist dough is formed.

2

Transfer the dough to a smooth work surface and knead for 6 to 8 minutes until it is smooth and firm. Then sprinkle the dough with water and cover with a damp cloth and set it aside for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

3

When the dough is ready place a heavy cast iron griddle over medium heat. With moistened hands knead the dough again then shape into 15 equal- sized patties. Dip them into flour and roll them out thin and even on a floured board. Make them as round as and about 5 ½ inches across. Keep some plain whole-wheat flour on the side to dust the chapatis as you roll them.

4

Knock the excess flour off the chapatti with a few slaps between the hands and place it on the pre-heated griddle. (You can cook several at a time if the size of your griddle allows.) When small white blisters appear on the surface of the chapatti and the edges begin to turn up, turn it over  and cook the other side until the surface bulges with air pockets. Lift the chapati and toast both sides over a direct flame for a few seconds until it puffs up like a ball. A finished chapati should be cooked completely (no wet spots) and should be freckled with brown spots on both sides. Press the air out and brush one surface with melted butter.

*You can also cook a chapati on electric heat. Let it stay on the griddle. Turn it over as many times as it takes for both sides to cook, then gently press the top of the chapati all over with a soft cloth, and the chapati will swell. Serve them soon after cooking or wrap them in a cloth to keep them warm and soft.

This recipe comes straight from the book The Hare Krishna Book of Vegetarian Cooking by Adiraja dasa (pg.147)

So you might get some hit or misses the first few times but its good stuff.

Feel free to leave a comment in the box be-low.

Moscato D’Asti : Beviamo

Moscato D’Asti : Beviamo

   “This tongue-tingling Italian treat is sensually sweet, a perfect match to start or end any meal or simply enjoyed on its own. Beviamo!”

So that ^ is what the back of the wine bottle says. This blue bottle is attractive on its own and the swoopy little writing makes it look a little exotic. Other descriptions of this sparkling white wine…oh yes its sparkles…says that it is actually an Italian import, which is kind of cool.

So let’s talk about the cons….it’s hard to get!! I found 1 place that sells it but its Sams club and I don’t really need a membership to a place I don’t really go to. Sooooo that’s the hard bit, but  if you know someone with that stupid little access card by all means take advantage! Really accessibility is really the only con.

This wine has a very smooth taste even with the bubbles, and true to the Moscato normalcy it is deliciously sweet (without being overly sweet with that dessert-y after taste which I don’t very much like). The bottle was right, can be a start, an end, and a standalone drink.

If anyone were to find this in a readily available place, ohhh let me know but until then, feel free to leave a comment in the box be-low.

Enjoy yourself and please drink responsibly.

Three Olives Grape Vodka

Three Olives Grape Vodka

So I always tend to read the back of the bottles of my liquor and here it says:

Savor this dynamic blend of imported English vodka and the natural taste of juicy concord grapes…. (Blah and so on and so forth)



Alright now I’m not sure I’m tasting concord grapes here but it sure does remind me of the color purple. I’ve tried it with a few different mixers. The classic Sprite, grape soda (mistake: tastes just like grape cough syrup), and Blood Orange Italian Soda, but then you can also use it in a grape press which is just sprite and soda. AAAnnyywho using sprite is probably the best go round for simple drinkers, but that Italian blood orange, you find a  good balance for your taste buds and mm mm mmm.

I like the martini shape in the frosty bottle look.



Grape Soda:

1 ½ oz. Three Olive Grape Vodka

Sprite

Better than Starbucks!

     Ok coffee and I are best friends and when my aunt came back from Puerto Rico she brought my dad coffee. Twas the best thing I have here-to-fore experienced. Best part, its very, very smooth so if your a creamer user, there is no need. Its got a very distinguished flavor so you dont need a lot of sugar either. It is safe to say...I was sad when it was gone. BUT the internet hasnt failed me yet, you can order this from their website, yes minimun is a case of six but they also have a case you can mix and match so your not drinking the same flavor for months. huzzah yes? And after flipping through the site we realized that this company also makes our favorite rumcakes...totally didn't recognize the logo until then. (The Chocolate RumCake is the best one.)

http://www.tortugarumcakes.com/

Little rumcake, little coffee, best breaktime wonder if I ever heard of one.

Check that out, and feel free to leave a comment in the box Be-low.

Indian French Toast

So Indian French Toast is not the real name but its close enough and that's basically what it is, the Patel version of French Toast. The first time I had this was when my friends mother woke us up on a Saturday morning, after just getting to sleep no less, come on we were in high school, ya know 'party' all night sleep all day. But I feel this made up for it. Sadly I don't have a picture because....well I ate it and I didn't have my phone.

Moving on, you will need:
1/2 green Chile
2 eggs
Curry powder (to taste, I use hot Jamaican curry powder)
Salt (to taste)
Dash Freshly cracked pepper
(She also uses a little whole milk but I can't have it so i don't use it)
Two thick slices of bread*

Big step one:
Chop the Chile, then mix curry, salt, pepper, and Chile in the eggs.
Heat pan with a little butter.
Dredge bread in the egg mixture, toss into the pan and brown on both sides so the egg is cooked thoroughly.

Little bit of ketchup on the side and your set.
Its got a little kick to it but its a great way to wake up haha.

Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment in the box Be-low

Arroz con Pollo

Ah. ha.haa another food stretcher

This is a Puerto Rican...very americanized...recipe for Chicken and Rice, so it is going to used one of my favorite things....Sofrito!!!
Alright here we go...

3 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1 chicken (2-3 pounds)*
1/2 cup flour
salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Paprika (to taste)

For the rice:
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tblsp tomato paste
pinch oregano
1 Tsp salt
sofrito (to taste)**


Good ol' Step one:
Heat 3 Tblsp olive oil in large pan on medium high heat. In a bowl mix flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and put into the pan to brown. Cook a few minutes on each side, then remove the chicken and set aside.

Step 2:***
Add rice to the pan to brown and a little more oil to coat the rice, let the rice brown then add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes then place in the chicken skin side up. In another bowl mix together stock, tomato paste, salt, and oregano. Pour the stock mixture over the rice and chicken. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover.****
Let cook for 20 -25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and how soft you like it and until the chicken it done.

Alright now for the stars:
*now the recipe says use a whole chicken, but then youve got to chop it up and do all that tedious stuff (and i only like white meat) and sometimes i just dont feel like it....so i use whole boneless, skinless, chicken breast that I slice into thick strips. If you cut them too thin then they will get dry.

**Now there is a recipe for sofrito that is very nice, but if you dont have the freezer space or you dont think you will be using it very often then its not a good idea to make it. I like to substitute the tomato based Sofrito that comes straight out of a jar.

***ok the stars by step 2 are only there because this recipe for rice is good but I just like to substitute the Spanish Rice recipe from Miss Samantha, not only is it quicker and uses less ingerdients, but I can make that sucker extra spicy if I wanted to. but keep in mind substituting the recipe means keeping a closer eye on your food. I would still keep that chicken broth ready so that you dont run out of liquid while your rice and chicken are cooking.

****I cover all of my large pan rice dishes with aluminum foil, I think it helps the rice come out more fluffy. And I find you get way less over burn (when the water from the rice boils over and burns onto you stove top)


Now just experiment, and Enjoy

Feel free to leave a comment in the box Be-low