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Warm chickpea salad – A South Indian take on warm salads
These days it’s all about the warm salad for me. When one component of the salad is warm, it provides such an elevated contribution to the whole dish. Take for instance a bed of greens that are tossed together in a warm vinaigrette of mustard and shallots. Just imagine what life is like for those greens as they are given the perfect chance to absorb new flavors. Or a potato salad that is tossed in it’s dressing whilst still warm – isn’t that the difference between a great potato salad and one that makes you say ‘ehh..’ Salads...
read moreShrimp Sizzled In Marcona Almond And Preserved Lemon Pesto
Not every good meal needs to be complicated. A well-stocked pantry and a couple of fresh ingredients can work wonders on any given night. That’s when I am thankful for the random purchases I see in my pantry but rarely touch. Take for instance my Marcona almonds. How different were they from the other 10 varieties of nuts already occupying prime real estate in my kitchen? And then there was the jar of preserved lemon I purchased in one of my Moroccan moments. Over the weekend, my husband bought beautiful shrimps – perhaps 16 pointers...
read moreBranzino Stuffed With Thai Red Curry Veggies
Last week, the Branzino whispered from its crushed-ice bed, ‘take me home and you’ll be happy’. Branzino is such an attractive fish that breaks apart with a bare nudge of a fork (I like to eat mine with a spoon). This mild mannered fish is like the perfect pair of jeans. Dress it up with bold flavors of ginger and chili and she shines or dress it down with a simple drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper and she will stay a somewhat in the background. Since I wanted to stuff the fish, I asked the fishmonger to butterfly it...
read moreRoasted Eggplant With Bulgar
Last month, I taught a class on vegetarian meals. Whenever I approach vegetarian food, it is always through my omnivore perspective. On Tuesdays, I observe a vegetarian diet and on those days, I end up over looking my protein. Putting a class together on the subject brought with it responsibility and I couldn’t omit a major part of the food group. People didn’t need a class on sautéing some broccoli with garlic, what they needed were complete dishes. Dishes with some kind of protein, grains, veggies and perhaps a touch of dairy. This led...
read moreChicken Tagine Without The Tagine
It’s a no brainer. When you head to your local Moroccan joint, one of you is definitely is ordering the tagine. Right? To the untrained Maghrebian eye, there is drama in it’s very presentation that adds to its luring nature. The earthenware vessel boasting of nomadic silhouette and color whilst imparting a subtle earthiness – it takes you right there. The tagine creates the perfect habitat for braising. The pot is heavy with a lid that prohibits even the remotest of vapor from escaping. However, most of us do not have...
read moreDIY Shrimp Dumplings
The whole dim sum experience is a culture in itself. Glazed eyes that push carts around a room, stacks of bamboo steamers, drizzle bottles filled with soy sauce – these are just some of the necessary components of enjoying dim sum, tight little parcels filled with proteins and veggies. Like a poker game, there is little conversation to place your order. All you need is a dim sum check sheet, a pencil to mark off your choices and a delicate nod to indicate your next hand. What is so special about these delicate little sheets wrapped...
read moreSlow Cooked Potato Curry Dum Aloo by Moti Mahal Delux
The Upper East Side is kicking it up notches. Within the last couple of years, eating and drinking locales like, The Arlington Club, Hosppoda, Jones Wood Foundry and Vegan Divas have quietly taken their spots and started pulling in a fresh crowd from all over the city (yes, including downtowners!!). Over the last few months, it happened again, this time, with a restaurant that upholds Indian culinary providence, a rich Moghul past and quite frankly with an experience that sends you home distracted for days. It is called Moti Mahal...
read moreHash Pepperoni Browns – Breakfast Pleaser
Last Sunday unintentionally, the morning was calm. No kiddy birthday parties to run to, no soccer practice to get ready for. As the kids anchored down to some stacked paper and a bundle of crayons, I had a chance to hear myself think in my mecca – the kitchen. Some eggs and a half-filled mason jar of cream would do me nicely for a creamy mound of scramble but rather than toast, I decided upon a skillet hash with a few slivers of pepperoni. Hash browns can provide for a failing experience if the potatoes haven’t been salted and then wrung...
read moreMy Adapted Fried Rice – Part Chinese, Part Korean
When it comes to Asian cuisines, in my home, we are equal opportunity eaters – Indian, Thai, Japanese, Malaysian – you name it and we’re there. Last Friday, my refrigerator action was in the hands of a sad carrot, scant baby bella mushrooms, a laquer-dly green bell pepper (why do I bother with those?) and a couple of eggs. It was time to pull inspiration from my Asian flavors and transform these loners into a cohesive dish through purpose and intention rather than neglected souls drawing their last breath in a dish. I thought of making...
read moreShrimp Burger On Challah Bread
In our home, making a quick meal often involves some ground meat, a pinch of herbs, diced onions, ginger or garlic and finally some rough hand-shaping before it is thrown down on the pan. It is then christened burger or kebab. Last night was one of those evenings, except; the predictability of ground chicken was getting dull. A fleeting thought was to use crab but again, the density felt unappealing. The mind and palate feeling a bit weighed down by all this winter business wanted to take a short flight somewhere fun and flirty –...
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