Things Simple
I come back home absolutely wiped out each evening. Which means, I rarely have time to even think about dinner much less spend hours making it. Yet, I want to engage with my food and not rush through the motions. Most days, I still manage to cook fresh meals; meals that are nourishing and interesting.
I have discovered that the trick is to keep it simple. Few ingredients. Best quality I can afford. Seasonal, as much as possible. Slow cookers. Quick sautés. A few roasts. All, so I spend less time in making the meal and more time relishing it.
What I love about such a dish is that everything is usually always around in your pantry. If you don't have the exact ingredients, it is really easy to substitute with what you do have. No cilantro? Throw in parsley or a bunch of basil. No spagetti? Throw in whatever pasta you have or even better make your own with some flour, water and oil and, maybe, an egg, although I would not be particular.
Nargisi Kofta Curry
Back into the action of the week, after a three day weekend, it feels strangely not disconcerting. Perhaps, that is a truly relaxing weekend. One that leaves you nurtured and nourished for the coming week despite the onslaught of more bitter cold.
And, this week, I am going to make more hearty, warming meals. With a little meat and a lot of vegetables and more eggs. Eggs are good. Actually, good eggs are really good.
The recipe today is called Nargisi Kofta. I am not really sure of it why it is named thus but it definitely harkens to Persian origins. Notstanding the name, the style of cooking is a definite give away of it having been an import of the Mughal conquest into North India. But, much like a lot of the cuisine knowledge they brought and shared, the Persian influences in Indian cuisine, is much beloved. This dish is another testament of it.
Temptation
Temptation is a plump, red, hot house tomato! And, I gave in to it.
Have you bitten into a ripe tomato drizzled with sea salt and olive oil? No. You must! If you want to know what lust and love is. It is a singular pleasure. Very few things can compare to the slurp and settling flourish of that bite. The way the salt brings out the juices that as they come in contact with the olive oil, crescend into a spontaneous emulsion; Words do little justice.
Now, let us simply notch up the game. Blood oranges. There is something just wicked about them. Wickedly good. There they are looking pleasantly like a orange until you cut into them and watch them bleed. It makes you want to reach and suck all of that delicious, sweet, sticky nectar as it streams down your hand. It's reflexive. It's like an after aphrodisiac. You want it. More and more.
Bring the two together and it is .........
A Waffle Concept and Savory Turmeric Toasted Chickpea and Squash Waffles
You see, if you are gluten free or simply wheat allergic, like me, it is absolute pain in the ass to find bread substitutes that are fluffy, light and do not taste like card board because the US still has not caught with gluten free baking as much as our friends across the Atlantic. In comes, the savior, the humble waffle maker.
I have been testing a few flavors and this one today made with chickpea flour and incorporating roasted squash was perhaps one of the tougher one for the little fella to work through. But, eventually, I figured it out and all was sunny.
So, that is my waffle concept - an alternative bread......
More Cake? With Custard! Or when to draw the line...
You will have to bear with my story (oh yes! today, I have one) because at the end of it... There is CAKE!! But, more importantly, also Custard, or, if you want to be fancy, Crème Anglaise (English cream). The latter is important because that is the crux of this story that spirals out like Arabian Nights in sequence. So, rewind to Saturday evening.... {Read the story from the link below}
Now about that cake. This would be my go to chocolate cake. It is simple. Flour, cocoa powder, egg, milk, raw sugar, butter or oil. Typically, I would make it with regular flour but since my wheat allergy, I have been playing pantry with gluten free stuff.
This is a simple chocolate cake. I mix olive oil and butter in equal parts for the fat part. Oil makes it moister and the butter tastier. But you can equivalent volume of one or the other. I like eating it right from the cake pan (hence the missing chunk in the photos). But you can just easily, frost it or serve with custard. Pretty much do what you want with it. It is a basic recipe.