Category Archives: Recipes

Espresso Brownies

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This recipe comes courtesy of my friend, Jane, who has a natural instinct in the kitchen. I’ve always admired the way she whips up a piping hot batch of chocolate chip muffins for breakfast – on a school day. I treasure fond memories of cooking together from a farm bag in our California kitchens.  Collaboration has never been more gratifying—to the stomach as well as the soul.

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Potato and Kale Cakes with Rouille

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From Bon Appetit Magazine, January 2011

These delightful cakes remind me loosely of aloo tikki, a potato-based mainstay of Indian snack foods called chaat – perhaps a distant American cousin? My daughter pointed out that these cakes are also reminiscent of the Irish potato and kale (or cabbage) dish Colcannon (a recipe for which can be found in our archives).

Such golden, smooth and starchy gems are sure to satisfy our comfort food cravings during cold winter months – but not in an over-the-top way like the potatoes mashed with an entire stick of butter that we ate at Christmas. I admit it’s true, but the dish did serve 13 people (including a few hungry teenagers).

Ingredients:

Roille –

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper

Cakes –

  • 1 ½ lbs unpeeled russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 2 Tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter (to lighten, you might consider cutting down on this a bit)
  • 1 tsp coarse kosher salt, divided
  • 3 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
  • ½ lb kale, center rib and stem cut from each leaf, leaves coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Method:

  1. Rouille – Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  2. Cakes – Cook potatoes in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 min. Drain; return to pan. Add milk and butter. Mash until smooth. Season with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Transfer 3 cups mashed potatoes to large bowl and cool (reserve remaining potatoes for another use – snack opportunity!).
  3. Heat 1 ½ Tbsp oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion softens, about 5 min. Increase heat to med-high and add kale and thyme. Toss until kale wilts, about 5 min. Add kale mixture, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper and nutmeg to potatoes; blend. Cool mixture for 30 min.
  4. Shape potato mixture by ¼ cupfuls into ½ inch-thick patties. Arrange on a baking sheet.
  5. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add cakes and cook, without moving, until cakes are brown and crispy on the bottom, 3-4 min. Carefully turn cakes over and cook until brown on bottom, 2-3 min. Transfer to plates. Top each cake with dollop of rouille.
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Cranberry Chutney

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Adapted from Neelam Batra’s 1000 Indian Recipes, this fruity, sweet-tart chutney is a guaranteed hit on any holiday table. You’ll have enough from this recipe to send home with appreciative friends and family after the feast. The chutney keeps well in the fridge for at least a couple of months and frozen for 6 months or more. After the holidays try serving this tangy condiment with Indian samosas, crackers and goat cheese, potato pancakes or even spread on thinly sliced bread with cream cheese for a distinctive tea sandwich.

You can find all the spices at any Indian grocery store. Bengali 5-spices is a blend of cumin, fennel, black mustard, kalonji and fenugreek seeds, commonly used for flavoring fruit chutneys and as a pickling mix. If you can’t find it, substitute as many of the whole seeds as you can find – the first three should be fairly available. The blend is worth a trip to the specialty store though, and you’ll be glad when you see the prices (much, much lower than the big grocery chains). I use a minimally processed sugar such as Turbinado, but you can use plain granulated sugar.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp Bengali 5-spices (Panch-Phoran), coarsely ground
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 (1-inch) stick cinnamon
  • 8 cardamom pods, crushed lightly
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
  • 2 (12-ounce) packages fresh cranberries, washed
  • 3 1/4 cups sugar
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 Tbsp ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice and 2 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp lemon zest

Method:

  1. Prepare the 5-spices (use a spice grinder or mortal and pestle to coarsely grind). Then, heat the oil in a large non-reactive wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the cinnamon, cardamom pods, and cloves, stirring, about 30 seconds.
  2. Add the fresh ginger and panch-phoran and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the cranberries, sugar, water, ground ginger and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. The cranberries will pop and break down as they cook.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium, uncover the pan, add the lemon juice, vinegar and lemon zest, and cook until the chutney thickens, about 10 minutes. Transfer to containers, let cool, and serve at room temperature, or refrigerate and serve chilled. Will keep in the fridge for several months.
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Pan-fried Okra with Onions and Tomato

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If your only experience with okra is Southern-style gumbo, try this pan-fried Indian version. Okra can turn out soggy and even slimy, but pan-frying at a high temperature creates a crisp exterior. Onions and tomatoes add caramelized flavor to the mix.  Avoid over-stirring—this promotes a slimy texture—carefully “fold” the vegetables as you might beaten egg whites.  Be sure to wash and dry the okra before you slice it into rounds—this avoids the stringy goo that oozes out of the pods when wet.  You’ll find amchoor at any Indian grocery store.  Omit it or substitute lemon juice, if you like.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds okra (choose small ones, they are the most tender)
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon mango powder (amchoor)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Salt (to taste)
  • 1 small onion, sliced into half rounds
  • 15 cherry tomatoes or one medium tomato cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Method:

  1. Rinse and dry okra. Remove stems and tips (if brown or bruised) and slice into 1/2 inch rounds.
  2. Heat oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook okra, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the coriander, cumin, mango powder (if using), turmeric, cayenne, half teaspoon salt and a splash of water.  Stir gently reduce the heat to medium-low, continue to cook until okra is crisp on the outside, and tender on the inside, another few minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  3. Add a bit more oil to skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they’ve turned a deep brown in places.  Stir in tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and the skin blisters.  They’ll be glazed with the spices remaining in the skillet. Stir to turn the tomatoes over. Gently push on fruit to release some juice.
  4. Add okra back the pan and fold into onion/tomato mixture.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed.  Heat through then transfer back the serving bowl.  Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired, and naan or other flat bread.
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