Thanksgiving 2010 Diary

This post will be updated as the day progresses, in a kind of "live blogging" style- a diary of a day of cooking and baking. 


Thursday, Nov 25- Thanksgiving 2010 is about to dawn. At 5:30 this evening, there will be about 6 hungry guests arriving here. All I have done so far is grocery shopping and menu planning. Everything else will happen (one hopes) in the next 11 hours.

It is 6 AM and I am showered and dressed for a day of cooking. The first order of business- to jolt myself fully awake with a cup of strong chai and eat a bowl of peanut butter oatmeal. No sense in cooking on an empty stomach.

6:30 AM: Off to clean the kitchen thoroughly and mop the kitchen floor, to start off on a clean slate.

7:08 AM: The kitchen floor is drying quietly so I can take a break and tell you the menu. It is a bit of a hodge-podge, Indian dishes jostling with modified American favorites, just like in our lives.

Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut & Curry

Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Pizza

Ranch Dressing with Crudites & Potato Chips for dipping

Dal Makhani

Paneer Korma

Pull-Apart Rolls

Sweet Potato Fries

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Vanilla Ice Cream

7:26 AM: I'm starting with the pie crust, using this recipe but halving it because I will make an open pie. Right now, 1 stick of butter has been cubed and is chilling in the fridge. 

   

If you are celebrating Thanksgiving tonight, please do share your menu or your plans for the special dinner.

8:05 AM: The pie crust came together in a couple of minutes and is now chilling in the fridge. I'll make the pie around noon.

Meanwhile, I peeled and cut the sweet potato fries and filled up a 9.5 cup capacity container to be stored in the fridge. I estimate this will be a single layer on the 11 X 17 inch baking sheet. All I have to do tonight is toss these fries with olive oil and seasoning (which I made a couple of days ago) and bake.

I am anxious about the sweet potatoes oxidizing and getting brown spots as they sit in the fridge though- is this something I should worry about?

Meanwhile, I am trying to be as "green" as possible by storing pie dough in a bag that tortillas came in (instead of plastic wrap) and composting the sweet potato peels. I will also reuse the food processor for pizza dough before washing it. And use a dish towel to cover pizza dough instead of plastic wrap.

Dale and V are out for their long morning walk. We have drizzly, cold and grey weather here today.

9:17 AM: I took the time to drink a cup of coffee and have a snack (umm- defrosted mock chicken nuggets with sriracha sauce; please don't judge me), then tidy the kitchen for the next bout of cooking.

The pizza dough is made (I substituted 1/2 cup rava/semolina for some of the all-purpose flour because it adds a wonderful crunch and tenderness to the crust) and is rising on the shelf above a heating vent (the only way it will rise properly on this frigid day). 3 onions are caramelizing in a pan on the stove. I hacked open a butternut squash and it is cooking in the microwave oven.

As a rule of thumb, I have no more than 3 tasks going on simultaneously in the kitchen. More than that simply asking for trouble. One task has to be in the background (like dough rising), one that does not need constant attention (like squash in the microwave which will beep when done) and the third that needs attention every few minutes. Note that if you are blogging while doing 3 kitchen tasks (such as me, right now), all bets are off.

V is cleaning the home while watching Kung Fu Panda on TV.

Meanwhile, Dale came back from his walk and strolled through the kitchen with muddy, wet paws. The floor had been clean for a record 85 minutes.

10:34 AM: The pizza topping is ready and in the fridge. I chopped the olives really really fine so Neighbor Girl won't notice. She hates olives although yesterday she loyally told me, "I'll eat anything you make". Yes, flattery certainly will get you everywhere with me.

The squash is cooked and cooling. I'll make the soup right before eating.

I took a short break to paint my toenails and then set out glasses, plates and bowls on the table- all completely mismatched of course because I don't have a full set of anything for 8 people, but we still like it better than using disposable stuff.

Meanwhile, here are the latest shenanigans from Dale, or Scooby Don't as we have been calling him. This past weekend we were dog-sitting for a friend, and their dog is a 20 pounder (as opposed to Dale's 80). Predictably, Dale climbed on Carter's tiny bed and tried it on for size, squashing it.

Remarkably, 3 days later, he had practiced squeezing him body into such a compact bundle that he was able to fit into the little bed, oozing out of the top like an overfilled muffin. And that's the latest on the pooch.

I'm pressure cooking dals and the cooked is calling out to me...got to run.

12:48 PM: Yikes- we are in the PM now!! But I am right on schedule, I think.

V and I worked in an assembly line and quickly cut up a tray of vegetable sticks- beets, carrots, cucumber, daikon radish. This is the only raw food/salad in the meal but there's a lot of it to go around.

Next up, the pie. I'm using this recipe. I managed to roll the dough out without too much hassle; here it is laid out in the pie plate.

Next step: blind-baking the pie. I have a jar of "pie weight" beans, a handful of rajma which has been set aside for this sole purpose and which can be reused over and over. 

Neighbor Girl just texted me to say that she will be here in an hour to "help" me. Which means everything will now take me twice as long to do. On the other hand, it will twice as much fun. Not a bad trade-off. 

2:00 PM: Out of nowhere, we have the first snow of the season here in St. Louis! It is coming down, fast and furious. V clicked this pic of the backyard- quite the winter wonderland (and to think two days ago we were wearing T-shirts outside).

Meanwhile, the chocolate pecan pie is baking in the oven. My modifications of the recipe: I reduced eggs to 3, cut down on both sugar and syrup amounts, added some vanilla, used brandy instead of coffee liqueur.

I'm taking a short break for a cup of chai and some knitting. I am knitting a DNA scarf for V's colleague who saw him wearing it at a party and fell in love with it. Few more rows and this scarf will be done.

5:22 PM: Whew- The three of us- V, Neighbor girl and I rallied and made soup, two curries, rolled rolls, made pizza and then I cleaned up the mess. The pie looks fantastic but let's see what it tastes like (pics to follow).

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it- I am thankful to you for reading my words and grateful for being part of this wonderful community where I learn something new every day.

Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie

(adapted from this recipe from Use Real Butter)

1. Roll out a pie crust and blind-bake it. Let it cool. 

2. To make the filling, melt 3 to 4 oz. dark chocolate with 2 tbsp. butter in a medium bowl in the microwave. Nuke in 15 second spurts them gently stir to distribute the heat. Overheating will scorch the chocolate. 

3. In another bowl, whisk 

• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tbsp. espresso powder (dissolved in 1 tbsp. hot water)
• 2 tbsp. brandy
• 1 heaped cup toasted pecans, chopped

4. Add melted chocolate to above mixture and stir. Pour into the baked pie shell. Decorate with some pecan halves.

5. Place filled pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes or so. 

6. I had scraps of pie dough left over from trimming the edges, so I gathered them, rolled them out again and cut little leaves. I placed the leaves on the baking sheet next to the pie and baked them. Then I used the pastry crust leaves to decorate the pie.

The pie was outstanding- the deep rich mousse-like filling and the crunchy pie crust all went together so well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

This dark lovely pie was adapted from a recipe on another blog, and it goes to Blog Bites: The Holiday Buffet.

We had a wonderful Friday-after-Thanksgiving, feasting on leftovers. I barely ate any of this food on Thursday because cooking seems to satiate me, but I enjoyed them yesterday. We skipped the malls and instead went to see the latest Harry Potter movie.

See you on Sunday!

Samosa Crostata

For a few weeks, a box of frozen pie crusts from Trader Joe's has been hanging out in my freezer, waiting for an occasion to justify the indulgence of flaky pie crusts. When we all (including Mr. Dale) were invited to a Diwali celebration this weekend, the time seemed just right.

I wanted to mimic the taste of classic deep-fried samosas- with the fried pastry crust and the spicy vegetable filling- with a much simpler preparation. This was achieved by borrowing from the concept of a crostata- a free form rustic tart where the filling is piled onto a circle of pie crust and the edges folded in to form an edge.

Samosa Crostata

(my own creation)

1. Keep a circle of pie crust handy, either store bought or home made. There are wonderful recipes out there for pie crusts made with butter or a vegan substitute, and either with the usual all-purpose flour or with whole wheat and other flours included. 

2. To make the filling, saute 1 medium minced onion until lightly browned.

3. Add 1 heaped tsp. ginger garlic paste.

4. Season with salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala and coriander-cumin powder (all to taste). Be liberal with the spices. The filling has to be tasty and spicy because it will be eaten with the bland crust. 

5. Add 2 medium potatoes (either boiled and mashed or cut in tiny cubes), 3 cups tiny cauliflower florets (I used locally grown purple cauliflower), 1 cup peas. 

6. Stir fry the mixture until the vegetables are cooked through. 

7. Add a handful of minced cilantro and lemon juice to taste. Let the filling cool down. Mash it slightly if needed to make it hold together.

8. Grate a handful of cheese (optional). 

9. Preheat the oven to 425F. To assemble the crostata, place two circles of rolled pie crusts on a greased parchment placed on a baking sheet. Spoon filling onto the crusts (this amount of filling is enough for 2 crusts) but leave an inch or so around the edges.  Fold in the edges, pinching the folds together. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until golden brown. 

Here is the baked pie. You can see at the 10 o'clock position, the edge opened up. So the folds do need to be pinched together well. Also, this crostata could have used a few more minutes of baking time- it really does need to be golden brown.

Cut the crostata into 8 wedges and serve. This experiment was a definite success. If you are a fan of samosas, vegetable puffs and the like, you are sure to love this. 

*  *  *

I have a riddle for you- What does a decadent chocolate cupcake have to do with a sparkling glass of water? 

To know the answer, stop by the Cupcake Project and take a look. A small donation could contribute to sweetness in your life and clean drinking water for a family in Haiti. Reports like this New York Times article explain why the need for clean water is so urgent. 

Enjoy the rest of your week!

A Festive Sugar High

Of Tiramisu

Last weekend, the parade of witches and zombies prowling the streets symbolized the start of the holiday season in the US.

I had big plans for a orange-and-black Halloween dinner. In the end, it worked out with some adjustments. There was a black bean soup, vegetable-cheese enchiladas in a orange-ish gravy (totally delicious, by the way) and spinach salad with almonds that have orange skin and dried blueberries (those look almost black if you squint at them).

For weeks before, I had been eyeing the tiramisu recipe (this happens to be V's favorite dessert) posted on Served With Love. What a lovely simplified recipe, but it does call for a bunch of specialty ingredients. We were at a local Italian store the day before Halloween and I stocked up on marsala wine, mascarpone cheese, ladyfingers (light finger-shaped cookies; nothing to do with bhindi) and espresso powder.

So tiramisu made it to the black and orange theme dinner because espresso is nearly black and ladyfingers are nearly orange. Why I humor myself this way I don't know. Clearly my spouse and friends eat whatever I put in front of them regardless of colors and themes.

In making tiramisu, I learnt a few new things:

1. Marsala is a fortified wine (it has alcohol added to it) which means it keeps well in the pantry, just like brandy or sherry. A bottle of marsala can be bought and used over several months, which is great because this is not a drinking wine, and recipes that call for marsala wine usually need a cup or less. 
2. Mascarpone is like a cream cheese but quite tasteless on its own. But it forms a wonderful base for the dessert, picking up the flavors of booze and coffee very well.
3. Egg whites freeze beautifully. After defrosting them, they can be whipped just like fresh egg whites. 

The tiramisu recipe is a keeper for sure. The only challenging bit is when you cook the yolks together with some wine and sugar into a light custard. You need some judgement to tell when it is cooked, and it needs a good bit of patient stirring. Other than that, you mix and layer. Everyone who tasted this dessert was in raptures- it is not too sweet and utterly decadent.

Coconut Macaroons

Now what was to be done with the 4 egg whites left over from the tiramisu recipe? Luckily, the coconut macaroons I intended to make for a party yesterday called for 2 egg whites. As I cracked open 4 eggs for the tiramisu, I kept a bowl and a storage container near me. Two whites went into each of these. The egg whites in the bowl were whipped up to make a quick omelet for lunch and the container with the other two egg whites went into the freezer. I pulled them out of the freezer two hours before starting to make macaroons and they thawed and came up nearly to room temperature, and were easily whisked into foamy soft peaks.

The coconut macaroons come from a recipe by Monica Bhide, posted by Susan, the Food Blogga. I bookmarked them three years ago, I think, and finally found that they could be part of the Blog Bites end of year holiday buffet and of our Diwali celebrations.

Diwali, the festival of lights, is being celebrated this weekend and although I am not religious (understatement of the year, much?), I can certainly get behind the spirit of good triumphing over evil and the light of wisdom overcoming the dimness of ignorance. And what's not to love about the tradition of making, sharing and eating sweets and treats?

If you have saffron and cardamom on hand, the rest of the ingredients- eggs, sweetened condensed milk and sweetened coconut flakes- can be found in any ol' American supermarket. This is a big plus in my world, where trips to the Indian store for specialty ingredients are few and far between.

As you start setting out the ingredients, you already feel the ghosts of nariyal burfis past. The unmistakable blending of coconut and sugar and cardamom is sure to trigger memories of celebrations. The process of making these could not be simpler. Crush cardamom and saffron into a powder. Mix this spice with coconut flakes, condensed milk and a tinge of salt, then fold in whipped egg whites to hold everything together. Scoop little tablespoon-sized mounds on a cookie sheet and bake to perfection. Please refer to the recipe for complete and detailed directions.

Even though two of the ingredients have the word "sweetened" emblazoned right there in their names, we found that the macaroons were not tooth-achingly sweet. The taste of the coconut and the scent of the spices came through convincingly. Several people at the party told me how much they enjoyed the macaroons, even though coconut can be, you know, polarizing.

The only thing I would do differently next time would be to either lower the baking temperature for my oven or bake the macaroons on the top rack because I found that the macaroons browned very quickly at the bottom (a couple of them crossed the line between browned and burnt) before the tops had a chance to get toasty.

For anyone who does not wish to use eggs or does not have access to an oven, Suma of Veggie Platter has a recipe for coconut laddus using condensed milk and sweetened coconut flakes but skipping the eggs and the baking; check it out here.

Happy Diwali to all who celebrate it; I wish you all much sweetness and joy this weekend and for the year to come.

* * *

P.S. An announcement for interested readers in the St. Louis area- Cookbook author Raghavan Iyer (whose recipes are well-loved on several blogs) will be at Washington University next week. There are demos and book signings and buffets galore. Check out the events by clicking on the picture below:

Blog Bites 9: The Holiday Buffet

Towards the end of last year, in a moment of temporary insanity, I declared that I would try 40 new recipes in 40 days and post about each one until the new year. It was a crazy and exhilarating experience. This year, I have better control over my impulsive behavior. Still, I am keen on making the best of what's left of 2010 and cooking and baking to my heart's content.

The rest of the year is packed with holidays so I expect most food bloggers will be churning out festive meals. And our last Blog Bites potluck was so much fun that I decided a good way to celebrate would be to host another potluck buffet.

I took a screenshot of the recipes bookmarked on my computer yesterday and this is what it looks like: there are about 55 recipes in here, and I'm dying to try each one. More are being added to this list on a daily basis, I might add.

Perhaps you too have recipes bookmarked from other blogs that are sitting around waiting to be made. This is your chance to try any recipe from another blog and bring it to the holiday buffet. You have almost 2 months to send in entries (yes, this is a double edition) and depending on how many entries arrive, I might do a string of round-ups or one massive holiday buffet.

The Rules

1. From now until December 25, try ANY recipe from another blog. 
2. The recipe has to come from another blog; that is the whole premise of Blog Bites, so please turn to other blogs for inspiration.
3. Write a post telling us about the recipe you tried, with the following (a) A link to the recipe on the inspiring blog (b) A link to this post (the event announcement).
4. Please write a post specifically for this event.
5. Please do NOT copy a recipe word for word from another blog- that would be both illegal and unethical. Let's all give credit where credit is due.
6. Please make sure your entry meets all the rules above. Then, send me the link (URL) of your entry at the following e-mail address: OneHotStove AT gmail DOT com
7. You can send in as many entries as you like.

I will kick things off with my very first entry to BB9: butternut curry soup inspired by this recipe from Not Eating Out in New York. This blog has a nice feature- it rates recipes by cost, health factor and environmental impact. If you live in or around NYC, you might be interested in the local food event listing in the left side-bar.

Coming to the recipe: For the last three weeks, ever since winter squash made an appearance at the local market, I have been buying one medium butternut squash every week. Each is large enough that I can cut it and cook it, and use it in two different dishes that week. So far, one butternut squash was made into soup and quesadillas, another went into chili and dal and so on- it is simply a wonderful versatile vegetable with a sweet buttery taste.

A whole butternut squash can look formidable- you look at it and wonder, how on earth am I going to cut this thing without an axe and without losing a digit or two? These two tutorials were very helpful, and now I've combined some of the tips to come up with a method that works for me, as follows:

1. Cut off slivers at the top and bottom. 
2. Stand the squash upright and carefully cut it down the middle into two halves. 
3. Scoop out seeds and innards and discard (you can save the seeds and toast them).
4. To cook, either use the microwave or oven. I use the former because it takes only minutes.
5. Place the halves in a dish that will fit in your microwave. Pour in some water, to create steam. 
6. Microwave for 8-12 minutes, a few minutes at a time until the squash is fairly tender. 
7. Cool and store in the fridge until use. To use, peel (much easier now that it is cooked) and cut into cubes. 

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

1. Heat 2 tsp. oil and saute a large minced onion with salt and pepper.

2. Add the following and saute for 2 minutes:

• 1 chopped tomato
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Sri Lankan curry powder (or your favorite masala)
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. red chili powder (optional, but the heat contrasts well with sweet squash)

3. Add cubed butternut squash (4 cups or so, half of a medium squash) and saute for 2 minutes.

4. Add 1 cup thick coconut milk and 2 to 3 cups water or vegetable stock. Simmer for 10 minutes. 

5. Blend the soup using an immersion blender. Garnish if fresh herbs if desired and serve. 

For something so simple, this soup has incredible flavor- you must give it a try. I served it with egg pulao. 

I'm looking forward to eating down my bookmarks by the end of the year, and here's hoping you will join me for this special edition of Blog Bites.

Warm up with One Dish Meals

October's Blog Bites challenge was to look through your favorite blogs and try a recipe for a one dish meal. Here it is, a big dose of tasty comfort in six different categories. Please click through and read the entries and their sources of inspiration- you might find some terrific new blogs to follow.

The goodness of grains and beans can be the base for so many hearty one pot meals.

Anu makes Hawaiian-style chickpeas with harvest grain blend, a sweet-spicy combination so tasty that she swears they "could not get enough". And go and see for yourself if this is not the easiest recipe ever: marinate everything overnight, then fry in a wok and you have dinner.

Janet wants to feed us booger salad, with barbecued worms and muddy caterpillar hotdogs, but luckily ends up giving us a gorgeous bowl of bulgur and grape salad with nuts and cranberries instead. They say you eat with your eyes first, and this picture just filled me up.

Sharan declares that "we need to chaat" (yes, we absolutely do) and proceeds to assemble leftover sundal (dressed up lentils) with herbs, chutneys, onions, tomatoes and crunchy sev into an irresistible bowl of chaat.

Mimi's Mommy combines rice and sprouts and lots of fried onions to make mujadarah, and praises this Middle-Eastern dish saying, "I don’t know if I should praise the aroma of the ingredients more than the outcome or if I should praise how quick the dish is to make or how tasty and filling it is."

Rice is very nice, indeed, the grain that immediately comes to my mind when I think of comfort food. Plain rice can be dressed up with a infinite variety of spices and vegetables. Priya makes two mixed rice recipes, pepper rice and radish rice.

Boil water and cook up some pasta- add some vegetables and dress with a sauce or some cheese, and you have a one dish meal that can hold all the major food groups and then some.

Megha beats the heat and humidity of Mumbai by making a batch of summer vegetable pasta with pesto, with a tangy and rich almond sauce, vegetables and short pasta. 

Satya loves tiny shell pasta because it cooks up in no time and is perfect for kids. She uses plenty of vegetables to make a colorful platter of mini shell pasta with tomato basil sauce.

Suparna says that her family is not really a pasta-eating one, but she tries stuffed pasta for the first time in agnolotti with roasted red pepper sauce and is very happy with the results. 

A pot of stew bubbling away on the stove is a picture of domestic bliss and home-cooked love. 

Amruta packs in "proteins from the beans; carbs, vitamins and fibers from veggies and whole grain bread/pasta" and shares a recipe for one pot vegetable stew.

There is the dramatic moment when a heavy casserole is lifted out of the oven, when savory vapors envelope the kitchen and you just can't wait to dig in. Casseroles are a great way to use up ingredients and minimize waste by being forgiving in terms of what can go into them.

As Shobana says, she started with an inspiring recipe, and then "halved, changed, added, deleted, all at once" to make a rice and mixed vegetable bake studded with colorful cubes of vegetables and topped with a tempting layer of melted cheese.

Tanvi combines the comfort of an American classic with the complex flavors of Thai cuisine with a tiny bit of cheating as she calls it, using store-bought pie crust to make a beautiful red curry chicken pot pie.

Corina bakes Greek lemon chicken, with potatoes baked in the casserole to soak up the complex flavors of oregano, lemon and garlic. She says it is absolutely delicious, and a keeper.

The Cooker finds a recipe for a samosa casserole, confesses that it had her at "samosa" and makes her own version of Bengali-ishtyle potato-cauliflower samosa casserole which was gobbled up in a single sitting.

Bala used literally one pan, a marvel of technology that goes from microwave to stove to oven to table, to make brussels sprouts au gratin with unusual (to me) vegetables like parsnips and chestnuts and lots of creamy cheese. 

Johanna finds that inclement weather makes grocery shopping difficult, but she manages to use what she has at home, "forgotten vegetarian sausage I found at the back of the fridge, some leftover sundried tomato pasta sauce that had not been a hit, wilted spring onions, a heel of parmesan cheese that was drying out", to make a wonderful spinach rice gratin.

Sometimes life calls for mix and match to make something unique to fit your needs. 

SS reveals her complicated inner monologue about foods that are and aren't appropriate for lunch boxes (e.g. too-green stuff and too-brown stuff is a no-no) and discovers a new dabba candidate in parotta salad, with a torn-up paratha, fresh crunchy veggies, protein patty and a sauce to bring it all together.

Supriya goes blog-hopping and borrows components from different blogs- Mexican rice from one place and fajita vegetables from another, then layers them in a crisp shell to make an impressive taco salad in tortilla bowl.

Just because it is a one dish meal does not mean it cannot also be an elaborate masterpiece.

Satya puts layers of love and care, even making tortillas from scratch, and comes up with a multilayered quesadilla- beans, vegetables and cheese nestled in layers of fresh tortillas.

Miri's description ("not too cloyingly thick, not too sweet, not bland at all - a perfect blend of flavours which pleases the palate") brings alive a wonderful Burmese dish, and then she put a lot of TLC into making a spread of noodles, creamy curry and an array of delightful toppings to make her version of Burmese Khow Suey.

Jayasri battles a migraine and makes it to the one-dish party with a beautiful platter of Hyderabadi vegetable biryani, a labor of love involving a dozen warm spices, plenty of vegetables and several tasty ingredients including cashews, raisins, fried onions and herbs.

Finally, JK says that much as she appreciates the routine of roti-subzi-dal-chawal, sometimes she needs a break and turns to one dish meals instead. She posts three one-dish meals, including handvo, a savory vegetable cake, methi theplas and pan pizza.

A huge thank you to all the participants for playing along. As you might have noticed, time slipped past me and I did not get around to participating in my own event- oh well, there's always a next time. 

Please check back on Thursday for the next theme (clue: there won't be much of a theme per se) and for a bonus soup recipe in that same post. 

The Radish as Comfort Food

It's a sambar...it's a rasam...it's a dal with features of both; a totally inauthentic recipe but so tasty that you should try it anyway.

I owe a great debt to food bloggers- really I do. It is very nice to learn how to make impressive desserts and elaborate dishes for special occasions. But the coolest thing is when blogs teach me fresh new ideas for everyday meals and different ways to cook the same ol' vegetables that end up in my crisper week after week.

Radishes were mainly a salad vegetable in my life until a few years ago when I noticed wonderful ways to cook them into a main dish here on Mahanandi and here on Aayi's recipes. Over the years, this radish dal has evolved in my kitchen based on those recipes and remains one of the greatest hits on the dinner rotation.

The trick here is to work quickly and not let the dal simmer for too long. You will be rewarded with radishes that are cooked long enough to soak up all the delicious flavors but that remain juicy enough to make every bite a treat.

Radish Dal 

1. Cook ¹⁄₂ cup toor dal and set it aside.

2. Start with the tempering

• 2 tsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 pinch asafetida
• 1 sprig fresh curry leaves

3. Add 1 large bunch red radishes, sliced into coins or half moons. If the radish greens are attached to the bunch and if they look fresh, chop up the greens and add them too. White radish (daikon) will work perfectly well here too.

4. Add the spices:

• ¹⁄₂ tsp. turmeric
• ¹⁄₂ tsp. red chilli powder
• 1-2 tsp. of your favorite rasam or sambar powder
• 1 tbsp. tamarind paste
• Salt to taste

5. Stir for a minute, then add 1 cup water and let the radishes cook for 3-4 minutes.

6. Add the cooked toor dal and more water if needed and simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Taste and make sure the balance of salt, spice and tangy flavors is just right. Let the dal sit for at least 20 minutes before serving and serve over freshly steamed rice.

I finally got around to making ghee at home, and a dollop of this home made ghee transforms dal-rice into something even more special. The picture shows what little was left after V and I finished eating.

Please check back on Monday night for the round up of Blog Bites 8, where it is all about one dish meals. Entries will be welcomed all weekend. I'll include my own entry in that post.

Have a great weekend, all!

Self-Saucing Cabbage Curry

I love low-maintenance recipes. The ones where I don't need to hover over the pan watching like a hawk, or stir the pot constantly until my arms muscles quiver in protest. Where I can put the ingredients in, say "see ya later" and come back to something good and tasty. This is one such recipe.

It uses cabbage, the inexpensive and unassuming vegetable that can be dressed up in a hundred different ways. The idea for a no-hassle way to coat the cabbage in a tasty sauce comes from this recipe that I found via Priya, when she sent it as an entry for Blog Bites.

Dry coconut powder and sesame seeds are blitzed to a powder (this could be made in a batch and stored as a pantry basic). This powder magically turns a basic stir-fry bhaaji into a luscious curry, by combining with juices released from the vegetables and creating a wonderful sauce.

I don't bother roasting the coconut and sesame before making the powder, instead stir-frying the powder for a couple of minutes. I don't add any extra water either, because salt draws out plenty of water from the vegetables. This recipe would certainly work with other vegetables too.

Self-Saucing Cabbage Curry

Adapted from this recipe from Healthfood Desivideshi, serves 4 to 5

1. Grind 3 tbsp. dry coconut flakes/powder and 1 tbsp. sesame seeds into a fine powder and set aside. 
2. In a pan, heat 2 tsp. oil.
3. Temper it with 1 tsp. mustard seeds and 1 tsp. cumin seeds.
4. Add 1 medium onion (sliced), 5 to 6 cups cabbage strips (about half a large head), 1 bell pepper (sliced) and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
5. Add 1 tsp. red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp. turmeric, 2 tsp. cumin-coriander powder and the coconut-sesame powder. Stir fry for a couple of minutes. 
6. Add 1 chopped tomato, salt to taste and 1/2 tsp. jaggery/sugar (optional; do this if you like your savory curries to have a barely perceptible hint of sweetness).  
7. Don't add water or cover the pan (but others have noted that the vegetables started to burn at the bottom so please take your own stove/cookware into account and adjust the method accordingly). Just let it cook unattended on medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes. 

Serve with rotis or yogurt-rice or dal-rice and some pickle on the side for an utterly satisfying meal.

Enjoy your Sunday and have a wonderful week ahead.

Summer's Last Hurrah

One of the happiest things that happened to me this summer was the direct result of a policy at my workplace. Every Thursday (this started in August and will continue into November), local farmers were invited to set up tents and tables and sell their fresh produce right in the courtyard, in the shadow of offices, hospitals and research buildings, in an urban setting where thousands of employees congregate.

At lunchtime once a week without fail, I am able to stroll down and get my pick of the season's finest fruits and vegetables, grown in nearby farms in Missouri and Illinois. This unprecedented access allowed me to enjoy the bounty of summer more than ever. Last week's market was the turning point- on the tables, you could see the last of the summer crops, squash, peppers, eggplant and tomato, sharing space with the first of the winter crops, cabbages, cauliflowers and greens.

Coming home with this mixed-seasonal assortment, I found myself with a tub of pesto and a container of cooked kidney beans (extras from the rajma I made a couple of days earlier) in the fridge and a scant cup of whole-wheat couscous in the pantry. It all came together in this quick salad that heralded the change of seasons in my kitchen.

On a side note, the cauliflower from the market was something to behold. For starters, it was not swaddled in plastic. The florets were shapely and looser than the turgid florets of the supermarket variety. The florets has light pink-purple striations on the stems. And the tasty was ever so cauliflowery!

Pesto Couscous Salad

(my own impromptu creation)

1. Grain: Place 1 scant cup couscous in a bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water. Cover and let it stand for 10 minutes. Fluff the grains with a fork.
2. Vegetables: Meanwhile, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a heavy pan. Saute cauliflower florets, zucchini and summer squash coins and pepper strips until seared and tender, seasoning with salt and pepper. I find that fairly high heat is required to get vegetables that are juicy but with tasty brown flecks.
3. Make the salad: In a large bowl, toss together the couscous, vegetables, a cup or so of cooked kidney beans. Dress with pesto, a hefty pinch of red pepper flakes, more olive oil and salt, pepper if required. 
4. Taste the salad and add some lemon juice or balsamic vinegar if needed to brighten the flavors. 

That's it- a quick supper that exudes wholesomeness. It happens to be vegan too. And a one-dish meal, no less. Of course, other grains like bulgur wheat or barley or quinoa would be a perfect substitute for the couscous.

The other happy (or disastrous, depending on whether you look at it from the point of view of the taste buds or the thighs) discovery of this summer was the jarred refrigerated ranch dressing from Whole Foods. It goes with everything (ask us how we know), including as a sauce atop this salad.

I have butternut squash soup bubbling away on the stove as I sit here and type this, so watch for Fall flavors and heartier dishes on One Hot Stove as we roll into the colder months.

Dale's Tales

A day in the life of a busy dog...

9 AM: Nap in the sun

Noon: Nap in the sun 

2 PM: Congratulate yourself on a hard day's work.

Cheesecake Brownies

Has it really been a couple of weeks since I posted anything new on this blog? Time sure flies when you are having fun- and I've been busy knitting myself a sweater, reading some interesting books (more on this at the end of the post), teaching and learning fun new things and generally taking a short unplanned break from blogging. Which can be ever so refreshing and an antidote to blogger's block.

Anyway. It seems quite logical that one might pick out a fabulous recipe, go shopping for the ingredients and then cook or bake. My method is often less romantic and more pragmatic. Food wastage makes me feel wretched, so I poke around the fridge and look for ingredients that must be used before I go hunting for recipes.

Several weeks ago, I stocked the fridge with Everything Possible for my guests and found myself with leftover cream cheese and sour cream. Yesterday came the opportunity to dispatch the cream cheese by making quick and easy cheesecake brownies- a little treat to celebrate a happy event: Neighbor Girl getting the job of her dreams.

Two bowls, pantry ingredients + cream cheese, 5 minutes of mixing and 30-40 minutes in the oven, and you have yourself a pan of swirly brownies.

Cheesecake Brownies

(adapted from this recipe from delish)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment and grease lightly.

2. This is the cream cheese portion. In a medium bowl, beat together

• 6 oz. cream cheese (3/4 of a standard slab), softened
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

The cream cheese and the butter can be softened by setting them on the counter, or by microwaving them for a few seconds.

3. This is the brownie portion. In a large bowl, beat together

• 7 tbsp. melted butter (the rest of the stick after removing a tbsp. for the cream cheese portion)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

4. Layer most of the brownie portion in the prepared pan. Pour the cream cheese portion on it. Dollop on the rest of the brownie portion. Run a knife tip through the dollops to create pretty swirls.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tester comes clean (with only some crumbs attached). Cool for an hour, then slice into 16 squares. Stand back and let your family and friends fight over how to divide up the squares.


The sour cream and a partial bag of frozen blueberries went into this quick bread from King Arthur. I can't seem to make enough quick breads, they are very popular around here.

On The Bookshelf

When I mention books in this space, it is because I enjoyed them and want to recommend them. But here is a book that I really looked forward to reading, where I loved the premise of the novel but was utterly disappointed with the book when I was done reading it.

They say to not judge a book by its cover, but look at that inviting slice of cake- I had to read The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. The concept of the book is a young girl who can taste the emotions of the person who has prepared the food she is eating. For instance, her mother is outwardly cheerful but a taste of her chocolate-frosted lemon cake fills the girl's mouth with the horrid taste of sadness and dissatisfaction. She finds herself having to eat packaged snacks made in gigantic factories, untouched by human hands, because everything else is brimming with the darkest emotions and secrets of the person who made it. In the end, the story fizzled out and made no sense to me and the book left me with a deep sense of dissatisfaction, probably tainting the dinner I made that evening ;)

On some level, I believe that the emotions of the cook certainly have an effect on the food. "Made with love" is more than a tired cliche. Mostly because I am in a good mood, I am more likely to focus on the process (whether cooking or something else), take my time and produce higher quality results. This is why I am utterly mortified when I see chefs in food-oriented TV reality shows shouting expletives, throwing things around and arguing violently in the kitchen- the food they make feels toxic to me, in spite of the high end ingredients and fancy presentation. Give me some rice and beans that have been cooked with love and respect instead, chefs. Hold the drama, please.

Have a lovely weekend; I'll be back early next week with a post brimming with vegetables and grains and other good things, plus the latest tales of one Mr. Dale.

Iron Chef-Bloggers BB7 Round-Up and on to BB8

The challenge last month was to pretend we were Iron Chefs and use one ingredient in two different ways, both inspired by recipes on other blogs. Here are the ingredients, from A to Z and the innovative ways in which they were used...


Anchovies~ Tiny saltwater fish with a pungent and savory flavor. From what I have heard, you either love 'em or hate 'em. At Stephfood, Steph uses them in a colorful orecchiette pasta dish and a creamy green goddess dressing.

Bananas~ Get your dose of potassium with this ubiquitous tropical fruit. Most of us eat them as a snack but the ripening process often happens in the blink of an eye. At SS Blogs Here, SS uses over-ripe bananas in two sweet snacks, chocolate banana bread and cookie-like banana bites.

Beets~ Dressed in opulent shades of purple or red, beets are so much more than just a salad vegetable. At Veg Junction, Veena discovers two new ways of cooking beets, with spicy beetroot kootu and sweet little beet cupcakes.

Bell Peppers~Also called capsicum, the colors of bell peppers- orange, red, yellow, green- entice us in summer. At Pieces of Paper, Squiggly Lines, Lavanya cooks up dishes representing South India with red bell pepper chutney and North India with kadhai paneer.

Bread~ A staple food in so many cultures and often left over from the days before. "Waste not, want not", it is said.
     At Seduce Your Tastebuds, PJ recycles left over bread into two tasty snacks, vegetable toast and eggless masala toast.
     At The Budding Cook, TBC made two snacks too, crisp batter-dipped malai toast and fritters with stale bread and eggs.

Carrots~ The bright orange root vegetable. Carrots are usually inexpensive and available year-round. At Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes, Priya cooks carrots to make a one-pot meal, carrot rice, and a snack, carrot vadas.

Cauliflower~A cruciferous vegetable with notable health benefits and a staple of my vegetable crisper.
     At Tamalapaku, Harini bought a huge cauliflower and used it up in two delicious dishes, a cauliflower kasoori methi curry and cauliflower adai.
     At A Tote Full of Veggies, Sharan made two interesting recipes, cauliflower posto and a cauliflower crust pizza.

Chickpeas~ These beans seem to have it all- a rich nutty taste and plenty of protein and fiber. At Everybunny Loves Food, Sana explores chickpeas in two different cuisines, the Middle Eastern crispy-fluffy falafel and Italian farinata.

Corn~ Sweet corn floods the markets in summer; unlike the processed products made from it, real corn is a nutritious treat. At Super Yummy Recipes, Satya tries something off-beat by using corn to make corn halwa and corn fritters.

Eggplant~A purple beauty of a vegetable, there are hundreds of home-styles ways to cook it. At Enjoy Indian Food, Meera cooked eggplants in two different Indian regional styles, the Konkani way and the Bengali way.

Eggs~ These are a fridge staple for many of us, good for everything from breakfasts to quick dinners to baked goods. At Sinfully Spicy, Tanvi uses eggs in two egg-sotic ways- in Bengali egg rolls (classic street food) and a simple egg stir fry (a side dish for any Indian meal).

Green Beans~ Also called French beans, this tasty vegetable is another summer staple. At Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes, Priya uses green beans to make a curry and a stir-fry.

Horsegram~ Not a very well-known legume, but worth befriending for its earthy taste and rich iron content. At Oh Taste N See, Denny remembers that her grandmother considered horsegram (kollu) to be a cure for the common cold, and battles her own cold with kollu kadayal and kollu rasam.

Kidney Beans~A popular bean in many cuisines. At Our Cherished World, Swetha uses rajma in a time-honored Punjabi rajma masala and a tasty rajma salad.

Mango~A tropical fruit that evokes deep passions in many of us who grew up in the Indian subcontinent. At Palate Corner, Sonu enjoys mango in two sweet ways, thick mango lassi and sticky, fudgy coconut mango burfi.

Mustard~ A pungent spice and popular condiment, used in the form of tiny seeds or a paste. At Peppermill, Miri uses it in an adaptation of a Bengali dish of mixed vegetables and grilled mustard chicken.

Oats~ A great way to eat whole grains for breakfast. At The Taste Space, they are used in two ways, both sweet and delightful, as a whipped banana oatmeal and peach blueberry raspberry crumble.

Paneer~ The milky fresh cheese that is so popular in India.
     At Mimi's Mommy, the blogger learned two ways of using it, both pretty challenging I must say, and produces piping hot paneer parathas and luscious chilled rasmalai.
    At Super Yummy Recipes, Satya confesses that she has a "big crush on paneer" and uses it in two innovative ways, to make paneer kachori and paneer stuffed okra.

Rice Flour~ Rice milled to a fine white powder, a staple in many Indian kitchens. At Live to Eat, Megha uses it in two festive recipes with contrasting, sweet modaks and savory pearl modaks.

Sabudana~The starchy pearls that have a chewy, unique texture. At Queen of my Kitchen, Supriya uses sago pearls in sweet and savory ways, in sabudana thalipeeth and sabudana kheer.

Spinach~ A green leafy vegetable, something that many of us are trying to eat more of. At Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes, Priya uses it in two off-beat ways, in a versatile spinach chutney and in gorgeous green deep-fried pooris.

Tomatoes~ The savory bright red fruits of summer.
     Over at Daily Musings, Indosungod uses them in two different types of preserves, a rich and flavorful tomato pickle and sweet-spicy tomato jelly.
     Here at One Hot Stove, I used them in two quick dinners, for a no-cook pizza sauce and refried kidney beans.

Zucchini~Come summer, many cooks are wringing their hands trying to use up summer squash faster than it shows up at their doorstep. At The Cooker, a zucchini of extraordinary proportions is used in a number of innovative ways, including a zucchini cake and savory zucchini pancakes.

Thanks to these wonderful iron chef-bloggers for playing along!

* * * 

The theme for Blog Bites 8 was suggested by the last participant listed above- The Cooker said she could use some fresh new ideas for one dish meals, and I agreed, I could use them too.

Pavani of Cook's Hideout hosted a Monthly Blog Patrol with the theme One Pot Wonders in April 2008 but since over two years have passed since that event, it might be fun to have the same theme again. A single dish that contains all the major food groups, that is filling and satisfying and tasty- these are the kinds of recipes many of us want to include in our repertoire for the daily dinner rotation.

When we think of one-dish meals, many rice dishes like pulaos and khichdis come to mind. I love these, and you are certainly welcome to make them as your entries, but let's also challenge ourselves to make one dish meals beyond rice-based ones, like casseroles, over-stuffed wraps, stews and pasta dishes.

If you are looking for inspiration for the kinds of dishes to make, this post has great suggestions for a variety of one dish meals. If you are a George Clooney fan, then you might get distracted from the aforementioned great suggestions though. For even more ideas, check out these other events featuring one dish meals: a monthly mingle and another one dish event.

The Rules

1. From now until October 25, look through your favorite blogs and try a recipe for a one dish meal. A one dish meal is where the grain/carbs, vegetables and protein are included in a single dish.
2. The recipe has to come from another blog; that is the whole premise of Blog Bites, so please turn to other blogs for inspiration. 
3. Write a post telling us about the one dish meal you made, with the following: (a) A link to the recipes on the inspiring blog, (b) A link to this post (the event announcement), (c) Picture of your dishes.
4. Please write a post specifically for this event. 
5. Please do NOT copy a recipe word for word from another blog- that would be both illegal and unethical. Either re-write the recipe in your own words if you have made substantial changes, or simply add a link to the recipe. One of the reasons I am hosting this event is to remind ourselves that when we use recipes from other blogs, we must be fair and honest in giving them due credit. 
6. Please make sure your entry meets all the rules above. Then, send me the link (URL) of your entry at the following e-mail address: OneHotStove AT gmail DOT com
7. You can send in as many entries as you like.

Have a great week, everyone!