Spicy - - Page 9

by Maids

We Can Have the Mango!

Saturday Night Live – Mango: Garth Brooks

Just like Garth Brooks, Romeo can’t have the Mango. He used to be able to consume the divinely delicious fruit to his heart’s delight, but he OD’ed on mango during a tropical hiking trip some years back (in which at every pit stop he picked mangoes from low-hanging branches, peeled and devoured them.) Legend has it that on that journey Romeo ate a full 15 mangoes in the space of 12 hours. Romeo’s lovely face swelled up to twice its original size, he ran a dangerously high fever, and he developed painful blisters inside his mouth. Some thought it was an allergic reaction to the mango. Others suspected Romeo was the victim of a chupacabra or a voodoo curse.

Unfortunately, it was the Mango. Romeo has tried mango and mango products since and always suffers similarly grotesque results (never quite as bad as the first time). Out of deference to Romeo’s sensitivity I do not partake in mangoes around him (I even forgo that nectar-of-the-gods commonly known as the mango lassi in subcontinental restaurants when we dine together) and I restrain myself from preparing dishes featuring mangoes in our kitchen. Ah, the sacrifices we make for love.

But when I was invited to an island-themed potluck recently, on a night when Romeo was otherwise occupied, I couldn’t resist the temptation of the mango. I CAN have the Mango damnit, and so can you! Sorry Romeo ?! (And sorry Liza, I know how much you hate it when a fruit is the MVI of a dish.)

The easy, delicious, and refreshing mango salsa recipe for the rest of us after the jump….

by Maids

The Taste of Bursting Sunshine

One of the palates I attempt to cater to is that of Romeo, my bf. Romeo is a rather demanding discerning eater. He doesn’t like it when I add diced garlic to a dish. Romeo prefers garlic minced with the pampered chef garlic press that lives in our kitchen (which, to be honest, is hands-down the best garlic press I have ever used, lemme tell you). I comply with this demand suggestion. Romeo prefers his meals more gently spiced than I like mine. (To be fair some like it hot, and some like it hotter still, and I represent a dot somewhere near the hot-hot-hot end of the bland-to-razzle dazzle spicy continuum. This I admit.) I’ve tried to tone down the hotness for Romeo’s wimpy sensitive taste buds, and with occasional exceptions, I usually succeed in a palatable compromise for the both of us.

There is one thing that Romeo had asked for since I first took on the position of his chef-in-chief (or “kitchen dictator” as Romeo insists on calling me) that for a while absolutely bewildered me: “flying saucer squashes.”

The conversation we had on several occasions always went something like this:

Maids: Do you want anything from the store?

Romeo (smiling and excited): Yes. Bring me the flying-saucer-squashes so we can use them in a curry. They taste like bursts of sunshine.

Maids (genuinely curious): What do you mean?

Romeo (short temper spent, yelling now): Buy those little yellow flying saucer squashes at the grocery store so we can put them in curry and they’ll taste like sunshine!

Maids: I don’t know what you mean by flying saucer squashes! Are they thin skinned or thick skinned? Summer or winter?

Romeo (frustrated and stamping both feet): They’re summer squashes that look like baby flying saucers and taste like sunshine! God!

I know he’s adorable, but that wasn’t much to go on, right? Especially since I’d never before encountered flying saucer-like squashes. I knew, however, that I needed to address Romeo’s unrequited craving for a summer squash that looked like a flying saucer and tasted like sunshine.

Recently, after over a year and a half of being unable to fulfill this request, I had a follow-up investigatory conversation with with Edouble and Miked (who have been feeding Romeo for far longer than I). Edouble filled me in: these squashes, for which both Edouble and Romeo have a special affinity, are commonly known as sunburst squashes. They are small and round with scalloped tops and they are usually available only in the summer season.

More research yielded further knowledge: the pattypan squash (A.K.A. white squash/button squash/sunburst squash) comes in yellow, white, and green colors, is most tender when immature, and is often served fried, curried, and stuffed. It sounded delicious, and I was on a mission to make a curry with the pattypan as the M.V.I. (Most Valuable Ingredient 😉 thanx ES commenter “LC”) of the dish.

My successful search for the pattypans and the recipe for the Pattypan Vegetable Thai Curry after the jump…

in Personal / Recipe / Veggie 17 comments

by Maids

Bean-a-holic

I’m going to let you all in on an open secret: I’ve been told I have a way with beans. I know, what a glorious claim to fame. But I have to admit that I LOVE beans. I NEED beans. All kinds of beans, prepared in all sorts of ways (as long as they aren’t refried…. I don’t do refried). I’m a particularly big fan of chick peas/garbanzos, black and red beans. I cook some kind of bean dish about once a week. My Romeo complains on occasion. He claims his at-times, ahem, flatulent tendencies are a result of my overuse of beans as a staple food in our diet. Whatever, my stomach is not affected thusly and beans are good for your heart, right? Romeo should be thanking me! I know, I overshare! But, the cabal of smarty-pants USDA scientists do recommend that American adults consume at least 3 cups of beans a week to promote health and reduce the risk of colon cancer, etc. My friends, I’m totally beating the curve!

Another secret: if you soak beans overnight and then rinse them, cook them for a while, and then rinse them again you can eliminate most of the sugars that promote gas formation. In the wise words of one of Bart Simpson’s chalkboard etchings: “Beans are neither fruit nor musical.” (BTW- shouldn’t the Simpsons creators convert the chalkboard to the much maligned, but now ubiquitous, dry-erase board in the newer episodes? Who’s with me?)

Now, I prefer to make some bean dishes from canned beans (especially when I’m making a bean-based puree like hummus). When I have time, however, I like to cook the thin-skinned beans (navy beans, black beans, red beans) the long way. The difference in taste and texture between dry black beans and canned beans is really worth the planning and work that goes into cooking them. But, ladies and gentleworms, cooking dry beans does require time. So do feel free to take the following recipe and use it with canned black beans instead of dry black beans.

My Amazing Black Bean Recipe after the jump

in Recipe / Trends / Veggie 10 comments

by Allyson

Friday Fuck Ups: The Quiche That Wasn’t

ed. note — please give a big ES welcome to our newest contributor, Allyson, who graces us this week with her finest fuck-up. Although I must say, I actually want to eat this one, unlike some other FFUs of the past. (I’m looking at you, fried guac balls.)

My husband and I are moving this weekend, so our cooking goals for the week involved shopping as little as possible and using up everything that’s slightly old but still edible. We’re going to keep the things we’ve bought in bulk, but we just don’t want to transport our entire kitchen so we’ve been focusing on working with what we have in order to reduce both the amount of stuff we have to move, and potential waste when we have to throw things away.

On Sunday night, I decided to do something to get rid of the frozen pie crust that had been sitting in our fridge for longer than we could remember. Rather than attempt a pie (I have a bad track record with baked desserts), I decided to try a quiche. Nevermind that I had only made one quiche in my entire life and had long-since lost the recipe. Nevermind that the only cheese we had on hand was sliced pepperjack. I could do it.

Or could I…

in Cheese / Veggie 8 comments

by tvff

Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Stop the British Judge Trend Before It’s Too Late!

How are you going to spend your tax refund? You know…that money that you overpaid in taxes but which you act like comes from hitting the pick-three lotto. It’s amazing how eager we are to blow it on luxury items when we get it on April 15th, but which we’d otherwise put away into investments if we received it every other week. Of course, these days, I suppose it’s less about “luxury items” and more about “mortgage payments and food.”

Times are tough, but you still need to splurge sometimes. This week, don’t feel bad about buying yourself some Fancy Feast for tonight’s dinner! On with the Smörg…

– Gee, Top Chef Masters looks like a pretty classy operation. You know what it needs? A British judge. Kill me now.

– “Hot” off his stint on the short-lived Chopping Block, Marco Pierre White will be cruising the world and showing tourists how to cook. For the traveler who likes to mix in some verbal abuse with his rest and relaxation.

– Mark Bittman rails against…well…the concept of edited cooking shows, I think. At least Bourdain narrows down his scorn to Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee. Focus, man, focus!

After the jump: Masochism…or a reasonable reaction to Gordon Ramsay? And Padma Laskhmi without any clothes (no, really!)

in Celebs / TV 6 comments

by gansie

If Life Gives You Matzoh

I’m finally back in DC where the grains are flowing like Cadbury creme eggs.

Holy crap do I love those chocolate ovals of joy. But I didn’t learn to love until college. My roommate, “Rooms” on ES, introduced me to them and every year I eagerly await this gooey, messy and totally fulfilling treat. I’m actually not well versed on Easter goodies because Easter always falls during the 8-day-long holiday (Jesus’ last supper was a sedar. So sad to know that good ole JC’s last tastes were of the dry, bland matzoh. Okay, I’ll bite. I’ll answer the ageless question shared between food lovers: I’d take a steak frites with a fried egg on top for my last meal. Maybe a side of avocado? I’m still working it out. Thoughts?)

But amongst my bashing of all things Passover, I actually was quite pleased with a lunch treat I made for DAD GANSIE and myself. Maztoh brei is a fairly popular Passover meal: softened matzoh and eggs scrambled together. I used to eat it as a kid with tons of Aunt Jemima syrup. I know, it’s total fake crap. But you know what, and don’t make fun of me, I still like it better than *real* mayple syrup; it just tastes too maypley for me.

Last year DAD GANSIE and I made a savory version filled with cream cheese and smoked salmon. And this year I created another version, but with some heat. I based the 2009 edition of matzoh brei on a Bon Appetite recipe. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m usually TERRIBLE about keeping up with my cooking mags and don’t read February’s until July. I’m not even exaggerating. Sometimes I even wait til the next year of that same month. Miraculously, I read April in time to snag their spin on it. But – and say it with me class – I didn’t follow their recipe.

in Breakfast / Eggs / Holiday / Recipe / Veggie 5 comments

by gansie

Trading an Indian Dish for an Italian Sport

Editors Note: I struck a deal. My friend G runs the famed DC Bocce League. And like every other organization in the world, they now have a blog, the cleverly named DC Bocce Blog. I told G I’d write him a post about this beloved sport (I’ve been a a proud league member since 2005) if he’d finally send me over one of his family’s recipes. Here’s his take on a classic Indian dish.

Here is a simple recipe for Aloo Jeera. In Hindi, Aloo means potato and Jeera means cumin. This is a very tasty dish that is really easy to make. My 12-year-old cousin can make it (and not mess it up).

The only “special” ingredient you might need to pick up from an Indian Store is called Chat Masala. Anyone will have it, it’s pretty much a necessity that gives this dish its distinct flavour. Or you could try making the mix yourself based on the wikipedia definition.

You can eat the potatoes by themselves, they will compliment most meat and fish dishes really well too. Or you can get some frozen naan (Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan is my personal favourite) to eat with your Aloo.

in Recipe / Veggie 6 comments