I know. Indian food two posts in a row.

In my defense, I have that great Indian corn dish that I just posted a day or so ago. I needed another dish to complement it for a proper Indian meal.

I’ve always particularly enjoyed the vivid turmeric-stained aloo gobi dishes that one always finds on Indian buffets–big succulent pieces of cauliflower and potato sauced in a spiced tomatoey sauce. (I looked it up. Tomatoey is a word.)

Ronald Reagan made this observation about people who pick out their favorite jellybeans from a jar: “You can tell a lot about a fella’s character by whether he picks out all of one color or just grabs a handful.”  Call it a character flaw, but I confess that I usually fish the big chunks of potato out of the buffet dish at the expense of the very healthy cauliflower.

Don’t get me wrong. I like cauliflower very much, but I’m Irish. For me, a day without potatoes is a day without sunshine.

I served this dish (and the spiced Indian corn dish previously posted on this site) with fluffy basmati rice. I should have had a yogurt raita as an accompaniment, but I didn’t have yogurt on hand. Next time. For sure.

A special thanks goes to my teacher friend Carol for her gift of a gourmet bottle of garam masala which I used in this dish. It was perfect.

This is an adaptation of a recipe from Kurma Das’ website. The link to his recipe appears at the bottom of this post.

Recipe: Cauliflower-Potato Curry (Aloo Gobi)

1/4 C. ghee or oil
1/2 t. black mustard seeds
1 t. whole cumin seeds
1/4 t. whole fennel seeds
1 t. minced fresh ginger
2 jalapeno chilies (seeded and chopped)
4 medium potatoes (cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes)
1/2 medium cauliflower (cut into small florets)
2 medium tomatoes (blanched, peeled and diced)
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. garam masala
2 t. ground coriander
1 t. brown sugar
2 t. salt
2 T. coarsely chopped fresh coriander
1 T. fresh lemon juice
Chopped red onion and chopped red cherry tomato (for garnish)

Directions:
Heat ghee or oil in a large, heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Add mustard seeds when oil is hot and cook seeds until they begin to pop. This will happen in a matter of seconds if your oil is hot. Add whole cumin seeds and whole fennel seeds to the hot oil mixture and saute quickly until the seeds begin to darken. (Do not burn.) Add the minced ginger and diced chiles and saute them in the mixture for a minute or two. Add potato and cauliflower pieces to this mixture and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until the spices will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander, salt and brown sugar to the pan. Stir to mix.

Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Stir occasionally. The tomato will give off its juices to make the sauce in this dish. You can add a little water to the pan if there is not enough liquid in the tomatoes to make the sauce. Cook until potatoes and cauliflower are tender, 15 or 20 minutes.

When vegetables are cooked, garnish with fresh coriander, chopped red onions and a bit of chopped red tomato.

Cook’s Notes: I like my potatoes in this dish to be well done but not mushy. I microwaved my potatoes (in their skins) for a few minutes before I peeled them and added them to this dish. As the dish cooked, I kept checking the potatoes by piercing them with a knife. Also, I have found that the cauliflower cooks more quickly than the potatoes. Toward the end of cooking in the covered pan, I took the cooked cauliflower florets out of the pan and set them aside. When everything was ready to serve, I gently stirred the cauliflower back into the dish.

Here is the link to the original recipe:

http://www.krishna.com/blog/2012/09/30/most-delicious-cauliflower-curry

Are you a gastronaut?

The Urban Dictionary defines a gastronaut as “a person who is willing to go to great lengths to find exotic and often bizarre foods to eat.”

I don’t know about the bizarre part, but I confess that I’m a gastronaut. My heart quickens at the prospect of trying a new exotic dish.  My idea of a good time is to spend hours checking out the aisles of ethnic markets. I’m not proud of it, but sometimes I buy foods that interest me but I have no idea how to prepare. I  look them up when I get home and go from there.

Yep. My name is Lorraine and I’m an unabashed gastronaut.

There is an interesting bit of history behind the term gastronaut. Reportedly, the term was coined by British celebrity chef, Keith Floyd. Floyd, who died in 2009, was known for his cooking and his cooking eccentricities–endearing himself to millions of viewers around the world with his casual cooking style. Wearing his signature bow tie, he chatted up his film crew and drank wine throughout his shows. Apparently, the drinking-wine-while-cooking meme was a standing joke in his TV work that inspired other celebrity chefs to “lighten up” and sent the message to viewers that you could have a good time while cooking. Floyd frequently took his shows out of the studio to cook in exotic locations. A notable show had him, wine glass in hand, cooking on a small boat being tossed in rough seas. 

Those of us  gastronauts who live in urban areas are lucky to have access to so many interesting ethnic foods. We can find dosas, idlis, momos, pad Thai, kung pao and on and on–usually within a short driving distance. And, of course, Mexican food is everywhere. It wasn’t always that way. I remember traveling with my parents many years ago to visit my aunt and uncle who lived in Wenatchee, Washington. I guess my family was already hooked on Mexican food because I remember my mother going from market to market trying (without success) to find tortillas.

Here is a recipe for some sublime chiles rellenos.

Long ago, a substitute teacher in my California History class, Alma Boone, gave me this recipe. Alma’s rellenos are wonderful, easy to prepare and this seems like a good time to share her recipe. Alma said to serve the rellenos with El Pato sauce, a canned pureed salsa now available at most markets. I’ve added a recipe for a homemade chile sauce to this post if you want to make your own. The homemade sauce is a non-tomato option for saucing your rellenos.

Remember to enjoy a glass of wine while you cook your rellenos. Bow tie is optional.

Recipe: Chiles Relleno

Fresh Anaheim or Pasilla Chiles (Pasilla chiles are also often called Poblano chiles)-You will need one or two chiles per person

Egg (room temperature)-One egg per chile

Cheese (cut in strips), any soft white cheese will work. Good choices include monterey jack, queso fresco, mozzarella, muenster.

El Pato Sauce (yellow can)–Available in most supermarkets alongside the tomato sauces (or homemade chile sauce-see recipe below)

Fresh sliced Jalapenos (seeded or not–your call)

Mexican crema

Shredded cheddar

Chopped Cilantro

Chopped Green Onions

Sliced Radishes

Cayenne Pepper

Mild Oil for frying

Recipe for Alternative Chile Sauce:

1 quart vegetable broth

6 T. mild chile powder

1/4 t. garlic salt

1 T. cumin (whole or ground)

Salt and pepper to taste

2  T. cornstarch mixed in 4 T. water

Directions: Homemade Chile Sauce

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil. Add cornstarch and boil for one minute until sauce thickens. If you have trouble getting your sauce to thicken, add more cornstarch and water.

Directions: Chiles Rellenos 

Rinse chiles and blister under the broiler in your oven or in the flame on your gas stove. Watch the chiles carefully. Turn chiles every two or three minutes. Chiles should be charred and blistered when they are ready. Place chiles in a closed paper bag and let them sit for a few minutes for their skins to steam a bit and become easier to remove.

Remove from bag and peel skin from the chiles. Discard skin. Remove seeds from chiles. Don’t worry if the chiles rip apart a bit, the egg batter will hide any imperfections.

Separate egg whites from yolks. Whip egg whites until stiff. You will need about one egg white for each chile. Fold a bit of the yolk back into the white to finish the batter.

Heat about one-half inch of a mild oil in a shallow pan until hot.

Stuff chiles with cheese of your choice. Dip the chile into the beaten egg mixture to coat. Using a slotted spoon, gently place the egg-white-coated chile into the hot oil. Let chile cook for a couple minutes until the egg batter on the bottom of the chile is medium brown and then carefully turn the chile over in the pan and cook the other side until it, too, is brown. Remove from hot oil and drain on a paper towel.

Plate the chile. Spread a spoonful or two of the El Pato Sauce on the plate (or the alternative chile sauce mentioned above). Place the chile on the sauce. Drizzle with Mexican Crema. Garnish with slices of jalapeno chile, shredded cheddar cheese, radishes, chopped cilantro and chopped green onions. If you enjoy your food spicy, sprinkle a bit of cayenne pepper over the dish. Enjoy.

Cook’s Notes:  If you use poblano (pasilla) chiles, be aware that they are more spicy than Anaheim chiles.  While poblanos are generally described as being a mildly spicy chile, occasionally you can get a very spicy one. Also, Alma told me that she dredged her stuffed uncooked chiles in flour before dipping them into the beaten egg mixture. She said that egg adhered better to the chiles with the flour coating. I don’t find that necessary, but you might want to try that technique.

What in the heck is farro?

When I first (mis)heard the term on the radio while driving, my distracted mind went in all sorts of wrong directions—a bitter Woody Allen misalliance, a dark Coen Brothers comedy that gave   the Minnesota expression “you betcha” new meaning when used in conjunction with the operation of a wood chipper… It was that kind of day.

Then I got serious and discovered that farro is a grain. In fact, it is a pretty important grain in that it was one of the earliest forms of wheat to be cultivated and became the most important  grain in the Mediterranean area until Roman times. Farro is also called Emmer Wheat.

So, why do you care? First, farro is good for you. It is a whole grain and has twice the fiber and protein of modern wheat. It is a true superfood. Secondly, it has a nutty and delicious flavor and, thirdly, and not unimportantly, you can buy it at Costco. Cooked in a soup, it retains it shape and gives a great chewey texture reminiscent of barley to meatless soups and other dishes. Since Costco is unforgiving for those of us who shop for one, I now own a four-pound bag of farro. You can expect to see other farro dishes on Blue Cayenne. From what I see on the Internet, farro can be used in salads, pilafs, stuffings, breakfast grains, desserts and more.

This recipe was adapted from one published recently in the NY Times.

Recipe: Farro and Bean Soup

1  1/2 C. dry red beans, kidney beans, pintos or borlottis, rinsed and picked over for stones (I used Rancho Gordo Rio Zape red beans)

1 C. farro, rinsed

2 T. extra-virgin olive  oil, plus more for drizzling on soup

1 large onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 bouquet garni with a few springs of fresh parsley, thyme, a bay leaf and a parmesan rind)

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 small stalk celery, diced

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into half lengthwise, cleaned and sliced thin

Salt

6 sage leaves, chopped, plus more for serving

1  14-ounce can chopped tomatoes with juice

1 T. tomato paste

1 15-ounce can of  tomato sauce

Freshly ground pepper

2 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly grated Parmesan (or Asagio) for serving

Directions:

Combine dry beans and farro in a bowl with 1 1/2 quarts of water and let soak overnight.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pan and saute one half of chopped onions until soft (about 5 minutes). Add one-half the minced garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant. Then, add the soaked beans, farro, and your bouquet garni to the pan along with the water you used to soak the beans. Add an additional 1 1/2 quarts of water to the pan and bring the mixture to a slow boil. If foam forms, skim it off. Reduce the heat and cover the soup and simmer it for one hour.

While the soup is simmering, heat remaining one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and add onion, carrots, leeks, celery and a teaspoon (or more) of salt to the pan. Cook until the vegetables are tender–about 5 minutes. When vegetables are soft(ish) add remaining garlic and the chopped  sage to the pan. Stir and cook until garlic is fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add tomatoes and their juices.  Salt to taste and continue to cook. Stir this mixture until tomatoes have cooked down slightly.

Add vegetable mixture to the farro and beans in the large soup pan. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce and salt to taste. Simmer soup for 45 minutes to an hour until the soup thickens. Add pepper. Adjust salt. Remove bouquet garni.

Stir in the parsley and additional chopped sage (if desired), Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan over each bowl of soup. Enjoy.

Cook’s Note: I used Rancho Gordo heirloom beans for this soup. Rancho Gordo beans are available at some health food stores and online.