Simple ways to deal with fruits and vegetables, or perform other culinary feats, that might not have been taught you by your dear old mom . . . And my favorite recipes, both newly discovered and well-worn.
One of my favorite times of year is now, not just because we are celebrating Thanksgiving and the December holidays, but also because . . . drumroll please . . . our satsuma tree comes ripe.
Now everyone has enjoyed a tangerine or two no doubt, but until I had a satsuma tangerine, I wasn't fully living. Originally from Japan (duh!) they have been widely grown in the US for decades. They taste better than any other tangerine, but their greatest claim to fame is being seedless.
When we remodeled and landscaped our home in the late 90s, Keith planted a satsuma in the front walkway area, and it nicely screens our dining room window from the street. But even better, for six months we get to watch first blossoms and then tiny green balls, and gradually greeny-orange fruit grow to full size, bright orange color, and loose looking skin. The anticipation is excruciating!
And this year we have a huge crop!
A satsuma is a taste of paradise.
Wonder if that was the tree God told Eve not to touch.
Keith calls sections of a satsuma "Vitamin C pills." And the white part is actually supposed to be quite good for you, and is not bitter like with some citrus fruits.
PS: I am not divulging my address. And just so's you know, we have our shotgun handy. ;^)
I've been enjoying Indian cuisine of many kinds as long as I've lived in the Bay Area, home to a large population of emigres and the restaurants that support their cultural heritage.
I've been trying to cook Indian dishes just about as long, with help from Madhur Jaffrey and her wonderful cookbooks, as well as the local groceries that carry Indian spices and other ingredients.
What I'm going to describe in this post is an "Indianesque" one-pan dinner, and I need to say up front that it is probably not a real Indian dish, but it incorporates many aspects of typical Indian dishes and ingredients. Here's your grocery list:
2 c. masoor daal* (split peas that are orange ["red"] rather than green)
1. c. basmati rice (regular white rice works, as long as it's not instant)
2 Anaheim chile peppers (or one can of fire-roasted green chiles)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger root (or 1 tsp. ground)
1 can diced tomatoes (in summer, use 2-3 fresh tomatoes, chopped) 1 Tbsp. whole cumin seeds (or 1 Tbsp. ground cumin)
1/4 tsp. turmeric (if you have curry powder, this works fine here)
1 tsp. roasted cumin seeds (from Indian grocery) optional
fresh chopped cilantro
plain unflavored yogurt
*often found in the kosher section if your grocery has one
Crushing garlic is easy: use the back of the knife to whack the whole clove (therapeutic!) and the outer papery skin will come off easily. Then chop.
Basmati rice is best because it has a distinctive flavor. This is brown basmati rice, even more nutty than the white variety.
Set a full kettle on to boil. Rinse rice in a strainer, shaking to remove excess water.
Place cumin seeds, turmeric, and roasted cumin in a small container to have ready.
Dice one onion and two cloves of garlic.
Heat oil in large skillet or shallow pot. When hot, add spices and stir.
Being careful not to let the spices burn, stir gently.
Add onion/garlic mixture and chopped fresh ginger (if powdered ginger is used, it can go in the dry spice mix you began with). This is fresh ginger (on right) and is best stored by wrapping in aluminum foil and keeping in the freezer. I let it sit for a few minutes after removing from the freezer before chopping up.
Add rice and continue stirring.
Rinse masoor daal (red lentils) and shake to remove excess water.
Add lentils and stir.
Tea kettle should have boiled by now; when rice and lentil mixture is sizzling, stir well and add kettle of water. Also add diced green chiles.
Turn heat down to medium and place lid on, partly ajar.
Water will be absorbed quickly, so immediately set another kettle to boil; when it has done so, add this water to the cooking lentil/rice mixture. Cook on medium heat.
Keep covered, stirring every few minutes. After five minutes, add canned tomatoes and stir in. Replace lid, cook again over medium heat, for another 8-10 minutes. Add 2-3 tsp. salt (to taste) and adjust seasonings.
Meanwhile, chop cilantro finely and stir plain yogurt.
Continue checking lentils and rice for doneness. Excess water will boil off in these last minutes as well.
When finished, ladle into bowls and add yogurt and cilantro. Then, bon apetít!
I didn't even come across a pomegranate until I was in high school, and even then I don't remember how my friend was unzipping it to get at the jewels inside. We were on a car trip at the time, too! Fortunately, decades have passed, and I've got a bit more experience making the most of the vegetal world.
First things first: Cut off the bottom (blossom) end as low as you can go, to avoid losing any more of the seeds than is absolutely necessary.
Fill a bowl partway with cool water.Then, hold the fruit, cut side down, in the water (it will spurt) and, using your fingers from below, break it open into halves, and then again into quarters. Sometimes it breaks differently, but it really has to get smaller than halves.
Now, gently work at the inner sections to loosen the seeds from the membrane. Having all this underwater keeps you from squirting dark red juice all over the kitchen and yourself, but the water also helps separate the seeds from the membrane too.
Be as gentle as possible to avoid losing any juice.
When all the seeds are removed from the rind and you have worked gently at all the clumps to get the membrane off, much of that yellow stuff will rise to the top of the water, and is easily skimmed off with a slotted spoon. Clean the last clumps carefully and then pour seeds and water through a strainer over the sink.
There will still be a few bits of the inner membrane, but they are easily removed.
Shake the strainer several times and leave the seeds to dry for a bit if possible. Then find your most dramatic plate or bowl and showcase these jewels. Voilá!
