Cooking it Old School
After years of being asked what I do, I created a video from the photographs supplied by my fans. They are each recognized for their kindness at the end of the video and I received written permission from the band, Misplaced, to use “Tell My Ma” for this video. Please be kind with the comments, I am a cook and not a videographer.
Thank you all for your continued support. I look forward to seeing many of you in 2013.
1/2 lb of red potatoes (baby ones work best), cubed with skins on
4 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 green onions, diced
1 sprig rosemary
sea salt
black pepper
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
Heat up a sauté pan on medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots, garlic and half of the rosemary. After a minute, add the cut up potatoes. Sauté, stirring occasionally to avoid burning and to make sure the potatoes have been thoroughly covered in oil, shallot, garlic and rosemary. Sauté for about 5 minutes and transfer to an oven safe bake pan.
I usually recommend putting down tin foil to minimize the sticking. Once in the pan, add the green onions and cover it up and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Pull out of the oven, flip potatoes over and add salt and pepper. Turn up the oven to 400°F and continue cooking the potatoes uncovered until browned.
Pull out of the oven and serve.
This is the recipe that was featured on my Facebook fan page.
Garam Masala Ingredients
Cinnamon sticks, broken into smaller pieces
Caradamom pods (green, black, or brown)
Ginger, dried and cracked
Coriander seeds
Techillacherry black peppercorns
Cumin seeds
Dried chili peppers (do not use powder)
Heat up a cast iron skillet so that it is quite hot and add the spices in order to dry roast them together. I recommend adding each spice a teaspoon at a time. It will make more than you need, but you can save small quantities to use later. Don’t over make the spice, as its potency will wear off over time.
Once the chili peppers are brown, remove the spice mixture off of the heat and add them to the mortar and pestle to begin breaking the spices down for easier grinding. Once broken down, you can continue grinding them in the mortar and pestle, or you may use a spice or coffee grinder to combine the spices into a finer blend.
Once ground up, the garam masala may be moved into a storage jar for future use. Our side of the recipe below, garam masala may be added to fish, lamb, chicken, or beef, and may be used to accent saffron rice, orzo, or risotto.
Curry Spice Blend Recipe
Mustard seeds
Turmeric powder
Garam masala (see the above recipe or use store bought)
Coriander
Garlic powder (course),
Ginger, dried and cracked (preferred)
Cumin seeds
Heat up a cast iron skillet so that it is quite hot and add the spices in a particular order (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT). I recommend adding each spice a teaspoon at a time. It will make more than you need, but you can save small quantities to use later. Don’t over make the spice, as its potency will wear off over time. First, add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ginger, and garlic. It’s important to use dried garlic and ginger as it will minimize the scalding of the spices.
Once toasted, remove from the heat and grind together. Once ground add a teaspoon of the garam masala and 2 teaspoons of the tumeric and stir together with a wooden spoon. Your curry spice blend is complete.
Curry Chickpea Stew (follow the recipe as is)
Ingredients:
1 tsp sea salt
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 medium red potatoes, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, diced
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp coriander, ground
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, dried and cracked (preferred) ground is also acceptable
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 medium carrots, julienne
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of water
Optional items: potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, sweet potatoes, yams, fresh chili peppers, etc.
In a cast iron pot, begin heating the oil. Avoid using an aluminum pan, when making this dish as the pot’s metal will detract from the flavors of this dish.
Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and wait for them to begin popping. Add the garlic, ginger, carrots, onions, any additional items (see the optional list above), potatoes, and the chickpeas and begin to stir the items lightly. While cooking the chickpeas and vegetables, combine the whole spices in a separate bowl and blend together.
After cooking the vegetables and chickpeas for two minutes, slowly add the spice mixture to the pot and stir occasionally to mix everything together. Cook for 4 more minutes and then increase the heat to a medium-high level. Add the cup of water and continue to cook until the carrots and potatoes are soft. Remove the pot from the heat and cover the stew. Let the vegetables and chickpeas absorb the flavors of the curry for 10 minutes, Garnish with the green onions before serving.
Serves 2 main dishes, or four side dishes
SHRIMP WITH PINEAPPLE AND PEA PODS
2 cups raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup pineapple, 1″ cubed
1 cup Chinese pea pods, tips removed
1 tbsp sesame or olive oil
1 tsp of Chinese five spice or 1/2 tsp garam masala (spicier)
3 pinches of kosher salt
2 pinches black pepper
Optional: 1/2 cup red bell pepper
Heat up a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the oil. Once heated add the shrimp first and the fruit and vegetables immediately after. Stir occasionally.
Add spices (garam masala or Chinese five spice), salt and pepper
Continue to cook until vegetables are bright green and the shrimp is done (the shrimp should be
pink).
Serves 2
ITALIAN SHRIMP
2 cups of medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup of young asparagus
½ cup of green onions, diced
1 zucchini, shredded
2 cloves of garlic, minced finely
4 large basil leaves, chiffonade (rolled and then sliced)
½ cup of baby portabella mushrooms, minced
½ tsp of dried red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Heat up the pan and add the olive oil. Add the shrimp with the garlic, basil, dried red peppers and lemon zest and sauté for 1 minute. Add all of the vegetables and stir lightly.
Continue to cook until vegetables are el dente and the shrimp is thoroughly cooked. Can be served with risotto or some nice crusty bread.
Serves 4