WELCOME

I love to eat. And anyone who knows me knows that I also love to feed. Unfortunately I'm not always in close proximity to the people who love to eat my food. So this website is for those who miss my cooking, or for those who are feeling adventurous and are looking for some new flavor in their kitchen.
A lot of these recipes are family recipes and you will be hard pressed to find them in your friendly neighborhood Indian restaurant. They are also pretty regionally specific, so if you happen to find yourself in a "Marathi" restaurant in Mumbai (the most culturally diverse city in India), you may see some familiar fare on the menu.
From time to time I will stray from Indian food; Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern. But I always find my way back!
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do.
Eat Happy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup















This is a lengthy recipe, but it's a great winter soup. It's very hearty and thick and definitely very comforting. 


Toasted spice rub
Ingredients:
1/4 cup fennel seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tsp chili pwd
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp cinnamon pwd

Cook:
Toast fennel seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns on medium heat.
Once fragrant, add crushed red pepper and stir quickly.
Hold under exhaust fan immediately and then set aside to cool.
Put mixture into blender w/ chili pwd, salt and cinnamon.
Blend until evenly ground.
Keep in glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

Roasted squash
Ingredients:
3 lbs butternut squash (1 large squash)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp sage leaves
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dark molasses (can sub. w/ maple syrup)
1 tbsp toasted spice rub (see above recipe)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Peel squash w/ veggie peeler.
Halve lengthwise, discard seeds and cut into inch cubes.
Place in large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Cook:
Heat butter in skillet.
When stopped foaming, pull away from flame heat and add sage, sugar, vinegar, molasses and spice rub.
Mix well and simmer over low heat for 2 mins.
Pour vinegar mixture over squash and toss well.
Transfer to large baking dish/cookie sheet to hold squash in a single layer.
Place in oven and roast, tossing at least once until tender and caramelized, about 45 mins to 1 hour.
Set aside to cool.
Transfer to food processor and blend until smooth.
Refrigerate.

Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup carrots, diced
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp coriander pwd
Pureed roasted squash (see recipe above)
1/2 cup of Half-n-half (can use fat-free)
2 tbsp E.V.O.O.
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper

Cook:
Heat oil on medium heat.
Saute cinnamon, onions, celery and carrots until soft, approx. 10 mins.
Season w/ salt and pepper.
Add chicken stock and coriander pwd and bring to a boil.
Stir in squash until smooth.
Simmer for 10 mins.
Discard cinnamon stick and puree until smooth, or you can leave it chunky if that is how you like your soup.
Stir in half-n-half once done.
ENJOY!

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