Food Recipies Free

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Change of domain name for Beyond Baked Beans

Following yesterday's post the good news is that my student cookery site Beyond Baked Beans is back up and running but at a new domain name www.beyondbakedbeans.org.

If you link to the site please change your link. And if you don't, do link to it which will help students - and other first time cooks on a budget - find it more easily.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

How to Eat for $7 or Less a Day

Cabbage from the San Francisco Food Bank

Welcome new readers! If you found my blog in the US News & World Report story about living on a budget on Yahoo! Finance and are looking for budget shopping and cooking ideas, please check out my Hunger Challenge posts. You'll find recipes, tips and more.

Thanks!

Amy

VENDAKKAI PULI KUZHAMBU

I wanted to try vatral kuzhambu with okra for a long time. I made it for today's lunch and i loved it.

INGREDIENTS :

Okra / lady's finger / vendakkai - 5 nos (Chop into round thin slices)
Tamarind - small gooseberry size
**Sambhar powder - 1 - 1.5 tsp
Salt - as needed
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Jaggery - a small piece

To temper :

Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Methi seeds / Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera- 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Toor dal - 1/2 tsp
Small onions - 2 nos (finely chopped)
Garlic cloves - 4 nos (-do-)
Curry leaves - few (-do-)

METHOD :

Soak tamarind in warm water for 20 mins and take the extract. Add salt , sambhar powder and turmeric powder.set aside.
Now in a kadai , heat oil and add the tempering items in the same order.Saute for a while.Now add the chopped lady's finger pieces and saute well.
Now add the tamarind extract and allow it to boil till okra gets cooked. Add a small piece of jaggery.
Switch off the flame.Transfer to a bowl and add a tsp of gingely oil .Cover it and serve after 30 mins.This gives a special flavor for the gravy.

Mix with plain rice & enjoy with sutta appalam :)

** For sambhar powder recipe, please refer the side bar. U can use ur home made or store bought powder too.There will be no change in taste i guess..

KITCHEN CLINIC:

Lady's finger /Okra :

Okra, also known as Ladies Fingers, Gombo, Bendi or Gumbo, appears to have originated from the West Africa and is well known for its great health benefits.

Benefits of Okra
According to research done by Ms. Sylvia Zook (Ph.D, nutrition, University of Illinois), Okra is full of valuable nutrients, nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. Soluble fiber helps to lower serum cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease.

The other half is insoluble fiber which helps to keep the intestinal tract healthy, thus decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colon cancer. Colon Cancer is the third most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the Western world.

okra The superior fiber found in okra helps to prevent diabetes and constipation. Okra is a rich source of many nutrients, including vitamins A, B6, C, iron and calcium.

Ladies finger is a very useful vegetable and inexpensive medicine, as it is available practically round the year in India. Due to its sweet taste, cold potency, vata-pitta pacifier nature, strength promoting aphrodisiac qualities, it is a very useful to ladies close to menopause. It is found beneficial in leucorrhoea and dysuria also.

Okra is also reported to be beneficial to those suffering from diabetes as it helps to stabilize the blood sugar. Some people have even claimed to have cured their diabetes or their condition greatly improved with the daily consumption of water that has been soaked with okra.

**Take two pieces of Lady Finger (Bhindi) and remove/cut both ends of each piece. Also put a small cut in the middle and put these two pieces in glass of water. Cover the glass and keep it at room temperature during night. Early morning, before breakfast simply remove two pieces of lady finger (bhindi) from the glass and drink that water.

Keep doing it on daily basis.

Within two weeks, you will see remarkable results in reduction of your SUGAR.

Health Benefits of Lady's Finger :

1) The vegetable is a good provider of good bacteria called the probiotics. Probiotics helps in biosynhtesis of vitamin B. They also help in proliferation just like the yoghurt.
2) Nurture you hair : Lady's Finger can be applied to hair as the last rinse to make your hair bounce.
Follow the steps ahead
- Slice the lady's finger horizontally and boil it till the is brew is slim.
- Cool it off and add few drops of lemon juice to it.
- Apply this to your hair and enjoy the bouncy look.
Lady's finger has other health benefits as mentioned below.
1. Excellent laxative.
2. Treats Bowels.
3. Heals Ulcers.
4. Soothes the gastrointestinal tract.

Lady finger is also known as Okra. It is a very valuable source of nutrition. It can help with the following health conditions:

It helps relieve constipation
It helps control blood sugar as it curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.
It helps in healing acid reflux
It contains soluble fibre which helps in controlling the cholesterol level in our bodies.
It contains insoluble fiber too which keeps the intestinal track healthy.
Lady Finger helps in reducing risks of deadly diseases like cancer.
Lady fingers are especially beneficial for the control of colo-rectal cancer .
Human body is recommended to have a certain level of vitamin B 6 and folic acid. Half a cup of cooked Lady fingers provide nearly 10% of the recommended levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid.

Here are some nutritional facts of Lady fingers:

Okra Nutrition (half-cup cooked Lady Finger) contains:

Calories : 25
Dietary Fiber : 2 grams
Protein : 1.5 grams
Carbohydrates : 5.8 grams
Vitamin A : 460 IU
Vitamin C : 13 mg
Folic acid : 36.5 micrograms
Calcium : 50 mg
Iron : 0.4 mg
Potassium : 256 mg
Magnesium : 46 mg

To retain the nutrients present in lady fingers, it should be cooked as little as possible, eg with low heat or lightly steamed. You can even eat it raw.

100 Perfect Pairings Main Dishes to Enjoy with Wines You Love

Developing new and enticing recipes that will bring out the best in a variety of wines is a challenge I relish. I have a huge collection of food and wine pairing books, not only because I am fascinated by it but also because for several years I developed recipes for MyWinesDirect, an online wine retailer. Coming up with new recipes to go with yet another Cabernet or Chardonnay required not only creativity but also a deeper understanding of how food and wine interact.

I have only written about a few of the books in my wine pairing collection because frankly, not very many of them are worth telling you about. The bible is of course What To Drink with What You Eat. It's where I go first for inspiration. But I also love the 100 Perfect Pairings books by Jill Silverman Hough. The first was 100 Perfect Pairings Small Plates to Enjoy with Wines You Love and the second out now is 100 Perfect Pairings Main Dishes to Enjoy with Wines You Love. She not only provides recipes, but really digs into how to pair and the tricks to making matches that sing.

The format of the two 100 Perfect Pairings books are the same, as is the general overview information about each wine. Each chapter features a different wine, and dishes that pair well with it. There are six white wines and six red wines (ok one is rose). They are the most common wine varieties you're likely to find. While the first book focused on small plates, the second in the series is all about main dishes. Each recipe has a tip, some insight into what makes it a good dish or a good pairing or even suggestions for how to round out the meal. On my list to try: Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken with Garlicky Ranch Sauce with Viognier, Chicken 'Cocoa' Vin with Merlot, and Steak and Radicchio Caesar with Cabernet Sauvignon. If you are new at pairing food and wine or do it all the time, these books will be welcome additions to your cookbook collection since they function as reference books too. Jill Silverman Hough makes pairing food and wine easy and fun.

IDLY SAMBHAR - MIL'S VERSION

I've posted varieties of idly sambhar i learnt from my MOM & MIL.This one is my MIL's special sambhar.My hubby loves this a lot . So i make at least once in a week.It tastes similar to hotel sambhar.

INGREDIENTS

Tamarind - A small gooseberry size

To pressure cook:

Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Potato - 1 no (big)
Turmeric powder - A pinch
Water - As needed.

To Roast & grind :

Oil - 1/2 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1tbsp
Channa dal - 1.5 tsp
Red chilly - 1 no (big)
Hing - 1/4 tsp

To saute:

Shallots / small onion - 15 nos
Tomato - 1 no (cut into small pieces)
Curry leaves - a few
Sambhar powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt & water - As needed

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

To garnish:

Coriander leaves - a few
Ghee - 1 tbsp (for flavor)

METHOD:

Soak the tamarind in warm water for 20 mins and take the extract.Set aside.
Pressure cook all the ingredients given under 'to pressure cook' till one whistle.Mash the dal and set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and roast all the items given above in the same order till nice aroma arises.Powder and keep aside.
In the same kadai , add oil and saute the items given under :to saute: .
Saute till tomato turns mushy.Then add the sambhar powder , tamarind extract , hing & salt.
Allow it to boil till the onion gets cooked.
Now add the mashed dal & powdered spices.
Mix well & boil for sometime.(. Be careful while adding the powder because it may form lumps.So gently stir in & sprinkle the powder simultaneously.)
Finally temper all the ingredients given under 'to temper' and switch off the stove. Garnish with coriander leaves.Transfer to the serving bowl and top it with a tbsp of ghee .( i add only when there is a guest ;) )

Enjoy with soft idlies & crispy dosas by adding sesame oil!!

Variations :

** For the exact restaurant style sambhar , add a few curry leaves while roasting the ingredients given for sambhar powder.
** Also try adding a tsp of grated coconut for additional flavor while roasting.
** Add a small piece of jaggery along with the tamarind extract. (i add very rarely)
** Add veggies like brinjal , Drumstick and carrot to make it more healthy.

In this sambhar we should add very less tamarind extract.So it will taste mild and less spicy. If u want it more spicy & tangy , add pinched red chillies while tempering and squeeze some drops of lime juice before serving.

KITCHEN CLINIC :

TOOR DAL :

Pigeon peas are nutritionally important, as they contain high levels ofprotein and the important amino acids methionine, lysine, and tryptophan. In combination with cereals, pigeon peas make a well-balanced human food.

Other common names

Other common names are तुवरि (tuvari) in Sanskrit, arhar(Hindi/Bangla:অরহর), Rohor (Assamese), Rahar (Nepali), red gram, toovar/toor (Gujarati/Marathi/Punjabi), tuvaram paruppu (Tamil: துவரம்பருப்பு),tuvara (Malayalam :'തുവര' ),togari (Kannada), Kandi(కంది)(Telugu), Yewof ater (Amharic), gandul, guandul, guandu, Congo pea, Gungo pea, Gunga pea, and no-eye pea.

USES:

It is useful in the treatment of internal organ swelling. Some herbal practitioners/researchers are of the opinion that it diminishes the swelling of internal organs like stomach, liver, intestines etc. In case of wound or cancer of these organs it is helpful in reducing them. Its recommended usage is: Green leaves of Pigeon peas around 10 grams along with 7 black peppers should be finely ground and mixed in water and then taken as a drink. Green leaves of Pigeon peas ground in water and added to half boiled water should be applied externally on the affected body part. Pigeon peas should be cooked in water (as dal, an Indian dish) and its water should be given to the patient.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Interview with Nigel Slater

Nigel Slater is a cook and food writer from England who has written extensively for magazines and newspapers and is author of nine cookbooks. The film based on his autobiography Toast is being released in theaters in the US this month. It features a very strong cast which includes Helena Bonham Carter as his stepmother.

In anticipation of the film, I got a chance to speak with him about his autobiography, the film, his passion for gardening (the subject of his most recent book Tender) and the food writers who influenced him the most when he was growing up.

Your autobiography Toast was intimately revealing. What inspired you to write it?
I wrote the book because I wanted to record the food of the 60's and 70's, the food I ate at home, not 'cheffy' food. It turned out each food had a story, it was a collection of diary entries. As a child I knew there was exciting cooking out there, but I wasn't having it. Because academically I didn't do very well, it seemed to work well to go into cooking college and it was there I discovered the pleasures of cooking and eating, that food is a good and happy thing. Sadly that discovery wasn't until I was in my dark teens. It's the germ of a love story. Young Nigel became a different person.

I was and still am a very private person, I'd never talked much about my private life. I do not know why I let it get so intimate. I stopped writing at one point and thought no one would be interested. But it was an extraordinary thing to do and it turns out a lot people do relate to it. I've protected myself by stopping the book at age 18.

Would you ever consider writing a sequel?
I don't think I would do a sequel because it would include people who are alive.

How were you involved in the making of the movie?
I wasn't going to be involved at all, but when I met the director, I realized I was going to be drawn in whether I liked it or not. I didn't get involved in the screenplay but I did go up on set and seemed to show up on the most emotional scenes. When you hear it through headphones it's so loud it really hit home. The mother dying scene was very emotional.

Which affected you more, the book or the film?
I shed tears over both the film and the book, I'm very much a book person, it's difficult to say which is more cathartic, and I realize there were things I never did. The book was most cathartic but the film was the icing on the cake.

Under the covers at night you read cookbooks by flashlight. Which cookbook authors and food writers influenced you most?
Early on I was influenced by Margaret Costa. It was sort of bistro cooking which represented something very rich. A lot of people don't know her. I certainly read, but didn't warm to Elizabeth David. I read Jane Grigson too, though some of her recipes seem a little dated today. I also enjoyed Constance Spry, she started the Cordon Bleu, her writing has an elegance to it. The first TV cook I saw was Graham Kerr who changed everything in England.

Lemon meringue pie features prominently in the book and the movie. Can you tell me more about it?
The best lemon meringue pie I ever had was my stepmother's and I never got her recipe. It's the elusive recipe that I value above all others. I've never been able to duplicate it.

In the film the food was highlighted, the colors were almost washed out and then the food was colored so it sang out. It made the food to be the star of the film. That made me very happy.

In the book you form a friendship with the gardener, did that inspire your love of gardening and the book Tender?
There was something about growing things, with the gardener, but in later years I also gardened with my father. I grew carrots and I got this gardening bug. You never forget the first time a seed you plant grows. I knew one day I wanted a garden. When I bought my house in London I turned down buying several places because there was no patch for a garden. Gardening is connected to happy and carefree moments for me. When I'm in the garden I'm disconnected, I don't even take my mobile (cell phone).

Will there be a sequel to Tender?
Yes, it will be a book on fruit.

SPOILER ALERT! Skip this if you have not read the book or don't want to know how the movie ends...

At the end of the movie you leave your stepmother and never see her again. Is that the way it really happened?
I lived with my stepmother for a few weeks and I knew she wasn't going to stay in the house. I'd escaped from the Midlands and that's where she wanted to return, it's where her family was. The idea of London was exciting. I'm amazed that I had the strength to leave. I realized that there was no hope for that relationship. In retrospect I would have loved to put things right with her.

For more on the film visit the Toast Facebook page or follow on Twitter @Toastfilm

All about Dijon Mustard

I never expected to visit Dijon. But on my first trip to France, I asked my Parisian friends for suggestions for where to go and they said Dijon and nearby Beaune, so off I went. The historic capital of Burgundy, Dijon is a dramatic looking city with lots to do and see. It has many museums, churches, medieval buildings with gargoyles and stunning geometrically patterned roofs of green, white, yellow, black and terra cotta ceramic tiles.

When most people think Dijon, they think mustard. But Dijon is in wine country, home of Coq au Vin, Boeuf Bourguinon and lots of other rich and rustic dishes including the classic preparation of Escargot in garlic, butter and parsley. In addition to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay and Aligoté, the region is also known for Cremant de Bourgogne and cassis. It's worth noting that you can get to Dijon in under 2 hours from Paris if you take the TGV.

But let's talk mustard. If I had to choose one mustard only (currently I have 7 open jars in my fridge) it would be Dijon. It's mellow and sophisticated in color but with a spicy bite. It's made from brown or black mustard seeds and usually from white wine vinegar, though initially it was made with verjus, a kind of unripe grape juice. Dijon is where you'll find the original Maille shop, founded in 1747, the windows filled with handsome ceramic mustard jars of all sizes. There is another Maille boutique in Paris (right near Fauchon and Laduree at place de la Madeleine).

I'm rather fond of the Maille brand (now a subsidiary of Unilever), it works particularly well in recipes and is not very expensive. If you substitute Grey Poupon (owned by Kraft), you will notice a difference (and it does not work as well in vinaigrette recipes). In France you can buy Dijon mustard flavored with everything from cassis to blue cheese to cognac, nuts, mushrooms, and piment d'espelette. Having been on the giving and receiving end, a small jar of flavored Dijon mustard makes a fine gift.

Here are some ways to use Dijon mustard (other than on sandwiches and hot dogs)

* Combine with oil and vinegar to make a classic vinaigrette

* Add to quiche recipes, especially quiche lorraine

* Slather on fish fillets before baking

* Mix with honey to make a dipping sauce, also great on salmon

* Add a touch to macaroni and cheese

* Use in baked beans

* Combine mustard and olive oil with red potatoes then roast until crusty

* Coat pork chops or chicken in mustard then crust with panko and bake

* Add to potato and egg salads

* Spread it on bread instead of butter

* Simmer mustard with pan drippings, wine, broth and cream to make a sauce for roast chicken

* Add to barbecue sauce

Want to learn more about Dijon cuisine? August 23, 2011 Michelin star chef chefs Jean-Pierre and Alexis Billoux from Dijon will be doing cooking demos at the CUESA kitchen at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market from 10 am - 2 pm as part of the Dijon Must'art tour.