Compound butters... the essence of simplicity and versatility! Depending on what you put in them, they can jazz up any cut of meat or fish or give a major upgrade to your morning toast (cinnamon maple butter, anyone?). Compound butters can be as simple as mincing a few herbs or zesting some lemons, or you can up the ante. CGB is what I named the compound butter I'm teaching in my next class. Here's a recipe for something very similar, incorporating corn INTO the butter. Both the butters wake up your palate, but they are also made healthy with the addition of healing spices. Chili ... read more
A Recipe for PhytoButter: a Roasted Corn, Garlic, and Chili Compound Butter
Butter is not always the bad boy. I wasn't always a fan, especially when reports were out decades ago about how margarine was a much better-for-you substitute and my strictly vegetarian (and thin!) father had just had a heart attack. But as we know now, those ideas just aren't true and a small amount, especially if grass-fed, could have not-so-harmful effects, if in small quantities and in moderation. Though a small amount of grass-fed butter has saturated fat, those fats are still necessary for your body. But it's wise to use products with saturated fat with discretion. I don't claim to ... read more
Delicata Squash with Tamarind-Apple Relish
Autumn is here, even in Texas! After our unusually mild summer, I shouldn't be surprised that Fall vegetables have already made it to the farmers' markets. I excitedly picked up delicata squash, which is one of the varieties of squash that is actually not found all throughout the cold season. I remember trying to teach this dish, or a variation of it, last January and we couldn't find any in season! I particularly love the ease of this squash. No peeling necessary, no stringy goo to remove, and no heavy cleaver knife needed to get through the body of the squash (sigh, butternut squash I love ... read more
Tarragon-Shallot Compound Butter
Yesterday, we had some impromptu guests come over for an easy casual dinner. LOVE SUMMER! My husband wanted to do his regular easy grilling favorite, beer can chicken, so to accompany that I made our favorite black bean, corn, and avocado salad in a lime-garlic vinaigrette. My guests brought a very-currently-trendy watermelon dish, a watermelon-feta-tomato salad, and we also had a Caesar kale salad. But a couple of the guests don't eat chicken, so they brought some salmon to throw on the grill. What easy way to oomph it up a bit without too much extra work? Compound buttah, baby! Compound ... read more
Imli Chutney
Imli Chutney (Tamarind-Date Chutney) 1 packed cup tamarind pulp (don’t worry if there are seeds)2 cups water1 cup chopped pitted dates (approx 20 dates)½ teaspoon chili powder½ teaspoon ground coriander½ teaspoon ground cumin½ teaspoon salt2 tablespoons dark brown sugar Heat water in a medium saucepan over medium heat.Add tamarind pulp to hot water. Lower heat and cook for 10 minutes, breaking pulp with wooden spoon. Turn off heat.Strain into a cup and discard pulp and seeds if there are seeds. You will be left with about 1 cup of tamarind water.Place tamarind water back into ... read more
Yellow Squash Chutney
I've talked about chutneys here before, right? I'm always talking about chutneys (not to be confused with Indian pickled condiments like aachaars) in class, telling my students that in Indian cooking they are not always chunky, nor even always cooked. They can be raw or cooked, and usually are highly-seasoned with a smooth consistency, unlike the fruity chunky chutneys I see served on roast meats here in the West (though this one looks GREAT!) Westerners tend to use my chutney recipes for anything and everything: as dipping sauces for vegetables or chips and as all-purpose condiments in lieu ... read more
Making Pink Butter
I desperately wanted to raise a foodie. At least one, if not two. This did not happen....until this past year. I can't really say she is not a picky eater however. She'll try most everything and like some of it. But once upon a time......she ate peas, only green peas, for a whole month. And she's always liked fruit: see her in this pic slurping a mango pit. On the rare occasion that my family goes out to eat Indian food, she once, when she was two and a half, only touched a bowl of peas. Which of course, in the desperation that a new-mother-of-a-picky-eater, I specifically ordered from the ... read more
Five Things to Do with Chilli-Garlic Compound Butter
CGB. It's that great a condiment that it deserves a household abbreviation. I mean, I get tired of saying it and even typing it out. Mashed raw garlic mixed with sea salt and Indian chili powder then blended with high quality softened butter, like Plugra or Kerrygold or even Amul if you can find it. There, now you even have the recipe for CGB! Here are a few things you can do with it besides eat it off the butter knife: Melt a few tablespoons of CGB in a large pot. Add 1/4 cup popcorn kernels. Cover with lid. Await the popping. (Kids love this startle of ... read more
