Avocado Butter

Avocado butter on homemade bread

This is my first Alton Brown recipe, and it turned out pretty well. It tastes good and keeps for months, resulting in the wonderful advantage of not having to find just-ripe avocados every time you want the flavor. If you need any added incentive, it’s really easy to make! The butter goes well just on plain bread, or as sandwich spread, or burgers, or anything else you want to put it on!

The only thing you absolutely must remember is not to use under-ripe avocados. Really. I can hear you saying “I’ll see. It’ll be allright.” Don’t do it. I did, and it took much much longer and was more painful than I imagined when I had the aforementioned thoughts.

Ingredients

• 2 small Haas avocados
• 2 oz. (4 tbsp.) butter, softened
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice. I used the stuff that comes in a bottle.
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro leaves. I didn’t have it.
  
• 2 1 tsp. ground cumin. I used 2, but I think it will taste better with less cumin.
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Butter wrapped in parchment

Cut the avocados in half, de-seed, and scoop out the flesh as described before. Put the avocado flesh and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor or blender, and mix till the stuff reaches a smooth consistency. Then spoon the mixture out on parchment in the form of a log, fold the paper over, compact, and twist the ends like a toffee (see picture). Put in the fridge for 3-4 hours, and you’re done.

As you can see, I am ad-libbing with the spices, so do not hesitate to experiment yourself! (And remember to let us know how it turns out.)

Enjoy!

Little Fat Sheep, review

Rating: 8.5/10

Cost: Moderate

Reservations: Call to check. (626) 282-1089

Address: 120 S. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, CA  91754

I ate at the Little Fat Sheep in Los Angeles, CA not long ago, and quite (read very much) enjoyed the dining. The food was good, as was the service, the atmosphere convivial, and the cost worth it! Before writing a review I checked to see if there were reviews already, and found loads here, here, and here. (Apparently there’s more than one branch – see this for example.) So why write another review? Mostly for completeness – and to help spread their well-deserved fame!

Little Fat Sheep is a Mongolian hot-pot restaurant. For those that haven’t been initiated into this cult (eg. me, until last night), a hot-pot restaurant is where you get a table with a heating mechanism in the middle, on which is placed a bowl (or bowls) of broth. You get a variety of uncooked food (your choice) to dip into the broth to cook, then fish it out with a ladle (or your chopsticks) and eat it. Pretty simple, somewhat like a fondue.

At the Little Fat Sheep you can get two kinds of broth – savory and spicy. Even if you like spicy food, I recommend getting at least the half-and half because you will want the variety. Also, start with a level 5 of heat – that’s plenty hot, and you can always make it spicier. Then you order your choice of things to put in, cook and eat! We ordered:

• Sliced lamb (really really good)
• Sliced beef (really good)
• Beef meatball
• Fish dumplings (damn fine)
• Taro (don’t get it)
• Tofu (don’t get this either unless you really like tofu)
• Oyster mushrooms
• Shitake mushrooms (didn’t order, but reportedly pretty good)

Eating here is specially good on cold nights since the soup is hot and tasty. We dined there on one of the busiest nights of the year and our wait was 15 minutes. I definitely recommend eating here. If you do, report back with what else you ordered. And they’re open till 1 in the morning (though they only accept new diners until midnight)!

Crepes

Savory Crepes with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Cheese

Meenakshi and I finally, and for the first time, cooked together! This was a few weeks ago, when I was visiting her. Crepes are easy to cook, and good to eat. Without further ado, here we go.

Crepes are pretty versatile. One can make savory (or salty) crepes, or sweet crepes. The basic batter is the same, with slight differences to make them sweet or savory. In addition, the batter is fairly robust – as long as the ingredients are there and in approximate proportions, the crepes seem to turn out fine.

Ingredients (10-12 crepes, serves 1.5ish)

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Mix the ingredients in a mixing bowl (or food processor), and the batter is ready. The consistency should be something between maple syrup and honey. Add flour or milk to adjust consistency as needed.

For savory (salty) crepes, add (1) 1/4 tsp. salt, and (2) 2 tsp. oregano. Mix well. In truth, you can add any spices you like; this is why I used.

Sweet Crepe with Nutella and Blueberries

For sweet crepes (yummy dessert!) add (1) 1-2 tbsp. sugar, and (2) 3-5 drops vanilla essence. Mix well. I hear a dash of rum tastes good too, so feel free to experiment.

Note: Alton Brown says “Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.” Try it and let me know how it worked. It worked fine for us without all the chilling etc.

Now to make the crepes: Heat a frying pan and melt a dab of butter in it. Pour in a soup-ladel-full of the batter and spread immediately (either by tilting the pan or pouring the batter in a circular pattern – usually both). Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute and flip. Cook for another 30 seconds and remove from the pan. Repeat for the rest of the batter.

Now all that is left is to wrap tasty things in the crepes and eat them.

To make savory crepes with cheese, you will have to put the savory crepes back on the pan on medium heat, put in the cheese and other things (examples below), and cook till the cheese is melted. Then wrap, and remove from the pan. Crepes are done!

Possible savory stuffings:

• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Onions
• Anything you like!

For sweet crepes, you can use whatever pleases you in the crepes and wrap them. Some possibilites are:

• Nutella
• Strawberry preserve
• Blueberries
• Really, any kind of sweet stuff!

Enjoy!

Chayote Squash Creamy Sabji

Now here’s a vegetable I had no clue what to do with. I had seen it in the stores and always ignored it, never even considered buying or experimenting with it. Until one day, my friend S asked me to taste this thing she had made. Now S is an awesome cook, so there’s no saying no to her food…. but I must admit going into it I didn’t  know what I was in for. And then the first bite happened….. mmmmmmmm! delicious, creamy, savory with a wonderful texture! I fell in love! And apologized to Mr. Chayote for having ignored him all these years. And of course thanked S for introducing me to a new treasure.

If you’d like to read more about this weird looking, guava/cashew-fruit/avocado shaped squash, here’s an informative wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote

Here’s S’s recipe:

Chayote Squash Creamy Sabji

Chayote Squash Creamy Sabji

Ingredients to Serve 4

• 2 chayote squashes, pitted, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 6-7 curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 cup sour cream (optional)
• 2 tablespoons garam or curry masala
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt to taste

And of course the secret ingredient

• 1/2 cup ground toasted peanuts

Peel the squashes, cut and get rid of the pit. Cut them into 1 inch cubes. Put them in a microwave safe dish and pour in a little bit of water. Cover it loosely and microwave on high for 6-7 minutes just to get the cooking process started.

In a wok, heat oil, add the mustard seeds. When they start popping add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Let them pop for a bit.

Now add the onions and saute them until they are a lovely golden. Follow that with the turmeric powder.

Add the tomatoes and give it a nice toss and cover the wok. Let this cook for 5-6 minutes until the tomatoes are softened.

Now add the garam masala. I used chicken curry masala…. have to admit that it adds a nice taste to vegetables. Also add the ground peanuts… yumm!! Saute for just a minute.

The chayote squash goes in next and if it’s all too dry add just a little bit of water. If there’s water remaining in the microwave dish that’s what should go in. Cover and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. Make sure you toss it every now and then to prevent burning.

Add the bell pepper and toss it again. Let this cook for another 3-4 minutes. Bell peppers are completely optional. I added them solely for color.

Once the squash is almost well cooked, add the sour cream. You can even add milk or plain cream. Or if you are the kind who doesn’t like creamy vegetables then skip it all together. Give it a good stir, add salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes making sure everything is well integrated.

That’s it! Enjoy with roti, rice or naan!

Note: The cooking time largely depends on how mushy or crunchy you’d like the squash to be. So feel free to vary it according to your taste. Same goes with the spices.

Bhindi Aaloo (Okra with Potatoes)

Okra is one of those vegetables that you either love or you hate…. I don’t think there’s an in-between state for it. I have loved it since I was a kid and luckily the husband loves it too….. so we are in sync here. This summer our vegetable garden has rewarded us with lots and lots of okra … no wonder, we are a couple of happy campers! The best thing about the plant is the absolutely beautiful yellow flowers… which you can see in my post about growing your own food.

Bhindi, gumbo, lady finger, or just okra has a dozen different names and even more benefits…. rich in proteins, vitamins, B and C specifically, and fiber it works it wonders in so many different ways…….. not to mention, it  also is a part of my comfort food list. What more could I ask for?

Lots of people don’t like okra due to its sliminess. But, I have one thing to say to that …. if it’s slimy then it ain’t cooked right. The biggest mistake you can make is adding water. Water will just make it more gooey and the whole thing will fall apart beyond repair. The one alternative that people resort to is frying. But oh! the unnecessary calories and fat! The best way is if you cook it nice and slow and thoroughly they will be perfect…. scrumptious, with a nice body to them and just the right texture.

Bhindi Aaloo, mmmmmmmmmmhmmmmmmm! Need I say more?

Bhindi Aaloo (Okra with Potatoes)

Bhindi Aaloo

Ingredients to serve 4 generously

• 1 pound okra, cut to half inch pieces
• 2 medium potatoes, cut to 1 inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons red chilli powder
• 2 teaspoons dhaniya (coriander powder)
• salt to taste

If you are using fresh okra, give it a wash and dry it all off really well. Chop in half inch pieces. If you are using frozen okra then make sure it’s well thawed and dry it off with a paper towel. It won’t be as easy to dry off like fresh okra, but something is better than nothing.

Heat the oil in a wok and when it’s well heated, add the turmeric and red chilli powders. Follow that with the potatoes and give it a toss. Cover and let them cook for 4-5 minutes on medium to medium-low heat. The idea is to cook slowly.

Now throw in the okra and toss again. Do not stir too hard or too often, otherwise you’re gonna have a big gooey mess.

Cover the wok and let all of it cook slow. The idea is to not let the sliminess take over and also to avoid deep frying.

This will take about 20 minutes. Every 4 minutes, take off the lid and toss everything to make sure things aren’t burning.

When the okra and potatoes are almost cooked, add the dhaniya powder and salt. Toss again and let it cook for just another 3-4 minutes. That’s it.

Notes: This is how I like it, plain and simple, without any fancy spices or onions or garlic and all of that jazz. But feel free to add all the spices and herbs you like and dress it up or make our versions of Bhindi Masala or Kadhai Bhindi.

Enjoy it with rotis and daal! Delicious, simple meal.

Peach Delight Smoothie

Peach Delight Smoothie

With the abundant peaches in the farmers market and you-pick farms, they have had me smiling for a while now. My mantra has been… a peach a day, keeps you smiley and peachy As much as I like to devour them as it is, I’ve tried a few experiments like putting them in salads, sauces and baking with them. But, this peachy delight is my favorite, especially with the way summer has been here….. I’ll take anything cooling!

Peach Delight Smoothie

Ingredients to make 4 glasses

• 3 ripe soft peaches
• 3 cups plain yoghurt (fat-free works or even better home made)
• 12-14 cubes of ice
• sugar to taste

Blend all of it together in your favorite blender.

Vary the sugar depending on how sweet your peaches are.

Turn on your smoothing summery music, find a comfy spot on your favorite chair and Enjoy!

Very cooling, satisfying and delicious.

Of course you can jazz it up by adding other fruits and make it richer by using vanilla ice cream and enjoy it as dessert. But, if you want the healthy version, so that you can have it often, then stick to yoghurt. Top it with some granola and it makes a yumm breakfast.

Khatta Meetha Chana (Sweet and Sour Black Chickpeas)

Chana or chickpeas or even black garbanzo are a popular source of protein in a vegetarian diet. They can be used in a zillion different ways to cook up some of the most delicious and savory dishes. This is one of my favorite ways of enjoying them…. of course how could you go wrong pairing with mangoes?

Khatta Meetha Chana

Khatta Meetha Chana

• 1 cup chana (black chickpeas) or any other beans work great as well
• 1 ripe mango cubed
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1 small green chili, chopped
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• dash of lime juice
• salt to taste

Soak the chickpeas in warm water for about 3-4 hours. It would be ideal to soak them overnight, but warm water does the trick.

I cook them in a pressure cooker with a little of salt and 2 cups of water. If you don’t have a pressure coker, you can boil them too. It’ll take about 20 mins on medium heat in a pressure cooker, and almost twice otherwise.

In a frying pain, heat the oil on medium heat. When it’s hot, add the mustard seeds and let them sputter a little. When the sputtering gets rapid, add the chili, ginger and onions.

Saute this until the onions are translucent and add turmeric. Saute for couple more minutes.

Now add the mango cubes and toss it all together. Let the mangoes enjoy the hear for couple minutes.

Add the cooked chickpeas and salt to taste. Give it a toss and let it sit on the heat for just a little bit… we want to make sure everything is well introduced to each other and enjoying each other’s company.

Just before serving, top it with a dash of lime and enjoy.

I like this as it is, just like a salad, but you can enjoy it with bread, rotis, rice, or as a side dish.

Del Piero at Queen Creek Olive Mill, Review

Del Piero @ Queen Creek Olive Mill

Rating: 7/10

Cost: Moderate

Reservations: Not unless you have a big group. 480-888-9290

Where: 25062 S. Meridian Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85242

WWW: http://www.queencreekolivemill.com

Olives…. mmmmm!!! Garlic stuffed olives… mmmhmmm!!! Locally grown olives…. mmmhmmmmhmmmmm! What more could want, yeah? Locally grown olives and locally milled olive oil, could make our day we thought …. and…… hence recently a trip down to Queen Creek to Arizona’s only olive mill happened on a nice relatively cooler weekend. A nice way to spend a Saturday morning or afternoon.

The mill offers several things:
1. Tours of the facility which includes information about olives, their production, making of olive oil and other olive products.
2. A nice cafe style restaurant to enjoy their food at
3. A store to buy various kinds of oils, olive products and other local products.

About the tour:
Cost: $5. Maybe it was the fact that we visited in August and it was hot outside, the tour was more of a talk than a tour. We got some information about how the mill was started by a family, how they grow olives locally (couple miles from the mill), and how they produce olive oil. I was rather unimpressed because we didn’t really get to see the farms or the actual production process. But I’m willing to go in December again and try the tour once more to see if it’s any different. I was told by the tour guide that their main production happens from October to December, which would be the ideal time to visit and tour the facility. I think if that’s the case, then they should do couple things….. One, they should clearly state that the tours in summer months are not tours, but talks…. and Two, that they should be free in summer.

What I do appreciate is the fact that the tour guide clearly told us that the olive oils are bottled in December every year and if we bought some right now we’d be buying 10 month old oil. So, she recommended coming back in December and buying fresh oil. A big Thank You for her honesty!

About Del Piero:
This cafe is what it’s supposed to be. A nice representation of the multitude of things olives can be used for, for having as it is, for making oils, flavored oils, tapenades and guess what… even cake! Yes, the cafe serves a nice olive oil cake, which I must admit was surprisingly delicious! Interesting how I start the cafe’s review with dessert. Oh well, they also have some sorbets and gelatos, but I didn’t try those as I felt that’s not what the cafe stands for. In keeping with the theme for the day, we got the classic bruschetta, following which I got the Vegetarian Antipasto plate and the husband had the Manzi Panini. The Antipasto plate was a nice sampling of their mozzarella, pesto, olives, couple tapenades and was absolutely yumm! I fell in love with their sun dried tomato tapenade, which we even bought a bottle of to take home. The husband’s panini was rather good as well, although he and I both felt that everything was a little too olive-oily. I tad bit less would be much better! But, I definitely will go back in winter to try their soups and hot sandwiches.

The ambiance of the place is cozy and nice…. kinda in between the wine cellars of Napa and on the corner quaint cafe style. There aren’t that many tables though, so you have to either hold a table or sit outside, which, I’m sure, would be the preferred dining area on a cooler day.

About the store:
Lots of things to buy here! Olive oil, flavored olive oils, ranging from blood orange to vanilla flavored… they have quite a variety to please everyone. We didn’t buy any since the tour guide was honest enough to tell us that buying one in December would ensure fresher oil. I did sample the oils, and I must say that while they were all very flavorful, the lemon olive oil was my favorite. It would be the ideal thing to have on a nice asparagus salad. Mmmm!!
Amongst other things, they sell wines, tapenades, stuffed olives and some bath and body products. Nice gift idea, eh! And of course, some to spoil yourself too! In keeping with that tought in my mind, we got some parmesan stuffed olives and the sun dried tomato tapenade that I loved so much. It’s been couple weeks now and I must say, we’ve been enjoying every bit of the two things. I’m looking forward to going there again later in the year when it’s cooler.

Important:
Not to mislead you, but not all products sold there are locally grown or made. Their tapenades, some of stuffed olives, some of the oils, vinegars, are made in Napa, where they have other olive farms. So, although it’s nice to know that most things are local, not all are!

Alton Brown’s Cucumber Grape Gazpacho

If you haven’t figured it already, I must say that I’m an Alton Brown fan, and am always looking for to try out his vegetarian recipes. But, this time I wasn’t looking for his…. I had had a grape gazpacho soup at Tarbell’s couple months back and I had been pleasantly surprised by its deliciousness. Since then I’d been looking for his (Tarbell’s) recipe, but couldn’t find it. I gave up until my grape vine rewarded me with a lot of wonderful Thompson seedless grapes. Of course the cucumber vine is ever producing and I couldn’t help trying to make the gazpacho again. Off I went looking and found Mr. Brown’s recipe….. and being his fan, there’s no way I could pass this up.

Alton Brown's Cucumber Grape Gazpacho

Here’s the recipe: Alton Brown’s Cucumber Grape Gazpacho

My notes:

1. Make a wonderful soup for summer! Very light, cooling and delicious. Although the husband didn’t care for it much, so I think you’ve got to try it once to see if you like it.
2. Next time I make it, I am going to reduce the quantity of walnuts as they overpower the grapes.
3. I used 2 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar instead of just 1, since I like it tangy.

Growing your own food – Part 2

I started this series about growing your own food with part 1 in May, when I was first seeing results from my home vegetable garden. Summer is almost over, thankfully. After a much cooler May, we had one of the worst summers here in Arizona. Record temperatures meant that the vegetables needed some more loving and caring. Luckily, our garden produced and continues to do so. Here are some key points I’d like to share with you about things done, lessons learned and fruits reaped.

This was a no-fertilizer vegetable bed with lots of compost, manure and regular watering.

Okra plant flowering and fruiting

To report back on the vegetables I already wrote about earlier:
Okra: This has been the biggest success and surprise!
Planted with: Organic seeds bought from the store.
Produced: The finest tasting, finest looking, okras ever in large quantities, especially considering fresh okra is rare find in stores here.
After summer: These plants seem to be getting happier and bigger with each passing day. They absolutely love the heat, bare pretty flowers and wonderfully tasting okras.
Lessons learned: I have couple plants in the vegetable bed, couple in pots and couple in the ground. The ones in the ground are growing the best, even though there’s no fertilizer.

Cucumbers:
Planted with: Saplings bought from the store.
Produced: The finest tasting, finest looking, cucumbers ever in large quantities.
After summer: The plants are producing even now. I’ll keep them as long as they want to stay.
Lessons learned: It’s important to pluck the cucumbers when they are bright green before they turn yellow. If you let them turn yellow, they’ll kill the whole plant.

Tomatoes:
Planted with: Saplings bought from the store.
Produced: The finest tasting, finest looking, tomatoes ever in large quantities.
After summer: The plants have stopped producing now that their growing season is over. But it seems like we can grow tomatoes here in AZ year round.
Saving seeds: So, I’ve saved 3 tomatoes that I got off the vines, will just crush and bury them in the vegetable bed towards the end of August, to start new growth.
Lessons learned: Plant them 2 feet apart.

Karela (bitter gourd) vine

Lauki, karela vines' support system with twines

Karela and Lauki (bitter and bottle gourds):
Planted with: Seeds bought from Seeds of India online.
Produced: Has many little ones which I’m waiting for.
After summer: Still producing.
Lessons learned: The vine needs a lot of support and a lot of water. Also, sowing and transplanting seeds can be rough on these tender little plants. It is better to sow the seeds directly in the ground.
Support: I’ve supported them on tied up twine.

Tulsi

Tulsi:
Planted with: Seeds gracefully given to me by my Mom and a friend all the way from Puerto Rico.
Produced: The finest tasting, finest looking, tulsi ever in large quantities.
After summer: The plants love the heat. I’ll keep them as long as they want to stay.
Lessons learned: It loves morning sun, afternoon shade and loves water… a lot of it.

Zucchini:
Planted with: Saplings bought from the store.
Produced: Not much success here, the plant produced just a couple zucchinis. I seem to have a problem with stuff that others succeed immensely at. I’ve had people tell me they regret planting zucchinis since they produce like crazy.
After summer: The plant seems to be recovering now. I’ll keep it since I need to experiment more.
Lessons learned: The reason my zucchini plant did not produce much was because of the case of disappearing bees. Zucchinis rely on an external pollinator like ants, bees and other insects to help them carry pollen from the male to the female flower. Either the heat or a neighbor’s pest control killed a lot of these pollinators and no one helped it grow. I’ve started manually taking the pollen from a male flower and putting it on a female flower. Let’s see if it works.

Peppers:
Planted with: Saplings bought from the store.
Produced: The finest tasting, finest looking, peppers ever in small quantities.
After summer: The plants are producing even now. I’ll keep them as long as they want to stay.
Lessons learned: They need some protection from the heat here in AZ. Maybe a partial shade cover would’ve been ideal.

That’s most of what I wanted to share. I do have other herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, oregano, but they seem to be so easy to grow and care for that I don’t have much to say there.

Do try out vegetable gardening and please write back with questions, comments.