It was Week 3 of our CSA deliveries and if I’m not mistaken our boxes are starting to feel a bit heavier…not a lot but a bit. I expect over the next few weeks they will increase in weight as early season greens transition into various other vegetables. Not that I’m complaining about what we get now. I am a firm believer in quality over quanity and everything we have received so far has been excellent. I’ve been especially thrilled with the Hakurei turnips, but I’ll get back to those in a minute.

This week our box was filled with more strawberries, baby greens, spinach, radishes (although this is probably the end of them for the summer), and turnips. Making their first appearance in our box was garlic scapes (the green shoots of the garlic), sugar snap peas, kohlrabi (a favorite here in our house).

Now back to the Hakurei turnips. I’ve become quite enamored with them. While they still have a slight “bite” to them I find them to be more subtle then their autumn counterparts. Also unlike their autumn counterparts, these little beauties don’t require peeling before using. Their skin is much thinner than turnips from fall harvests and much less fiberous. Just wash them and give them a good scrub to remove any dirt and then use them in whatever dish you are making (although if making mashed turnips you might still want to peel them) or just slice them thinly, sprinkle with a bit of salt and eat raw.

I don’t often cook radishes, although I do on occasion. I came up with the idea of making a gratin out of the turnips and since their flavor profile was somewhat similar to the radishes we had received I decided that I would add a layer of radishes to the gratin. While it might be a bit heavy for a hot summer day, this gratin, nonetheless, goes really well as an accompaniment to grilled steak.

Turnip Gratin with Radishes
serves 4

1-1 1/2 bunches Hakurei turnips, washed well
1 bunch radishes, washed well
2 Tbs. butter
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated (I used one of my favorites, Sarvecchio, by Sartori foods out of Plymouth WI)
salt
pepper
nutmeg
1 cup cream

Preheat an oven to 350°F. In a medium sized, oven proof saute pan melt the butter. Remove from heat. Thinly slice the turnips and radishes approximately 1/8-1/4″ thick. Place a single layer of turnips on the bottom of the saute pan. Cover with the radishes. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, peper and just a hint of nutmeg. Top with 1/4 cup of the parmesan.

Add another layer of turnips, followed by more salt, pepper, nutmeg and another 1/4 cup of parmesan. Top with the remaining turnips, more salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour in the cream and press down on the vegetables to make sure the are just barely covered by the cream. Add a bit more cream or milk, if necessary. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 minutes more. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is nicely browned the the liquid as thickened. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. This will allow the gratin to set before serving.

I’ve been a little lax in sharing my recipes inspired by our CSA share. It’s not that we haven’t been using all the great produce from Good Earth Farm, it’s just that I have been behind in uploading the recipes. It didn’t help that our good friend Kim celebrated her birthday this past weekend so most of Saturday night was spent celebrating (I do most of my writing later at night when the kid is asleep-less distractions!). And Sunday was spent at Breakfast on the Farm and hanging outside with the neighbors, playing Washers (kind of like Horseshoes). It was way too nice to be inside, writing on the computer!!

Our weather, here in Wisconsin, has been up and down, like much of the nation’s. One day it’s 85° and the next it’s 55° so I decided that I wanted to make a soup that would taste great either hot or cold. That way I had all my bases covered. Heat it up and it would be perfect for a cool, rainy day or serve it chilled, with a salad of the baby greens we received in our share, for a light, hot weather lunch. Potato soup is perfect for this kind of application as it often works both as a hot or a chilled soup. The potatoes would also be the perfect foil for the plethora of green garlic, which we had gotten for the past 2 weeks of our share, that I wanted to use up. This makes a wonderful, comforting warm soup, yet not too hearty for a summer day. Chill it down it makes a great cold soup, but blend in some cucumber and you have a perfect early summer luncheon when paired with a salad, or in our case, thinly sliced radishes set atop of buttered honey wheat bread.

Potato and Green Garlic Soup-Two ways
serves 4

6 bulbs green garlic with 4-5″ of the stems left on
2 pounds russet (Idaho) potatoes
1 rib celery
1 cup half and half
water
salt
pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup sour cream
1-2 cucumbers (seedless as the skins of regular cucumbers are too thick and bitter)

Roughly chop the green garlic and celery and place in a medium sized pot. Peel and slice the potatoes. Add to the pot, along with the half and half. Add enough water to just barely cover the potatoes. Add salt, pepper and a few gratings (or a small pinch) of ground nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes start to fall apart, about 20 minutes depending on how thickly or thinly you slice the potatoes. Puree the soup, adding additional water, if necessary to achieve a consistency you like. Stir in the sour cream, adjust the seasoning and serve. Or, at this point chill the soup until completely cold. Return to the blender and add the cucumber, roughly chopped. Blend until smooth. At this point you will probably also have to thin the soup again as it thickens as it cools. You will also have to re-season the soup as the cold will deaden the seasoning a bit. No matter at what temperature you serve the soup it will be improved by garnishing with a sprinkle of fresh herbs. There are many to choose from, but my choices would be rosemary, if serving the soup hot and tarragon is serving it cold. Be careful as both herbs can be overpowering so just a light sprinkling would be fine.

I served this soup cold on Saturday and accompanied it with thinly sliced radishes served over slices of honey wheat bread slathered with copious amounts of butter. It may not be the most inventive way to serve radishes, but there are reasons some foods become classics and buttered radish sandwiches fall easily into this category. If you’ve never tried it do yourself a favor and try now, with fresh early summer radishes. Just make sure to a good, dense bread, such as the honey wheat loaf I used.

The weather is still cold, rainy and generally pretty crappy, but despite the lousy weather I’ve been in the Spring mood. It might be nasty out but a walk through the local forest has already offered up the first ramps of the season, which I used not long ago on a previous post. I also went out and checked on our herb garden. The mint and Lemon Balm are already starting to emerge and take over (that means lots of weeding to keep them in check) and the tarragon already has 3-4 inch shoots.

I was in the mood for something simple, light and “Springy” for dinner tonight. My wife had recently picked up some nice looking salmon which I was itching to cook and with the newly sprouted tarragon I knew I had the basis of a wonderfully simple and elegant dish right in front of me. Add in some asparagus and baby Yukon Gold potatoes and I was set for the evening.

You can’t get much more simple than the recipe that follows. I hate to even call this a recipe, but it does illustrate how easy it is to take a few simple ingredients, at their peak of freshness and flavor and create a dish that is quick enough for an everyday meal or elegant enough to serve at your next dinner party.

Pan Seared Salmon with Roasted Asparagus
serves 4

4 fillets salmon, skin removed, 4-6oz. each
1 pound fresh asparagus
2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 lemon
1-2 tsp. fresh tarragon, minced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the potatoes into quarters or sixths, depending on their size. Toss with about 3 Tbs. of the olive oil then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Toss to coat then place on a baking tray and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Gently stir them after about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the asparagus by cutting off the bottom, tough portions of the asparagus. When the potatoes have about 5 minutes left raise the oven temperature to 425°F. Toss the asparagus with about 2 Tbs. olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay out on a baking tray, 1 layer thick. When potatoes are done remove from oven and put in the asparagus. Cook for 8 minutes.

While the asparagus is cooking heat 2 large saute pans over high heat (you can use just 1 pan but then you will probably want to cook the fish in 2 batches). Add 2 Tbs. olive oil to each pan. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Once the oil just starts to smoke add the fish, skin side up. Immediately lower the heat to medium high. After 3-4 minutes flip the fish over. I like my salmon on the medium rare side so I then take it out of the pan after another 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness (sometimes even less time if the fillet is really thin). If you like it well done then it will need about 6-7 minutes longer.

After the asparagus has cooked for 8 minutes, sprinkle on the minced tarragon and roast for 1 minute longer. Remove from the oven and squeeze the lemon juice over top. Divide the asparagus and potatoes between 4 plates then top with a salmon fillet.

If you are like me then Ramen noodles played an intregal part of your college days. When the vast majority of my budget went towards beer and booze $0.19 packs of ramen was a godsend. Even after culinary school, when I was “paying my dues” in Atlanta, working for barely over minimum wage, ramen played a large part in regular diet. Not only was it cheap, allowing me to hit the bars more often (are you sensing a reoccuring theme here?), but it was pretty tasty, the variations were virtually limitless, and it allowed me to stretch my proteins much further.

Somewhere along the line, I was introduced to the Ramen Noodle Salad, and fell in love with it. Now I could even eat my ramen without cooking them!!! It was great! Since then, I have come across the salad at all sorts of picnics and pot luck dinners. Usually I am underhelmed by the dish and have to admt that I really only like the dish when the noodles have just been added and are still crunchy.

This version adds a bit of flavor to the mix by using green curry paste. Don’t worry, it is now easily found at many grocery stores with a half way decent Asian section. “Thai Kitchen” is the brand I most often come across in regular stores, although if you have a decent Asian market near you, check it out as you can often find it for about half the price of “Thai Kitchen.”

Ramen Noodle Salad
serves 4 as an entree salad or 6-8 as a side dish

1Tbs. green curry paste
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 Tbs. sesame oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 head napa cabbage
4 each green onions
1/2 red bell pepper
4 oz. snow peas

1 can (11oz) mandarin oranges, drained
2 packages ramen noodles, reserve flavoring packet for another use
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For the dressing combine the first set of ingredients and mix well. Set aside. Core the napa cabbage, cut into thirds, lengthwise and slice thinly. Thinly chop the green onions. Remove seeds from the bell pepper and slice paper thin. Finally remove the strings from the snow peas by snapping off the stem end and pulling it down along the front of the pea, taking the “string” with it. Thinly slice the snow peas. Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Allow the salad to marinate for at least 10-15 minutes. Break up the ramen noodles and toss with the salad along with the oranges and almonds. Serve immediately so that the noodles are still crisp and crunchy.

While I often use this as a vegetarian meal, you can easily add grilled chicken or shrimp to make a heartier salad.

Sponsored by Chef Talk

I met Jim Berman years ago on Chef Talk. The website was still relatively small and obscure, and populated by, mainly, by very passionate chefs and a few serious homecooks. Even then, Jim’s passion for food was clearly evident and made him standout. Years later, as I’ve watched friends and collegues burnout and lose their passion for this business, Jim still seems to be going strong. I can’t help but feel that this partially due to his choice to educate and inspire a new generation of chefs.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pa, Jim Berman received his formal culinary training through the American Culinary Federation’s Chefs’ apprenticeship program at the Community College of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He eventually settled in Old New Castle, Delaware where he has lived for the past sixteen years. As a former Executive Chef for Brandywine River Museum and DuPont Experimental Station, Jim left the corporate dining world behind to become the Chef Instructor at Delcastle Technical High School, where he has been since 2003. Jim is the founder and faculty advisor of the Cooks and Bakers competition/service team. He, along with his team, the Cooks and Bakers, has twice been honored with the Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service and the President’s Award for Youth Service. An advocate of utilizing fair-trade and locally-sourced products, Jim, his teaching partner and culinary class finished at the top of this year’s “The Farmer and the Chef” following up to last year’s third place finish. To underscore Jim’s belief in using seasonal, local goods, he and his students travelled to Italy this past summer to explore the practical kitchen applications of Italian cuisine’s approach to local produce. In his spare time Jim also regularly contributes articles for Cheftalk.com as well as helps administer the forum boards there.

Anyone who knows Jim would agree that his students are very lucky to have someone like Jim teaching them. His passion and love of food are pervade all he does, as evidenced by the numerous awards and acolades both he, his program, and his students receive.

What made you decide to leave the restaurant world?
I suppose the predictable answer would be that I had burned out on the day-to-day grind, the hours, the physical demand. The more accurate answer would be that I had just turned 30 and felt that I really wasn’t doing anything meaningful with my life. I was surrounded by people that were solely in their jobs for the money and I was serving people that simply did not give a damn about me, my plight or the amount of work that went into making their food. I had three kids that I scarcely knew and, more importantly, I was starting to not know myself. I know… deeply philosophical and all, but it was true. My life had succumbed to the kitchen; free time was spent in some aspect of work, whether worrying about work, planning for work or attending to some detail for work, what was once fun, or at least engaging, had lost its appeal. I was writing a food column for a local newspaper in my ‘free’ time and reading about food in the little pockets that were left of non-kitchen time. Way too much tunnel vision!

What do you miss most about the restaurant world?
There is no mistaking the camaraderie is addictive. The rush, again another predictable answer, is a real adrenaline kick, as well. I know a lot of people go into cooking so that others can appreciate the creativity that has been born. I have never thought myself creative, so I simply miss having something ‘come out’ as intended. Cooking is still a part of my everyday, but the combination of fuel, food and the frantic pace is the greatest absence.

What do you find to be the most rewarding part of teaching the next generation of cooks and chefs?
That’s a tough question! I think seeing students use what they have learned and applying it. We just got done working with shellfish. A few students took apart some Dungeness crabs and decided to make ravioli. They put their background knowledge to work to get the pasta made, filled and cooked. They seasoned the filling using what they had learned earlier in the year when we got into tasting food and how our mouths’ react to different tastes. I stood back and watched. The kitchen was quiet sans some banter about the size or shape of the filled pastas. That’s a good moment! Then there is the personal stuff. When a student comes back after a few years of being in industry or at school, that just burns bright throughout the day. There is certainly no mistaking the personal connections with some students and even their parents. Many students have moved away, but we remain in touch and I get to be a part of their kitchen experiences as newer members of the industry. I get to live vicariously through them! I get to hear about and see pictures of some amazing food and the frenetic kitchen life. And, while many students leave the field before even really getting started, their energy is contagious and their youth has kept me young.

If there is one thing that you want your students to take away from your courses what would that be?
I have resorted to quotes, cliches and the occasional sermon from the kitchen pulpit. Take your pick. From my stage I preach that there is simply no mistaking hard work. Reward is directly proportional to the amount of energy invested. Practice is part of routine and routine is part of becoming better. “Train the way you fight, fight the way you train.” There are personal facets that I want my crew to take with them, from understanding differences (in ability, in opinion, in goals, etc) to valuing responsibility (and even defining responsibility) to appreciating autonomy, excitement, risk-taking and organization. Yeah, I know you asked for one piece. Each day is made up of a series of teachable moments, little victories and some salty tears. So, there are many adventures throughout the course of the day that pop out to benefit the students.

If you could do it all over again would you follow the same career path?
Yes. No. I don’t know. I started my working career heading in the direction of investment banking. More accurately, my parents started my working career heading in the direction of investment banking. Cooking was a part time gig that I got by lying about my experience. And I never left. Do I still love to cook? Yes. I like to be around food; I like to eat; I like to read about it. And I certainly enjoy watching others cook. But, you know, it has been a hard climb. Not to say that the challenge was unwelcome. Adversity reveals character. Pragmatically speaking, money is tough as a cook and, as a teacher, well, no complaints but credit card companies aren’t exactly knocking on my door to offer me Platinum cards. No, it isn’t about the money. As I have gone on in age, though, I see a daughter on the brink of college with two more to follow. Am I fascinated and happy by what I do? Yes. I think I would have liked to have been in the armed services and maybe been a carpenter so I could build my own cabinets… for my kitchen.

Jim has kindly offered up his recipe for Potato Gnocchi. Gnocchi has, once again, become a somewhat trendy food, partially due to its popularity among the chefs of Top Chef, and because its rustic nature makes it fall into that category of “comfort food” that Americans seem to crave so much. Either way, potato gnocchi is a fantastic dish; easy to make and impressive to serve. Following Jim’s recipe will help to ensure your gnocchi is light and fluffy, not the heavy, sodden nuggets that are the hallmark of poorly made gnocchi.

Potato Gnocchi

2 lb Potatoes, russet*
1 Egg, large
10 oz Cake Flour, plus additional for dusting
Salt
Pepper
Corn meal for dusting trays

Simmer the potatoes until a knife easily passes to the center. Remove the cooked potatoes from the water. Peel the potatoes while still warm. Pass potatoes through a ricer into a bowl.

Add egg and flour into bowl with potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Lightly knead the dough to reach a pliable consistency. Sprinkle rolling surface with flour; slice dough into 6 balls. Roll one ball into a length that is about ½” thick.

Use a bench knife to cut off ¾” pieces.

Repeat until all the dough is cut. Place gnocchi on a tray lined with corn meal. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi. When the gnocchi float on the surface of the water, remove and serve with choice of sauce and garnish.

*Stick with Russet potatoes and stay away from starchy potatoes like Baby Reds or Yukon Golds. Their moist, waxy interior will make leaden gnocchi, not light ones.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve had a craving for Indian food. Unfortunately for me, the closest Indian restaurant is about 45-60 minutes away. Luckily, during my last trip to Penzey’s Spices, I stocked up on a lot of Indian spices so I was ready to do what was necessary to saitate that craving. The first dish I made was Saag Paneer, a wonderfully spicy, yet subtle dish of cooked spinach with chunks of fresh, homemade cheese. This is a great dish that is perfect for introducing people to the joys of Indian cuisine. I find the end product to be very similar to that standard steakhouse favorite, Creamed Spinach, but its seasoning is a bit more exotic. Nor does it have the fiery heat that many people associate with Indian foods.

The first, and most difficult step in learning to prepare Indian foods is gathering up all the spices needed. You’ll be surprised you probably already have many of the spices you will need, such as cinnamon, clove, cumin, peppercorn, coriander and fennel, though it is best to have these as whole, instead of the ground that Americans most often buy. Add to that list mustard seed, whole green cardamon, turmeric and possibly Ajwain seed or fennugreek and you will have most bases covered. Of course, there are many more spices that you could go out and purchase if you really want to get deep into the cuisines of India, but the ones I have listed will cover most dishes.

The next thing you need to do is make up a batch of garam masala. Garam masala is a spice blend that is the workhorse of many Indian cuisines. Like BBQ rubs here in the US, there is no one single recipe for garam masala and each region and each household has it’s own variations. What I would suggest is finding a couple of recipes for garam masala and trying each of them. Not only will this allow you to discover the blend that you enjoy the most, but you’ll get a chance to see how different blends work better with different dishes. The one thing that garam masala is not is curry powder. That particular spice blend was a creation of the British meant to imitate the garam masalas of India. Curry powder always contains a large portion of turmeric (its what makes curry powder yellow) while no garam masala recipes I have ever come across contains that spice. The recipe I offer here is heavy on the spices that most Americans are familiar with so it is a great starting point for exploring the world of Indian spices, but again I suggest you do a little research and come up with your own blend that suits your tastes.

Garam Masala

2 Tbsp. coriander seeds
2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
1 Tbsp. whole clove
2 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1/4 cup green cardamon, in the pod
1 1/2 sticks cinnamon

Place all the spices in a saute pan and set over medium high heat. Heat the spices, stirring and tossing often until the spices release their aromas and start to brown.

Immediately remove from the pan (so it doesn’t burn) and allow to cool completely. Grind the spices in either a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee grinder that is used exclusively for grinding spices and not coffee. Sift through a fine mesh strainer, grind again and sift again. Placed in an airtight jar this spice mixture will stay good for 2-3 months, although I like to make sure I use it up within a month or so.

Now that the garam masala is made it’s time to make the cheese (paneer). Don’t worry. It’s not difficult. In fact making a fresh cheese like this can’t get much more simple. Basically all we have to do is boil some milk, add an acid and then collect and drain the curds that form. Sure it won’t be a beautiful aged cheddar or blue cheese, but its cheese none the less and tasty, if not a bit bland, in its own right.

Paneer
will yield between 6-9oz. depending on your milk

1/2 gallon whole milk (do not use anything other than whole milk-no 2%, 1% or skim)
3-4 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice (or you can even use white vinegar)

In a large pot bring the milk to a boil. Add the lemon juice and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, gently stirring every minute or so. The curds should separate, leaving behind a clearish, greenish liquid (the whey). Strain the curds through a triple layer of cheese cloth and allow to drain for about 5 minutes. Gently squeeze out more of the whey then wrap the cheese in the cheesecloth, place in a pie pan and press it with a plate on top weighed down about 1 or 2 cans of canned vegetables. The cheese will be ready to use in about 1 hour although I like to make it the day before and chill it overnight to firm it up before cutting it.

The final thing that you will want to have on hand is ghee. Ghee is nothing more than clarified butter. To make ghee, gently melt a pound of butter in a sauce pan. Leave the butter over medium low heat and slowly the the fat will clarify and rise to the surface, leaaving the milk solids behind. Be careful not to let the milk solids burn as they have a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove any foam from the surface and carefully pour off the butterfat, leaving the solids and any milky whey behind.

Now we are finally ready to make the Saag Paneer. It seems like its taken a lot of work to get to this point but the garam masala and the ghee you can use for many other dishes. So really the only thing we’ve had to do so far, for this dish alone, is make the paneer, which was pretty simple.

Doing research for this recipe, I had always expected that yogurt was used to give this dish its creamy texture, and while I found many recipes that used yogurt, I was surprised by the number of recipes I found that used 1/2 and 1/2 so that is what I have used here.

Saag Paneer
serves 4-6 as a side dish or 2 as a vegetarian main course

8oz. paneer, diced
2 packs (10oz each) frozen spinach,thawed
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 1inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp. ghee, or butter
1 Tbsp. garam masala
1/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2
Salt

Place the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor and process to a fine paste. You don’t have to puree it but it should be a very fine paste. Meanwhile melt the butter or ghee, in a large saute pan, over high heat. Add the onion mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes.

While that is cooking put the spinach in the processor and process until the spinach is finely chopped. Add the garam masala to the onion mixture and cook for 3 minutes longer. Add the spinach, lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the 1/2 and 1/2, allow to heat through and finally fold in the diced paneer. Heat 3-5 minutes longer to heat the paneer then serve. While this can be a main course, I like to serve it as side dish to accompany a spicy lamb dish such as Vindaloo.

As a young kid I hated sweet potatoes. I had never tried one, but I just knew, deep down, that I’d hate it and so I did. I don’t remember when I got over this assumed hatred of them, but it wasn’t until I was at least 11 or 12, and even then I only learned to like them reluctantly. I look back at that time and wonder why. It made no sense as it combined 2 things I loved the most; potatoes and something sweet. While I may never understand why I didn’t like them, at least I got over it and now adore sweet potatoes. Not only are they great in their traditional uses but make a nice surprise when replacing normal potatoes in dishes where one doesn’t expect to find sweet potatoes such as in potato salads or a breakfast hash.

Today, many people like to play up their sweet side, but I often prefer to down play their sweetness and instead enjoy them for the subtle floral qualities that they possess. And while they are flavorful enough to stand up to the most complex of dishes, they also do wonderfully in simple preparations such as this wonderful gratin that I like to serve as a autumn or winter side dish.

Spicy Sweet Potato Gratin

4-5 pounds sweet potato
2-2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups Parmesan, shaved or grated
salt
pepper
ground chipotle pepper
2 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using the butter, generously grease a 9×13 baking pan. Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them about 1/8″ thick. Lay down a single layer of the sweet potatoes, overlapping them slightly. Season lightly with salt, pepper and chipotle pepper, then sprinkle with some of the cheese.

Continue layering the potatoes, with the seasoning and cheese, until all the potatoes are used up, and making sure that you have at least 1/2 cup of cheese left for the top. Add enough cream to just barely come to the top of the potatoes and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

I’m a big fan of Indian food, but I have to admit that I haven’t spent much time cooking it. This is a situation that I am planning on remedying in the near future. But I don’t let this lack of actual experience hinder me from experimenting with the flavors of India. I have read enough and dabbled enough that I feel pretty confident that I can create a dish, that if not authentically Indian, is, at least, a well inspired creation that evokes the tastes and aromas of the subcontinent.

Probably the biggest hindrance to some one new to Indian cuisine is the large array of spices found in this cuisine that aren’t usually found in the standard American spice shelf. While coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper are quite common here, less common, and integral to Indian cooking, are spices such as green cardamon, ajwain, turmeric, fenugreek, among many others. While one could break the bank trying to hunt down and buy all these spices at once, my suggestion is to pick up a few and use those as the basis for your explorations into the cuisine. As you grow more confident, and prepare Indian dishes more regularly, you can then slowly add more spices to your kitchen. My suggestion would be to start with cumin (whole seeds), coriander (whole), ajwain (whole), green cardamon, turmeric, and garam masala (the standard spice blend of India- like BBQ spice here,each family seems to have their own special recipe for it). These spices, along with what you already have on your spice shelf should get you quite far. While far from being inexpensive I rely on Penzey’s Spicesfor most of my spices, especially those that are less common.

This vegetable curry came about last night from my desire to cook a vegetarian dish (something I am trying to do more regularly to keep my doctor happy), a need to use what was in the house (as bill paying had wiped out the check book until later in the week), and because of a craving for Indian food and flavors. While easy to prepare, it does take a few of those more difficult to find spices, but it is well worth it. Even my wife, who is not nearly as big of a fan of Indian food as I am, absolutely loved it.

Garbanzo and Green Bean Curry

1/2 tsp. cumin seed, whole
1/2 tsp. coriander, whole
1/4 tsp. ajwain,whole
3 pods green cardamon, crushed, seeds removed and pods discarded
1/2 tsp. turmeric, ground
1/4 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1 medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 cups carrots, cut into a thick julienne
1 15oz can garbanzo beans
1 15oz can green beans
1 15oz can tomato sauce
3-8 dried red chiles (depending on how spicy you like your food)
salt
pepper

Combine the cumin, coriander, cardamon seeds, and ajwain in a spice grinder (or mortar) and roughly grind. Add the turmeric and cinnamon and set aside. In a saute pan melt 3 Tbsp. butter over high heat. Add the onions and cook until starting to brown. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Add the spices and cook for 3 minutes longer. Add the garbanzos an green beans along with half a canful of water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Lower heat to medium-low. Add chiles and cover. Allow to simmer for 1 hour. Remove lid and allow to continue to cook until sauce thickens and coats all the vegetables. Serve over rice.

Serves 3-4 as a main course or 6-8 as a side dish.

Once again, I’ve been neglecting my blog. This is one of my major resolutions this year; to post more regularly. Yes, I know I have promised this quite often, but I really am going to buckle down and write more often. I expect you, my readers, to hold me accountable for this resolution.

My wife will tell you that I’m not a big fan of leftovers. It’s true, while I don’t hate leftovers, I am usually not a fan of eating something 2 or 3 days in a row. I will agree that certain things are definitely better the second or third day. Soups, stews, and most braised dishes fall squarely into this category. And who can resist a meatloaf sandwich the day after? Or a roast turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving? But these are the exceptions. To really get excited about leftovers, I have to come up with a whole new way to disguise and serve them.

Not long ago we had some leftovers from a pork roast. Usually, I would just slice and eat it as a sandwich or chop it up and make BBQ’d pork sandwiches with it, but I wanted something different. Then I remembered one of my favorite chinese dishes that I used to eat regularly, when I lived in Chicago-Char Sui Bao-steamed dumplings with barbecued pork. Suddenly, I was very much looking forward to leftovers.

I knew I couldn’t make traditional Char Sui. That starts with marinating your pork before cooking. My pork was already cooked. Even if I couldn’t make “real” Char Sui, I could approximate its flavor. The buns were a different matter. I had never attempted Bao before so I searched the web, reading numerous recipes and came up with one I thought would work well. The texture turned out well, and the flavor was excellent. The only thing that I wasn’t happy about, and this is a small compliant, is that my ends didn’t end up beautifully white like the ones I would buy at restaurants. Mine were more of an off-white, with a slightly yellowish tinge. If anyone knows how I can fix that please let me know. Other than that, these turned out great!!! These buns are very versitile and I imagine that I will find excuses to make these again and fill them with all sorts of great fillings, so be on the lookout for future posts about Bao.

Mock Char Sui

1 pound cooked pork, cut into 1/4″ dice
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp. honey
4 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1/4 tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder
3 Tbsp. water

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil and allow to heat. Add pork and cook for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile combine all the rest of the ingredients and mix well to dissolve the honey. Add remaining ingredients to the saute pan and cook until sauce has thickened and coats the pork. There should be very little excess liquid. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, or make ahead and chill until ready to use.

Bao

1 1/2 tsp. instand dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3 scant cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

Combine yeast, water, oil and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside and allow 10 minutes for the yeast to start to activate. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the yeast mixture. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the liquid until a soft dough forms (if it doesn’t seem to come together easily add more water, a teaspoon at a time, until it does. Turn the dough out onto a flat surface and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky at the beginning. If it sticks to your fingers add just a sprinkling of flour. Lightly oil a bowl and add the dough. Cover and put in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Gently punch down and divide into 12 (this will make rather large bao so if you want smaller, appetitizer sized bao divide into 24). Flatten into a 3″ disk, with the sides thicker than the middle.

Add about 1 1/2-2 Tbsp. of the Char Sui filling and pinch the top closed, sealing in the filling. Place the Bao on pieces of wax paper (cut 3″x3″) and place in a bamboo steamer.

Allow the Bao to rise for 30 minutes, then steam for 15. Do not open the steamer during the 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Well, it’s been just over a month since my last post. Anyone miss me? Sorry for the unannounced vacation but it was much needed. It has been a very surreal month. On the up side my wife and I took our daughter to Walt Disney World for a week, and man we had a blast. On the down side both sides of our family experienced a loss this past month. My wife lost her father to lung cancer, at age 65 and my family lost one of my cousins due to stomach cancer, at age 47. Needless to say, it has been a tough month and in light of all that has gone on, this blog just hasn’t seemed that important. These deaths have affected me more than I expected them to. They’ve really made me sit back and spend a good amount of time contemplating my own existence. Both these individuals were outgoing, gregarious individuals. They often became the center of attention when they entered a room. Not because they put themselves in that position but because their easy going, charasmatic personalities just naturally put them at the center of attention. Both Bill and Chris were amazing people and the world lost 2 wonderful individuals when they passed away. They will be missed by me, my family, and many, many others whose lives they have touched.

Needless to say, there hasn’t been a whole lot of cooking going on this past month, or at least not much that really warrented a blog entry, but it hasn’t been a complete waste of a month either. At the end of September I did receive my half pig that my buddy had raised. I haven’t had a chance to do a lot with it, yet, though I do have plans for a lot of great things. One thing I did have a chance to do was to break down the whole saddle, which includes the whole loin, the tenderloin, and a portion of the ribs. Out of that I got 4-5 pound bone-in roast, a 3-4 pound bonless roast, 6 nice sized pork chops, the tenderloin, 5+ pounds of stew meat and about 5 pounds of good trim to make sausage.

That night we cooked up the tenderloin. I kept it simple as I wanted to get a good taste of the pork, so I simply seasoned it with salt and pepper and pan roasted the whole tenderloin to about MW. The pork was fantastic!!! Tender, juicy, and full of flavor, way more flavor than you can ever get out of mass raised, grocery store pork. I definately made out on this deal!

To accompany the pork I wanted something very seasonal so I created this recipe. Not only does this side dish go well with just about any pork dish, but it would be fantasic with just about any poultry or wild fowl also.

Wild Rice Stuffed Squash
serves 4

4 Carnival squash, individual sized (or 2 acorn squash, cut in half)
1 cup wild rice
4 Tbsp. cider syrup (if you can’t find cider syrup use real maple syrup instead)
2 Tbsp. butter
salt
pepper
3/4 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces

Cook the wild rice in 4 cups water until the rice has popped open and is tender. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the tops off of the squash and trim a bit off of the bottom so the squashes sit upright. Scoop out the seeds and membrane. Divide the syrup and butter among the 4 squashes and season with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan, add 1/2 cup of water, cover with foil and bake until just tender (about 30 minutes). Remove from oven and uncover. When rice is done drain off all liquid and add the dried cranberries. Pour any remaining liquid, from the squash, into the rice, taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the pecans. Pack rice into the squash cavitites and mound on top. Place squash back into roasting pan, gently cover with foil and return to oven just to reheat (about 10-15 minutes). Transfer to individual plates and serve.