Simona is always looking for something "healthy" and "light." I usually associate these terms with "flavorless" and "unappetizing." But, in the spirit of compromise, I figured I would give it a go with (1) blood orange and jicama salad and (2) seared tuna and jicama tacos with charred pico de gallo, guacamole, and fresh tomatillo salsa. As you may have noted by the silly color-coding, it was, if nothing else, a colorful meal. Actually, quite tasty, if I do say so myself. Simona said something to the effect of "best date-night meal ever" (at least of those that I have cooked).
Ingredients
Salad:
1/2 medium jicama (approx. 1/2 lb) cut into thin 1/4'' strips
1.5 Blood oranges, sectioned
1 Tangerine, sectioned
1Mango, cubes
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 serrano pepper chopped fine.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of lime
1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves
1/2 bunch mint leaves
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
salt and pepper to taste
Tacos:
1/2 medium jicama (approx. 1/2 lb) cut into thin 1/4'' strips
Two six oz. tuna steaks
2 table spoons olive
2 tablespoons chili powder
Corn tortillas, warmed
Salt
Pepper
Guacamole:
2 hass avocados
3 tablespoons cilantro
1 vine-ripened tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Pico de gallo:
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 yellow onion, diced
Olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Tomatillo Salsa:
2 avocados
1/4 yellow onion
8 tomatillos
4 tablespoons cilantro
Juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
For salad:
Put fruits and assorted tubers in bowl, cover with lime juice, oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Done.
For pico de gallo:
Char tomatoes and onions in oven set on broil (set close to flame) for 5 to 10 minutes. Combine with serrano pepper, salt, pepper, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice.
For tomatillo salsa:
Combine avocados, onion, tomatillos, tablespoons, cilantro and lime juice in food processor. Puree. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For guacamole:
Combine avocados and spices with garlic. Mash. Add tomatoes and cilantro.
For tacos:
Drizzle tuna steaks with olive oil. Cover both sides with chili powder, salt, and pepper. Sear steaks and cut into 1/2'' strips. Place on warmed corn tortillas with tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
26 December 2007
21 December 2007
I is for Indian curry
It was Simona's turn to cook this week. After some debate she decided that she was ready for Indian food again. This shrimp with spiced masala and coconut milk turned out wonderfully. It was even better the next day, when all of the ingredients had had the opportunity to sit together and infuse the dish. The recipe below was taken from an old issue of Bon Appetit but Simona doubled the spices (the recipe below is Simona's spicier version). If you don't like spice, cut the portions in half and you will get a milder version. We ate it with steamed basmati rice and opted for fruit juice instead of wine (Indian-style).
Ingredients
Masala:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
6 large garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons garam masala (purchases at the indian store in the Mission)
3 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
Shrimp:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 13 1/2-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation
For masala:
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until deep golden, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and all spices; stir 1 minute. Cool to lukewarm. Puree tomatoes with juices and yogurt in processor until almost smooth. Add onion mixture; puree until almost smooth. Season masala to taste with salt and pepper.
For shrimp:
Heat oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium-high heat.Add shrimp and sauté until partially cooked, about 2 minutes.
Ingredients
Masala:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
6 large garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons garam masala (purchases at the indian store in the Mission)
3 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
Shrimp:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 13 1/2-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation
For masala:
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until deep golden, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and all spices; stir 1 minute. Cool to lukewarm. Puree tomatoes with juices and yogurt in processor until almost smooth. Add onion mixture; puree until almost smooth. Season masala to taste with salt and pepper.
For shrimp:
Heat oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium-high heat.Add shrimp and sauté until partially cooked, about 2 minutes.
H is for Hen
This week Eli made cornish game hens in a tomato-apricot sauce. We both really liked the apricots. The hens were a bit unwieldy. The recipie below makes one hen, which can serve two people (or one hungry person).
Ingredients
1 Cornish (game) hen, halved
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup canned crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup dried apricots (coarsely chopped)
1 cup chicken stock or water
Preparation
Sprinkle the hen with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and brown at 350 for 30 minutes. In saucepan, heat onions in olive oil and cook over low heat 5 minutes, or until the onions are transparent. Add hens and rendered oil. Add about 1/2 crushed tomatoes and the apricots. Cook for additional five minutes. Add remaining crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Ingredients
1 Cornish (game) hen, halved
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup canned crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup dried apricots (coarsely chopped)
1 cup chicken stock or water
Preparation
Sprinkle the hen with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and brown at 350 for 30 minutes. In saucepan, heat onions in olive oil and cook over low heat 5 minutes, or until the onions are transparent. Add hens and rendered oil. Add about 1/2 crushed tomatoes and the apricots. Cook for additional five minutes. Add remaining crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
New York City, November 12-17
Above: a beautiful Japanese maple at the botanical gardens.
We are behind on our posts, so this will be short. We tried to see everyone we know and love who lives in New York in 5 days. This resulted in eating out a lot, as well as a fair amount of wine-drinking.
Simona fell in love with the delicious happy hippie food at Caravan of Dreams. Try the tofu scramble and the fresh juices. Eli was appalled that he could only accompany his coffee with almond or soy milk. Although it is limited in its range, this vegan restaurant makes for a great pit stop after a yoga session with Patty at Shiva Shala, Simona's favorite place to practice (thanks Jessie!).
We took an excursion to the Bronx to visit the botanical gardens. We hadn't seen fall colors in ages, and the trees seemed wonderfully alive.
Prague, Czech Republic, Nov. 7-12
Above: Frank Ghery's Dancing Building alongside the Vltava, and ELi enjoying yet another bowl of gulas.
Prague was something of a 360 degree change from India. As soon as we boarded a European train, we noticed how quiet it was. And how much space we had. And how damn cold it was.
We spent five days traipsing around Prague and visiting all of Simona's old stomping grounds. Eli embarked on a quest to find the best gulas in town. He found his Platonic bowl at U Vystrelenyho Oka, or At The Shot-out Eye, a dirty little pub down the street from Simona's old house with wooden benches, surly customers, a thick carpet of smoke in the air, and a barman who inexplicably wears shorts when it's 0 degrees Centigrade outside. We highly recommend it for the people-watching alone, not to mention the one-dollar pints and tasty fare.
One of Simona's favorite spots in Prague is the city's semi-public pool complex. For a meager admission fee, you can battle crabby old women for lap space in the Olympic-sized pool, swim outside (under the snow!) in the heated outdoor pool, and relax in the scalding industrial "steam room" (which seems to be nothing more than a closet with a really, really, hot steam pipe in it). We rode a tram down the river to duck out of the frigid air and warm ourselves at the pool for an afternoon. It was delightful.
We spent five days traipsing around Prague and visiting all of Simona's old stomping grounds. Eli embarked on a quest to find the best gulas in town. He found his Platonic bowl at U Vystrelenyho Oka, or At The Shot-out Eye, a dirty little pub down the street from Simona's old house with wooden benches, surly customers, a thick carpet of smoke in the air, and a barman who inexplicably wears shorts when it's 0 degrees Centigrade outside. We highly recommend it for the people-watching alone, not to mention the one-dollar pints and tasty fare.
One of Simona's favorite spots in Prague is the city's semi-public pool complex. For a meager admission fee, you can battle crabby old women for lap space in the Olympic-sized pool, swim outside (under the snow!) in the heated outdoor pool, and relax in the scalding industrial "steam room" (which seems to be nothing more than a closet with a really, really, hot steam pipe in it). We rode a tram down the river to duck out of the frigid air and warm ourselves at the pool for an afternoon. It was delightful.
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