Perhaps nothing marks the arrival of spring at American Masala Farm better than the first goose eggs of the season. As the late winter weeks go by and days begin to get a bit longer, we wait with eager anticipation for these beautiful savory treats to make their appearance.
Continue reading "They're Ba-ack.... a blog entry from Charlie" »
This is a great dish for the summer. The fresh taste of the mint makes it taste light even for a beef dish, and because it’s a dry curry, it doesn’t warm you up like a steaming, brothy beef stew. This is also very good, and a little different tasting, with ground lamb. Both are excellent served with bhaturas, or pita and a raita.
Continue reading "Ground Beef with Spinach and Fresh Mint - Hara Keema" »
When my friend Salvatore Rizzo does something, I pay attention. A man of great passion, few if any flaws, and a very studied and careful manner, Sal is salt of the earth, mixed with infectious and ebullient energy, and a New York savvy and grit that is hard to come by. And if this is not enough, he is blessed with Sicilian heritage, that is at the very core of his existence, and keeps him honest, vociferous and lively in a manner that is certainly not shy, but charmingly in-your-face, but never out of place, and certainly not unwanted.
Sal has a way with people, and a masterful command of all things related to creating memorable moments. He has a way to spoil people beyond the expected and ordinary. When he bought DeGustibus from Arlene Feltman Sailhac, I knew DeGustibus was going to continue being relevant and poignant. But I also knew it was poised to move onto its logical new incarnation. I sensed immediately that NYC was going to be blessed with epic continuation of this cultural institution, under the auspices of an energetic man that understands New York, and the subtleties that make New Yorkers happy. Arlene created the magic that is DeGustibus, and Sal will keep it beyond magical and necessary every day he gives it his presence. With Sal at the helm, DeGustibus will bring dreamy riches into the lives of those that attend its classes. Every class at DeGustibus, will send the attendees home with an experience that delivers in more ways than one. A cooking class is always a great gift for yourself and for others. At DeGustibus, you are assured great education and still more. Superlative food, excellent learning, great hosting and memorable pairings of wine. What costs a mighty fee at a restaurant, comes to you at a modest price. Education, interaction with chefs hungry to share, and a place to study wine and pairings, are only a teaser.... The experience you go home with, will give you reason to cook at home, cook with care and invest in your future in special ways. Thinking of spending your dollars wisely, here is your chance to do just that.
The DeGustibus cooking school is located on the 8th floor of Macy's Herald Square on the 7th Avenue side of the building. You can enter the store at 151 West 34th Street and take the passenger elevators to the 8th floor. Located between the ladies coat / bathing suit department and human resources in the employee section of the store.
For reservations, call 212.239.1652 or reserve on line at www.degustibusnyc.com
Continue reading "Recession Proof: Indulgence with Lasting Rewards!" »
Diwali is called "the festival of lights" because literally it is a celebration of light and illumination. Diwali is a Hindi word but it comes from the Sanskrit Deepavali, which means "a row of lights." The holiday symbolizes for us the vanquishing of ignorance that overwhelms human life and spirit, and the driving away of darkness with the light of knowledge and hope. We celebrate Diwali in order to embrace hope and the positive values of this life, and to leave behind those thoughts and memories that cloud us in darkness.
It is celebrated with great pageantry across India and, it is a festival that always leaves me in deep thought. Almost all homes have firework displays. Skylines of the cities are ablaze with colors from fireworks (to the point that one cannot see even the car 2 feet in front of you), homes outlined in shimmering oil lamps and candles that trace every line of the architecture. The shimmer of these lights makes even the ugliest buildings become sexy for that week of celebration. I, for one, can never watch fireworks in the U.S. around the Fourth of July without tears coming to my eyes. Memories overwhelm my emotions and choke my existence. Such is the life of many first generation immigrants. We live suspended between cultures, in a time warp, never perfectly in place anywhere, always striving for more.
This last year has given me great reason to believe in the larger good that prevails in all of us, across oceans. Irrespective of our beliefs, our spoken languages, or our ethnic make up, we are all wanting the same magic to touch our lives. We all have dreams. We all have love to share and crave. We all want to grow and support each other. We all rise and fall, laugh and cry, breathe and eventually stop breathing. Life that lives inside each of us has no one form. It cannot be called the ownership of any one people. It is what it is: LIFE!
As we celebrate Diwali in India on October 28th, my family will be surrounded by relatives and friends. Panditji, our family's chef will be making lots of wonderful foods. Shared below is a recipe for Kathal (Jackfruit). He will be making it into a biryaani, a recipe that has become our family tradition. Hope some of you will enjoy preparing this vegetable dish, and perhaps even adventure into making it into a biryaani.
Jackfruit in a Spiced Tomato Sauce
Kathal Kee Sabzi
Serves 4
This is one of my father's and sister's favorite dishes. I remember my father playing a joke on family friends who ate meat; he'd invite them over for dinner and tell them that for this night alone, he was breaking his rule of no meat in the house to serve a chicken curry, especially for them. The friends, suspicious of my jokester father, couldn't figure out what they were eating. It didn't taste like chicken...but it couldn't be a vegetable either, could it? The truth is that jackfruit has such a dense, meaty texture and mild flavor that, with sauce, it's very hard to tell exactly what it is.
You can find jackfruit fresh in Indian or some Caribbean grocers, or canned in Indian stores; canned works perfectly well in this recipe. I also make a jackfruit biriyani with this recipe, layering it with par-cooked rice just as in other biriyani recipes. The warm spices of the tomato sauce tastes lovely with the rice and the meaty texture of the vegetable is such that it tastes satisfyingly like a chicken and rice dish! Canned jackfruit works perfectly well in the biriyani, too.
1-1/2 pounds jackfruit (about 1)
3 tablespoons canola oil, plus extra for deep-frying
1-1/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 medium red onions, finely chopped in the food processor
2 teaspoons salt
2 medium garlic cloves
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 ripe tomatoes, pureed in a food processor
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 fresh hot green chili, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1. Using a mortar and pestle or an electric spice grinder, grind the garlic to a paste with the whole cumin seeds.
2. To prepare the jackfruit, first coat the blades of both a large chef's knife and a paring knife with oil. (The flesh of jackfruit is sticky and the oil will make it easier to cut through it.) With the chef's knife, cut off the stem end and then cut the jackfruit in half lengthwise through the stem end. Cut each half in half, lengthwise again through the stem end. Then use the paring knife to cut off all of the prickly brown skin. Cut the flesh into 1-1/2- to 2- inch chunks.
3. Heat 1-1/2 to 2 inches of oil in a deep saucepan or kadai to 360°F over medium-high heat. (To gauge the temperature of the oil without using a thermometer, drop a piece of bread about 1-inch square into the hot oil; when the oil reaches 360°F, the bread should float to the surface of the oil and turn a golden brown color in about 45 seconds.) Carefully slide about half of the jackfruit pieces into the oil and deep fry, turning every now and then with a slotted spoon, until golden brown all over, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Fry and drain the remaining jackfruit. Set aside.
4. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a large wok, kadai, or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
5. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the garlic paste and cook, stirring, until the raw smell disappears, about 30 seconds.
7. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
8. Now add 1 tablespoon of water and cook, stirring, until the onion begins to stick, about 1 more minute.
9. Add the fresh tomato puree and tomato paste, and stir to combine. Then stir in 1 cup of water, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and the garam masala. Carefully fold in the jackfruit (it will break up into bits if you stir too vigorously). Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring gently, 5 minutes.
10. Stir in the chopped chili and 1 tablespoon of the cilantro. Stir in the lemon juice and taste for salt. Spoon into a serving dish, sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of cilantro, and serve hot.
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Will be posting more news soon, about Dévi, about the American Masala Collection, our farm, and more.
Wishing all of you a great season ahead. Full of cheer, merriment and much happiness.
When in need of comfort, and on the road, there are few chefs, foods and restaurants I can think of, as those that can give me nourishment, elevate my mindset and help transcend my mood. Spoken like Deepak Chopra, but not in vain. In the last few weeks, I have found myself fighting the many challenges a restaurateur, a chef, a teacher and a son can face. In my case, all at once! Life is a blessing, everyday, and this week, it was even more so. Blessing me with hidden lessons. Mine to have if I were able to scratch deep inside the surface, and find those golden nuggets - that can come in the form of words trapped within words, flavors ensconced inside what may seem gratuitous creations for a moment, but turn into revelations when given fair attention.
At Inside Park at St. Bart's , at 109 East 50th Street - On Park Avenue, I found answers to many questions. I found new love (I am no fan of pickles prepared as they have been for millenia West of Persia. Chef Matthew Weingarten, photographed above, helped kill my stereotype, and has made me a convert to pickled vegetables, perhaps only his versions!). But I also found my boundless curiosity entertained endlessly. Most of all, I found food that gave me comfort, at a time when I needed it most. Having dined here, I found hope to travel away, knowing I would come back to it, wanting comfort, hungry to share it with friends and family. And knowing I would find other mortals, living and dining for a few hours, ensconced in a sanctum-sanctorum if you will, feeling connected and at least at some level, for some brief moments with the immortal and timeless sense of place that one finds pervasive at Inside Park at St Bart's.
Joyce Goldstein (photographed here with her grandson Adam), author of Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Salad Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings, is a household name in most food-loving homes around the globe. Hers is a name that brings out big smiles from her loyal fans. She is respected and passionately loved by most all who have met her, heard her speak and learned from her. And even those who are guarded about publicly supporting a fellow food professional (how sad!), find a way of saying at least something good about Joyce. But luckily for the rest of us, Joyce is a class act, who knows who she is. And to enrich us beyond what she has already done through her food, she is now sharing with us, her families simple, old-fashioned way of keeping in touch, sharing, loving and living fully.
Robert Monteleone, our friend who visidted the farm last weekend with his partner, Stephen Mack, is a big fan of donuts. Are we all not the same way?
As you can see in this photograph, Robert is delighted to be showing off some of the wonderful treats sold at King Bakery in Cambridge, New York.
It is here that James King and his wonderful wife-and-assistant, Jana, share amazing donuts every weekend with those in the know.
Pillowy bites, luxurious and decadent, seduce all that arrive. If you are smart, you arrive before 9:00 AM, to be able to sample all the different kinds of donuts made that morning. Or you can come by 11 AM, and choose from the slim (if any) offerings left at that late morning hour.
In the old days, they were called King Bakery, and now they go by King Bakery at Double K Farm.
King Bakery at Double K Farm
108 West Main Street
Cambridge, NY 12816
Tel: 518-677-3530
Started by James and Sally King, it is now owned and operated by their son, James, and his wife, Jana King. Sally is here every weekend, or almost, and helps son James continue her legacy, loyally feeding the locals their favorite donuts.
Our friend Mary Ann Joulwan came up for the weekend, and for a few days, our farm in Washington County became home to the magical flavors of the Middle East and North Africa.
A third-generation Lebanese American, Mary Ann is a consummate New Yorker. What is most surprising about her is that she has a deeper hunger for her roots in Lebanon than one would expect of someone removed from them for these many generations.
Her love for Lebanon and the region is one that transcends religion, politics, and societal connections. Hers is love that is based on history, culture, and that which may never be appreciated through mortal words: that which comes alive when dining, traveling, and sharing with others the many layers of magic that form the cuisine and life of the people of this great region.
On Saturday, the dining room table, a large farm table (10' x 4'), became a stunning, sensual statement of the richness that joins the people and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa together, even when separated by religious and political lines. The table was shimmering with the glow that bounced from the reflective quality of some of the foods, the whiteness of other dishes, and of course the brilliance that takes shape when using glass dishes to serve most of the foods.
With tastes small and large, I know all at our table were transported into another era, into another geographic setting, and certainly have been left to rethink any generalizations they had accepted in their minds as being true of life and culture in the Middle East and North Africa.
Joshua Thomas, the executive sous chef at Dévi, was with us at the farm on New Year's Eve. It was nice to have fellow New Yorkers with whom to toast the new year as midnight arrived. Little did we know what was in store for us New Year's Day. Joshua offered to make his mother, Susy Cherian's Egg Roast, a dish he has grown up eating, and one he loves: and now, so does everyone that ate it on the 1st of January.
Why did I keep this a secret all this while? Not sure... But all I can say is that this dish, the egg roast, will make anyone who has ever wanted to do something new with eggs, beg the Cherians to document this and other favorites of their family.
Whilst the fate of the Clinton dynasty is still iffy, there is one family that is continuing to shine, delight and keep it's high culinary standards in place.
This time through the foods of the second generation, in this case Max London. Whose restaurant Max London's Restaurant + Bar in Saratoga Springs, New York, has quickly become the place to dine and savor good quality foods since it's not so much in the past opening.
Keeping up with family tradition, Max has given us deprived step-siblings of the happily-dining Manhattan folks with numerous options and choices, finally a restaurant to dine at, have dreamy food and dream up poetic thoughts and feel as if we too live in the midst of some culture. That which is not related to the agrarian parts of our lives. The joke goes around here that the only culture one can find Upstate is Agriculture. Though that certainly is not true!
On March 25th, the night we dined at Max London's , I was thrilled by the outcome of the day. Our dream of supplying eggs to the most qualified and deserving of all pastry shops, Mrs London's was about to come true, even if circuitously.
Through a series of unplanned happenings, we had been connected with Max London. And a call left on his cell phone got answered within an hour. And in minutes I had booked us a table to celebrate Charlie's birthday and also to make our first delivery of 30 dozen eggs. Timing is everything. The 25th of March is a day we celebrate not only for Charlie's birthday, but also as the day of birth for my most impressive and staggeringly brilliant maternal grandfather.
Our finding ourselves dining at Max London's and being seduced by simple but brilliant fare, was nothing similar to what we are accustomed to in our rural life. We have gotten used to other simple stuff that gives us endless pleasure in our country life. This was an unexpected turn, in a direction we could not have imagined. It was a revelation! How can we complain now about life in rural settings? Do we need Manhattan after all? That is a stretch. On the 25th of March, we discovered the oasis of great food, right next to perhaps one of the best pastry shops ever.
As someone who is a lifelong devotee of eggs, I never thought anything could make the experiences I have had, savored and celebrated over years around eggs seem any less special than my mind think of them as being.
This last weekend, Geese Eggs have changed that for me and for Charlie and our friends Kate and Paul from Stoke on Trent.
All three of us, big fans of eggs, have been changed forever.
Geese eggs were a first for all four of us, and at first taste, we all exclaimed culinary epiphany.
Never had we tasted eggs so beautifully delicious and in fact so egg like (as they ought to be) and perfect! These eggs seemed to be just grander versions of our other wondrous eggs, given to us by the girls I so love and romance.
These eggs were not any gamier at all. But the yolks huge and ample. And plentiful to the point that you could enjoy the large amount of white and have plenty of yolk to smother every bit of the white and also the slices of bread you bit on to celebrate the deliciousness of a simply fried egg.
In short, larger is better in this case!
Look for geese eggs and savor them. You will find a new romance and belief in eggs. And also discover a great way of enjoying just one egg. And at least for a moment, thinking you are eating light. Fooling yourself into that thought really. But, totally worth it! These are a new gift the farm has given us. And I am now waiting for the next awakening of my mind and senses....
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