Suvir

Books that will bring you into the kitchen & get you inspired...

As I ponder what to give people for gifts, since gifts have become such a large part of this season of cheer, I wonder if there is any gift that I can give, that can keep giving forever. I realize that a cookbook has such power. And perhaps can give in ways the giver may never grasp at that time. And the giftee will use long after being gifted it. And so, I share here, some of my favorites, that I hope can inspire you to cook, share and live in a way you may have never thought of.

Ghar Ka Khaana - Hindu Home Kitchen: the sanctum sanctorum of the home and also the temple of cuisine

 

Here are some images of dishes we at during lunch one afternoon in Delhi. This was an afternoon where we had told mom not to go out of town. Above you can see a photograph of the Arbi Ki Sabzi. Simple stir fry that is sour, spicy, crispy and comforting, all at once. Arbi is the tuber of the colocasia (taro) plant. A plant whose leaves resemble the large leafed Elephant Ear Plant.

Sabut Matar - One of my favorite dishes

What I love most about Delhi in the winter, is the weather, and the vegetables. Our family is lucky to have Panditji, and of course, life would not be the same without this wonderful dish that he prepares. Green peas, in their shell, cooked with a laga-lipta masala, a sauce that smothers the whole peas, and transports you to heaven.

Spys Are For Pies

Northern Spy Food Co.

511 East 12th Street

New York, NY 10009

Get Directions

(212) 228-5100

Taking its name from the heritage apple from Upstate NY, Northern Spy celebrates locally sourced fare, used in a menu that is small, approachable and mostly wonderful. And for those locals that care to buy artisanal and local groceries, at Northern Spy, you can buy them and take them home after enjoying a nice meal. The owners have made eating and shopping local very easy.

Ithaca - leaves leaving lasting impressions

Since Cornell Dining brought me in to open American Masala at their Trillium location, my visits to Ithaca have been monthly, sometimes even more often, and of course when we opened, I spent more time in Ithaca, than at home. Luckily, the colors of fall, and the people that I have met at Cornell, have enriched my life in a myriad ways.

Cooperative Extension - Un-Cooperative Local Leadership - Mindless Budget Cuts Threaten This Community Minded Organization

CCE Washington County That is how we refer to Cornell University, Cooperative Extension for Washington County. These extension offices help people improve their lives through the collective experience and knowledge of their community. It is a wonderful resource for newbies to come to, to learn about the soil, water, agricultural heritage and most any local issues involving farming, living and community.  They also help keep the local 4H program active, informative and meaningful (above you can see the 4H milkshake and ice cream stand at the county fair).

The power of community gardens, local businesses, and peanuts...

Our community is wonderful. Salem, Hebron, Cambridge, Granville, Greenwich, Rupert (VT) and West Pawlet (VT) are some of the towns that co-mingle and coexist. We all have one thing in common, our agrarian lives, our wealth of great farm land. And our rollings hills, beautiful valleys and honest simple people.

Edible Poetry... and even those two words, do the food or experience no justice

There is a certain austerity to the above photo, at least in my eye. As rich and golden as the colors are, they also speak of a simplicity, a very modest kind of flourish, that can either be noticed - by those savvy and sophisticated, or be lost to most. Such is the brilliance of Hiroko Shimbo's food, and her world.

Bubbly is the occasion! Today, now, and whenever you want it to be...

Ever since coming back from Beirut, I have been dreaming of pomegranates. To be honest, dreaming of the pomegranates of Kandahar. And wondering how it is doing during these times. But that does not lead to restful living. And certainly does not make for happy entertaining.

My night in New Haven...... and I felt at home

Kimberley Taherian, a website designer, also has a life outside of the net. She is wife to an Iranian man, with a personality larger than life. Why do I say this? Since I am  the exactly similar Indian man with the larger than life personality, and have Charlie, who like Kimberley, has to endure such energy. Here, Kimberley is setting the table as Rafi Taherian cooks for us in their Guilford home, a suburb of New Haven.