part one: the party

I have good news and bad news. The good news: Two of our favorite new friends have graduated from their business program! But the bad news is... they are moving. Both events are reason to celebrate (not celebrate them leaving, of course. You know what I mean...), so we threw them (and they threw themselves) a little party on Saturday night.

I really wanted Sujoy to cook for us, because he is a fabulous cook, if you remember. And, I wanted him to teach me a few dishes that I could replicate on my own. So I asked him to bring me something easy-ish to cook.

Eggplant.  This dish is called Baingan ka bharta: bachelor style (because he says it looks nothing like the original recipe). The first thing we needed to do was heat it up so that we can gut it, and throw out the skin. 15 minutes in the microwave did the trick. 



score it first



 Eggplant meats. Let it cool for a few minutes, then scoop out all the guts and set aside.

Next, thaw and drain some peas, chop a red onion and a jalapeño or two, and heat some oil in a pan.

Add mustard seeds and fennel seeds to the oil, then jalapeno and onion. Sautee and stir.

Then, add the equivalent of about 4 plum tomatoes, chopped. Heat through and add the eggplant and peas.

Finally, its time to add some spice. I'm not going to tell you how much to put in, because this was more or less improvised, and it all depends on your own taste. Some of the spices used were coriander powder, chili powder and chicken curry powder, and garam masala. Experiment with different Indian spices and taste as you go. If it starts getting a little too spicy, greek yogurt will mellow things out. Don't forget to top it with fresh cilantro before you serve!



we'll cook for you!

While Susie talked me through the eggplant (and did most of it himself), he also made his chicken curry.

He also brought over these already mixed cutlets. I've had two different versions of these so far this year, and they were both great. So I was eager to taste Sujoy's interpretation. His was a mixture of mashed potates, boiled and mashed green peas, cut onions, finely chopped cilantro and green chilies. We covered small patties in breadcrumbs, and fried them in hot oil.

Delicious and easy. My favorites.

spices

 This is Tharun.

Pleased to meet you, Tharun



a toast, to business!

 

pay no attention to the paper plate...



kiss the cook



thirds


 M2K2, Koti, Aditya, Susie blew out their candle and cut their cake, collectively.

Congrats, grads!

As the house began to quiet down, and the food ran out, M2K2 (I can say his full name, I just can't spell it...) showed us a bit from a Bollywood movie on his iphone. It was set in Spain. Naturally.

Happy trails, Ady and Susie. We'll miss you!
Now that I've "mastered" Indian cooking, what would you like to see FeDish try next?

m

part two: the following morning...

We did have a party Saturday night. It was tons of fun, with music and Indian food and lots of laughing and it was very fun and Indian. Before I tell you about that, I'm going to give you part two: breakfast. We almost always cook a big breakfast after we throw a big party. It's been awhile since we've done this, so it was nice to have a full table of friends to feed.

Sujoy, who will now and forevermore be known as Susie, bought some sausage. Actually, he bought hot dogs by mistake, but later went back and bought sausage. Anyway, he sauteed some red onion, green pepper and indian spices with soy sauce, maple syrup, and scrambled egg. An interesting combination, but very tasty. It was a nice, spicy compliment to my pancakes.

Meanwhile, I found a basic pancake recipe to play with. I made two batches and added my leftover sweet potatoes to one batch, and lemon juice & blueberries to the second. My sweet potatoes were salty enough already, so I simply omitted the extra salt from that batch.

aside: While watching him spaz around while cooking Saturday night, I realize that I may have met my match in the kitchen. Susie might be more high-strung and more improvisational when cooking than I am. But he's damn good at it.

I thought I ruined the second batch and was about to throw it out and start over, but Susie encouraged me to improvise. I am not very confident in my baking abilities, so this worried me a little. But I went with it, and they turned out great. Thanks, Susie! We just ended up with twice as many pancakes as I thought we needed... but then I remembered I was feeding 7 boys. 



the winner!



The boys wanted more pancakes, so I told them to go make it themselves. Q: How many grown-ass men does it take to pour batter into a pan??

A: 5

Stayed tuned for part 1: the party!
What are your favorite pancake add-ins?

m

Red Meat.

Last night, I had every intention of making something nice and lady-like, like a chicken pot pie. But I got to Star Market, the Sirloins were calling to me, and I am not one to ignore magical talking meats. I've never cooked a steak by myself before, nor do I own a grill, so I knew this would be a challenge.

Sanne has a couple of cast-iron skillets, so I decided to use one instead of that cheap Ikea grill pan (no offense, Ikea). I couldn't risk ruining this beautiful steak.

I found a recipe in my Pioneer Woman cookbook that told me for a medium-rare steak, all I had to do was cook it over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes each side. I marinaded it in some soy sauce, garlic, s+p for a bit, tossed a few tablespoons of butter in my pan and went to town.

I also baked some asparagus and sweet potatoes in s+p and olive oil.

Oh yeah, and I caramelized some onions. <3

hello gorgeous

I'd say I did a pretty swell job of it, wouldn't you? 

Today I had a quick breakfast, then went with Rajiv to Target to stock up on some supplies for our Indian Party tonight. That's right, 9 Indians + me in our teeny apartment. Sujoy is going to bring something special for me to cook. Who's excited?!

eat that protein, it's gonna be a long night...

What grade would you give my steak? 

m

a question...

Are they or are they not begging to have little chicken pot pies baked into them?

m

South African Delights and Shoppe Favourites

Last night I finally had a minute free to visit my long lost friend Eileen the Wine Goddess at Cardullo's. For this Tempt Me Thursday, she was tasting South African wines. The first was a 2010 Limestone Chardonnay from the Robertsons region. 2008 Meerlust Stellenbosch region. Both were very fresh and crisp and summery, but I think the Meerlust was my favorite.

Since she was a little occupied with customers (the nerve!), I took her iphone around the store and took some photos of some of my Cardullo's favorites...

1. Cardullo's Raspberry Merlot Balsamic Glaze. I used this quite a while ago as a marinade on a pork tenderloin. It was an amazing flavor, especially in the fall with some root vegetables... mmm.

2. Lake Champlain's Aztec Spicy Hot Chocolate. In the chillier months, Eileen often offers me something hot to sip on when I come into the store. This was the most delicious thing she gave me last winter. Chili pepper + chocolate = heaven. I ask you, is there anything that doesn't mix well with chocolate?

3. Pecorino Tartufo. As if pecornio weren't amazing enough on its own, someone decided to add truffle to it. This cheese is for a special occasion, or when you just need to treat yourself. It's definitely an indulgence. And may I reccomend you taste it with this, also available at Cardullo's.

4. Edmond Fallot Mustards. Last Christmas, I baked a ham and served it on biscuits with Edmond Fallot Honey-Balsamic mustard, and it went over like gangbusters. They have a lot of interesting flavors: Black Currant, Tarragon Dijon, Burgundy, as well as more classic flavors. It would be lots of fun to experiment with these.

Now I am feeling inspired! Maybe I'll have some actual recipes for you this weeknd... I'll work on that.

Happy Friday!

m

back to Italia!

It's monsoon season here in Boston, and I am in the mood for something easy and comforting on this quiet rainy night. I surveyed the pantry, leafed through my cookbooks and even tried one of those online recipe generators... and finally decided on some pasta with my leftover tomatoes, lemon and greek-y cheese that Madaline picked up.

I decided to make a sauce from scratch, so I stewed three tomatoes, added a little tomato paste and some dried herbs. My go-to's are oregano, parsley, chili powder and crushed red pepper. And salt and pepper, of course.

I also squirted a little lemon juice in there, and then added about 1/4c of the cheese. I might've added a little more after that; I can't be sure.

Once the spaghetti was cooked to almost al dente, I remembered to finish cooking it in the sauce, plated it with tongs (giving it a fancy little chef-like twirl), and topping it off with a little more cheese.

The wine is a 2009 Gabbiano Chianti. I'm sorry to say that I'm not very discerning when it comes to wine, but I do enjoy this.

And no Italian dinner of any kind would be complete without my new favorite Italian dessert: Grown-Up Sundae.

3 seconds later...

I haven't heard from y'all in a few posts. I'm afraid the "Reactions" are making you lazy! What did you have for dinner? Comments!

m