persian pomegranate soup

Ash-e Anār

I first heard of this Persian soup when a friend gave me the gorgeously designed 2006 Marsha Mehran novel called Pomegranate Soup.

Despite my lukewarm response to the book, I had an overwhelming urge to slurp down this sour, tangy soup rich with Middle Eastern flavours and aromas.

When I finally made it, I wasn’t disappointed. The pomegranates give it a sour, earthy flavour and the lamb adds intensity and richness.

This type of Iranian stew is thick and hearty with chunky ingredients. I highly recommend it.

Persian Pomegranate Soup (Ash-e Anar)

Anna’s adaptation of various bloggers' recipes. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1kg lamb, diced
2 onions, thinly diced
6 garlic cloves
½ cup yellow split peas
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups (1 litre) beef stock
2 cups (500ml) water
½ cup parsley & coriander tender stems, very finely chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
1 small beetroot, peeled & diced finely
¼ cup basmati rice
2 cups pomegranate juice*
¼ cup pomegranate molasses
1 cup green scallions, chopped
½ cup fresh coriander, chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped for garnish
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped for garnish

Method:
1. In a large pot, brown the lamb in batches and then set aside,

2. Next add in the onion and garlic cloves and cook until tender.

3. Add in split peas, salt, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon stick and Aleppo pepper and stir for a minute.

4. Add stock and 2 cups water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Stir in rice, mint, parsley and coriander stems and beetroot. Simmer, partially covered, for another 20 minutes.

6. Add the lamb and its juices, the pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses. Simmer for 10 minutes.

7. Taste soup to balance out sweet and sour. Add more pomegranate juice (or lemon juice) to increase acidity or a little sugar for sweetness.

8. Add scallions (green parts), coriander, parsley and lemon zest and simmer for another 5 minutes until herbs have wilted slightly.

9. Ladle soup into serving bowls then garnish with pomegranate seeds and fresh herbs.

Note: *I managed to get around 2 cups from 3 very large and juicy pomegranates.


This recipe, with pomegranate as the theme ingredient, is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Simona from Briciole.

cock the hammer, it's time for coq au vin

To say Coq au Vin is just chicken in red wine is to say that foie gras is just fried liver.

Yes, it is essentially chicken cooked in red wine, but the results are something much, much more wonderful.

While France celebrated Bastille Day in the sun, Jonas, Shamu, TomBob and I huddled together for warmth over a plate of this delicious French stew.

Jonas has recently started eating chicken and that fact is simply marvellous.

He cooked this recipe, following it to the letter, and the results were superb.
I highly recommend it.
And a husband who can cook it.

The recipe apparently served four, but in our experience it easily stretched to six, especially with the cream infused potato base.

Do try it.

Coq au Vin (Chicken & Red Wine)
 
Recipe from Australian Gourmet Traveller. Serves 4.
 
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
90g butter, coarsely chopped at room temperature
1.6kg free-range chicken, jointed
150g piece of pancetta, cut into 1cm pieces
12 small pickling onions
125ml (½ cup) brandy, warmed
750ml (3 cups) Beaujolais
500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
3 parsley stalks
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 small heads garlic, halved lengthways
1 tablespoon plain flour
200g mixed small mushrooms such as pine, Swiss brown and button, trimmed
¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1kg desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
50g extra butter, coarsely chopped
125ml (½ cup) pouring cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160’C.

2. Heat oil and 20g butter in a large casserole over medium-high heat, add chicken pieces and cook for 10 minutes, turning until golden, then transfer to a plate and keep warm.

3. Add pancetta and onions and cook for 5 minutes or until golden, drain off excess fat.

4. Return chicken to pan, pour over brandy and ignite with a long match.

5. When flames are extinguished, add wine, stock, herbs and garlic and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Bring to the boil, cover and place in oven for 1 hour or until chicken is tender and cooked through.

7. Transfer chicken, onions and pancetta to a warm dish, cover with foil and keep warm.

8. Strain cooking liquid through a fine sieve, discarding herbs and garlic.

9. Heat sauce in clean casserole over medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until reduced to 2 cups.

10. Combine flour and 20g butter into a paste, whisk into sauce and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

11. Meanwhile, heat the 50g of extra butter in a frying pan over medium heat, add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until golden, season to taste and set aside.

12. For mashed potato, cook potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or until tender, drain and pass through a potato ricer into saucepan, add butter and cream, season to taste and stir to combine.

13. To serve, return chicken, pancetta, onions and mushrooms to sauce and cook for 5 minutes, turning to coat and warm through.

14. Serve chicken and sauce scattered with parsley, with mashed potato on the side.

basque oxtail stew

I have always enjoyed eating oxtails but, until this year, I had never cooked them myself. That's why they were another one of the tasks I set myself in my 2009 Food Challenges.

I have to say oxtails were a little difficult for me to prepare. It felt like they took forever to get tender and, once they were, I had a doozy of a time picking the meat from their boney wheels. But I'd certainly cook them again.

This particularly recipe was a hearty winter dish. The flavours are warm and robust and I loved eating the rich gravy over chunks of boiled potato.

On egin!

Behi Buztanak Anda Goriren Zaltzan (Basque Oxtail Stew)

Recipe adapted from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines by Jeff Smith. Serves 2-4.
Ingredients:800g oxtails, rubbed with salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup chopped celery
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1¼ cups beef stock
¾ cups red wine
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon dried thyme, whole
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Using a heavy pot, brown the seasoned oxtails in the olive oil. Remove to a plate to rest.

2. Leave the oil in the pot and sauté the celery, onion, carrots, garlic, shallots, and parsley.

3. When the onions are clear add the flour and stir in well. Sauté for a few minutes.

4. Add the beef stock, red wine, bay leaves, and thyme, along with the oxtails. Simmer partially covered for 1 hour, or until tender. Stir occasionally.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste as the dish finishes.

I have actually posted about thyme previously for WHB but, since I’m only plagiarising myself, I thought I’d re-post it here:

The name thyme covers a genus (Thymus) of around 350 herbaceous plants and shrubs, native to Europe, North Africa and Asia. The stems are narrow and woody while the leaves are dense and evergreen in most versions.

Thyme has been used for millennia for a variety of different purposes: Ancient Egyptians used it for embalming; Ancient Greeks scented theirs baths and candles with it; Romans used it to flavour cheese and alcohol; and in Medieval Europe it was used to aid sleep and prevent nightmares.

It has been believed to bring courage since the times of Ancient Greece and during the Middle Ages in Europe knights and warriors would receive sprigs as gifts.

It’s essential oil contains 20-55% thymol, which is an antiseptic and apparently the active ingredient in Listerine mouthwash. Previously thymol was used to disinfect bandages; kill foot fungus; treat coughs, bronchitis and throat inflammation; and aid childbirth. Gargling water that has been boiled with thyme can be a useful mouth and throat antiseptic.

Unlike other herbs, thyme retains much of its flavour after being dried and is used widely in the cuisines of Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon and the Caribbean. It pairs well with game meat, lamb, chicken, eggs, tomatoes and cream. Thyme is also a feature of famous spice blends such as bouquet garni, herbes de Provence and za'atar.

This week our WHB host is Marija from the gorgeously photographed blog Palachinka! Try her red risotto, leche frita, elderberry jam or homemade orange liqueur for starters, then check out her round-up of this week's herby recipes.

Other thyme recipes from The Net include:
Baked Jerusalem Artichokes w Thyme & Lemon - Morsels & Musings
Butter Bean, Bacon & Thyme Soup - Greedy Gourmet
Corn Bite w Thyme - Eat Make Read
Green Beans w Almonds & Thyme - Simply Recipes
Mushroom & Thyme Farro Salad - Closet Cooking
Peach & Thyme Sorbet - Je Mange La Ville
Peach, Blueberry & Thyme Cupcakes - Cupcake Blog
Poached Pears w Wild Thyme & Raspberries - Dhanggit's Kitchen
Roast Chicken w Lemon & Thyme - Morsels & Musings
Roasted Figs w Thyme, Cinnamon & Honey - Nami Nami
Roasted Strawberry & Thyme Sherbet - Baking Obsession
Sage, Rosemary & Thyme Ice MilkJe Mange La Ville
Savory Pecan, Parmesan & Thyme Shortbread - Pittsburgh Needs Eated
Strawberry, Rhubarb & Thyme Shortcakes - Baking and Books
Strawberry Thyme Stuffed Cupcakes - Feeding Maybelle
Thyme-Braised Lentils w Petimezi - Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska
Thyme Flower Ice Cream - Chez Pim
Thyme, Hazelnut & Lemon Cookies - My Own Sweet Thyme
Tomato-Thyme Soup - Farida's Azerbaijani Cookbook
Venison w Juniper, Blueberries & Thyme - Morsels & Musings
Zucchini Bake w Feta & Thyme - Kalyn's Kitchen

This time previously on Morsels & Musings:
2008 - Chorizo & Chickpea Tapa
2007 - Spelt Fettucine w Hazelnuts & Goats Curd
2006 - Lebanese coriander potatoes

paneer bhurji (fried paneer)

Bored of bacon and eggs?
Toast just not cutting it?
Cereal getting you down?
Then here’s a brekkie recipe for you!

Chilli and spices are tempered with the mild creaminess of paneer (cheese) in this Indian breakfast best served with flatbread.

Paneer Bhurji (Fried Paneer)

Anna’s very own recipe based on various internet versions. Serves 2.
Ingredients:
300g fresh paneer, crumbled coarsely
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon lime juice
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon coriander powder
Pinch of asafeotida (hing) powder
Chopped fresh coriander, to garnish
Rice or flatbread, to serve

Method:

1. Heat the oil, add the onion and green chilli and fry until soft.

2. Add the cumin seeds and fry until browned and fragrant.

3. Add the pepper, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder and asafeotida (hing) powder and fry until fragrant.

4. Next add the grated ginger, sugar and chopped tomato.

5. Now add the paneer and salt and fry, stirring continuously, until heated through.

6. Remove from the heat and stir through lime juice and fresh coriander leaves.

7. Serve hot with rice or Indian flat breads like roti, chapati or naan.

Interested in some other exciting breakfast recipes from the M&M archives?
Baked Eggs & Beans V
Blackberry Breakfast Cake V
Blueberry & Sour Cream Wholemeal Pancakes V
Blueberry Focaccia V
Breakfast Crumble V
Chilaquiles (Mexican bean, tomatillo & tortilla bake) V
Çılbır (Turkish eggs w spiced yoghurt) V
Fatteh (Syrian chickpeas, tahini & yoghurt) V
Grape & Aniseed Schiacciata V
Jonas' Breakfast Beans V
Khabeesa (Omani rose & cardamom porridge) V
Khachapuri (Georgian cheese bread) V
Moringa Omelette V
Mulberry & Vanilla Muffins V
Pears Poached in Passionfruit Juice V
Persimmon & Bourbon Bread V
Persimmon Fruit Salad V
Potato Breakfast Curry w Poached Eggs V
Quinoa Porridge V
Ricotta, Strawberry & Choc-Chip Muffins V
Roquefort Popovers V
Zucchini, Mint & Feta Bake V

pozole verde: mexican stew

At first this soup seems mild, almost bland and disappointing, but as you continue to eat, it becomes moreish and intoxicating. We made a huge batch and between three of us we devoured the entire pot within minutes, greedily going back for seconds and thirds.

Afterwards we all agreed that the first mouthful seemed dull but the last mouthful left us wanting still more. It had a ravenous effect on all of us and we declared the recipe a delicious success. A triumph!

Cooking this pozole also fulfilled two 2009 Food Challenge by ticking off yet another Mexican recipe (one of the cuisines I have set out to explore this year) and also cooking with hominy.

Pozole Verde (Hominy, Tomatillo & Pepita Stew)
Variation on recipe by Serious Eats. Serves 3 – 4.
Ingredients:
800g can hominy
800ml canned tomatillos (green tomatoes)
1 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 serrano chillies, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped white onion
½ cup chopped fresh coriander
¼ cup vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
3 radishes, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried epazote (or oregano)
2 limes, cut into wedges
Method:
1. Dry toast the pumpkin seeds in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until seeds are lightly browned. Remove and let cool for a minute. Then grind in a food processor or blender. Set aside.
2. In a blender add the tomatillos, coriander, chillies, salt, onion and stock. Process until smooth.
3. Heat the tomatillo mixture in a large pot. Sprinkle in the ground pumpkin seeds. Stir constantly until mixture has thickened, around 7 minutes.
4. Add the hominy along with its liquid. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 30 minutes.
5. When the hominy is tender, season to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and top with radishes, a sprinkling of epazote and a squeeze of lime juice.

Hominy, also known as nixtamal, is dried corn kernels which have been treated with an alkali, a process known as nixtamalisation.

In Mexico people use lime-water (calcium hydroxide) and in the US wood ash was used to create lye-water (sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide solution). The process removed the germ and the hard outer hull from the kernels, allowing easier digestion.

The process also changes the nutritional value of the corn, allowing the body to more easily absorb certain nutrients such as Vitamin B, amino acids, calcium and phosphorus.

Nixtamalisation was used as early as 1500 BCE in Guatemala. The fact that the kernels were dried meant they could be soaked and processed any time and many native people in Central and North America relied on hominy as an integral food source.

Hominy is my theme ingredient for Weekend Herb Blogging, this week hosted by Chriesi from Almond Corner.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hominy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hominy_(maize).JPG

drumstick masala

This Recipe Road Test comes straight from fellow blogger Lakshmi from Flavors of Indian Rasoi.

It worked wonderfully and Jonas and I really enjoyed the unique flavours. If you wanted you could easily apply the basic gravy to any vegetable combinations and have a delicious meal.

I have written about Moringa oleifera for WHB before, but then I was focusing on the leaves. This time I want to draw your attention to the most commonly used part of the tree, the long pods which give the tree its common English name: Drumstick Tree.

Munagakaayala Pulusu (Drumstick Masala)
Recipe by Lakshmi from Flavors of Indian Rasoi.

Ingredients:4-6 drumstick pods
1 medium sized potato, cut it into big pieces
2-3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1 big onion
4-5 teaspoons fresh coconut
1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2-3 dried red chillies
10 curry leaves
½ teaspoon garam masala powder
1½ teaspoon red chilli powder
Pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp of curd
½ cup rice milk

Method:
1. Grind coconut, coriander leaves, ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder and onion and keep it aside.

2. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, dried chillies, garam masala, turmeric powder and fry well.

3. Add coconut-spice paste and tomatoes and fry well.

4. After 5 minutes, add drumsticks and potato and fry for some time.

5. Add water, chilli powder and salt. Cover it and let it cook on medium heat.

6. When it starts boiling add curd.

7. To check whether the drumsticks are properly cooked, take a spoon and touch them to see if they are soft

8. When the drumsticks are ready, add the milk and cook on low heat for not more than 5 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and eat with rice.

Drumstick pods are extremely popular in Indian cooking, and for good reason. They are delicious (almost like asparagus) and highly nutritious. In India, young drumstick pods can be turned into curries, stews, sambars, kormas and dals. They can be served steamed or boil and it’s also common to add cooked pulp to finished dishes for a unique flavour. Older pods yield peas that can be eaten like nuts.

Moringa grows in semi-arid tropical and sub-tropical areas, continuously flowering and fruiting.

The tree is native to the southern foothills of the Himalayas but is widely grown throughout Africa, Central and South America, Sri Lanka, India, Mexico, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Moringa is an amazing tree because almost every part can be eaten and is exceptionally nutritious due to its high vitamin and mineral content. The leaves taste like spinach, the pods taste like asparagus and the cooked flowers are supposed to taste like mushroom.

Last time I blogged about moringa during WHB I included this list, but I think it’s amazing enough to include again. Weight for weight, moringa leaves have:
- 7 times the Vitamin C content of oranges
- 4 times the calcium of milk
- 4 times the Vitamin A of carrots
- 3 times the potassium of bananas
- 3 times the iron of spinach
- 2 times the protein of milk

Some of the world’s most poverty stricken areas are prime habitat for moringa trees, which are also one of the fastest growing biomasses on the planet! For this reason aid agencies see it as a huge nutritional benefit for those suffering serious malnourishment.

People use drumstick trees to assist stomach aches, gastric ulcers, skin diseases, low blood sugar, poor bone density, nervous conditions, diabetes, fatigue, poor lactation, hay fever, haemorrhoids, headaches and sore gums.

It’s also believed to strengthen the brain, gall bladder, liver as well as digestive, respiratory and immune systems.

Flower infused honey is used as a cough syrup, leaf infusions are used as eye washes for conjunctivitis and seed oil is used for earaches, skin problems and as an insect repellent.

Other drumstick and leaf recipes include:Drumstick Pickle
Mboum (Senegalese sauce)
Moringa Bread
Drumstick, Potato & Eggplant Bhaji
Moringa Omelette
Yeruvalli Kuzhambu (drumstick & coconut curry)
Moringa Juice
Munakkaya Pulusu (drumsticks in tamarind)
Moringa Dal
huge list of international recipes

The recipe also happens to satisfy one of my 2008 Food Challenges (learning about regional Indian cooking) because the dish comes from Andhra Pradesh.

Known as the "rice bowl of India", Andhra Pradesh is located in the south: bordered by the regions of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the East, Tamil Nadu to the south and Karnataka to the west.

It is the 4th largest Indian state (by area and population) and is certainly the largest in southern India with a population of 76 million people. The capital is Hyderabad and the official language of the state, spoken by 84% of the population, is Telugu.

Agriculture is an important income source, with the main crops being rice, sugarcane, cotton, chilli, mango and tobacco.

The food of Andhra Pradesh is famously spicy and rich, with heavy influences from Muslim cuisine.

Lamb, chicken and fish are used a lot, as well as spices and ghee. The Hyderabadi biryani, a delicious rice concoction, has spread throughout India and the world and is very popular.

Pickles and chutneys (pachchadi) from Andhra Pradesh are also very famous, the most well known probably the mango pickle Aavakaaya.

This week our WHB host is the lovely Zorra from Kochtopf. Be sure to visit her blog for the round-up.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andhra_Pradesh
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1345822.htm
http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/free-herb-information/drumstick-tree.html
http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/Herbs/horseradish.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb masala curry moringa drumsticks vegetarian recipes masala recipes curry recipes moringa recipes drumstick recipes indian recipes indian food indian cuisine

potato breakfast curry

This will probably be my last post until I’m home from Sweden at the end of August. We’re away for 5 weeks travelling all over Sverige, with a few days on either side in Tokyo and Bangkok.

I wanted to leave you with a recipe I really love and which takes the humble potato to new heights while also turning breakfast into an exciting meal.

A lot of people (obviously not Indians) will baulk at the idea of curry for breakfast, but Rick Stein’s potato curry served with poached eggs is so gently spiced that anyone would adore it.

I love eating interesting things at breakfast (Breakfast Crumble, Çılbır, Fatteh, Khabeesa, Moringa Omelette, Quinoa Porridge etc) whereas Jonas is an absolute traditionalist. Nonetheless this potato curry won him over entirely and is a recipe that will make repeat appearances in our home.

Who could have thought breakfasts and potatoes could be so exciting!

Potato Breakfast Curry w Poached Eggs

Recipe by Rick Stein, Delicious Magazine April 2008. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
500g waxy potatoes (eg nicola or kipfler)
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1½ teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 green cardamom pods
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1½ tablespoons roughly chopped fresh coriander
4 very fresh, free-range eggs
Pinch of chilli flakes
Splash of white wine vinegar
Coriander sprigs, to garnish

Method:
1. Peel potatoes and cut into 1cm cubes.

2. Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 5-6 minutes until almost tender, then drain and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a deep frypan over medium heat. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Cover with a lid until the popping subsides (about 2 minutes).

4. Meanwhile cut the cardamom pods in half and shake out the seeds into a mortar and pestle. Throw the husks away and lightly crush the seeds.

5. Uncover the pot and add onion, ginger and dried chilli and fry until soft but not brown (6-7 minutes).

6. Stir in ground spices then cook, stirring, for 1 minute until fragrant.

7. Stir in potatoes, 200ml water and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potato is tender.

8. Stir in tomatoes and lemon juice and cook for another 2 minutes.

9. Stir in coriander, cover and keep warm over a very low heat.

10. To poach eggs, measure enough water so it reaches 5cm in a wide, shallow pan.

11. Bring to the boil then add 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt for every 1.2 litres of water.

12. Reduce heat to medium-low and break eggs into simmering water. Poach for 3-5 minutes until white is cooked but yolk is still soft.

13. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

14. Lightly salt the eggs and serve on top of the curry with coriander garnish.

This is my last Weekend Herb Blogging entry for a while, until I’m back.

My feature ingredient this week is the humble spud.

And what a veggie it is! The root of the Solanum tuberosum is the world's most widely grown tuber and is in fourth place as the most produced food crop, after rice, wheat, and corn. Today China and then India are the largest potato producers.

The United Nations have decreed 2008 as the International Year of the Potato and many organisations see it as part of the solution for world food production since it is cheap to cultivates, generates good harvests and grows in diverse climates.

Research seems to put the potato’s origin in the Andes from Colombia/Venezuela to northern Argentina and the first evidence of cultivated took place in Peru 7,000 years ago. Some 99% of the world’s cultivated potato varieties descend from a subspecies indigenous to South-Central Chile, probably due to the trading routes that carried the first plant exports.

Potatoes made the journey to Europe in the mid 1500s and quickly became a staple food crop, particularly for the poor.

Lack of genetic varieties in Europe left potato crops vulnerable to diseases, such as Phytophthora infestans, which resulted in the infamous Irish famine and a reduction of Irelands population by 25% from starvation, disease and emigration to the New World.

The English word potato comes directly from the Spanish patata, which itself is a compound of two Native American words for potato and sweet potato: papa (Quechua) and batata (Taino)

Many Slavic, Baltic, Germanic, Scandinavian and Balkan languages derive their word for potato from an ancient word for potato which also meant “truffle”. French, Dutch, Hebrew, Finnish all have names meaning “earth fruit/apple/pear”, whereas Slovak and Polish use words that mean simply “ground”. Different Chinese languages have meanings such as “foreign taro”, “horse yam” or “earth bean”. Although the Hindi and Nepali word for potato is aloo and in Indonesian it is kentang, I don’t know what the base meaning of these words are.

Potatoes have excellent carbohydrate content but also good levels of Vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin B6 and traces of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.

The glycemic index (GI) of potatoes can vary considerably depending on the type, location grown, cooking methods and with what it is consumed.

Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids such as solanine and chaconine, which are toxic compounds found in high concentrations in wild potatoes. Light exposure and aging increases toxin levels but cooking at over 170°C (340°F) partly destroys the toxins. Affects are weakness, confusion, headaches, diarrhea and cramps and although coma or death could occur, poisoning from potatoes is very rare.

Common international varieties include Bintje; Désirée; Fianna; King Edward; Kipfler; New; Nicola; Pink Eye; Pink Fir Apple; Red Pontiac; Rooster; Russet Burbank and Spunta.

Interesting regional potato dishes:
Colcannon (Ireland, side dish)
Fish & Chips (Britain, main)
Gnocchi (Italy, pasta)
Locro de Papas (Ecuador, thick soup)
Papa a la Huancaina (Peru, salad)
Patatas Bravas (Spain, tapas)
Poutine (Canada, snack)
Stamppot (Netherlands, main)

Fun Wikipedia facts!
• Potatoes are part of the deadly nightshade family, a group of poisonous plants including tomatoes and tobacco.
• There are about five thousand potato varieties world wide. Three thousand of them are found only in the Andes, where over 100 varieties of potato can be found in one valley alone!
• A notice of 1573 shows that potatoes were being fed to the sick in a monastery of Seville, under their Quechua name papa.
• In France the potato was considered suitable only for cattle. In the mid 1700s Antoine Parmentier devised an ingenious strategy to encourage the French peasants to eat potatoes. Apparently he grew a field of potatoes and had it heavily guarded to make it look like a delicacy for the nobility. The peasants stole samples and started to enjoy them.
• The earliest reference to the potato in India is in a British journal from 1847.
• Belarus has the world’s highest consumption of potato per capita with each Belorussian consuming 338 kg in 2005.
• The fibre content of a potato with skin equals that of many whole grain breads, pastas, and cereals.
• The notion that “all of the potato’s nutrients” are found in the skin is an urban legend. While the skin does contain approximately half of the total dietary fibre, the majority (more than 50%) of the nutrients are found within the potato itself.

Weekend Herb Blogging is host by Simona from Briciole, who has the coolest blog tagline of "an idiosyncratic and opinionated dictionary of Italian words related to food, with audio accompaniment". Be sure to visit her blog for the round-up.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Irish_Famine

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb main course curry breakfast curry potato curry potato breakfast recipes curry recipes potato recipes indian recipes indian food indian cuisine

pineapple pulisseri

Meeta has called on her fellow bloggers to whip up something under the Bollywood Cooking theme for her May Monthly Mingle.

Non-Indian readers have it easy, since we are invited to pick one of our favourite Indian dishes, whereas Indian food bloggers are thrown a more complex challenge and have to make something slick enough to be served to glamorous Bollywood starlets and heart throbs.

I’ve gone for a dish that’s always intrigued me: the pulisseri. This curry usually combines a sweet fruit with chillies and sour curd.

It is sublime.

Although mango seems the most common option, I’ve gone for a pineapple pulisseri because I wanted a fruit that would hold its shape and remain chunky in the sauce.

The recipe turned out really well. The sweetness of the pineapple shone through, but it wasn't overbearing and the heat from the chilli and sourness of the yoghurt really brought it back to a savoury dish. I'd definitely make this again.

I found the recipe on another blogger’s site and followed it carefully, so this post has turned into a Recipe Road Test as well!

Pineapple Pulisseri
Recipe by The Budding Cook. Serves 6.
Ingredients:
550g pineapple chunks
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
5-6 curry leaves
375ml yoghurt, whipped (sour curd)
Salt
For the paste:
4-5 tablespoons grated coconut (frozen is fine)
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
5-6 red chillies
For the seasoning:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2-3 red chillies
3-4 curry leaves
A pinch of yellow asafoetida (hing)
Method:
1. Grind the grated coconut, cumin and red chillies until they form a paste.
2. On medium heat, cook the pineapple cubes with the curry leaves, salt and turmeric powder in a little bit of water until the pineapple is soft.
3. Add the ground paste to the cooked pineapple and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Reduce heat and add the yoghurt. Mix well and remove from heat to prevent curdling.
5. In another pan, heat the coconut oil and add the seasoning ingredients. Fry until fragrant then add to pulisseri as a garnish.
6. Serve with steaming hot rice, thoran and pappadams.

Bollywood Cooking is a great theme for me because I had already set myself a challenge to investigate various Indian regional specialties throughout 2008.

This dish is from Kerala, a region of south-western India along the Malabar Coast, known as the Land of Coconuts. Interestingly, Kerala has the highest living standards in all of India and its biggest agricultural outputs are rice, coconuts, tea, rubber, cashews, spices and seafood.

Previously Kerala was made up of two states (Travancore and Malabar) which have different cuisines. Travancore tends to be spicier than Malabar and often vegetarian.

Generally Kerala’s cuisine seems to focus heavily on coconuts (cream, milk, freshly grated) and they usually use coconut oil for cooking.

Other common dishes from the region include idli (fluffy rice pancakes) and dosa (huge, crispy crepes stuffed with savoury fillings and served with chutneys and dal).

On another note, today is my sister Shamu's birthday and I want to wish her a whale of a day!!!


Map: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Kerala_map.jpg
Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes pulisseripineapple pulisseri curry yoghurt recipes fruit recipes pineapple pulisseri recipes pulisseri recipes pineapple recipes curry recipes indian recipes indian food indian cuisine

peruvian quinoa stew

I like this recipe. It was a warm, heart dish but on top of it all, it covered off three ticks from my list of 2008 Food Challenges:
- cook with quinoa
- cook a recipe from the cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home
- learn about food from the Andean nations

Quinoa is an ingredient I had never used before. Now I have made a couple of dishes and I'm loving it. I bought Fair Trade red quinoa which is chewy in texture, nutty in flavour and is aptly named "Incan power fuel". You can a lot about quinoa by reading Wikipedia, World's Healthiest Foods or Canela y Comino.

The Moosewood Collective seems to be an American sub-culture and put more emphasis than most on healthy eating and vegetarianism. Our friend Ashlee bought us the book for Xmas or a house warming or Jonas' bday. Don't know when, but we know it's been a good read.

The recipe I chose to cook first from the Moosewood Collective was this Peruvian stew contributed by a Peruvian chef who worked at Moosewood.

I also found a Chilean stew so you might see it pop up later on so I can cover off yet another Andean nation.

Guiso de Quinoa (Peruvian Quinoa Stew)

Recipe by Faustino Cutipa from Moosewood. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa
1 cup water
2 cups onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, chopped finely
1 bell pepper (capsicum), chopped finely
1 cup zucchini, cubed
2 cups undrained tomatoes, canned or fresh
1 cup vegetable stock (or water)
2 tablespoons chopped coriander stalks
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons fresh oregano (1 teaspoon if dried)
Pinch of cayenne
Salt, to taste
Chopped fresh coriander, garnish
Grated cheddar, to serve
Sour cream, to serve

Method:
1. Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve.
2. Place in pot with water and cook, covered, on medium low for 15 minutes until soft. Set aside.
3. While the quinoa cooks, sauté the onions and garlic in a deep pot in oil for 5 minutes on medium heat.
4. Add celery and carrots and cooked another 5 minutes, stirring often.
5. Add the bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and stock.
6. Stir in cumin, chilli powder, ground coriander, coriander stalks, cayenne and oregano and simmer for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
7. Stir cooked quinoa into the stew and add salt to taste.
8. Serve topped with your choice of fresh coriander, grated cheddar and sour cream.


This very tasty and healthy vegetarian stew is excellent hearty meal for winter. Perhaps I strayed from the original chef's flavour concept for the recipe, but I added in tablespoons of fresh coriander stalks to the stew to give it a fragrant, almost summery feel. It really lifts the flavours.

Since the recipe has a heavy emphasis on coriander, as well as a little oregano, I'll like to submit it to Weekend Herb Blogging, being hosted by Kel from The Green Olive.

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb main soup stew coriander recipes coriander quinoa peruvian quinoa recipes quinoa stew recipes stew recipes quinoa recipes peruvian recipes peruvian food peruvian cuisine

sri lankan lotus curry

This week I’m hosting Weekend Herb Blogging!!!

If you have a herb, vegetable, fruit or flower recipe then blog about it and join in the fun. For more info on the rules and instructions scroll to the end of this post.

For my part, my contribution this week is all about the lotus root.

I’d never cooked with lotus before and it always seemed like such an exotic ingredient with its beautiful patterned web and crunchy fresh texture. I’d seen it for sale, pre-sliced in packages but on a recent junket into Chinatown I saw fresh roots for sale. I think they were going for around $5 per kilo.

Nelum Ala Uyala (Sri Lankan Lotus Root Curry)
Anna’s version of a widely circulated internet recipe. Serves 2-4 as part of a banquet.
Ingredients:
110 grams lotus root
125ml coconut thick milk
1 tomato, chopped
4 snake beans, chopped into small rounds
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ red onion, finely chopped
6 fresh curry leaves
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
½ teaspoon Madras curry powder
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon paprika
Pinch of chilli powder
2 tablespoon ghee (or peanut/vegetable oil)
Method:
1. Wash and peel the lotus root then slice into thin circles, discarding the tough ends.
2. Heat the ghee in a pan and fry the onions until translucent and soft. Add the chilli, garlic and curry leaves and fry until softened.
3. Next add the ginger, chilli, fenugreek, turmeric, curry powder, chilli powder and paprika and fry until fragrant.
4. Now add the snake beans, tomato and salt and fry until the tomato disintegrates a little.
5. Next add the lotus slices and coconut milk and stir until combined.
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve with rice.
Note: the lotus root will remain crunchy.

Nelumbo nucifera is also known as blue lotus, Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, and sacred water-lily. It was native to huge areas of land across South East and Central Asia and is used widely as a food and ornamental plant. The lotus is the national flower of both India and Vietnam.

If seeds are well maintained they should keep flowering and amazingly a 1300 year old seed was found in a dried up lake bed in China and was successfully germinated!

The plants roots take hold of the pond or river bed and the leaves and flowers float on the water surface. Every part of the plant is edible, whether it be the roots, leaves, petals or seeds.

The lotus root, or rhizome, contains large air pockets running through the length of the root in order to maintain buoyancy.

Lotus roots are fried into chips, used in curries and soups, stir-fried into vegetable dishes and even braised. They can also be eaten raw in salads, although the risk of parasites in some water means they should probably be cooked.

The Chinese believe that eaten raw, lotus roots cool the blood.

According to Wikipedia, lotus roots are "rich in dietary fibre, vitamin C, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, copper, and manganese and very low in saturated fat".

China: ngau, ǒu 藕
Japan: renkon,レンコン,蓮根
India: kamal-kakri, bhe
Indonesia: teratai
Malaysia: seroja
Philippines: baino
Sri Lanka: nelum-ala
Thailand: bua-luang

If you want to join Weekend Herb Blogging this week, the only rules are that:
1) posts must be for WHB only and not entered into other events (DMBLGIT and other photo events excluded).
2) posts must mention Weekend Herb Blogging and link back to the weekly host (this week it’s my blog!)
3) posts must feature a herb, vegetable, fruit or flower. Recipes are more than welcome and info on the featured ingredient would be great!
4) deadline to email the links are 3pm MST (which is -7 UTC/GMT) Sunday 9 March.
Send to morselsandmusings AT yahoo DOT com DOT au

Head back here for the round-up of everyone's recipes on Monday or Tuesday next week!

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_root
http://www.asiafood.org/glossary_2.cfm?wordid=3361
http://www.specialfoods.com/lotus.html

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb entrée starter main course curry nelum ala uyala lotus root curry lotus root lotus root curry recipes curry recipes lotus root recipes lotus recipes sir lankan recipes sri lankan food sri lankan cuisine

moqueca de peixe - fish w dendê oil & coconut

It’s the two year anniversary of Weekend Herb Blogging and Kalyn must be very proud that her event has gained so much popularity.

The special dish I'm offering up tonight was made as part of a seafood feast for friends which included:
Chermoula Baked Snapper
Omani-Style Tuna
Grilled Chipotle Oysters
Ahi Poke (Hawaiian sashimi)

In honour of the anniversary, I decided to cook with an ingredient I had never tried before and so I marched across the street to the specialist grocer that stocks all things African. Among the cassava, cream of palm and fufu flour, I found the red liquid I was after: dendê oil.

Although West African palm oil (which is almost certainly what I have) is much stronger than the Brazilian oil, I decided to cook this Brazilian seafood dish that I had seen on TV. The show had kindly shared the recipe on their website and so I set about creating a feast for my friends.

Moqueca is from Bahia, a province in the north-east of Brazil, where the cuisine has been influenced by its population of Portuguese colonists, African slaves and indigenous peoples. A traditional Moqueca doesn’t need to be plain fish (peixe) but could be made with prawns (camaroa) or a combination of the two. It seems, however, that the most important element in any moqueca is the dendê oil. Many Brazilians would claim that it isn’t a true Moqueca without it.

Moqueca de Peixe was always going to be a borderline dish for me, since it contained a lot of capsicum (peppers): a vegetable which I really don’t like.

Surprisingly the capsicum mellowed and actually enhanced the flavour, adding sweetness. I was quite glad I’d followed the recipe and hadn’t omitted them.

The dendê oil was indeed a unique flavour. It smelt overpowering (and tasted pretty strange on its own) but when it was added to the food it somehow just worked. There was a slight acridity, but overall it added richness and nuttiness and blended well with the coconut cream.

This dish is really quite good and my friends went back for seconds. I would recommend it to anyone wanting something rich and vibrant on their table, where it should be served with Arroz de Haussá (rice cooked with coconut milk).

The flavours are strong so I’d suggest a fruity dessert to follow. Perhaps banana?

The recipe also features my favourite herb: coriander.

Moqueca de Peixe (Fish w Dendê Oil & Coconut)
Recipe by Maria Cristina Rodrigues da Franca Moore. Serves 4-6.
Ingredients:
1.5 kg firm white fish steaks
3 large garlic cloves
5 tomatoes, chopped
1 red capsicum, finely sliced
½ small green capsicum, finely sliced
Malagueta chilli (or fresh piri-piri or any small hot Asian chilli)
225ml coconut cream
1 very large onion, chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped
Juice of 3 limes
5 tablespoons dendê oil
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons grated coconut
Salt
Method:
1. Rinse the fish and pat it dry.
2. Using a mortar and pestle pound and mix the garlic, malagueta chilli, 6 tablespoons of coriander leaves, salt and lime juice together.
3. Spread this mixture over the fish, then spread enough of the onions and tomatoes to cover on top. Leave for half an hour.
4. Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and add the fish with the seasoning on top.
5. Add the remaining tomatoes, onions, capsicum, parsley, half the dendê oil and 80 mL of the coconut cream.
6. Cover the saucepan and bring to boil over a very low heat for 15 minutes, then add the remaining dendê oil and coconut cream.
7. Add some more coriander leaves and, if needed, cook for an extra 5 to 10 minutes stirring very gently from time to time.
8. When the fish is tender but firm, remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle on some freshly grated coconut and more fresh coriander. Serve with rice.


Palm oil comes from an African tree (Elaeis guineensis) and has been used for centuries as a cooking oil in West Africa.

The red colour of palm oil shows high levels of betacarotene, an orange photosynthetic pigment also found in carrots and a source of Vitamin A. In fact red palm oil is significantly more healthy than clear palm oil because the betacarotene and other compounds somehow have an effect.

Palm oil is so high in saturated fat that it becomes semi-solid at room temperature, something I witnessed over the winter months.

Once the slave trade was curtailed in the 1800s, African nations, such as the Asante Confederacy and Kingdom of Dahomey, began large scale palm oil plantations. Europeans began trading palm oil as an industrial lubricant for machinery and in 1898, B.J. Johnson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, developed a soap made entirely out of palm and olive oils: palmolive.

Did you know: Napalm is named after a recipe using naphtha and palm oil.

Palm is the world’s second most produced edible oil. Most Westerners would be shocked by this, seeing as we don’t really use it. Or do we?

Palm oil is believed to be in one out of every ten food items in the supermarket due to its comparatively low cost. It’s easily disguised since the red colour disappears after boiling and manufacturers sneakily label it as “vegetable oil” in the ingredients list.

You’ll find palm oil in KFC, Oreos, Kit Kats, Pringles, Ritz Crackers, Sara Lee cakes and Tim Tams (Australia’s favourite cookie). And we haven’t even gotten to its use in cosmetics yet!

On average, Australians consume 10kg (22lb) of palm oil per person every year. I'd imagine the US and UK would be even higher.

There are two major problems with palm oil:
1) After coconut oil, it has the highest saturated fat of all edible oils
2) The production of palm oil has had devastating effects on the people, fauna and flora of many countries it is grown in.

In the early 1900s, the first palm oil plantations were established in Malaysia and were used right up until the 60s as a method to fight poverty with employment.

The industry took off with intensity in South East Asia and led to devastating environmental problems. Rainforests are cleared to make way for plantations and animals, such as Borneo’s orangutans, Sumatra’s tiger and Asian rhinos, are being forced out or killed. The cultures and livelihoods of minority tribes are also in danger.

Throughout the world, 11 million hectares are devoted to palm oil plantations, particularly in the tropical areas of Asia, Africa and South America (the world’s largest producers are Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Thailand, Colombia and Papua New Guinea). These tropical areas also happen contain a large amount of the planet's biodiversity.

The EU has been looking at palm oil as an environmentally friendly biofuel, and while its emissions certainly beat gasoline, diesel and LPG, the current negative effects of palm oil production cancel out its benefits. Increased demands for palm oil to feed the renewable energy industry will need to be checked against sustainable production.

There are certainly eco-friendly palm oil producers, so just keep your eye out for them because you wouldn’t want to miss out on trying this unique oil and this cultural rich Brazilian dish.

Head on over to Kalyn’s Kitchen for the Two Year Anniversary round-up and hear which vegetable and herb won this year’s vote.

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil
http://www.foodsubs.com/Oils.html (photo)
http://www.iei.net/~pwagner/recipes.htm
http://www.palmoilaction.org.au
http://www.rspo.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colgate-Palmolive
http://bean-sprouts.blogspot.com/2007/09/palm-oil.html
http://www.cyberlipid.org/glycer/glyc0051.htm

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb main course coriander coconut cream dende oil palm oil african recipes coconut cream recipes palm oil recipes dende oil recipes seafood recipes fish recipes brazilian recipes brazilian food brazilian cuisine