Hungrywoolf’s Food blog

November 9, 2009

Library Love

One of the great things about living in Columbus is the public library system. I filled in a library feedback survey today and was reminded of how many services the library offers to the community: literacy, meeting spaces, computer access, job workshops and community events. I mostly use the library for borrowing books and DVDs and value it as a free and convenient resource. The Columbus Public Library system has a searchable website where you can reserve books online and add yourself to a waitlist for popular books. It doesn’t matter which branch the book is at – it will be transported to your library of choice to be collected.

I love leafing through cookbooks but try to resist the temptation of the cookbook section at the bookstore. Borrowing cookbooks from the library gives me the chance to experiment and explore before deciding whether to commit. Some cookbooks have a couple of enticing recipes but lack substance for a long term relationship. Some look good but don’t stand up to scrutiny and some are great to read but you are unlikely to attempt the recipes. When I find one that I have renewed twice and still don’t want to return, it is a good sign that is is worth buying.

Not working over the summer gave me more time to read for pleasure and the library allowed me to do that without feeling guilty that I was spending money on books. I rarely reread books and having to part with them once read doesn’t phase me.

Here are some of my recent food related reading highlights:
The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones - Judith Jones was the editor to Julia Child, Madhur Jaffrey, Claudia Roden and many other famous food writers. In this book she talks about her life, her clients and shares both stories and recipes. It is also an interesting insight into how much the US culinary scene has changed over the course of her long career.

A Homemade Life: stories and recipes from my kitchen table by Molly Wizenberg, Great recipes and accompanying stories from the author of the blog Orangette. Molly’s account of her family is very personal and shows how food, family and emotion are so entwined together.

Sweet and Low: A family story by Rich Cohen – the story of the little pink packets. An eye opening and engrossing read that touches on so many other things family politics, the sugar industry, the mob, social history, the history of Brooklyn. Truth is stranger than fiction as they say – you couldn’t make some of this stuff up.

How to read a French Fry: and other stories of intriguing kitchen science by Russ Parsons. Food science, but not how it sounds. Fascinating tit-bits that you want to have someone to read aloud to. An entertaining read packed with answers to questions such as ‘why do onions make you cry?’ or ‘how to make the best french fries?’ along with useful tips and lots of practical recipes.

The library also has a number of food related movies: Mostly Martha, Tortilla Soup, Big Night and The Waitress. Here is a fantastic list of food related movies from Gastronomica to give you some more ideas.

Please feel free to share recommendations for food writing or cookbooks. I have some of my favorites listed here.

4 Comments

Filed under Columbus, Food Writing

Tags: cookbook, Food Writing, library

November 4, 2009

Crunchy Winter Salad

I grew a kohlrabi in the garden this summer (yeah, just the one!) and have been fascinated by them ever since. They have a firm texture and the flavor is a cross between a broccoli stem and cabbage. I bought a couple from Wayward Seed Farm at the farmers market this weekend along with carrots and a bunch of radishes. These kohlrabi were green and looked even more like little alien beings.

A lot of winter foods are soups and stews and while they are wonderfully warming, I enjoy having something crunchy and refreshing as a contrast, especially on a crisp sunny day. After yesterday’s excess of cheese and pork products a salad seemed like appropriate.

This salad was inspired by Peter Berley’s Shaved spring vegetable and apple salad from The Flexitarian Table which I have made in the past. Berley uses sunchokes and fennel and I think you could substitute celery root as well. I love fennel but I know but I think this version might have a little broader appeal. Instead of using a mandolin for all of the ingredients I cut them into matchsticks and only used the mandolin for a couple of baby onions.

2 small kohlrabi
1 Jonagold apple
1 large carrot
handful of chives
1 bunch of french breakfast radishes, trimmed.
1-2 baby red onions depending on size
1 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice

Toast the walnuts in a 350ºF oven for 10-12 minutes. You should be able to smell when they are done but keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Peel the kohlrabi and the carrot. Cut the vegetables and apple into matchsticks and place in a large bowl. Depending on the size of the radishes you may just want to quarter them. Mandolin or finely slice the onions and add to the other vegetables. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the vegetables. Snip the chives with scissors over the bowl and combine everything. Add the cooled walnuts, toss, cover and refrigerate.

This salad is great if you have time to let it sit for an hour or so before you eat it. It lets the dressing soak in and the flavors mingle and its best if you can toss it a few times.

With a bowl of soup and a hunk of french bread it made for a very satisfying lunch.

November 3, 2009

Bacon, leek and cheese stuffed potatoes

Yesterday I was going to make a Leek cheese and bacon tart from the October issue of BBC Good Food magazine. I thought it would be a perfect use for my Wayward Seed Farm leeks and some Heini’s lacey baby Swiss cheese that AD’s mom gave us on Sunday. Unfortunately poor planning (or more accurately procrastination) got the better of me and when I went to the grocery store at the last possible moment to buy the puff pastry, all they had were vol-au-vent shells. Perhaps I should be more ambitious and try making my own puff pastry, but that’s a project for another day.

I bought some of the puff pastry shells thinking that I might be able to improvise but after failing to find any recipe in my quick search that didn’t call for Campbell’s soup, and fearing disaster, I grumpily gave up.

Today I remembered Nigel Slater’s latest article about baked potatoes and inspiration struck. I could use all of the topping ingredients for the tart and make a stuffed baked potato. Thank you Nigel!

2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and pricked with a fork
1lb of leeks trimmed, washed and thinly sliced.
6 rashers of smoked bacon + the bacon fat
150g cream cheese mixed with chives, parsley and garlic
200g approx grated Swiss cheese
1 egg beaten (Nigel called for just the white so save the yolk if you want)
salt and pepper

The recipe called for a garlic and herb cream cheese. I decided to make my own based on what I had in the fridge. I mixed half chevre (soft goats cheese) from Lake Erie Creamery, half Philadelphia cream cheese and added crushed garlic and finely chopped parsley and chives. We ate some of it on crackers and it was really good. Worth making just for that. For the potatoes, I would probably use all cream cheese but still add my own garlic and herbs.

Bake the potatoes for an hour at 400ºF and then slice in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh.
Snip the bacon into small cubes and fry until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and saute the leek in the bacon fat. Cook the leeks until they are soft (about 5 minutes).
Mash the potato flesh in a large bowl and then add the cream cheese mixture, bacon, leeks and bacon fat, half the grated cheese and the beaten egg.
Season to taste. Fill the potato skins with the mixture and place into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle the remaining Swiss cheese on top.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400ºF until the cheese is golden brown.

Now I have vol-au-vent shells to use up – any good ideas? … maybe I will wait for the next oyster mushroom crop.

November 3, 2009

Ham and Cheese Scones

I’m usually a purist about scones. My British upbringing is deeply ingrained and we learned how to make scones in our home economics class in school. I like English style scones – pronounced to rhyme with gone – and not too sweet. The only acceptable versions are plain or sultana (golden raisin), ideally served with clotted cream and jam, or occasionally cheese scones for picnics. These scones are small and circular. I cringe at the sugary frosted creations that pass as scones at Starbucks and copycat coffee shops. They aren’t even the right shape! Scones can be wonderfully light and flaky but badly made they can be leaden and heavy. They do not keep well and can therefore be a huge disappointment if you get one that is stale and dry . Unknown scones are risky.

I have been swayed from my purist notions by the ham and cheese scone at Northstar, which luckily, or dangerously depending on how you look at it, can be found only blocks from my house. Warm from the oven they have a siren’s call with the enticing and comforting smell of grilled cheese. My polling station is next door to Northstar which is an added incentive to vote and so this morning I exercised my right to vote and rewarded myself with a scone. I was in luck and scored the last of the batch. My scone (which came out of the oven at 8.45am) was crusty with caramelized cheese, buttery, moist and filled with chunks of ham that were particularly scrumptious where roasted at the edges. It is the crust that I love and I would be quite happy just to eat the crusts off and leave the rest, except that I would probably be tempted to pick out all the ham, and then there really wouldn’t be much left.

If you want a recipe for traditional English style scones you probably can’t go far wrong with Delia Smith. Less purist but even more British, how about some marmite and cheese scones?

1 Comment

Filed under Breakfast, British foods, Columbus

Tags: ham and cheese scone, marmite, northstar cafe, scones

October 31, 2009

Skillet

Skillet’s motto is rustic urban food. Their mission is ingredient driven comfort food – with an edge and they do it well. The food is familiar but with a creative twist. I was smitten immediately. What could be more comforting than warm vanilla and mascarpone breakfast risotto with pan-roasted peaches brûlée with bourbon molasses red eye gravy. Skillet is on Whittier Avenue in the old Banana Bean location. They have been open for weekday lunch and weekend brunch for two weeks, but as of Tuesday 3rd November they will be open for dinner until 8pm.

I waited to write about Skillet until I had been there a couple of times and by the joy of eating with friends I have sampled a large proportion of the menu. I have also established that my initial reaction was not a fluke. Everything has been at worst good and at best excellent. As the menu will be driven by the availability of seasonal ingredients (the owners are supplied directly by several farms), the menu will vary on a weekly or daily basis with some staples. The menu is available on the website and you can call orders in advance. Here’s a teaser.

A few things to know about Skillet. You order from the counter and your food will be brought to you, similar to Northstar but without the number, as the restaurant only seats twenty. It is thus hoped that a large proportion of the business will be take out. Something I loved – there is a discount for two-wheel customers. Another thing you should know in advance is that you will be torn between telling everyone you know about it, and keeping it a secret for yourself.

Pumpkin and black bean soup with roasted pepitas

Ordering at the large window not only gives you an insight into the goings on in the kitchen, but also allows you to chat to the chefs (when they aren’t too busy) and makes it easy to ask questions (and get answers) about the dishes and ingredients. The chefs certainly aren’t afraid of fat or garlic and while there are some vegetarian options, this is a small proportion of the menu.

Shredded apple and farmer's cheese pancakes with rum raisin sauce

My favorite dishes so far have been the toasted sandwiches – the porchetta (I think I was sold on the wild fennel pollen) and the braised beef short rib with smoked gouda on grilled brioche. The beef was tender and rich, the fried peppers were spicy and the cheese smoky all offset by the light crispy brioche. I added some of the apple horseradish sour cream and the effect was to make my lunch companion jealous.

Braised beef short rib and organic smoked gouda

Don’t neglect the side dishes. One of the gems of the menu is the crispy fingerling potatoes with burnt ends. Irresistible. Also at the moment they have pan roasted beets with goats cheese and almonds and they have some great breads. If you are lucky there might even be some homemade jam.

The lunch menu is sandwich focused but the dinner menu will have some specific dinner entrees. I can’t wait to see what they come up with. Skillet is a great addition to the German Village and Columbus restaurant scene.

3 Comments

Filed under Breakfast, Columbus, restaurants, soup

Tags: german village, skillet

October 29, 2009

Ark of Taste Tasting at The Hills Market

When Jill Moorhead, the Marketing Director for The Hills Market suggested holding an Ark of Taste tasting event at the store, I don’t think she had any idea what she was letting herself in for. The US Ark of Taste is a catalogue of over 200 foods in danger of extinction, and not surprisingly things in danger of extinction aren’t easy to track down. You can read about Jill’s scavenger hunt on the blog Itinerant Foodies.

To qualify for the US Ark of Taste, food products must be:

Outstanding in terms of taste—as defined in the context of local traditions and uses.
At risk biologically or as culinary traditions.
Sustainably produced.
Culturally or historically linked to a specific region, locality, ethnicity or traditional production practice.
Produced in limited quantities, by farms or by small-scale processing companies.

While some of the foods came from such far corners of the country as Vermont, California, Minnesota and Hawaii, many of the ingredients were grown or produced locally. Most of the fresh produce came from the local Wayward Seed Farm. The choice of foods was based partly on availability and transportable and also with a view to what Hills customers might be interested in purchasing in future. Here is the list of foods that we tasted.

Souse – aka Hog’s Head Cheese (Thurn’s, Columbus, Ohio)
Pure Cider Jelly and boiled cider (Woods Cider Mill, Springfield, Vermont)
Jimmy Nardello sweet Italian frying pepper (pickled) (Wayward Seed Farm)
A flight of American artisinal sauerkrauts (Hawthorne Valley Farms, Ghent, NY).
Amish paste tomato (made into soup) (Wayward Seed Farm)
Hawaiian Alaea sea salt,
Gilfeather turnip – roasted with Tupelo honey
Green mountain potatoes – roasted with Tupelo honey
Early blood beets – roasted with Tupelo honey
Tupelo honey (Florida and Georgia)
Manoomin wild rice (Callaway, Minnesota)
Green striped cushaw squash(Sycamore Farm, Piqua, Ohio) – cooked with boiled cider
Pawpaw ice cream (Jeni’s Ice Creams, Columbus, Ohio)
Ground Cherries (Wayward Seed Farm)
Pawpaw autumn harvest chutney (Albany, Ohio)

Jill also managed to procure two Ark of Taste wines (Hitching Post Pinks & Duxoup Charbono) and a non-alcoholic Ark of Taste drink called ’shrub’ which is a colonial era drink made of fruit, vinegar and sugar by Tait Farm Foods in Centre Hall, PA. It comes in a variety of flavors and can also be used in cooking.

ark_wines

Each of the foods has an interesting history and associated food traditions and we were provided with information about each food. For each item we were asked to give feedback on whether we would want to eat it again, or whether we could understand why it was facing extinction. There was certainly a lot of discussion.

ark_taste

Clockwise from top left: Alaea traditional Hawaiian table salt (the color is from red volcanic clay), Jimmy Nardello pepper with souse, cider jelly and ramp crackers, the Gilfeather turnip from Wayward Seed, and the flight of artisanal sauerkrauts.

Wild rice is the only native grain to North America and this was one of the popular dishes. It was a light brown color and different to many of the more commercial wild rices. The pawpaw ice cream, which was served as a float with ginger shrub was also popular.

We are extremely grateful to Jill for such a great idea and for all of her hard work and persistence in tracking down Ark of Taste foods. She was assisted by Jen Burroway, the chef at the Hills Market, who was challenged with coming up with creative uses for all of the varied and not necessarily compatible ingredients.

Ground cherries

More information about these Ark of Taste foods and many more are available on the Ark of Taste website. You can also nominate foods to join the Ark.

1 Comment

Filed under hills market, slow food, special events

Tags: ark of taste

October 28, 2009

Last call for Clark’s Chicken

Reputed to be one of the best places for fried chicken in the state of Ohio, Clark’s is a 91 year old institution, but if you want a taste of their traditional comfort food, you only have four days left. Clark’s will close their doors for the last time on Sunday evening, November 1st. If you are a fan of fried chicken, have been meaning to visit Clark’s, or if you want a taste of nostalgia, put it to the top of your to-do list now.

Clark’s is found about an hour east of Columbus, on old route 40 in Jacksontown and very close to Dawes Arboretum. Chances are you will have to wait, maybe a long time. A lot of people want a taste of iron skillet fried chicken while they still can. On our visits there the wait was anything from 45 minutes to an hour and 45. The menu is simple: chicken, steak or ham. You get a full dinner served family style with a choice of salad, coleslaw or apple sauce to start, mashed potato, gravy and vegetables, followed by pie. While there are other choices, it is really all about the chicken. Four pieces per person of salty, crispy skin with tender steamy chicken underneath.

Everything at Clark’s is made from scratch each morning – they section the whole chickens, peel and mash the potatoes and bake every kind of pie you can think of. It’s not unknown for them to sell out before closing time.

I mentioned pies and the day we visited there were 14 on offer. My favorite (although I admit to only trying a couple) – and one of the most popular was the chocolate cream pie. Hell, what’s a few more calories after a plate full of fried chicken.

clarkes_pie

I first heard about Clark’s on a bike ride out to Dawes Arboretum. After a chilly 28 mile ride we were ravenous and when one of the group suggested a fried chicken place nearby we didn’t hesitate. Unfortunately, when we arrived the line was out the door and we didn’t have time to stick out the 45 minute wait. It is pretty rare that a restaurant has that long a wait at 2pm on a saturday and my curiosity was piqued. I started googling and found out:

a) that Clark’s is claimed to have the best fried chicken in Ohio.
b) that Clark’s was about to close.

You won’t be surprised that I dragged my friends back there the next day. We were prepared for the wait but on sunday it was even longer: almost 2 hours. Our patience and determination were rewarded – when others left the line and we were seated within an hour.

Is it the best in Ohio? It certainly was good although I can’t say I have sampled enough to judge. Restaurants come and go, but it is sad when somewhere with as much history as Clark’s is forced to close. It is obvious that it will be missed, and not just in Jacksontown.

4 Comments

Filed under Ohio, restaurants

Tags: clark's chicken, fried chicken, jacksontown, pie

October 27, 2009

Cupcake Craze Columbus

2009 has been the year of the cupcake in Columbus and while the cupcake bubble may have burst nationally, Columbus is bucking the trend. The Dispatch first reported the growing Columbus cupcake trend in 2007 but this year has seen two Cupcake Camps and sales of cupcakes booming. 2009 has also seen the opening of Sugar Inc Cupcakes in Dublin and two new stores for Bakery Gingham.

The Cupcake Podcast has just gone live – so make (or buy) some cupcakes, have a cup of tea and sit down for a few minutes to meet some Columbus cupcake enthusiasts and find out why everyone loves cupcakes so much. We interviewed Amanda Ellis from Bakery Gingham and some of the organizers, judges and participants from Cupcake Camp Columbus, including Jennie Scheinback from Pattycake Bakery.

The Revenge of the Cupcake Camp Columbus was held on October 10th at the North Market. There were around 40 different cupcakes made by 24 bakers and the categories were: harvest, halloween, vegan, Ohio pride, best decorated and best North Market inspired. The early afternoon venue allowed for pre-gaming.

My favorite cupcake was the winner of the Best North Market inspired category. It was Oishii Yoshi cupcake made by Stacie Sells of Little Darlin’ cupcakes. Inspired by Nida’s sushi, it was white chocolate wasabi with sake soaked plum and sesame seeds. Sounds bizarre, tasted divine. No overdone piles of frosting, not too sweet and subtle flavors that left you guessing.

The winner of the best decorated category was the Frostop root beer float cupcake.

The harvest category featured a lot of pumpkin, zucchini and apples, which with the halloween category lent a very seasonal feel to the event. The interpretations and variety were really fun.

cupcake_camp

The next cupcake camp is planned for February – so it will be interesting to see what seasonal categories there are. There are a lot of creative people in Columbus. You can follow Cupcake Camp on twitter and there is a flickr group where you can see photos from both of the 2009 cupcake camps.

2 Comments

Filed under Columbus, North Market, competition, foodcast, special events

Tags: bakery gingham, Columbus, cupcake, cupcake camp, pattycake bakery

October 24, 2009

Pattycake Bakery and Wine Pairing at Hills Market

One of the great things about the Hills Market is that you can get Jeni’s ice cream, Pistacia Vera and Pattycake Bakery goodies all under one roof. Add that they are licensed to sell liquor and that they have a great cheese selection and you don’t need any more reasons to go. This event was the same formula as the Pistacia Vera tasting I went to in February: delicious desserts, some interesting wine pairings and enough sugar to leave you twitching. The difference was that Pattycake desserts are all cholesterol free…. make without any dairy or eggs.

Jennie Scheinbach the owner of Pattycake Bakery gave an overview of Pattycake Bakery and introduced each dessert with a brief description, playing down their vegan credentials to such a degree that anyone unfamiliar with Pattycake might never have known that everything they were eating was free of animal products.

The evening was a family affair as Jennie’s Dad is a wine distributor with Natural State Wines and he collaborated with the Hills wine director Constance Begue on the wine pairings.

We started with a pineapple right side up cupcake paired with a very inexpensive Australian sparkling wine (De Bortoli Brut $10.99). The cupcake and bubbly gave a celebratory feel to the event and it seemed like a rendition of ‘happy birthday’ wouldn’t be out of place. As cupcakes go this wasn’t too sweet as most of the sweetness comes from pineapple juice. It was topped with a pineapple chip and the proverbial ‘cherry on the cake’. Next was an almond sesame banana whoopie pie paired with more fizz – this time a sparkling sake. The Moon River sparkling sake comes in a bright blue bottle and apparently is the first sparkling sake available in the US. I enjoyed it and thought that it would make a great cocktail ingredient. Whoopie pies are a Pennsylvania Dutch treat and Pattycake make them in a variety of flavors. This one was slightly reminiscent of banana bread with some added texture from the sesame seeds.

The next course was one of my favorite pairings. ‘Betty’s Apple Cake’ with cashew coconut whipped cream and a cream sherry to drink. I’m not sure if Jennie explained who Betty is, but the cake was delicious and the cream sherry a great match for the autumnal spices. I think it would be good with other cakes too. I heard someone suggest that the cream looked like hummus, which it did in color. It tasted very different though, light and sweet and nutty and while I wouldn’t forgo real cream, it would be great for both vegans and dairy allergies.

By dessert number 4 I was glad I had ridden my bike up to Hills! It was chocolate time – a dessert called XO (hugs and kisses). Most of the desserts we had are only available on special order but XO are regularly on sale at Hills. This warm chocolate brownie-like creation was served with a silky smooth soy ice cream and paired with a sparkling Italian red wine (Casali Rosa di Rosa). Sweet but still refreshing it went well with the chocolate and I would certainly have accepted a second glass. Anyone skeptical of vegan desserts could be won over by this one.

The final dessert was a sweet potato pie with praline pecan topping and it was accompanied by a vintage character port. This was probably my least favorite sweet of the evening. I think it is hard to make a vegan pastry that can match up to a traditional one. Result: good for vegans – but not for butter lovers. I might steal the pecan praline idea for my pumpkin pie though!

If you haven’t tried any of Pattycake Bakery’s offerings I recommend visiting either their Clintonville store, or picking up some of their delectables at The Hills Market. You can also find them at some local coffee shops. Here’s something that’s fun: buy some of their tollhouse cookies, feed them to the most stalwart carnivore you know and then enjoy telling them that they just enjoyed something vegan. Be warned, they may not believe you.

Hills have a fun event coming up on November 12th: A dinner featuring the entire Thanksgiving spread from the final issue of Gourmet Magazine, with wine, for only $35. They also have regular wine and cheese tasting and beer tastings.

1 Comment

Filed under Columbus, hills market, special events

Tags: Columbus, hills market, pattycake bakery, vegan

October 23, 2009

Taste & Create: Pakoras

I read about Taste & Create last month on Columbus Foodie’s blog and thought that it sounded like a fun idea. Bloggers are paired up and have to make a recipe they choose from the other’s blog. I was excited to be paired with Bombay Foodie as I love Indian food but rarely cook it at home. Reading through the archives of Bombay Foodie make me nostalgic for the three months I spent in Northern India in 2000. I didn’t go to Bombay, but the diwali sweets, paranthas and pakoras brought back happy memories.

I was tempted by lots of recipes but it was the pakoras that most captured me:

The only thing I ever feel like eating when it rains are pakoras and chai. Vegetables, most likely onions and potatoes but sometimes paneer, dipped in a gramflour batter and deep fried. Warm and crisp – the most perfect antidote to grey skies there is.

We have had a lot of rainy days recently – and what better excuse to make some delicious deep fried food. I needed a little more guidance on the batter and so I turned to the authority on Indian cooking Madhur Jaffrey. I have a copy of ‘The Essential Madhur Jaffrey‘ and I would highly recommend any of her books. If you haven’t heard of her before, she is an actress and food writer and here is an NPR interview with her.

pakoras

I decided to make potato and onion pakoras. I found gram flour (aka besan, aka chickpea flour) at Flavors of India at the North Market and was surprised (but pleased) to see that it comes from Ontario. Surprised because I had never thought about where chickpeas grow and pleased because I have a soft spot for Ontario. Madhur Jaffrey’s batter recipe also called for salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper, baking soda, black pepper and cumin. It also takes a lot of oil – 2.5 to 3 inches deep – for my pan that was over 3 liters and I had to make an emergency dash to the grocery store for more oil.

These pakoras were different to the ones we had when I was travelling in India. I think the batter there was thicker and the pakoras were made of small pieces of mixed vegetables fried in clusters. These ones were very similar to the potato pakoras that we used to take-out from an Indian sweet shop – Natraj- in South Harrow near my parents house.

I was pleased with the results, a thin layer of tender potato inside a crispy, subtly spiced shell. I sliced the potato with a mandolin and sliced the onions by hand. The batter was really simple and you can use a drop of the batter to test the oil temperature. When it rises to the surface immediately and sizzles, it is time to get frying. Pakoras are a great snack or appetizer to share with friends. Simple to make (just keep a close eye on the hot oil) but something a little bit different and chutneys make a nice variation to the banal salsas and hummus.

I made two different chutneys, also from ‘The Essential Madhur Jaffrey’: fresh green chutney with coriander leaves and yoghurt and fresh mint chutney with fruit. The latter was an excellent way to use up some of the mint from my garden. It is mixed with an apple, an orange, some lemon juice and green chillies. Easy, fresh tasting and tangy. The fresh green chutney was the more popular with my guests. It is also really simple: fresh coriander, green chilli, yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, pepper and toasted cumin seeds.

Thanks Bombay Foodie and Taste & Create, I am inspired to make some more Indian food at home, but maybe first I’ll pop to the Banana Leaf for lunch!

3 Comments

Filed under North Market, Taste & Create, Vegetarian, blogging, recipes

Tags: besan, bombay foodie, indian food, pakoras, Taste & Create

Hungrywoolf’s Food blog

November 9, 2009

Library Love

November 4, 2009

Crunchy Winter Salad

November 3, 2009

Bacon, leek and cheese stuffed potatoes

November 3, 2009

Ham and Cheese Scones

October 31, 2009

Skillet

October 29, 2009

Ark of Taste Tasting at The Hills Market

October 28, 2009

Last call for Clark’s Chicken

October 27, 2009

Cupcake Craze Columbus

October 24, 2009

Pattycake Bakery and Wine Pairing at Hills Market

October 23, 2009

Taste & Create: Pakoras

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