Crispy Okra Salad

Apart from the obvious love and hate stance people take with okra/ochroe, there is a middle ground. The middle ground is where you find those people who would eat okra only if it is prepared in specific ways and in specific dishes. For example, my best friend will eat okra in Cornmeal Cou-cou but not in any other dish. This dish of Crispy Fried Okra is one of the many ways in which some in the middle would eat okra because there is none of the inherent slime/gooeyness present.

This salad is best eaten fresh for optimum crisp soon after it is made, however, when I first had it a few years ago, I had some leftover which I refrigerated. I love okra so it did not bother me that the crispness would not be there the following day. I placed the remaining salad atop slices of roast pork sandwiched between slices of artisan-style bread (think coleslaw). It was so good. On another occasion I had it with dhal and rice. Simply delicious.

Here is the recipe.

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Barbados @ 50 - Pickled Breadfruit

Pickled breadfruit is a favorite with many if not all Barbadians. This dish of boiled breadfruit, generously doused in a brine made of the juice of fresh local limes or lemons, cucumbers, hot peppers, parsley and onions, is mostly served with weekend Pudding & Souse. However, it can be served as a side dish just as you would potato salad.

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Guyana @ 50 - Roti

In Guyana we make several types of roti(s), and though the influence is from India, we have definitely put our stamp on this favourite flat bread with the use of leavening agents such as powder and yeast, depending on the type of roti made. We also mostly use all-purpose flour for our roti(s) even though wholewheat roti(s), especially sada are increasingly popular.

Our roti(s) are plain such as our Paratha or Dosti roti or they can be stuffed as is the case with our Dhal Puri and Aloo (potato) roti. Potato roti is one of those roti(s) that is meant to be eaten on its own due to the savoury spiced filling of mashed potatoes.

The photograph of this the 31st day of the Guyana @ 50 Food Photo Project shows potato roti being cooked on a tawah.

Potato Roti Cooking ©Cynthia Nelson

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Guyana @ 50 - Boil 'N Fry

"Boil 'N Fry" is a two-step cooking method employed in Guyana to cook a variety of dishes, especially ground provisions (root vegetables). The vegetables are peeled, cut into large chunks or left whole and boiled in salted water. Once drained, they are fried (sautéed) with aromatics and fresh herbs such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, thyme, celery, parsley and hot peppers.When cooked this way, root vegetables are enjoyed as breakfast, lunch or dinner meals. They often are, and can be eaten alone, or be accompanied by meat or seafood dishes. Fried "sautéed" salt fish is a regular accompaniment.

Boil 'N Fry Cassava ©Cynthia Nelson

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Guyana @ 50 - Seven Curry

One of the many pleasures of living in a multicultural society is the access to, and participation, that one enjoys in many settings, especially at festivals and on special occasions.

Eating a vegetarian meal in big, broad water lily leaves at a Hindu wedding or Pooja connects you with the multifaceted food culture of the land. No cutlery, just you, eating from a natural vessel that you balance in the palm of one hand while expertly mixing the food with the other and transporting it, without spilling, to your mouth.

This type of meal is referred to as 7-curry because 7 different 'curries' are made to be eaten with rice. Some people consider dhal/dal to be one of the curries while others don't. Either way, it is an outstanding meal.

7-Curry ©Cynthia Nelson

7-Curry generally comprises a combination of the following:

• Pumpkin
• Spinach/callaloo
• Eggplant & eddoes
• Potatoes or Potatoes & channa (chick peas)
• Katahar/breadnut/chatagine
• Mangoes
• Achar

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Breadfruit 'Tostones'

Tostones are twice fried green plantains and are very popular in Latin American cuisine. I love plantains in all stages - green, turning, ripe and over ripe - and making tostones is one of my favourite ways to enjoy green plantains.

Last year, while watching Andrew Zimmern visit St. Croix (one of the US Virgin Islands) on his show Bizarre Foods, a family with South American roots prepared a feast at their home. Among the many things they made were pickled green bananas and breadfruit tostones. While I use breadfruit to make many things from breads to puddings, to chips, to curry, I had never thought of twice frying them in the form of tostones. Since watching that episode I have been making breadfruit tostones often. Shhh, don't let the green plantains know, but I think that I might secretly love the breadfruit tostones more than the traditional plantain tostones! Whhaaaat?

The breadfruit tostones stay tender when cooled to room temperature unlike the green plantain tostones. The green plantain tostones when made should be eaten immediately if not they become a little dry and chewy.

To make breadfruit tostones, start by getting yourself a nice full, heavy breadfruit, peel, core it, cut into wedges and then into large chunks. Meanwhile heat some oil in a frying pan for shallow frying - the oil should come up about 1/2 inch in the pan.

Fry the breadfruit in batches until golden and the outside is firm. Transfer them to a cutting board or work surface and use a heavy pan such as a cast iron skillet or some other thing that is heavy with a flat surface. Press down on the hot, fried breadfruit to smash it. Repeat until all are smashed.

Working in batches, fry the smashed breadfruit in the same heated oil until golden and crisp on the outside. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt immediately when you remove them from the pan. Serve as a snack or side dish. If serving as a snack, condiments such as pepper sauce, hot sauce, ketchup and mayo will work but honestly, they are good on their own. If I make this in the evening, I eat it without condiments along with a big cup of tea.

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Yellow. Sweet. Exquisite.

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Breakfast SWEET POTATOES

These little bite-size roasted sweet potatoes are a treat - at breakfast, as a snack or as a side dish. Most of the times when I make them this way, I serve them in place of English breakfast potatoes.

The 'recipe' is a no-brainer.

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Take out a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with a neutral-flavoured oil.
• Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes, pat them dry and then cut into 1-inch cubes/pieces. 
• It is not necessary to season these sweet potatoes, you can cook them as is but I like to give them a little spice so I use a favorite all-purpose seasoning mix that already has in a little salt. Sprinkle with seasoning and toss well.
• Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle some oil over the sweet potatoes and roast for 25 - 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven, let cool for 5 - 10 minutes in pan before removing and serving.

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Back With a Favourite Breakfast

It was not like me to disappear unannounced but it happened and I apologise. It was one of those situations where you missed a scheduled posting and then it stretched into a longer period of time. I ditched Facebook and Twitter for the same period of time too. I ain't gonna lie, though I missed you, I enjoyed being away :-)) But I am back and slowly getting into the rhythm of blogging again.

The MY FOOD Project has been ongoing behind the scenes but the interviews will continue to be posted effective from next week Wednesday.

Today I am sharing with you one of my all-time favourite ground provisions - cassava (aka yucca). This is the veggie version, it can also be cooked with salt fish. Yum! This method of preparation is called 'boil & fry'. The cassava is first peeled and boiled then 'fried' really meaning a sauté. I did something a little different  this time around - I let the tomatoes cook low and slow until they became pulpy and sauce like. I also wanted the flavour of garlic to be more pronounced so instead of crushing and finely chopping, I grated the garlic making it a paste. Add it (the garlic paste) the same time with the tomatoes so that it can cook through well. The recipe is here, just leave out the salt fish.

Talk to you again, soon!

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Calamansi-Soy Roast Potatoes

The first time I discovered calamansi limes was purely by accident. It was about 25 years ago back home in Guyana. I went to the market and among the things I bought that day were limes. I was pleasantly surprised later in the day when I cut into the limes to find the insides a deep, orange colour and very juicy. It was sweet and tart at the same time and the fragrant aroma was like a combination of tangerine, orange and lime. Back then I used it to make drink and with seafood but never ventured to do anything else with the calamansi.

I couldn't remember the vendor from whom I had purchased the calamansi limes but every time I went to the market I kept hoping that I'd be able to find them again. I never did. The only other times I would get calamansi is when I'd buy at farmers' markets overseas.

A little over a month ago, on one of my regular trips to the market here in Barbados, and one of my farmer friends gave me a few limes he said that his neighbour gave him. I came home and cut open the limes and was overjoyed when I saw the bright, fruity orange colour. This time I knew I was going to put the calamansi to use in savoury preparations.

First, I baked chicken that I had marinated overnight with calamansi juice, soy sauce, garlic and minced hot pepper (I'll share those pics with you soon) and then on another occasion I made these Calamansi-Soy Sauce Roast Potatoes. The flavour was wonderfully savoury and more than anything else, the colour of the potatoes from the calamansi juice made the roast potatoes extremely attractive. Wouldn't you agree?

There is nothing exacting about what I did, therefore it is not like a "formal" recipe. Here's what to do.

1. Start by squeezing the juice from a few of the calamansi limes and strain it to remove the pulp, however, rub the pulp against the sieve to extract the extra juice.
2. Pour the juice into a large cup a small bowl. Add regular soy sauce and taste the sauce as you go along. It is a really something that you make to suit your taste. The flavour should be savoury and citrus-y. Whisk the two ingredients together along with a little pepper sauce. Set aside to meld.
3. Scrub some potatoes. I prefer a russet/Idaho potato for this dish. A floury potatoes works best. When you're done scrubbing the potatoes, steam them for 12 - 15 minutes or until you can insert a knife with some resistance. Think of it as the potatoes being just about half-cooked. You can also cook the potatoes by peeling and parboiling them.
4. While the potatoes are steaming, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
5. When the potatoes are done steaming, using a thick cloth kitchen towel to shield your hand, quickly peel the potatoes. Slice them into quarters or large chunks and add them to a large bowl. Pour enough of the calamansi-soy sauce over the potatoes to coat them well and toss gently to mix and coat. You want to do this when the potatoes are hot so that they can start to absorb the marinade.
6. Drizzle a cast iron skillet with oil to coat the entire surface. Transfer the potatoes and any residual marinade from the bowl (do not add extra) to the pan and spread the potatoes out in an even layer. Drizzle the top of the potatoes with oil and put the pan in the oven.
7. Roast the potatoes for 25 minutes then remove the pan, flip the potatoes over and roast for another 25 minutes or until the outside of the potatoes are crusty.
8. Serve as a side dish.

Calamansi limes play an influential role in Filipino cuisine. Read about other uses and benefits of the limes here.

The first blog that I learnt about real Filipino home cooking, was my friend Marvin's Burnt Lumpia. That man can do some things with pork - from nose to tail! Two other outstanding Filipino food blogs from which I continue to learn and thoroughly enjoy are CASA Veneracion and Jun-Blog. Check them out!

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A Guyanese Twist To A Bajan Favourite

Rice and Peas is a staple that is served at every Barbadian (Bajan) meal of lunch or dinner. In Guyana it is plain-cooked rice or roti and elsewhere in the Caribbean some other form of peas with rice or boiled ground provisions. Rice and Peas is the starch component of the meal. It is always served with some type of meat or seafood cooked with a sauce or gravy. Even when the meat is roasted, gravy is always prepared separately to serve along with the Rice and Peas. On Sundays, that is generally stewed lamb.

Rice and Peas is rice cooked with Pigeon Peas (dried or fresh). While Rice and Peas can be made with other dried or fresh peas/beans, it is not called Rice and Peas. It would then be rice and whatever beans/peas it is cooked with. For example, rice and black-eye peas, rice and split peas (it would be identified by the colour of the split peas), rice and kidney beans… you get the drift.

For the MY FOOD Project, one of the questions I ask first generation Caribbean people living abroad is to identify a dish from the country they now live in that they have taken and made their own. In other words, a dish that they have fused or converted in some way, either by the method used to cook it, a technique, the way the ingredients are cut etc. If you recall, from the most recent MY FOOD interview, Michele Eastmond - a Barbadian living in London - has Bajan-ized the British Fish & Chips by seasoning the fish the way it would be done here in Barbados. The preparation for the fish would also include a cleansing ritual of rubbing the fish with lime and salt and then seasoning the fish with herbs.

Regardless of where you are from, can you think of any dish that you have placed your stamp on to make it your own, to suit your taste or the style of cooking of your country? Please share in the comments below.

In my case, I have put a Guyanese twist to Bajan Rice and Peas. I do it in a number of ways - by the rice I make the dish with, the liquid used to cook the Rice and Peas and finally by the initial cooking of the dish.

While each household in Barbados has it own way of cooking this everyday staple, it is generally made by first soaking the peas overnight, chopping up onions, gathering a few sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 - 3 pieces of salt-meat (either pig tails of salted beef). Parboiled rice is the rice of choice in Barbados.

1. The soaked peas is rinsed a couple of times and added to a pot along with the salt meat and water, and brought to a boil, a little baking powder is added to aid in the peas cooking quickly. 
2. The rice is washed a few times and then added to the pot along with the onions and thyme. Some people add in a fresh bay leaf for extra flavour. 
3. The ingredients are mixed together, enough water is added to cooke the rice and the peas. The pot is brought to a boil on high heat and then the heat is lowered (pot covered) and left to cook for a period of time until all the liquid has dried out. A pat or two of butter may be added to the rice just before the heat is lowered. Nice!

Personally, the only time I like sauce or gravy with my food is when a dish is specifically made that way and it is meant to be consumed that way. Therefore, I do not like Rice and Peas that I then have to ladle gravy onto, so I decided to make my Rice and Peas differently. I wanted my Rice and Peas to be able to stand on its own. So here is what I do. Here is my Guyanese twist.

• I soak my peas overnight too but I also soak my salt meat overnight in boiling water to remove the excess salt. This method allows me to put in a few more pieces of the meat.
• I cook my rice and peas with onions and thyme too, however, I sauté the onions, thyme and salted meat for a period of time, to gently infuse the oil. When I remember, I pluck a fresh bay leaf and drop it into the pot.
• The peas is then added to the sautéed ingredients along with a little boiling water and pressure-cooked for exactly 6 minutes (time beginning from the first whistle). I want the peas to be cooked through but not mushy. And I like a lot of peas in my rice!
• The rice is washed (I flip-flop between long grain white rice and parboiled rice for my rice and peas) and added to the pot along with a measured amount of coconut milk (usually fresh) to cook the dish.
• Everything gets mixed together and I taste for seasoning. Sometimes I may add a little salt if the salt meat proved to not provide enough along with a few grinds of fresh black pepper.
• A couple more sprigs of fresh thyme is added and some Guyanese wiri-wiri pepper. The pot is brought to a boil and then left to simmer, covered, until all the liquid has evaporated. I don't usually put in any butter because there is gloss, shine and flavour from the coconut milk.

Rice and Peas is a meal by itself. Whenever I travel and return home to Barbados, it is the first thing I make. It has become a taste of home for me, a combined home-taste of Guyana and Barbados.

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Boil 'em, Smash 'em, Roast 'em

Taters... remember Samwise Gamgee in The Lord Of The Rings (Two Towers), when he talked about taters...? Po-tay-toes! He stresses to Gollum, "boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew...". Like Samwise, I too love some taters.

I wanted to do something different with the potatoes for Sunday lunch and this is what I did.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. A cast iron skillet works great for this but any oven-proof pan would do. Let the pan get really hot. 
2. Season the potatoes with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt (remember you would have cooked the potatoes in salted water; skip the salt if it is not necessary).
3. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, drizzle all over with oil, add potatoes and press in to the pan to sear.
4. Return pan with potatoes to the oven.

Get a closer look at the crust

Seasonings/Flavourings

• Instead of oil, you can use the drippings from your roast.
• Toss and add chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano or marjoram to the potatoes.
• Roasted garlic.

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No-Grilling just Fire-roasting

You don't need a grill to get this charred, smoky, fire-roasted corn but you do need some gas. A gas stove that is. I roasted these sweet fresh corn right on my stove top. If you want to make things a little more manageable, then you can get yourself a stove-top grate to which you can add sliced onions, lemons etc.

With corn this fresh and this sweet, I roast it and serve it just as is; no pepper, so salt, no lemon, no butter, no cheese. So good.

Enjoy!

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Fresh Tomba Sauce

Got yah didn't I? Tomba Sauce? (smile) Tom = tomato, ba=basil

So, how's the New Year been treating you so far? Very well I hope.

College re-opened today so it's back to work. I really do like the Semester system! I stretched out on the lounge chair in the patio as I watched others scramble to get themselves back to work on January 3rd. My best friend, Susan had to travel back to Seattle on New Year's Day! My mom spent a few extra days with me and then returned to Guyana this past Friday.

This time of the year in the Caribbean is absolutely perfect. It's our version of "winter". The days are sunny and bright but the breeze is constant and cool. The nights are nippy enough for you to pull the sheet up to your neck and the mornings are dark and lure you to sleep in. Pure bliss.

One of the nice things about living in a tropical climate is that you get certain things all year round even if you have to pay a few more dollars because it is not in abundance. However, these cherry tomatoes, I bought back in October and made some fresh tomato and basil sauce then, that I am now sharing with you. We all strive to use the freshest and best quality ingredients at all times but more so when making something with few ingredients and in a state as fresh as this sauce. You want only the best.

This sauce is rustic. You want to make it using a mortar and pestle - wooden, granite or whatever you have. Or, take a bowl and a muddler and have at it. Sure you can use a food processor or blender but if you do then it becomes a homogenous, non-discript mass. It will lose its character.

Use it on pasta, use it as a chunky dip, ladle it lavishly over some toasted bread and let the bread soak up all the juices. Boil some ground provisions and pour this sauce over it. Fry a piece of fish and douse it in this sauce or... there are lots of things you can do with this sauce. There's really no recipe, but I do appreciate that some people need to be told quantities and directions.

FRESH TOMBA (TOMATO-BASIL) SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

1 pound fresh cherry tomatoes (if using other tomatoes, chop them roughly)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup torn basil leaves (use more if you like)

Salt to taste (use sea salt if you have)

1/2 teaspoon minced hot pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil (use your favourite)

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all of the ingredients except the oil into the mortar and mash, squishing the tomatoes and mixing it with the other ingredients. It does not have to be completely smooth.
2. Add the olive and stir in vigorously into the mixture. Taste for seasoning (salt) and adjust if necessary.

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Fragrant & Nutty - Stir Fry Cabbage

I'm sure that like me, you try to eat seasonally too. The thing is that sometimes things can be in such abundance that you run out of ideas how to prepare them. We're always trying to come up with ways to make the familiar a little different, if not, we can find ourselves eating the same dish over and over again.

In Indo-Caribbean cooking, infused oils are used to chunkay (tadka) certain dishes such as dhal and a variety of choka(s). Using the same principle of a chunkay, I made this stir fry cabbage. The toasted coconut on top, well, that was thrown in because I had some remaining from another dish I was making. It all came together nicely. Crisp cabbage, fragrant with oil toasted garlic, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Nutty with toasted coconut.

Stir-fry Cabbage with Infused Oil

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons oil, divided (1 Tbsp and 2 Tbsp respectively)
• 1 pound shredded cabbage
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 chili, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 6 - 8 curry leaves (optional)
• 1/4 cups freshly grated coconut, toasted

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat pan until very hot; add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl it in pan.
2. Add the cabbage and toss for 1 - 2 minutes. Season with salt and set aside (keep warm)
3. Add remaining oil in a small frying pan and heat. Toss in mustard seeds, as soon as they begin to pop, add chili and garlic, cook until the edges of the garlic start to colour slightly then add curry leaves, cook for 30 seconds.
4. Pour oil with aromatics over the cabbage and toss to mix.
5. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve as a side dish.

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Boil & Fry: A Caribbean-cooking technique

Boil & Fry is a two-step method of cooking that is used in certain countries in the Caribbean. It is very popular in my birth country, Guyana, particularly when cooking ground provisions. The boiling is self-explanatory but the "frying" really refers to a saute. Read more about Boil & Fry here.

Of all the ground provisions that can be boiled and fried, cassava and green plantains are my favourites. They work great for a savoury breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Sometimes I like my boil and fry plain - meaning just the cassava or plantain with lots of onions, herbs and tomatoes and sometimes I prefer the deluxe version. The deluxe version for me is when my "fry" includes salt fish. So good!

Fried (sauteed) salt fish or smoked herring are two much-loved side dishes that accompany many ground provision meals and they work great with boil and fry.

Boil & Fry Cassava with Salt Fish

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds cassava
• Water
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup diced onions
• Minced hot pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (thyme, marjoram, parsley)
• 1 heaped cup flaked, de-salted salt fish (you can use smoked herring too)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions (white & green parts)

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel cassava, cut into large pieces and put into pot with water that covers the cassava. Cover the pot, place on high heat and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, add salt to taste.
2. Cook cassava until it cracks and a knife inserts easily. Drain, shaking off excess water.
3. Heat oil in a pan until very hot.
4. Add onions and saute for 1 minute; add hot pepper, tomatoes, garlic, herbs and salt to taste. Saute for 2 minutes.
5. Add salt fish and toss to mix and let cook for 1 minute.
6. Add cassava, reduce heat to medium low and toss with salt fish and aromatics to ensure that the cassava is properly coated.
7. Let cook for 4 - 5 minutes.
8. Sprinkle and stir in green onions, remove pan from heat and serve as is.
9. If the boil and fry was made plain, serve with sauteed salt fish, smoked herring, fried fish or serve as is.

NOTE

You can make this recipe using green plantains, sweet potatoes, yams, eddoes or a combination of ground provisions.

Enjoy!

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Guide to Frying Ripe Plantains

Frying ripe plantains can seem an elusive task for many, particularly if you are not familiar with this vegetable/fruit. There are certain basic things that once understood will always lead to successfully frying ripe plantains. The first of course is choosing the plantain. I've prepared a guide here that I am sure you will find useful. It also discusses, the pan, the oil and heat needed to create these pleasurable bites.

For a step-by-step photographic demonstration, look here. Be sure to click on the images to enlarge them so that you have see more details. And here's the recipe.

I hope everyone is having a good week.

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Cassava (Yuca) Fries & Book Signing Pics

It seems as if I am in the mood for fries these days. The one saving grace is that I have been making fries with ground provisions. Last week it was Sweet Potatoes and this week it is Cassava (Yuca). I'd had cassava chips before - the cassava sliced thinly and fried like crisps. This is the first time I've had them like this - thick fries (though I've heard of it so often).

I love cassava, and so having it this way was exciting. It gives a whole new meaning to the term "boil and fry". In Guyana when we talk of a "boil and fry" we are referring to ground provisions that are boiled and then sauteed with aromatics such as onions, garlic, fresh herbs and tomatoes.

Making these cassava (yuca) fries is easy.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs cassava

Oil for deep frying

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel cassava, cut into 4 inch pieces, lengthways. Put cassava into a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, add salt to taste; boil until cassava is fork tender. Drain well.
2. When cassava is cooled completely, cut into half lengthways; remove the stem from the middle. Cut the halved cassava into thick cut strips.
3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan until smoking hot. Working in batches, fry cassava until gently browned, sprinkle with black pepper immediately when finished cooking. Serve warm. You can opt to add a sprinkling of salt.

This week I will be heading to Trinidad to promote my book. There will be a book launch on April 1 at Normandie Hotel and then on Saturday, April 2, a book signing at Nigel R. Khan Bookstore - West Mall Branch.

Speaking of book signings, here are some photographs of the book signing that took place last Saturday on behalf of Cloister Bookstore here in Barbados. There was another book signing on Wednesday at the University of the West Indies - Cave Hill campus. I'll post those pics when I return from Trinidad.

As a result of my travels, I will not post next week but I'll be back to posting the following weekend. Until then, do be good to yourself and have a great weekend and a productive week.

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Missing in Action

I know. I know. The weekend came and went and not a peep out of me on this blog. I'll be honest with you, I was too tired to post.

I have a bone to pick with techie people. Ever so often as the technology advances they change things and tout that it is improved and better, but you know what? It is improved and better for them because they are so savvy with the technical stuff. They fail to realize that the majority of us that actually use the products and programs they create may not be wise-cracking-technophiles like them! So what they think is easy is not really easy for the rest of us. What they think is intuitive is not necessarily so. We, unlike them do not work and function in a high-tech environment like they do all the time, day in and day out; we go to it when we need it. It really ticks me off when they mess with the damn things so much than rather than help or make life easy for the user it ends up frustrating and angering us.

End of rant.

Apart from the whole technology thing, I've been busy coordinating with my publishers and the organizers of my upcoming book signing and book launch in Guyana that is slated for this weekend.

The book signing is on Saturday, Feb 19 at Austin's Book Services from 10.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the book launch is on Sunday, February 20 at Herdmanston Lodge at 10 a.m. If you read this blog and you live in Guyana or have relatives and friends there, please share the information with them.

I'll try to take as many photographs as I can, to share with you. In the mean time, you can feast on some pasta and basil pesto, and for a twist to things, chop up some sweet ripe tomatoes and toss it on top. That's the kind of fast food I've been having these days.

I'll post next weekend, until then, do be good.

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Red Lentil Kofta(s)

Always in search of new ways to use familiar ingredients, I was delighted to discover Red Lentil Kofta, which according to my friend, Burcu, is one of the most popular appetizers of Turkish cuisine.

When shopping, I pick up at least 4 packets of red lentils because they cook up so easily and quickly and I can make a lot the things with them. For example, one of my favourites is red lentils cooked with rice, we call it split pea and rice. You can make dhal, phulourie (split pea fritter), soups etc. What I like most of all is that no overnight soaking is necessary!

The traditional Red Lentil Kofta recipe calls for red lentils and bulgur wheat but I rarely have bulgur wheat in my pantry, so instead, I used couscous and it turned out great.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 14 - 16

1 cup red lentils (masoor dal)

2 cups water

1/2 cup couscous

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/3 cup canola oil, plus more if needed

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 cup finely minced onion

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

Minced hot pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided equally

1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin

2 stalks green onions thinly sliced (white & green parts)

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and drain lentils. Add to a sauce pot with water and bring to a boil until the lentils are cooked and most of the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and add couscous, salt, and lemon juice and stir to mix. Cover and set aside.
2. Add oil to a pan and place on medium low heat. Add tomato paste and let saute for 1 minute then add onions, garlic, hot pepper, half of the cilantro and cumin. Let saute on low heat until everything is softened. You do not want the mixture to develop a colour other than what is there naturally.
3. Remove sauteed aromatics from heat and stir in green onions and remaining cilantro.
4. Add sauteed mixture to the lentils and couscous and mix well to incorporate.
5. Take about 3 - 4 tablespoons of the mixture at a time, and form into koftas - form into a ball and then gently roll lengthways.
6. Serve as is or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

The soup series on About.com continues... this week, check out on twist to a traditional Chicken Noodle Soup. Be warned, this is not your mama's chicken noodle soup :)

Have a productive week everyone!

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