Kheema

This is an Indian/Pakistani meat dish and it's really, really easy and doesn't take long to prepare (no marinating, I promise). You have the option of making it more gravy-like (a saalan) if you want to serve it over rice, but I make this quite thick as my husband likes to eat it with naan. I say that as though I make this every week when in reality this was the second time I've made this. Here is what you will need:

~ 1 pound ground beef (or lamb)

1/2 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch chuck of fresh ginger, chopped or run through a microplane

1-2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage (optional)

green chilis, chopped (to taste)

spoon of spices: turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala

bay leaf

1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

1/4 peas (optional)

Sautee the onion in a little oil, then add the garlic and ginger, let the smell strengthen.

Then toss in the tomatoes, let them cook down a little, then add the cabbage, chili, spices, bay leaf, let everything cook down for several minutes.

Then add the meat, salt, pepper, let cook for a few minutes. I add some red wine and allow the meat to aborb it, but you could also add water to create a gravy (1 cup). The last step is to fold in some fresh coriander and some frozen peas.

Burmese Kaukswe

Pronounced "cow-sway" this traditional Burmese dish was adopted by my family generations before me. It's an incredible combination of textures and flavors that utterly explodes in your mouth. Next to her biryani, it's my favorite dish my mother prepares. It's a mound of noodles in a smooth, rich, coconut curry broth, topped with tender, savory meat in a thick gravy. It doesn't end there, an array of toppings to chose from include sliced fresh ginger, fresh lime, fried onions and crispy wonton noodles. It's absolute heaven and a really fun "build your own" dish that is great for casual entertaining.

Here is what you will need:

Cooked linguini (or spaghetti)

Coconut curry broth (recipe below)

Meat (recipe below) this can be chicken or beef (or use seitan for vegetarians!)

Toppings:

chopped cilantro

green chili

chopped hard boiled eggs

sliced fresh ginger

fresh lime or lemon wedges to squeeze over top

crispy wonton noodles

fried onions

Obviously, a lot of these toppings are optional depending on what you like or dislike. You can find packets of fried onions at the Indian grocery store - I absolutely love having them around, and store them in the fridge. I add them to rice sometimes, a lot of meat dishes, top burgers or steaks with them.

Coconut curry broth

This recipe includes a great deal of short cuts. Traditionally, fresh coconuts were cut open, instead of cans, and instead of chick pea flour, freshly roasted chick peas were grinded up. I think you will find this recipe much more convenient.

Pour one can of coconut milk in pot over stove, medium setting. Pour two cans of water to thin out the broth. Add a few teaspoons of chick pea flour to some water to create a paste. Incorporate this into one last can of water and whisk well. Pour this mixture into the pot and whisk. The chick pea flour is a thickening agent. Add a generous spoon of tumeric and red chili powder. Salt generously. Cook this for a while and whisk as it thickens. It will turn into the texture of a bechamel and should coat a wooden spoon.

Meat

Marinate either chopped chicken (thigh meat) or chopped beef (stew) or seitan in ginger and garlic paste for a few hours, if possible. Toss into a large pan heated with oil. You want to sear the meat. Now add the spices - generous spoons of coriander powder, cumin powder and red chili powder. Let spices cook into the meat. Salt. Add some water to create a gravy, about 1/2 cup depending on how much meat you are cooking. Add about 1/4 of soy sauce. Sprinkle fried onions over, stir.

Kaddu Ka Halwa

This is an Indian/Pakistani dessert recipe. I highly recommend giving it a try - the results are incredible. And your guests will be amazed you made a dessert out of a vegetable. This halwa is made from squash: the Calabash gourd. You will find it at any Indian store that carries produce or the Korean/International grocery stores (Grand Mart carries it for those in the D.C. area and they call it "Indian Squash"). It's large and green and shaped like a butternut squash. My father is actually growing them and my mother made this treat fresh from the garden. Growing up, I loved eating halwa when my grandmother made it. She always put so much love into her cooking. This is her recipe.

This halwa is delicious; creamy and exotic tasting from the saffron and cardamom. The first thing you notice as a spoon hits your mouth is the silky texture, and then the flavors delight as your cheeks hug the halwa in gratitude. A small bowl satisfies me as though I just finished an ice cream sundae - it's that decadent tasting.

Here is what you do:

Shred one whole squash (leaving seeds and skin) it will be about 4 cups

Dump into a pot, cover, heat on stove on low for about 1/2 hour

You are steaming the squash as a lot of water will be released

Pour about 1 cup of whole milk and 1 cup of half and half (the shredded squash should basically be submerged in milk)

Stir, and toss in a few cardamom pods (the trick is to slightly crush them so the flavors of the seeds are released but the seeds themselves stay put in the pod)

Let this cook for about 1/2 hour

Add 1 cup sugar (approximately, depending on how sweet you like it, at this point, start tasting it)

Add a few pinches of saffron threads (Both the Indian stores and Trader Joe's carries saffron priced very low)

Add 1 tsp Bird's Custard Powder (dissolved in a little milk) This is my mother's short cut that quickly makes the halwa creamy in texture, like yogurt. You could cook the halwa for several hours instead, but to quote my mother "who has the time?"

Lastly, toss in some sliced, toasted almonds (my mother loves Trader Joe's)

Some people like putting golden raisins into the halwa, it's up to you, just toss them in last as they can curdle the milk, and plump them up in some hot water first

Serve warm, chilled, or at room temperature.

If you have any questions, simply leave a comment!

I suppose I should post this tomato curry recipe since it made it into today's Washington Post! I had submitted this recipe (my mother's) on a whim several weeks back when I read they were having a tomato recipe contest. I was so thrilled to receive an email last week from the Deputy Editor of the Food section informing me I was selected as a finalist! She mentioned it would be posted online and perhaps in print, if they had room. When I offered her a photo I never thought they would actually publish it, but they did, in print! I awoke this morning at 7:30am to my mother leaving a message on our answering machine "Meeehan, you made it in the Food section today!". That definitely just paid for our daily subscription because if I wasn't able to run out the door and open up the paper to see it with my own eyes, well, I would have been very bummed. Here is the link to the recipe and text below and here is the article on the Top Tomato Contest. One thing to note regarding the recipe - my mother adds a few fresh curry leaves for added depth. This is optional as some people do not like the flavor curry leaves provide. You can find them at your local Indian stores.

Tomato Curry

The Washington Post, August 12, 2009

Top Tomato 2009

• Course: Condiment

Summary:

This savory and satisfying curry pairs beautifully with basmati rice or paneer, tofu, grilled chicken, omelets, scrambled eggs and more. Add vegetables, such as peas, to increase its versatility.

Top Tomato 2009 finalist Mehan grew up eating the curry, a recipe of her mother's. Along with this entry, she sent a note about how her family was anxiously awaiting the tomato harvest from her vegetable garden so she could make it again this year.

The Indian spice blend panch puran may be substituted for many of the spices (typically a blend of fenugreek, fennel, cumin and mustard).

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 medium white onions, chopped (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 6 ripe tomatoes, chopped (and seeded if desired; about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Green chili pepper, such as 1/2 medium jalapeno pepper (seeded), finely chopped
• 2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt (optional)
• Light brown sugar (optional)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the mustard, fennel, fenugreek and cumin seeds. When you hear the mustard seeds pop, add the onions and cook for several minutes, stirring, until they have softened.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric, chili pepper (to taste) and the garlic. Add salt, if desired; cook uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. A rich, deep flavor will develop; it should start spicy on the tongue and finish sweet. If the tomatoes were not as sweet as you would have liked, sprinkle some brown sugar, if desired, into the curry as it cooks.

Recipe Source:

Mehan has a cooking blog at www.MehansKitchen.blogspot.com.

Polly's Peach Pie

I know, I really like this tree stump for my photographs. It sits in the sitting room of our kitchen and is a drink rest and it's right by a window so I love the natural light that it gets.

This recipe comes from my best friend, Tricia, and this pie recipe was passed on by her grandfather's cousin. The filling is deliciously gooey and has a wonderful marzipan flavor to it (from the almond extract). Peaches are exploding all over the famer's market so I was excited to put them to use. My crust came out a little on the soggy side and I found out later this was because I failed to brush the entire shell with egg wash (I brushed only the crust). My mother also suggested I precook pie crusts with moist fillings for just a few minutes. I'm such a beginner baker, and not a particularly good one. When I cook dinner I have fun, swaying through the kitchen, smelling something, feeling it needs a dash of this or a dash of that, tasting a sauce as it simmers and knowing dinner will be good. Baking is a bit stressful to me; the precision required, the fact that you have no idea how it will taste until you serve something, and that something can look gorgeous, but not taste good. Baking is the only time I have to stare at a recipe as I mix something up, and I scan it over and over and then refer back to it as I am measuring and then after I dump a cup of flour into the bowl I second guess myself "ack, was that suppose to be 1 cup or a 1/2?!" I pace the kitchen as something sits in the oven, having a stare down with the oven door. Perhaps one day I'll have the confidence of Ina Garten and be able to effortlessly throw together souffles on a Wednesday evening because I have a friend stopping by.

Polly's Peach Pie

4-5 peaches peeled and sliced

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond

1 egg beaten and 1 egg white

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 regular (not deep dish) frozen pie crust

Let pie crust thaw while preparing filling and slicing peaches. Melt butter in mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients (except peaches) and wisk together. Brush pie crust with egg white. Fill with peaches. Pour over filling. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Pie tends to "boil" over if you get it too full. Put foil under pie in oven.

This was delicious with Ben and Jerry's new "Mission to Marizpan" ice cream - sweet cream ice cream with marizpan swirls and chucks of almond cookies - yum!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I love oatmeal raisin cookies. I think they may be my favorite cookie and this was the first time I've ever baked them. Well, that's not technically true as when I was about 6 my father decided we would make them while my mother was out and I was so incredibly excited and watched him carefully follow the recipe and place the sheet of scooped out dough into the oven only to hear him exclaim five minutes later "Oh no! We forgot to put the oats in!!" so he took the half cooked dough out, scraped them back into the bowl, stirred in the oats and put them back into the oven. I think I may have started to cry. They were actually pretty good and I know my mother got a good laugh when she got home and I said "Dad forgot the oatmeal in my oatmeal raisin cookies". So back to these cookies. I teach Citizenship and if I have time, I like bringing something homemade for the students to snack on. It's a great way to bake cookies: savor a few, and then share with others (as having two dozen cookies lying around would be very dangerous). Last night was bad enough, I ate four before dinner! I found this blogger's gorgeous photo on Tastespotting and somewhat followed the recipe that was posted (which is from the Quaker Oats cylinder). I changed a few things; I used sliced almonds instead of walnuts as that is what I had lying around and I used golden raisins which I actually prefer.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Adapted from Quaker Oats

Makes 2 dozen

1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup oats, quick or old fashioned
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric beater. Add egg and vanilla, mix. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until combined. Add the oats, raisins and nuts until incorporated.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on wire rack.

Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

This salsa was such a treat. Served with freshly grilled shrimp and guacamole the reoccuring comment over dinner was "mmmph, so fresh". My friend at Salty, Sour, Spicy, Sweet inspired me to make this dish. I had been wanting to recreate some shrimp tacos for my husband since he loved them so much in Grand Cayman and when I saw this recipe I just lit up. What I like about it (aside from the amazing flavors) is if you do the prep ahead of time you can relax and simply "throw everything together" right before you want to eat. I love a meal where I am not slaving away over a hot stove right before we eat. That said, the shrimp need to be grilled, but my husband was ecstatic to fire it up for a few minutes on a weekday. I essentially followed the recipe but I added my own touch along the way. The salsa:

1 1/2 cup chopped pineapple

1/4 chopped red onion

2 tb chopped cilantro

juice from 1 lime

fresh green chilis

I prepped a whole pineapple and made about 1/2 inch slices. I grilled 5 slices on a grill pan. This was the first time I have ever grilled pineapple, actually, any fruit for that matter. It became so beautifully tender and the sweetness softens and smooths out and the outer edge becomes caramelized. I added a lot of fresh chili though it was not too spicy as these were a mild variety from my father's garden. I let this all sit for about 6 hours. The pineapple turned pinkish from the red onion, at least I hope that is why it happened.

I then prepped 1 lb of shrimp, I bought large shrimp and the easy peel kind (I've heard countless times shrimp has more flavor if you buy it with the shell on). I salt and peppered and then marinated it with some olive oil, ginger and garlic paste along with a pinch of turmeric and red chili powder. I let this also sit for about 6 hours then skewered them right before grilling. Served with a warm tortilla, fresh grilled lime and a scoop of fresh guacamole, just like Salty, Sour, Spicy, Sweet recommended, and they were delicious.

Here is how I make guacamole:

4 ripe avocadoes

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tb chopped cilantro

1-2 cloves chopped fresh garlic

fresh green chili, finely chopped

1 tb milk or half and half

salt and pepper

I love adding some milk or cream to the guacamole. Just a touch, but it really smooths it out.