Tomatillo and Avocado dip

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By Ratna

I did not grow up with Tomatillos. Not even heard about it. Green tomatoes meant the ones that were not ripe. Things changed when I moved to Canada. I spotted these green beauties which looked like tomatoes, and did not. I mean they look exactly like the tomatoes but had a dramatic sheath or veil, if I may say so.

The picture above shows the Tomatillos, I bought the other day, from my local grocery. They were peeled, or stripped off of their veils.

Tomatillos grow in Mexico and southern United States. It has a chewy, tangy taste. Avocado on the other hand has a buttery taste.

Throw in a few choice spices, result was a wonderful smooth and tasty dip. It will go very well with Tortillas or any other chips. Not just because they rhyme. You see Tomatillos, Tortillas. They are close, wouldn’t you agree?

I enjoyed them with Corn bread. You can check the recipe here.Recipe:

Ingredients;

Tomatillos about 7 medium

Avocado 2 ripe

Ginger 1 inch, grated

Green chillies 2, optional

Lemon juice From half a lemon

Olive oil 2 Tbsps

Cilantro 1/2 cup, chopped

Salt to taste

Water If needed

Method;

Roughly chop the Tomatillos. Skin and seed the avocados. Throw all the ingredients in a blender till a smooth paste forms. You can add water if it is too dry.

Check the taste and tweak it to your liking.

Gongura chutney: Roselle chutney

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By Ratna,

It’s been snowing steady for the last couple of days. The Spruce branches bent under the weight of fresh snow, the snow covering the road signs, drive ways and roof shingles. It doesn’t matter if its spring on calendar soon, this is the Prairies. We don’t part with the parkas, boots or shovels so soon.

…The Barbara Cartland romantic novel had seen better days. Circulating between us high school teenagers, with pages having particularly juicy bits dog eared for repeated referrals. The raw calyces of Roselle tucked inside our cheeks we had the time of our life.

That was many many summers ago. With no internet, facebook or other modern day devices, reading and fantasising from romantic novels took a major part of our evenings.

Roselle ( Hibiscus Sabdariffa ) grew wild back home in India. The bright red, fleshy calyces were tangy and chewy. Dipped in a bit of chaat masala, one bite into it would reflexly squint the eye, pucker the lips followed by a mouthful of juices…

Imagine my surprise when I spotted these candied version of Roselle calyces in a supermarket in Spain. I had to have a packet no matter what.

Today I made them into a chutney. The calyces were candied, hence needed very little sweetener.

I served the chutney with some savoury pancakes.

There may be snow outside, but every bite into this chutney took me halfway across the world to a beautiful summer evening. I can even hear the nonstop, meaningless giggles of some carefree teenage girls…

Do you have a story of food that brings back memories from the past? I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a comment below. Thanks.

Recipe:

Ingredients;

Roselle calyces cut in small pieces 3 cups

Jaggery 1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp

Canola oil 1 tsp

Lime juice 1 tsp

Grated ginger 1 inch piece

Salt To taste

Water 1 cup

Method;

Heat the oil in a sauce pan on high heat. Add the mustard seeds, as soon as they start to pop, add the water and jaggery. Bring it to a boil. Throw in the calyx pieces, salt. Bring the heat down to medium and stir intermittently. Add the grated ginger. Cook till the Roselle is soft and the water is almost gone.

Squeeze in the lemon juice.

Enjoy with any Parantha ( Indian flat bread ). It can be used as a dip or even as a topping on sandwiches.

Inside Scoop;

I haven’t seen these in any local markets.

Dried organic red Roselle is available in Amazon.com

Here’s a link to Wiki about Roselle.

Sour Cherry Jam

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By Ratna

It popped. It really did.

Canning, preserving, or making jams is something I stayed away from, for the longest time. I always thought it was a very unforgiving procedure. The faliure would manifest not right away but much later, the day when you open the jar to taste the jam.

This year my sour Cherry tree prompted me to do otherwise. We had a bumper crop. We enjoyed them with squinted eyes, took them to work, to my friends and neighbour’s place. The birds had their share. We still had leftovers.

I had no other choice but to delve into the virtual world to look for recipes for Sour cherries. As soon as I let my intention and lack of experience out, at work, I got friendly advice from all quarters. ” I just saw cherry pitter was on sale at Superstore’ said one. “Whatever you do make sure the jars are bone dry”, warned another. “Bernardin” mason jars were purchased by the dozens.

My hair pulled back in a ponytail, glasses perched on my nose, I worked like a machine. The cherry pitter was put to use. Stockpots were filled with water. The counter top of my kitchen did not have any room left. Measuring cups, funnel, metal tongs, small plates for “gel test’, mounds of cherry seeds, sugar jar, squeezed lemon skin, kitchen towels and more kitchen towels, it was a scene from a crazy laboratory. My poor husband played it safe. He crossed the periphery of the kitchen a few times without saying a word.

As the last of the jam filled jars were put on the counter top, It was way beyond supper time. We sat for supper in silence, eyes fixed on the jars. Then, just then, I heard the sweetest sound. It popped. The lids were vacuum sealed . I passed! That was exactly my feeling.

Recipe: Adapted from Martha Stewart’s recipe with minor changes.

Yield: Two and a half 250 ml Mason jars.

Ingredients;

Evan’s Sour Cherries, washed and pitted Eight Cups

Sugar Four cups

Juice from one lemon

Method;

Place a round wire rack in the bottom of a large stockpot. Stand three jars on the rack. Add the lids to the pot. Fill it up with water, completely immersing the jars. Be sure to leave about two inches space from the rim of the stockpot, so that water does not overflow. Simmer at about 180 degrees, until you are ready to fill them with the jam. Place a couple small plates in the freezer.

In another medium stockpot combine the cherries, sugar and lemon juice. Bring it to a full boil. Stir frequently to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot. It took about one and half hour for this to thicken to a jam like consistency. Do the ‘gel test’ now.

Take one plate out from the freezer and put a spoonful of jam on it. Return it to the freezer. Wait for a minute and take it out. With your finger push the edge of the jam, it will wrinkle if done. If not, continue boiling and repeat the gel test until ready.

Take the jars out from the stockpot using tongs. Empty the water back in the stockpot. Similarly take the lids and screw out of the stockpot. Put a clean funnel inside the jar and fill it with jam using a ladle. Leave about half inch space from the rim. Fill all the jars. Cover the lid, sealant side down. Put the screw in firmly. Return all the filled jars back inside the water bath with the help of a tong. Make sure the filled and closed jars have about an inch of water above their lids. Let the water boil. After about 10 minutes take these jars out with the tongs. Let it sit on the counter for 24 hours. As it cools you will hear a popping sound. The bottles are now vacuum sealed.

Store them in a cool and dry place. It can be enjoyed for a year.

Inside Scoop;

I used a cherry pitter to take the seeds out. I felt I could do without it. I did need my hand anyways.

Do not throw away the seeds. It can be made into a small bean bag. Throw it in the microwave for a couple of minutes and use it as a hot pack.

Parsley and Mango topping for bruschetta

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By Ratna

“The Etruscans always built their houses on top of the hill-aa.” said Julia, always stressing the last word of the sentence such that hill sounded like hillaa. “They believed that this advantage of height would work to their favour-aa”, she nodded her head and waved her arm to make a strong point. “As we know that was not the case and the Romans defeated them in the 4th century BC-aa”.

We were on a day trip to the Tuscan countryside from Rome. Enjoying the breathtaking scenery outside was Bowni, my daughter and I. A mother-daughter trip that we meant to do for a long time finally took place. The rolling hills were covered with grapevines. The tall Cypress trees demarcating the properties. The red poppies were just starting to bloom.

Our first stop was Montepulciano a tiny medieval hill town. A steep climb to the town centre, Piazza Grande left me gasping for breath. Ektu jol kheye nao, drink some water, offered Bowni.

The Piazza Grande was dotted with a church and some wine tasting stations. Cheese made from sheep’s milk or Fromaggio Pecorino proudly displayed in the shop’s windows. The stone walls of these buildings must have so much to tell, if only they could speak.

A short drive from Montepulciano was the Poggio Il Castellare – a family run business producing wine from the locally grown grapes.

Their wine Brunello di Montalcino has remained the best wine of the region for the past few years. We had lunch in the wine cellar, large oak wine barrels, shielded from sunlight, carefully monitored for precise temperatures and humidity, serving as our background. We sampled bruschetta with different toppings, Pappa al pomodoro a tomato based dip and Pici, a locally hand made spaghetti. The green topping on one of the bruschetta made me go for seconds. Dessert was Cantucci (a type of biscotti) and a cake with prune jam topping. Shawb kichu niyechho? Have you taken all your belongings, Bowni reminded me as we were boarding the bus again.

We headed to Pienza next. Olive trees with silver coloured leaves covered the landscape. The bushy trees sitting in geometrical lines looked like the pawns on a chessboard. Julia was in animated conversation with Faustio our driver, who negotiated the tight hairpin bends sometimes with one hand causing my right foot to move reflexly as if to brake.

“We are heading back to Romaaa”, Julia announced, her curly dark hair moving with her head. “Any questions-aa ?” she enquired. Recipe ta oke jigesh kawro, ask her the recipe prompted Bowni, noticing that I really enjoyed the green topping on the bruschetta. “Parsley, mayonnaise and garlic-aa.”, Julia said in one breath.

My mind wandered back to a time which only felt like a few years ago, a time when I had to remind Bowni if she needed to drink water or use the bathroom. Why was the lunch box not empty when she came back from school or if she needed help carrying her oversized backpack to school. I held back my tears as I realized I had lost my little girl.

I gained a friend and confidante instead…

Back home a few trials later, here is a very close replica of the Parsley topping for Bruschetta that we enjoyed the other day in the pictureseque Tuscan village.

I have added a few ribbons of mango as a garnish.

Recipe:

The amount was sufficient to top about ten baguette pieces.

Ingredients;

Fresh parsley chopped One cup packed

Mayo Four Tbsps

Garlic cloves Three

Olive oil One Tbsp

Baguette One

Mango ribbons One Tbsp

Method;

Blend the parsley, garlic and mayonnaise together. Set aside.

Cut the baguette in one cm thick pieces. Heat a nonstick pan on medium. Add a Tbsp of olive oil. Arrange the baguette pieces, lightly brown both sides.

Top up with the dip, garnish with mango ribbons. Serve right away.

Inside Scoop;

I tried a few proportions of the ingredients. This one worked for me.

Aamrar tawk (Hog Plum Chutney)

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Ratna

By Ratna

The weather outside is definitely not the same as it was couple weeks ago. The leaves are changing colour. There is a chill in the air. We just finished harvesting the vegetables from our our garden. Beets, lettuce, carrots are exchanging hands in the office. Reminiscing the summer is our favourite past time now. ‘This was one of the hottest summer in a long time’. ‘I grew cucumbers and melons which hardly do well in the Prairie summer’. ‘I even have a tan like you’, boasted my caucasian friends. We all agreed time has come to say good bye to summer.

I came across these ” Aamras “, in an Indian grocery store last time I was in the city. Known as Hog plum in English, the fancy Botanical name being Spondias mombin. Many many summers ago in India I distinctly remember how excited we were to see Baba emptying Aamras from his grocery bag. Those were the days before plastic bags were in vogue. We had separate fabric bags for vegetables and fish. Smooth green on the outside resembling a guava or even a green plum it had a tough inside. We knew Ma would cook a delicious chutney with the Aamras. A bit sweet , a bit tart, just like chutneys are supposed to be. The teeth were put to good use those long summer afternoons relishing the fibrous interior.

Recipe:

Ingredients;

Aamra cut in small cubes Four fruits

Coconut grated Three Tbsp

Jaggery ( ground ) One cup

Sugar One and a half cup

Red chillies ( dried ) A couple broken into pieces.

Poppy seeds or Khus Khus Two Tbsps.

Grated ginger One tsp.

Mustard seeds One tsp

Canola Oil Half Tbsp

Method;

Wash the Aamra pieces.

In a pan take half a Tbsp of Canola oil on high heat. Add a couple of dried red chillies and a tsp of mustard seeds. Wait till the seeds splutter, then add the cut pieces of Aamra, and turn the gas down to medium. Saute for about three to four minutes. Add two cups of water. Cover and let it come to a boil.

Put the poppy seeds in a grinder and make a smooth paste. I usually dry grind it then add water to make a thick paste. Keep aside.

Add salt, sugar and jaggery now. Next throw in the ground poppy seeds paste . You will find it thickening fast. Add the ginger paste and more water only to make it to your desired consistency. Put the gas off. Garnish with grated coconut.

Enjoy it with rice or as a dip, slather it on bread to get an exotic taste.

Inside Scoop;

Store in a glass jar. Keep in the fridge. Stays well for a week.

Baba is the Bengali word for Dad.

Poppy seeds or KhusKhus is available in Indian Grocery stores. Also known as Posto in Bengali.

The measurements are to my taste. It is alright to tweak it to yours.

Cooking Sutra

Stories and Photos of Food and Family

Category Archives: Chutneys & Relishes

Tomatillo and Avocado dip

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Gongura chutney: Roselle chutney

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Sour Cherry Jam

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Parsley and Mango topping for bruschetta

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Aamrar tawk (Hog Plum Chutney)

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