LEMON RICE

Ingredients:

Cooked rice .......... 2 cups ( Can also use the left over rice)

Ginger .................. 1 tbsp. (grated)

Green chillies ....... 1-2 slit

Lime juice ............. 2-3 tbsp.

Turmeric powder ... 1/4 tsp.

Salt .......................... to taste

Oil

Tempering:

Mustard seeds ......... 1 tbsp.

Cumin seeds ............ 1 tsp.

Dry red chillies ......... 1-2

Asofoetida .................. a pinch

Curry leaves ............. 8-10

Chana dal .................. 1 tbsp. (soaked for 1-2 hrs)

Peanuts ..................... 1 tbsp.

Method:

1. Heat a little oil in a pan and add the tempering ingredients.

2. Fry till the seeds crackle and then add ginger and green chillies.

3. Mix the lime juice into the rice and add turmeric powder. Check the salt.

4. Now add the rice to the tempering and stir well.

5. Finally add the coriander leaves.

Blackberry Fools

I couldn't help myself.  My mind works like skipping stones on a lake, except, in a rather erratic pattern I must confess.  I was writing my article about New Orleans you see, and I kept reminiscing about the blackberry picking we used to do as schoolchildren.  Then, I saw this delicious recipe in a magazine sitting right next to me.  No kidding, the page had fallen open to these "Blackberry Fools".

Was the title taunting me?  Would I be a "fool" not to make this delicious concoction?  Sucker I am.  Here they are.  Low fat they are not.  How do I know?  Because I tried to whip up some half and half that I had in the fridge.  Half and half does not whip.  At all.  Darn it.  Now I was hooked.  I had to stop off at the store, buy some ridiculously high fat c-r-e-a-m and whip this up.

Worth it?

YEP!

Blackberry Fools:

1 cup of cream
1 Tbsp. confectioners sugar
1 cup of Blackberry Jam
Garnish ( I used peppermint leaves)

In your electric mixer, whip up the cream and confectioners sugar.  Fold or swirl in the blackberry jam.  Ladle carefully into your favorite glass cups.  Garnish, embellish, or fancy them up however you please!

Things That Make Me Smile

Here is an explanation of this series of posts.

Audible.com. I absolutely love my drive time now that I can listen to books. Thanks, Audible!

Baked Egg in Jacket Sweet Potato, with Chilli Lime and Coriander Butter

Besides making the garlic and herb butter, I also made a flavoured butter, this time infused with the spice of chilli and the freshness of lime zest and coriander. I had them in the fridge anyway because of the type of food I usually cook, and I really wanted to give my own special twist to the usual herb butter.

These few nights have been a mad rush for deadlines, and I haven't had much time to spend fiddling with complicated recipes or those that need me to be hands on. There's been a lot of "throw vegetables and meat and herbs into the slow cooker", and of course, "throw things into the oven". But while I may compromise on effort, I don't compromise on taste or nutrition. A baked sweet potato is simple, yet oozing with sweetness (and vitamins), and topped with an egg, and of course, that yummy butter, I've got a hearty delicious supper ready.

Baked Egg in Jacket Sweet Potato, with Chilli Lime and Coriander Butter

serves 1

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, washed and scrubbed, but skin-on

1 egg

2 coins of chilli lime and coriander butter (see below)

a bit more butter (plain)

coarse sea salt

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

2. Pat the sweet potato dry and prick all over with a fork. This allows the steam to escape and prevents it from exploding. Rub melted plain butter over the skin and season with coarse sea salt to get crispier skin.

3. Bake for about 30-45 min (depends how big your sweet potato is!), till tender. Remove, and lower the heat to about 170.

4. Cut the baked sweet potato, but not all the way. Drop one thin coin of chilli butter in so it melts into the soft sweet flesh, then crack an egg over.

Might be a good idea to transfer to an (oven-safe) dish you plan to eat from (if not already), because the egg will probably ooze all over. It's messy, but I don't really mind, I like it when the liquids (egg white, sticky sweet potato juices and spicy zesty butter) all intermingle and caramelise around the sweet potato. Alternatively, you can slice a bit off the top of the sweet potato, scoop out a bit of the flesh, then crack the egg into the hole. That'd be a lot classier, but a pretty dish wasn't really my top priority then.

5. Return to oven for about 10 min more till the egg is set. Serve with another coin of chilli butter and some lightly dressed greens.

Chilli Lime and Coriander Butter

makes 1 little log

Ingredients

1/4 block of butter

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves (i.e cilantro)

grated zest of 1/2 a lime

1 tsp chilli flakes (to taste)

sea salt (to taste)

Method

refer to my post on making your own flavoured butter!

I love this butter melted on fish (again, see previous post), but particularly on roasted root vegetables or tubers, because the spicy salty nutty melted butter just complements the concentrated sweetness of the root vegetables, and the lime zest and coriander helps to bring some freshness to counteract that stodginess.

This is part of Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, and Herbs and Flowers in my Platter- Coriander, (started by Seduce your tastebuds).

My Portfolio Website

I've been working hard this week updating my professional design website. Every 6 months I usually change it up. It really need it this time, as it was fairly outdated as far as latest projects go. Here's a screenshot of the homepage, and you can view the live version here at www.katrinagelino.com

No, It Was Because They Were Afraid Of A Tsunami In Hamburg

LOL.

Economics Minister Rainer Brüderle has said that the snap decision to temporarily shut down seven nuclear reactors in Germany in the wake of the disaster in Fukushima was motivated by campaign tactics ahead of state elections this weekend.

No, no, no, this was motivated by Science!, just like the need to stop our use of incandescent light bulbs so we can make the temperature of the Earth go down.

It's hilarious watching politicians take preposterous positions to show concern for non-existent threats.

Cheezburger of the Day

A Contemplative Moment

Find more contemplative moments on Facebook at: A Church for the Rest of Us.

GREEN MASALA CHICKEN

Ingredients:
Chicken/Mutton.........1 kg
Onions..........................3-4 (chopped)
Mint Leaves................1 cup
Coriander Leaves.......1 to 1 1/2 cups
Green Chillies.............4-5
Garlic........................... 2 pods
Tomatoes.................... 2
Yogurt......................... approx 1 cup
Coriander Powder.....1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder......1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder......1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:

1. Grind onions, green chillies, mint leaves, coriander leaves, garlic to a fine paste.

2. Heat oil. Add the ground paste and cook it for 10 minutes. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder.

3. Add the chicken/mutton. Mix well and cover and cook on low flame.
4. Add tomatoes . Cover and let it cook on sim.

5. After the meat is almost cooked, add the yogurt.
6. Mix well and simmer for a minute.

Serve with parathas or plain steamed rice

The Best (Realistic) Possible Outcome In Libya

I'm hoping that Gaddafi runs away or is removed and then we quit, ignoring whatever we leave in our wake. Originally, I was hoping we would go after Gaddafi at the start of the rebellion, sending the message that we'll support any uprising against any anti-American government. We're now involved in a surreal, Ivy League faculty lounge thought exercise of how to protect innocent civilians from the air. The best we could seem to hope for is to extricate ourselves as quickly as possible while having some kind of success to point to, claiming that was what we wanted all along.

Installing a stable, liberal democracy seems out of the question. Here's the side we're (sort of) supporting:

Go team!

New Orleans: Ma Petite Abode

The essential front porch

New Orleans.  Hurricane Katrina.  Devastation.  


So much of what is happening in Japan right now is being reflected in the hearts of the people of New Orleans.  


They feel lucky.  
They are thankful.  
They are compassionate.


We spent a wonderful Spring Break winding our way through this city of the deep South.   I was born and raised in Louisiana.  My kids have been born and raised mostly in the North.  What an incredible journey to introduce them to the cultural experience of this  historic city.


A very good childhood friend of mine lives on the beautiful Esplanade Ave. (borders the French Quarter to the east).  She arranged for us to stay in an old home that lets out rooms converted into apartments.  Nothing makes you feel like a "local" than being tucked away in a neighborhood off the French Quarter.  

Ma Petite Abode

I'm going to start a series of articles about New Orleans.  This first one will be about the neighborhoods off of Esplanade Ave.   Next, will follow:  The Food and The People

I struggle to find words to describe New Orleans.  There are too many words that define the essence here.   Every sense is engaged in absorbing this city.  Everywhere you look are scenes of yin and yang, rich and poor, beauty and destruction, grace and desperation.  


Time seemed to slow down a pace as we strolled the neighborhood streets.  The quiet that permeates the sidewalks is punctuated by neighbors chatting from porch to porch, children being walked from here to there, and the rolling of city life moving through and through.


Its very difficult to imagine what the landscape looked like after the hurricane.  I have friends and family who lost everything during that time and started their lives from scratch.  It was just very hard to imagine that story as we shuffled along the quaint, quiet streets.

A few blocks from our little home, tucked away here and there are small coffee shops, cafes, and tiny markets. Businesses are tucked away in the neighborhoods, wonderfully unobtrusive and discreet. Small family owned places gently make their presence known and leave you feeling like you have uncovered a little jewel of a find.

Walking slow is certainly advised on the sidewalks of this charming neighborhood region of New Orleans.  Huge oak trees push up the cement making for a wild bike ride along the twisty little paths.  That's a good thing too, because an excuse is sure needed to slowly meander in front of the beautiful homes oozing with charm and southern style.

Not all of New Orleans is laid back, tranquil and as blissful as this wonderful area.  The struggle to bring this great city back is heard from the hammers pounding and work trucks rolling along.  Unmistakably, however,  a can-do attitude  permeates the faces of the people on the street.  


More tomorrow, but for now, enjoy the wonderful stroll along the streets of Esplanade Ave. in New Orleans, Louisiana.