Blueberry-Habenero Jam: The Bounty of Summer with a Mean Kick

Blueberry – Habenero Jam

Yield:  approximately 5 pint or 10 1/2 pint jars

It has been much too long since my last post.  Finishing my dissertation was first on my priority list.  I must admit, despite the protest of distractors, that I thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of writing my thesis.  Yes, there were times when I felt defeated, incapable, and terribly confused, but as a whole, having the time to concentrate on one thing, to think hard on a topic that is so important, was amazing, and the privilege of having this time is not lost on me.

It is height of summer, and I just spent two weeks in Oregon, where beautiful berries grow so plentifully, that they are easy to take for granted.  But, returning to Illinois, I found myself missing them.  Alas, they are not the same having to be shipped hundreds or even thousands of miles to my local store.  Yesterday, I stumbled upon a stash of local berries, so I decided to run with the inspiration I had at the Portland Farmer's Market.  An aside on the PDX market....it makes me cry.  It's true.  Real tears.  The organic, locally grown fruits and vegetables lovingly and artfully placed in carefully arranged baskets; the handmade pastries, preserves, and cheeses made by the clearly-passionate sellers; and the abundant, brilliantly arranged flowers put a taste in my mouth of both melancholy and sheer joy at the same time.  Melancholy because Central Illinois is so woefully incomparable to Oregon, and, joyous because of the sheer beauty of all this labor of love.

Back to jam.  At the market, I tasted a virtual cornucopia of jams.  One theme of the jams I found at the Portland market was that of peppers. I found them in combination with most everything.  Growing up, my mother made the most beautiful red pepper jelly.  I recall the many hours it would take her to hand chop beautiful red peppers. I recall the taste of the peppers and vinegar in contrast to the sweetness of the sugar.  I loved this jelly and make it each year in my mother's honor.  These jams I tasted at the market reminded me of my mother's jelly, so I decided to combine her recipe with the inspiration of the fruited jellies of the market.  What follows is a recipe for a most interesting and firey concoction.  It's sweet, like a jam.  It smells and tastes of beautiful, fresh blueberries, but it has a smoky kick to it from the chiles, that is backgrounded by a hint of sourness from the vinegar.  Though not unbearably hot, this jam is spicy.  I had it this morning on some homemade whole wheat bread with butter.  I loved it.  I can also imagine it being served with a cheese plate, or as my mother would serve her pepper jelly, spooned atop cream cheese to be eaten with water crackers.  I'd love to hear what others do with it!  

Jam may seem intimidating, but this one is easy.  It is a great starter jam.  If you are worried about the heat, you can add fewer chiles, or you can strain them out before adding the cooking liquid to the blueberries.  Whatever you do, make sure you are wearing gloves when working with the chiles, remove the seeds and chop them very finely.  Big chunks would be unpleasant in this recipe.

Ingredients:

5 cups blueberries, picked through and well washed

1 cup white wine vinegar, divided

1 ½ cup water, divided

6 habenero chiles, seeded and finely minced

5 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 oz. pectin

Directions:

If you are going to can this jam, you will need to sterilize 5 or 10 1/2 pint jars.  You can do this by boiling a large pot of water and submerging the jars for 10 minutes.  Also sterilize 10 new lids and screwtops in the same manner.  Combine chiles, ¾ cup vinegar and ½  cup water.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, add blueberries, sugar, ¼ cup vinegar, 1 cup water, and salt in a large, heavy bottomed pot.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Skim off any foam that rises.  Add the pepper mixture to the blueberries and carefully taste to make sure the sugar, vinegar, salt ratio is right.  It will be spicy, so be careful, this is not for the faint of heart.  If needed, add sugar, salt or vinegar to your liking.  Let this simmer another 5 minutes or so.  Add the pectin*, stirring with a whisk to make sure it is all blended in well.  Bring to a boil for one minute. Bring your large canning pot filled with enough water to cover the jars (when full—think displacement) by about one inch back up to the boil Spoon the jam into the jars leaving about ¼ inch of space between the jam and the top of the jar (this is called “head space”).  Wipe the jar lid free of any drips with a damp paper towel.  Screw on the lid (but not super tightly).  Repeat until you have no more jam.  Place the jars carefully in the boiling water and continue to boil for 5 -10 minutes (five will be fine if the jam was just off the boil).  Remove the jars. Let them sit until you see that the centers of the lids have been vacuumed to the jar (you’ll see an indent).  At this point, you can remove the screw tops part, wipe them off, label them with a scull and crossbones and the date (month and year) and put them up for a later date.  I hope you enjoy this fun process!

* This is a lot of pectin and makes a very firm jam. If you like your jams to be more runny, what I recommend is that when you add the smaller amount of pectin (start with 2 ounces), put a tablespoon in a small glass that is filled with ice and water.  After the one minute, remove the spoon and drop a few dribbles of jam on it.  It will cool quickly and you can see what the consistency will be.  If needed, you can add more pectin at this point and again, boil it for a minute, then repeat the testing process until you get the consistency you prefer.

Special Tiramisu: rich, creamy, and delicious

For a party today, Darren and I made tiramisu, as we were asked to bring a dessert.  Tiramisu is a wonderful party dessert as it is beautiful, delicious, easy to serve, and relatively easy to make.  This is no ordinary tiramisu, though, it is particularly beautiful,and delicious.  With 3 different liquors and homemade espresso, this tiramisu is a definate 'pick me up'.  If you want to make this recipe in a trifle dish, it will be particularly beautiful as you can see each of the beautiful layers through the sides of the glass. It can also be made in a baking dish.  This amount will serve 10-16 people.

Chocolate Decoration Directions:
Melt 1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 second interval until the chocolate is melted.  Let this cool for a few minutes.  Drizzle the chocolate onto a piece of waxed paper in a decorative fashion. Let this sit to harden while you make the rest of the tiramisu. (or, alternatively, just sprinkle the top of your completed tiramisu with cocoa powder).

Custard Ingredients:

2/3 cups water

2 tablespoons cup dark rum

2 tablespoons brandy

6 large egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese 

2 cups chilled whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Finishing Ingredients:

1 cup espresso

7 tablespoons Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 6.15-ounce or four 3.5-ounce boxes Champagne biscuits or Boudoirs (about 60 crisp ladyfinger cookies)

Custard Directions:

Whisk 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup rum, 3 tablespoons brandy, yolks, and nutmeg in metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk constantly until mixture thickens and candy thermometer inserted into mixture registers 140°F for 3 minutes, about 5 minutes total. Remove bowl from over water. Whisk mascarpone, 1 container at a time, into warm custard until blended.

Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream, vanilla, 1 tablespoon brandy, and 1 teaspoon rum in large bowl until cream holds peaks. Fold in cream cheese mixture.

Finishing Directions:
Add 2 tablespoons sugar to the espresso while it is hot; stir to dissolve. Mix in liqueur and cream. Submerge 1 biscuit in espresso mixture, turning to coat twice; shake excess liquid back into pan. Place dipped biscuit, sugared side facing out, around bottom side of 14-cup trifle dish, pressing against side of dish (biscuit may break). Repeat with enough biscuits to go around bottom sides of dish once. Dip more biscuits and arrange over bottom of dish to cover.

Spoon 2 cups mascarpone mixture over biscuits; spread to cover. Sprinkle 1/4 cup ground chocolate over, making chocolate visible at sides of dish. Repeat with more biscuits dipped into espresso mixture, mascarpone mixture, and ground chocolate in 2 more layers each. Cover with 1 more layer of dipped biscuits and enough mascarpone mixture to reach top of trifle dish. Sprinkle remaining ground chocolate over, covering completely. Cover and chill overnight.

Decorate the top of the tiramisu with the chocolate decorations.  (Can be made 8 hours ahead; chill.)

Tomato, Basil, Raviolini Soup: Not your typical Tomato Soup

Years ago, I had this soup in some cafe.  I loved it so that I did some research knowing it was not homemade, and I found that it was from a company that sold frozen, concentrated soups.  I was able to purchase the concentrate, but because it was sold to institutions, it came in a package size that was impossible to deal with.  PLUS, what a better opportunity to challenge my own culinary skills!  I have been attempting to make this brothy tomato soup for several years, and this summer, I had a breakthrough.  This soup is not like typical tomato soups. It is not pureed, nor does it contain cream. It is only slightly thick, but is absolutely one of my favorites with a spicy kick from red chili flakes and basil.  This soup is best made during the summer due to the need for roasted tomatoes.  What I do is to take my tomato seconds from the garden and roast them up with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, at 350 for about an hour until they are soft and browning. I then put them through a food mill.  This is the key to this recipe.  It gives a depth to this soup you cannot get without the roasting.

This soup can be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients for Roasted Tomatoes
3 lbs. tomatoes
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Directions for Roasted Tomatoes
Wash the tomatoes and remove the stem.  Place tomatoes on a cookie sheet and toss with oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in 350 degree oven for about an hour until skins have popped and turned black in spots. Put through a food mill (or processor then strainer).  Yield will vary based on tomatoes.  Extra can be used in soup or frozen for next batch.

Ingredients for soup
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. crushed red chili flakes
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 c. roasted tomatoes (pureed)
1-28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (not in puree), broken into small (about 1/2'') pieces
1 qt. homemade chicken (or vegetable) broth
2 c. water
1 T. white wine vinegar
3-4 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. basil, chiffonade
1 1/2 c. raviolini

Directions for Soup
Heat oil in heavy bottomed dutch oven.  Add chili flakes, bay leaf, and onions.  Sauté until onions are softened, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Add roasted tomatoes, whole can of broken up tomatoes and juice, broth, and water.  Bring to a boil, lower heat, then simmer for 1 hour. After 1/2 hour, bring large pot of water to a boil.  Add 1 T. salt and cook raviolini until thoroughly done (not al dente).  Drain pasta.  Taste soup.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add vinegar.  Mix 3 T. cornstarch and water.  Add to soup.  Soup should thicken slightly, but not be thick. If needed, mix the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water and add to make the soup a bit more thick, depending on taste.  Add the raviolini to the soup along with the basil.  Serve and enjoy!

Peach Cobbler: A Taste of Southern Summer

Imagine this....Denver in June.  Days are dry and hot, evenings, stormy.  Last night, I made the sides for a boneless leg of lamb my brother, Amir, lovingly cooked on the his grill for Darren and I, his wife, Renee, their friend, Mark, and Darren's sister, Sandra, who was in from a conference from Boston.  Along with this boneless roast I made the most decadent of potatoes gratin with gorgonzola and fontina cheese, roasted asparagus with thinly sliced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and a splash of 18 year old balsamic vinegar, and these delicious popovers.  For dessert, to end this feast, we had this peach cobbler.  This recipe is a hi-bred.  The recipe for the peaches themselves come from Cooks Illustrated. I liked the fact that they suggested macerating the peaches as oftentimes, peach cobbler I have had has been too runny.  The topping is an altering of a recipe I found on Food Network's site.  I lessened the amount of sugar in the recipe overall, particularly in the crust, and further added to the crunch by adding unrefined sugar (such as Turbanado) to the top before baking. I also cut back a bit on the amount of butter.   The result was sublime.  This amount served 6 with leftovers, but remember, this was after a pretty decadent feast.  I served the cobbler with a dollop of whipped cream that was scented with a bit of sugar and vanilla.

Darren suggests having a small layer of crust on the bottom of the cobbler.  If you like that kind of thing, make 1 1/2 times the crust, put 1/3 of the resulting dough into the bottom of the buttered dish, pressing it down firmly before adding the peaches.  Top with the remaining crust and bake as described below.

Peach Cobbler

SERVES 6-8

INGREDIENTS

Filling  

                 

2 ½ lb. peaches, ripe but firm (about 6-7 medium)

¼ c. sugar

1 t. cornstarch

1 T. lemon juice                                    

½ t. cinnamon (optional)

¼ t. table salt

                                   

Topping

1/3 cup sugar plus ¼ c. raw sugar for sprinkling

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch dice

1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel peaches (if firm, with a peeler, if soft, by plunging in boiling water for 30 seconds then into ice water) and cut in half.  If you are using cling peaches, you’ll need to cut the flesh off the pit.  If using no cling peaches, take a spoon and scoop out the spiky flesh that attaches to the peach pit.  Cut each half into 4 slices.  Put the peach slices in a medium bowl with ¼ c. sugar (or more to taste).  Let this rest for ½ hour.  After ½ hour, pour the peaches into a colander that is in a bowl and mix ¼ cup of the drained juices with the cornstarch, lemon juice, and if desired, cinnamon. Pour peaches into a lightly buttered 8 x 8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.  In medium mixing bowl, mix 1/3 c. sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter it is incorporated and add beaten egg. Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over fruit, covering all exposed fruit. Sprinkle on raw sugar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden.  I would suggest you bake your cobbler on a baking sheet lined with foil to protect your oven in case of a spillover.  Serve with whipped cream scented with a bit of sugar and vanilla, or vanilla ice cream.

Big Bowl of Fabulousness: Beans and Rice on Steroids

I had a dish similar to this one in Portland at one of the food trucks on 11th Avenue. I knew when I got my bowl that it was going to make me happy.  The characteristic smell of beans and rice, perfumed with lemon and garlic, and ohhhhh, the olives!  The bowl I had I think was called the "Big Bowl", and it had brown rice, black beans, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, cheddar cheese and green olives on it. This was topped with a bright yellow sauce that was reminiscent of a hummus, but more lemony, and rich tasting.  A dollop of yogurt and a splash of salsa finished it off.  I was in heaven, I tell you. Heaven.  After some sleuthing, I found out that the sauce, which was the magical part of this concoction, was a Tali sauce, so I did some research and some tweaking, and came up with this Tali sauce recipe. I also added feta for the salty edge it imparts and for its pairing with the olives.

This bowl of fabulousness is my favorite take to work lunch.  It can be served at room temperature or even cold. Warning though.....the garlic scent that will waft through your workspace may send vampires running.  This is one of those dishes that you'll return to again and again, and, you won't feel badly doing so.  Try it.  I think you'll like it.

Big Bowl of Fabulousness

Serves 8

2 cups uncooked long-grain brown rice

1 lb. beans (or 4 cans)

2 cups Greek yogurt

Salad Ingredients

1 English cucumber, large diced

1 medium sweet onion, finely diced

2/3 c. green olives, sliced

11/2  c. feta cheese

¼ c. chopped cilantro

1 lb. tomatoes, large diced

Tali Sauce

1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 c cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 c cooked soybeans
4 garlic cloves
1/2 c water
1/2 c lemon juice
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp ascorbic acid or citric acid

Directions for Beans and Rice: 

Soak beans overnight.  Drain and cook beans at a simmer in a heavy bottomed pot.  Water level should be about 2-3 inches above beans.  Add water as needed.  When beans are tender, drain and salt them.

About 1 ½ hours before serving, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Boil 3 ½ cups of water.  Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with 2 t. oil and sprinkle on 2 t. kosher salt and 2 c. rice.  When water is at a full boil, add it to the baking dish and cover the dish with 2 layers of foil.  Be sure to cover tightly to prevent steam from escaping.  Bake at 375 for one hour and five minutes or until rice is tender.  Let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes.  Remove foil and fluff with a fork.

Directions for Tali Sauce:
Combine oil, almonds, beans, and garlic in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and puree until completely smooth.

Directions for Serving:

Make a salad with the vegetables and feta.

Serve by placing rice and beans in a bowl.  Top with some of the Tali sauce fabulousness.  Top that with the salad and a dollop of yogurt. You may want to consider adding some salsa to the top too, but hey, I’m just crazy that way.

Enjoy!

Ghee: A step above clarified butter

If you've never made ghee, you need to, and I'm not just talking about for Indian food.  Yes, you can buy it, but why?  Why!  Once you make this clarified butter on steroids, you'll always want some in your fridge.  Imagine clarified butter that can be used at any temperature that tastes and smells nutty......You can use it for anything, but I simply love to fry eggs in it.  YUM!  And, it's easy!

Ghee
Place one (or more) pound of good quality unsalted  butter in a heavy bottomed pot.  Turn the heat to medium low.  As the butter melts, you will find foam rising to the top.  Skim off as much of this foam from the top as possible and discard (these are the milk solids).  Some will fall to the bottom.  Leave them alone. Over the course of about 45 minutes to 1 hour, you will start to see that these solids on the bottom of the pot have turned golden brown and when you smell the butter, it will smell distinctly nutty.  Besides skimming, you need do nothing until this point.  At this point, strain the butter and put into a storage container with a tight fitting lid, such as a jar.  Enjoy on nearly anything!

Dahl Makhani: A rich, delicious lentil dish

Dal Makhani

Serves 10-12 as side dish, 8-10 as main dish with rice

1 cups black urad dal (black whole dahl)

1/2 cup rajma or red kidney deans


½ cup channa dahl

½ cup chick peas

1 green cardamom


1 teaspoon cumin seeds


2 green chillie pepper
s

3 tablespoons ghee


1/2 onion, chopped


3 cups Makhani Masala, recipe below

2 or more cups water from the drained beans

3/4 cup cream


salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine the two dahls.  Wash them and soak for at least 8 hours in cold water.  Combine the two beans together, wash and soak in cold water for at least 8 hours.  After soaking, drain, rinse, and cook the two batches separately in enough water to cover two times, until they are soft (times may vary between the two batches).  Keep in cooking water and set aside.

While the beans cook, make the makhani masala (or make in advance--recipe below).

Remove the cardamon seeds from the pods.  Place them in a hot heavy bottomed pan and toast them along with cumin seeds until they release their fragrance (should take just a few seconds).  Finely chop the green chillie peppers. 

In a deep, thick bottomed pot or dutch oven heat the ghee or oil. Add the cardamom, cumin seeds and the slit hot green chili peppers. After 30 seconds, add the onions, and cook them at medium heat until they are clear and soft. Add all of the drained beans (reserving liquid) and salt. Stir them together with the ghee or oil and the spices and cook for about 5 minutes at med-high heat.

Add in the Makhani Masala (recipe below). Stir everything together until the lentils/beans are well-coated with the sauce. Add water from the beans to make a soupy consistency.  Simmer the sauce at medium heat for about 20-40 minutes while stirring once in a while.  You want to cook this until the beans are slightly thickened.

Stir in the cream in the pot. Lower the heat. Cover, and cook for another 15 minutes.  Taste for salt and add as needed.

Makhani Masala/ (yields about 4 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup ginger paste


1/4 cup garlic paste


1 stick of cinnamon


4 black cardamom, seeds removed from pods

2 green cardamom, seeds removed from pods


1 tsp fenugreek or methi seeds


1 Tbsp kasoori/kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves


5-6  cups puréed fresh tomatoes (or 1 lg. (28 oz.) and one small can (14 oz.) whole tomatoes pureed in blender)


2 tsp red chili powder (optional)


1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder


Salt to taste


2 hot green peppers slit (optional)


1/4 cup melted butter or ghee

INSTRUCTIONS:

Crush the cinnamon and cardamom together (I used a coffee grinder), and set aside. Make a paste of the ginger and garlic (I use a food processor for this job).

Heat butter, ghee, or olive oil  & add cinnamon, cardamom and fenugreek seeds. Once the seeds start to sizzle, add ginger garlic paste, salt, chillie powder and stir and fry till ghee for 1 minute.

Add tomato purée, green chili, cinnamon powder and kasuri methi.

Cook/simmer and reduce the tomato sauce, till done or when the fat and the spice mix/masala leaves the sides of the pan and the oil separates. Make sure to half-cover the pan as the sauce will bubble and splatter.  Add heavy cream and milk. Boil/simmer for about 10 minutes.

Saag Paneer: Creamy greens with delicious fried cheese

Saag Paneer

Serves 12-15 as a side dish, 6-8 as a main dish

paneer made from 3 quarts whole milk, cut into ½ inch pieces (or you can buy paneer and cube it)

oil for frying cheese

2 lbs. spinach (not baby), washed, trimmed, and chopped

1/2 c. water

2 T. ghee (or olive oil, but really, use ghee)

2 green chiles (can use serranoes), seeded and finely chopped

1 1/2 inch piece ginger, ground to a paste

2 cloves garlic, ground to a paste

2 T. ground coriander

1 t. turmeric

2 t. ground cumin

1 t. ground fenugreek (or methi)

1/2 t. red pepper

2 lbs. other greens (mustard, beet, kale, swiss chard, etc.), stems removed and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 t. garam masala (see Hyderabadi garam masala recipe, or buy some at the Indian Market)

salt to taste

1/2 c. cream

Directions:

To make paneer, bring milk to a boil on medium heat in a heavy gage pan.  Once it begins to boil, add 2 T. white vinegar. The milk should immediately begin to separate. If it does not, add another tablespoon of vinegar.  Cook curds on low for 10 minutes, stirring very gently.  Pour liquid into 3 layers of cheesecloth in a colander.  Let drain for 10 minutes.  Gather sides of cheesecloth and let hang for 1 hour over a bowl.  Press cheese in cloth with a weight to remove more water for 1 hour.  Cut into cubes.  Shallow fry the cubes of cheese until they are lightly golden brown.  Do this on medium heat and turn as needed to fry on at least 2 sides.  Drain and set aside.

Cook spinach in water until slightly limp.  Cool and then puree in a blender.  Set aside.

Saute green chiles in ghee until softened.  Add garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute.  Add spices and cook an additional minute.  Add leftover greens and 1/2 cup water.  Cook until greens are soft, about 20 minutes.  Add the pureed spinach and fried paneer.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Add garam masala and taste for salt.

Raita: A cooling, simple yogurt relish

Raita
Makes 5 cups (enough for 20 people)

1 quart yogurt, drained through a coffee filter for 1 hour

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 English Cucumbers, finely chopped, lightly salted and drained for 1 hour

½  cup chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, pasted

½ t. red pepper powder

Directions: after having drained the cucumbers, combine all ingredients and refrigerate.

Tomato Chutney: A delicious, spicy, and versatile accompaniment for most anything

This dish is unlike the chutneys you might be used to. It is not sweet, but rather very flavorful and spicy.  Feel free to adjust the amount of red pepper.  This recipe makes a spicy chutney that is an amazing accompaniment to any Indian dish. I also love it on toast with yogurt or just with basmati rice and a good Greek style yogurt or Labna.


Tomato Chutney

4 lbs tomatoes (canned are ok, in which case, 3 large (28 oz.) cans whole peeled tomatoes)

2 lbs. onions, thinly sliced

3 green chiles, finely chopped

2 T. ground ginger

1 ½  T. ground garlic

1 T. black mustard seeds

1 t. cayenne

3 T. ground coriander

1 1/2 T. cumin seeds, ground

¾  t. salt (to taste)

4 T. ghee

Heat oil until nearly smoking.  Add mustard seeds.  When they pop, add thinly sliced onions.  Cook until golden.  Add ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add spices and cook 2 minutes, stirring.

Add tomatoes.  Cook for a few hours on low, adding water as needed.  Cook until the chutney is thick.  Serve hot or cold.

Murchi Ka Saalan: A very hot and flavorful pepper curry

Mirchi ka Saalan

(Hot Pepper Curry: Hyderabadi Style)

(Adapted From: P. Karan:  Hyderabadi Cuisine)

Serve 10-12 as a side dish 

½ lb. long green chillies (can use serranoes) slit in half, seeds and stems removed

2 red peppers

2 green peppers

6 anaheim peppers

2 onions, medium (10-12 oz), cut into 4-6 pieces each

1” piece (about 1 Tablespoon) ginger

5-6 garlic cloves (about 2 Tablespoons) skinned removed

1 tbs coriander seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

3 tbs sesame seeds

¼ cup peanuts

1½ tsp white poppy seeds

2 tbs desiccated unsweetened coconut

¼ tsp fenugreek seeds

¼ tsp turmeric powder

I tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp jaggery (gur or natural cane sugar)

75 gm seedless tamarind or 3 tbs of Concentrated Cooking Tamarind (from Thailand)

6 curry leaves

1 cup oil

Salt to taste

Wash green chillies, cut in half and remove seeds and stems. Cut all peppers (after seeding) into 1-2 inch pieces.

     

Soak seedless tamarind pulp in one cup of warm water. Mash and sieve to get tamarind water. As an alternate use 3tbs of Concentrated Cooking Tamarind dissolved in ½ cup of warm water.

Roast the onions on a griddle till they soften and turn a pale golden brown (or place them in the broiler and broil until lightly charred on all sides).

Dry roast together over medium heat coriander seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, poppy seeds, coconut and the fenugreek seeds till they darken lightly and start  emitting aroma.

Grind together the roasted onions and spices along with ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, and jaggery into a fine paste. Mix with tamarind water.

Heat oil.  Fry all of the chillies in small batches until they have golden brown spots.  Remove to a colander to drain off excess oil.  

After all of the chilles have been fried, remove all oil except for 3 tablespoons (approximately).  Add curry leaves to the oil and after a few seconds add ground spices mixed in with tamarind water. Cook for 10 minutes and then add the fried green chillies. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add little water while cooking, in desired. Cook until the consistency of this dish is slightly on the thick side (about 20 minutes).

Serve this dish by spooning thick sauce over the peppers.