Tag Archives: vegan

Tamarind Spiced Corn

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This recipe is adapted from a favorite cookbook author, Neelam Batra (1000 Indian Recipes).  You’ll find fenugreek seeds (a mustard-colored, flat and squarish whole Indian spice, pictured at right-center in the photo below) at Whole Foods or other high-quality markets, but you’ll probably need to head to an Indian grocery for jarred tamarind paste (also called tamarind concentrate).  If you live in the San Francisco Bay area you shouldn’t have any trouble locating one nearby, and the trip is well worth taking for inexpensive bulk spices, tea and unusual produce as well.

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Summer Vegetable Paella

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We’ve been compiling a list of summer cooking projects all year.  Not our ordinary fare, the summer list involves any or all of the following: complex methods that require additional research and secondary sources including calls to grandmas and other expert cooks; Google searches to translate mysterious ingredients into plain English and pinpoint local suppliers (usually unexplored ethnic or specialty markets—a side bonus); kneading; equipment that’s tucked away in the garage (and requires a stepladder to reach) or borrowed; painstaking stirring and long stretches of waiting; pastry flour; squash blossoms; stone fruit and berries; sweet treats.

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Indian-Style Baby Broccoli with Mushrooms

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Broccoli isn’t typical Indian fare, but it works well with the mix of spices.  Cook this dish quickly, with a light touch—you want the broccoli to keep it’s bright green color and crisp texture, while taking on a bit of caramelized goodness from browning in the pan.  If you don’t have mushrooms, you can leave them out, or substitute another quick-cooking vegetable such as bell peppers or carrots.

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Sautéed Succotash with Zucchini

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Succotash is an old-fashioned American dish composed of corn cooked with lima beans.  You may have seen it at a Thanksgiving buffet, happily situated along-side jello-molds and marshmallow-topped yam casseroles.  This version takes the spirit of the original down a divergent path, more Italian than American—sautéing the vegetables with garlic, summer squash, creamy cannellini beans and handfuls of fresh basil.  The vegetables caramelize in the pan as they cook, and the end result is full of deep flavor—a far cry from Thanksgiving.  Just right for summer.

Leave out the squash if you prefer, or substitute bell peppers in season.  Arugula would be a nice addition as well.

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Roasted Red Pepper, Artichoke and Tomato Soup

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You can follow the shortcut route with this recipe—with bottled peppers and canned tomatoes, even frozen artichoke hearts or bottoms—but if you have the time, use fresh artichokes and roast your own peppers.  You’ll be glad you did.  Turn on the radio, roll up your sleeves and have some fun in the kitchen.

You’ll need two-thirds of a 28-ounce can of tomatoes.  Freeze the remainder in a covered plastic container for later use in soup, pasta sauce—you name it.

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