Author Archives for Swati Raje

A Perfect Day!!!

I suppose every person has his or her own idea of a perfect day.  Today was mine.  As a single mom, I very rarely get a day to myself with no commitments, no obligations, and no to-do list.  Even when my son is with his father, I always have a million errands to run, a house to clean, laundry to do, etc.  Today I spent a beautiful day on my own time.  And that is what made it perfect.  I woke up to no alarm, chose my destination for the day based on my gut, took the slow road through little towns instead of the highway, skied only as much as I wanted….well you get the picture

I am in Portland, OR for work with my new job for two weeks.  I’ve been here a lot lately which is why the Palate has been a little quiet in recent weeks.  The weather all week has been absolutely gorgeous and the weekend promised more of the same.  With Mount Hood only an hour away and some of the ski areas still open for spring skiing, I had to go.  Something about that snow covered mountain, visible daily from my hotel room window, was calling to me.  And so, I put on my ski gear (yes, I planned ahead and brought it with me just in case), grabbed a tea, and headed East on Highway 26. By 10am I had parked, rented my skis & boots, and was on the Mt Hood Express chairlift at the Meadows Ski Area.



As I started my way down the first run, I had a rude awakening.  The snow was not snow at all but a very soft, deep slush and I found it difficult to adjust to it.  I had never skied on this stuff before.  My skis wanted to go in a different direction than my legs and I found it was hard work to keep them in synch.  I can pretty much ski 6 to 7 hours straight with no break, but today I was spent by the end of my third run.  I couldn’t figure it out…..I had skied at higher altitudes, had been sure to eat breakfast and drink plenty of water and yet I was tired.  That’s when I realized my legs were shaking from all that adjusting to the conditions.  But my ego would not let me quit and so I persevered. 

A few more runs later I got used to the snow and felt a little more confident.   A little confidence can be a dangerous thing, as I learned later when I decided to try a more steep and difficult run.  I knew as I started down that I had made a huge mistake but there was no turning back.  Just as I was coming around a turn at the steepest part of the hill, my ski caught an edge and splat I was down in the weirdest position that I’ve fallen in while skiing.  One ski had popped off and the other leg had twisted into a funky plant in the deep slush, and to boot, my ankle felt like it had twisted.  About now you’re wondering why in the world this would rate as a perfect day for me but honestly I was having fun up until that point.  My ankle only a hurt a little and so I decided to do a couple more runs.  I gave up when I found myself at the top of a double black mogul run and the only way out of it was either ski down or trek back up the mountain about 100 feet with my skis on.  In better conditions there wouldn’t have been a decision to be made.  Although my ego didn’t agree, I trekked back up the mountain and onto a more manageable slope.  Tired and feeling rather warm I decided I was hungry, thirsty and done with skiing for the day!!

I scored an outdoor table at the Alpenstube restaurant at the base of the mountain and spent the remainder of the afternoon eating good food, drinking great beer and people watching while the sun shone brilliantly in the beautiful blue sky.  Today was their annual Pond Skimming contest.  Skiers and boarders come down a hill, dressed in funky costumes, and have to ski/ride across a long pool of water without falling into the water.  This alone kept me entertained for most of the afternoon as I had an awesome view from my table.  One thing I really like about Oregon restaurants is that they will never rush you or make you feel like you need to rush your stay.  I stayed at that table for nearly three hours.  I ordered their grilled Halibut tacos for lunch and a Kona Pale Ale to wash them down.  The tacos were delicious and came with a side of grilled corn and black beans.  After polishing off the plate, I realized I was still hungry and craving seasoned waffle fries.  So much for choosing healthy for my meal!  Unfortunately the Garlic & Rosemary Fries were only available for happy hour which was not to start for another hour.  So I ordered another beer, put up my feet on the chair across from me and continued to watch the show and bask in the glorious sunshine. 



Around 4pm I decided it was time to return my skis and head back to Portland, my temporary home.  After a relaxing drive back to my hotel, what I really needed was a nap and so I indulged and slept for nearly two hours.  A shower and a walk later, I decided to hang out with my Marriott family at the bar, and write while sipping on a glass of Woodford’s Reserve.  It really was a perfect day!!!



Wine tasting tomorrow!!

Recipe : Chicken Biryani

 

For quite a while now I have been getting requests for the recipe to my Chicken Biryani.  Some of you have had it at my house, others have read about it on an earlier post (refer to “The Biryani Challenge”).  A part of my hesitation is a reluctance to part with this recipe and yet, I believe it may be quite difficult to replicate.  So I finally decided to publish it to you.  I really hope you have a go at it…
 
It all started in Frieberg, Germany in 1996.  I was on vacation and at the last minute decided to visit an uncle who lives there.  In true Indian fashion, a dinner invitation was extended and Biryani was on the menu.  My uncle is a chef and makes amazing food.  After being in Germany, Austria & Switzerland for nearly three weeks and eating largely bland, albeit delicious, food, the thought of Indian spices made my mouth water.  The biryani was delicious and something I will always remember and while he wouldn’t give me the full recipe, the ending of cream & butter is his secret to a moist and rich end result.  Nonetheless, it inspired me to develop my own recipe which, over the years, has turned into what I’m sharing with you today. 
 
So I hope you will try this recipe and let me know what you think.  I never make biryani in small batches so this recipe serves 10 – 12.  Even if you’re only cooking it for four, trust me you’ll enjoy the leftovers for a few nights.

 

Stage 1 – Prep & cook the chicken

Ingredients

15 – 20 Bone in Chicken thighs (about 5-6 lbs)
2 Tbsp finely minced garlic
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
6 – 8 Thai green chilis finely chopped (can be eliminated or reduced for personal heat preference)
1 Cup Yogurt
1 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Tsp Turmeric
2 Tsps Red Chili Powder (Adjust to your preference on heat)
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 Tsp ground cumin
2 Tsps ground coriander
1/8 Cup Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
½ Cup Olive Oil or Canola Oil
 _______________________________________________________________________________

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a large bowl.  Remove skin from thighs if they are not skinless, rinse and add to the marinade.  Mix well to coat all pieces and allow to marinate for a minimum of 6 hours and preferably overnight.
 
Remove chicken from the refrigerator about 1 hour prior to cooking time to bring to room temperature.  Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line  2 or 3 cookie sheets (depending on size) with heavy duty aluminum foil and spray with oil.  Place chicken in a single layer.  Drizzle with more oil and bake for 35 – 40 minutes until cooked.
Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to be handled.  Remove all meat from the bones trying to leave the pieces large and as intact as possible.  When completed, add any pan juices to the bowl with the deboned meat in it and cover until ready to use.

 

Stage 2 – Get the layer fillers ready

Ingredients

1 Dozen Eggs
4 lbs of red onions sliced thinly
_______________________________________________________________________________

 
Boil, peel and slice the eggs and set aside covered.
 In a large sauté pan, heat ¼ cup canola oil on medium high heat.  Add 1 Tsp ground cinnamon and when hot, add the sliced onion.  You may need to add a little at a time till the onion reduces in size to fit  in the pan.  Add 1 Tsp salt.  Keep the heat on medium high and continuously stir the onions until they are sautéed and almost “red” in color and caramelized.  Cool & set aside.

 

Stage 3 – Cook the rice in two separate pots

Pot 1 – Rinse 3 cups Basmati Rice and set aside.  Heat ¼ cup olive oil on medium heat.  Add 1 cinnamon stick, 5 whole cloves & 4 cardamom pods to the oil.  Once they sizzle, add rice and stir to coat.  Add 4 ½ Cups of cold water and 1 Tbsp salt.  Bring to a boil and continue to cook on medium heat until the water is nearly absorbed.  Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil, stir, cover the pot, reduce heat to lowest setting, and allow to steam for 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let rest covered for 5 minutes.  Uncover and fluff with a fork and transfer the rice onto a large platter to keep it from getting sticky.  When cool enough I remove the cinnamon, cloves & cardamom but you can decide to leave them in if you wish.
Pot 2 – Rinse 1 cup Basmati Rice and set aside.  Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat.  Add 1 small cinnamon stick, 2 whole cloves & 2 cardamom pods to the oil.  Once they sizzle, add rice and stir to coat.  Add 1 ½ Cups of cold water and 1 Tsp salt.  Bring to a boil.  Once it is boiling, add about 10 threads of saffron (crushed in the palm of your hand) to the pot and continue to cook on medium heat until the water is nearly absorbed.  Drizzle 1 Tsp of olive oil, stir, cover the pot, turn heat to lowest setting, and allow to steam for 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let rest covered for 5 minutes.  Uncover and fluff with a fork and transfer the rice onto a large platter to keep from getting sticky. When cool enough I remove the cinnamon, cloves & cardamom but you can decide to leave them in if you wish.

Stage 4 – Assembly

Preheat oven to 350 F
Place all ingredients in previous steps around you on a table to create an assembly station.  Add to these about 2 cups of chicken broth in a bowl.  Depending on time, I will make my own from the bones of the chicken but canned broth is just fine. 
In a large 8 Quart Dutch oven or other large oven proof pot, add ¼ Cup canola oil and use your fingers to coat the bottom and sides of the pot.  Divide the white rice, chicken, eggs, & sautéed onion into two equal parts.  Add one part of rice to cover the bottom of the pot in an even layer.  Then add a layer of chicken.  Next add the onion and then a single layer of egg slices.  Drizzle the layer with some chicken broth using a spoon (I find it easier to do this with the scoop of my hand).  Don’t use too much because it will make the biryani soggy instead of moist.  Continue with the next layer of rice, chicken, onion & eggs.  Drizzle a little more chicken broth.  Finally add the saffron rice as the last layer.  Cover the pot tightly.  If your pot does not have a tight lid, I would suggest covering tightly with heavy duty foil first and then place the lid on top.

 

Stage 5 – Cook & finish

Ingredients

1 Cup Heavy Cream
¼ pound unsalted butter (1 stick or 8 Tbsps)
8 – 10 threads of saffron crushed in palm of your hand
½ Cup slivered almonds
 ________________________________________________________________________________

Bake the Biryani for 45 minutes in the center of your oven.  At 45 minutes, remove from the oven and place on a rack but keep the oven on as we are not done yet.  In a microwave proof measuring cup, combine heavy cream and butter cut into slices.  Heat in the microwave until butter has melted and mixture is hot – about 1 – 1.5 minutes on high.  Stir the mixture and add the saffron into it and stir well until cream has changed color.  Uncover the biryani.  Spoon the hot cream/butter mixture onto the biryani making sure to cover all areas.  Sprinkle almonds over the top.
Place the pot back in the oven and bake UNCOVERED for 15 – 20 minutes more.  Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Serve with cucumber raita or your favorite accompaniment to this wonderful  and aromatic preparation. 
Important Note
When serving, be sure to use a large flatish spoon that allows you to dig to the bottom of the pot to get every layer.  Nothing irks me more than people who serve biryani and destroy it by scooping it only from the top as if it were any other dish.  It just doesn’t do it justice and you will not enjoy all the flavors.
 
Biryani can also be made with ground meat (kheema), lamb, or vegetables.  Feel free to comment on your own favorites.  If anyone local wants to make one with me, let me know…always fun to cook with others!
 
Enjoy!
Swati

An Ode to Babe

I’ve been on somewhat of a hiatus for the past month.  Since my trek to Breckenridge, life has been busy with a new job and all it took to get ready for it.  Needless to say, it did not leave room for very many food adventures.  But I have celebrated and had fun during that time so no worries on this blogger getting dull or anything.
 
I’ve come to the realization that writing a blog is a bit like working out.  Once you lose the groove, it’s tough to get back into it.  But back into it I am – both the gym and the writing.  The inspiration for the gym came in the form of several gained pounds and the threat of summer arriving very soon.  The blog post is inspired by an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel I caught a few days ago.  It took place on a farm in Iowa and took me back to this fun adventure three years ago I had with some foodie (and perhaps crazy) friends of mine.
 
Over an all too common dinner with multiple bottles of great wine one night, we sat around talking about what else but food when someone brought up roasting a whole pig.  Me and my big mouth offered that another friend had a spit and would roast a pig in his yard every so often.  Lo and behold…a pig roast was born!!  And planned for my back yard no less.
 
 
And so it began.  We split up the guest list three ways and planned a menu.  Everything was organized on Google Docs as we are all very busy in our day to day lives.  In fact most of our plans happen on Facebook including trips to food markets and restaurants.  No conversation necessary except when we meet in person.  As we got closer to the day, we even recruited our friend with the spit to help out although I’m not so sure he was given a choice.  Just the promise of my French Toast on the morning of the big event.  It’s pretty awesome French Toast!
 
Three days before D-day, the weather forecast looked ominous at best.  We thought it best to consider putting up a tent but that can be a challenge on such short notice.  Luckily I come from a family that throws many parties and I had an in with a tent rental guy.  Sure enough he told me he would have a tent for me and came through for us.  It was the best decision of the day.  The rain started right after our French Toast breakfast and ended well past the festivities.
 
Two days before D-day, we picked up the pig.  It needed to be cleaned and cured with an citrus marinade and left to marinate till the morning it would be cooked.  So how does one store a whole pig for two days you ask?  You remove everything from the spare refrigerator in the basement including the racks and place it in a large lawn bag vertically.  I’ll be honest, it creeped me out a bit to know it was there on those two nights.
 

The morning of the roast arrived and as promised C & M were at my door at 5:30am to begin prepping “Babe”.  Yes, the pig now had a name.  They spent the next few hours cleaning and prepping for the day of roasting that was about to begin.  I watched from afar.  If you’ve read my Welcome post from last year, you know that I’ve always been a bit squeemish about certain things and this was one I dared to only go near once it was completed.  The spit started turning around 8 am and we enjoyed our breakfast outdoors as we watched the first few hours of cooking. 


Guests started arriving at 3pm despite the torrential downpours on that day.  It made for a little more excitement and a very dirty kitchen floor.  But there was a tent over our heads and a smaller one over Babe’s.  All was well.  We had lots of other food to accompany such as rice & beans, eggplant, salad, and even some Tandoori chicken for those not into pork.  To drink we started with a magnum of The Prisoner which paired beautifully. Various other bottles of wine supplied by guests followed, as well as some appropriately named Pork Slap beer.

What a fantastic and memorable evening we all had.  It will go down as one of my most fun days of all time.  Great food, good friends and an interesting adventure.   What more could I ask for?  And all in my back yard!!  Once in a while we threaten to do the same with a lamb…..perhaps this Spring.

Thanks Babe!

Slopeside & Healthy at Breckenridge

Recently I found myself in a strange but wonderful situation…..in between jobs with six weeks off.  I haven’t had that kind of a break in so many years that I didn’t really know what to do with myself at first.  The feeling lasted all of 5 minutes after which I had already begun a laundry list of items that I had been meaning to tackle and never gotten to.  And tackle them I did – from organizing files that had been sitting there for years to photographs that had been forgotten.  In between I found time to have some fun with friends too.  Of course I was not responsibility free since I still had a ten year old to take care of at home.  So I decided that I would take a vacation for a week and since I love to ski I chose to go to Breckenridge Colorado and hit the slopes.
I love skiing as much as I love food and wine.  Combine the three together and I consider myself in heaven.  It is not always the best thing for the waistline however since downhill skiing doesn’t burn off as many calories as you’d think.  But I tend to eat poorly when I ski and use the day of exercise to justify the consumption of burgers, fries and other high fat foods served in the typical ski lodge.  Since I am still attempting to lose some of my weight gain from the holidays I made it my mission to make this vacation a healthy one.
View of lift from my balcony
I was able to rent a slope side condo with a small kitchenette at Beaver Run resort at the base of Peak 9, and although the bed was uncomfortable and the pillows worse, I couldn’t have asked for more convenient accommodations.  It took me exactly 2 minutes to get from my room and onto the slope and down to the lift.  This is my kind of skiing!  On the shuttle from Denver to Breck I made my grocery list.  With me I carried a few necessities – trail mix, Kashi granola bars, teas and most important of all – a pint of dark rum.  Once I was settled into my room and unpacked I took the resort shuttle to City Market and picked up some quick and easy to make food.  I had decided that I would eat out two of the nights but stay in for the other three.  With the room so convenient to the slopes, coming in for lunch each day was no hassle.  I bought tuna, bananas, apples, cheese, smoked salmon, bread, butter, eggs, celery, green beans and lime & diet coke for my rum to make Cuba libres for après ski.
Breakfast each morning consisted of eggs (scrambled or over easy) on sandwich flats, a banana, and cup of tea.  Lunch was either a tuna salad sandwich on the flats or a granola bar (if I didn’t feel like getting back to the condo) and an apple.  After returning from the slopes I treated myself to a Cuba libre (dark rum, diet coke & lime) with some trail mix.  This is a habit I got into on annual trips to Canada with some friends who helped me realize how amazing this drink is after a hard day on the slopes.  After a shower & a walk into town my three meals indoors consisted of a mix of cheeses, bread, steamed green beans & smoked salmon with lots of water.  At that altitude drinking plenty of water is the key to avoiding altitude sickness and I went through 3 gallons in 5 days.  If I felt like speaking to people, I simply went to the bar at the base and had a beer which is always fun because you end up meeting many interesting folks from all over the world.
Since I was so healthy for most of the trip and also had burned off a significant amount of calories, I did treat myself to a couple of wonderful dinners and a final day brunch.  If you’re ever in Breckenridge I highly recommend each of these restaurants as a must visit.  Each of these was suggested to me by people I met on the lifts.  I opted for the ones that got the most votes.
On my second day I walked into town and decided to try Relish at 137 S. Main St.  I was greeted by Diane Deedy the manager.  I had stopped by earlier and asked if I needed reservations and was told that I did not, and yet when I arrived the restaurant was full and Diane informed me that it is always best to make reservations.  After I explained she apologized and found a way to accommodate me with a table.  Most times when I travel alone, I prefer to eat at the bar but in this case I was looking for little conversation and a proper sit down meal.  I ordered the Wild Mushroom Bisque and a Sunflower & Chili Crusted Ruby Red Trout.  The bisque was a bowl of earthy, buttery and creamy goodness and I learned from the chef it was thickened with wild rice.  The trout was served with a side of spaghetti squash sautéed in garlic and over a black bean & citrus salsa.  The fish was cooked perfectly and although I wasn’t wild about the salsa, I loved my meal.  I chose a German Riesling to accompany my food.  The service at Relish was terrific and my server Rick was on the ball at all times with anything I needed.  Even Diane stopped by a couple of times to check on me – overall a wonderful experience with terrific food.

My next venture out for dinner was my last evening at Breck.  Thanks to 10 inches of fresh powder overnight, I skied for nearly 7 hours that day and was famished by 6pm.  I had decided I would go to Ember for dinner based on information received on the lifts, but I had a couple of other things I wanted to do before dinner.  My first stop after walking into town was the Breckenridge Distillery tasting room to try some of their bourbon and vodka.  I loved both.  The bourbon is smooth and very nice; the vodka has hints of coconut as they distill it with toasted coconut shells and it is a much smoother vodka that any I’ve tasted.  Luckily both are available in NJ and if you’re ever at my house in the future, do ask me for a taste.  After the tasting room I went to see the annual snow sculpture contest.  It is an international competition and the sculptures were very impressive.  My favorite was one called the “Seven Deadly Sins”.
Snow Sculpture Display
Seven Deadly Sins
Sea Shell

 
I arrived at Ember at nearly 8pm.  This night I opted to sit at the bar which seemed much friendlier than at Relish plus it was its own separate room.  Todd, the bartender was immediately friendly and we began to talk about the ski day as I perused their menu and specials.  He warned me that the entrée portions were quite large and so I opted to order the soup special – Spiced Pumpkin Bisque with a Conch Fritter & Crème Fraiche and an appetizer – Lamb Lollipops with garlic yellow lentils (chana dal), peanut butter spinach & berbere spiced tomato coulis.  To drink I chose the Petite Petite Syrah from Lodi, CA.  If I tell you I could have licked the plates clean I would not be exaggerating.  Everything was fantastic.  I was a bit skeptical of the spinach but OMG (apologies for the text talk) was it good!!  The soup was amazing and the conch fritter cooked perfectly.  The lamb was beautifully presented and was super tender and flavorful.  Several other people had come into the bar while I ate and by the time my meal was finished Todd and I had nearly the entire bar involved in conversation.  We all collectively decided to treat ourselves to dessert and the one suggested for me was a Chai Sticky Pudding with Coole Swan Mousse & Espresso Toffee Sauce.  I had no idea what Coole Swan was and so Todd offered me a taste of this liqueur he said was “like Bailey’s but better”.  And it was delicious.  The dessert was yummy and a wonderful treat for my last evening’s reward for some hard core skiing through all that powder.  Thoroughly pleased with my choice for food, I called for my shuttle and headed back to my condo.  I was glad I had not eaten at Ember the first night because if I had, I likely would not  have stayed on my healthy track the remainder of the week.


Chai Sticky Pudding
Papadum served at the bar with yogurt dip

On my final day I had an entire morning to kill at Breck and while I would have loved to ski some more, the complications of it all made me decide to just walk in town and shop instead.  After walking around for a couple of hours in and out of stores and dreaming about which pair of skis I might like to buy, I realized I was quite hungry.  Knowing that the rest of my day would not bring food of any quality – two hour ride to the airport, five hour flight and home at nearly midnight – I decided to have a good brunch.  I asked at one of the stores and was directed toward Columbine Café which is tucked away at the back of an enclave of stores in a square of sorts.  The place is not fancy, but the staff is friendly and seems to be having fun.  Besides any place that stocks their tables with four different kind of hot sauces must be awesome in my book.  I ordered their special Corned Beef Hash with eggs and toast.  I opted for the home fries but later regretted my decision to not go with the grits.  The Bloody Mary’s looked good too but I chose to stick to coffee, and decaf at that – I wanted to sleep on the flight if possible.  The plate of food was huge and delicious.  I couldn’t quite finish it all but loved every bite of what I ate.  Satisfied with what was likely my last meal of that day, I walked back to the resort, collected my luggage and waited for the shuttle to the airport to start my journey home. 
What I love about Breckenridge is that it’s a town with something for everyone.  Even if you don’t ski, there is plenty to do.  I met so many locals on this trip since I visited during no school breaks, that I got quite a lot of information and learned a great deal.  I am told it’s a wonderful place to visit in the summertime to.  I may just have to try that the next time.
I love snow!!!


Lazy Weekend in NYC

I very rarely have a weekend with no plans.  Last weekend turned out to be an unexpected surprise.  To top it off my cousin, whose schedule consistently conflicts with mine, also had the weekend off and plan free.  She lives on the Upper West Side in New York City and suggested that we find some fun things to do around the city and just follow our noses.  And so after an early morning workout on Saturday I made the drive to Manhattan.

It was a beautiful, spring-like, January day with temperatures expected to climb into the 50s.  One place that I had always heard much about but never been to is Arthur Avenue in The Bronx.  It is often called “the real Little Italy”.  So I suggested that we check it out and grab some lunch while there.  She knows how much of a foodie I am and while she doesn’t love to cook so much, she does enjoy eating.  And so we wound our way over to the Cross Bronx Expressway and onto Arthur Avenue.  It didn’t take long to find meter parking and start exploring on foot.  The street is full of wonderful markets, shops and bakeries with heavenly scents that drew our attention.  We immediately realized that we were famished and decided that lunch had to be addressed before any shopping could be done. 

After checking out a few menus, we settled on the Arthur Avenue Trattoria where we were greeted by a very friendly and charming man with an Italian accent.  He sat us at our table and told us about their specials.  We ordered Ravioli with Bolognese for me, Penne with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe for her, and an extra side order of Broccoli Rabe to share.  And since we were in no particular rush we asked the gentleman to recommend a dry, crisp white wine.  The result was a delicious Falanghina from the Campania region of Italy.  Maybe not the best pairing for the Bolognese but it didn’t matter since I enjoyed separately.  The food was very good and fresh.  While we ate, we asked our server for recommendations in the area and he gave us some great tips including his recipe for Tiramisu.  As we were finishing up, a group of women came into the restaurant and made a grand entrance.  They were a loud, interesting bunch and immediately made us think we had happened upon a filming of a certain reality show based on housewives in Bergen County.  If nothing else, they were most definitely entertaining even if they thought themselves far more Italian than their conversation indicated.



 

After our quite filling lunch, we went to the Arthur Avenue Market and picked up some burrata cheese at Mike’s Deli and I bought some amazing looking short ribs from the butcher shop.  We then decided to pick up some fresh bread from Madonia’s bakery, add a bottle of wine and voila we had dinner!! How can you go wrong with bread, cheese & wine?  We even passed an outdoor oyster bar and debated having a few but decided to pass after remembering our full stomachs.  Since we both had been up late the night before, we decided to catch an afternoon nap before heading out for the evening.  I was loving the life of leisure!
 
And so after our respective naps, a cup of coffee, catching up on emails and our simple yet delicious dinner, we headed out around 9:30pm to meet some friends for drinks.  The rest of the evening was pretty standard except for some lousy service at the Stone Rose lounge in the Time Warner Center.  Some G & Ts and another bottle of wine (Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc) with some amazing tuna tartare later, we hailed a cab back to my cousin’s apartment and crashed for the night.
The weekend ended on Sunday with brunch at Amelia’s in Jersey City with a friend and her daughter.  I had the sausage & biscuits with gravy and she had their special French toast which looked really good.  My gravy was really good, but I found the biscuits a bit dry and the sausage a bit salty though certainly not enough to stop eating. 

My last lazy event for this weekend was to watch the two football games at my brother’s house, complete with a football pool, lots of food and good wine.  When neither the Jets nor Giants are playing we root for the 49ers and against the Pats!!  And so it was an awesome evening! Alas all such weekends must come to an end though as did this one until I realized that I didn’t have to be anywhere the next day and my son had off for MLK holiday.  The day to recuperate was most definitely needed.

In case you’re wondering what I did with the short ribs I bought at the meat market, here’s the recipe I made up for dinner the next day.  My son requested that I make them Indian style instead of the Giada DiLaurentis recipe I found, and so this is my experiment which I must say turned out quite delicious.  Notes at the end on what I might do differently next time.  Hope you try them and let me know what you think or how you might change them up.

Braised Short Ribs – Indian Style

Ingredients

2 lbs short ribs cut into 2 inch pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion diced
5 cloves garlic finely chopped
5 ribs celery peeled & diced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp  tomato paste
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp ginger/garlic paste (see note below)
1 14oz can of peeled plum tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 Cup dry red wine (something you would drink)
1 Cup chicken stock
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine the salt, black pepper, cumin and coriander to form a dry rub.  Rub all sides of the short ribs to coat.  Heat the oil in a large, over proof, Dutch oven on high heat.  When hot, add the short ribs and sear on all sides until browned and crispy.  Remove from the pot and put aside.  Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, diced garlic, and celery and stir until softened – about 2 minutes.  Add garam masala, turmeric and cayenne and stir to combine.  Add the tomato paste and stir it into the vegetables and allow to develop a dark color.  Add the ginger/garlic paste and cook for one minute.  Then add the can of tomatoes, red wine and chicken.  Bring the liquid to a boil and turn off stove.  Add the short ribs, cover and allow to marinate in the hot liquid for up to 4 hours.  When ready to finish, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove short ribs from the liquid and onto a plate.  Bring the liquid to a boil again and turn off the stove.  Add the short ribs back into the pot and place the pot, covered, into the preheated oven for 2 hours.  Remove the cover from the pot and braise for an additional 45 minutes.  The meat should be falling off the bone.  Take the meat out of the pot one more time and onto a plate.  Remove as much of the fat at the top of the liquid as possible.  Using an immersion blender or a food processor puree the braising liquid to form a thick gravy.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  You may add the meat back in at this point to serve.  I used two forks to shred the meat and remove the bones and grizzle before adding back to the gravy.  I knew my son would prefer it this way. 

Normally I would suggest serving with rice but since I try to stay away from white starches, we ate ours with some whole grain bread & a salad of arugula, apples, dried cherries, pepitas and gorgonzola cheese & a simple citrus vinaigrette (lemon juice, orange juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper & olive oil).  I had mine with a 1999 California Cabernet from my cellar and it paired beautifully.  An overall delicious and fancy meal for a Monday night.
 

Note 1 –Ginger/garlic paste can be purchased at Indian grocery stores or you can make your own as I do by pureeing equal parts of fresh ginger and garlic cloves with a bit of water in a blender.  My mother even adds a bit of coriander and fennel seeds in hers and uses it in most curries.

Note 2 – This recipe only serves 2 so if you are cooking for more please be sure to multiply as needed.
 
Note 3 – You can alternately cook these in a crock pot on low setting for 6 hours instead of placing in the oven to braise.  Everything prior to that step would remain the same.


What I would do differently next time……….

·         Use more garam masala – perhaps another tablespoon

·         Add a cinnamon stick, few cloves and 2-3 green cardamom pods to the hot oil before adding the vegetables
·         If cooking for people who could handle it I would up the cayenne to 1 tsp

Happy Cooking!

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