I’m such a nasty hypocrite - just the other day I was singing the praises of locally-grown food, and here I am eating mangos that were flown in from Chile or some other distant land. What can I say? It’s too early for much produce here in the Northeast, and I looooove love love mangos. Trust me, if there was a way to grow them fresh here, I’d have transformed my entire rooftop into a small mango forest.

Quinoa is a super-healthy but slightly obscure grain that many people seem to be on the fence about, if they’ve heard of it at all. Truth be told, the first time I tried it, I dismissed it pretty quickly. The flavor was okay, and although it was quick and easy to cook up, I couldn’t really find a place for it among all the pasta, rice, couscous, bread, bulghur, and other carbs I usually eat. Did I really need to make room in my life for another grain? Even one with an impressive amino acid profile, a surprising source of protein, and a rich mineral content?

Well, quinoa and I got back together recently, and I’m really glad to have given it another chance. While we’re not exactly inseparable (hey, all those other grains need my attention, too!), it does have a regular place in a jar on my pantry shelf. I like it best as an ingredient in salads or stuffings, since it adds an intriguing, couscous-like texture and is able to pair up with many different flavors. It can also be used in place of bulghur in dishes like tabbouleh or even as a hot breakfast cereal.

I really like the textural play in this salad with the firm beans, crunchy quinoa, and silky slivers of mango in a tart and slightly spicy dressing. It’s great by itself for a healthy lunch or as quick dish to whip together for a picnic or potluck. Note that the measurements for the salad are approximate, since I usually taste as I go along, so feel free to adjust to your own preferences!

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Grains & Pasta, Salads & Sides | 8 Comments »

I made these colorful little carrot gnocchi/dumplings the other day from one of Marcella Hazan’s books (that I got on remainder, which might have been an omen right there):

They look rather serene on their little bed of pesto, except when I tasted them… bleh. Too soft, bland, and almost gluey, even though I poached them until they were as firm as possible. I’m not quite sure what could have gone wrong; this was my first experience with homemade gnocchi, but I followed the recipe very carefully. As you can see, they also ended up being a little bloated, but only because smaller attempts fell apart completely in the poaching liquid.

The recipe is not much like traditional potato gnocchi or even ricotta gnocchi in that it has a very tiny amount of flour - a measly 3 tablespoons - for holding together the pureed carrots and egg yolk. Instead of rolling them into logs and slicing or trying to fashion shapes by hand, they must be spooned out and dropped into the water (which also accounts for the slightly irregular shapes). Marcella does say they are supposed to be tender, but these were flaccid to the point of mush. Usually Marcella’s pasta recipes are reasonably detailed and have very good results, and this one in particular was pretty straightforward. So what gives?

Well, I’m vowing to not let this experience make me gnocchi-shy. I might try a different recipe in the next few days… so if anyone has a gnocchi recipe they love, feel free to leave it in the comments or email it to me!

Grains & Pasta | 3 Comments »

With apologies to Roald Dahl, I have a puzzle for you Tamil speakers: Which do you think is the best way spell this delicious, semolina-based grain dish from South India? I’ve seen Uppama, Upma, Uppma, Upama. Let’s not forget that it might also be called Uppindi in the Telugu language, Upeet in Marathi and Uppittu or Kharabath in Kannada (Thank you, Wikipedia). Trying to phonetically represent words with non-English sounds or from a non-Roman alphabet can be a real pain (don’t even get me started on Arabic). Luckily, you shouldn’t need to spend any time searching the various spellings for new recipes. Uppama is one of those dishes for which you really only need to figure out the basics, and once you have that down, simply follow your instincts for whatever flavor combinations you dream up. I’m talking about wheat semolina (aka rava or sooji) uppama, but uppama can also be made from rice, bread, vermicelli, or nearly anything that will cook up into a nice soft mass when water is added.

There are as many uppama recipes as there are uppama cooks, if not more. Everyone has their own favorite flavor elements and spices to use. Typically a breakfast food in India, many people also like their uppama to be thick and almost creamy, but I eat it for dinner and prefer it to be fluffier, almost like a pilaf. This takes a bit of elbow grease, but don’t worry if it doesn’t separate for you - it will still be delicious.

The basic technique I use is to sautee some onions, nuts, mustard seeds, chillies, and spices in a large-bottomed saucepan, add finely chopped vegetables, and finally the semolina. The semolina is stirred until it becomes lightly toasted, then water is slowly added while the other hand is stirring with a wooden spoon. In no time flat, it makes a wholesome, filling, and delicious meal that is particularly nice in summer when one doesn’t want to spend an excess of time at the stove.

Recipe for Rava Uppama

Serves 3-4 as a main dish

1 cup wheat semolina (also called sooji at Indian grocers)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon brown mustard seed
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanuts or cashews
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh carrots
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped

1 1/2 - 2 cups water

oil for cooking

Fresh cilantro (optional) and cut limes to garnish

Heat water in a kettle until boiling.

Heat oil in a large-bottomed saucepan or saucier pan. Toss in mustard seeds and fry until they begin to pop. Add onions and sautee for a 2-3 minutes or until soft, then add the nuts, ginger, and chillies and fry for about 1 minute. Add the frozen peas and carrots and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the semolina and salt, stirring to incorporate it with the spices and vegetables. Continue stirring until the semolina becomes one shade darker.

Slowly add about 1/3 of the water to the semolina mixture, stirring rapidly after each addition to separate the grains. Continue to add water until it’s the texture you prefer (you may not end up using all the water). Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and squeeze lime over. This is delicious alone of accompanied by some yogurt and a cooling vegetable salad.

Dinner: Uppama, yogurt, and Moroccan tomato salad.

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