What !?!?

It is snowing on and off in Calgary! tonight it is supposed to go to -7C...Yes, MINUS seven degrees Celsius!!!

Oops one more recipe

Rajasthani Mixed Dal
If you do not have fresh curry leaves (that you can even get in Calgary) don’t even start this recipe. They are critical to the final result.

Here is another recipe, very simple this one,that I want to be able to access where ever I am.

This one is from an excellent book I borrowed from the library (since all my cookbooks are packed away): "Complete Book of Indian Cooking: 350 recipes from the regions of India” by Suneeta Vaswani.
In additions to great and varied recipes this book shows which part of India each recipe comes from which I find very interesting. I’ve wanted to go to India for a long time travel by train and experience the different cuisines. This book does suggest though that my favourite curries are from Northern India (Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Sinh).
On the assumption that who ever reads this can cook here is the backbone of the recipe. I don’t measure spices in curries because I like to change the amounts depending on what I feel like.


Mixed dals +Tumeric boil until cook with just the right amount of water.


In another pan:
Ghee
Cumin
Asafetida (other name is hing…so much easier to say and spell)
Bay leaves
Whole cloves
Green cardamom
Fresh curry leaves
Fresh ginger
Chopped tomatoes
Chilies fresh
Chiles dried (maybe)
Cayenne (if wanted) 

Add cooked dal

Fresh cilantro (if …)

lemon tart

What is really happening here is that I am sorting out what I want to take with me on my trip to Chile/Argentina/South Africa etc from what is staying behind among the few things I have left and in the process I am finding pieces of papers with recipes that I really want to have with me. So here my all time favorite Lemon Tart...again so I can access it regardless of where I am. This one is from "Luscious Lemon Desserts" by Lori Longbotham.

1/2 cup of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1 3/4 cup all purpose floor
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 pinches of salt
6 large eggs
1 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
confectioner's sugar for dusting

1. heat oven to 350F

2. melt butter, add 1 tablespoon of zest, let stand a little. Mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar + 1 pinch of salt and pout butter mix slowly into it while stirring with a fork. Stir until dough is uniform and sitcky when pressed together. Press mixture in tart pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked. Let cool

3. mix left over sugar (1 cup) + left over zest (1 tablespoon) preferally in food precessor.

4. Whisk eggs + sugar and zest mix + lemon juice + 1 pinch salt

5. beat cream until it forms peaks and wish cream into egss mixture

6. place crust \(in pan) on baking sheet and pour in egg + cream mixture

7. bake for 25 to 30 minutes until center is just set. Let cool just before serving dust with confectioner's sugar.

I tell you it is worth the effort!

Desdemona's mince curry recipe

Honestly I am blogging this so I can always find it.
It is a simple, cheap curry dish which test delicious.

- Put together in a frying pan: oil + fennel seeds + star anis + cumin seeds +caraway seeds + dry chili
- When it starts sputtering add mince grated ginger and pressed garlic
- Soon after add mince, stir to break it down
- Drain fat several times, add salt
- When the mince is all brown add fresh curry leaves torned to pieces and shredded cabbag if using
- Cook until ready to eat

Obviously the "quality" of this curry depends on the quality of the mince you use.

Out of interest: Desdemona is a friend of mine from South Africa who lives in Johannesburg. She is of India descent though she has never been to India and on top of being a great and fun person she cooks wonderful food.