Yay for forward by Alice Waters…
Hello friends. I am once again long overdue for writing about a lovely (and definitely uncommon) meal that took place in October 2020. Its early days of 2021 now and I need to address this persistent writer’s block issue I have after such fun cooking for close friends and family. One last time (see Mozza), I’ll blame the pandemic.
This Parsi (Indian/Iranian meal is my first with guest host, Heide, who provided the book, the inspiration, and an abundance of enthusiasm for planning the menu.
side note: yes, this means that I still have 50 books left in the series. Fasten your seat belts! 2021 will be an exciting culinary ride…
This blog post is dedicated to Eric, Forest & Brian who cheerfully ate everything that Heide and I produced.
This meal is a symphony of color and emotion and care. So many shallots and chilis and bouquets of cilantro. So many cumin & fennel seeds, and other fun spices. So many moments of laughter and last second collaborative decision making. A funny thing about timing happened this night. We showed up to Azimuth Ranch with our groceries at around 5:00pm and knew that Brian and Forest couldn’t possibly get back from the Canyon before 9:00. Thus, we figured that we had more than enough time to cook everything, and we may even eat first and save them plates. Turns out (you guessed accurately) that we were not even close to done cooking by the time they rolled in from their week long hike. Thankfully this gave them time for showers!!
Somehow, recipes that presented as “simple” turned into exercises in complexity and precision.
The Menu:
Carrot & fresh coriander soup p.74
deeply orange and fully delicious
Katles Kavab p.116
Introducing “Impossible burger” as a game time decision after a lack of cashews disqualified ‘cashew cream chicken’
Tomato gravy p.118
Reduction of liquids = intensification of flavor
Red lentil & rice khichri p. 165
This gave us the beautiful color of lentils along with the individuality of each grain of perfectly plump (non-sticky to itselfy) rice
Caramelized fried rice p. 168
introducing jaggery for extra sweetness
questions were asked right about now, why a second rice dish that barely fits on the table or in our bellies? Well, jaggery is the answer. Most amazing basmati rice I’ve ever had.
Wobbly cauliflower custard p.189
enough said!
Cabbage salad w/ lime & mint p.214
see photos for the fresh colors of lime and mint. The flavors were intensely bright and refreshing
Parsi green chutney p.227
oh my! impossible to get enough of this mashed up alchemy of coconut, chili, mint, cilantro, and lime. Add a hint of cumin and jaggery and it is a truly unusual addition to every dish that completely elevated this meal.
Stay tuned for the next meal in the uncommon series. I am eager to cook for a bigger circle of folks outside my immediate pandemic pod. Perhaps I’ll come up with an uncommon meal “to go”…
Meanwhile, my message to everyone is, “Eat like your life depends on it”