Lentil and Roasted Tomato Soup

The past few days have been grey and misty. We've actually burnt more wood in the past couple weeks than we did for the entire month of April. The damp, raw chill has put me off a bit. I haven't walked as much as I'd like. The soil isn't warming up, as it should so that we can get to planting. Everything seems to be in a state of suspension, while we wait and wait for Spring to show her colors. Even our daffodils have been cheated this year! The first blooms were snapped off or flattened by that snow storm we had a few weeks ago. The stalwart buds that came after the melt have been slow to develop and less showy without their neighboring blooms.

We are in need of color!

Indian Lamb Curry

Yesterday's Easter lamb roast got lush treatment today! An intense curry powder preparation made its way through the grinder and waited to be melded with onions, garlic, and ginger. The lamb roast was cut into chunks and braised slowly in a broth of oil, chicken stock, tomatoes, and all those onions and aromatics! The house smells divine! We'll have to air it out for two days to get the curry aroma to dissipate! Right now, though, it's heavenly!

IHCC Potluck - Indian Beef with Peas

Sometimes the universe offers up a grand set of coincidences. Do you believe that?  I do, and here's a little coincidence that brought together three of my favorite cooks and cook book authors.

IHCC - Chicken with Sliced Lemon and Fried Onions

It's pot luck week here at I Heart Cooking Club and I couldn't resist going back to a Madhur Jaffrey cook book that I love. I've been wanting to make a spicy chicken dish to have with caraway rice and some garden vegetables ever since taking the camera out to my flower beds. I was taking pictures of the flowers the other day and all the vibrant marigolds reminded me of India and Indian cuisine. Since then, I have been telling SB that we were due for some spicy Indian dinners.

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

Indian curry is just what the doctor ordered. It's been much slower around the grey cottage the past couple weeks, as I have been laid up with a severely sprained ankle. My leg up with an ice pack and ankle wrap securely wound snug, I've used the time to research and browse for slow cookers. There is a pork butt and some short ribs that are in need of a slooow braising. But first, I require a chicken curry ... my favorite crockpot dinner.

Mangoes, Salmon, and Madhur ...

                                                                                                                         Photo credit: Clara Molden

Madhur Jaffrey has made a name for herself as a distinguished actress and as an enthusiastic advocate for Indian cuisine. Her favorite dishes use simple ingredients, but have interesting spice combinations that add tang, heat, zest, and color! Her interview on NPR back in 2006 was such a delight that I'm including a link here. Just listen to this delightful lady tell of her early life in colonial India and her wonderful memories of growing up and into the spiciness of her beloved Indian cuisine! Her memoir, Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India is on my bedside table and is enthralling. In her 80's, Ms. Jaffrey has lived the change from colonial India to independent India and has negotiated the paths between traditional Indian culture and Western culture. She has become an established film actress and has lived in New York for many years, but her love of her Indian roots is evident in her discussion of her favorite recipes. She is number seven on our list of 50 Women Game-Changers and well deserves the spot ... join the other bloggers that are paying her tribute this week by linking to Mary's post at One Perfect Bite ... then choose a recipe and make your own Indian feast! I chose to work with fresh salmon that is given a lovely spice rub and is then finished in a hot spicy smooth tomato curry.

Rainy Day Lunch #3 - Saag Palak and Caraway Rice

Last evening, I got such an itch to make Indian - chicken tikka masala and saag palak with a big bowl of rice to help sooth the hot spiciness of the spices and peppers. It was sooo good - and it felt good to get off my duff and put energy into cooking a good meal after sloughing the afternoon away on the couch with my book - The Burning Times .

Consequently, today there is leftover saag palak and chicken. Silent Bob loved the chicken and was 'meh' on the spinach, but I love both - and since I also love Silent Bob, I'll leave him the chicken for his lunch and I will have a big bowl of warm rice with the Indian spinach (saag) on the side. The spinach color has faded over night and the colors of the turmeric and cumin have taken over, which means the spice flavors will be even more amazing ... but it still looks gloppy.

Lunch With Friends ...

Lunch with friends is one of my special pleasures these days. All the years that I worked, my lunch was always a rushed process. Food was microwaved leftovers or a sandwich and chips and whatever drink could be had. Conversation was perfunctory, managed around bites and slurps ... and then, it was a rushed clean-up and back to work.

Being retired allows me time to plan a nice light lunch menu, phone around and make plans with other folks who are 'in the same drifting boat' and spend a quiet morning putting together a nice table and cutting a bouquet to add to the atmosphere. Then, friends arrive, there's relaxed talk, a glass of wine or iced tea, and a leisurely lunch. When everyone has moved on after a couple hours, there's still time for me to move on to another activity before the day is gone. It's such a wonderful way to spend a day, now and then. I know ... you want to wretch. But ... if you're retired and reading this and you don't stop to create 'roses' for your friends to smell OR if you're still running the rat race and you begrudge me this simple pleasure ... tough cookies for you. I enjoy puttering and this is how I choose to spend my time ... you can call me a Martha Stewart wannabe. I don't care! So there!

That being ranted on ... and Shakespeare would say the lady protests too much (tough, again!) ... here's the easy lunch I made for Leah and Cathy today. Remember those curried chicken kabobs that I was craving? Done!  They sat in a yogurt and spice slurry all morning and just about an hour before L&C arrived, I washed some basmati rice and steamed it with a generous pinch of caraway seed, chilled some mango chutney to have with the chicken skewers, and made a lovely creamed spinach that was mellower than the traditional Indian Saag Paneer spinach that I'm used to making. A nice dry Reisling and a pot of tea rounded things out ... yummy Indian!

Flu Season...

There's flu in the grey house on the side of the hill up New Hampshire way... and it has been that way for several days now. Sick people and their loved ones have to eat, though...


Silent Bob thinks-

It sure is a drag when the cook gets sick... suddenly, leftovers are looking really good. After those are exhausted, there's a run on every box of crackers, block of cheese, slab of pate, bag a pepperoni, and container of olives or pickles that happens to be stowed away. Thank God there's peanut butter, a ton of jelly in the cupboard, and bread in the freezer. At least lunches are a done deal.

But wait... she lives! Maybe she can rally long enough to get a real meal on the table tonight! God bless her little pot-stirring soul!