Monday, March 5, 2012

Red Food

Matt and I were in Germany a few years ago, and friends of his kindly offered us some post-dinner cherry schnapps. "It's sweet," they said. Cherry? Sweet? Count me in. Then I tasted it. Holy cleared sinuses, Batman! Sweet? Sweet? I thought it would burn a hole in my belly. I like to think I played it cool and drank it without flinching, but in reality, I'm no good with harsh liquor.

I had a similar reaction to Chicken in a Red Sweet Pepper Sauce (pg 101 of Indian Cooking). After the fact, I figure that the title indicates the use of a bell pepper instead of a hot chili pepper, but it led me to expect a sweeter, mellower dish. For this one, a red pepper, an onion, ginger, garlic, almonds, and spices are pureed into a paste, and that's what the chicken cooks in. All in all, spicier than I expected, but very tasty and lots of vegetables.
Conclusion: Liked it.

Delhi-Style Lamb Cooked with Potatoes (pg 73) is a tomato-based sauce. Potatoes are always welcome in this household, and they were much appreciated here. They absorbed so much flavor (garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne), I would have been perfectly happy eating a big bowl of just the potatoes. No lamb necessary. These potatoes were special.
Conclusion: Liked it.

Instead of plain old normal rice, I made Simple Buttery Rice with Onion (pg 194). Buttery. Oniony. Good.

Conclusion: Liked it.
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4 comments:

  1. RoseMarch 6, 2012 at 5:52 AM

    This book sounds like a keeper. Every one of your posts has me drooling and wishing that I were having dinner at your house instead of mine.

    And I have had Kirsch before and there is no way that I would ever describe it as sweet. Belly burning sounds like a much more accurate description.

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  2. yummychunkletMarch 6, 2012 at 6:43 AM

    Wow. This cookbook is really producing so great results. I may have to buy it!

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  3. tea_austenMarch 6, 2012 at 1:50 PM

    You really are working your way through the book. Impressive!
    I feel like she;s not as specific as I would like her to be in regards to the peppers (hot, mild, what type?). That's my one beef with her books.

    Do you have a favorite recipe yet?

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  4. EiMarch 6, 2012 at 2:11 PM

    Saag is one of my favorite foods of all time, and her Lamb Saag was the best version I've ever eaten, so that would have to be my favorite so far. The Lemony Cilantro Chicken was a surprise to me. I never expected to love it as much as I did. That would be in second place.

    I'll agree with your complaint about her non-specificity regarding peppers. I've basically just been using jalapenos when she calls for a hot green pepper, because they're super cheap here in southern texas. It would be nice if she suggested a type or two that would be traditionally used.

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