My little summer adventure:Pea Soup Swim

[This post appeared first on my blog: http://rooparecipes.blogspot.com/]

Talking about summer activities....

I swam in the Hudson River this Sunday afternoon, and actually enjoyed it. And yes, I jumped - wasn't pushed! It started as a bit of a lark, something I thought I would back out of once I had achieved my exercise goals. The quest to qualify was initially my goal (88 lengths in our pool!) ...and then I qualified. Once that was done, I couldn't let myself down. I had to do it!Anyway, the first indication that something may be amiss was when I received an email and then a call from the organizers of the Park to Park swim that said that they'd changed the course of the race. No longer was it going to be with the direction of the current (from 144 to 166 street), but out from 166 to the center of the river, then downtown against the current and back to the starting point.

Not one of the 227 swimmers who gather that Sunday morning seems fazed by this change - some were clearly biatheletes, people who had done these swims many times before and there to win, and others were like me, just in it for fun. For me, the question was, would I actually dive in. I did (see youtube video of the start)! Not just that, I survived and valiantly battled the currents for 25 minutes, at which point I flipped on my back and tried the back stroke (from pure exhaustion) and was shocked when an NYPD motor boat passed by and one of the guys said - "you're going backwards...you all are!" I grabbed a nearby Kayak and looked around - and saw swimmers being ferried back to shore. I had put off giving up, since I didn't want to be the first one giving up, or have my kids see my give up. Now that I knew that completing the swim was a futile exercise, I was ok with being rescued! The cheery kayak'er (who struggled mightily with the currents himself) and the lovely NYPD blokes got me and a bunch of others back to the rocks and we clambered back.Apart from my family posse (dad, mom, hubby and kids), some of our friends came to cheer me on. I'm not sure what they thought - that I was demented, possibly, but maybe also kinda brave...? Either way, they proved their mettle by actually hugging and kissing me, Hudson water and all. The parents deserve special mention, since they had trekked out to umpteen rifle shooting competitions before in my avatar as rifle champ, but this was the first time they saw me in a new, and dangerous, element. Mamma slept a couple of hours that evening, as she worked out her stress and the exhaustion of the long walk through Washinton Sqare park! And of course, a special thanks (and many Hudson-smelling hugs) to the extremely supportive guy by my side!!

So, you ask, what's with the title of this post? Just 'cause I remember thinking as I dived into the river that it looked and felt a little like Pea Soup! The resemblance ends there - I drank a couple of quarts of the stuff as I swam across the current and kept getting hit in the face by the swells as I came up for air. Boy, was I happy I got all those shots (Hep A, Typhoid and Tetanus, in case you're wondering.) Still, I'm sharing a Pea Soup recipe that I've played with in the past, since a recipe or food reference is the price of entry on my recipes blog (where I first posted this!!)

Pea Soup a la Hudson!

One and a half cups of green peas (split peas soak and hence cook faster)

Four cups chicken (or veggie) broth

Half a small onion, diced

One medium carrot, diced

Quarter teaspoon lime juice

One garlic cloveHalf a stalk of celery

Salt and pepper to taste

• A pinch of turmeric and garam masala for the extra punch
• Soak the peas in the broth overnight (in the fridge, or the broth will turn)
• Cook the peas and broth till the peas start to show they are cooking, which should take around 20 minutes
• Toss in the diced garlic, onion, carrot and celery and cook with the turmeric and garam masala
• Pick out some of the vegetable pieces when they get tender, to add some character to the soup at the end
• Puree the cooked peas and vegetables to a smooth consistency (you may need to add some broth, in case it gets too thick)
• Mix in the reserved vegetables and serve, and mix in the lime juice at this stage
• Optional: Dribble some cream to decorate the soup as you serve in bowls. You can also add in cubed ham with the vegetables, which is quite conventional. You might also garnish with a sprig of mint, if you want to mix it up a bit!

Sibling memories: Artichokes!

My sister and brother can get away with a lot...mostly because I remember my first cooking experiment and how they took it. I must have been ten, enamoured by my mother's glossy Life-Time recipe books, and insistent that I cook myself. After a long afternoon's work cooking up an artichoke, I served it to my siblings, who dutifully ate them. Then I tried...and realized I'd really not cooked the tartar sauce properly. Yeuck!! Full points to S&D for chomping away and not complaining at all! It's amazing how siblings can surprise you. These were the same big brother and sister who would chase me around to tickle me till I cried!!

Thought I'd share a new recipe I tried out with artichokes. May be a little off the beaten track for the blog, but fun if you have a moment to try something gun. This artichoke effort came about because my son K read a Pinky Dinky Doo book that featured the interesting-looking veggie and decided he needed to try it. Poor hubby got sent out last night to find a couple (he tried three stores) and I scoured around for recipes. Serendipitously, friend Aparna mailed me an Italian recipe book that gave me a couple of ideas and the following was the result.



Ingredients:
Two medium sized artichokes
Olive oil
Lemon
One egg
Breadcrumbs


Stuffing:
Half pound minced turkey
Two tomatoes
One onion
One egg
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of turmeric,
Garam masala and chilli powder


Sauce:
Garlic
One onion
Two teaspoons diced garlic
Pasta sauce (one medium bottle)

• I prepped the stuffing as I normally would, i.e., with an Indian twist.... I started by frying diced onions till golden, mixing in the diced tomato, and when it all starts simmering, mix in the minced turkey and cook till the mix is dry
• Cool the mix, then mix in one egg so the stuffing hangs together
• Start prepping the artichoke. This means the following:- Slice the stem off, being careful not to cut into the artichoke flower- Pull off the outer bracts (the "petals" as the kids called them) till you get to the softer bracts- Chop the top of the floweret, so it has a stright edge on the top. Nip off the tips of the bracts that still have tips- Open out the flowerette, till you get to the central core. Gauge the tenderness of the central bracts, but I found that the center has to go. It's pretty sharp and hard- Having effectively created a cup for the stuffing, it's best to run water through the flowerettes, then squeeze lemon juice over them - this prevents discoloration
• Put in the stuffing into the artichoke "cups", patting it down nicely so it's packed in well (the kids loved doing this)
• Beat the extra egg, and dip the top of the stuffing and the encircling edges of the artichoke bracts in it. Then dip it in the bread crumbs (dad loved doing this!)
• In a large pan, heat oil, then put the srtichokes face-down (stuffing side down) in the oil so it fries nicely. Once the tops are brown, take them off and cool
• Start the sauce: fry the garlic and onion and pour in the pasta sauce, and bring to a simmer
• Put the two artichokes in a pot, pour the sauce around them and cook on a medium flame for about 40 minutes (that's right!!)
• This was a complex job, but tactile and hence lots of fun for the kids. The unique look and feel also made this an interesting eating experience for the kiddies. They loved the stuffing, and liked the bite and pull technique needed to get the flesh off the bracts. It reminded them of the Muringa (also called drum-sticks in India) that I use in my sambars!

Roopa
rooparecipes.blogspot.com

Mughalai Biriyani

I'd posted this biriyani recipe which was my mother's original recipe on my site and would love any comments or additions you might have. Any tricks that you experienced cooks out there might want to share? I found this became a real favorite with my kids (I cut down on the chillies a lot.)



This recipe calls for mutton/lamb, but I found it worked just fine with chicken.

Ingredients:
Three cups Pulao or Basmati Rice (450 gms in the original recipe)
One pound lamb or chicken (500 gms)
One lime
Quarter cup nuts (almonds or cashews)
Mint leaves, a few sprigs
Three tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 bunch coriander leaves
Two large onions
One inch of ginger (one tablespoon crushed)
Five green chillies
Three cloves of garlic
One cup of yogurt
Half a cup of milk
One pinch or turmeric
Other spices: Saffron, bay leaves, cardamom, cumin and Cinnamon (a pinch of each)

Preparation:

• Grind ginger,chillies, garlic and nuts into a fine paste
• Fry sliced onions in the ghee or butter till golden brown and crisp
• Remove the onion and in the hot ghee, fry the ground paste and then add the meat in that paste and fry
• After about five minutes, add a cup of water and cook till the meat is tender. make sure to cover the meat as it cooks. I found it took about fifteen minutes, and I added another cup of water as well.
• In parallel, start cooking rice till it is 3/4 done (I'd use a quarter less water and cook for a quarter less time than normal)
• Once the rice is ready, add a teaspoon of salt to it and mix well
• In the cup of yogurt, add the powdered spices (except for the saffron), and add in a sliced chilli, mint and lime juice
• Add the yogurt mix to the cooked meat and stir in well
• Dissolve the saffron in some warm milk
• Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees
• In a strong (oven-safe), deep pan lay out one layer of rice. Plan on there being at least two layers of rice
• Sprinkle some saffron milk onto the rice. Next layer some onion and lamb on. Repeat the rice/ onion/ lamb (or chicken) layer
• Cover tightly and place in a 300 degree oven, and bake for an hour

Best wishes,
Roopa
http://rooparecipes.blogspot.com

Blueberry Orange Smoothie

--posted by Pallavi
[This recipe has been cross-posted at All Things Yummy]
As the weather gets warmer, its nice to have a refreshing and cold drink. Here is an easy and quick mixed fruit recipe. It is one of the many combinations created by my darling husband... I will be posting more of these mixed fruit smoothie recipes as the summer comes along...! Are quite refreshing, healthy, easy to make and the little ones will love them...


Ingredients:
-----------
1 Cup Blueberries(Fresh/Frozen)
1 Orange (peeled/de-skinned) (Sweet ones work great)
1 Cup Grapes(Seedless Green / Black) - we used both
1 Banana
1 tsp Honey
some crushed ice(optional) - we skipped it this time.

Process:
---------
Add all the ingredients to the blender/juicer and blend to form a thick yummy smoothie. Thats it !
Serve it with a toast for breakfast, after lunch, as a quick drink after school, or after supper.
Its absolutely delicious and quite healthy. Enjoy !
Servings : 4

Birthday Cakes For Kids (and grownups too)

A few days ago, I wrote this post about baking and posted a picture of a cake (see left) I baked for my son’s (Chip) first birthday. A lot of people asked for recipes and directions, so I decided to do a post on it. Since I don’t want to put everything in one long post, I am going to do three small posts – Cake recipes good for birthday cakes, filling and frosting recipes, marshmallow fondant figures.




Nutfree ,Eggless, Dairy-free Chocolate Cake (Yield: 2- 8” rounds or 1- 9X13 inch)
This is very easy to put together and great for kids with food allergies.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups white sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda (NOT baking powder)
1 teaspoon salt (kosher preferred)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (I use Heinz)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa.
Add water, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat by hand until smooth.
Pour into a 9x13 inch pan or two 8” round pans. Bakeat 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.


Butter Pound Cake (Yield: 2-8” rounds or 1-10” Bundt cake)
If you are not in a hurry or on a diet, this recipe will yield a moist, dense and delicious, all purpose pound cake. The secret to making a good pound cake is to cream the butter and sugar well until silky. There are no leaveners in a pound cake.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 ¼ cup butter
¼ cup buttermilk
8oz cream cheese
2 tsp Vanilla or almond extract.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream butter, cheese until smooth. Add sugar in small quantities and beat until silky and fluffy. Add the buttermilk beat again until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time beating well with each addition. Fold in the flour gently. There are no chemical leaveners in this cake (baking powder, baking soda). So be sure to beat well as only this will make the cake rise.

Pour into 2- 8” round pans and bake for about 50-55 mins. Check for doneness at 40mins. A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean.

Do try these recipes for the next birthday celebration and let me know how it goes.