Indian Breakfast Omelet with Shrimp, Chilies and Tomatoes

Omelet Cooking on Stove

Michael and Shumon

Raw Chilies for dessert!

Shumon, Cathy, Kashmera and myself went to Mozza: Chi Spacca. we had a fantastic dinner and one of the highlights was what they called: Testa. It was basically an omelet made with spices, onion, shrimp. They then put Head Cheese on it and briefly warm it in the wood burning oven until the Head Cheese (not a cheese) melts. We all loved it! Shumon and Kashmera said there was an Indian Breakfast dish very similar. They volunteered to make it for us. So while Cathy and I did T'ai Chi with our instructor Michael, they cooked the Eggs, shrimp dish for us Indian Style. It was great. We all sat in the front yard and enjoyed it. Our Indian friends, of course, topped it off with raw chiles!

Parmesan Soup with Snap Peas

We were going to the movies and had a quick bowl of soup. This is my new favorite soup: Spring vegetables in Parmesan broth with goat cheese ravioli.

It is made with Parmesean Cheese Rind, fresh vegetables and Ravioli. We purchase frozen Cheese Raviolis by Heirloom LA at Silverlake Wine. Try this soup. It is supper delicious!

Spring vegetables in Parmesan broth with goat cheese ravioli

LA Times

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 1/2 to 2 ounces rinds from Parmigiano-Reggiano

Herb trimmings

Salt

2 dozen asparagus tips

1/2 pound sugar snap peas

Goat cheese ravioli or fresh pasta squares

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1 ounce freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. In a soup pot, simmer the chicken broth, water, garlic, Parmesan rinds and herb trimmings until aromatic and flavorful, about 90 minutes. Strain and return to the soup pot.

2. In a wide pot, blanch the asparagus tips in plenty of rapidly boiling, generously salted water until just tender, about 3 minutes. Use a wire skimmer or slotted spoon to transfer them to an ice water bath to stop the cooking, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.

3. Cut the sugar snaps in half on a bias, then blanch them in the same way, stopping the cooking with the ice water bath and holding in a separate bowl. (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.)

4. When ready to serve, warm 6 shallow pasta bowls. Bring the Parmesan broth to a simmer, taste and correct seasoning with salt to taste.

5. Bring a large, wide pot of water to a boil. Cook the goat cheese ravioli or fresh pasta squares until the pasta is tender, 3 or 4 minutes. Divide the ravioli among the serving bowls. Warm the asparagus tips in the same pot of water and divide them among the pasta bowls. Warm the sugar snaps in the same pot of water and divide them among the pasta bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with chives and then ladle over roughly one-third cup of hot Parmesan broth. Sprinkle with a little grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and pass the remainder at the table.

Appetizers, Lentils and Potato Aloo, Raita

Spiciest Cook in Los Angeles

Oh the Onions!

Change of Clothes for the preperation

Pani Puri on the Patio

Pani Puri and Sev Puri on the patio

Documenting Everything

Shumon makes Rice and Dal

Dahl, Raita and Potato Aloo

Cake and Strawberries

Kashmira and Shumon decided to cook a 2^nd Indian Dinner for us. What a team they make. Bobby, Darryl and Robert’s niece Margaret joined us for dinner. Michael and Brett also joined. It was a real extravaganza and once again the weather cooperated by being extremely warm. Everyone who has been to Mumbai loves the smell of the street food served everywhere. We have our taco trucks they have their street food vendors.

We are always reluctant to eat street food when we travel abroad for fear of Delhi Belly. Street food came to Silverlake!

Kashmera made both Pani Puri and Sev Puri. Pani means water in Hindi. You start with small balls of a very thin pastry like shell. With your finger you punch a hole in the top and then place various ingredients inside the pastry shell and finally top with some flavored water. One bite and it done. They are very delicious. Sev Puri is served on a flat cracker. It can be topped with many different ingredients that Sev (a thin crunchy noodle). Everyone enjoyed making and eating them.

We had Rice and Dal that Shumon made. Kashmera made Gobi Aloo, one of my favorite dishes (Potatoes and Cauliflower). Kash and Shumon also made Raita.

We loved having the excellent homemade Indian Food.

Crab, Biryani

Who knew that Kashmera could cook? She decided to make a Chicken Biryani. It is an amazing process to watch. The chicken is cut up and layered in pot, between layers of cooked rice, vegetables and seasonings. The whole production takes a long time. The pot is finally sealed at the top with a mixture of flour and water around the seam where the lid meets the pot. It is then cooked on top of the stove for a long time at a low temperature. When the dish is ready, the bread like seal is broken and the dish is served family style. Every one taking from the pot by scooping a large spoon straight down through the layers to get a little of everyone!

Silverlake was very warm and we started with drinks on the front patio. Robert and Darryl joined us as did Shumon and Scott and Tom. Our new neighbors Sean and Rachel also came by and we had our first real interaction with them.

We made Dynamite Crab and Rice, once again. Everyone always loves it. It is our favorite appetiser. The recipe can be found on our blog of: September 5, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

We ate the main courses on the back patio overlooking the city. It is great to eat outside in LA on a warm evening. To top it all off, many of us ate in true Indian Style with our hands, no silverware allowed!

Robert / Darryl brought desert, Chocolate Mousse, Fresh Strawberries from the Farmer's Market and Whipped Cream.

It was a wonderful night!

Morell, Spinach Lasagna

Cute

Sunset Drinks

Krushna doesn't have to worry

Tim at Papilles Bistro said he would get us some Morel Mushrooms. We decided use them to make a vegetarian lasagna. We simply augmented the Burrata and Spinach Lasagna we like so much with sauted Morels. It was delicious. I love this recipe. You can get it from our blog of: May 4,2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Shuman does Shrimp

Kashmera arrived from India and she planned to spend a week with us. It is great fun being with her and hearing the stories of Bollywood and her youth in Mumbai. Shumon cooked an Indian Dinner with Shrimp and Rice. For dessert we had Fresh Cherries over Ice Cream. The Cherries have just come into the Farmer's Market and it is fun tasting every different stand as we walk through the market trying to decide which cherries are the best.

Lobster Salad, Asparagus Salad

Shumon had returned from his trip to Bangladesh and Thailand and we invited him over for dinner. We started with a Lobster Salad (leftover lobster from Monday night Lobsters at Jar Restaurant). We then had one of our absolutely favorite spring pastas: Asparagus Pasta. We love this dish and make it many times in the spring when Asparagus from the Delta is at its peak. You can get the recipe for the pasta from our blog of: April 17, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Salmon, Black Rice, Paula Wolfert Cauliflower Chive Oil

We decided to make Salmon. We used the recipe for Oven-Steamed Salmon with Chive Oil

from Paula Wolfert’s World of Food. This is a fabulous recipe that is as good as it gets. You can find the recipe on our blog of: June 4, 2011. Click the date to get the recipe.

Clam Pasta, Cauliflower Soup

We decided to make Clam Pasta, we used the recipe for Pasta With Basil and Hot Pepper from The New York Times. This is a wonderful recipe. We bought the clams and McCall’s Meat and Fish. All of the clams opened up when we cooked them. It is a great recipe. You can find the recipe on our blog of: September 10, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a soup Cauliflower Soup with Coconut, Turmeric, and Lime from VegetableLiteracy by Deborah Madison. We both were unimpressed by the soup, don’t know why, but here is the recipe if you want it. The Pasta more than made up for the soup. This is a good and easy recipe.

Cauliflower Soup with Coconut, Turmeric, and Lime

Vegetable Literacy

Deborah Madison

For 4 to 6

This is especially attractive made with an orange cauliflower cultivar, such as Cheddar or Orange Bouquet. It makes the whole soup glow with color.

2         tablespoons butter or ghee

1         cup or more chopped leeks, white part only, washed thoroughly

1/3         cup finely chopped cilantro stems or leaves

1-1/2         pounds cauliflower, broken into small florets

1         tablespoon raw white basmati rice

½         teaspoon ground turmeric

2         tablespoons curry powder

Sea salt

1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk, plus water or stock to total 4 cups

Juice of 1 large lime

1 to 2 tablespoons coconut butter

Chopped cilantro or snipped chives to finish

Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, cilantro stems, cauliflower, and rice and stir to coat with the butter. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the turmeric, curry powder, and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt. Pour in the diluted coconut milk, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover partially, and cook until the cauliflower is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let the soup cool slightly, then, scoop out a few cups, puree in a food processor or blender until smooth, and return it to the pot. If you prefer a creamy soup, puree the entire lot. Reheat gently, stir in the lime juice, and taste for salt.

Just before serving, stir in the coconut butter. Ladle into bowls and finish with something fresh and green— chopped cilantro or snipped chives.

With Yogurt: Stir a spoonful of creamy yogurt into each bowl before serving.

With Greens: Serve garnished with a cluster of Tangled Collard Greens in Coconut Butter (page 13) or cooked spinach.

Chilled: Serve cold, seasoned with lime juice and pre­sented with sliced avocado and cilantro sprigs

Life with Fava

Fava'a Start at 3 pounds 3-3/4 Oz.

1st Peel on our front steps

After 1st Peel we have 1 pound 6 oz of Fava Beans

After 2nd Peeling less than a Pound of Fava's to cook

Toast Points with Fava Bean Spread and Ricotta Cheese

Mozza Pizza

Thai Fried Rice

Asparagus Morell Risotto

We purchased Fava Beans at the market and decided to make Fava Bean Puree. I always wondered what the ratio of final beans to purchased beans were, so I decided to document the preparation of the puree. As you can see, there is lots of peeling and discarded waste. We save all of the peelings however and give to a neighbor who composts it.

We love the flavor of fava bean puree and it is excellent on toast points. You can garnish with crumbled feta if you desire. In our case because we had some of the leftover baked ricotta and peas we used that on top of the spread. Talk about leftovers, Pizza from Mozza, how  good is that?

We had brought home some leftover pork from Mozza. Our favorite recipe for Fried Rice is Fried Rice with Crab from Thai Street Food by David Thompson. We simply substituted the Crab with Pork. It was as good or better than any Fried Rice we get a restaurants. You can get the recipe in our blog of: April 4, 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.

Finally we made: Asparagus Morell Risotto. We had lots of excellent food!

Fava Bean Puree

3 pounds mid-season fava beans

1/2 to 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper

2 cloves Garlic

1/4 bay leaf

1 small sprig rosemary

1 sprig thyme

1/2 lemon

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Shell the fava beans; discard the pods. Parboil the shelled beans for 1 minute. Drain them and immediately plunge them in ice-cold water for a few minutes to cool. Drain them again and remove their pale green skins, piercing the outer skin of each bean with your thumbnail and popping out the bright green bean in­side with a pinch of your other thumb and forefinger.

Warm about ½ cup of the olive oil in a shallow, nonreactive sauté pan. Add the beans and salt lightly. Add the garlic, peeled and chopped very fine; the herbs; and a splash of water. Cook the beans at a slow sim­mer, stirring and tasting frequently, for about 30 minutes, until they are completely soft and pale green and easily mashed into a puree. Add an­other splash of water from time to time to prevent the beans from dry­ing out and sticking to the pan.

When the beans are done, remove and discard the herbs, and mash the beans into a paste with a wooden spoon—or pass them through a sieve or a food mill or puree with a food processor. Taste for seasoning and add more olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice to taste. If the puree is at all dry and tight, add still more olive oil. Don't be stingy with the oil; good olive oil is as important to the flavor of the puree as the beans. Serve warm or at room temperature, by itself or spread on grilled bread.

Makes about 3 cups.