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Parathas are essentially a tortilla like flat bread made out of whole wheat flour. It is very common to have them for breakfast in India. They are typically stuffed with vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower or even a daikon. It can also be prepared plain layered with butter or ghee and eaten with yogurt. In this dish, a whole wheat tortilla or any choice of flat bread can be used.  I grew up eating egg parathas for breakfast. I am not sure how common they are amongst other Indians, but we would have them once in a while for breakfast or even lunch. It is almost a whole meal- whole wheat bread with an egg. The egg is nicely spiced with salt and cayenne pepper.  The cilantro gives the dish great flavor and color. Typically a regular onion is sauteed with a green chili- I like to use green onions because of their mild flavor and beautiful color.  The soft layer of egg goes very well with the crispy paratha.  The spice level can be increased by adding more cayenne pepper in the egg mixture- I love it spicy, so I add more cayenne and more serrano chilies to the frying pan- my mouth salivates as I write about this dish!!!- even though I just finished eating the most flavorful biryani I have ever had!  Stay tuned for the recipe and explanation on Monday… as usual, I digress…

Egg paratha goes very well with ketchup or even a tomato chutney and a cup of hot masala chai- perfect combination! We usually look forward to having this breakfast dish on the weekends.

• 1 large egg, beaten well
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup green onion, chopped
• 1 serrano chili, chopped
• 1 round flat bread, a tortilla, a prepared roti or paratha

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the green onion and Serrano chili. Saute for a minute or two on medium heat. In the meantime, beat the egg well and add the salt, cayenne pepper and cilantro. Have the tortilla or the paratha ready. Pour the egg mixture on to the onion mixture in the frying pan. Rotate the frying pan to spread the egg mixture evenly. Plate the paratha on top of the egg mixture and press down with a spatula. Cook on medium heat till the egg below the paratha is well cooked- about 3-4 minutes. Flip the egg paratha over and brown the other side.

Oh wow, this was a fantastic meal- I was inspired by my favorite british chef, Jamie Oliver . I watch his food network show every chance I get- I dvr it! I love his rustic style of cooking. It is very clear how much he loves food and is passionate about what he does.  Watching him cook is extremely pleasurable especially since he is quite good looking as well! One of the shows I recently viewed was about tomatoes where he did a sausage and tomato bake.  He also has recipe for a chicken thigh and potato bake.  I liked both the recipes and decided to combine the two. I bought a bratwurst from Trader Joes and decided to use it in this one pot meal.  As long as one is familiar with the technique, any combination of ingredients can be used.  Any hearty herbs like rosemary and protein like chicken thighs can be used.  Vegetables can also be used like peppers or zucchini.  I had bought beautiful plum tomatoes and yukon gold potatoes. The combination of these very simple but fresh and fabulous looking ingredients is just magic!! The fresh whole garlic and the herbs give the dish great aroma and flavor. The pièce de résistance was the drizzle of balsamic vinegar!  It brought all the ingredients together in a fabulous way- it was truly delicious!  I bought a bake at home baguette which was perfect to soak up the delicious tomato goodness!  I made a fresh salad and served a fabulous German Pinot Noir a friend recommended- it was- a Rheingau 2006 Pinot Noir.  I never had a German Pinot Noir before- it was unbelievably delicious!!

• 1 pound fresh pork sausage, sliced into 2 inch circles
• ¼ cup pancetta, chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus 1 teaspoon
• 1 bunch fresh thyme- about a tablespoon
• 1 bunch fresh oregano- about a tablespoon
• 5 plum tomatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces or 2 pints grape tomatoes cut in half
• 5 yukon gold potatoes, cooked half way and peeled
• 4 garlic cloves, not peeled
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven at 400 degree.
In a small frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the fresh herbs and sauté for another 5 minutes till the oil becomes aromatic. Pour the pancetta mixture in a 9 X 13 lined baking pan. In the meantime, cook the potatoes about half way and peel them. Place them on a flat surface and give them squeeze with your palm- you are trying to flatten them slightly. Add the potatoes to the baking dish. Add the tomatoes, garlic, sausage, salt and pepper. Mix well and drizzle the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Bake for about 30 minutes or till the potatoes are golden brown and the sausage is well cooked. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and bake for another 10 minutes. Check for seasonings. Serve with a crusty baguette and a crisp salad.

I really enjoy hummus, especially all the different flavors that are out there. It a delicious accompaniment with vegetables, chicken, fish or even with some pita and a salad- it’s a complete meal! My husband loves it with a warm tortilla or on a piece of toast for breakfast. In the past I have always purchased it from the super markets but since I was hosting a book club, I decided to make it at home. I already had plenty of tahini leftover from the baba ganoush I made last week and I had plenty of canned chickpeas as well- so I was all set.  A neighbor had offered her Mom’s recipe and I was thrilled because you know one can’t go wrong with a Mom’s recipe!  I modified it to my taste, of course!  I like things spicy, especially if they have a smoky aspect to them. When I was thinking about making hummus, chipotle in adobo came to mind. I love the flavor the smoked jalapenos impart in all the dishes. I decided to pair it with smoked paprika- which I consider a magic ingredient- it brings any ordinary dish to another level. It is great in stews, soups and potatoes.  I make a citrus chicken where the main ingredient is smoked paprika- it’s delicious.  The smokiness reminds me of eating tapas!  

In this case, I served the hummus with pita chips.  Mostly we have it with fresh veggies or spread thick on a nicely toasted piece of baguette topped with a fresh ripe tomato- it is out of this world.  

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 5 garlic cloves
• ½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
• Juice of 3 lemons
• Zest of 3 lemons
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil- plus more for drizzling
• 4 tablespoons water or liquid from chickpeas
• 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (use more if you like it more spicy)
• Sprinkle of sweet paprika

Process all the ingredients in a big processor until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Add more liquid if needed.
Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.

So I am continuing with the mango theme. Since I opened a big can of mango puree for the lassi, I felt I needed to explore all aspects of cooking with mangoes and mango puree.  I am hosting a book club meeting and wanted to make something sweet as well as something savory. For the savory I made a smoky hummus which I will post tomorrow. For the sweet I wanted to use the mango puree. I looked online for lots of mango desserts but nothing really jumped out at me.  I finally came up with these delicious almost cake like cookies. I loved the mango cardamom flavor in the lassi so much that I decided to repeat it. The combination reminds me some Indian dessert- not sure which one.  The mango glaze on top of the cookies provides a little bit of sweetness and creaminess that compliments the cookies really well. I used the whole wheat flour and turbinado sugar as usual- it makes me feel a lot better about making desserts like this- at least all the ingredients are natural and as unprocessed as possible. I wasn’t sure if my daughter would enjoy these cookies- but I guess since she loves mangoes so much, she really enjoyed them! 

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• ½ cup mango puree
• 1½ teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 cardamom pods, crushed and the green skin removed (equivalent to 1 teaspoon cardamom powder)
• 1 egg
• 2½ cups white whole-wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degree F.

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together in an electric mixer. Add the mango puree, lemon zest and egg; mix well. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the wet mixture with a rubber spatula. Drop a small scoop full of dough onto 2 parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or till golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Drizzle the mango glaze with a fork on the cookies.

Mango Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons mango puree

Whisk the powdered sugar with the mango puree until smooth. Drizzle on the cookies.

Mango lassi is synonymous with Indian restaurants all over the US and probably UK. I don’t remember drinking a whole lot of it in India for some reason (we used to drink the savory version with just yougut, water, salt and cumin)… I do recall drinking a lot of mango milkshakes though! Back then we used to make milkshakes with only milk- no ice cream.  So, when we moved to the States, I was very surprised to see shakes made out of ice cream- still am not use to the idea!

I digress- mango lassi is extremely popular in restaurants- it definitely helps cool the palate down. What I don’t like about the lassi served outside is that it can be quite heavy and unhealthy- most of it is made with heavy cream or even ice cream- not what a typical lassi should be. It is supposed to be a very refreshing drink to cool one down in the summer heat. The yogurt also helps with digestion. I used non-fat greek yogurt in this recipe- it is extremely creamy without all the fat. I also used less sugar than normal- the pulp already has added sugar and the drink doesn’t really need too much of it- I feel it takes the mango flavor away if it’s too sweet.  I decided to add cardamom seeds to the lassi. Cardamom has a very aromatic and delicate aroma and gives the lassi an additional layer of flavor. The mango flavor dominates the drink but the cardamom aroma comes through in a subtle but a very clear way.

I was teaching an Indian cooking class and it was one of those beautiful spring afternoons.  I decided to make the lassi as an introduction to the Indian food we were preparing. It was a nice cool refreshing drink to enjoy while we cooked and chatted!

• 1 cup non-fat greek yogurt
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1½ cups mango pulp or 3 fresh mangoes, stoned and sliced
• 4 teaspoons turbinado sugar
• 4 cardamom pods, crushed and the green skin taken off

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend for 2 minutes. Pour into a pitcher and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with ice cubes to thin the lassi out a bit. Makes about 4 glasses.