Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

A close friend from college is taking a hiatus from work and so I have been spending a lot of time with her. She and I are both into food so we try out lots of restaurants in the area or go to our favorites. We have been meeting for lunch almost daily if not a few times a week. Our favorite places are mostly in Edison- the Indian area- we tend to eat the street foods we miss so much that tend to assault the palette- spicy, sweet and savory, all at once. Recently we went to an Ethiopian restaurant in the area and had a fabulous lunch! We ordered some vegetables and a spicy salmon dish- it was really good. It was a warm day and we saw something called spice tea on the menu- served hot or cold. The person taking our order recommended the cold version. I was a little skeptical especially because I make the hot version at home all the time! Well, I was pleasantly surprised! It was absolutely delicious- very refreshing indeed. It was sweet yet extremely flavorful- the aroma of cinnamon came through very clear without being overpowering. I asked the gentlemen for the recipe and he gave it to us- well he gave us the ingredients. I decided to replicate the drink and serve as a refreshment for the cooking class I had a few days ago. I think I was able to duplicate the flavor successfully. I foresee enjoying the spice tea this summer- well, when I am not indulging in the sangria!!!

   
• 3 cups water
• 2 black tea bags
• 1 4-5 inches cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves, crushed
• 3 cardamom pods, crushed
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 cup ice

In a small saucepan bring the water, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods to a boil. Add the tea bags and steep for a minute. Take the bags out and turn the heat off. Let the spices steep in the tea for an hour. Strain the liquid and pour into pitcher. Add the honey and mix till dissolved. Add ice and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

When I think of summer,  Sangria comes to mind- so when Memorial Day quickly came our way, it was time to make some! I have been thinking/talking about Sangria for a few weeks now. During a street fair in our town, a local wine store was having a Sangria tasting. A new product was being launched- I was quite skeptical about what was about to come out of the red wine like bottle. I tasted it and was pleasantly surprised! It was very good- the nice man told me about the mixed drink and how it only had red wine and fruit puree. I wanted to buy it thinking how easy it would be to open a bottle of sangria in a moments notice but of course the mixologist in our family- my husband wouldn’t hear of it! He wanted to make his own, even though he admitted the bottled one was pretty good. I had looked up several recipes including one with passion fruit puree- which jumped out at me immediately since passion fruit is my all time favorite fruit. I don’t get to eat it too often around here and when I do, it’s very expensive but it is SO worth every penny- if you have never tasted a real passion fruit you have to try it- it is kind of a mix between a mango, guava and a peach but a lot better and intense! Anyway, I suggested the recipes to my husband but he refused and wanted to do research himself and come up with his own concoction. We went out to the ironbound section of Newark for a fabulous Portuguese/Spanish meal on Saturday and had a great tasting sangria there- it was not very intense in alcohol but was delicious. It reminded me of the sangria we had in Barcelona- it was our first day there and we had just unpacked and settled into our apartment. To keep awake we decided to walk to the popular area of Las Rambla. After a while we sat down in the median at a cafe and indulged in the biggest glasses of sangria I had ever seen! It was the most delicious sangria I have ever had. While in the Newark restaurant, I asked the waiter for the ingredients and they were quite standard- wine, simple syrup and fruit- quite easy to replicate at home.

My husband’s concoction was extremely delicious- it was tangy and sweet and the alcohol was apparent as well. A very well balanced drink that went really well with salsa and guacamole and chorizo burgers- recipes to come in the next week or so. I predict a lot of sangria in our future this summer!

Click here for the recipe… »

While I was working on this post, I started to wonder who discovered coffee?? It is such an important part of my life- I had to know. I sort of had an idea that it started in Ethiopia and spread from there but didn’t know that it started as early as the 10th century! What an old tradition it is- when I started thinking how many conversations I have had over a cup of joe- it’s no wonder people love to gather over coffee! For me it’s the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I look forward to before I go to sleep. I don’t need to have my it as soon as I wake up- I like to savor it, sit down, relax and enjoy the delicious cup. I get breakfast ready for my daughter and take her to school in the morning- I then come home and make my coffee and breakfast. The whole time I am going through the morning mundane rituals, all I can think about is sitting down by myself and enjoying my big cup of goodness! I usually stick to one cup a day- once in a while- okay a few times a week, I indulge in a second cup.- it usually is a cup of cappuccino. I still dream of that perfect cup of cappuccino I had in Italy years ago and can’t wait to replicate that experience this summer when we go to Umbria! What would life be without the pleasures of good food and drink!!

I was talking about sometimes drinking a second cup- well, another favorite kind of coffee I have is Masala Coffee. Many moons ago I used to work as a hostess for an Indian restaurant and a waiter there introduced me to this concoction. It is made out of instant coffee but not just any instant coffee- it is one that is made in the south of India and it has chicory in it (The brand is Bru). It gives the coffee an amazing woody flavor.  This drink also has cardamom in it- which is usually in Masala Tea but you will be surprised how well it goes in coffee as well! I grew up drinking instant coffee in India. The northern part of India is mostly into tea and some instant coffee, but the south if heavily into brewed coffee- it’s delicious- I always have it when I visit a south Indian restaurant! In the north, we would boil a combination milk and water and then mix it with an instant coffee and sugar mixture.  It would be sweet, creamy and frothy- brings back lots of memories. Another way I have instant coffee is by adding cinnamon. It makes a delicious Mexican inspired coffee- it is truly delicious!  I guess sky is the limit when it comes to flavoring your coffee with different spices- cardamom and cinnamon are my favorite…

Try making this kind of coffee- it is a nice change of pace or a great addition to your daily repertoire. I bet it would be delicious chilled as well now that warm weather is upon us- I will try it and report back!

Click here for the recipe… »

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.

This topic is very near and dear to my heart. My morning cup of coffee is something I think of all day- before I have it and also long after I have savored it. I use a stove top espresso maker which I discovered in Europe. I was visiting my aunt and discovered she didn’t have an electric coffee maker so I made my coffee in the espresso maker and realized that it made a fabulous cup ! Years later I found it in NYC and haven’t gone back since… I like my coffee extremely hot and I can get that from this contraption. Even the milk gets warmed and mixed with the freshly brewed coffee in the top compartment. I then pour my coffee into an insulated hand blown 10 oz cup that I absolutely love. I now travel with it where ever I go, I even take my ground coffee. I know it sounds a little nutty but you can’t diminish the satisfaction of a superbly brewed cup of coffee.
I would love to know what you use to make your morning cup of coffee and why you love it so much!