Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

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!

Improve your morning cup of tea!
As you can imagine every Indian has their own idea and recipe for ‘masala chai’. The word ‘chai’ has become very popular with Starbucks introducing many different varieties of it. I have never enjoyed the coffee shop version of it, just never reminded me of the chai I grew up with. Now, like I said, there are as many versions of this as there are Indians.. (that’s a whole lot). This version has been tweaked over the years, thanks to my husband who is a self proclaimed tea connoisseur. I have combined fennel seeds and green cardamom. The key is to crush them either in a mortar and pestle or with anything heavy (a bottle of wine will do!). Of course fresh spices make a big difference! Also good quality loose black tea is important.. now I don’t want you to break the bank and buy very expensive tea. The dry spices in the tea will dominate the flavor so you don’t want something very delicate like a darjeeling tea. A reasonably priced Assam tea or even English Breakfast will do. The other key to a great cup of masala chai is cooking the milk and sugar with the water, spices and the loose tea in the same pan. I always have one percent milk at home, I use that with a splash of half and half (it gives it a richness that is very much needed!) The chai creates a very earthy, nostalgic aroma for me- great on a weekend morning.

• 1 cup filtered water
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 green cardamom, crushed
• 1 heaping teaspoon loose black tea
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon half and half

In a shallow pan add the water, crushed fennel seeds, cardamom and sugar. Heat on a high flame. Once the water comes to a boil, add the tea leaves. Then add the milk and the half and half. Let it come to another boil and lower the flame. Cook for a minute or two stirring it as needed and ensuring the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a cup through a small strainer.