Magical fenugreek

I LOVE Indian food.  My first exposure to Indian cuisine came during my college years at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, which has quite a few restaurants serving mostly Gujarati (north Indian) dishes.  Ever since, I have sought to learn more about the techniques and ingredients unique to this cuisine.  

My first Indian cookbook, Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking taught me a great deal and I still refer to it today.  My main gripe with it is that there are very few recipes that can be made in under one hour.  Recently, to my delight, I found a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian that is relatively quick to prepare--much time is saved because unlike many of the recipes in Sahni's book, there is no chopping and frying of onions, and only two ingredients need prepping.  Somehow this recipe manages to produce a curry that is hearty and rich, despite having fewer ingredients and a shorter cooking time than nearly all other curries I've made.  My guess is that there's something magical in the fenugreek seeds.

Crumbled Potatoes with Peas (Aloo Matar)

1 to 1.25 lb boiling potatoes (try to get small potatoes that are about the same size)

3 TBS canola oil

3/4 to 1 tsp whole cumin seeds

1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds (available at Indian grocery stores)

1 large ripe tomato, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala (Whole Foods carries their own blend, or visit an Indian grocer)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 C hot water

1 to 1.5 C frozen peas

1.25 tsp salt, or to taste

chopped cilantro for serving

Boil the potatoes in their jackets until tender--usually about 20 minutes.  Once they are cool enough to handle, peel them and then, using your hands, break them into rough, 3/4 inch pieces.  (Reserve about one half of one of the potatoes to thicken the sauce.)  Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the whole cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds and let sizzle for about 30 seconds, until they start smelling fragrant.  Carefully add the chopped tomato and the ground spices and be prepared to shield yourself as there will be some spattering.  Quickly begin to mash the tomato mixture into a pulp over the heat until it comes together into a thick, pulpy sauce.  Let this simmer and thicken for about 5 minutes, until the oil begins to float on top of the tomatoes.  Add the hot water and stir.  Add the potato pieces and peas.  Mash up the reserved potato pieces by hand or use a ricer and add to thicken the sauce.  (You will probably want to experiment with how much mashed potato you add until you get the consistency that's right for you.)  Bring to a gentle simmer and stir in the salt.  Cook until flavors have melded and the peas have lost some of their bright green color--about 15 minutes.  Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.  Basmati rice or breads make a nice accompaniment.

Change of Plans

Some weeknights I'm a little too ambitious and plan a dinner that is too time intensive.  Tonight was one of those nights.  I spent a little longer than expected at work and didn't want to skip the gym.  This is when I rely on my repertoire of meals that can be concocted out of ever-present pantry staples.  One of my favorites in this category is very simple--linguine with a quick, garlicky tomato sauce.  I think the key to this dish is using the best possible canned tomatoes you can find.  I love that I can get this on the table in under 30 minutes.  This recipe is also easily embellished by the addition of shrimp or sausage.  You can add raw shrimp during the last few minutes of cooking and they cook up perfectly tender.  Buon appetito!

Linguine with a quick tomato sauce

3-4 TBS good olive oil

1/8 tsp (or more to taste) crushed red pepper flakes

4-5 (or more) cloves garlic, minced

1 14.1 oz can Bionaturae whole, peeled tomatoes

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 pkg linguine

2-3 TBS chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan until it shimmers.  Add red pepper flakes and swirl for a few seconds, then add garlic and saute for about one minute.  Add tomatoes and crush in the pan (I use a potato masher).  Add honey and salt and simmer over low heat while you cook the pasta.  Under cook the pasta by about 1-2 minutes.  Drain pasta (reserving about 1/4 C pasta water) and return to the pasta pot.  Add the tomato sauce, stir and return to high heat.  Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, stirring frequently and, if necessary, add additional pasta water to help finish cooking the pasta if it is too dry.  Remove from heat and prior to serving, toss in the parsley.  Drizzle a little extra olive oil over the pasta if you like.  Top with grated parmigiano, pecorino, or whatever you have on hand.