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Hi there, I'm Rose. I love to cook food - and eat it. If you have any questions concerning any of my recipes, drop me a line at:
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rose [at] avocadobravado.net
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Ghee is a type of clarified butter that is used extensively in South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking. Ghee is simply melted butter with the milk solids and water removed. It brings a deep, rich nutty flavor to dishes and provides a great aroma as well. Unlike butter, ghee can withstand high temperatures making it an ideal fat for deep frying. If cholesterol is an issue for you, a word of warning: ghee is 100% butterfat.
Ghee
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1 lb butter, unsalted
Add butter in a small saucepan over very low heat. Keep the heat to below a simmer and let the butter melt until the color is golden and the brown milk solids settle at the bottom of the pan. This could take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. Do not stir. Skim off the white foam from the top. Remove the pan from the heat for about 15 minutes, before straining the ghee through a cheesecloth or fine-mesh strainer. Store ghee in an airtight container. Ghee does not need to be refrigerated and will keep for about a year.
Makes about 1 3/4 cup
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I didn’t plan on making this salad, it just sort of happened while I was preparing dinner. I wasn’t sure that there would be enough food to fill our gluttonous American bellies, so I started chopping carrots and this was the result. I hold the belief that a little olive oil, lemon juice, and salt can go along way. I wanted to keep this simple, but couldn’t resist adding a little ground sumac to the salad. If you don’t happen to have sumac on hand, just substitute it with another tablespoon of lemon juice.
Carrot Salad
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3 carrots, shredded or julienned
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 t sumac
3 T fresh parsley
salt, to taste
Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, parsley, and salt in a small bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the carrots and toss until thoroughly incorporated. Can be served right away, but is even better the next day. Serve at room temperature.
Serves 4 (as a small side dish)
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Here in California, strawberry season is upon us and I fully intend to take advantage of it as much as possible. I was determined to make either a sorbet or gelato this week and ended up going with gelato. Gelato differs from American ice cream in that it has lower fat and sugar contents. The lower fat content coats the mouth differently and creates a more intense flavor than typical American ice cream. Keep in mind, there are no eggs or alcohol in this recipe, which means if it’s not consumed within 24-48 hours, the gelato will harden into a brick.
Strawberry Gelato
(adapted from 2frugalfoodies)
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1 T cornstarch
3/4 c sugar (granulated)
1 c whole milk
3/4 c heavy cream
1 lb strawberries, washed and hulled
2 T pomegranate molasses (optional)
Prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl halfway with water and ice. Place a stainless steel bowl into the ice bath and set aside.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, stir together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk and cream. Place the saucepan over medium heat and constantly whisk until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5-8 minutes. Do not boil. Pour the mixture into the bowl resting atop the ice bath and stir.
Puree strawberries in a food processor or blender. Pour the strawberries into the bowl with the milk mixture and stir in pomegranate molasses, if using. Remove from water bath and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.
Once the base has completely cooled, churn the gelato in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the back of the freezer a few hours before serving. Let stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, to allow the gelato to soften a little before serving.
Serves about 4
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I’ve mentioned here before that every Sunday, Cory and I throw on our backpacks and head west to a small and unassuming produce market where we acquire our weight’s worth in fruits and vegetables. The trip can be a bit of a pain sometimes, especially when the weather is unforgiving and we’re carrying an abundance of apples, oranges, sweet potatoes, and onions on our backs. Ultimately though, it’s worth because the produce at that particular market is incredibly cheap (depending on the season, persimmons for 39 cents a pound, strawberries for $1 a pound, roma tomatoes for 50 cents a pound, organic apples for 60 cents a pound, etc), which allows us to eat pretty well for relatively little money. Once we arrive home and put everything away, our refrigerator is more or less overflowing with produce. The best way to deal with that problem is to prepare a dinner with a lot of fresh vegetables.
This is an incredibly flavorful and vibrant dish – definitely a new favorite. Once all the vegetables are chopped, everything comes together fairly quickly, though I’m not sure all that chopping would make it a viable candidate for a quick weeknight meal. Sauteeing the gnocchi after boiling is an essential step, it transforms the gnocchi into crispy balls of goodness. For the sake of convenience, I used shelled edamame. If you can’t find edamame at all in your area, substitute it with lima beans, fava beans, or even peas.
Gnocchi with Edamame and Vegetables
(inspired by A Mingling of Tastes)
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1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1.5 c mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, julienned
1 red bell pepped, julienned
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb edamame, shelled
1 lb gnocchi
handful of freshly chopped basil
a couple sprigs of fresh mint (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
Boil gnocchi and edamame according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, wash and cut up vegetables.
Heat oil and butter in your largest skillet over medium heat, when hot add the gnocchi. Sautee and flip every couple minutes, until gnocchi has turned to a nice golden brown color. Remove from pan to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Add a bit more oil and butter to the same skillet. Once butter has melted, add onions cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add carrots, mushrooms, and red bell pepper, stirring often until the mushrooms have softened. Add garlic, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook just until the tomatoes begin to break apart ever so slightly. Add edamame and cook for a couple minutes. Finally, add gnocchi back to the skillet along with chopped basil and a little bit of mint, if you have some on hand. Continue cooking until the basil has wilted, stirring often. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parmigiano reggiano and serve.
Serves 4-5
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I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this, but some things just can’t wait. If you have overripe bananas in your kitchen that desperately need to be put to use, don’t resort to that old boring banana bread recipe. Try this banana halva from Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick & Easy Indian Cooking. It’s sweet, sticky, and incredibly rich (well, the depth of richness depends on whether you use oil, butter, or ghee). One important thing to note is that even though making banana halva is a simple and straightforward process, the bananas do require continuous stirring when cooking.
Banana Halva with Cream
(adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cooking)
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4 ripe overripe bananas
1 T vegetable oil, ghee, or butter (I used butter)
2 T sugar
2.5 T chopped nuts, unsalted (pistachios, walnuts, pecans, almonds)
1/3 c heavy cream or clotted cream
Peel and mash bananas in a large bowl.
Add oil, butter, or ghee to a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add bananas. Stir continuously for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to medium and stir for another 10 minutes, or until the bananas have turned to a deep toffee color. Add a little more oil, ghee, or butter, if necessary.
Turn down the heat to low and stir in sugar for about 30 seconds, or until dissolved. Fold in the nuts. Remove from heat, transfer to a plate and set aside.
Meanwhile, chop nuts and whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks. By now, the banana halva should be easy enough to handle. Use your hands to break it in two and form whatever shape you like. Cover the halva and cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time. Serve the halva with the whipping cream and more chopped nuts.
Serves 2
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