The Spice Island

Deborah

Nutmeg growing on the tree, Grenada's most famous crop.

The best way to kick the prolonged winter blues is to get out of town. Last week, spent in the incredible Caribbean island of Grenada, was completely restorative and beyond inspiring! This charming island hosts a rain forest and is dense with lush beauty. We saw a lot of rain while there which is unusual for this time of year, but the result is a lot of healthy greenery. The people of Grenada are so kind, warm, and gracious my heart was captured the minute I arrived.

The Grand Etang Forest Reserve in Grenada has trails for hiking.

The Seven Sisters waterfalls was a short hike into the forest. The water was really that green and a perfect temperature for cooling off. Too bad we didn't get to see any monkeys.

Pink Gin Beach, a dramatically beautiful beach on the southern tip with billowing clouds worthy of a Turner painting.

Sea shells collected by the 

sea shore

Ahhhhhhh, paradise!

The benefits of rain!

Lest you think all I did was walk around with my jaw hanging open admiring all the natural beauty, let me assure you that my jaw was also moving up and down quite a bit eating all the delicious local delicacies the island has to offer. The smell of nutmeg follows you just about everywhere and that is not a bad thing as far as I am concerned. I had nutmeg waffles, nutmeg ice cream and nutmeg scented polenta, just to name a few spectacular offerings. The resort where we (husband and I) stayed was the incomparable LaSource. The food was fantastic and much local produce was featured. I began to take notice of the braised vegetable dishes that usually contained pumpkin and chayote, two very typical Caribbean crops. 

The green chayote is about the size of a large grapefruit. These whole spices which include nutmeg and cloves are sold strung together as natural air fresheners for your kitchen. I bought mine from a beach vendor. (Check out my friend Pat's blog post about shopping on the beaches of Grenada.)

These vegetables are easy to cook, have great flavor and are very satisfying. Pumpkin has a nice creamy texture and sweet nutty flavor. Chayote (or christophene) has a crisp watery texture and a light bright flavor. The two combined create an attractive dish. I picked up a Grenadian spice mix at the market which is a blend of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaves. I am going to be using it to season EVERYTHING for a while.

I cannot say enough about the wonderful island of Grenada, it is well worth making a visit to this very special place!

Braised Pumpkin and Chayote with Grenadian Spices

2 Tbs. butter

2 cups cubed pumpkin

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups cubed chayote

1/4 teas. ground nutmeg

1/4 teas. ground cloves

1/4 teas. cinnemon

1/2 cup water (or coconut milk) 

1/2 lime

3 Tbs. toasted peppitas for garnish

Heat butter in a saute pan and add the cubed pumpkin and the salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes till the pumpkin is almost cooked through. Add the chayote, the spices and the water. stir to copat all the vegetables with the butter, pan juices and spices. Cover and cook for another ten minutes till the chayote is tender. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime over the vegetables and top with toasted pepitas.

To toast the peppitas (pumpkin seeds) lay them flat in a pan, sprinkle with a little olive oil and salt  and place in 350 oven for 5 minutes till lightly golden brown.

Amanda
Welome home! Sounds (and looks) like you had a marvelous trip! The pictures are gorgeous. I hope you came back well-rested! As for your delectable recipe...I have looked up and down for pumpkin this time of year and have been unable to come across any. Where did you find it? And, is the chayote readily available? That is a vegetable (or fruit?) I am entirely unfamiliar with.

Gewurztraminer would be a very interesting, and I'm sure beautiful, choice for this dish. Typically off-dry, this grape produces wines with astounding floral aromas. Flavors of lychee and passionfruit are common. Gewurz (it's nickname) is incredibly unique and really cannot be compared to any other wine. Loaded with spice, it would complement the Grenadian spices in Deb's dish perfectly.

To find the finest expression of Gewurz, look for one from Alsace, France. Styles range from dry to very sweet. The sweet wines are perhaps among the most delicious I have ever experienced - they are indeed heavenly. But for Deb's recipe, I would stick with dry or slightly off-dry.

And, as an "aside"...20 more days till Spring! Yay! Looking forward to switching culinary gears and loading up on all of nature's Springtime goodies!

spicy potatoes

Deborah
A sign of impending Spring,  forced forsythia branches from my backyard.

We are heading into the home stretch. I can just feel it. The days are getting longer and the wind has shifted, blowing in the beginning of a new season. Don't hang your coat up yet. There are still plenty of cold days to go, but the countdown to warmth has begun.
Cooking remains back to basics until the farmers markets kick in again. I am looking at potatoes with a weary eye, but not giving up hope. I came across a Thai version of these stir fry potatoes and decided to give them a try using the chili's my sister brought back for me from her recent trip to Cambodia.

Needless to say I got a little carried away with the chilies when preparing this recipe, overly excited by my special ingredient, I ended up making it a little too spicy for my husband to eat. Sorry sweetie. I loved it, spicy is always good for me. The chopped scallions give the dish a burst of freshness and some needed color.

This dish is easy to make and quite delicious to eat. Watch out for the chilies and make it as spicy as you like.

Spicy Wok Fried Potatoes

• boil 4 unpeeled red potatoes in a pot of salted water till cooked tender (the potato will slide off a knife when stabbed)
• drain potatoes and coarsely chop them.
• heat about 3 Tbs. canola oil in a wok
• add 2-6 dried chilies, depending on your taste
• stir fry the chilies for barely a minute then add the potatoes. Cook on high heat stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Let the potatoes get brown and crispy.
• add one bunch of chopped scallions and salt to taste and continue to stir fry for another minute.
serves 2

With the leftovers (the portion my husband wouldn't eat) the next day, I adding a couple of beaten eggs to the potatoes and pan fried them to make something akin to a Spanish tortilla. Wonderful!

Amanda
Mmmmm. Spicy, fried potatoes. Doesn't get much better than that! And I love what you did with the leftovers! Such a great idea! The perfect wine for this meal jumped out at me immediately. It was the spicy element of the chilies that immediately cried out for a "sweet-ish" Riesling. The reason for me is really two-fold. First, a wine slightly on the sweet side is really what you want to look to pair with spicy foods. The sweetness of the wine will quell the heat of the chilies, which is very important. A drier wine, higher in alcohol, will only intensify the heat. Plus, the heat will destroy the flavors of the wine. So, sweetness is definately a quality you want to look for. Second, Rieslings are acidic wines. The acid of the wine will help cut through and balance the richness of the oil.

Remember, when you are pairing wine with food, you want to pay attention to the dominant flavors (sauces, dressing, spices) in the dish. For particularly spicy dishes, you want to stay away from a lot of reds - especially ones high in tannin. If you are really craving a red, look for a simple Grenache perhaps. There will be an abundance of fruit which can work well with spicier foods.

To become acquainted with Riesling, look for German wines from St Urbans Hof or Peter Mertes. Trimbach, from Alsace is another terrific producer worth seeking out. These producers all make wines in the $10-$15 price range.

a fine romance

Deborah

 Cards for everyone in the family. Gotta spread the love!

There is something romantic about a tart. Even the word TART sounds sexy and risque! With Valentine's day on our doorstep my fancy has turned towards pastry crust. In particular I am thinking about a whole wheat crust for a savory tart. Improbably for this time of year I could not shake the desire to fill my tart shell with zucchini. Potatoes and mushrooms would help fill it out.

By sauteing the vegetables before adding them to the crust the flavors get built up. The idea is to cut the vegetables into a small dice so they cook quickly and stay tender.

The crust I had in mind was a simple whole wheat crust. I found a recipe online and then tweaked it a bit. The results were divine! The crust tasted great and had a truly delicate texture which is exactly what I was after. For the filling I added a few eggs and some cheese to the vegetables, almost like a quiche, but a little less eggy. This tart makes a nice starter to a romantic dinner or could be served as part of a breakfast, say, in bed!

Zucchini Potato Mushroom Tart

The Filling:
2 medium zucchinis cut into a small dice
1 cup mushrooms, cut into a small dice
1 medium red potato, cut into a small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. Butter
2 Tbs olive oil
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup cheese coarsely grated (fontina, chedder, grueyer, or goat)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the the oil and the butter in a saute pan. Add the zucchini and the garlic and cook quickly for 4-5 minutes until the zucchini browns a bit and is tender. Remove zucchini from pan and put into a bowl. Put the potatoes in the pan and saute for 7-8 minutes until the potatoes are tender and brown in spots. Put the cooked potatoes in the same bowl with the zucchini. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until tender. Add the mushrooms to the bowl with the other vegetables. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, the cheeses and the milk and then pour it over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the tart shell and bake at 350 for 25 minutes until set.

The Tart Shell:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup butter (cold), cut into small pieces
2 Tbs. vegetable shortening
1 Tbs. sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4-5 Tbs. Milk

Put the flours, the salt and the sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter, bit by bit, pulsing once or twice with each addition. Add the shortening and pulse a few more times. Slowly add the milk, one Tbs. at a time, pulsing as you go untill the dough just comes togetther. Remove dough from the food processor and wrap in plastic wrap, flattening the dough into a disc. Refridgerate dough for one hour.
Heat oven to 4oo degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a flat surface between two pieces of saran wrap. Roll it out gently to about 1/4 inch thick and wide enough to fit a 9 inch removeable bottom tart pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and gently crimp the edges. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes till the crust is golden. Remove from oven and proceed to the instructions for the filling above.

Happy Valentine's Day !

Amanda

Looks incredible! Staying home on Valentine's Day is so full of possibities! There are an infinite amount of things to cook and wines to drink. Candles, a little Barry White in the background perhaps...A plethora of ideas to "set the mood".

Deb's tart seems like the perfect Valentine's dish. And, I have the perfect "romantic" wine  to partner with it - its soulmate if you will. The Hugel Cuvee Les Amours Pinot Blanc is without doubt a delicious match for this tart! From Alsace, France, it is more fleshy than usual for a Pinot Blanc. It is creamy yet bright and fresh, with aromas of flowers and citrus fruit. The body, texture and flavors all work in sync with the flavor profile of the Zucchini Potato tart to create the perfect marriage! A mouthwatering combination!

And what's also amazing about this wine is the price. It can be found for around $10-$11. Hugel is one of the top producers in Alsace, and one of my personal favorites. It will simply shine next to Deb's work of art!

a wintery lentil salad

Deborah

Let's not even mention the weather. Forget it. There is nothing to say. The good news is that being cooped up allows one to spend some time thinking about things. Like recipes!
Lentils were on my mind and I felt a longing to combine them with a strong lemony flavor. Lentil salad I'm thinking, with a lemon vinaigrette. I would need some dark leafy greens for the "bed" and some cheesey cheese to keep it interesting. I stopped on my way home today and picked up a bunch of spinach and some Danish Blue cheese.  Ready to get started!

The other element I wanted to add to this salad was roasted shallots, deeply caramalized and gooey. The finished salad would require a lot of steps, but none too complicated and all fairly quick.

For the lemon vinaigrette I wanted it to be super tart and lemony so I made a lemon oil by heating the zest of a lemon and a few cloves of garlic in olive oil to intensify the flavor.

Lemon zest, garlic cloves, and black pepper corns get heated in olive oil.

While the lentil were boiling I quartered a few shallots and popped them in the oven to roast. It then occured to me to toast up some peppitas (pumpkin seeds) while I was at it for a little crunch. The preparations all required a bit of busy work, but the results were worth it. 

 

The salad was a smash hit as far as I'm concerned. The lentils were still warm and had a great earthy flavor, the spinach wilted slightly and had a fresh irony taste, the peppitas gave a nutty crunch, the shallots were smooth and sweet and the blue chese gave the knock-out punch: sharp, tangy and creamy. Each bite held a multitude of flavors and textures with the assertive lemon vinaigrette bringing it all together. Without TOO much trouble I had a salad that would be right at home in a trendy restaurant and it barely took me half an hour to make.

What weather?

Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, NY was so peaceful and quiet this weekend. Is it too soon to be thinking of picnics?

French Lentils, Blue Cheese and Roasted Shallot Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

ingredients:

3 cups water

3/4 cup French Lentils

zest of one lemon

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 shallots, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup raw peppitas

juice of one lemon

1/2 teas. salt

freshly ground pepper

1 bunch spinach, washed and spun dry

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan and add the lentils, let them cook for about 20 minutes, till tender, then drain and allow to cool a bit.

In another small saucepan add the olive oil, the garlic cloves, the peppercorns and bring to a low simmer for about five minutes, then turn off heat and allow the oil to cool. Peel and quarter the shallots and toss with a tablespoon of the lemon oil. Put the shallots in a small pan and roast for 15 minutes till very golden and tender. Put the peppitas in a small baking tray and toss with 2 teaspoons of the lemon oil and toast in the oven for 5 minutes till golden (watch that they don't burn). Strain the rest of the olive oil and reserve to make the vinaigrette.

Make the vinaigrette: in a small bowl combine the lemon juice, salt and ground pepper to taste. Slowly add the rest of the olive oil, whisking as you go. 

Arrange the spinach leaves on a platter. Mound the lentils in the center of the platter. Arrange the roasted shallots around the lentils, sprinkle the blue cheese and the peppitas over the salad and then drizzle the lemon vinaigrette on top.

Serves two.

Amanda
Wow! Absolutely gorgeous! Can't wait to try this healthy wintertime salad. For wine, my thoughts actually go in two directions. The first would be to focus on the blue cheese component of the salad, and enjoy a wine with a touch of sweetness. Typically a sweeter wine is the perfect match for a blue cheese, whether it be a Sauternes or even Port. The sweet quality of the wine is a delicious contrast to the salty nature of the cheese - a match made in heaven!

With that in mind, I would choose a Chenin Blanc. The grape has different characteristics depending on where it is grown. For example, in the Anjou region of France the wine will exhibit a dryer style, while in Vouvray,  it will be more off-dry (slightly sweet). The honeyed, floral flavors of Vouvray would lead me to this option. Chenin Blanc is a very versatile wine when it comes to food, but there are such a large variety of styles that you should be familiar with what you are buying when you are searching for the ideal match. The wines can be very dry or very sweet, and lots of places in between! I would choose an off-dry style for Deb's salad - this will work marvelously with the strong, dominant flavors of the blue cheese.

My other inclination would be to focus on the flavors of the lemon vinaigrette and match a wine accordingly. Sauvignon Blanc is fresh, tangy and citrusy with good acidity. With this in mind, a Sancerre would be my second choice.

While either wine, though very different, will work - I'm leaning towards the Chenin Blanc! I guess the only way to find out for sure is to make the salad, pour two glasses of wine, and see for myself! But if you are unfamiliar with this grape, make sure you seek the assistance of a knowlegeable salesperson so you know what you are getting!

recovering

Deborah

Buried under mountains of snow these last few weeks has not been easy. The simplest tasks have become very complicated as I try to navigate the deep paths in my Queens, NY neighborhood, carved out at least knee-high in most places!

The entire neighborhood has to walk single file!

 

Wonder what is buried under there? These snow piles are as high as a bus! My neighbor claims her garbage from Christmas is still deep inside. Spring will be such a lovely mess. On top of it all I have been dealing with a wicked cold that has kept me weak and shivering.

 To help manage my cold symptoms these tangerines got juiced. So yummy! Too bad all of these squeezed barely yielded a cup of liquid. geesh!

In the mood for some sustenance I decided to make a hearty soup featuring the whole grain quinoa. My idea was to feature its nutty flavor with the added help of some meaty red kidney beans.

I built the soup up starting with sweating some aromatic vegetables. The quinoa gets rinsed and then toasted with the vegetables to emphasize the flavor of the grain. Vegetable stock and crushed tomatoes are used for the liquid. I wanted the seasoning to be rich but not over-powering. I added a fair amount of paprika for depth, a bay leaf for a pine-y fragrance, a pinch of chipotle chili powder for a little smoky-ness and some thyme for a woodsy note. The soup simmers for about half an hour. At the end I added some green beans and spinach for a burst of color and freshness.

As a condiment for the soup I decided to make a red pepper and shallot puree.

Roast the vegetables till tender and puree in a food processor. So simple and so good!

The soup came out great. Just what I was looking for to bring some comfort and strength on a cold snowy winter day. The broth had a deep earthy flavor and the red pepper puree was a sweet bright addition to round this dish out.

Stay warm!

Quinoa and Red Bean Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Puree

 The aromatics:

2 Tbs. Olive oil

1 onion minced

S & P to taste

2 cloves garlic minced

1 Carrot chopped

3/4 cup quinoa rinced 

the spices:

 1 bay leaf

 2 Tbs. Paprika

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon Chipoltle Chili powder

1 small potato cubed

1 15oz can red kidney beans

the liquids:

1 quart vegetable stock

1 cup chopped canned tomatoes

the green vegetables:

1/2 cup green beans cut into bite sized pieces (substitute broccoli, zucchini)

1/2 cup cooked spinach (substitute chard, kale, any leafy green)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

In a soup pot heat the olive oil, add the onions and a little salt and pepper. Sweat the onions at a low temperature until they soften a bit. Add the garlic and the carrot and continue to sweat the vegetables for 5 or 6 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the quinoa, stirring frequently till the quinoa begins to get a little bit golden in color, about 10 minutes. Add the spices, the potato, the kidney beans and the liquids and bring to a boil. Lower the heat top a simmer and allow the soup to cook for 30 minutes.

Add the green vegetables and the lemon juice and simmer for 5 more minutes till vegetables are tender. Taste to adjust seasonings.

Serve with the red pepper puree.

Roasted Red Pepper, Shallot and Jalapeno Puree
-This very versatile puree will keep in the fridge for a week. Serve with soups, stews, roasts, or on toast!

1 red pepper

3 jalapenos 

1 shallot, peeled

1 Tbs. Olive oil

2 teaspoons water

pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the red pepper into strips and lay on a baking sheet with the jalapenos, left whole and the shallot, cut in half. Toss with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil and bake for 20 minutes till tender. Allow to cool, then transfer to a food processor and while the machine is running add 1 Tbs. olive oil and the 2 teaspoons water to create a smooth paste. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Amanda

I think if it didn't snow another day all winter, there would still be snow on my lawn till May. My lawn is small, and the snow which has amassed there from shovelling my sidewalk, walkway and driveway is about up to my shoulders now. My kids of course love it. Me, not so much. To them it is the equivalent of having Mt. Everest right outside our window. It provides endless hours of adventure for them. So, for that, I can deal with it...

 

What I love about Deb's recipes is that they inspire me to think "outside the box". I love to cook quinoa - I have used it in veggie burgers, cold summertime quinoa "salads", and warm wintertime dishes. However, I can honestly say it never occurred to me to use it in a soup. I'm not quite sure why. The soup looks scrumptious, and is so wonderfully healthy!Gotta love that!

 

I love the flavor profile Deb describes with all the smoky, earthy flavors! A rustic wine would be my choice with this soup, something from France perhaps. A wine we featured at the shop this week immediately jumps to mind. It is a Cotes du Rhone from Jean Luc Colombo - Les Abeilles 2007. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, it combines flavors of berries, spice, licorice with a hint of leather. It's very food-friendly (and wallet friendly at $9.99).

 

A wine from Corbieres, in the Languedoc Roussillon region of France is another great match for Deb's recipe. Chateau de Vaugelas Corbieres Le Prieure is a blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah. Velvety and fleshy on the palate, the wine exhibits beautiful chocolate notes as well as licorice, dark fruit and spice. The Vaugelas is $11.99.

 

Both of these wines are great bargains from the south of France. A bowl of Deb's soup enjoyed with a glass of either wine or something similar, would certainly warm up any cold winter's night!

 

 

jazz and mash

Deborah

These are days to stay indoors and keep warm, but not according to my husband. Cooped up in an office all week, when the weekend rolls around he wants to go OUT! No, we didn't play in the snow, but instead bundled up and made our way to a very cool little venue in the East Village to hear the Rob Brown group play some experimental jazz. At least I think that is what it was. A very different sound than the more classic jazz I heard at the Village Vanguard last week. The venue, University of the Streets , is a performing arts space founded in 1969. It is true survivor of the city, reinventing itself over the years to stay afloat. This not-for-profit is hosting a wonderful jazz series over the next few weeks and it is worth checking out.
After the performance we went for dinner at Lina Frey, an attractive open dining space on Houston street serving modern French cuisine, a bistro nouveau as they call themselves.  Our waitress was very sweet, the noise level was very LOUD and the food was very good. In addition to Moules au Poivre, I ordered a bunch of vegetable side dishes. The roasted cauliflower puree sounded too good to pass up. It turned out to be not so much a puree, but more of a rough mash. The flavor was great and we gobbled it up.
I loved the idea of this preparation and decided to make my own version at home. I did not exactly recreate their dish, but I made something delicious and I thank Lina Frey for the great idea!

Roasted Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
4-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
1/2 a lemon cut into quarters
4 Tbs. Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup milk or cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay the cauliflower, garlic and lemon on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and s & p to taste. Roast till tender about 35-40 minutes. Put the cauliflower and garlic in a food processor (pick out the lemon and squeeze the juice over the vegetables) and pulse to a rough puree. Drizzle in the milk or cream and pulse a few more times to combine.
Serves four.

When roasting cauliflower I like to leave the florets fairly large and I roast some of the cauliflower leaves as well.

 

Let the cauliflower gets some nice brown crispy spots to add lots of flavor to the mash.

spice and jazz

Deborah

What a treat to go see jazz saxophonist James Lovano play with his combo last night. On stand-up bass was none other than Esperanza Spalding, the object of my ongoing girl crush. I had seen Esperanza perform this summer at Summer Stage in Central Park and afterward I created a tribute recipe in her honor in a blog post back in June. Last night at the Village Vanguard, a far more intimate setting that is steeped in jazz history and tradition, I got an up close experience of her incredible musical talent. As it turns out, my friend Cathy, who was attending the performance with me, casually mentions that she had spent Thanksgiving dinner with Esperanza and some mutual friends! Say what!? After the performance (which was an amazing evening of Charlie Parker tunes) Cathy and Esperanza exchanged hugs and I was introduced and actually got to shake Ms. Spalding's surprisingly delicate, but very nimble and musically confident hand. She is an elfin beauty who at 25 could pass for 15, yet has the soul of someone alive a hundred years as she easily held her own on stage with seasoned jazz musicians who were likely twice her age.
Catch Esperanza perform if you can. She is a lovely rare talent and a joy to behold.

Again I have created a recipe in Esperanza's honor. This time, in keeping with the season, I was looking to create something a little earthy, but with lots of spice. My sister had recently sent me a recipe for pan roasted potatoes cooked with Indian spices that I was interested in trying.

Last night before the show Cathy and I had some tapas at Cafe Espanol that included a Potato Tortilla (Spanish Omelet). The tortilla was satisfying but I was in the mood to create something a little more robust. I decided to combine the two recipes and came up with: Indian spiced potato Tortilla. It seemed like a leap, but it turned out delicious. Even my fussy eater of a husband enjoyed it.
Here is to you Esperanza!

Indian Spiced Potato Tortilla

4 Tbs. oil

2 Tbs. *whole spice seeds 

4 red potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2" chunks

1 Tbs. butter

4 eggs lightly beaten with a fork

S & P

Heat oil and saute spices until they turn several shades darker.

Fry potatoes, tossing and turning, until coated with spices and lightly brown 

Remove potatoes and oil from pan into a bowl

Heat the butter in the pan

With a slotted spoon return the potatoes to the pan with the butter, allowing some of the spiced oil to drain off

Add the eggs to the pan, pouring over the potatoes, then add salt and pepper to taste

Cook eggs until they are set, about 5 minutes. 

Carefully slide eggs off the pan onto a plate and then invert the plate back over the pan to tunr the tore over.

Cook for another two minutes until the torte is set.

Serves two- Can be served hot or cold.

*for the whole spice seeds, mix and match what you may have on hand. I used about a teaspoon each of black sesame, fennel, celery, cardamom. Equally good would be cumin, mustard and nigella.


Amanda is away on a family vacation this week so we have no wine pairing for this recipe. Maybe this one time we will switch to beer, always a good combo with Indian spices.
Enjoy!