Archive for September, 2008

Hmm… It’s About Time!!

September 7, 2008 at 4:38 pm · Filed under About, Cooking, Great Lakes, Michigan, agates, garden, indian cuisine

hmm...
hmm…


seeds of the delectable drumstick!

How long has it been since I posted that mystery photo — days, weeks, months?

Fall is flying by fast and furious; it seems I hardly have time to take a breath.
There was the flurry of school starting — you know how that goes. Then my favorite (and only) aunt turned 75 — there was a huge gathering for that at my cousin’s home and I had the chance to catch up with lots of family I haven’t seen in a long while. Shortly therafter was a weekend in NY to visit the newly-installed-in-college-boyfriend (ok, I spoil my daughter!).

Next up, the annual walk for JDRF — always a big hit. Meg recruited a big bunch of friends for a great cause. My son Michael brought his friend Peter up from school to help me shepherd them all over Boston on train and subway. Mike is busy in the honors program this year, and has been invited to tutor underclassmen.
I am one proud mama with my two babies nearly grown :)

Late in August I started with a new company in the midst of their busiest season, and suddenly I wonder whether I really *had* a job the past 6 years. Now I am exhausted when I get home from work, but the commute is shorter and it’s good to be busy again.

Finally I have a weekend (mostly) to myself where I can play catch-up, and blogging is at the top of the list.

The garden is about done, but I still have a tiny stash of bell and poblano peppers to pick later this weekend.

Every time I go to pull the tomato vines, there are blossoms and new growth. In spite of autumn’s chilly nights, today I had enough green to make a batch of picalilli, or at least start one. It’s really more of a mixed pickle relish — an old New England concoction. Tomatoes red and green, peppers sweet and hot, onion, cabbage and cauliflower — all ground coarsely and salted overnight, then cooked with vinegar, sugar and spices. If it turns out well I will post a recipe — and I won’t wait six weeks to do so! ;)

It was a fun garden year with lots of lessons learned.

What I will miss most is the amazing, season-long harvest of real-deal brinjals.
I had the most beautiful assortment of eggplant this year, thanks to the never-ending generosity of my dear friend ISG — now my garden fairy as well as my kitchen fairy :)

Thank you *so* much, ISG!!! :) :)

Not only that, but ISG also sent me a bag of scrumptious (and addictive!)
Tangy Tomato Banana Chips from Haldiram’s! Hard to believe I didn’t eat the whole thing in one sitting. There was also a big container of Gulab Jamun in the package.
My dad’s 75th birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year, so I am saving them for that special occasion :)

How lucky am I? As they say in New England — “wicked lucky” ;)

~~~~~

What follows is an assortment of pics taken over the past couple of months.

In the brinjal section I have only photos of the plants and fruit. I don’t have one of a finished dish –mostly because I gobbled them up before I could think to get the camera.

I hope everyone is doing fine — once this post goes up it’s time for some serious blog-hopping!


bell peppers and an eggplant


pasta salad with shrimp, feta cheese and gardenfresh michigan cucumbers ~ greek olives and whole wheat naan on the side


a garter snake hiding beneath tomatoes


juvenile swan at seney nwr, august 2008


an eye agate


a candy agate


a tube agate


brinjal plants in bloom ~ thank you, ISG!!


pretty pale purple brinjal blossom


fruit on the brinjal vine ~ courtesy ISG!


the yummy brinjals!


swiss chard…


and aloo paratha made with chard in the dough


jalfrezi with lowfat paneer and my own bell peppers!


mike and his friend peter bringing up the rear at the jdrf walk — a beautiful day to stroll around the Charles River!


the scene at the esplanade on walk day


every year a live band entertains the walkers… this year meg’s group caught their attention with their enthusiasm and impromptu dance ~ they were invited up on stage for the last song ~ at the famous Hatch Shell where the Boston Pops play ~ what a thrill! (meg in braids…)


mike, the honors scholar ~ he’d KILL me if he knew I was posting this! ;)


one last summertime shot ~ honeybees aren’t gone yet ~ cornflowers in northern michigan

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Holding on to Summer ~ Sweet and Spicy Yellow Tomato Chutney

September 1, 2008 at 3:39 pm · Filed under Cooking, Great Lakes, Michigan, agates, garden, indian cuisine

golden jubilee tomatoes
peeled golden jubilee tomatoes

Procrastination is my middle name.

Sometimes I get so bogged down *thinking* and *planning* that I can’t bring myself to actually do anything.

lots of tomatoes
red and yellow tomatoes in various stages of ripening

For the past week, I have watched the Golden Jubilee tomatoes on the counter turning riper and riper. Last year I made yellow tomato jam, and it was good,
but it wasn’t GREAT. This year I wanted to make something really special.
Golden Jubilees are rather sweet, as tomatoes go. I wanted something that would enhance their peachy flavor without overpowering it.

horned tomato!
see the horned tomato at the bottom?

I searched every book in my pantry. Surely I could find just the right recipe for what I had in mind — a thick, sweet, yet spicy preserve — one which would, in the chill dark days of winter to come, transport me back to these warm golden days of late summer.

Alas, even online, I did not find an overabundance of yellow tomato recipes.

Procrastination threatened to turn to desperation as I realised the tomatoes would break down and spoil if I didn’t get a move on. Finally I gave up on printed recipes and put procrastination on the shelf. Armed with my trusty sharp Forschner knife,
I dove in and began chopping.

The result was a dense, golden chutney — rich with a melange of flavors from panch phoron (courtesy of dear Mandira!), the heat of fresh and dried chiles, and the mellow sweetness of jaggery.

A couple of notes about this recipe:

The amount of jaggery is not absolute — 3/4 c is what I needed.
I added it in 1/4 c increments, tasting every time. You may need more or less depending on the sweetness of your yellow tomatoes.

For canning tomatoes, a small amount of acid is often required. A general guideline I read is to use about 2 tsp of lemon juice per pint of finished product. The lemon juice may be omitted if you’re making a small batch for immediate consumption. If you’re canning, be sure to read the instructions that came with your canner. It also helps to learn from a reputable source — I found an excellent reference at Ball’s Fresh Preserving.

juicy golden jubilee
a juicy peeled golden jubilee tomato

Golden Tomato Chutney
makes about 3 pints

1 TB canola oil
10-12 curry leaves, chopped
4-5 slit green chiles
1 TB panch phoron
1 TB grated ginger
1 TB grated garlic
4-5 dried red chiles
2 c yellow onion, chopped
12 cups yellow tomatoes, peeled, cored and roughly chopped (about 6-7 lbs)

1/2 – 3/4 c jaggery or to taste
2 tsp salt or to taste

juice of 1 1/2 lemons (about 6 tsp) — if canning

fresh ingredients
freshly grated ginger and garlic, with homegrown chiles and mandira’s panch phoron

In a large heavy pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the curry leaves, fresh chiles, and panch phoron. Fry for a minute, then add the grated ginger and garlic.

frying the savory spices
frying the aromatic spices

Fry a few minutes longer, then add the onion and dried red chiles. When the onion begins to turn translucent, add 1/4 cup jaggery, the chopped tomatoes and their juice. Stir well, raise the heat to medium-high and cover the pan partway. Bring to a boil and cook down, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about a third.

cooking the chutney
tomatoes cooking down with onions, chiles, and spices

Add 1 tsp salt and taste — add more jaggery if needed. Continue cooking down until the mixture is reduced by half. Add lemon juice if canning. Taste again and add more salt and jaggery if needed.

When the mixture is seasoned to your taste, turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly. If you’re canning, ladle into sterlized jars while still hot, and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for processing.

~~~

Find great recipes for home canning at Pick Your Own.

The finished product!

golden jubilee tomato chutney
golden chutney made with golden jubilee tomatoes ~ aglow in late-summer sun

~~~

A different kind of ‘peachy’ treat — a piece of an eye agate with unusual coloring — another reminder of sweet summer days :)

peachy eye agate
a piece of an eye agate with peach coloring ~ filled with quartz

peachy eye agate
showing the round white ‘eye’ on the top

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