Tandoori Chicken Salad
An Amazing Twist On An Old Favorite
by Marilyn Michael

As I’ve mentioned previously, I was fortunate to make a friend of a woman from Goa India. I met her when I volunteered to teach writing at my father’s senior center in Seattle. It was just one of the many gifts that came my way because of getting involved there. I encourage you to think of getting involved in something in the New Year that allows you to share gifts or knowledge you may have. You’ll receive more than you give.

A gift I received from my Goan friend was the opportunity to learn how to create numerous traditional Indian dishes such as Biryanis, and Pulaos. She set me on a road that has me continuing to enjoy studying, reading about, and being creative with making Indian and Indian-inspired dishes. I’ve loved simplifying them; making them in ways less intimidating to my uninitiated American friends. I’ve also enjoyed taking dishes more traditional to us in America, like chicken salad, and giving them an Indian twist.

There are many variations of spices used in Tandoori masala (spice mixture) marinade recipes common in Indian cuisine. This is a wet masala (when the spices are mixed with wet ingredients). It is a delicious marinade for chicken. You can marinate any chicken pieces and just serve them hot over rice if desired. (Try the Coconut Rice I offered earlier.) The amount is enough for around nine pieces of chicken. Think of gathering what you need as an adventure. Prepare extra packets of the dry spice mixture in snack-sized zipping bags for easy future marinades or gift friends the spices with the recipe.

Ingredients:

Around 9 skinless bone-in chicken thighs (this recipe is for all the chicken, you can freeze half of it after baking and cooling it to make less and have chicken for another batch later, just use fewer scallions).

2 bunches scallions, chopped

Dried cranberries (softened in a bit of water in microwave for 1 min. then rough chop). Add as desired.

Chopped pecans. Add as desired.

Best Foods mayonnaise

 

For Marinade:

12 oz. plain nonfat yogurt (2 - 6 oz cups work)

Juice of 2 limes or lemons (can use equivalent lemon juice)

2 Tablespoon minced peeled gingerroot (I keep a jar of chopped ginger in fridge $1.99 in produce section. Ginger paste would work also).

2 Tablespoon minced garlic (I keep a jar of chopped garlic in fridge available for around $1.99 in produce sections).

2 tsp. coriander powder

2 tsp. cumin powder

2 tsp. garam masala

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cayenne

(The above spices can be purchased inexpensively in bulk at PCC Markets in Seattle or some Whole Foods Markets.)

Instructions:

Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. (I cut them in half for soaking up more marinade; you can score them against the grain as well, if desired.)

In a large non-reactive bowl, mix together yogurt, lime/lemon juice, ginger, garlic coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt, paprika and cayenne.

Add chicken making sure marinade covers all the pieces well. Cover bowl and marinate in refrigerator overnight. (I put them into a 1-gallon zipping bag.)

Preheat oven to 375. Remove chicken from marinade and place prepared shallow baking pan. Discard any remaining marinade. Bake in preheated oven until chicken is done. Check after 1/2 hour as you are using boneless and have cut the pieces smaller. (Ideally check with a meat thermometer, they are done at 165 degrees.)

Cool chicken and cut into 1" pieces in to a large bowl. Add scallions, cranberries, pecans. Mix in enough mayonnaise to bind the ingredients, but hold off on adding more to make it creamy because overnight the marinade will blend into the mayonnaise adding moisture. It will taste extra spicy until it mellows overnight. Refrigerate overnight. Add more mayonnaise before serving to create creaminess desired.

I’ve served it with crepes and Romaine leaves on the side for serving as an hors d'oeuvre at a holiday party, I’ve put them in premade pastry cups. You can just offer it plain on top of a garnish of greens for a potluck dish. We love it in sandwiches on Dill Rye bread.

 

Yam Curry For A Thanksgiving Surprise

By Marilyn Michael

Yam Curry

I love it when my husband lets his humorous imagination stream away. My more left-brained mind thinks and writes in a more linear way. I thought I’d open this post by sharing some of his thoughts on Thanksgiving below, written some years ago for a food column he authored called The Galleyman. And since Thanksgiving is here, I’ll follow his thoughts with an Indian-inspired delicious and interesting twist on those old marshmallow-topped yams.  

Thoughts on Thanksgiving by Hank Snyder…

Wow! (Or Mom! in dyslexic) was that a fast year. It was just the other day when my wife said, write something special for Thanksgiving. She says the same thing every year. How many times can you tell someone how to cook a turkey? I have cooked one about every way possible. I’ve written about the year my friend cooked the turkey in a vat of boiling oil and about burned the house down. And, I never told you about the year my sister decided to cook it in the microwave. It looked good until you put a fork in it and it went POOF! Very interesting, Poof The Magic Turkey. Who would have thought--turkey saw dust!

Can you name the Indian tribe that celebrated Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims? The Wampanoag. (No relation to that mechanical “Winnebago tribe” out of Iowa.) And, hey what were the Pilgrims really eating anyway? The only thing for sure on the menu was venison and wild fowl. The most detailed description of the First Thanksgiving comes from Edward Winslow from a journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1621.  The real shocker was when I read that lobster; seal and swan were on the menu. I can see it now, “Honey, what is this writing on the tape around this bird’s neck? Trumpeter Swan? Is that new a brand of turkey?

Did you know how the Canadian Thanksgiving began? The very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in New Foundland in 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the new world. That means the First Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts. What would the Wampanong think if they knew the Pilgrims were copycats? Wow, all this detective work is making me hungry.

I hope you enjoyed my husband’s trip through Thanksgiving history, now onward to yams! Through my hobby of cooking Indian cuisine, I’ve discovered it's a country that does amazing things with vegetables. I feel like an alchemist creating Indian dishes. The aromas are so compelling, often, my neighbors saunter over to see what I'm cooking (we live on a boat so it’s a short saunter). I've made this Yam Curry twice. The spices blend together and when you take a bite it's subtly sweet, savory and addictive.

You can purchase Indian spices in bulk (small amounts) at many natural food stores. In Seattle, Puget Sound Consumer Coop stores have most of them. I keep a little of a lot of them in a separate Rubbermaid container on hand for my experiments. Many Indian dishes freeze very well.

Yam Curry for a Thanksgiving Surprise
Yields: 6

Ingredients
1 pound sweet potatoes, or yams (I use 3 large yams)
1 teaspoon salt (to sweat the yams)
1 large sweet onion, chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil to shallow fry potato chunks
2 inches fresh ginger root, grated (I use a teaspoon prepared ginger paste)
3 garlic clove, chopped (or ready chopped garlic)
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil (for frying onion, garlic, ginger, tomato mixture)
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 green cardamom seeds (seeds removed)
4 whole peppercorns
2 inch cinnamon stick broken in half
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or use cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt to taste
1 large tomato chopped (or 8 oz. canned diced tomatoes)
4 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves chopped,  (for garnish)

Directions
Place all the dry spices, except cumin seeds, in a small dish ready to add.

Peel the yams, cut them into 1 inch cubes, place in a colander and sprinkle liberally with 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10-15 minutes, then rinse and drain.

While potato chunks are sweating, finely chop the onion, ginger, and garlic, and roughly chop the tomatoes.

Heat the 2 to 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil over a medium heat, add the cumin seed. When they begin to sputter, add the chopped onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook until the onion is a rich golden color.

Add all the dry spices and season with salt to taste. Cook a few seconds more, and then add the tomatoes. Let this cook on a very low setting while you continue as below.

Heat about ¼ inch of oil for shallow frying the yams. Cook the yam cubes, a few at a time, until golden brown turning with tongs. Drain on paper towels. Pour out oil and set potatoes aside

Add the yogurt or sour cream to the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato mixture. Cook until the oil begins to separate out.

Add the water and bring to a boil. Let boil a few minutes, then add the yam cubes, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes.

Serve hot, garnished with the chopped cilantro.

I took it to my sister-in-laws as replacement for the traditional sweet potato/yams at Thanksgiving and it got raves. (If somebody "must" have marshmallows, dish up a serving and nuke it with a couple marshmallows on top.)

Creamy Coconut Rice and Cardamom Pudding

By Marilyn Michael

Was your grandma’s favorite bread pudding the last homemade pudding you’ve enjoyed? Bread and rice puddings were delicious vestiges of an era when food was not wasted as it, too often, is today. Even amidst calorie conscious craziness we must, once in a while, treat ourselves, and those with whom we share our lives, to comfort food treats. If you are going to indulge, this pudding blends comforting memories with exotic flights of fancy. It trades out the traditional vanilla, appearing in most creamy American puddings, for cardamom. “Rice pudding without vanilla!?” you protest. Yes! And it’s a rice pudding with an intriguing delicious flavor that gains in intensity the next day. It’s a pudding that caused my foodie husband to rave and to consider whether he might not prefer it to the beloved puddings of his youth.

I introduced you to cardamom in an earlier post that offered a Pakistani friend’s Chai recipe. Cardamom is aroma therapy for my mentor in Indian cuisine, Mina. It takes her back to her childhood in Goa on the west coast of India where the sweet and soothing aroma mixed with sea breezes and to her later life in Zanzibar, The Spice Island, where cardamom was used in desserts and chais for her children. If you are unfamiliar with cardamom, stop at a market selling bulk spices and discover it.

Along with this pudding I’ll share a way of sectioning it up and storing that can be easily popped into a lunch bag for an easy to eat, yummy midday treat. If taking it to work, you’ll want to pop in another for a friend to enjoy. I’ve found that if I have the right containers for a dish, it encourages me to whip some up.

Creamy Coconut Rice and Cardamom Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup rice (Basmati or Jasmine are excellent)

1 - 16.2 oz. can. coconut water

2 cups milk ( 2% or whole is good)

1 cup unwhipped whip cream (½ & ½ works fine)

1-6 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk or ½ can 14 oz. coconut milk (shake the can before opening; if using the larger can, freeze the other half)

½ cup white sugar

½ to 1 teaspoon cardamom powder or freshly ground cardamom seeds (We love the cardamom flavor so much that I now use a full teaspoon of cardamom. I keep a coffee grinder on hand for spices.)

1 large egg, whisked

Instructions:

Make coconut rice by cooking 1 cup rice in the can of coconut water. I use a rice cooker and find the bottom of the rice is a bit browned because of the natural sugars in the coconut water, but that just adds a nice toastiness. Scoop out two cups of the cooked rice for the recipe.

Mix together the 2 cups cooked rice and milk in a large sauce pan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer whisking continuously. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes until  the mixture begins to thicken.

Whisk in the whip cream, coconut milk, sugar and cardamom. When combined, add the egg whisking while adding. (You can temper the egg with a bit of the mixture but, I’ve found, the added ingredients decrease the heat enough to preclude the need to do that). 

Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook, whisking continuously until the mixture just begins to thicken again. This will take about 10 minutes. When thickening begins, remove from heat. Lay plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding and cool in the pan if transferring to smaller containers (as below) or pour into a glass bowl and cool with plastic wrap on the surface.  

Tip for ease of use in school or work lunches (or to create portions lessening the tendency to just keep eating this amazing treat). Spoon into eight 4oz. Ziplock ® brand containers and refrigerate. I keep the containers and lids in a gallon plastic bag so they stay together for future puddings because you will want to make it again.

Creamy Coconut Rice and Cardamom Pudding

By Marilyn Michael

Was your grandma’s favorite bread pudding the last homemade pudding you’ve enjoyed? Bread and rice puddings were delicious vestiges of an era when food was not wasted as it, too often, is today. Even amidst calorie conscious craziness we must, once in a while, treat ourselves, and those with whom we share our lives, to comfort food treats. If you are going to indulge, this pudding blends comforting memories with exotic flights of fancy. It trades out the traditional vanilla, appearing in most creamy American puddings, for cardamom. “Rice pudding without vanilla!?” you protest. Yes! And it’s a rice pudding with an intriguing delicious flavor that gains in intensity the next day. It’s a pudding that caused my foodie husband to rave and to consider whether he might not prefer it to the beloved puddings of his youth.

I introduced you to cardamom in an earlier post that offered a Pakistani friend’s Chai recipe. Cardamom is aroma therapy for my mentor in Indian cuisine, Mina. It takes her back to her childhood in Goa on the west coast of India where the sweet and soothing aroma mixed with sea breezes and to her later life in Zanzibar, The Spice Island, where cardamom was used in desserts and chais for her children. If you are unfamiliar with cardamom, stop at a market selling bulk spices and discover it.

Along with this pudding I’ll share a way of sectioning it up and storing that can be easily popped into a lunch bag for an easy to eat, yummy midday treat. If taking it to work, you’ll want to pop in another for a friend to enjoy. I’ve found that if I have the right containers for a dish, it encourages me to whip some up.

Creamy Coconut Rice and Cardamom Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup rice (Basmati or Jasmine are excellent)

1 - 16.2 oz. can. coconut water

2 cups milk ( 2% or whole is good)

1 cup unwhipped whip cream (½ & ½ works fine)

1-6 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk or ½ can 14 oz. coconut milk (shake the can before opening; if using the larger can, freeze the other half)

½ cup white sugar

½ to 1 teaspoon cardamom powder or freshly ground cardamom seeds (We love the cardamom flavor so much that I now use a full teaspoon of cardamom. I keep a coffee grinder on hand for spices.)

1 large egg, whisked

Instructions:

Make coconut rice by cooking 1 cup rice in the can of coconut water. I use a rice cooker and find the bottom of the rice is a bit browned because of the natural sugars in the coconut water, but that just adds a nice toastiness. Scoop out two cups of the cooked rice for the recipe.

Mix together the 2 cups cooked rice and milk in a large sauce pan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk until it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer whisking continuously. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes until  the mixture begins to thicken.

Whisk in the whip cream, coconut milk, sugar and cardamom. When combined, add the egg whisking while adding. (You can temper the egg with a bit of the mixture but, I’ve found, the added ingredients decrease the heat enough to preclude the need to do that). 

Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook, whisking continuously until the mixture just begins to thicken again. This will take about 10 minutes. When thickening begins, remove from heat. Lay plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding and cool in the pan if transferring to smaller containers (as below) or pour into a glass bowl and cool with plastic wrap on the surface.  

Tip for ease of use in school or work lunches (or to create portions lessening the tendency to just keep eating this amazing treat). Spoon into eight 4oz. Ziplock ® brand containers and refrigerate. I keep the containers and lids in a gallon plastic bag so they stay together for future puddings because you will want to make it again.

Not Your Mom's Pot Roast

NOT YOUR MOM'S POT ROAST

By Marilyn Michael 

I'm from the Western US from folks with farming backgrounds. As a young man, my dad left behind the heavy physical work and tough financial challenges of his family's small subsistence wheat farm. Dotting the Northwest, these family farms were being bought up in the 1950's and now are but anonymous stretches of fertile soil amidst the huge farming conglomerates that had begun forming at that time.

Dad always kept a huge garden as his way of relaxing after work as an electrician and possibly as a way of keeping a connection to the land. All those great green things, though, were side dishes to hearty meals featuring meat. My family bought meat from local ranchers and rented a refrigerated storage locker before box freezers were common. One of my earliest memories was visiting our locker amidst a complex of white enameled doors of different sizes with stainless steel handles. They say the olfactory is the strongest memory trigger, I'll never forget that unique dry cold smell.

Bacon was a breakfast staple and our dinners featured fried chicken, meat loaf, slumgullion (hamburger, onion and macaroni swimming in tomato sauce), Swiss steak (ours was basically just pounded out round steak in gravy), pork chops. I had never heard the word vegetarian until adulthood. Yes, we were big on meat. A favorite was always pot roast simmered in a large pot on the stove top with potatoes, carrots, turnips and onions until the meat was tender and saturated with broth.

My folks cooked in the same "hand-full, pinch, glug" manner that their folks had. No recipes for the main dishes and vegetables. As a young married, I wished I'd paid more attention or asked more questions about cooking techniques. My Grandma had given me a copy of that popular red and white Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook as a shower gift and I turned to it often. I must have used beef broth as part of what I simmered the meat in when making pot roast and I think some water. My folks had never used herbs or spices, salt and pepper was it and Good Housekeeping didn't seem to inspire much of a foray into the world of seasonings. I did master the recipe for beef stroganoff expanding my ingredient base into the use of sour cream and tomato paste but it was basically meat in gravy with sour cream stirred in. I'm afraid my pot roasts continued to be filling but not at all inspired.

When I remarried in my late 20's, I hit the jackpot; I met a man inspired by cooking (and, politely, uninspired by mine). Over the years I've learned so much from his love of good food involving diverse flavors and ingredients and, thus, his enjoyment of turning out delicious meals. In regards to broths for beef dishes I've learned when consume is better than broth or when both are right and, in regard to seasoning, his creative use of Bloody Mary Mix.

We keep it on hand for numerous dishes, buying it when on sale and freezing it in 2-cup portions. (I pay attention to freezing dishes and ingredients ahead inspired by my "Once-A-Month cooking” expert friend Deborah Taylor Hough.) Bloody Mary Mix provides a simple, already spiced up base for otherwise less flavorful dishes. For beef dishes it infuses delicious flavor such as the base for the Oxtail Goulash recipe I offered earlier. The pot roast recipe I offer here has a similar, but slightly different, broth and I encourage you to dig out that pressure cooker that you may not use too often. You'll have one of the most flavorful pot roasts you've ever served.

Not Your Mom's Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1- 3 lb. boneless beef chuck roast

1 10 3/4 oz. can beef consume (I used Campbell’s brand)

1 14.5 oz. can beef broth (I used Swanson's brand)

2 cups Bloody Mary Mix (I used regular, but spicy would be fine)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes (around 4 potatoes, peeled and quartered)

3 turnips, peeled and quartered

1 large onion cut into 8 wedges (I used a sweet onion)

3 carrots peeled and cut into 2" chunks

(You can vary the vegetables adding what you enjoy in pot roasts)

Instructions:

(I used my 6-quart pressure cooker for super tender and well infused meat. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can place all the ingredients in a slow cooker for around 6 to 8 hours on low. If you are used to pressure cooker cooking, I suggest going that direction. If you are new to it, follow your cooker's instructions for bringing up to and maintaining heat and for depressurizing the cooker. There are many online sources for using pressure cookers. Overcoming any discomfort with this cooking method can enhance your repertoire and save you time. They can often be found at second hand stores if you are unsure if you will use one often enough to invest more.)

Rub the salt and pepper into the meat, Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a 6 to 8 quart pressure cooker (or use a frying pan and transfer to the pressure cooker). Brown meat on all sides; add the consume, broth, Bloody Mary Mix and onion wedges. Close the lid on the pressure cooker, turn heat to high and bring up the pressure until the pressure regulator maintains a slow steady rocking motion (in the jiggle top cookers like mine). Cooking time begins when the pressure regulator begins rocking. Reduce the heat to medium or whatever level you need to maintain the pressure. Cook for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and release the pressure (as per cooker instruction). When the pressure is released, remove the lid and add the vegetables. Replace the lid and place the cooker on high heat bringing up to high pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Release pressure; remove the lid and place the meat and vegetables in a serving dish.

Reduce the broth a bit by boiling it for 10 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup broth and whisk in 2 Tablespoons of flour. Return this slurry to the broth simmering it until it thickens a bit. Serve on the side as gravy.

Indian Italian Fusion
by Marilyn Michael

We all need an activity that takes our brains away from the minutia of everyday life; that stimulates the creative side of our brains and that relaxes us. It was a Saturday with a lot to do, but I realized the need to fuel my soul. For me, that now means cooking something I love (often Indian cuisine) and maybe chatting about cooking. I set about concocting a favorite dish that I could section up and have for lunch or dinner during the busy week giving me a bit of time to curl up with an engaging detective novel.

To begin, I made a batch of polenta (you can simplify by using layers made of slices of pre-made polenta roles but my recipe is 6 cups of boiling water, 1 2/3 cup polenta, and 2 teaspoons salt stirred almost continuously with a whisk boiling on medium for around 15 minutes until thick then made rich with 2 tablespoons of butter.) I let the polenta cool down just a bit at room temperature then poured it in bright yellow layers into a 2-quart casserole, each layer about one-half inch and topped with plastic wrap, separating them and keeping them smooth, and popped them in the refrigerator. (After cooling my stack of polenta layers, I cut up some into serving portions and froze. Later I can top some with butter for breakfast or with a red sauce for dinner. I retained three layers, though, for making my Indian-Italian Fusion casserole which I offer below.

The Pleasure of Indian Cuisine

I love Indian cuisine and thank myself for volunteering at my Dad’s senior center where I met a very special woman, Mina, from Goa, India. She became my mentor teaching me, hands-on, how to make delicious Indian dishes. They were something so different from the American dishes I’d grown up with. I once wrote in a small cookbook I’d created to share with friends, “I had never thought of my American food experience as a cuisine. Mina, though, would smile because these delectable pulaos, curries and dahls were the pot roasts and tuna casseroles of her world.”

Simple and Fun

I’ve taken it upon myself to get creative with Indian dishes (thus my Indian-Italian Fusion). My favorite haunts for the required spices are a natural food coop that sells spices in bulk or Whole Foods.  They provide everything I need. Exploring an Indian food shop is fun but not necessary for the ingredients in the dishes I create (and spices are available online). I also enjoy simplifying them; making them easier for my friends and acquaintances for whom I created little cookbooks of favorite recipes. It’s fun sharing the dishes, as well. I don’t entertain much, but I haunt Goodwill for interesting dishes to use for gifting.  When a thank you or congratulations or a remembrance is due, I love arriving with exotically aromatic food in an attractive serving dish gifting both. My Indian dishes are popular at potlucks and “bring an hors d oeuvre” gatherings.

Indian Italian Fusion

Ah, but I go on and probably will in future submissions. Let’s get to my Indian Italian Fusion Casserole. You’ll need three polenta layers (created in the casserole dish you’ll use for making the casserole, mine is 2 quarts and round.). If you don’t want to make polenta (but it’s soooo easy) you can buy one of those little rolls and place slices down as the layers. You’ll also need about 3 cups grated cheddar cheese to layer between the Vegetable Dahl and the polenta and to top the casserole.

The vegetable portion is a delicious East Indian-inspired vegetable stew called a dahl.  (The term dahl refers to a dish that includes dried peas, beans or lentils.) I swear I never ate zucchini before discovering this recipe, but can’t stop eating this dish. It freezes well; consider doubling and sharing with friends or freezing in small freezer zipping bags. If serving as a main dish, serve over Basmati rice, or turn it into my Indian-Italian Fusion by layering it with polenta and cheddar cheese.

A Simple and Delicious Dahl (South Asian Vegetable Stew)

Serves around 8 over rice

Vegetable Dahl

Here’s the trick for easy preparation:

While the dried yellow peas are simmering, chop the vegetables, putting in separate dishes. Also and put the spices in separate dishes (explained below) – this will make it go together easily and really fast.

Ingredients

The Boiled Peas

1 cup yellow split peas (available at Whole Foods or natural food coops)

1 - 14 oz. can chicken stock, with half a can or more of water as needed. (You can use vegetable stock or just water for a vegan version of the dish.)

½ medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped

Salt to season the simmering split peas

The Vegetables and Spices

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds (available at Whole Foods or natural food stores.)

1 Tablespoon chopped ginger or ginger paste (to simplify I use pre-chopped or tubes of paste available in produce sections.)

1 Tablespoon crushed garlic (I use paste or pre-chopped from the produce section)

1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped in 1” chunks

1 jalapeno seeds and all, chopped fine (If you like a dish spicy add another jalapeno.)

1 teaspoon turmeric (available in most spice sections)

2 teaspoons garam masala (a mixture of spices available at Whole Foods, natural food markets or in many supermarket spice sections)

3 small (6”) zucchini scraped leaving a bit of green and sliced into 1/4” or thinner rounds. (I use a zester on the skin attractively leaving lines of green).

1 – 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes. (I use petite diced)

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoon water

Salt and some pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash the split peas and place them in a saucepan with the stock and salt. Let it come to a boil while you coarsely chop the ½ onion for the peas. Add the onion, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the peas are soft but still whole. Add water as needed to not let them boil dry. When the peas are soft, but still whole, drain and set them aside.

While the peas are cooking, chop the whole onion, green pepper and jalapeno putting them together in a bowl. Slice the zucchini put it into a separate bowl. Put the crushed or chopped garlic and ginger into a dish. Put the brown mustard seeds in a dish. Put the garam masala and turmeric together in another dish. Heating the pan to medium, add the cooking oil, when oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Cover and fry briefly until they start popping (don’t let them burn).

Quickly add the whole chopped onion, green pepper and jalapeno, frying gently stirring periodically for around 10 minutes until the vegetables soften, adding the ginger and garlic toward the end of cooking.

Stir in the turmeric and garam masala into the vegetables blending well and cook for 1 minute. Turn to medium low heat and stir in the zucchini, tomatoes, lemon juice and water. Simmer a bit adding salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer until the zucchini has softened. Turn off heat and carefully fold the split peas into the vegetables.

Indian-Italian Fusion Casserole

For the Indian Italian Fusion casserole, spoon some of the vegetables onto a layer of polenta and top it with cheddar cheese, place another layer of polenta, another layer of vegetables, and a layer of cheddar. Finally add a third layer of polenta and top it with cheddar cheese. I bake at 400 degrees until the casserole is heated through and bubbling.

If your neighbors haven’t already shown up at your kitchen window drawn by the amazing aromas, be prepared to be very popular, even among the vegetable-challenged, when you arrive with this dish at some event.