Masala Cauliflower and Potatoes

This recipe is from The Zoroastrian Stree Mandal Cookbook. It’s an old cookbook created with recipes that have been contributed by the ladies of Zoroastrian population of Hyderabad, India, including my grandmother and my great-aunts. I love trying recipes from this book. It reminds me of the kind of food I get at home. I added the cauliflower to this recipe; it turned out excellent and was extremely easy to make.

Masala Cauliflower and Potatoes

2 potatoes, sliced thin

1 tsp cumin, whole

½ tsp cumin, ground

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped fine

½ tsp chili powder

Few curry leaves

Salt to taste

Little oil

Peel and cut potatoes into thin slices. Heat the oil, add the garlic and fry. Then add the cumin, chili powder, salt, and curry leaves. Next, mix in the cauliflower, the potatoes and a little water. Cover and simmer till the potatoes are cooked. Serve hot with chapati.

Notes:

*Do not put in too much water. The potato cooks fairly quickly and the dish is supposed to be fairly dry. 

Beef and Barley Stew

When I was in college, my favorite soup at the cafeteria was the Italian Wedding Soup, mainly because I loved the barley in it. So I decided to try and make something with barley in it. My husband isn’t a big fan of soups, so I decided to try making this beef and barley stew. It is a modification of a recipe I found on The Food Network Website. Hope you like it. 

Beef and Barley Stew

1 lb beef stew pieces

1 cup pearl barley

1 pkt frz green beans, thawed

1 pkt frz three peppers and onions, thawed

1 onion, chopped into 6 pieces

7-10 baby carrots chopped in half

1 tbsp chili flakes

1 sprig fresh oregano

2 sprig fresh thyme

3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 tbsp soy sauce

Salt to taste

1 tbsp pepper

1 tsp sriracha

5 cups beef stock

In a bowl mix together one cup of stock with the soy sauce and sriracha. Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker, except the fresh herbs and the beef. Give all the ingredients a good stir, so that they all mix together. Then add the beef and top with fresh herbs. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve hot. 

Chili-Lime Thyme Leg of Lamb

My husband bought be a slow cooker for Christmas, with the promise that I would make him some fall-of-the-bone lamb, and since his family was visiting over the Christmas-New Year week, we bought a leg of lamb and used a piece of it for dinner. I wasn't very happy with any recipes I found online, so I decided to create my own.

It was extremely tasty, but also swimming in fat from the lamb. The next time I buy lamb, I’ll be asking our butcher to cut off all the fat, and not just the little bit that he did remove.

Chili-Lime Thyme Leg of Lamb

3 potatoes, skinned and chopped into 1” pieces

3 onions, cut into 4 or 6 pieces

10-15 baby carrots, cut in half

1 4–5 lb piece of lamb leg

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tbs dried thyme

2 limes

2-3 fresh green chilies, chopped fine

Salt to taste

1 tbs pepper

4 cups chicken or beef stock

5 cloves garlic, whole

Rub the dried thyme, salt, and pepper on the lamb and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Finely grate the rind of one lime. In a small bowl, squeeze out the lime juice of both limes. Soak the chopped green chilies and the lime rind in the juice.

Chop all the vegetables and put into the slow cooker, with the garlic. Place the lamb on top of the vegetables, then pour in the lime-chili mix. Lightly crush the thyme, but keep the sprigs whole, and place it on top of the lamb. Pour in the chicken stock.

Set the slow cooker on low for 6 ½ hours. When it’s done, you should be able to pull the lamb off the bone with a fork. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread and salad.