Blue & Gold

Do you feel that?

It’s perfection. It’s September in New York.

Days are sparkling blue, shimmering gold, fluffy white clouds, incandescent air. Nights are snappy, chilly, perfect for curling up on the couch in my favorite fuzzy pants and sinking into the glory that is end of season baseball.

The games finally mean something. Each at bat counts. Fans (and the squirrel) stay until the final pitch. And if I’m a very lucky girl, by the end, I’ll be happy enough to sing along with Frank. God, I love September!

But, no matter how sustaining baseball may be, you can’t eat it. Which brings us to the other very best thing about September in New York. It’s finally cool enough to add a little heat to all the glorious produce still bursting forth from the Upstate farms. It’s a best of all worlds scenario. The summer produce is at it’s peak, but “putting up” vegetables are beginning to appear and can actually be a welcome change from all the tomatoes and squashes of the last few months.

Last week the Boy went to the greenmarket over by the UN. It’s a good excuse for him to take a walk and get in on the produce procuring fun. He brought home some wonderful lettuces and two slightly mangy looking, but tiny, cute orange cauliflower. The greens went fast, but the chou were sent to malinger in the damp, disgusting pits that masquerade as our refrigerator’s produce bins.

Sunday, we settled on taking a long walk (I know, you’re all shocked) and using the cauliflower in a curry. We took the subway to downtown Brooklyn, wandered over to the Heights, had brunch at Jack The Horse Tavern (highly recommended), saw someone famous (I really wish I’d had this book in my pocket) and then headed to the Brooklyn Book Festival.

The festival was a total wash. It was full of cranky jostling people and I was really hoping someone from St. Martin’s Press would be there so I could excoriate them for publishing an absolutely awful piece of fiction. Alas, they were not. Seriously though. If you ever see this book in a store, walk away. Do not be seduced by the cover, or the nice blurbs on the back. Don’t listen to them when they tell you it’s the heir to The Alienist‘s throne. Just put the book down, even if it’s only $1, and walk away. There’s a reason it’s so cheap. The reason? It’s unreadable. The writing is awful, but the editing (or lack thereof) is even worse. It’s embarrassing. There, I feel better now.

We then carried on with an amble through Dumbo, a jaunt over the Manhattan Bridge, and a dash for the Lower East Side and nirvana, the annual Pickle Festival. But alas, as the Boy put it, “You sure know how to find the crowds today don’t you?” I could smell the brine, I could see the cornucopia of pickled delights, but no, it was not to be. Not one pickle passed my lips. And so we wandered up to d.b.a. so I could drown my sorrows in a pint of cask-conditioned ale.

And then it was home to make this very complicated but oh-so-worth-it curry while listening to the Yankees play the Red Sox on the radio (the only way baseball should be enjoyed, honestly).

There’s quite a few steps to this meal, but if you’ve got some homemade yogurt sitting in you fridge begging for a noble end, this is it. The depth of flavor and aroma are spectacular. The recipe is supposed to be made with potatoes, but I’m here to say it works perfectly with cauliflower. It’s one of those, “I can’t believe I made this!” meals that would seem more at home at Tabla than in a humble kitchen in Bay Ridge.

I feel really bad that I let the Boy’s cauliflowers get moldy. I had to toss them and send him out for a new, non-greenmarket, flown-in-from-California version, but I think between the excellent feast and Jeter’s heroic efforts in beating Boston, all is forgotten and forgiven. God I love September!

Head below the jump for the recipes for Slow-Cooked Cauliflower Curry and Perfect Masoor Dal.

Slow-Cooked Cauliflower Curry

prep time: 1 hour ~ cooking time: 1 hour

• 1 large head of Cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
• 10 blanched Almonds
• 2 tbsps White Poppy Seeds
• 2 large Black Cardamom pods
• 2 tsps Ground Coriander
• 1 1/2 tsps whole Cumin
• 1 small head Garlic, cloves peeled
• a largeish knob of Ginger, peeled
• 1 medium Onion, diced
• 5 Green Cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 hot, dried Chiles
• 1 cup Plain Yogurt
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• Oil
• Salt
• Water

Combine the almonds, poppy seeds, black cardamom, ground coriander and 1 tsp of the cumin seeds in a bowl. Place a small skillet over a medium flame and toast until fragrant or until the almonds begin to take on color. Pour the spices into a coffee grinder and and grind as finely as possible. (I used my mini food processor for this and the paste was kind of gritty so if you have a dedicated spice grinder use this). Remove the spices to a bowl and set aside.

Place the garlic, ginger and 1/3 cup of water into the bottom of a food processor and process until a smooth paste is formed. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add a hefty glug of olive or vegetable oil to a heavy bottomed dutch oven over high heat. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring often, until it begins to take on color. Remove the cauliflower to a bowl and set aside. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp cumin seeds to the hot oil and stir once. Add the onion and cook until just beginning to brown. Add the green cardamom, the turmeric, cayenne and chile peppers. Allow to cook for a few seconds and then add the garlic/ginger paste, the dry spice mixture and season with a little salt.

Allow to cook until just becoming dry, then add one tbsp of the yogurt. Allow this to cook at the same high heat. The yogurt should fry a little before you add another tbsp of yogurt. Continue on in this way until all the yogurt is used up and then add the cauliflower back in. Turn to coat in the mixture. Cover the pot with a layer of tin foil, crimp tightly, and then cover with the lid. Allow to cook for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, but being careful to seal the pot up completely each time.

While the curry is cooking, why not make some rice? Just follow this recipe minus the onions, garlic, noodles and beans, well, unless you want them in there!

To serve: Turn the heat off and spoon over rice with Masoor Dal. A raita or chutney would be nice. Enjoy!

Masoor Dal

prep time: 5 minutes ~ cooking time: 1-1 1/2 hours

• 1 cup Masoor Dal (aka orange lentils)
• a small knob of peeled Ginger
• 3/4 tsp Turmeric
• Salt
• Oil
• 1 tsp Kalonji
• 2 tsps Black Mustard Seeds
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 hot dried Chiles

Wash and pick over the dal. Add them to a small pot and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil and skim any scum that rises to the top. Add the ginger and turmeric, turn the heat down to low and cook the lentils, partially covered for an hour to an hour and a half. They’re done when the lentils sink to the bottom of the pot and there’s a clearish water on top. Stir the lentils to re-incorporate them a few times and then season with a pinch of salt. Turn off the heat and cover.

Warm a small glug of olive or vegetable oil (or butter or ghee) in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the spices and cook a few second until fragrant and the mustard seeds begin to pop. Add the oil and spiced immediately to the dal and stir to incorporate. Serve immediately over rice or alongside Slow Cooked Cauliflower Curry. Enjoy!

Both recipes adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Of The East Vegetarian Cooking.

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