Originally posted on Simply Recipes, this curry-inspired dish was a lovely touch for an evening meal. The flavours melded well together, though the end result wasn’t what I had originally been expecting. Call it a Western take on curry, call it infusion cuisine, but the bottom line is this: it’s delicious and worth making.
The changes I made to the recipe were minimal, but enough to where I think the flavour of this may have deviated some from the flavour of Elise’s original recipe. Where her’s called for jalapeño peppers, I used a poblano; I only used breast meat — not thighs; instead of chili powder I used cayenne; and I prefer white onions, so I used that instead of red. Nevertheless, I think both recipes are worthy for a week night meal!
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Growing up, I always hated potato salad. It wasn’t because of the potatoes — which I adore — or the mayonnaise — which I really don’t mind. It was because of the boiled eggs. Yes, hard-boiled eggs — one of my arch nemeses of the food world. Now, some of you may not put boiled eggs in your potato salad, but in the South it is a requirement for a proper potato salad. And I hated it. There was no way to pick around those little white bits of rubber, and their eggy-ness pervaded throughout the entire salad, thereby completely ruining it.
And then I moved to Finland. There, potato salad was about the potato — and there was no egg-taint going on. Now, I suppose if you want to be really technical, this should be a German inspired potato salad, since it has a vinegar base and not a sour cream or mayonnaise one like what is typically found in Finland and Sweden. But the flavours, in my humble opinion, echo more of what one could find in Finland rather than in Germany. All in all, the flavours are perfect for summer — clean and simple. This can easily be prepared ahead of time and left in the refrigerator, but allow the potato salad to come to room temperature before serving, as this is the temperature it was meant to be served.
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This rich, well-spiced stew is perfect for cold winter day and rainy summer ones. It’s filling and flavourful as well as being healthy and South Beach friendly. Depending on how quickly your lentils cook, it can take some time to prepare. But in the end, it is definitely worth it.
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In this house, baby bok choy is a luxury that we sometimes indulge ourselves on. It’s a bit difficult to find where we’re located, and when we do find it, it is usually quite expensive. Adult bok choy is usually easier to find and cheaper, but one — it’s not as cute — and two — you can’t eat the whole plant, willy-nilly.
I like baby bok choy. And when I eat it, I like to keep things simple. This makes a wonderful side for two and can easily be doubled. Also, it is South Beach diet friendly.
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Prior to this recipe, I had never had fennel before. Its anise-like smell always put me off. For my mind, if it SMELLS like anise, then it must taste like anise. And I hate anise. Memories of pastis and ouzo run through my mind and I would shudder.
But I had never had fennel, so how could I say, with 100% certainty, that I hated it? The fact is that I couldn’t. And after going on the South Beach diet, fennel is one of the many vegetables that I could eat. So, I took the plunge. I bought some fennel and tried this little recipe for it.
Can I just say that I was so wrong about fennel? I love it. Or at the very least, I love it in this recipe. It is both sweet and savoury and there isn’t much of an anise flavour at all. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone looking to introduce a new vegetable into their diet, and for anyone who loves fennel in general.
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