The Louisville Chef

I love Indian food, but sadly, I’ve struggled to find really stunning Indian food outside of the UK, India or major urban areas in the us, (not saying it isn’t there, haha, so no hate mail).  So out of necessity, I learned to make it myself. It requires some prep time, but it’s not that difficult and Indian cuisine is a rich source for vegetarian and vegan dishes.

One of my fellow blogger’s Pragati Bidkar, at Kamil’s Kitchen has some wonderful recipes and I wanted to share this one. It’s spicy, but you can adjust the heat by modifying the cayenne chili powder. I’ve adjusted the method slightly, but essentially, it’s her recipe. Thanks Pragati.

2 cans organic Chickpeas aka Garbanzo Beans

1 packet frozen chopped Spinach

1 cup canned, crushed or diced Tomatoes

2 medium Onions

4-5 whole Cloves

1 stick Cinnamon

3 Green Cardamom pods

2 dry Bay Leaves

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, go down to 1/4 tsp if you don’t like spicy

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Garam Masala

2-3 cloves of Garlic

1 Tbsp fresh Ginger Root, peeled

1 tsp Sea Salt

2-3 Tbsp Oil

1 tsp Sugar

Preparation:

Thaw and wash the spinach under hot water and drain in a colander. Squeeze all of the excess water out.

Put the onions, ginger, sea salt, garlic and the spinach in a food processor and pulse it until you get a thick pesto like paste.

Drain the canned chickpeas taking care to remove all the water/liquid from the cans.

Assemble all the dry spices in a bowl or ramekin. Heat oil in a sturdy pan and add the spices, and stir constantly until you can smell the fragrance. Keep stirring as they can burn quickly.

Then add the pureed mixture and gently simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add in your tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the cayenne, garam masala, salt, sugar. Stir, cover and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot with steamed down basmati rice, rotis, naan or just in a bowl like a thick soup.

I’ve always been a big fan of crudo sauces that require no cooking. While not a follower of raw food, I do appreciate the healthy qualities.

This is a wonderfully light and healthy pasta. The lemon, parsley and walnuts work very well together.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
2 cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
1 tsp Chili Flakes
1 tsp Sea Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper
1 lb Linguini, Fusilli or Farfalle would be good choice as well.
1 cup Italian Parsley, coarsely chopped.
1 cup Walnuts, Pecans or Macademia nuts, coarsely chopped.
Parmesan Cheese to taste.

Preparation:

Combine lemon juice, olive oil garlic, lemon zest and chili flakes and slightly emulsify and allow to rest for 30 minutes. I find this takes the edge off the raw garlic.

Preheat your oven to 350F and then toast the walnuts or pecans for 7-8 minutes. Watch them carefully so they do not burn.

Start you water for pasta and when boiling add a generous tablespoon of sea salt. Add your pasta and cook until just al dente. Set aside a bit of the pasta water to emulsify the dish at the end.

Drain and combine with all additional ingredients and a splash of the pasta water and serve immediately.

If there is anything more truly southern  than pimento cheese, I’m not sure what it is. This stuff is the real deep South deal. Right up there with fried chicken, sweet tea and biscuits.

The beauty is that you have so many variations of the basic recipe, that you can add most anything, so be inventive. I’ve given you a basic recipe as a starting point.

Serve it on crackers, make a stunning cheese and tomato sandwich, use it for grilled cheese. It’s versatile stuff.

Ingredients:

8 oz finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
8 oz finely shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1 – 1 1/2 cups of Mayonnaise, Im a big fan of Duke’s mayonnaise.
2 tsp grated Onion
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
4 oz of chopped Pimentos
1 small Garlic clove, crushed
1/8 tsp ground Red Pepper
1-2 tsp fresh Lemon juice

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients by folding them together until incorporated. Adjust for flavor and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Then mix well and transfer to individual ramekins or a suitable serving bowl.

Allow 30 minutes to come up to room temp and serve with crackers, crudités, sliced baguettes or whatever you like.

Makes about 4 cups

Note: I find that the texture is vastly improved by grating your own cheese from a block or using the food processor. Pre-grated cheese is often coated with something to keep it from clumping and it never quite comes together.

As part of Hanukkah, Jewish families make latkes or potato pancakes and serve them with sour cream and applesauce. They are amazing.

Additionally, they make wonderful canapés when topped with smoked salmon and a little creme fraiche. Add a tiny silver of fresh chive and it’s epic.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of Russet Potatoes, peeled and grated.
1 Egg, lightly beaten.
1 small Onion, finely grated.
1 small Shallot, finely grated.
3 Tbsp Matzo Meal
1 tsp Salt
Peanut Oil for frying.

Preparation:

Grate and drain the potatoes in a dish cloth or cheese cloth. You want them dry. Add in all other ingredients, except for the oil.

Heat your oil in a large sauté pan until hot, form your latkes into 3-4 inch patties and gentle slide them into the oil.

Fry until they are well browned, and then turn. A fish spatula is perfect for this..

Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with sour cream and applesauce.

I really enjoy mashed potatoes, and garlic mashed are a particular favorite of mine. That being said, I have had more poorly prepared garlic mashed potatoes, than I care to remember.

So, what is the problem? I’d say in most cases, it’s two issues. Too much garlic and/or poorly prepared garlic. My method is simple and delivers a rich garlic flavor, without the bitter bite. The key is the milk.

Ingredients:

2 – 3 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes or similar, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch pieces. If you prefer them peeled, that is totally fine.

8 Tbsp butter.

6 large cloves of Garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of your knife.

3/4 cup of Whole Milk

1 1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt

Lots of freshly ground Black Pepper

2 Tbsp fresh Chives, minced.

Preparation:

Put the cut potatoes into a large saucepan and fill with water. Bring it up to a gentle boil and add 1 Tbsp of the salt. Cook until tender and a bit softer than normal boiled potatoes.

Once the potatoes are on the stove. Combine all the milk, garlic and black pepper into a medium/small saucepan and gently simmer You can not over cook the garlic.

Drain the potatoes and put them back into the hot saucepan. Add the garlic mixture and hand mash. Once it’s well incorporated, fold in the butter, salt and chives and serve immediately.

Note: If you need to wait a bit to serve, then cover the pan and take it off the heat. This can buy you about 10 – 15 minutes.

This is a dish that is a staple throughout the low country region of South Carolina. I have had many different variations but this one is my personal favorite. If you want it to be a bit milder, you can leave out the cayenne pepper. It’s easy to make and can be served as a main or a side dish. 

Ingredients:

I’m always trying to come up with fun cocktails and while most are not too hard, however, the ones containing cream as an ingredient can be a bit more challenging. This one took a while, but it’s done, and it’s very good.

As it is refreshing and sweet, but it can be deceiving. Be warned, it has a little kick.

Ingredients:

3 shots Three Olives Cake Vodka
1/2 shot Cointreau
1 shot Heavy Cream, or Half and Half
3/4 cup OJ

Preparation:

Add all to a shaker with ice, shake vigorously, and strain into a well chilled martini glass and garnish with an orange peel.

For those of you familiar with the movie “The Help”, you will know all about Minny’s secret chocolate pie recipe. I found this recipe, minus the “secret” ingredient (read the book) and made it quite a few times and I can tell you, it is very good indeed.

You will think there is something missing, as the recipe is so basic, but it really is a simple recipe and so easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 Pie Crust, not deep dish.
1 1/2 cups Superfine Sugar
3 Tbsp high grade Cocoa Powder.
4 Tbsp unsalted Butter, melted
2 large Eggs, beaten well
3/4 cup Evaporated Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Sea Salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blind bake the crust for 15 minutes. While the crust is baking, mix together the sugar, cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt. Combine well until smooth.

When crust is finished, carefully pour in the filling and place on a baking sheet in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes. If you find the edges browning too much just cover with a bit of aluminum foil.

You want the center to still be a little bit jiggly when you gently shake the pie, but not too loose. Cool completely before serving. You can put the pie in the refrigerator.

If you’ve ever wanted to know how to make the Vesper, like they do at Duke’s in London, here’s your chance. I’ve done all your research for you! Firstly, here is the history, as told to me by Allesandro Palazzi of Dukes, the great man himself. 

Ian Fleming used to frequent Duke’s bar and wrote at least one of the James Bond novels there and it is said he invented the Vesper. If you read the recipe in Casino Royale(1953), it says:

“Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?”

Duke’s recipe below is slightly different as Kina Lillet is no longer available. ” Kina Lillet was reformulated in 1986 and rebranded as Lillet Blanc, a “fresher, fruitier, and less bitter” concoction. Cocchi Americano is generally considered to be the nearest contemporary drink to the original recipe Kina Lillet and is often used as a substitute for it in cocktails.”

I found that Lillet Blanc works very well. Just so you know, Duke’s uses its own vermouth made exclusively for them by an English company. Sorry, none to be had, I tried.

The Duke’s Vesper

1- large Martini glass, frozen
2 dashs of Angostura Bitters
1/2 measure Lillet Blanc
2 measures of Potocki Vodka
2 measures of No 3 London Dry Gin by Berry Bros. and Rudd
Garnished with an orange peel

Preparation:

Take your ice cold/frozen glass and add your bitters, then pour in your Lillet Blanc, add your vodka and top with gin. Take your orange peel and squeeze over the top of the glass it to disperse the oil and serve. No stirring or shaking.