Metamorphosis

The other day a friend asked what inspired me to become more adventurous in the kitchen. Pondering the question over a bottle of Malbec, I realized there was no Eureka moment but rather a gradual transformation. For years my cooking repertoire consisted of broiled meat, fish, or chicken and vegetables - healthy and satisfying, but nothing to write home about. My husband's menu choices at restaurants, on the other hand, often led to long debates: they were consistently more interesting if not always better than mine. His "try anything once" approach to food opened my eyes to creative cooking and motivated me to venture beyond olive oil and herbes de provence. It started subtly: a lamb chop with mango chutney here, a chicken stir fry with freshly grated ginger there. Soon I was adding cumin, fennel seeds, chili, coriander, and red and pink salt to my pantry. And slowly I learned that in the best case, a good kitchen knife and a handful of ingredients can turn a dish from good to great in under 30 minutes. (In the worst case, you order take out.)


Thai green chicken curry

Photo: Bon Appetit

One of my first creative endeavors was a memorable Thai curry, courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine. The recipe looked easy enough and the picture made my mouth water, so we set off to the grocery store feeling a bit like fourteenth century European explorers about to discover new land. For hours we poured over different brands of curry paste, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Once our bags were full and our appetites whetted we couldn't wait to get cooking. And we were not disappointed: on their own, the ingredients were pungent (and the smell of fish sauce almost offensive), but they came together beautifully in a fragrant, spicy sweetness that I had not tasted in all my years of eating Indian curries. It was so good that we ate the entire thing, and very nearly licked the pot.

Follow the recipe to a tee, serve with steamed basmati or jasmin rice on the side, and top off with a nice Riesling. For dessert serve something tropical and refreshing like pineapple ice cream.

Ingredients (makes 4 servings ... we never have leftovers)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup sliced shallots (about 5 large)
• 1 3/4 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
• 1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips (shrimp work well, too) 
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil plus sprigs for garnish
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice plus wedges for garnish

Preparation

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and curry paste; stir until shallots soften, about 2 minutes. Add coconut milk and fish sauce; bring to boil. Add chicken and bell pepper; stir until chicken is just cooked through. Stir in chopped basil and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bliss

Divide curry among bowls. Garnish with basil sprigs and lime wedges. Take a deep whiff and marvel at your cooking skills!

Inspiration

My husband inspired me to start this blog after a successful experiment with squid ink pasta (previously an "ewww" food for me). This is new territory - the blogging, that is - and he'll have to add technical support and proof-reader to his responsibilities as sous-chef, taster, and fan-in-chief.

On this lazy and hot Saturday afternoon we decided to browse the new Whole Foods in our neighboorhood. This is actually overwhelming rather than relaxing, but at least it's airconditioned! We stopped at the fresh pasta bar where you choose your pasta and they bring out sheets and sheets of it and cut it according to order. The guy manning the machine was evidently having a disageement with a particularly stubborn batch - he kept trying to cut capellini and they kept breaking. I felt sorry for him so I asked what the purple sheet was, thinking eggplant. Well, it was squid ink. My husband loves squid ink and the rest is history. We got three quarters of a pound, cut as tagliatelle. I shall not be intimidated!

Absent any creative suggestions from the person behind the counter, my husband pulled out his Iphone and found a recipe on someone's blog. Have I mentioned that I'm the chef, he's the CIO? This recipe called for a handful of ingredients and the only exotic one was saffron, which I've never used before. We had slight sticker shock since it ended up costing as much as the rest of the ingredients together, but the flavor and color it adds to the dish are totally worth it!

Beautiful fresh squid ink pasta

With ingredients and recipe in hand we were only missing the wine. I had absolutely no idea what to serve, so on the way home we stopped at a small, ecclectic wine store. Lucky for me the lovely French owner knew exactly what we needed: "a very big white or a very small red" against the salty-sweet, slightly oily flavor of the squid ink. She sent us off with a wonderful Vermentino and cooking tips.

For example, squid ink pasta needs to be well done, not al dente, to fully develop its flavor and texture. Who knew?

We came home with a small bag of treasures and I set to work right away. The result: a definite do-again. And the best part - 10 minutes tops and no exact measurements required.

Ingredients:

• Fresh squid ink pasta - fettucine or thinner
• Onion, chopped
• Garlic, chopped
• Olive oil
• One or two zucchini or yellow squash, chopped into dice
• A handful of parsley, chopped
• Saffron threads, dissolved in hot water (use an old mug - it STAINS !)
• Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
• White wine

Heat two or so tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, cook until they start browning. Add zucchini, cook until slightly soft. Add half a cup or so of white wine, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Turn heat to low. Add parsley and saffron with its liquid and any remaining threads that have not dissolved. Stir gently and turn off heat.

Boil pasta in salted water until well done - around four minutes. Strain and do not rinse.

Dramatic black and bright yellow contrast

Serve pasta in warmed bowls. Drizzle with olive oil. Spoon vegetables over pasta. Take a bite of pasta and have a sip of wine: the flavors are wonderful together. Enjoy!