I had the idea in my head that tamarind sauce would go really well with butternut squash. It does but then my idea grew into what I made here. It’s full of tangy, sweet, sour, spicy and verdant…….It’s DELICIOUS! It isn’t an authentic Indian dish but it might be considered to be Indian Style with Indian flavors. There are many components to this dish. You might want to only do some parts of the recipe (but it won’t be as good). Just so you know you need to do the pickled shallots a few days in advance so they have time to pickle. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. For me this makes around four side dishes for dinners.

Ingredients for around 4 servings.

2 shallots – peeled, sliced thin (pickled shallots this needs to be made at least a day before but a few days is better)

1 Tablespoon sugar (for pickled shallots)

1 teaspoon kosher salt (for pickled shallots)

3/4 cup mixed citrus juice (for pickled shallots. I was a little short on my limes so I added one lemon and one orange but it was mostly lime)

1 – medium butternut squash – peeled, membrane and seeds removed, cut in 1/2 inch slices.

3 Tablespoons canola oil (to cook squash)

2 oz unsalted butter (to cook squash)

2 Tablespoons cumin seeds (to cook squash)

sea salt to taste (to season squash)

ground black pepper to taste (to season squash)

3 oz cilantro – leaves and only the tender parts of stems – chopped (for cilantro sauce)

1 serrano chili – chopped (for cilantro sauce)

1/8 cup lime juice (for cilantro sauce)

2 teaspoons honey (for cilantro sauce)

2 teaspoons sugar (for cilantro sauce)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (for cilantro sauce)

some water to thin (for cilantro sauce)

3 1/2 oz concentrated tamarind (for tamarind sauce)

1 cup water – boiled (for tamarind sauce)

4 Tablespoons pure maple syrup – honey or date syrup is fine too (for tamarind sauce)

1/2 lime – just the juice – (for tamarind sauce)

1 15oz can chick peas – preferably reduced sodium – drained and rinsed three times (Indian spiced chick peas)

1 Tablespoon canola oil (Indian spiced chick peas)

1 teaspoon ground coriander (Indian spiced chick peas)

1 teaspoon ground cumin (Indian spiced chick peas)

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (Indian spiced chick peas)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (Indian spiced chick peas)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (Indian spiced chick peas)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (Indian spiced chick peas)

1/2 cup toasted coconut

Directions

Make the pickled shallots. (this should be done at least one day before but would be better a few days before.

In a small zip lock bag add the shallots, juices, sugar and salt. Squish it all around so everything is mixed up together. Put bag in a small container so the juice is all around the shallots. This container needs to be refrigerated. Use when ready.

Make cilantro sauce.

Cilantro, serrano, lime juice, honey, sugar, salt gets blended together. You might need to add water to smooth it down. This needs to be refrigerated. Use when ready.

Make tamarind sauce.

The boiling hot water goes in a bowl with the concentrated tamarind. You need to let this sit together for a few minutes to soften up the tamarind. Add the maple syrup, lime juice. This mixture gets pushed threw a fine strainer. (toss out all the stuff left in strainer. Heat the strained mixture up in a pan on medium heat. Reduce to desired consistency. Set to the side. When cooled to room temperature either use or keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Cook up butternut squash.

Turn oven to 400 degrees F.

You can start your pan on medium/high with the canola oil, butter, cumin seeds and cayenne. You will need to turn down just a tiny bit over medium and fry the squash till browned and cooked on each side. Timing will differ depending on a bunch of things. Mine took about ten minutes a side. If you accidentally under-cooked your squash you can always finish it in the oven.

Make the Indian Spiced Chick Peas (while you are cooking the squash)

In a medium bowl combine the chick peas, canola oil, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, black pepper, salt. Mix well. Spread out on sheet tray. Depending on the texture you like they need at least 15 minutes to be nice and cooked. Or up to 30 minutes for a slightly crisp texture.

Put everything out on a platter and sauces on the side.

Top with toasted coconut. If you need to test the coconut you need to spread it out on a sheet pan in a pre-heated 325 degree F oven. The coconut gets down pretty fast. Mine only took 5 minutes but sometimes they do take longer.

Enjoy!

I needed to cook some carrots and I came across Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for Roast Baby Carrots with Harissa and Pomegranate. I figure I can do his recipe with regular carrots and they would be more delicious than plain carrots. WOW! They really are FORKING DELICIOUS! I used my own harissa recipe that I developed for the carrots. I don’t mean to brag but my recipe is also FORKING GREAT! My recipe makes around three cups of delicious harissa that stays good for at least a week. You only need 2 Tablespoons of harissa for the recipe but it won’t come out as delicious if you use harissa from a tube or a jar. This recipe is close but not identical to the Yotam Ottolenghi recipe because his is all in metric and Celsius. I rounded the conversions. My idea of serving size may differ from your idea of serving size. This makes around 8 small side servings.

Ingredients for around 8 servings

2 lbs carrots – (regular supermarket carrots need to be peeled. Depending on size cut in half long ways so you have 2 long half pieces)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons honey

2 Tablespoons harissa (strongly suggest www.TheForkingTruth.com recipe – 4 or 5 roasted peeled deseeded red bell peppers, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoon caraway, 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 6 garlic cloves, 2 roasted red hot peppers, juice from 2 lemons, 4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, $ Tablespoons tomato paste – Blend) You are welcome.

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter – room temperature

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 Tablespoons cilantro – chopped or torn

1/4 cup pomegranate

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Set oven to 450 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl combine the cumin seeds, honey, harissa, butter, olive oil, and salt.

Put your carrots win one layer on a sheet tray.

Drizzle the mixture in the bowl all over the carrots. Try to distribute the mixture all over the carrots.

The carrots go in the preheated 450 degree F oven till just starting to brown and fork tender. You want the carrots to still have bite to them. This might take 12-20 minutes depending on size and freshness of carrots.

Finish carrots with cilantro, lemon juice and pomegranate.

ENJOY!!!!!!

A Special THANKS!!!!!! To Yotam Ottolenghi for coming up with this FORKING AMAZING Recipe!

I make a really great Mexican or Southwest Style Marinade for chicken. I got the idea that I can infuse those flavors into beets to make them interesting. I didn’t know what my dish would turn into. I played around with my recipe a little for the beets. After I made them I found that the braising liquid was too delicious to toss so I called this dish soupy beets. This dish is very vegetable heavy and doesn’t end up with a lot of liquid as you can see in my pictures but it is FORKING AMAZING Delicious! It’s does come out with all kinds of flavors and also is a little spicy. It just dances with all kinds of flavors and textures. You can just make the beets or take it further and fry vegetables for it and make a few eight minute eggs. I happen to have some leftover lime pickled shallots so I added them too. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. This makes about 4 really large servings or 8 smaller servings. I make more fried vegetables than I needed so extras will go on sandwiches or salads. This recipe takes two or more days to prepare if you are pickling the egg. More than two days if you are adding lime pickled shallots because they take at least three days to pickle.

Ingredients for around 8 servings

2 pounds of beets peeled (bigger beets you might need to cut in half or quarter)

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

4 garlic cloves – ground to paste

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground anatto

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle powder (they sell this at Sprouts…if you don’t have use a chipotle pepper- chopped – in adobo sauce and maybe a teaspoon of the sauce)

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup rice wine vinegar

2 cups water

2 bay leaves

2-3 (or more if you want more) eggs (eggs go in gently boiling water for 8 minutes and go in ice bath. Peeled eggs sit over night in beet liquid. (I only used half egg on some servings and a quarter egg in most of my servings)

oil for frying – maybe two inches in your pot on medium heat. I used canola oil.

1 carrot – peeled sliced extra thin on mandolin

1 onion – peeled sliced extra thin on mandolin

4 radishes – sliced extra thin on mandolin

2 shallots – (If you are added Lime pickled shallots this needs to be done at least three days in advance) Sliced thin on mandolin.

1 Tablespoon sugar (for lime pickled shallots)

1 teaspoon salt (for lime pickled shallots)

1/2 cup lime juice (enough to cover shallots) (for lime pickled shallots)

1 cup small sweet tomatoes sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro – chopped or torn

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves – chopped or torn

1/4 cup fresh mint – chopped or torn

1/4 cup scallions – chopped

Directions

At least three days before you make this make the lime pickled shallots. Sliced shallots go in a ziplock sandwich bag. Add lime juice salt and sugar. This just sits in the refrigerator till you are ready for it.

Either earlier in the day or the day before get a sauce pot halfway filled with water. Get the pot on a gentle boil. Carefully place the eggs in and set your timer for 8 minutes. When they are done place in an ice-bath. Peel when cool and place in the refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and get a middle rack ready for the beets.

Your beets and seasonings go in a pan. (beets, salt, garlic, sugar, black pepper, oregano, cumin, anatto, coriander, chipotle powder, vinegars, water and bay leaves.)

You might need to mix up the water a little.

This gets covered and goes in the middle rack of a preheated 400 degree F oven till the beets are tender. Depending on size and freshness of beets this will take 60-90 minutes.

While the beets are cooking you can fried vegetables today or wait till tomorrow if you are pickling the eggs.

To fry vegetables add about 2 inches of oil that you start just a little over medium heat. You might need to turn it down slightly maybe half way though. The vegetables are done when they start to brown. This takes a LONG time. Carrots were faster than the radishes. Onions were the slowest to get crisp. I did one vegetable at a time. When done they go on either a cooling rack or a sheet tray that is covered in paper towels.(towels will need to be changed or vegetables will be sitting in wet oil)

Beets are done by now so take them out. (test and make sure that they are tender). Add peeled eggs so they can pickle (make sure that they are covered with beet juice) Leave this out on the counter till it gets to be room temperature. Refrigerate over night. The next day you need to cut up the beets in any shape you like. I made thin strips.

When you are ready assemble. This can be served either cold or warm.

Dish out the soup, add an egg or 1/2 an egg. Add fried vegetables, add some lime pickled shallots and add fresh herbs. Some people might want to add sour cream.

Enjoy! This is really FORKING AMAZING!

I came across chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for Brussels sprouts with burnt butter and black garlic. Wow what a genius combination of things that I never would have thought of. Bunt butter, caraway seeds and black garlic is quite a combination. I didn’t have brussel sprouts at home but I did have cabbage so I thought that I can make a similar dish with cabbage. My recipe isn’t exactly the same but offers similar flavors. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. I also used a small cabbage so a bigger cabbage might give even more servings and also might take a little longer to cook.

Ingredients for around 4 servings

1 cabbage – cored – quartered – each quarter gets cut in 3 or 4 smaller wedges (I used a smaller cabbage)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil – to be sprayed or brushed on cabbage (I used a spray bottle so I didn’t measure…I honestly don’t think that I used this much oil)

fresh crushed sea salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1.75 oz black garlic (maybe around 2 Tablespoons chopped)

1 Tablespoon dried thyme

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 lemon – just the fresh squeezed juice

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

1 Tablespoon tahini

2 Tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Directions

Set oven to 500 degreed F.

Use a sheet pan (or two) and spray or wipe lightly with extra virgin olive oil.

You remove the core of the cabbage.

Then you quarter the cabbage.

Then each quarter gets sliced into 3 or 4 smaller wedges that go on your sheet pan. Then the slices get either sprayed or brushed with extra virgin olive oil and get seasoned with fresh crushed sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

This goes on preferably a middle rack in your ore-heated 500 degree oven for around 15 minutes. It’s not done yet. Flip the cabbage wedges over on other side so you can brown up the other side. Depending on size if will need 10 to maybe 15 minutes more.

While you are roasting the cabbage you should make the sauce.

In a small bowl add the caraway seeds, black garlic, thyme. Leave it on side.

In a small fry pan on high heat add the butter. It will turn brown quickly. Then take it off the heat. Now add the caraway seeds, black garlic, thyme, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Blend till smooth.

Pour over cabbage.

Add toasted pumpkin seeds.

Finish with a little tahini and pomegranate seeds.

Serve right away and enjoy!

A Special THANKS! to Yotam Ottolenghi for coming uo with his FABULOUS Brussels sprouts with burnt butter and black garlic recipe. Without it I never would have made cabbage in a similar way.

The last time I made a delicious butternut squash I did it two ways that was a mixture of pan seared and mashed that we really enjoyed. I did it in a southwest style that I winged and didn’t publish yet. So I did a similar recipe but with an Italian kind of twist that also came out really delicious. My guess is that this makes around six servings but my idea of serving size might differ from your idea oof serving size. It makes what you see in the picture. My picture is of the dish cold and did look better all melty but I did that in sections and didn’t think it would look good that way….I was wrong I guess….

Ingredients for around 6 servings

1 red onion – slice extra thin on a mandolin

1 cup white vinegar

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 bay leaf

2 lbs butternut squash – peeled, seeds removed, cut in 1 inch cubes

2 oz sweet butter

big pinch sea salt

big pinch ground black pepper

big pinch dried rosemary

big pinch dried thyme

big pinch granulated garlic

splash sherry vinegar

2 oz sweet butter (this is for whipped squash)

3 Tablespoons heavy cream

1 dried hot pepper crumbled (I used a Calabrian peri peri pepper)

a few grates fresh nutmeg

4 oz walnut halves (this is really more than you need I discovered afterwards..use rest for salads or snacks)

1 Tablespoon sugar ( I used turbinado…any sugar will be fine)

1 Tablespoon oil (I used walnut oil but would use canola in a pinch)

2 dried hot peppers or to taste (I used two Calabrian peri peri peppers)

big pinch sea salt

1-2 oz gorgonzola cheese – crumbled – to taste

8 amarena cherries in syrup cut in half (plus around 1/4 cup of the syrup to add on just before serving…..If you aren’t using amarena cherries then a little drizzle of honey or date syrup would be good) If I was substituting cherries I’d use golden raisins or chopped dates)

garnish with a little fresh chopped thyme or rosemary

Directions

Put a sauce pot on medium high with the vinegar, kosher salt, bay leaf and 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Bring to boil and when it’s dissolved you can pour it over the onion and let it sit to the side. (This is best if down the day before) Leave on counter till it gets to room temperature and then refrigerate.

Melt two ounces of butter in a big fry pan on medium high heat with big pinches of sea salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, granulated garlic and a splash of sherry vinegar. Add squash and brown it up a big

Set oven to 350 F.

Get out sheet pans. You squash might not be cooked all the way so put the squash on sheet pans on top rack for about ten minutes or until cooked though and then remove from oven.

Make seasoned walnuts. Set oven to 250 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl add 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon oil, 2 dried crumbled hot peppers, and a big pinch of salt. Mix well and add walnuts and mix well. Spread out the walnuts on a sheet pan. Put them in the oven on a middle rack till fragrant. (about 10 minutes) leave on counter to cool.

Half the butternut squash gets whipped with 2 oz butter, I dried hot pepper, a few grates nutmeg and three tablespoons heavy cream. Whip or mash well.

Everything is done so just put together to serve.

Put the mashed or whipped butternut squash on a plate for in a bowl. Surround the squash with the seared squash. Top with pickled onions, amarena cherries, spiced walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and a small amount of fresh thyme or rosemary and the cherry syrup (not pictured because I figured this out after I snapped picture).

Enjoy! It’s really FORKING Scrumptious!

I had some tofu that I had to use so I thought up marinated tofu in tomato curry. Tofu is very versatile and can be used many ways. I think if you are just using plain tofu to eat that it taste better marinated. I made a simple marinade for it with sriracha.

I used the Shark brand that taste sweet and tomato-ee so that was the inspiration to do tomato curry. If you use a different brand of sriracha yours will come out different and might need some adjustments. My idea of serving size might differ from your idea of serving size. To me this makes about three smaller servings. You also need to add some vegetables to this dish. I didn’t have much around the house so I only used onions, a few extra tomatoes and a carrot. You can use whatever you like.

Ingredients for around three servings

14 oz tofu – I used firm – cut in bite size pieces

1/4 cup sriracha – preferably Shark Brand (marinade) With a different brand you might need to add sweetness.

1/4 cup – tamari or soy sauce or Golden Mountain (whatever you like best) (marinade)

1 teaspoon honey (marinade)

1 – 13.5 can coconut milk

2 hot chili peppers or to taste – fine chop

1 inch grated ginger

3 garlic – ground to paste (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamon

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon vegetable soup base (instead of salt and adds more flavors)

12 oz peeled cooked tomatoes

1 sweet onion – chopped or small slices

1 carrot sliced

a few roasted small sweet tomatoes (tossed in at end)

handful fresh basil – torn

small amount of oil, non stick spray or a little oil that might be on tomatoes

Directions

Start by marinating tofu. The tofu goes in a gallon ziplock bag and you add the sriracha, honey and tamari (or soy sauce or Golden Mountain) This needs to marinate about 90 minutes. Leave it sit one your counter for around an hour and then start up the rest.

A little oil goes in your fry pan or sauce pot on medium high heat and you cook up the onions and hot pepper till soft. Then add in garlic. Then add coconut milk and ginger, cardamon, turmeric and vegetable base and thin carrot slices. I let it cook down a little and when the carrots are soft I added the roasted tomatoes. Next add the roasted sweet tiny tomatoes.

By this time it’s around 90 minutes for the tofu so I drained it and add to the curry. Finish with fresh basil.

It’s DELICIOUS! Enjoy!