A few months ago, I was in New York with some good friends, shopping for whatever interesting culinary tidbits we could find. We were visiting the Chelsea Market when I found a little jar of salt, wrapped in innocuous-looking paper and tied with a little brown bow. The label read: “Ghost Pepper Salt, infused with ghost pepper extract.” I’d heard of of these little capsaicin bombs before and feared them greatly, due to this video – yikes! But I have a friend who loves spicy food, so I grabbed the jar as a gift. The warning sticker said, “Use only one or two grains of salt,” which made me giggle. I threw the salt in my bag and continued shopping. ... Read the rest of Behold, the Ghost Pepper – Bhut Jolokia on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Middle Eastern, Products on Jul/Tue/2011
Post tags: bangladesh, Bhut Jolokia, chili peppers, chilis, ghost pepper, india, indian food, spicy foods
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2011.

Hey everyone, just a quick post to check me out on Food Wishes, making a fabulous dish with John Mitzewich: butternut squash pancakes. The best part? It’s a video! John is famous for his fabulous visual tutorials, so I know you’ll find his post funny and easy to follow.

I’ll be posting my own version of the video soon. Hopefully. Life has taken an unfortunate hairpin turn lately, so I might be a little slower in posting over the next few weeks. It doesn’t mean I love you any less.

PS – You can also find a complete listing of all of John’s cooking videos at his YouTube channel.

Permalink | Posted in Gluten Free, Middle Eastern on Dec/Wed/2010
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© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2010.

A few weeks ago, some friends and I took an Indian cooking class with a local Bay Area teacher, Rashmi Saini. Rashmi was a wonderful instructor, and we spent the afternoon chopping, stirring, and cooking while enveloped in the pungent aromas of cumin, coriander, and asafoetida. Dinner was a colorful chickpea dish called chana spinach curry – not only was it deliciously filling, but it was vegan and gluten free, too! Hallelujah.

I took a series of photos to document the experience, which you’ll find below the recipe. I highly recommend that you look in your area for an Indian cooking class – such a fun way to spend the day! ... Read the rest of Indian Cooking Class + Chickpea Spinach Curry Recipe on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Gluten Free, Middle Eastern, Vegan on Aug/Tue/2010
Post tags: asian cuisine, bengali cuisine, canola oil, chana, chana masala, chana spinach curry recipe, chickpeas, coriander, cuisine, cumin, curry, curry recipe, garam masala, indian cooking class, indian cuisine, indian recipes, indian spice, pakistani cuisine, punjabi cuisine, rashmi saini chickpeas, recipes, spices, spinach, spinach curry, vegan, vegetarian indian recipes
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2010.

I love love LOVE potato soup recipes, and even though I haven’t talked about it lately, I have a major thing for curry recipes. Now that the weather is turning cold freezing (I swear, I can’t feel half of my toes right now), all I can think about is soup. I’ve been craving hearty soups that fill you up and keep you warm for the rest of the night. If they’re not hearty, what the hell is the point?

When I was growing up, I hated soup. It was messy, it was sloppy and you couldn’t really chew it. I was completely baffled by soup and wondered why people were so infatuated with it. But as I got older, I discovered something wonderful: blended soups. Here was something I could enjoy! These soups had some tooth to them, something I could savor and [almost] sink my teeth into. Blended soups were thick and velvety, not drippy and watery like the soups I’d grown up with. I was in love.

I still don’t like runny soups, so I tend to throw every recipe I come across into the blender. This poses a problem, though – how do you blend soup without making a huge mess? With the advent of stick blenders came ease and convenience, but these things inevitably splatter a layer of soup across your stove and kitchen walls. Serious bummer.

We solved the problem, though. My husband fashioned a crazy simple solution out of a cardboard box that fits over our Dutch oven – he basically cut a hole in the top of the box where the blender fits in, allowing freedom of movement while still containing the mess. I should really post a photo of it one of these days. It’s magical.

The curry potato soup recipe here is a slightly modified version of the Curried Potato and Vegetable Soup from Elise’s site. I’ve changed a few things, but the biggest difference is the addition of lamb meatballs. One of my favorite flavor combos (besides peanut butter and chocolate) is lamb and yellow curry, so the first time I tried her soup, the only thing I could think was “OMG this would be incredible with lamb!”. So, I added it. It was amazing.

This soup freezes well, so make a huge amount and save some for those nights when you just don’t want to cook, or you’ve contracted one of the various plagues that get passed around this time of year. When I’m sick, this soup is my go-to meal. This stuff will cure what ails ya!
... Read the rest of Curry Potato Soup Recipe with Lamb Meatballs on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Gluten Free, Grain Free, Middle Eastern, Soup on Dec/Thu/2009
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© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2009.

Why do I suddenly have the urge to create a new rack of lamb recipe? Well, last week we received a few of our animals back from the butcher, so we’re swimming in farm-fresh meat here at Chez Wasabimon. Our freezer is packed with a lamb, a goat, half a cow and another animal that my mother in law has sworn me to secrecy over. To say we’re stocked would be an understatement.

This rack of lamb recipe was inspired by Monica Bhide’s newest book, Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen. I’ve gotten up close and personal with this book over the past few months, and it’s inspired me to experiment with a lot of spices that I didn’t have a lot of experience with. I have a ridiculously stocked spice cabinet, and while I use most of what’s in there, I tend to stick to solid recipes and not really explore on my own. I’m stoked to be playing more now, with much success!

This rack of lamb recipe is nice and fennel-y with just the right amount of heat. If you like it uber-spicy, feel free to add another chili to the mix or up the amount of black pepper. If you don’t know how to French a rack of lamb, it’s actually really easy – here’s a video to show you how. If you just can’t bring yourself to trim your gorgeous rack, ask your butcher to do it for you. Or better yet, have him show you how so you can do it yourself next time.
... Read the rest of Rack of Lamb Recipe with Spicy Fennel Rub on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Gluten Free, Meat, Middle Eastern on Nov/Mon/2009
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© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2009.

For our second Food Blogger Spotlight, I’m very excited to have with us one of today’s most talented and prolific food writers: Monica Bhide. Besides blogging over at A Life of Spice, her work has appeared in publications such as Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, and The New York Times, as well as several iterations of the yearly Best Food Writing anthologies. Monica has also written several popular books about Indian cooking, including her most recent, Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen.

How has Monica developed a reputation for being such a wonderful writer? The answer is simple. Do you see that gorgeous smile in the photo above? Well, her writing smiles like that as well. If you’re interested in learning from this fabulous lady, you should check out her Intro to Food Writing e-course!

Please welcome Monica, as she gives us a peek into her cooking and writing life.
... Read the rest of Food Blogger Spotlight: Monica Bhide on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Middle Eastern, People on Oct/Tue/2009
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© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2009.