glut...grub..eat..!

Saturday, March 19, 2011


Vegetarians are almost exclusively, eternally..scorned..snubbed..ignored by chef’s and foodies alike…the disapproval of vegetarians is all too apparent (and as they say the proof is literally in the pudding…on the plate in this case).I reckon this prejudice partly comes from the fact that most ‘carnivores’ believe that vegetarian food is dull, limiting and lacks flavor…I want to break this myth and prove that not only vegetarian dishes can match up to meat dishes if cooked well they can blow the socks of the most dedicated  meat lovers..

Mushroom Bolognese










  • 1 large onion chopped finely
  • 6 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 Stalks celery chopped
  • 1 pc leek and carrot chopped
  • 4 shitake mushroom blanched and chopped
  • 50gms button mushroom chopped
  • 150ml tomato puree
  • ½ glass wine
  • 1 glass shitake broth with seasoning cube
  • 1tsp chili flakes
  • Seasoning
  • ½ tsp Habenero sauce
  • 1tbs cream
  • 2 knobs butter
  • 1tbs olive oil
  • ½ tbs balsamic
  • ½ tsp sugar


Method

  • Add olive oil and a knob of butter in a large pot pan over medium heat...add the onions,garlic,carrots ,leek and celery sauté for about 5minutes
  • Add the wine
  • Add the chopped shitake and button mushrooms sauté for another 5 mins
  • Add the puree & saute
  • Add the seasoning along with the balsamic vinegar, sugar and the chili flakes
  • Let it sit on medium fire for another 15mins stirring occasionally
  • Add the shitake broth
  • Take it off the fire..cool..and pulse it in the mixer..to get a grainy texture
  • Bring it back on low flame and finish with the Habenero sauce along with the cream and a knob of butter
  • To serve, ladle some sauce over cooked linguine or parpadelle and mix to coat the noodles well. Serve pasta onto individual plates and add a little sauce to the top of each. Drizzle with olive oil and/or shaved Parmesan, if desired.


Tuesday, March 1, 2011


Chaos the damned!

After years of frantic hosting..last minute panic attacks..I finally realized my biggest demon and yet one of my biggest source of guilty pleasure:CHAOS..
it could only be my love for chaos that makes me push everything to the last possible stretchable minute...the anticipation the thrill of not knowing whether I am going to make it in time(of course I never make it in time)...and of course I feed of that drama..why else would I always run out of time no matter how much time I have...but as much as I love this chaos  I find myself  quietly envying  that nonchalant chef /cook who feeds a dinner party of 20 or a restaurant of 200 with ridiculous amount of ease...this person entertains his guests dishes out course after course with the biggest smile on his face...while my kitchen  looks like a warzone this guy s kitchen looks straight out of a haffles catalog...its not that these people are born with superhuman culinary powers(as much as we have the case for the contrary) just that he is impeccably organized and has planned every little morsel to be cooked to a T.. Order and balance are key to a successful kitchen /meal..so lets bring back that planner kick off procrastination and give order and sanity a chance..Though of course we will still indulge chaos every once in a while...!