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Tuesday 31st August 2021.
August 31, 2021
My guest in the eight o’clock hour this morning is photographer Gerard Pesantez… ” I get my inspiration from light, movies, music, places, anime and video games. I have worked in all photography fields, and I have documented national and international events, for important customers such as the Panama Canal (The Panama Canal Expansion Project), renowned hotel chains, architecture firms and The Dakar Rally. I have been a photographer for renowned singers and artists (such as Ruben Blades, Omar Alfanno, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Olga Tañón, Raúl Di Blasio, etc.), commercial productions, festivals, weddings, corporate events, and many others. I currently have two pieces in National Geographic, one related to the construction of the Metro de Panama and the other about old vehicles, 1950’s American Cars (Almendrones) in Havana, Cuba.”
Our topic the educational program of Photolab Panama find out all about, click here and on the pic
It being Tuesday means that it is Feisty Foodie time again.
“We’re finally at the last week in August…and thank goodness, because I’m running out of radio friendly Indian recipes! Lol
I thought it was only fitting if we finished off our month of Indian curries with the a Lamb Vindaloo! This bold curry is spicy and full of flavour and goes great with some of the side dishes we’ve discussed over the last month! Everything from plain Basmati rice to our cauliflower rice Biriyani, cucumber raita and the tamarind chutney! We’ve really covered a lot of ground this month!
I thought it would fitting to wrap up our India month with an Indian dessert! I struggled a little bit with this one because I’ll be honest, I haven’t made a lot of Indian desserts at home, but then I thought of something you said last week and it kept coming up in my research….a Rice Kheer! (otherwise known as Indian rice pudding). This recipe only has three different ingredients, and that’s part of what made it so popular! The ingredients were easy to find! This dish can lend itself to a variety of flavours including Cardamom, Rose Water, Saffron or nuts!
To finish off, I did a bunch of reading to see what pairs best with a vindaloo…and the experts suggest one of my favourite cocktails…a Hard Lemonade! This famously hot curry won’t leave much room for flavour in drinks, so go clear for the spirits and clear for the mixer, preferably a sweet one. With lots of ice! Vodka and lemonade is your answer, with a twist of real lemon or a punch of passion fruit to add to the acidity and freshness. I love Grey Goose original for its creamy, smooth texture with classic Homemade Lemonade!”
Lamb Vindaloo
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tsp Kosher salt (more to taste)
10 whole black peppercorns
5 chiles de árbol, stemmed, seeded and torn in half*
4 green cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, or 1 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄3 cup white wine vinegar
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly slice
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (or molasses)
1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (preferably black, but yellow will work)
1 cinnamon stick
1 large yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 small red or green Thai chile or red jalapeño, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 red bell pepper, diced (optional)
Cooked rice, bulgar, or barley for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Toss lamb with 2 teaspoons salt; set aside.
Toast peppercorns, dried chiles, cardamom, cloves, and cumin seeds in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer spices to a blender with vinegar, ginger, tamarind paste, and turmeric; blend, scraping down sides as needed, until smooth.
Add spice purée to lamb and toss to coat; cover and refrigerate for 4 hours (or set aside at room temperature for 1 hour).
Heat oven to 325ºF with rack set in lower-middle position.
Heat oil in now empty Dutch oven over medium-high; cook mustard seeds and cinnamon until seeds pop, 1–2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, garlic, chiles, and sugar; cook until onion has softened and starts to brown, about 8 minutes.
Stir in lamb and it’s marinade, 1 cup water (or white wine) and bring to a boil. Cover pot, transfer to oven and cook for 1 ½ hours until lamb is tender.
Using wooden spoon or rubber spatula, scrape any browned bits from sides of pot and stir into sauce; stir in bell pepper, if using, and let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Skim and discard grease from surface of sauce. Season vindaloo with salt to taste and serve.
NOTE: Leave the seeds in half of the chiles for added heat. If you like a lot of spice, keep the seeds in all of the chiles, if you like it mild, remove the seeds in all of the chiles.
Rice Kheer (Indian rice pudding)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup basmati rice
1 teaspoon ghee also known as clarified butter
3-4 green cardamom pods slightly crushed
1 liter whole milk
4-5 tablespoons sugar 50-62.5 grams, adjust to taste
3 tablespoons chopped nuts (suc as chopped cashews & almonds)
1.5 teaspoons rose water optional
Directions:
Rinse the rice until water turns clear. Then soak the rice in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes are up, drain the rice using a colander and set aside.
Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Then add 1 teaspoon of ghee to it and then add the soaked & drained rice. Also add 3-4 crushed green cardamom pods.
Toss the rice with the ghee and cardamom for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly until aromatic.
Then add the milk to the pan and stir well. Set heat to medium-high.
Let the milk come to a boil, this will take around 10-12 minutes. Stir in between so that milk doesn’t stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Once the milk has come to a boil, lower the heat to low and let the kheer cook for around 25 minutes on low heat. Stir every 2 minutes or so. The milk will reduce considerably after 25 minutes and the kheer would look thick and the rice will be completely cooked. If you want super thick kheer, cook for 15 more minutes at this point.
Add in the sugar and mix. Also add in the nuts (if desired).
Cook the kheer for 5 more minutes after adding the sugar and nuts. The sugar should dissolve completely. Don’t worry if your kheer doesn’t look very thick at this point. It will continue to thicken as it cools down.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in rose water (if using). Garnish with more nuts and serve kheer warm or chilled.
Note: Can be made with Almond Milk for people who are lactose intolerant
Homemade Lemonade
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups white sugar
8 cups water
1 ½ cups lemon juice
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water. About 10 servings.
Hard Lemonade
2 oz of Grey Goose (or your favourite vodka)
6-8 oz freshly made lemonade
Splash of Rose’s passion fruit (if available)
Club soda
Ice
Fill a highball glass with ice add 2 oz of vodka and 6-8 oz of freshly made lemonade, a splash of Rose’s passion fruit and top with some club soda. Stir with a tall spoon and serve with a mint, rosemary or basil garnish (if desired) plus a slice of fresh lemon.