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Seasonings include, clockwise from left, coriander seeds, yellow mustard seeds, cloves, green cardamom, brown mustard seeds and cumin with fennel in the center.
During the anniversary class, she will be teaching more timetaking recipes — potato samosas and roshgolla from scratch, including making the cheese used in it, and goat rezala. Elankumaran announces her classes two to three weeks in
advance on her website, iheartcurry.com. She said she is currently planning her Christmas/ holiday class. Her classes usually include lessons on cooking three different dishes, whether it is two appetizers and an entree or a three-
course meal. Elankumaran said she makes sure her students get a full meal they can enjoy and make again outside of her class. Rarely, she will offer a two-hour course where she teaches how to make two appetizers or desserts.
DINNER BY THE MOVIES AT SHORELINE’S
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She says she starts her classes by offering students a warm cup of chai tea while everyone gets acquainted. She said she treats all of her students as if they know nothing about Indian food, so that every one is taught at the same level. Elankumaran said she makes sure that her students have fun while they learn in her class. “I actually go through great pains to make sure my house feels like a get-together as opposed to a classroom,� Elankumaran said. Elankumaran said she has asked her students who have taken other cooking courses what the difference is between I Heart Curry and ones taught at a facility. She said some of her students told her that other classes were intimidating and they didn’t feel comfortable. During her classes, Elankumaran keeps her kitchen, living and dining room open so that class registrants feel invited and can get acclimated. Her home is able to accommodate up to 15 students per class. She also offers private lessons. Recently, she said has been getting requests for larger classes and is figuring out how to teach in a bigger location that offers the same kind of environment as her home. She said she has a variety of
people register for her classes. Students come in for date night, birthday or wedding presents, company team events or family classes. Elankumaran said her main goal is to teach each class, “You deserve the best of the best for your body.� Saying that Elankumaran is an advocate for healthy eating almost seems to be an understatement. She calls herself a “food nerd� and refuses to use any canned or frozen food. Even when she was in college, she said her grocery trips would be hourslong because she would have to read the ingredients on every item and then research the ingredients she didn’t know. “All of us should pay attention to what we eat, even the smallest detail,� Elankumaran said. In her classes, Elankumaran explains every detail of how she cooks her meals. She describes why each individual ingredient goes into the recipe and why substitutes will not suffice. “That’s just going to sacrifice the integrity and taste of the dish,� she said. Elankumaran said she is against using any shortcuts while preparing food. “The original, awesome recipes Continued on next page
Recipe from Harry’s Bar in Venice Harry’s Bar opened in 1931 when Giuseppe Cipriani, an enterprising bartender at the Hotel Europa in Venice, got some ďŹ nancial assistance from a rich, young American from Boston named Harry Pickering. According to Cipriani company history, Pickering had been a customer at the Hotel Europa for some time, suddenly stopped frequenting the hotel bar. Cipriani saw Pickering one day and asked why he no longer patronized the bar. Pickering was broke, he explained to the bartender -- his family cut him off when it was discovered he had not curtailed his recklessness and fondness for drinking. So, Cipriani loaned his patron a chunk of cash -- about 10,000 lire, or $5,000 U.S.. Two years later, Pickering walked back into the Hotel Europa, ordered a drink at the bar, handed 10,000 lire to Giuseppe Cipriani – he then handed Cipriani more. “Mr. Cipriani, thank you. Here’s the money. And to show you my appreciation, here’s 40,000 more, enough to open a bar. We will call it Harry’s Bar,â€? Located on Calle Vallaresso, close to the Piazza San Marco, the bar -- as the Cipriani’s have always called it -- was ďŹ rst conceived as a hotel bar, serving no food, and later transformed into a restaurant. There are many imitators, but only one Harry’s Bar. To honor this famous Italian culinary icon, we submit our version of one of Harry’s Famous recipes‌
Tagliolini with shrimp and zucchini from Harry’s Bar (TAGLIOLINI CON I GAMBERI E LA ZUCCHINA DALLA HARRY’S BAR) s POUND FRESH YOUNG ZUCCHINI CUT into 1-inch by 1/4 inch strips s POUND ABOUT MEDIUM SHRIMP
shelled, deveined and cut in half s TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL s GARLIC CLOVES CRUSHED s TEASPOON DRIED RED PEPPER m AKES s SALT
s ) POUND DRIED TAGLIOLINI OR FETTUCCINE or fresh tagliatelle (egg pasta) s TABLESPOONS UNSALTED BUTTER softened s 3PLASH OF DRY WHITE WINE s CUP FRESHLY GRATED 0ARMIGIANO Reggiano cheese plus extra to pass at the table
To cook:
1390 Pear Ave., Mountain View (650) 254-1120 www.cucinaventi.com
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Bring a large pot of water to boil before preparing the sauce. If using dry pasta salt boiling water and add pasta. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, let it cook until golden, about 30 seconds, and discard it. Add the zucchini and cook for two minutes. Add the shrimp, the pepper  akes, and some salt, the wine and cook for three minutes, tossing constantly, until the shrimp are bright pink and ďŹ rm to the touch. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture for garnish. Set aside. If using fresh pasta, salt the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook until “al denteâ€? (about 2-3 minutes). Drain well in a colander. Toss the pasta with the zucchini-andshrimp mixture, add the butter and the Parmesan, and toss well. Transfer to a heated serving platter dish and garnish with the reserved shrimp-andzucchini mixture. Pass around a small bowl of grated Parmigiano cheese. November 30, 2012 â– Mountain View Voice â– MountainViewOnline.com â–
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