Season’s specials

SHERYL DIXIT has been experimenting with this season’s produce - broadbeans, mangoes, artichokes and strawberries

As wintry chills give way to warmer weather (hopefully), the farmers’ markets in the city are flooded with luscious strawberries and juicy mangoes. Definite signal that summer isn’t all that long now. Also in season are English spinach (palak) and fresh broad beans (sem ki phalli). This neglected legume offers a robust flavour and goodies like phosphorous, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamins A and C and is notably rich in protein too. Another much maligned but back in vogue veggie is the Mediterranean artichoke. Quite like our desi banana flower (Vazhaipoo) artichokes are fiddly all right but not as difficult to prepare and eat as may appear. Simply cut off the stem and remove any tough outer leaves. Brush all soak in lemon and water to prevent browning. Cook whole, discarding the fuzzy centre or ‘choke’ either before or after cooking. The base or ‘bottom’ of the artichoke is the most succulent part. They can be stuffed, added to stews, casseroles, soups, sauces, dips, salads or served as a vegetable.

Savour the season’s offering with hearty old fashioned recipes from

672 g cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

60 ml lemon juice

3 eggs

15 ml water

Broad Beans Curry

15-20 broad beans/sem ki phalli

7-9 baby potatoes (halved)

1 tomato

6-7 garlic pods minced

¼ tsp cumin seed

¼ tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp ted chilli powder

¼ tsp coriander powder salt - to taste to a boil for 2 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup strawberry sauce; cool. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce for serving. In a mixing bowl, layer. Carefully spoon remaining cream cheese mixture over sauce. Gently pour remaining strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on top.

Wash, string, trim ends and cut broad beans into 1 inch pieces. Heat the oil in a pan.

Now toast the cumin seeds.

Then add the crushed and finely chopped garlic pods until they turn golden brown.

Than add chopped tomato and fry until cooked. Stir in baby potatoes. Cook for 2 minutes on high flame.

Then add the broad beans pieces and mix it well. Cook for another 2 minutes. Then add all the dry spices like red chilli, coriander, turmeric powder and salt.

Cover and cook on medium-low for about 10-12 minutes or until tender. Serve hot with rice or with chapatti.

Optional: Sprinkle amchur powder on top.

Mango Mousse

1 kg ripe mangoes

100 sweet white wine or water

1 tablespoon clear honey

½ lemon, grated zest and juice

1 large orange, juiced

1 teaspoon orange flower water, optional

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons caster sugar

Peel and deseed the mangoes and purée it in a food processor or with a hand-held mixer. Bring wine or water, honey, lemon zest and juice, orange juice and orange flower water of pan. Thin chilled strawberry sauce with water if desired; serve with cheesecake. Store in the refrigerator. to the boil, until the liquid has reduced to about 3 tablespoons. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then stir it into the mango purée. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the sugar until they are shiny and stiff. Fold the egg whites into the mango mixture. Spoon into individual glasses or one large serving bowl. Chill for 2 hours, or until set.

Palak paratha

1 big bunch spinach

3-4 green chillies (chopped)

4 cups atta

½ cup Oil / ghee

Salt to taste

Clean, wash and finely chop the spinach (palak) leaves. Now mix the flour, spinach, salt, green chilli and 1 tbsp oil. Add enough water to make a soft dough. Cover it and keep aside for few minutes. Then make small balls and roll them like parathas. Heat a tawa/pan and cook on both sides till evenly done. Brush with ghee. Serve with curd or chutney.

Strawberry Sorbet

1 punnet strawberries

3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup honey

2 egg whites

1 tbsp honey

Clean and hull the berries. Blend the berries, orange juice, milk, and honey till smooth. Pour mixture into 9x9x2-inch pan. Cover and freeze 2 to 3 hours or till almost firm. In a mixer bowl beat egg whites with electric mixer on medium speed till soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining honey, beating on high speed till stiff peaks form. Break frozen mixture into chunks; transfer frozen mixture to chilled large mixer bowl. Beat with electric mixer till smooth. Fold in egg whites.

Return to pan. Cover; freeze 6 to 8 hours or till firm.To serve, scrape across frozen mixture with spoon and mound in dessert dishes.

Chikkudukaya Tomato Recipe

(Broad beans Andhra style)

1/2 kg chikkudukaya/sem/broadbeans

(parboiled2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 slit green chilli

2 tomatoes finely chopped

Pinch of haldi, turmeric

1 tsp red chilli

1 tbsp grated jaggery

Pinch of garam masala pdr (optional)

1 1/2 tbsps grated coconut (optional)

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

For tempering/tadka

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 dry red chillis

3-4 crushed garlic cloves (optional) few curry leaves

1 tbsp oil

Mango Shrikhand

½ cup mango pulp (sweetened kesar mango pulp)

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup sour cream (low-fat is good too)

½ cup finely chopped walnuts and cashews

½ cup sugar

½ tsp cardamom powder

½ tsp saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk. Drain the water from the yogurt by tying it in a soft muslin cloth and hang it over the sink for at least 2 hrs. Once all the water is drained from the yogurt, it gets a creamy texture. Mix the yogurt and sour cream thoroughly in a serving dish. Mix in the mango pulp and sugar. Check the sweetness and the flavor; add more sugar or mango pulp if needed. Ensure that the texture of the dish remains creamy and not watery. Mix in the chopped nuts, cardamom powder, and soaked saffron along with the 2 tbsp milk. After mixing thoroughly, chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before servin

Heat oil in a cooking vessel, once hot, add the mustard seeds and let them pop, add the garlic, cumin, red chillis and curry leaves, stir fry for a few seconds. Add the slit green chilli and onions and saute till soft. Add turmeric and tomatoes and saute further for a minute. Add spice powders, mix, cover and cook on medium heat for few minutes. Now add the par-boiled beans, jaggery and salt and cook for another 2-3 mts. Add a small cup of water and let it cook covered on medium heat till the beans are cooked and soft.

Stuffed Artichokes

4 medium artichokes

2 cups breadcrumbs

½ cup Parmesan cheese

½ cup minced onion

½ cup chopped parsley

½ tsp minced garlic

½ lemon

1 cup olive oil serving plate and pile vegetables on leaves.

Easy Creamy Artichoke Pasta

1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups veggie broth

1/2 cup soy milk juice from one lemon

2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, fresh

8-10 oz pasta

Cook pasta in large saucepan or pot. While the pasta is cooking, simmer the butter or margarine, flour and vegetable broth in a small saucepan until it thickens, forming a roux, mixing well. If the mixture does not thicken, turn up the heat and add more flour. Add remaining ingredients, except for pasta, turn heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing flavors to blend and cheese to melt. Drain pasta when done cooking, toss with sauce and enjoy!

Artichokes in Garlic and Olive Oil

4 fresh, firm artichokes

1 lemon, cut in half

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Lemon juice or balsamic vinegar (optional) To prepare the artichokes, first remove the stem. Pull off any small loose leaves at the bottom. Cut about 1 inch off the top and rub with the lemon. This prevents browning. With a kitchen shears, cut the points off all the leaves. Rub additional lemon over the entire artichoke. If desired, you can stuff some sliced garlic into some off the leaves. Heat the olive oil over mediumhigh heat in a pot large enough to hold the artichokes in one layer and cover them. Add the minced garlic and sauté about 1 minute. Place the artichokes, stem-side down, in the pot. Baste with the garlic and oil. Add enough water to come up about 1 inch. (The less water you use, the tastier it will be. However, it will also take longer to cook.) Cover; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the leaves pull off easily, about 1 hour depending on size and freshness of the artichokes. Baste occasionally with the liquid. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, place each artichoke on a serving plate. If desired, sprinkle with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.

Trim

4 medium artichokes and cut top 2cm off. Cook and drain. Remove choke. Mix 2 cups soft breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup each Parmesan cheese, minced onion and parsley and 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic. Fill centre of each artichoke and place in a shallow dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil and bake in moderate oven (180C) for 15 minutes.

Spring Salad

2 medium potatoes

750g broad beans, shelled

2 small zucchini

200g baby green beans, topped

1 clove garlic, crushed

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

100g baby salad leaves

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender then drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into large dice. Cook broad beans in boiling water for about 2-4 minutes or until tender. Drain and peel.

Cook zucchini in lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water and cut into matchsticks.

Cook baby beans in lightly salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and refresh under cold water. Combine cooked vegetables in a bowl. Combine garlic, olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Pour dressing over cooked vegetables and toss gently. Scatter salad leaves over a large