By Darragh Doiron
Out of India
“Mangoes & Curry Leaves” is a big, red picture/recipe book that’s been a part of my life for weeks. I’d digest a few pages at a time to get the full effect of a visit to India, or at least a great meal. Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid chat about their travels to markets, homes, monuments and festivals in stories between breathtaking photographs of costumed people, Indian vistas or simple scales loaded with rice. You can make a day of cooking some recipes, but I’m always in tune to quick blasts of flavor from the condiment section. Here’s an easy one for lamb, fish or grilled vegetables:
Mint Sambol
1 teaspoon coarse salt
5 or 6 black peppercorns or scant 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves
2 to 3 green cayenne chilies or substitute serrano chiles, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion or shallots
1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
About 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
In a food processor, grind the black peppercorns in a spice or coffee grinder then add all the ingredients to the food processor and process to an almost uniform paste.
Never tired of it
Next time you’re on a picnic, maneuver the olives and chicken salad from your basket and pull out a Passchal. The company makes CD cases and handbags from — you’ll love this —recycled tires that will appeal to everyone from biker chicks to sleek stylists. Italian leather rims the products that have patches of letters and “radial’ wordings worked into the designs. I can’t gush enough about the concept of turning trash into art. It’s one of those why-doesn’t-somebody-think-of-that ideas that Ken Kobrick and Angela Greene did think of, and perfect. They clean the tires and hand work Passchal Products out of Richmond, Va. See for yourself at www.passchal.com.
La Dolce Vita
Get ready for dessert when La Dolce Vita returns Oct. 20 and 21. Lamar University’s Dishman Art Museum in Beaumont hosts its third annual weekend of fine wine and haute cuisine to support the museum.
The first event is a dinner at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, as chef and author Rebecca Rather of Fredericksburg presents Vino Magnifico, a gourmet meal in six courses, each served with a selected wine. Guests will dine in the Museum; there will be a reception and silent auction.
On Saturday, Oct. 21, Rather, the owner of Rather Sweet Bakery and Café in Fredericksburg, will present a demonstration and tasting from 11 to 12:30 p.m. in the Dishman Art Museum lecture hall. A wine pairing is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Museum, offering samples of gourmet cuisine with complementary wines. Tickets are $175 each for dinner; $45 each for the cooking demonstration and the wine pairing; or $80 for both cooking school and the wine pairing. Make reservations at 880-8959.
Contact this reporter at ddoiron@panews.com.
