Diwali 2011

For the first time since moving to the U.S. in 2001, Shefali celebrated the Diwali holiday in style by hosting a party and serving traditional Indian food.

Diwali is a Hindu celebration of lights. It occurs each fall,when a new moon arrives sometime between mid-October and mid-November (it fell on October 26 this year). Shefali's family also takes time during Diwali to honor Laksmi, goddess of wealth. They usually celebrate with fireworks, alcohol, gambling, and of course great food.

In preparation, we woke up early Saturday morning and drove to Cary's "little India" district to shop for authentic groceries like chaat masala, tandoori paste (I have never tried making my own), bitter mango, desi dahi and green chutney. After we hit Patel Brothers' grocery store we bought fresh kaju katri and golab jamun from Mithai across the street. The guys at Mittai make traditional desserts in-house, and they're the best we've had on this side of the world.

We returned home and began cooking around 2:30. Shef made a huge batch of her mother's world famous chicken curry while I threw together the kachumber, eggplant bhartha and broiled okra. The meal came together around 7 p.m., just as twelve friends and neighbors climbed our candle-lit staircase and joined us to feast.

After dinner we crushed the desserts, then laid a bed sheet on the living room floor. In honor of Laksmi, everyone drank beer and played poker. It was a great way to celebrate and share the holiday with others, especially since several of our friends ate (and loved) Indian food for the first time.

Diwali will likely become an annual affair, as we're already talking about how bottles of Kingfisher, Bollywood music and fireworks will make next year's party a real bash. Until then, enjoy the recipes.

Arati's Eggplant Bhartha

1/2 cup spring onions, chopped

3 large eggplants

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

2 tsp corriander

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp red chili powder (to taste)

fresh cilantro

salt, to taste

1. Roast the eggplant in a 400-degree oven until the skin gets quite crisp (about 25 minutes), then peel and chop into cubes. Roasting the eggplant gives it a lovely smokey flavor.  

 NOTE: If pressed for time, skip step one and simply cube the eggplant.

2. combine all ingredients and cook on low heat for approximately 60 minutes. When the ingredients are blended together and the excess water from the veggies has dried up, balance the seasonings, add a handful of cilantro leaves and serve.

Broiled Okra with Chaat Masala

1 pound fresh okra, preferably small, thin pods

3 tbs olive oil

salt

pepper

2+ tsp chaat masala

1. Set the oven to broil, then half the okra lengthwise and toss with the olive oil and chaat masala.

2. Arrange the okra in a baking dish, skin side down, and broil until crisp, about 30 minutes.

3. Add additional chaat masala to taste and serve. 

Pasta Alla Norma

I took another trip to the farmer's market on Saturday...and came home with four more pounds of eggplant. This week, it went into pasta alla Norma.

Pasta alla norma is almost as old as the island of Sicily itself. Named after the heroine in Vincenzo Bellini's famous opera, Norma, the two-act performance tells the story of the Druid priestess Norma, whose husband Pollione tries to run away to Rome with the Adalgisa, another priestess. Out of loyalty to Norma, Adalgisa tells her about the affair. Norma considers murdering her two children but decides to leave them with Adalgisa instead. Adalgisa, however, then renounces her love for Pollione and urges him to return to his wife.

Infuriated, Norma calls a meeting with the Druids and declares war against the Pollione's Romans. The declaration requires a sacrifice, which conveniently presents itself when Pollione is caught entering the temple of virgins to visit Adalgisa and is subsequently sentenced to death. Minutes before Pollione's execution Norma, deeply saddened by the turn of events, decides to take his place. Inspired by her benevolence, Pollione rekindles his love for his wife and joins her in the pyre.

First produced in 1831, Norma was immediately hailed a success, so much so that people began using the title as a term of endearment. For example, one's favorite music could be called "musica alla Norma," the best poetry "poesia alla Norma." As the pasta became one of Sicily's most famous dishes, it became known as pasta alla Norma.

I don't know about you, but all this talk about lyric tragedies is making me hungry. Let's move on to the recipe.
The innumerable variations of this recipe typically include:

- eggplant, fried in oil before its added to the sauce
- tomatoes
- cheese
- pasta
-a spicy pepper
-fresh basil

Here's my take:

Pasta Alla Norma

vegetable oil 

olive oil

2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1/2" cubes

4 cloves garlic*

2 tsp salt 

crushed red pepper, to taste

1 big can of diced tomatoes or 2 cups Christopher Sauce or 2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced

12 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 pound roughly-grated ricotta salata**

1 box short, tubular pasta, like penne or rigatoni

*If you're using a premade sauce (that already includes garlic) instead of tomatoes, consider reducing or omitting the garlic

**Ricotta salata is salted sheep's milk ricotta cheese. It's much more firm than regular ricotta. Substituting ricotta produces a smooth, creamy sauce that's different in texture but equally raucous. Another option is to substitute another firm, salty cheese like pecorino romano. 

1. Placed the diced eggplant and salt in a strainer with a bowl underneath, then put something heavy on top. Let the eggplant sit for an hour. During this time, the salt will pull the bitter juices from the eggplant pieces into the bowl underneath the strainer. 

2. Fill the bottom of a saucepan with 1/4" of vegetable oil. When the oil is hot (test it), add the eggplant.

3. Stir the eggplant frequently as it fries, being careful not to break the pieces. Add more oil if necessary. When the eggplant has turned golden brown, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towel to dry. 

**Note: now would be a good time to begin boiling your pasta water

4. Discard the vegetable oil from the pan. Wipe the pan clean and return it to medium heat. 

5. Add 2 tbs olive oil to the now empty saucepan. Just before the oil begins to smoke, add the garlic. As the garlic begins to brown, add the crushed red pepper and let simmer for 30 seconds.

6. Add the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce thickens, 5-10 minutes. 

7.  When the sauce has reached its desired consistency, add the eggplants and fresh basil and let the sauce simmer on low heat for 5 more minutes.

8 Serve the sauce over pasta and garnish with grated cheese and additional basil. 

Caponata

There are great veggies in season at the farmer's market this time of year, like fresh onions, eggplant, tomatoes and sweet bell peppers. This also makes it a great time of year to make a huge supply of caponata.

Caponata is an ancient Sicilian relish. It's both sweet and sour, thanks to doses of sugar and vinegar, and goes great with bread as well as grilled meats and fish. Similar to pepperonata, the addition of meaty chunks of eggplant, olives, capers and dried fruit make it authentically Sicilian. It's also a great way to cool off a summer dinner, as its served at room temperature or colder.