This month in the kitchen, I’m leaning toward the tried and true, and lessons learned from others. There’s a reason some traditional dishes are timeless.
Recipe: Madhur Jaffrey’s Goan Shrimp Curry
I have always admired the work of Madhur Jaffrey, whose recipes have been a beacon for me and countless cooks, non-Indian and Indian alike. Ms. Jaffrey, ever intrepid (she just turned 92), has decades of cookbooks behind her and, in a more recent turn, hosted a class on Indian cooking for MasterClass.
A longtime friend and mentor of mine, Ms. Jaffrey has a way of coaxing a lot of flavor from a few ingredients, good news for anyone who yearns for quickly made dishes. Her quick dishes are fine examples of the elegance of simplicity. (There are, of course, many complex recipes in her cookbooks for those who wish to linger in the kitchen.)
For this summer meal, I wanted to begin with something light and fresh. Ms. Jaffrey provided. Her tomato and cucumber salad, lovely and straightforward, fit the bill perfectly. Using yellow or gold cherry tomatoes, on the firm side for the best flavor, makes a bright presentation, but any color of tomato works. You could even use large ones, sliced or wedged if you wish.
Recipe: Yellow Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Then, to the cucumbers: They’re cut into batons or spears and arranged on a platter with the halved cherry tomatoes. After some salting and peppering, they’re dusted with toasted cumin and as large a pinch of ground cayenne as you like, then sprinkled with lemon juice. A quick tadka of mustard seeds and curry leaves — found at Indian grocery stores — finishes the dish and adds a little zing. In the context of this menu, I find it more suited as a side than a first course.
When I proposed a shrimp curry for this menu, I realized I could hardly improve on the one Ms. Jaffrey taught me years ago. Prawn (or shrimp) curry is popular Goan fare, and her clever version is full-flavored but very easy to prepare, actually perfect for a novice cook.
You start by browning chopped shallots in a pan, to which you add a touch of turmeric, black pepper, bright red Kashmiri chile powder — well worth looking for — or cayenne and the reddest hot paprika you can find, stirring them into the oil to make a paste. When simmered with coconut milk, those spices create the most flavorful ruddy sauce, which can be prepared in advance. Cook the shrimp in it just before serving — it all takes just few minutes. Steamed basmati rice is the natural accompaniment.
Recipe: Gelo di Melone (Sicilian Watermelon Pudding)
For dessert, watermelon came to mind, but then I remembered a favorite chilled watermelon dessert I learned from Fabrizia Lanza, another food hero, and the proprietor of Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School. It is a traditional Sicilian recipe, probably originally derived from an Arabic sweet. Called gelo di melone, it’s fresh watermelon juice thickened with cornstarch, and has a pudding-like consistency akin to lemon curd, but bright red. As there are similar Indian and Persian watermelon confections (like watermelon halwa, for example), it seems a natural refreshing finish to this meal. We topped ours with pistachio and mint, but this pudding is typically decorated with aromatic jasmine blossoms, a floral nod to summer’s end.
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