Asparagus with French Sauce

Serves 6 - 8

Procedure

1. Cut off the bottom inch or so—wherever it’s tough and woody—and discard. Use a vegetable peeler (or paring knife if the asparagus are huge or tough) to peel the skin away from beneath the flowering part of the stalk. Discard the skin.

2. Steam or boil in salted water for 2 to 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the stalks. Drain.

3. If you’re serving them cold, immediately rinse off with cold water to stop the cooking.

For the Sauce

1. Whisk together the egg yolk, salt, and vinegar until smooth. 

2. Slowly whisk in the oil—add about a teaspoon at a time and work it in slowly—until the sauce begins to stiffen. 

3. At this point, the oil can be added a tablespoon at a time.

**Asparagus is notoriously hard to pair but the Alsatian Pinot Gris is the closest pairing given the taste of the asparagus.

Featured Sauce: Morel/porcini mushroom mayonnaise

Ingredients

Asparagus

Wine Pairings:

Alsatian Pinot Gris

For the Sauce:

1 egg yolk
Pinch salt
½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
½ cup inert oil such as grape seed oil or avocado oil

Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto

Serves 24

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Cut the prosciutto strips in half lengthwise, so you have 24 long, skinny strips. Wrap each asparagus stalk tightly with prosciutto and place on a wire rack over a rimmed sheet pan. Season with ground pepper.

3. Bake until prosciutto is crisp and asparagus has browned.

Ingredients

24 thick asparagus stalks, woody ends trimmed

12 slices prosciutto

Freshly ground black pepper

Curried Deviled Eggs

Serves 6 - 8

Procedure

1. Pour cold water into a pot and bring it up to a boil.
2. Once boiling, add the eggs and cook for 12 minutes.
3. Remove eggs from the pot and shock under cold water.
4. Peel the eggs and cut lengthwise.
5. Remove the yolks and place into a bowl.
6. Combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Tabasco, salt, and curry powder with the egg yolks and mix well.

Ingredients

6 or 8 Eggs
¼ cup Mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
¼ tsp. Tabasco Sauce
¼ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Keralan Curry

Empanadas di Carne

Ingredients:

For Filling:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 lbs. ground beef

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Jalapeño pepper, minced

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp cumin

3 tomatoes, de-seeded, cut small dice

2 tbsp cilantro, minced

2 tsp lime juice

For Dough:

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp butter, cold, cut into small pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 fl oz iced water

Procedure:

For Filling:

1. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the ground beef and brown over moderately high heat.

2. Stir in the onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the jalapeño, garlic paprika, and cumin. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt, pepper.

3. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Transfer to a bowl and allow mixture to cool completely before filling.

For Dough:

1. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Rub butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, or lightly combine in a food processor. 

2. Add the eggs and water and gently work the mixture together until it forms into a ball. Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. 

3. Roll out, cut, fill, form and cook as in making turnovers.

Peppery Kerala Shrimp with Curried Mayo

Ingredients:

1 lb. raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 lemon cut into wedges

Marinade:
1 tbsp Keralan Curry
1 tsp garlic paste
1 sprig curry leaves
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Curried Mayo Dip:
¼ cup sunflower oil
1 tsp Keralan Curry
½ lemon ¼ tsp salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Procedure:

1. In a medium bowl, combine marinade ingredients. Add shrimp, mix well, and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.Discard curry leaf sprig after marinating.

2. Heat oil in a large cast iron frying pan over medium heat.

3. Add shrimp and fry for 2 minutes. Turn shrimp and cook another minute.

4. Serve shrimp with lemon wedges so juice can be squeezed over top.

Belgian Endive with Quinoa and Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Serves: 6-8

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400°

2. Cut the sweet potatoes into ¼” cubes.

3. Combine sea salt, pepper, and curry powder for spice mix. Add canola oil and 1 tsp. of spice mix to sweet potatoes and toss.

4. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

5. After removing from oven, set aside to cool.

Ingredients

For Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
2 medium Sweet Potatoes
2 tbsp Olive Oil
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper
2 tsp Keralan Curry

For Quinoa:
1 cup of water
¼ tsp sea salt
½ cup Red Quinoa 

For Marinade:
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp finely chopped chives

Spiced Turkey Meatballs

Serves: 8 - 10

Procedure

1. Mince the onions, green chilies, ginger and the cilantro leaves in a food processor.

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients with the minced vegetables and form them into medium size meat balls (smaller if for appetizers).

3. Steam the meat ballsin a bamboo basket or in a wide pan, till all the juices are absorbed.

4. Pan fry the meat balls, sautee, bake or grill the meatballs in a little oil suitable for grilling.

Ingredients

1 Pound Ground Turkey Meat
3 Medium Red Onions
1 or 2 Green Chilies
2 inches fresh ginger root
5 sprigs cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons Safflower oil or any grilling oil

Note: If you are grilling, spray the grilling basket with oil or brush them with oil.