Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Citrus Herb Dip

These crispy, seasoned oven fries are served with a tangy and aromatic citrus herb dip.  The dip is heavy on the cilantro for a super-flavorful south of the border punch. Cutting the sweet potatoes into wedges gives them a good shape for dipping. Not only are these healthier, but to me, they taste better than any deep fried french fries I’ve had.

Ingredients
Oven Fries:
3 sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup canola oil
¼ teaspoon cayenne

Citrus Herb Dip:
½ cup cilantro
1 scallion
1 teaspoon lime zest
juice from 1 lime
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425.  Mix the sweet potatoes in a bowl with the canola oil, salt, and peppers.  Bake for about 40 minutes, being sure to toss the pieces so all the sides brown.

In food processor, simply puree all dip ingredients.  Serve in a bowl for dipping!

Why do YOU cook, Monica Bhide?

I'm not sure there is a harder working food writer than Monica Bhide. She teaches, writes magazine articles, has a syndicated newspaper column called Seasonings, and has written several cookbooks including her most recent, Modern Spice. What I like about her writing is the personal stories and her enthusiasm for using different ingredients. She's also about as big a twitteraholic as I am. Not only do I learn something new when I read her stories, articles and tweets, but I enjoy the journey.

As a child, I always felt that I had trouble relating with the world. I always felt that I did not fit in the crowd and that I could not really "connect" with people. Then one day, I discovered what I did relate to: the kitchen. I would spend hours watching my parents and my grandparents and uncles and aunts cooking but never attempted to try it myself. I think I was about 8 or 9 when I began to cook. It was an experience unlike any other. I never felt awkward or out of place in the kitchen. I never thought of cooking as hard (unlike school work!). The kitchen made me feel at peace with myself. It was around the same time that I started writing... but all the writing was private. I never shared it with anyone.

But back to cooking: As a child, there were so many things I could not do. I did not know how to swim or ride a bike or be one with the in crowd. But I knew how to bring out the best in eggplant, i knew how to sizzle cumin just right to release it's flavor and aroma, i knew how to stuff an okra with a pungent spice mix, I knew how to simmer a deep and intensely flavored lamb curry. I would go to the farmers market and pick fruits and vegetables with my dad and learned how to tell good fish from bad. And then the magic happened: when I served the food to people, they liked it. It became the source of connection with friends and family and those who came to my table. I felt like I finally had made a connection. Years later, as I cook to care and nurture my family, my writing grew up. I heard from more and more people that they connected with my words and that made them want to cook my food.

I cook because it is who I am. Cooking, for me, is a away of nurturing those around me and sharing a part of me with them. My world of writing and food makes me feel like I belong in this world and that I have a purpose and that I matter and can make a difference.



Monica Bhide is the twentieth person profiled in this series. Read more profiles.

Day 165! Solomon Islands - Papaya Chicken and Coconut Milk - Up Next, Somalia

Just a few days left until we move to our temporary digs while the entire second floor of our house is gutted to the studs and rebuilt thanks to massive ice dam and water damage last winter. I'll still have use of my kitchen, but I'm not quite sure how consistently I'll be able to cook over the next few weeks. That said, I'm going to do my best to continue to cooking in the scheduled countries on my list, since aside from this project being my obsession, it most definitely helps keep me sane when life lobs me a steady stream of curve balls. Thanks a lot, life - I'm all set now.

Located in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands is a sovereign state that encompasses 1,000 islands. Descendants are made up of Oceania's 3 main cultural groups, Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. Settled between 4,000-5000 years ago by people from South East Asia, this beautiful island nation was discovered by Europeans during the 16th century. Initially sighted by Spanish explorer, Alvaro de Mendana in 1568, he thought he'd discovered King Solomon's wealth when he discovered gold and so named the island, after King Solomon. Following the Spaniards, the islands were explored by the Dutch, French, Germans and British. Many of the islands became a British protectorate between 1893-1900. During WWII, the islands were caught in the cross fire of war, leaving the pristine islands littered with war wrecks. In 1978, Solomon Islands gained independence from Britain, but in 1998, tribal rivalries erupted on Guadalcanal which prompted Australia and other Pacific neighbors to intervene on its behalf, ultimately restoring the islands to peace in 2003.

Cuisine in the Solomon Islands is characteristic of food in the Pacific Islands, but also has some Spanish influences, as well as Asian and Indian spices, fruits and vegetables. Coconut, cassava, sweet potatoes, fruits, taro, bread fruit, beef and fish are all commonly eaten. Poi, which is taro pounded to a paste then mixed with water is eaten with many meals as well.

Peel, seed and slice ripe papaya in thin slices

Sweet potatoes and plantains

Fry plantain in canola or peanut oil

Saute chicken, onions and papaya, then add coconut milk

Papaya Chicken and Coconut Milk (Recipe adapted from foodbycountry.com)
Serves 4

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch cubes ( used thighs)
1 papaya, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
1-3/4 cup coconut milk (canned, bottled or fresh)
1 onion, chopped
Olive oil for frying

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and cook chicken cubes over high heat until they are almost cooked (about 5 minutes).
Add the chopped onion and cook until the onion becomes clear, about 5 minutes.
Add the papaya slices and cook for 5 more minutes.
Remove mixture from heat and add the coconut milk.
Serve alongside mashed sweet potatoes and fried plantains.

Final Assessment:  This is a lovely, mild, slightly sweet dish, owing to the combination of papaya and coconut milk. I served the dish with mashed sweet potatoes and fried plantains. Very easy and very tasty!

© 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Rice Krispie Treats with Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar

No matter how old I get, I still have cravings for these childhood treats. How can one resist the crunchy combo of crisped rice cereal and gooey, melted marshmallows? A bit of maple syrup, brown sugar, and toasted pecans are added here to bring some autumn flavors to the mix.

Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter
1 16 ounce bag of miniature marshmallows
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup toasted pecans
11 ½ cups rice cereal

Instructions
Grease a 9x13 pan, or line with parchment paper. Melt butter over medium-low heat in large pot. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and stir until the brown sugar has dissolved. Add the marshmallows and stir until they have melted. Take off heat. Add the sea salt and vanilla and stir. Add rice cereal and toasted pecans to the melted marshmallow mixture and then press into prepared pan. Let cool.

Day 164.5 Orange Sherbet with Amaretto

About a week ago I received an offer to sample and review a cookbook. Now, I'm over-the-top busy with work, not to mention that we have to temporarily move out of our house to have renovations done (thank you, New England winter, for the ice dams that sent water pouring into every bedroom). But when I saw the title of the cookbook, I couldn't pass up the opportunity: Ice Cream Happy Hour - 50 Boozy Treats You Spike, Freeze and Serve, by Valerie Lum and Jenise Addison. I mean really, what better way to relieve stress than to sit down with a beautiful bowl of boozy ice cream? Yes, please.

The brain children of this book are two New York City women who started experimenting with spiking ice cream  in their tiny Brooklyn kitchens. Valerie Lum, is the baker at Bierkraft in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where she specializes in baking brownies, blondies and cookies. Her partner in this wonderful endeavor is Jenise Addison, who grew up in Queens, graduated from the French Culinary Institute and now spends her time brining, curing, butchering and fermenting at Bierkraft. After months of experimenting with various formulations and spirits, the two hit on the ideal ice cream-to-booze ratio and perfected the chemistry. They figured out that they could fit as much as an entire cup of 80 proof alcohol into 1-quart of ice cream to achieve ideal consistency and flavor. That's some beautiful alchemy. Needless to say, this is decidedly grown-up ice cream and is not meant to be dished up to your eager toddler...or curious teenagers.

Ice Cream Happy Hour is organized by tantalizing categories: Boozy Ice Creams, 80-Proof Specialties, Cocktails in a Cone, Tropical Treats by the Scoop, Spiked Sorbets and Sherbets, Tipsy Sundaes and Floats. Following a lively introduction, the book gives simple, easy step-by-step directions (including photographs) on how to make and spike, temper, thicken and chill the custard; dissolve the gelatin (the thickening agent that counteracts the alcohol's thinning properties) and churn the ice cream. Once you understand the process, the authors suggest you boldly go where no other has gone and experiment with your own combinations, of which there are so many, they couldn't all be included in their book.

I chose the Orange Sherbet with Amaretto recipe because I love sherbet as it's such a nice, creamy cross between ice cream and sorbet. Plus, I dig anything with amaretto in it. Lastly, this recipe is very easy, requiring no cooking.  I must admit to taste-testing this sherbet more than once as it was churning. It's reminiscent of an orange cream-cycle with a just right dose of almondy amaretto - absolutely bowl-licking delicious!  Once the construction crews are out of my house, I fully intend to try the following more complex recipes from Ice Cream Happy Hour: Caramel with Spiced Rum, Fig with Barley Wine, Ginger with Dark Rum, White Russian and Cosmopolitan. The boozy possibilities as positively endless!

Lemon juice, orange juice and sugar form the syrup

Whisk it all together until completely blended

Add milk - now you've got yourself a cream-cycle!

Dissolve gelatine

Icy cold amaretto...mmm

Whisk in gelatine and amaretto, then immediately pour into ice cream maker and churn

Orange Sherbet with Amaretto (Recipe reprinted with permission from Ice Cream Happy Hour, authors and Ulysses Press)
Makes 1 quart

1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice.
1-1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract or almond extract
1 packet (1 Tbsp.) gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
3/4 cup cold (refrigerated) amaretto

Make the syrup: In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, orange juice, and lemon juice together until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Whisk in the milk and vanilla or almond extract.
Cover and chill the syrup for at least 4 hours.
Once the syrup is completely cold...
Dissolve the gelatin: Pour water into a small saucepan and evenly sprinkle the gelatin on top.
Allow to sit until the gelatin appears to have absorbed as much water as it can, about 2 minutes. This is called blooming.
Gently warm over low heat and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved in the liquid, about 3 minutes.
Spike the syrup with the cold amaretto and gelatin mixture: Refrigerate the alcohol until completely cold (do not try to speed up the process by putting it in the freezer, which may make the gelatin set up too much before added to the syrup.
Pour the gelatin into a medium bowl and whisk the cold alcohol until combined. Do not attempt to kip this step by pouring the alcohol directly into the saucepan with the gelatin.
Pour the cold orange syrup into a large bowl. Stream the alcohol and gelatin mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the syrup and whisk until thoroughly blended.
Churn the sherbet: Pour the cold mixture immediately into the ice cream maker and churn for at least 20 minutes. Due to the alcohol content, you may wish to churn it longer to get the desired thickness. If you don't want to serve the sherbet immediately, or you want a firmer texture, transfer it to a freezer-proof container and freeze for several hours before serving.



© 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

100 Perfect Pairings Main Dishes to Enjoy with Wines You Love

Developing new and enticing recipes that will bring out the best in a variety of wines is a challenge I relish. I have a huge collection of food and wine pairing books, not only because I am fascinated by it but also because for several years I developed recipes for MyWinesDirect, an online wine retailer. Coming up with new recipes to go with yet another Cabernet or Chardonnay required not only creativity but also a deeper understanding of how food and wine interact.

I have only written about a few of the books in my wine pairing collection because frankly, not very many of them are worth telling you about. The bible is of course What To Drink with What You Eat. It's where I go first for inspiration. But I also love the 100 Perfect Pairings books by Jill Silverman Hough. The first was 100 Perfect Pairings Small Plates to Enjoy with Wines You Love and the second out now is 100 Perfect Pairings Main Dishes to Enjoy with Wines You Love. She not only provides recipes, but really digs into how to pair and the tricks to making matches that sing.

The format of the two 100 Perfect Pairings books are the same, as is the general overview information about each wine. Each chapter features a different wine, and dishes that pair well with it. There are six white wines and six red wines (ok one is rose). They are the most common wine varieties you're likely to find. While the first book focused on small plates, the second in the series is all about main dishes. Each recipe has a tip, some insight into what makes it a good dish or a good pairing or even suggestions for how to round out the meal. On my list to try: Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken with Garlicky Ranch Sauce with Viognier, Chicken "Cocoa" Vin with Merlot, and Steak and Radicchio Caesar with Cabernet Sauvignon. If you are new at pairing food and wine or do it all the time, these books will be welcome additions to your cookbook collection since they function as reference books too. Jill Silverman Hough makes pairing food and wine easy and fun.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Soy Vinaigrette

Hot off the grill, this chicken has a flavor that is powerfully umami. It is a classic recipe from Jenn's mom’s kitchen, and it is usually the last thing we’ll throw on the grill at night. It requires almost no effort to cook, and it’s a great way to stretch our cookout into the next day, when we’ll chop it up and mix it into a fresh salad. The balance of smokiness, spices, herbs, veggies, and soy vinaigrette makes this the one salad we look forward to. We like to use a lot of parsley in this dish to help complement the soy and red wine vinegar.

Ingredients

Grilled Chicken:
Marinate ½ – 1 lb of chicken breast in

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup canola oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp basil

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp parsley

¼ tsp ground pepper

Dressing:
¼ cup soy sauce

1/8 cup canola oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 ½ tsp honey

¼ tsp Dijon mustard

splash of Franks red hot sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

¼ tsp oregano

Salad:
1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

2 carrots, shaved

½ cucumber, sliced

2 scallions, chopped

1 cup parsley, chopped

¼ red onion, sliced

grilled chicken, sliced

Instructions

Marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours. Heat grill to medium high. Once hot, spread canola oil on grill grates, and place chicken down over the hot coals (or gas flame). Cook until one side has started to caramelize, and flip. Cook again until both sides are slightly charred. Remove from grill and chop into half-inch thick pieces. If you are refrigerating the meat for later, wait to chop until after you heat it back up.

In a large bowl, toss all salad ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients until emulsified. Drizzle over the salad.