Big Flavor, Fast

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I don’t know about anyone else’s family, but we go through food-fan episodes. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve eaten a lot of stir-fry, miso, and Oriental greens. Sometimes all in the same meal. I’m officially over soy sauce and sesame oil for a little while.

We haven’t had time to plan our weekly menus, but we have managed to keep the house stocked with items that, for us, are staples. We’re pretty imaginative cooks, for example one night several years ago Jon and I actually found a recipe that used cabbage, brown rice and peanut butter (all on-hand). The bonus was that it was actually pretty darned good.

So, back to the present…we all love Indian food. Most days I’d plan ahead and make all my own sauces, etc., but yesterday was not one of those days. On hand was a jar of Patak’s Korma Simmer Sauce, a pound of ground turkey, a small butternut squash and some baby portabello mushrooms. Flash of inspiration…and, voilà, dinner.

Turkey Meatball Korma with Butternut Squash and Mushrooms

For the meatballs, combine the following and form into 1″ balls

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 large or x-large egg
  • 1 good sized clove of garlic, minced or put through a crusher
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1/4 cup finely minced fresh cilantro
  • 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs (or panko)
  • salt & pepper

You will also need:

  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and sliced down to approx 3/4″ thick half-moon slices  (you could substitute with yams)
  • 8 oz, give or take, mushrooms (cleaned, stemmed, halved)
  • 1 jar Patak’s Korma Simmer Sauce
  • 1 cup broth, divided (chicken or veggie or use water)
  • nonstick spray
  • neutral flavored oil like canola

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, spray with nonstick, and add oil. In batches, brown the meatballs and set aside temporarily.

Deglaze the pan with about 1/2 cup of the broth, scraping up the brown bits. Add the squash, mushrooms and meatballs back to the pan. Pour the Korma sauce over the contents of the pan and use the remaining 1/2 cup of broth to get the last bit of goodness out of the jar.

Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the squash is tender but not quite done. Remove the lid and reduce the sauce to thicken it. By that time the squash should be cooked through but not mushy.

Serve over rice, couscous, quinoa or just in a bowl. Garnish with cilantro and grated, unsweetened coconut if desired.

Planetary Science is Important

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Although circumstances prevented our attending the Juno NASATweetup in person, it’s still an honor to have been invited. I don’t see how anyone can watch the video I’ve linked to below, read the mission purpose, and NOT support NASA/JPL. Every dollar invested in NASA is returned five-fold to the US economy in terms of technological breakthroughs and products.

Summertime in NoFLA

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As you can probably guess, summertime in North Florida can be brutal. Between the heat, the humidity, the bugs, the heat, and the humidity, it’s enough to send folks streaming indoors for some cool air.

Even indoors, the need to cool off doesn’t go away, and cold drinks of all sorts often fit the bill. Although I’m officially a Yankee transplant to Florida, I’ve embraced some of the more traditional beverages of the region such as sweet tea or mint sweet tea, or for something a little more tart, the classic Arnold Palmer. If you are lucky enough to have a Meyer lemon tree in your yard (or have a generous neighbor), homemade lemonade is the way to go. Although it’s almost sacrilege down here, some folks prefer a well-made glass of iced coffee.

Since the Watermelon Festival is this coming weekend, you might choose to indulge in a watermelon margarita or even this totally kid-friendly faux salad caprese.

If you’ve got melon leftover, try my tropicalized fruit salad:

2 cups each seedless watermelon, cantelope, and honeydew melon chunks
1 cup seedless grapes
2 firm bananas, sliced
2 cups strawberries, halved if large
1 tin of guava paste, cut up*
1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted (set aside)

Combine all the fruit ingredients a few hours before serving. Add the coconut and stir before serving – some of the guava will have ‘melted’ to coat the other fruits, giving everything a lovely sheen and sweet-tart tropical edge.


*You can use a 1/2 tin if you like, check this link for some more guava recipes