Carla's Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World by Caral Hall

Having read so many cookbooks in my life, at this point, it's difficult to find ones with new and different perspectives. Which is why I was so excited to read Carla's Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World. The premise of this book is that all cultures have their own versions of comfort foods and if you look at the base recipes, many are similar. In the southern U.S. we have grits, in Italy, it's polenta. In Spain they have paella; in Latin America it's arroz con pollo.

So rather than the typical cookbook layout of appetizers, main dishes, desserts, etc. Carla's Comfort Foods is laid out by different types of dishes (tomato soups, creamy soups, slaws, pickles, rice, potatoes, seafood, etc.) and each individual dish is labeled with the culture that dish came from at the top of the page. Hall also includes a handy-dandy chart at the beginning of the book to help readers see what herbs and spices are most prevalent in each type of cuisine.

Something else Carla Hall does in this cookbook that home cooks will appreciate is she adjusts ingredients for the home cook. Despite the fact that these are dishes from other cultures, Hall wants to make shopping for ingredients as painless as possible, so she has made sure to swap out hard to find ingredients with those that are easier to find in regular grocery stores. Some may criticize this move as inauthentic and a cop out, but I see it as Hall catering to her audience and knowing that she wants her cookbook to be used, not put on the bookshelf and never opened again.

I've only tried one recipe from this book so far but I will definitely be trying more. I made an Indian rice dish that was so full of spice and flavor that I will be adding it to my rotation of favorite side dishes. I've included the recipe below.

I want to thank Carla Hall for thinking outside the box and creating a new and unique cookbook concept. After reading through the wonderful recipes in Carla's Comfort Foods, I will definitely check out anything else she publishes in the future.


Chitrana Peanut-Coconut Rice

Serves 8

2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
Kosher salt
1/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used olive oil)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon crushed chile flakes
2 tablespoons flaked unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons torn fresh basil leaves

Bring a large saucepan of water a boil. Add the rice along with 1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt. Boil, like pasta, until tender, about ten minutes. Drain thoroughly and spread out on a large baking sheet to cool and dry (I didn't follow this step to the letter. Instead, I cooked the rice in the rice cooker and didn't drain it because all the liquid had been cooked out).

Meanwhile, grind the peanuts and sesame seeds together in the spice grinder. Transfer to small skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant (about three minutes), stirring frequently. Transfer to a plate to cool.

In a large dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the garlic. Cook and stir until fragrant, about one minute. Add the mustard seeds and chile flakes and cook for thirty seconds. Then stir in coconut, brown sugar, turmeric, lemon zest, peanut-sesame blend, and rice. Continue stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is heated through. Fold in the basil and lemon juice and serve immediately.


Carla's Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World by Carla Hall
Published: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 240
Genre: Cookery
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Library Copy
 
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Dinner al fresco

Tonight my husband and I took advantage of the beautiful weather we've been having lately in Michigan and ate dinner on the patio. We gave up trying to eat outside a while ago because the mosquitoes always eat me alive. Tonight, however, the weather was so mild which left most of the mosquitoes at bay.

For dinner tonight I made an old favorite, a new favorite, and a new dish that's likely to become a favorite.

The new favorite I made was the skewered potatoes with a smoked paprika rub that I made a couple days ago.

The old favorite was grilled kale marinated in coconut milk and lemon juice. If you're a carnivore looking to cut down on your meat consumption, I highly recommend this dish. I first ate this dish last summer at Vij's in Vancouver and upon returning home, I immediately purchased the cookbook so I could make some of the delicious dishes at home.

But as I was saying, if you're a meat lover, this is a great veggie dish for you to try because it tastes like meat! You really could make a main dish out of this it's so hearty.

To make grilled kale you combine the juice of one lemon with a can of coconut milk, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tsp each of paprika and cayenne pepper. Let marinate 1-4 hours.


Then grill on medium until wilted and slightly charred on edges.



I'm telling you, it's a better meat fix than a soy burger.

The new dish likely to become a favorite comes from Guy Fieri. It's Gaucho Steak with a 4-Herb Chimichurri.

Chimichurri is one of those condiments that I believe is under-utilized in North America given its commonness in South America. I've heard it to be likened to the Argentinian version of ketchup because it's used so much on food in the land of tango. If , however, we're using the frequency of people slathering it on food as cause for comparison, I'd have to say Chimichurri in Argentina is like ranch dressing to my husband.

But how could you ever want to slather ranch dressing on your food again after eating this bright, vibrant accompaniment:


Buen Provecho!

Craving Indian? How About a Trip to Vancouver?

In the South Granville neighborhood of Vancouver lies an unassuming restaurant with a sleek black exterior and a purple neon sign. This is an establishment where patrons wait in line before the doors even open and will stand outside in the rain for hours for the opportunity to feast on the delicacies inside. The name of this restaurant is Vij's and critics have hailed it as one of the best Indian restaurants in the world.

Vij's is THE restaurant I wanted to eat at when I realized we were going to Vancouver, and was a little bit of the reason for why I wanted to go there in the first place. I first heard about this restaurant on the Pacific Northwest episode of No Reservations. But then I also saw it featured on Giada's Weekend Getaways. When she said on her show that Vij's is touted as one of the best Indian restaurants in the world, I knew that I wanted to eat there one day. Indian food is slowly inching its way towards being my favorite ethnic food so making a bold statement like "one of the best Indian restaurants in the world"? I sit up and take notice.

Being such a highly-praised, high-end establishment, you might expect that it would be difficult to get a reservation. Not so. You see, Vij does not accept reservations. If you want to eat there, you must do what all the other patrons do: Line up outside the doors before they open at 5:30 and hope that you're part of the first seating.




When we arrived at 4:45, there were only three guys in front of us so we chatted with them for the next 45 minutes. One of the guys was from Atlanta and he told us that when he's in Vancouver on business, he always has to eat here. He also said, much to my surprise, that Vij is there every night and he does come around to everyone's table and talks to them. Unfortunately for us, he was out of town this week so we didn't get to meet him. I thought him being at the restaurant waiting on tables was just a put on for TV when I saw him come to Giada's table on her weekend getaways show. I figured he was waiting on her because there was a camera crew at his restaurant. Lo and behold, he does actually wait on customers every night.

As the minutes ticked by, the line slowly started becoming longer and longer but strangely enough, everyone in line got in for the first seating. The weather must've kept a longer line from forming. It was still a busy dining room though, and it had such a lovely, relaxing atmosphere.







But let's get to the real stuff here: the food. Wow! I don't even know where to begin. First of all, when you are first seated, the hostesses come around and bring everyone a cup of chai and from that point they had me won. They had me at the chai. Once they set those warm mugs of steaming, spicy goodness, I was hooked. But they still continue winning you over even after they warmed you up from spending the past 45 minutes in the rain. They also come around and pass out hors d'oeurves to whet your appetite for the meal ahead. I honestly had no idea what I was eating when they came around because I'm not really familiar with the vernacular of Indian cuisine (other than tandoori, tikka masala, etc.), but I didn't care because they were all delicious!

For an appetizer we ordered what is described on the menu as chickpeas in star anise and date curry on grilled kale.

Now I know this probably doesn't look like much, but let me tell you, I will be talking about this dish for a long time. Not so much for the chickpeas, which were delicious enough, but for the grilled kale. After eating this, it's hard to believe that kale is usually a throw away garnish at most restaurants. Well this kale was definitely NOT worth throwing away. When I raved about it to our waitress she told us that it was marinated in lemon juice and coconut milk and then grilled. Here's why this grilled kale would turn me into a vegetarian if all vegetables tasted like this: IT TASTED LIKE MEAT! Huh? What? A green, hearty vegetable that is marinated and grilled can taste like meat? Well at Vij's it does. And now I'm going to have to try making marinated, grilled kale at home.

Moving on to the main course, Johnathon ordered the beef tenderloin and vegetables with almonds and garlic in a tomato yogurt curry

which I thought was a strange item on a menu in an Indian restaurant because I didn't think Indians ate beef what with cows being sacred an all. But in Vij's cookbook, I read that sometimes Indian restaurants will serve meat based on the palate of the country where they're living. If they don't have strong ties to Hinduism, then serving beef does not pose a dilemma.

I ordered the wine-marinated lamb popsicles in cream curry on turmeric spinach potatoes.

And even though I don't normally like lamb, I decided I was going to order it here because if it's cooked right, I actually like it, and I figured that one of the best Indian restaurants in the world can probably figure out how to cook it right. Well let me tell you, this lamb was definitely cooked right. It was absolutely delicious. And when you goop all that wonderful sauce onto some basmati rice and then sop it up with some naan, that made for one happy woman.

As if the meal couldn't have been perfect enough, we ordered and shared a dessert of Indian pistachio doughnuts in a cardamom syrup. This also came with some chai, and I devoured mine as well as Johnathon's.

I love just about anything with cardamom in it so I thought the doughnuts were delicious, but as I look back and sit here writing about this meal, it was about the experience just as much as the food. All the people who worked there made sure that everyone had an enjoyable dining experience. From the moment they bring out the chai when you first sit down, to the offering curious customers insight into how the food is prepared, you got the sense that they all really wanted you to have, not just a meal, but an experience you'll never forget. If we ever go back to Vancouver, we will definitely be going back, and I will, once again, happily wait in line for my dinner.

And now that my mouth is watering from writing about all this outstanding food, I'm dying for some curry, basmati rice, and some naan to sop it all up! Oh yeah, and some chai too!