Crispy Mid-East Beef & Potato/Curried Vegetable Wraps

There's nothing quite like comfort food to put a smile upon our lips, hearts, memories, our souls. A flavor that seems to linger pleasantly along your taste buds, in your mind. And with the help from a gorgeous sous chef, my wife, a new culinary memory has been added.

It all starts with a thought, an idea and with a little effort you end up with something amazing.

Beef Spices: Cumin, Red Pepper, Cinnamon, Allspice, Salt, Thyme
Curry Spice: Curry, Garam Masala, Tumeric, Salt, Red Pepper

Prep your Potatoes

Ground Beef, Potatoes, minced Garlic, Olive Oil & Spice Blend

Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli, Garlic, Olive Oil & Spice Blend

Broccoli shot!!!

Simmer both until done, but potatoes should retain shape

Spoon onto Egg Roll Wraps and fry in a little Grapeseed Oil

Pat off any extra oil and serve

Talk about comfort food. The Curry Roll tastes like a delicious Samosa with a crispy shell, while the Mid-East Beef & Potato Roll tastes like Kefta and Fries encased in a crispy wrap. Both are easy to make and worth making again, again and again.

Inspiration from Southeast Asia

I love curry, cooking curry dishes, eating curry dishes, spicy, sweet, I could eat curries seven days a week. The following I whipped up with help from my gorgeous sous chef. It's a simple dish with bold flavors. Shrimp Curry.

Gather what you need and prep....

Prepare sauce, add shrimp and simmer, then serve over rice noodles. (Sauce contains coconut milk)

Enjoy!

Chicken Biryani

I love cooking Indian food, working with the various spices, the aromas, the flavors and it's worth the time it takes to prepare. And when you get the hang of cooking Indian food, it becomes easier and less time consuming to prepare.

With the right ingredients and a little excitement, delicious food can be had.

Gather what you need...

Along we go.....

Sauce in the making...

Chicken and potatoes, cubed, then added to sauce....

Add tomatoes, simmer, then prepare your rice...

Brown Rice, half seasoned with saffron, half with finely shredded carrot.....

Plate, serve and enjoy. It's truly amazing.

Meat Pies with Curried Lentils & Brown Rice

It all started with a vision, to set out and make a delicious Middle Eastern inspired meat pie. And so it came to be.

Ground beef, seasoned with Coriander, Red Pepper, minced Garlic, Cumin, Fenugreek, Salt, Cinnamon and Allspice. Cooked down in a little olive oil over medium-high heat. When done, let cool. This time around, I took a shortcut and used a package of Grands from Pillsbury, but will make my own fresh pastry dough the next time. Rolled out the Grands, placed down a generous portion of the meat filling, seal then bake per pastry directions.

In a pot, saute a minced onion in olive oil. Add brown rice and lentils (I used brown lentils) and stir to coat rice and lentils in oil and onion. Add Curry Powder, Garam Masala, Red Pepper, Salt, Tumeric and stir. Add chicken stock and simmer until the rice and lentils are cooked.

Garnish with olives and a little hummus and you're ready to eat. Delicious!!

Neighborhood Delights

Next to Indian food, one of my favorites is Middle Eastern. Lucky me there is a delicious bakery/grocer down the street. They serve up some wicked and fresh meat and veggie pies, among other delights. The place is special enough to share with others and this is their website.. http://www.middleeastbakeryandgrocery.com/

This has inspired me to create my own version of their Middle Eastern meat pies this weekend. I will document the process and share with you all the step by step. It'll be my first attempt, but surely not the last. Might even take a crack at veggie pies as well. The spices are fairly similar to what is used in Indian cuisine, spices I'm familiar with. And as usual, my goal when cooking is to create something far more flavorful than what I've tried. Can't wait and I hope neither can you.

A little OUCH with that.....

Hi y'all. It's been a while since my last entry sadly, but had/have a pretty good reason. Broke my right hand just four days before Samhain while adjusting music equipment around the apartment. Needless to say, it's been a tad hard throwing myself completely into cooking. Especially as I just had hand surgery this past Saturday. My hand is now rocking out with some metal to keep the bone in place.

However, with some help from my gorgeous sous chef, I was able to rock out some spicy curried coconut shrimp with mixed veggies and basmati rice last night. And this evening, I filled the place with the great aroma with garlic rosemary pork chops, onion mashed potatoes and rolls stuffed with cheese and garlic....all prepared and cooked by myself and one handed.

Needless to say, I can see photos and recipes of some pretty wicked dishes on the way. If you have the patience as I've had, it'll be well worth the wait. Will need to visit Devon Ave pretty soon to replenish spices and get to work on building indoor herb/produce boxes to have fresh food grown and available to me over the winter months. I'm loving our little sunroom herb garden, rocking out on rosemary, cuban oregano, french tarragon and marjoram...available fresh to me everyday.

Already giving thought to some weekend culinary delights. If all goes well, pics will be taken. And always remember, enjoy the sights, aromas and tastes of food as you would life itself for food is just as important as life itself. Until next time.