Vegetable Korma & Fish with Fregola

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to my high school friend Vicki Marrin for this one:

Bread is Dangerous

Important Warning for those who have been drawn unsuspectingly into the
use of bread:

More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.

Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households
score below average on standardized tests.

In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the
average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates
were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such
as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.

More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of
eating bread.

Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven that
as little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The
average American eats more bread than that in one month!

Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low incidence of
cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis.

Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and
given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days.

Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items
such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cold cuts.

Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than
90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body
being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a
soggy, gooey bread-pudding person.

Newborn babies can choke on bread.

Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit! That
kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute.

Most American bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between
significant scientific fact and meaningless statistical babbling.

In light of these frightening statistics, we propose the following bread
restrictions:

No sale of bread to minors.

A nationwide "Just Say No To Toast" campaign, complete celebrity TV
spots and bumper stickers.

A 300 percent federal tax on all bread to pay for all the societal ills
we might associate with bread.

No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal to
children) may be used to promote bread usage.

The establishment of "Bread-free" zones around schools.

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            TODAY'S RECIPES
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Here's another one for the vegetarians among us. "Korma" means
"braised" in Hindi and can be applied to a stew made with any
selection of meats and/or vegetables.

Vegetable Korma

4 Tbs (60 ml) ghee (see below), butter, or vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs (15 ml) grated ginger
6 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander
1/2 tsp (2 ml) cayenne pepper, or to taste
3/4 cup (180 ml) vegetable stock or water
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 small eggplant (aubergine) diced
1/2 lb (225 g) sliced mushrooms
1 cup (250 ml) green beans cut into 1-inch (3 cm) pieces
1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (60 ml) plain yogurt
1 tsp (5 ml) garam masala (see below)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) for garnish

Heat the ghee in a large heavy pot over moderate heat and saute
the onions until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic,
ginger, and remaining spices and cook for 30 seconds. Add the
stock, potato, eggplant, and mushrooms and bring to a boil. Reduce
the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the string beans and cook
for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 2
minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with white rice.
Serves 4 to 6.

Ghee

1 lb (450 g) unsalted butter

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Increase
the heat and bring the butter to a boil. When the surface is
completely covered with foam stir the butter gently and reduce the
heat to the lowest possible setting. Simmer uncovered and
undisturbed for 45 minutes, or until the milk solids in the bottom
of the pan have turned golden brown and the butter on top is
transparent. Strain the butter through a sieve lined with linen or
four layers of cheesecloth. If there are any solids in the ghee, no
matter how small, strain it again until it is perfectly clear. Pour
the ghee into a glass jar and seal tightly. This recipe makes about
1 1/2 cups, and may be kept at room temperature for several
months, or almost indefinitely refrigerated. It will congeal if
refrigerated, and so must be warmed before using if liquid ghee
is called for.

Garam Masala

5 three-inch (8 cm) pieces of cinnamon stick
1/2 cup (125 ml) cardamom seeds
1/2 cup (125 ml) whole cloves
1/2 cup (125 ml) whole cumin seed
1/4 cup (60 ml) whole coriander seeds
1/2 cup (125 ml) whole black peppercorns

Combine the whole spices in a heavy skillet over moderate heat
and toast for a few minutes, until they are warm and aromatic.
Allow to cool, then pulverize in an electric blender or coffee grinder
(that you use exclusively for grinding spices) until it forms a fine
powder. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) and may
be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several
months without losing its flavor.

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Fregola is a tiny pasta shape similar to couscous that is very
popular in Sardinia. In fact, it is usually sold as "fregola sarda,"
or "fregola from Sardinia." You can buy it from Amazon.com by
following this link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DCXDI/worldwiderecipes
or you can substitute any tiny pasta shape such as pastina or
semi di melone.

Fish with Fregola

4 Tbs (60 ml) olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped fresh parsley plus additional for garnish
1/2 tsp (2 ml) red pepper flakes, or to taste
2-3 lbs (900-1350 g) fillets of firm white fish such as red snapper,
cod, haddock, or halibut, or any combination of these, cut into large chunks
1 15-oz (425 can) chopped tomatoes with their liquid
1 1/2 cup (375 ml) uncooked fregola
3 cups (750 ml) fish stock, clam juice, or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over moderate heat and saute the
garlic, parsley, and red pepper flakes for 5 minutes. Add the fish and
remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer
uncovered until the fregola is cooked, about 15 minutes. Garnish with
chopped parsley. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Thu Feb 8 07:29:15 2007