This is the last recipe in my archive from the summer, I’ve mentioned in the past two posts that you can still find a number of these summer vegetables, like yellow squash at the farmers market in Charleston. We really do have an incredible growing season here, a reason why I question why farmers markets are only seasonal in these parts. I’m not sure what I am going to do from mid-December until April when the market is closed for the “winter”, my hope is that I can go to John’s Island to pick my vegetables up directly from the farm.

Diwali wasn’t too long ago and I am sorry that I missed it. My parents have a number of Indian friends and when I was growing up we would always be invited to wonderful Diwali parties at their houses. I was a fairly picky eater as a child, but I loved Indian food and was very spoiled by dinners and parties at these friends’ houses. I recall having my first samosa and my mother’s friend delighting in my reaction and telling me that she had spent the entire day making them, I was astounded, I couldn’t have imagined spending an entire day doing anything, not to mention preparing food. I doubt I had ever really thought about the kind of work that went into food. I discovered later when my sister and I decided to make samosas, it took us the whole day, but man were they good.

I would love to take a cooking class to learn how to make Indian food, really good Indian food. I try, I really do and I think that my curries are pretty good for someone who doesn’t know too much, and unlike the other women in my family, has never been to India, a place I am dying to visit.

I adapted a recipe that I found on epicurious.com that had a wonderful spice mixture and a technique for mixing and cooking the spices that I had never tried before. I used the vegetables that I had at hand and not the ones suggested in the recipe. I had never thought to use yellow squash in a curry before and loved the results, adding one more option for cooking with a summer vegetable that is so abundant in South Carolina, even until the month of December.

Summer Squash Curry

• 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups)
• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 (2-inch-long 1-inch-diameter) piece peeled fresh ginger (about 2 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lime peel
• 2 whole green cardamom pods
• 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
  
• 2 large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 pound yellow squash, cut sliced
• 2 tomatoes, cored, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces baby spinach leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Puree first 7 ingredients in processor until paste forms. Cook in large pot over medium heat until aromatic, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste. Cook until mixture starts to darken and brown, stirring often, about 5 minutes longer.

Add broth, brown sugar, lime, and cardamom. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring often and scraping up browned bits. 

Add potatoes, carrots, yellow squash & tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mixture in pot. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Transfer curry to bowl; garnish with cilantro and serve with brown basmati rice and toasted naan.

One Year Ago: Polpettone

Two Years Ago: Mushroom and Celery Salad

~ by italicious on November 18, 2010.

Posted in carrots, cilantro, onions, rice, spinach, summer squash, vegetarian
Tags: carrots, curry, spinach, summer squash