Monica Bhide I have to confess that when Stephanie Stiavetti emailed me to say that she would be guest blogging, I began to jump up and down (ala Tom Cruise on Oprah!). Why? Well, not only is she a lovely writer, oh.. those pictures.. Check out this lovely post by her and tell me what you think!
Guest Post – Stephanie Stiavetti –
Of all the recipes in Modern Spice, my favorite (so far!) is the Beef Stewed with Coconut on page 167. I'm a big fan of hearty stews, and as the weather turns colder, I crave them even more.
I love this particular recipe because its flavors are intriguing while still involving only a simple list of ingredients. In my experience, truly great dishes are not complicated – they are straightforward and speak for themselves without going overboard when it comes to flavor. I really liked the fact that I was able to prepare this recipe with less than 30 minutes worth of work, and while it was joyfully bubbling away on my stove, it made my house smell as if I'd died and gone to spicy Indian heaven.
Beef stew is always hearty, but with addition of coriander and coconut milk, this dish really sings. My dinner guests commented on how much they enjoyed the subtle sweetness of the coconut and how it played so well with the meatiness of the beef. I served the stew over brown rice, which was a good choice, both in taste and texture – the nice "pop" of the medium-grained rice was the perfect accompaniment for the smooth, saucy stew.
To top it all off, I brought out a plate of kaju katli for dessert. If you have an Indian grocery near your home, I highly recommend you try these little cashew candies. They were a great ending to an already lovely dinner.
Thank you, Monica, for writing such a lovely cookbook.
Stephanie
Stephanie Stiavetti is a food writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her food blog,http://www.wasabimon.com, is a great place to check out her cooking adventures. You can also follow her on Twitter under the username @sstiavetti.
I ate this beef stew. It was absolutely fabulous!
Wow, I just had breakfast and that is making me hungry for dinner already, Stephanie! Lovely, I’ll have to try it.
The beef stew was delicious and serving it with brown rice was a good choice. I can’t wait for your next dish. Thanks for having us for dinner!
Lovely post–and writing. I feel like quite a novice in the kitchen but I feel so inspired reading posts like these.
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