The weather in west Torrance is lovely at this time of year, if somewhat varied and unpredictable. Spring rains are abating rapidly, but gusty coastal winds and bouts of cloud cover can result in unseasonably cool temperatures (especially indoors, with all the breeze and none of the sun). Gradually, however, the days are warming. Temperatures aren’t likely to peak until the month of August, but they are expected to rise into the high 70s or low 80s by July. So Tyler and I are finishing the end of Spring cuisine with a warm, hearty meal—the likes of which we’ll probably not revisit again until the end of this year or the beginning of the next.

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Really LAME nerd jokes aside (oh god, stop), the culinary transition between winter and Spring has been a combination of the old and new. Some recipes I’ve developed from scratch and others I’ve simply borrowed from my library of awesome. I didn’t record much of these past few months in detail, but here are some of the menu items I’ve concocted:

1. Strawberry-mayonnaise in a turkey bacon wrap with fresh basil, mint, romaine, escarole, thinly sliced red onion, toasted slivered almonds, balsamic vinegar, and goat cheese (optional).

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With the arrival of Spring, farmer markets throughout Los Angeles are experiencing a revival of crop. The end of winter was very tedious; the herbs were dour looking, and many of our favorite stalls downsized their inventory. In the last month or two, however, there’s been an abrupt shift in momentum. Strawberries, fava beans, carrots, asparagus, artichokes (particularly the baby artichokes), and cucumbers are now available in abundance. The strawberries are hit-or-miss, so you always need to sample before buying. But the other produce is fairly consistent, especially a new favorite of mine: fava beans.

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Guest Article by Tyler

After successfully preparing a delicious dish of Murghi Ni Curry, our second foray into the book 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer was Badam Murghi. Again, I can only guess as to what this might literally translate to, but it is anglicized as “Yogurt-Almond Chicken with a Spinach Sauce”. If you haven’t read the article on the Murghi Ni Curry, take a minute to do so, as I will be making numerous comparisons between the two.

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Guest article by Tyler

After putting together two fantastic feasts for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Jenn is starting off the new year by taking a short vacation to drive the darkspawn out of Ferelden. Meanwhile, I’m going to write up our first experiments with recipes from a book on curry that Jenn received for Christmas. You’ll have to excuse the sub-standard pictures — I don’t have quite the presentation skills that my wife does.

The book is 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. This book caught our eye because while we both enjoy Indian dishes, we’ve never really made too much of it ourselves beyond a very simple and very Americanized chicken curry, a rather botched attempt at Baingan Bharta, and the much more successful Yellow Dal Puree just recently.

We thought we’d start in somewhat familiar territory by focusing on chicken curries. Much like a good chili, what separates a boring curry from an interesting curry is the sauce. The Americanized curry-from-a-box approach, or the slightly more sophisticated “try to make something like curry-from-a-box without using a box” approach is to make a relatively simple tomato paste-based sauce, and to load it up with vaguely Indian-seeming spices, and pour it over a mish-mash of vegetables and small bits of chicken. The chicken curries in this book are much more authentic, and are without filler vegetables: just substantial pieces of chicken stewing in a complex, flavorful, savory sauce.

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The curious may wish to view my comparison of sauerbraten recipes, which I used extensively to develop a recipe of my own.

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When I attended USC, there was a lunch shop across the street called A Taste of India. The fare was hardly haute cuisine, but it was warming, tasty, and very inexpensive for a budget-challenged college student. It was also my first real exposure to food from that region of the world. At the shop, they served a mellow, but delicious yellow dal mixed with spinach and diced tomato. This recipe attempts to recreate that dish, with a slight change in texture.

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Conceptually, my idea for this menu was to introduce an international element while also reminding us of the comfort and flavors of holiday fare. I can’t speak much for the cohesiveness or overall "progression" of dishes here. The acidity peaks at the sauerbraten, and I flirt with varying levels or elements or sweetness in every menu item. But, Tyler and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

Appetizer: Yellow Dal Puree
Spiced with fresh ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, and a hint of cayenne. Served with wilted spinach and fresh chopped tomato.

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Guest article by Tyler

Chili is a dish made from chiles that is wonderful to eat when you are chilly.

Chili is one of those dishes that nobody ever agrees on how to cook, so if you’ve ever cooked chili before you are guaranteed to hate this post and be very angry at me for all the mortal sins against southwestern gastronomy that I surely have committed in your eyes.

The reason nobody agrees how to cook it is because it is a dish of low origins. Originally, chili was a Mexican stew made from whatever meat was available, and heavily spiced with local hot chiles to hide the taste of the often spoiled meat. These days, thanks to the wonders of refrigeration, we no longer have to worry about covering up rancid flavors, but the spiciness of the chile peppers is still something that can be appreciated on its own merits.

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In recent weeks, Creative Comestibles has featured the heavier, classic sauces and stocks of French-influenced cuisine. But today I mutinied and embarked in a new—or should I say old?—culinary direction. So-called "modern" sauces are popular, mainly because they are considered lighter, healthier, and less preparation intensive. The apricot-port sauce featured here generally fits these characteristics; the sauce can be assembled in minutes, is devoid of fat, and in appropriate quantities accents (not overrides) the savory with an aspect of sweet. I pair the sauce with marinated pork cooked to juicy perfection and sliced into medallions. Pork pairs very well with apricot and, as a tenderloin, is just as easy to finish as the sauce itself.

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