The effort of roasting a spice can give you a primal, pleasurable experience-and unexpected benefits. Read more

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Posted by Samar Halarnkar on Friday, August 20, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Filed under My Daily Bread · Tagged aromas, beef, black cardamom, Brazil, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, garlic, grainy mustard, grinding, humid, lamb, meats, monsoon, mutton chops, olive oil, onions, pasta, peppers, pork, rainy, recipe, roasting, sesame seeds, Spain
A handed-down recipe, its details forgotten, leads to a fragrant weekend of porkie powder
Whole spices are little voyages of discovery. Where they lead you depends on the course you chart for them.
You can fry, roast, grind. You can use them whole. You can do a combination of these.
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You don’t have to be French to use wine in your food. Read on
Have you wondered what to do with leftover wine?
Well, of course you can drink it.
But if, like me, you often find a quarter bottle that’s been sitting in the fridge for weeks, use it to whip up your next meal. Read more

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Posted by Samar Halarnkar on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Filed under Food · Tagged acob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet 2007, alcohol, beef, chicken, fish, french, French cuisine, lamb, pork, San Francisco, shredded meat, wine, Wine Advisory Board
My favourite meat is fish.
To me, this is a no brainer.
Some part of my chromosome clearly has a strong gene handed down from my seafaring, Goan ancestors. This gene appears to control my olfactory glands. Unlike most of my friends, I love the smell of fish — dried, fresh, frying (rotting is another matter, but then I’m not a rat). Read more

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Posted by Samar Halarnkar on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Filed under Food, My Daily Bread · Tagged fish, Goan ancestors, Goan Hindus, home style pork chops, Old Monk Pork Chops, other white meat, pork, walnut-balsamic sauce