Noodles Every Day

bluecashew Kitchen Pharmacy
invites you to join fashion innovator
design advocate, author
Michael Leva
at a book signing and celebration
of his first book!

This event is sponsored by
Chronogram, The Austrian Wines
Green Cottage, Old Mill
Wines & Spirits

Every Wednesday, High Falls is The Center of the Universe” when the Depuy Canal House delivers a Global Palate of "Visiting Chefs"

For the past months the “Visiting Chef” series at John Novi’s legendary Depuy Canal House has been jumping! Thinking "out of the box" Novi has humbly opened his kitchen to both ethnic and international chef's to create unparallel gourmet cuisine to appeal to the food savvy Hudson Valley diners.

In February, local Kingston Chef, Graziono served Italian flavors, March was Thai; executed by Suntree Perkins and for April, Indian cuisine; by the charming and truly glamorous Chef Kiran Ramgotra-Sancious.

Novi and Sancious work seamlessly together combining her classic family ingredients & special spice blends with Novi’s modern techniques. Chef Ramgotra, takes pride in continuing to blend Indian spices handed down from her Grandmother’s recipes such as her Gram Marsala a spice blend with a subtle warmth of heat. Sancious likes to work with the ever-potent Habanera Chili, which she explains has just that hint of hot, but not too much. The Lamb Shank Vindaloo and Roasted Alu Gobhi and a few other selections on this month’s menu reflect the subtle heat.

My date, Barbara Hallam, and I enjoyed and witnessed our meal and the rest of the house meals prepared in front of us! The Chef's table is a wonderful place. The aroma of the fresh ingredients being sautéed and simmering on the stoves fire as the large antique copper stockpots and pans that hang from the rafters dating back form the 1700’s simply add to the dining experience.

Barbara and I ordered the same selections of the Three Course meal (24 dollars) which included a complimentary Amuse Bouche of the Grilled Chicken and Mango Chutney; a tender strip of chicken marinated in yogurt served on a small stove-roasted pappadum with small touches of the traditional green mango pickle salad and a mint cilantro sauce.

For our first course we opted for a new edition on the menu, Whole Smelts in Chic Pea Batter. The small fish reminded me of my dad frying Smelts on Staten Island, freshly caught. The fish were simply tender and tasty, the mix of the thick saffron colored fish chowder and the spicy kick of the pickled mango was an added surprise to each fork full. We watched as Novi plated our Main Entrée; Seared Cod Masala and Arugula, the intricate plating of the many different flavors on one plate included Basmati Rice, homemade Masala, wilted baby arugula leaves and finally an accompany of Chapatti that is lightly coated with ghee. We both tasted all the wonderful spices of the dry rub on the cod; cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, paprika and mango powder. Simply delicious!

For dessert, our server suggested the Kheer, a creamy rice pudding made with basmati rice simmered in milk, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and a small amount of sugar. The velvety creamed rice was then garnished with currents, slivered Almonds and a splash of rose water, delicious and not very sweet. Barbara ordered Kulfi a vanilla ice cream with almond milk cream garnished with fresh fruit. A very light and refreshing end to a wonderful Indian meal.

Reservations are highly suggested. The Depuy Canal House on Wednesday is a social scene, table-hopping and full of good clean fun. Word on the floor is that next up maybe Cajun….if it is Cajun you may find me, once again, sitting at the Depuy Canal House’s Chef’s Table!!!

Wednesday's in May, starting the 6th, John Novi welcomes Chef Geri Hapern serving Cajun Cuisine!
FOR RESERVATIONS: Depuy Canal House • Route 213 • High Falls NY 845.68.7700

bKP Recipe for April:

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives

Ingredients:
1 chicken 3.5 lb, cut into pieces
2 preserved lemons
1 cup of cup Green Olives
3 Onions, chopped
3 cups Chicken Stock
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon saffron
1 bunch flat parsley
1 teaspoon cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt, pepper to taste

Recipe for 6 people

In a hot Emile Henry "Flame" Tagine, fry the pieces of chicken in the olive oil and butter, adding the onions, bunch of parsley, ginger, saffron, salt and pepper. Add three cups of chicken stock and the sliced preserved lemons. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add a little water during cooking if necessary and stir occasionally. Add the cilantro and lemon juice, and cook for another 15 minutes. At the end of cooking, add the olives, and serve directly at the table.

Preserved Lemons: Lemons preserved in salt are a vital part of Moroccan cooking. They are simple to prepare and can be kept for several months.

Take 2 lbs of washed lemons. Rub them with salt and cover them with 2 lbs salt for 12 hours. Put them in a container with the salt, cover them with water, add 10 tablespoons vinegar to stop them from turning black, and two bay leaves. Add 10 tablespoons peanut oil, a pinch of saffron treads and leave the lemons at room temperature for at least one week.

Funky, fresh, functional... Joseph Joseph Delivers Fresh Designs with Function

Joseph Joseph continually brings us a stylish twist to our kitchen favorites. Every design has a new spin on it that is so creative, it really makes not only cooking fun, but your kitchen look funky, stylish and fresh...with functionality to boot! A colander is the hardest thing in the kitchen to store and the twin brothers certainly heard our complaints when they launched the Folding Colander. Not only does it come in fabulous colors, it is one of the best colanders out there and dishwasher safe! It simply snaps into place and then unfolds to store flat and wash easily. Going along with the Folding idea, this spring they
are launched a Fold Flat Grater, another impossible storage item. A bKP favorite is certainly the Chop 2 Pot, small and large, which makes the task of transporting chopped items from your cutting board to your pot so easy, you'll even enjoy cutting onions
Also, there's a great new gadget for 2009, The Twisk, a single-handed mechanical whisk that makes mixing batter and whisking eggs as simple as pie! So come and see all that Joseph Joseph has to offer this spring it might just leave you wanting more!

How Green is Bambu

Bambu has a large range of products for the kitchen made of renewable materials. Not only are they great for the environment but they are imaginative and celebrate form, texture, and use. Every product made under the Bambu name oozes creativity but with keeping the planet in mind. Just recentley they introduced their Cork Cutting Boards, which is a new favoite of bluecashew. Not only are they light and easy to store, but they also help keep your knives from becoming dull. It is an innovative new look at cutting boards. Also, with spring and summer approaching think about their disposable All Occasion Veneerware bamboo plates. Not only are they reusable, but they look great on any table and with just a quick rinse they are ready to be used time
and time again. The best part is they are biodegradable! Whether its prepping or serving,
Bambu offers us a new, creative way to go green in style!