It's getting cold out which means one thing. Comfort food. Nothing makes me happier in the kitchen than cooking big pots of food that I can feed to my friends, these dishes not only go further on the plate but I always find them to be cheaper at the check-out too. Like the tomato sauce I have worked on these short-ribs over the years to how I like them, but they can easily be adapted to individual preference. And after having multiple requests from friends for the recipe it's about time I make a blog post about them. This recipe is in two parts, there are the short-ribs which can be served with a big heaping of buttery mashed potatoes, or they can be used to make the lasagna. Which you will want to make. I promise not to steer you wrong.
Read MoreRecipe: Tomato Sauce
At the start of each autumn I head out to the farms and pick up some cheap tomatoes. 20lb's of tomatoes for $20, that's a bargain if ever I saw one. The quality of tomatoes aren't the best, a few bruises here and there - it is the back end of the season after all, but they're more than good enough to make a hearty batch of sauce. Enough for a few meals, short-rib lasagna anyone?
Read MoreRecipe: Aloo Gobi
I have to admit, growing up I wasn't a fan of Indian food. It wasn't until my university days in Leeds in the north of England that I started to appreciate the flavor profile of Indian spices. I think the first time I really enjoyed Indian food it happened to be in a restaurant in the middle of Hyde Park in Leeds that was once a public restroom (that story is for another time.) However, even now I find myself steering toward the less pungent dishes available, such as kormas and toned down (usually cut with cream) tikka masala. It's strange, I'm a lover of all foods spicy in other cuisines, piling on the jalapeno in any Mexican dish makes me a happy chap.
A friend asked me if I was familiar with Aloo Gobi, he was reminded of a scene from the movie Bend It Like Beckham, when the character Jess played by Parminder Nagra makes reference to the dish; "Anyone can cook aloo gobi, but who can bend a ball like Beckham?" Admittedly I hadn't heard of the dish, but I have seen the movie, but once the ingredients were explained to me I knew it was something I had tried before as a side dish. Aloo Gobi is traditionally a spicy vegetable dish of potatoes and cauliflower, with various spices and hot pepper. It's definitely one of those dishes that can be adapted to an individuals taste, mixing up the spices and adding in different vegetables.
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