Muddy Butt Falls

Sunday before last I went to this waterfall at Mount Meru. It had been raining the day before and the way down into the gorge was slippery and muddy. It seems like I spent more time on my backside than my feet. This place will always, and affectionately, be know to me as Muddy Butt Falls.

Hangin' in the Western Cape

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here.

Well, I left India and am currently in the Western Cape of South Africa. There is something magical about this place, but a picture tell a thousand words.

Yesterday or Tomorrow?

Hi Chef Sandy here!

Well, today in my Hindi class I learned a new word; kal.

It means yesterday.  But guess what?  It also means tomorrow!  This explains a lot!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Pesto

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here!  Also, by popular demand, my recipe for Basil and Pine Nut Pesto…

Although Basil and Pine Nut Pesto is probably the most typical pesto, it is by no means the only pesto.  You can substitute other nuts for the pine nuts (blanched almonds are a good substitute for pine nuts themselves if you are trying to achieve a similar flavor at less expense), or other herbs or veggies for the basil, you can eliminate the cheese all together if you are lactose intolerant,…your imagination, and availability of ingredients of course, are the only limit to the types of pesto you can make.  One of my favorite pestos to make is Sun Dried Tomato, Caramelized Onion and Walnut Pesto.  In this pesto I use just a touch of basil and cheese.  But that is not the recipe I am going to give you today.  One of my biggest fans has asked for the recipe for my Basil and Pine Nut Pesto, so here it is!

½ pound Basil – Washed, dried and big stems removed.  You can leave the little soft stems in.

1 cup Pine Nuts – Lightly toasted.  Be careful!  They go from not cooked to burnt in a flash!!!

1 cup Hard Cheese (like Parmesan or Romano) – Shredded

Salt and Pepper to taste. Be careful; the saltier the cheese the less salt you will have to use. 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Put all the ingredients, except the EVOO, in a food processor.  Put in just a splash of the oil and then turn the processor on a slow speed.  Slowly pour the olive oil in the processing mixture until you reach the desired consistency.  Whether you want it course or smooth is up to your taste or intended use for the pesto.

You can use the pesto as a spread on bread, on pizza, toss it in pasta, as a topping for grilled meats or vegetables, or loosen it with a little cream to make sauce.  As always, let me hear from you and tell me how yours turned out.       

Elephants and Dead Guys

By popular demand I am to tell you about more of my adventures here in India.  Problem is I’ve been working a lot more than adventuring since I’ve been here.  I signed up for Hindi classes at the American Embassy School; that’s an adventure of a sort.  So anyhow, I was on my way to class through Delhi traffic that would make the most hardened L.A. commuter whimper like a little girl, and I saw two little kids riding an elephant down the street.  But that’s not the funny part!  The funny part was that the elephant had reflectors on it’s butt!!!  I guess it makes sense.  If you get caught out after dark riding your elephant, you certainly would not want to get rear-ended.  I wish I had a picture of it to share with you, but alas, I was too slow.

Instead I will share with you some pictures I took this weekend at Qutb Minar.  At almost 238 feet it is the world’s tallest brick minaret, and is very impressive.  It was constructed in the 11^th century by a bunch of dead guys to celebrate the fact that they had killed a bunch of guys.  I don’t mean that they were dead when they built it, but they are now.  Kind of ironical, don’t ya think?        

FRRO, Making India a Greener Place!

Hi There,

Chef Sandy Krebs here! Well, yesterday I went to the FRRO (foreign residence registration office). I would like to say that it was a unique experience in my life, but it wasn’t. It was just bureaucratic B.S. Indian style. I was able to accomplish my registration in one day with one visit which, considering the stories I’ve heard, was quite remarkable. The weather was pleasant, so being patient was easy. I just kind of got into the carnival atmosphere of it all. There were people there from every race, color and creed all for the same purpose. What was that purpose you ask? Well apparently the Indian government needs something to do with all those pre-civil war computers and antique ledgers, because that is what they are using at this office that processes hundreds, maybe thousands of people a day! We were all there for the purpose of making the world a greener place. On days that I can help the Indian government keep a computer monitor the size of a small vehicle out of the land fill, I feel good about being me!

I’ve met an American journalist, Jen, who is doing a piece on expats living in India. She met me at the FRRO, but was promptly chased away by cops saying, “No pictures, no pictures!” I can see why. If word ever got out about all those old ledgers that they are using at the FRRO the place would be overrun by antique dealers!

Since I can’t treat you to any pictures inside the FRRO, this is a picture of a guy selling OJ right outside the office. Eat your heart out Orange Julius!

What is Your Pet Peeve at a Restaurant?

A comment to a recent post of mine precipitated this post.

I put up a recipe for Crab Cakes and my friend commented that she had some really great crab cakes at a restaurant lately, but the only problem was, it wasn't crab cakes, it was crab cake! They only brought one.

What do you really hate when you go a restaurant? I'll get this ball rolling.

One of my pet peeves is if I walk into a restaurant and there is no one there to greet me. O.k., I understand if for a minute the host/hostess walked away to seat some one. But if you keep standing there and employees are walking by not saying a word to you, it's like, “What, do I have my Cloak of Invisibility on?”

It just makes me want to

That's a picture of me in Bolivia right after I had been ignored at a restaurant for a full five minutes!

Not really, it is me in Bolivia, but at a train “grave yard”. It was very cool. I was expecting Dudley Doright to show up any second.

This is not just an opportunity for you to rant, but it will help me professionally. I can make sure that at my restaurant we never do the things that make you want to lay down in front of an oncoming train, or throw your server in front of one.

Please share your experiences and send this to your friends and family so that they can share their experiences too.

Thanks!!!

Chef Sandy Krebs

Lemon Confit

Hi, Chef Sandy Krebs here!

I seem to be into preserving things lately. My last recipe was Lox (cured salmon) now this one is for Lemon Confit (preserved lemons). I don't know if there is some deep psychological meaning here, or if they are just both good easy recipes with many applications in the home and commercial kitchen. Lemon Confit (pronounced con-fee) can be used in baking, salads, to garnish fish or veal or lamb. I particularly like chopping it with fresh parsley and finishing my Osso Buco with it.

Lemon Confit

5 cups Kosher Salt

5 tablespoons Sugar

6 Lemons- washed well and quartered

In a large bowl mix the salt and sugar. Toss the lemons with half the mixture. Pour a little of the mixture into a clean one quart glass jar. Place the lemons in the jar a few at a time covering with the remaining salt mixture as you go. Seal jar and refrigerate the lemons for at least two weeks. When you are ready to use, take out as many as you need and place the rest back in the frig; they will keep in this salt mixture for months. Remove the flesh from the rind. Discard the flesh keeping the rind only. Rinse and pat dry. You now have Lemon Confit. You will be surprised how much the curing changes the character of the lemon. Once you taste it I am sure you will be able to use your imagination (or Google) to come up with any number of creative uses for it.

As always, please feel free to leave comments or ask question and do let me know how yours turned out!