Random Acts of Tastiness

It's that time of year again, mid-winter, when we fall in love once more with kumquats. A bright burst of citrus flavor heralding spring to come.

KUMQUAT PUNCH

Feel free to spike with rum or vodka as you so desire. The recipe below is lightly adapted from Tableau Vivante, a stunning food blog based in California.

2 cups of well washed kumquats, quartered and seeded / ¾ cup brown sugar /1 pitcher full of water / sparkling water of any sort

1. Fill the pitcher that will house your punch to 3/4 full with fresh water.
2. In a large pot on the stove combine the sugar, water, and fruit and bring to a slow simmer, stirring occasionally and scooping off any foam that forms on the surface.
3. Cook until the peel starts to separate from the fruit, longer for a more concentrated kumquat flavor. The liquid will be a pale summer yellow.
4. Remove from heat and add a cinnamon stick if desired and allow to cool.
5. Strain the liquid into the pitcher and chill.
6. Before serving to guests, add about 1/4 bottle sparkling water to punch, stir and pour.

Plenty of time for reading while slow simmering those final winter stews lately. Cafe Drake is deeply loving Steven Hall's The Raw Shark Texts. No better introduction to this disturbing yet profound and beautiful book than a mini viral film featuring an aural performance of Raw Shark by Tilda Swinton herself. Watch it HERE! Perhaps our favorite book of 2008 thus far is David Mitchell's Black Swan Green, at least the third terrific novel we've devoured from this alchemical writer who seems to perform supernatural transformations in the reader with words alone.

PORK VINDALOO

Rich and spicy, an Indian stew to warm a chilly night. Serve with rice or wedges of roasted potato. Best of all, you can walk away from dish completely for an hour and a half on the stovetop, freeing up plenty of time to dig into one of the books mentioned above.

1 1/2 T. grainy mustard / 2 t. ground cumin / 2 t. turmeric / 2 t. cayenne pepper / 1 t. salt / 1 t. red wine vinegar / 3 T. oil / 1 onion, sliced thin / 6 cloves of garlic, minced / 1 1/4 lbs. pork shoulder cut in cubes (or lamb!) / 2/3 cup coconut milk

1. Mix mustard, cumin, turmeric, pepper, salt and vinegar together in a small bowl to make a thick paste. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. When hot add onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, careful not to burn.
3. Add spice paste to pan and cook for another minute or so.
4. Add meat and stir for 3 minutes, then add coconut milk and about 2/3 cup of water.
5. When boiling, turn to low and cover.
6. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender.
7. If the vindaloo remains too liquidy, cook uncovered on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring carefully from time to time. The sauce will thicken nicely.

Cauliflower simply sauteed with brown mustard seeds and dried red chiles. Perfect as a side to fish, fowl or meat. Pile over brown or basmati rice for a vegetarian entree.

Jennifer L seems well-pleased with Easter Brunch at Dressler. Full review to follow soon.

Sailor has difficulty adjusting to Daylight Savings Time.