Three Dinners, Three Lovely Ladies

A weekend meal with Miki-san at Cafe Drake was long overdue, and in the spirit of the relaxed and playful vibe Miki effortlessly brings to such dinners, a cheeky East Indian twist was brought to that Memorial Day casual classic, the burger.

After beginning with Sangria and Smoked Wheat Soup, Miki and Cafe Drake tore through sliders done two ways: 1) topped with a mint and coriander chutney and nestled on a saffron-mayo slathered mini onion roll and 2) crowned with a cucumber raita and crisp, house-pickled daikon. Other sides included a garden salad and potato salad with curried cheese.

A week of treats and special guests included a visit from a true Cafe Drake old timer, Ms. Audrey Sellers. Down from Massachusetts, Audrey honored us by fitting Cafe Drake into her hectic and full schedule of Brooklyn nighttime carousing; see the photos above and menu and recipes below. If only we could somehow transcribe the fun and scintillating table conversation!

Blueberry and Pomegranate Sangria

Smoked Wheat Soup with Scallions and Green Chilies
Indian Crispbreads

Parsi Chicken with Apricots
New Potatoes with Spiced Cottage Cheese
Herb Salad


PARSI CHICKEN WITH APRICOTS

A specialty of Mumbai, this is an elegant but simply prepared entree good with any vegetable side, exotic, everyday or otherwise. As we always nag, do take care to carefully brown the chicken well; in this recipe it is especially important to get a dark and crispy sear without burning the onions already in the pan. Do this by maintaining an even, medium heat and frequently stirring the onions and aromatic veggies.

Begin with 1 4-lb. chicken cut into 6 or 8 parts as desired. Sprinkle poultry with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat 2-3 T. vegetable oil in a large skillet until quite hot, then add 1 large onion, thinly sliced to the skillet. Stir frequently until browning then add 2 cloves of minced garlic and about 2 T. of minced ginger. Cook for another minute or 2 then add chicken to pan, skin side down. Brown for at least 10 minutes over a medium flame or until skin is brown and crispy. Flip chicken and cook on other side for 5 minutes.

Now add 1 cup of water, 2 T. of tomato paste, a heaping T. of garam masala and as much cayenne pepper as you like. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add more water as needed if sauce becomes too dry.

Stir in 2 T. of vinegar, 2 T. of brown sugar and a handful of dried apricots. Cover again and cook on low for 10 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through and fork tender. Check for seasoning and serve hot with rice, couscous, potatoes, naan bread etc.


NEW POTATOES WITH SPICED COTTAGE CHEESE

Unusual flavors breath life into the often bland potato here. The curry leaves and nigella seeds (also called black onion seeds sometimes) are well worth the trip to an Indian grocer. Hint: fresh curry leaves freeze beautifully - just place in an airtight ziplock bag and freeze. Use directly from freezer as needed.


Boil 6-8 large-ish new potatoes - whole - until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a skillet, heat 2 T. of olive oil until hot and then add: 1 clove of minced garlic, 3-4 dried red chilies, a T. of nigella seeds and 5-6 curry leaves (torn). Cook for 1 minute being careful not to burn. Remove from heat and stir in some salt and black pepper (you'll need quite a bit) and 1 cup+ of cottage cheese. Quickly stir again and add potatoes to pan. Mix very well, taste for seasoning and serve warm or cold, garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

We really needed some quality time with a dear, old friend this week, so we couldn't have been happier when Yolanda Hunt rolled into town from Southern California. Yolie topped her visit to Cafe Drake by treating us to dinner at the much-lauded South Williamsburg sensation Fatty Cue, and while we found the pork ribs undercooked and less than tender the flavors were spot-on. Crispy duck breast and rich curry sauce lived up to the eatery's promise of heavy, intensely fatty goodness, while rice, steamed buns and a veggie platter of smoked eggplant with dried fish paste (alongside green mangoes, shaved raw ginger, pickled turnips and whole scallions, quartered butter radishes and fried pork skins) lightened the load appreciably. More problematic is the pricing system, which asks far too much for small plate portions, particularly given the complete absence of complimentary sides (i.e. you shill $20 for the ribs, expect three ribs. that's it. nuthin' else).