As it is a new year and we do want to start it out right, I'd like to bring up an organization I've written about before. AmpleHarvest.org was started a few years back by a master gardener that realized, like himself, there are tons of master gardeners that have much more food than they can eat, give away or make any use of.
Amazing, no? We are so short on good, wholesome, grow-it-out-of-the-ground food. The soup kitchens and the like only take canned, packaged foods. Too much worry about spoiling with nowhere to store it. So, he started this organization and now there are thousands of locations nationwide where master gardeners, weekend farmers and even the people that have too much basil on their window sill can drop off really good food and those that need it, anybody really, can pick it up for free.
Yup. Free.
Out of work, kid in college working off tuition, working mom with no extra dough, citizens of this country without a home. Everybody can donate and everybody can go there and take what they need.
Go to www.ampleharvest.org and you'll be amazed. These locations are everywhere.
So simple. Even Google got in on the act and started working with AmpleHarvest.org to keep their maps up to snuff.
This is my inspiration for the New Year. Here's to Gary and a very simple idea with a small powerhouse behind it.
Now here's a little meatball love.
RECIPE: Kofte Makhani (lamb meatballs in tomato curry)
There's no real connection as to why I'm putting this recipe in except that I love it more than I should.
Tomato Curry:
1T canola oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 ½ cloves garlic, minced
¼ ” ginger, minced
1-2 green chilis
1 ½ large tomatoes, chopped
4 T tomato paste
1 T salt
4 tsp paprika
2 ½ tsp coriander
2 ½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp chili powder
1 T cilantro, chopped
1. Heat oil in large pan and caramelize onions
2. Add garlic, ginger and chilis and cook for 10 minutes. Add water if needed to keep from burning.
3. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook until tomatoes begin to break down.
4. Puree in blender and return to pan.
5. Add salt, paprika, coriander, garam masala and chili powder to curry.
6. Stir in kofte and cook, covered, over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
7. Finish with cilantro, adjust seasoning to taste.
Kofte:
2 lb. ground lamb
2 eggs
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
4 stalks cilantro
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons paprika
-combine bread crumbs, chopped garlic, cilantro, salt, garam masala and paprika in a food processor
until pureed.
Robot Coup: the recipe calls for bread crumb, but I had some lavash hanging around and that worked fine. Any old bread-type item will do. You may refer to me as the Ansel Adams of food photography.
1. Mix lamb, egg and puree together.
2. Shape kofte into golf ball sized balls.
3. In a saute pan with a teaspoon of oil seer the kofte. This is to render some of the fat out of the lamb.
Cooking kofte. Not great looking yet, but it gets better.
You can just add the meatballs to the curry without rendering the fat out but it
will make for a much heavier curry and lamb is already a fattier meat.
4. Finish cooking the kofte in the tomato curry.
Everyone ate the kofte before I had a chance to take a picture. And yes, the note in the upper right hand corner is me thinking whether or not I should take up knitting. Stop laughing.