Frogleg > wrote:

> On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 03:13:23 GMT, Blanche Nonken >
> wrote:
>
> >Three nice, fresh "melons" (more like warty, nobbly cucumbers) slightly
> >longer than 12 inches long after cleaning and slicing yielded 5
> >half-pints. I salted them down last night, rinsed well this morning
> >then blanched them before canning. There was enough residual salt left
> >in the melon to salt the water.
> >
> >40 minutes left them a little pale, but not mushy-looking. I'll make
> >that recipe in the next few days, and I'll let you all know how they
> >came out.
>
> Please post recipe. I grew bitter mellon one year, but couldn't find
> much to do with them.

RECIPE NOT FOR CANNING
This is a Bengali dish, from "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking" by
Yamuna Devi. The author is a long-time member of ISKCON, the "Hare
Krishna" people. I'm not fond of the organization itself, but I like
this (huge) cookbook. Food is the common thread on this planet, might
as well enjoy it. :-)

Garden Vegetable Stew with Almond Pesto and Fried Dumplings
"Badaam Shukta"

"Bengalis love this dish as much as Italians love minestrone. Although
it is a traditional dish, there are numerous ways to prepare it. The
best shuktas are filled with fresh seasonal vegetables. You can serve
them almost crisp, as a garnish, or allow them to soak and soften for 5
minutes before serving. The final touch is a spoonful of smooth fresh
herb pesto. You could use toasted cashews or walnuts instead of almonds
in the pesto and, to save calories, cottage cheese in place of cream.
Serve with a dal, rice and fresh cheese dish for complementary
nutrition."

Preparation and blanching time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8

DUMPLINGS:
1/2 cup sifted chickpea flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp cayenne powder or paprika
1 tsp dry roasted coarsly crushed cumin seeds
1/2 tsp melted butter or oil
about 1/3 cup water
ghee or vegetable oil for shallow frying

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, spices in a mixing bowl. Add
the butter/oil and stir to blend, then add the water - enough to make a
light, cake-like batter. Heat the ghee or oil in a pan, and when hot
but not smoking add the batter 1 tbsp at a time. Do 8 to 10 dumplings
in the pan at a time; these should puff up. Turn as they cook to a
crisp, golden brown. Drain after cooking, and keep warm in a warm oven
(about 200, 250 degrees)

PESTO:
1/3 cup each trimmed fresh coriander and sweet basil, washed and patted
dry (I used all basil, as I'm the only one who likes the fresh
coriander)
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
3 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp each freshly ground pepper and salt
1/2 cup heavy cream or low-fat cottage cheese

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree
until smooth. Cover and set aside - refrigerate if you're making this
well in advance.

STEW:
2 small green bitter melons, each about 2 ounces, or 20 dried bitter
melon slices, 1/4 inches thick
(Note: I used 1 small bitter melon and 1 zucchini, as I didn't want to
overwhelm my family with too unusual a flavor. It worked very nicely.)
3 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
1/2 cassia or bay leaf
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 medium waxy potatoes, 3/4 inch dice
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water (we're not vegetarians, I used
chicken stock)
1/2 small head cauliflower, broken into flowerets
2 small zucchini
1/2 cup fresh peas or black-eyed peas
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black mustard seed
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp fenugreek seed
1/8 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp fresh-chopped coriander or parsley

Blanch the fresh slices of bitter melon in salted boiling water. Boil
for 4 minutes, then strain. Shake off water and pat the slices dry.
Heat the ghee/butter to hot but not smoking, fry the slices of melon
until reddish-brown. Remove the browned ones to drain, set aside.

If you are using the dried slices, drop them in the pan and toss with a
spoon, frying until crisp. They will brown very quickly, in about 30
seconds. Remove to drain.

Add the cassia/bay leaf and tomatoes to the remaining hot oil and fry
for about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and stock/water, bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and zucchini, simmer for 10 more minutes. Add the
peas, turmeric, ground coriander and salt. Simmer for another 10
minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the pan from the
heat, add the fried bitter melon and set aside, covered.

Combine the remaining dry spices and add to a hot, dry skillet. dry
roast the spices slowly over low heat until the fenugreek seeds turn a
golden-brown. Grind to a coarse powder in a coffee mill or
mortar/pestle.

Before serving, stir in the spices and fresh chopped coriander/parsley.
Spoon into bowls, add a few dumplings and a generous spoonful of the
pesto.