Mulligatawny Soup and Hush Puppies (Most Confusing Southern-Speak and "Almost Fall" Colors from My Backyard)

This meal was one of those slow cooker dinners where I could smell the food all day so that by meal time, I was famished and ready to dig in. Something about the Indian spices simmering for ten hours makes for a very fall, very cozy feeling. As you all know, I've got a "top-of-the-line-blonde-hair-green-eyed girl" Indian spice rack now, so whenever the mood strikes for Indian (more often than not), I have all I need at my disposal. I just finished the last of this off last night and it was even better the third time around. I feel with practice and confidence, my Indian dishes are less intimidating and feel less daunting. For example, this dish called for "curry leaves"--no problem! I went right into my freezer and there I had two packages of frozen leaves just waiting for their next appearance. (Curry leaves are abundant in international grocery stores--buy as much as you'd like and don't be afraid of using them in nearly any Indian dish--sort of like you use basil in Italian cooking--place them in the freezer in a zip lock bag.)

This hush puppy action was a throw back to my introduction to southern fried cooking. I had never had a hush puppy until moving to Missouri in my teens. (First of all, the only Hush Puppies I knew were the ones on your feet.) I had a lot of trouble with the vernacular of my new southern home. I was skeptical of the hush puppy. From the way these were described to me, all they were was fried "Jiffy Corn Muffins". When my mom served corn muffins with her Sunday ham (ewww) and navy bean special, we always had corn bread and I always ate mine smothered in butter and drenched in white Karo corn syrup. It's a wonder I've lived as long as I have. But that was the extent of my foray into eating corn in "bread" form.

I'll take a "hot minute" to list a few of the more "memorable" challenges for you--first listing the South's description, then listing what meaning I was raised with:

1. Hoosier: a red neck or "hillbilly". Uh, excuse me, I AM a Hoosier, dang it, I'd declare with pride. I quickly began telling others I was from Up North--being called a yankee seemed classier.

2. Pop: dad. I drank pop--the south drinks "sod-ee pop". Down here, people were raised by "pop". I had a really tough time with this one asking for a "pop" when we'd go out to eat. At the height of junior high and the whole "Did you hear her? She asked for pop!" gossip frenzy--I quickly let go of my pop embracing the south's term for my fizzy liquid. (And the term soda for me meant--ice cream with pop. It all left me very confused and angry.)

3. Buggy: baby stroller. To this day, I will say, Honey, could you grab a buggy for me? as we shop in the grocery store. It's a buggy. . . for the groceries. . . h-e-l-l-o! Whereas mothers with young children look at me with questioning glances wondering where my infant might be to place inside said "buggy".

4. Davenport: Huh? I know, this word is a bit stuffy. But for those raised by a grandmother who was a school teacher, spinster and country club member, proper-speak was pretty mandatory. So if I needed to go lay down for a nap, I would go lay on the "davenport". I remember telling my husband this once. He looked at me like, Oh. . . kay. I said, Come ON! Your mom didn't call the sofa the davenport?! Were you raised by wolves for crying out loud!?

That pretty much sums up a few of the more annoying southern translations I can recall right off the bat. I could go on filling you in on my introduction to "wife beater" t-shirts and confederate flags, but I'll spare you this for now and get back to the food.

Here's the back yard this morning. Pretty but far from "fall colors". I wanted to show you how it looks here now. We should be in the prime of fall colors in another week or so. I'll keep you posted.

Meantime, as far as this meal goes, it was delicious. I had a really lovely time playing with the spices I added to this to create a very common Indian soup. Mulligatawny, so I have read, translates into "pepper soup"--not really appetizing if you ask me. Seriously, I don't think I'd flip open a cookbook and crave a "pepper soup". But the hint of "pepper flavor" laced with other prominent Indian spices really makes for an incredibly flavorful and filling meal. I opted for the hush puppies (of which there are a million recipes for if you Google)--mine was from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion cookbook--and after looking at several comparable hush puppy recipes, even Paula Deen's--you can make these vegan by subbing the "buttermilk" for the old 1 cup unsweetened soy milk mixed with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. They are very easy to mix up, then you fry them in a combo of peanut oil and canola oil. So easy, so yummy.

This soup comes together quickly after you prep the veggies and seasonings, and then you put it in the slow cooker on low for about eight-ten hours. Just knit a sweater or go for a hike or something while the time passes. One important thing is to put your whole seed spices into a cast iron skillet and fry them for a few minutes, until they begin to brown and become very fragrant, then grind them in a coffee grinder and add to the soup. Really--don't skip this step--you'll love it!

Mulligatawny Soup

(Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian--I used a 3 1/2 qt. slow cooker)

3 russet potatoes 1/2" cubed

2 yellow onions choppped

3 carrots chopped

3 celery stalks chopped

5-6 cloves garlic minced

1 inch piece of fresh ginger chopped

1 can lite coconut milk

5 cups veggie broth

1 teaspooon whole black peppercorns

2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

1 teaspoon tumeric

2 teaspoons sweet curry powder

salt (to taste)

12-15 curry leaves (you could skip these--but really, don't if you can help it)

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked over for stones

2 tablespoons chickpea or garbanzo bean flour

2 tablespoons canola oil or mustard oil

2 cups cooked jasmine rice

3 chopped scallions (for garnish)

First, heat all the whole spices in a cast iron skillet for about five minutes over medium high heat--until they begin to brown slightly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a bit. Place the whole seeds into a spice grinder or coffee grinder and pulse until a powdered mix. Set aside. In a large saute pan, add a dash of canola oil  and all the chopped veggies, curry leaves and ground up whole seeds, remaining seasonings and cook for about five-ten minutes to get the onions and carrots to a light brown color--keep an eye on this--you don't want the carrots completely cooked, but want to give all the veggies a bit of color before adding to the slow cooker. Take a cup of veggie broth and whisk together with the garbonzo bean flour--mix well--make sure there are no lumps--add this to the veggies. Add the rinsed lentils to the pan next. Whisk together well so that all the stuff on the bottom of the saute pan comes off. Pour all of this into the slow cooker. Add the rest of the veggie broth to the slow cooker. Set cooker for high for about four hours, then turn to low for two. Or if you get this in the cooker first thing in the morning, set it on low and let her hum all day. You may need to check to see if more liquid is needed. About a half hour before serving, add about three-quarters of a can of the coconut milk and a drizzle of oil. Yum!