Frugal Floozie Friday - Cardamom

My dear friend Marcie joined Jeremy and me at Cardamom recently; Marcie and I had been counting down 'til it opened, and Jeremy was happy to share in the adventure of trying a brand spankin' new restaurant.

Marcie, unfortunately, suffers from numerous food allergies and intolerances; so Cardamom's menu - which provides a code indicating which items are vegetarian or vegan, which can be made gluten-free or vegan, which ones contain nuts or gluten - makes ordering much easier for those who need to be careful with their diets. Our waitress, Grace, was wonderfully helpful, too, in answering questions and checking with the kitchen to find out information about ingredients.

We ended up ordering an array of items from the lunch menu (available Tuesday - Friday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.) to try numerous dishes. The dinner menu is more extensive and costs a bit extra because of larger servings; the lunch menu offers some sandwiches and other quick items, as it is designed to facilitate a fast meal - but not typical "fast food" - for busy folks who need to get back to work for the afternoon.

The vegetarian thali (pictured above) costs only $10 and is absolutely generous enough for two, to meet our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person. I ate a huge lunch from this platter, shared tastes, and still had enough food to bring home for another meal the next day. There were dishes of chickpeas, cauliflower, spinach, and lentils; rice and naan; chutney and pickles; and even dessert, the creamy and fragrant rice pudding.

All but one of the appetizers comes in under budget, so we ordered the Vegetable Pakora (left; potatoes, onions, spinach, and cauliflower) and Onion Bhaji (right) for $4 each.  I could happily have made a lunch from either of these, or divvied them up to enjoy a plate of half-and-half. The fried fritters, dipped in a chickpea flour batter, come with both tamarind and mint chutneys for dipping, and were excellent.

A full serving of the cardamom-infused rice pudding costs $3.50. Jeremy ordered the Gulab Jamun - fried balls of dough in a sweet, rose-scented syrup - which also costs $3.50, and which he enjoyed immensely; I was fortunate to be given a small taste, to see how good they were.

You could also order a cup of soup for $3, a generously-portioned side salad for $4 (the lime vinaigrette, one of three choices for a dressing, was lovely and bright), one of the numerous beverages (the mango lassi for $3.50 was rich and creamy), or one of the luscious desserts (most of which come in under budget, or could easily be shared with a loved one).

I love Indian food, so it's wonderful to welcome another restaurant offering this fabulous cuisine!

Cardamom
1739 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
734-662-2877
Tuesday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., 5 - 10 p.m.
Friday - Sunday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., 5 - 10:30 p.m.
Closed Mondays



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Dijon Devilled Eggs + Giveaway Winner

Okay, first things first: Mazal Tov to Candace, of Mi Chiamo Candace - she's the grand winner of the Whole Foods mango giveaway ... yay!!!  (Do your best Kermit the Frog arm wave while you say that!)  I'd have sent mangoes to everyone, if I could have!  I'm hoping to do another giveaway of treats (cookies - another yay!) in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for that one.

Next item on the list: Unfortunately, there was a delay in getting my Once Upon a Loaf guest post going on Monday ... computers, meh!  Whaddya gonna do with 'em???  Necessary evils.  So, go on over today and read all about my adventure in making matzah for the first time - it was so much fun!

Now, on to today's entertainment ....

At one of the Seders I attended at Passover, the topic of devilled eggs came up.

Everyone has a favorite recipe; some add chopped ham or salami, some add hot sauce, some add horseradish, some add dill.  There is no wrong way to make these simple but delicious treats!  And since I always like to tinker with things, I make the base with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and dill, but often add other items according to my whims.

These are one of Jeremy's favorite foods, so I usually make them for holidays.  They were ideal for both Passover and Easter, but can be served at picnics and barbecues and "just 'cause."

Dijon Devilled Eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Carefully pop the yolks out of the eggs and place them into a small mixing bowl.  Place the whites onto a serving plate.

To the egg yolks, add the mayonnaise, mustard, dill, salt, pepper and horseradish; mix well.  Use a small cookie scoop (if you have one) and place the filling into the cavities of the egg whites.  Decorate the plate with pea shoots or fresh dill or edible flowers or some other colorful splash.

Makes 12 devilled eggs.

Chicken Baked in Spiced Mango Sauce

I received a great marketing gift last week: a case of Ataulfo mangoes, otherwise known as the Champagne variety, from the Whole Foods store down the road from where I work.  In addition to making what I must admit was a really lovely Gingered Mango Soup, my family and friends also ate a significant number of the fruits "as is," since they were perfectly ripe and so delicious.

But I couldn't just devour them all, tempted as I was.  So I devised another recipe to showcase the glorious mangoes.

Chicken can be prepared hundreds - thousands! - of ways, but still sometimes we get a bit tired of it. What, I thought, could add a bit of pizzazz to this plain ol' bird?

I didn't want to fry it ... I didn't want to curry it (often my first choice because I adore curry, so I needed to divert from my routine) ... I didn't want to just chop up the chicken and the mango and make a salad.  Hmmm ...?

I decided to cook the mango with some spice, to infuse a sauce with extra flavor and zest.  Then I merely poured it over browned chicken and baked it to caramelize the sauce a bit.  This was a fast, fabulous meal that was easily prepared after work, and it was even better than I'd hoped for!  It sounds so simple, but this dish really is exceptional.  It was fork-tender, and the flavors were vivid.

Sweet, spicy, succulent ... what great adjectives to use in describing dinner!

Chicken Baked in Spiced Mango Sauce

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup ginger ale
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
2 mangoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
2-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425F.  Grease a medium casserole dish.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat.  Add 1 teaspoon salt, the red pepper flakes, the onion, ginger ale, pomegranate molasses, and mangoes; bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Transfer to a blender and puree.

Season the chicken on both sides with the remaining salt and the pepper.  In the same large skillet used for the sauce, heat the remaining oil over medium heat.  Brown the chicken for 5 minutes per side, cooking it in batches if necessary.

Place the chicken into the casserole dish, pour the sauce over it, and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.  Bake for 30 minutes until sauce is bubbling.

Serves 6-8.

Tropical Granita

Although I adore banana bread, I get tired of it being virtually the sole option for using up overripe bananas. I have an astoundingly low boredom quotient - I want variety, particularly in my food!

In a moment of great serendipity, not only did I happen to have bananas on the verge of becoming mush, but I also had a pineapple that had been staring at me for quite some time and I had a tidbit of mango sorbet taking up space in the freezer.

Well, let's just throw everything into the blender, shall we, rather than letting any of it go to waste!

And that's precisely what I did. But instead of drinking it as a smoothie - which is a perfectly valid option - I froze it and turned it into a granita, the perfect sweet and cool dessert for a hot July day.

Ideally, I'd have been available every 30 minutes to stir and scrape the granita so that it didn't form ice chunks. But then I wouldn't have been enjoying lunch with friends; and I wouldn't have been playing Mah Jong with the "bubbes" (inspiring women in their 80s and 90s) who have adopted me and invited me into their regular weekly game, teaching me about strategy and about life over the course of the afternoon.

Personally, I rather liked this with a bit of iciness to it; but the choice is yours as to how much work you want to put into it. It's July, it's hot, it's time for vacation ... there's a reason they call these the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer!


Tropical Granita

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
3 medium bananas, very ripe, peeled
1 cup mango sorbet, softened
1/2 cup pineapple juice

Place everything into a blender and whir until smooth. Pour into an 8" square metal baking pan and freeze for 6 hours or so; scrape every 30 minutes if you want to, but don't feel obligated.

Makes 3 generous cups.