Suchi’s Mango Lassi

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Pre-puree

My father dislikes yogurt — a somewhat unusual anti-preference for an Indian. Allegedly it stems from childhood, but as a result he never eats it.

I was at home last weekend and my mother, who has long been disappointed that she rarely gets to enjoy my ice cream, asked me to make some. My parents are mango fiends, so much so that they have a container of pre-cut mango sitting in the fridge — because the idea of having to wait two minutes while you peel and cut a whole one is obviously horrifying. So I suggested making mango lassi ice cream, based on the classic Indian drink of pureed mango, yogurt, and a touch of sugar.

“But your father doesn’t eat yogurt,” my mother pointed out.

“Don’t tell him it’s lassi, just say it’s mango ice cream. He’ll never figure it out,” I replied.

And he didn’t. In fact, he liked it so much he went back for seconds.

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Mango [lassi] ice cream

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Muse-Pesto

Pesto is my favorite pasta sauce — it’s got salty, spicy, nutty, and herbal notes. I like a modified classic version with basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil, salt, garlic, and a touch of lemon juice. But I’m often too cheap and I swap out the basil for spinach and the pine nuts for walnuts. It’s still amazing.

Pesto is Ligurian in origin. My friend Musetta has family from Abruzzo (where, as she notes, the ladies are known to be stubborn), so it’s not quite on point, but she was completely supportive of my desire to make a pesto style ice cream. Unlike some other people that will remain nameless. “But I wouldn’t use cheese, of course,” I said. “Well, of course not.” she replied. But if you want to sprinkle some as a garnish, I won’t tell.

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Master of None?

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