Barbara Hansen Archives - Local Food Eater

Banana Leaf Officially in Blue Zone BCHD!

March 19, 2024 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Banana Leaf, Redondo Beach is honored to be an official participant in the Blue Zones Project®. This represents is a community-wide approach to creating healthier and more productive citizens.

Owner-Chef Sri Sambangi proudly places the decal on the window with BCHD’s Jackie Uy, Well-Being Programs Coordinator. The restaurant offers Southern Indian and an American menu in honor of Banana Leaf’s inspiration, writer Barbara Hansen.

The project is a partnership with Beach Cities Health District. Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach have all placed in the top five of these communities globally!

Banana Leaf Redondo Beach officially a Blue Zone-approved Restaurant

Food and dining are key in this promising evidence-based program. So is community. Here the community came together to meet the staff and enjoy the food at Banana Leaf.

The Blue Zone certification party at Banana Leaf, Redondo Beach

Melissa’s Produce, known for healthy produce, contributed raffle prizes and special Pink Pineapples for the occasion, along with two magnificent food baskets.

Healthy eating with produce and cookbooks from Melissa’s Produce

Banana Leaf Redondo Beach with its South Indian Cuisine is the most recent of the 64 Blue-Zone officially approved Beach Cities restaurants. Special menus and events to follow!

Banana Leaf, Redondo Beach is honored to be an official participant in the Blue Zones Project®. This represents is a community-wide approach to creating healthier and more productive citizens.

The official designation party (photo courtesy BCHD)

The program extends to an international level under the umbrella of by ShareCare. Our favorite Dr. Michael Crupain, advisor and cookbook author, is VP of ShareCare.

For more information please see: www.bchd.org/about-blue-zones-project.

Southern Indian style stuffed eggplant at Banana Leaf, Redondo Beach

Baby stuffed eggplant is the Banana Leaf signature Blue Zone recipe. The southern Indian style dish is rich with peanuts and coconut oil and made with baby eggplant that is more tender and sweet than larger ones. They are available to order online at //Melissa’sProduce

This remarkable eggplant variety is about the size of a large tomato, oblong egg-shaped, with the same dark purple skin as its much larger, more familiar Italian cousin. But it’s much sweeter and creamier inside with fewer seeds and a medium-thick edible skin that does not require peeling before being cooked. The interior has a creamy texture.

While technically a fruit, eggplant is prepared as a vegetable and found in cuisines worldwide. One of the most versatile of ingredients, eggplant can be baked whole or cut in half, steamed, grilled, sautéed or braised. Because of Indian eggplant’s single serving size, it is perfect for stuffing with other veggies or meats and roasted.

This authentic and spicy curry recipe made with tender and small eggplant in a peanut and coconut-based sauce from the andhra cuisine. The dish is generally served with healthy roti or naan.

The main ingredients and method:

Soak 8 baby eggplants and cook until tender in fresh pan with 2” canola or vegetable oil. Make an x shape in each eggplant.

Combine an equal mixture of toasted coconut, peanut and white sesame seeds. Grind the mixture into a powder. Add Turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Stuff the mixture into the eggplant.

For eggplant 8 brinjal / eggplant, small

1 tsp salt
A shallow pan of water fo soaking eggplants

for masala paste:

3 tbsp peanuts
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin / jeera
¼ tsp fenugreek
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 pods cardamom
4 clove
2 tbsp dry coconut, sliced
1 inch ginger
3 clove garlic
¼ onion, sliced
1 tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
¼ cup water

for curry:

3 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp cumin / jeera
1 chilli, slit
2-3 fresh curry leaves
½ onion, sliced
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
½ cup tamarind extract
2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Make an x-shape cut in the eggplant, stalk still on.
soak for 10 minutes in water, with 1 tsp salt added to avoid discoloring.

Masala Paste

Roast 3 tbsp peanuts until they are crisp.

Add sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, methi, cinnamon stick, cardamom and clove. Roast on low flame until spices become aromatic.

Add 2 tbsp dry coconut and roast slightly. Cool completely and transfer to the blender. Add ginger, garlic, onion, chlli powder, turmeric and salt. blend to a thick paste adding ¼ cup water.

Gently stuff the eggplants by way of the x-shape with the prepared masala paste.

in a large Pot heat 3 tbsp oil and splutter 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp cumin, 1 chilli and few curry leaves.

Sauté onion until it just starts to turn golden. Add turmeric and chili powder. Sauté on low flame until blended.

Add stuffed brinjal into the mix and sauté gently.

Cover and cook for 2-4 minutes stirring occasionally, adding in any leftover masala paste until and sautéed well.

Add ½ cup tamarind extract and mix well adjusting consistency as required. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes stirring in between until tender. The masala ooze out slightly. Add 2 tbsp coriander and mix well.

How it all started pairing Banana Leaf Redondo Beach and Banana Leaf Restaurant

Marino Ristorante Menu Honors Barbara Hansen

August 5, 2023 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) The name of the meal is: “ A Love Affair of food, plates and friends.” Barbara and Marino shared a Hancock Park neighborhood address and a love of authentic ethnic food. Chef Sal Marino creates the special menu. Brother-partner, Mario, sets the updated classic table.

Marino Restaurant Menu in honor of Barbara Hansen

Guests opting for this special menu honoring Barbara Hansen sit at a table freshly set in the Marino private dining room. The room has been a “home away from home” for the likes of Frank Sinatra and friends (who wanted owner-founder Ciro Marino for his personal chef), the Henry Mancini and the Bill Conti families.

The family room where the Marino Restaurant Menu is served in honor of Barbara Hansen

Thank you so much Mario and Chef Sal Marino for honoring our long-time friend and neighbor, Barbara Hansen by creating this special meal. Sal’s exquisite menu was matched by the dishes from Barbara’s home, including small, table ashtrays that Mario ingeniously uses as butter or olive oil trays.

For more of Barbara’s story please see guest Barbara Carroll’s memories: //www.edhat.com/news/remembering-writing-legend-barbara-hansen-love-affair-of-food-plates-and-friends-at-marino

Snapper Crudo on the Marino Restaurant Menu in honor of Barbara Hansen

Fresh Peach and burrata on the Marino Restaurant Menu in honor of Barbara Hansen

The exotic Cauliflower Mushroom at Marino Restaurant in honor of Barbara Hansen

“This soup is from ‘Cooking California Style’ by the late journalist and food writer Barbara Hansen. We had a chance to honor and remember Barbara at a beautiful luncheon last month –

Full story and recipe at //jollytomato.com/chilled-avocado-soup-barbara-han

Chilled fresh Pea soup with tendrils on the Marino Restaurant Menu in honor of Barbara Hansen

Handmade Gnocchi Mare, Potato “pasta” with seafood on the Marino Restaurant Menu in honor of Barbara Hansen

John Dory fish on the Marino Restaurant Menu in honor of Barbara Hansen

Signature Ricotta Cheesecake on the Marino Restaurant Menu in honor of Barbara Hansen

Binymina Wines Honors Barbara Hansen in Israel

July 1, 2023 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides, photos courtesy of Binymina Wines) Thank you so much Binyamina Winery for planting this vineyard in memory and honor of our dear friend and LocalFoodEater.com contributor and supporter, Ms.Barbara Hansen. She was a trailblazing culinary writer who left her mark on many culinary people, on the Californian restaurant industry and on her many friends, when she passed away recently at the age of 90.

Binymina Winery Planting in honor of Barbara Hansen

Binymina is one of the largest and leading wineries in Israel. It was established in 1952 and has since maintained a long tradition of quality, innovation and variety. For our article on it, please see //localfoodeater.com/why-to-try-divine-binyamina-winery-wines/

New plantings – among the winery’s development processes, about 100 dunams of Shiraz and Merlot vinevards were planted this week in the Ramat Sirin area, located in the agricultural areas of Kibbutz Degania A.

In the unique vinevard there are wind stations for electric production that cool the vinevards located in front of a breathtaking view.

Binymina Winery planting in tribute of writer Barbara Hansen

Just last October, Hansen tasted wines from Binyamina Winerv as part of the Tel Aviv Groove events in Los Angeles and immediately embraced the people of the winery with love and support.

Barbara Hansen’s posted the Israeli dinner @tableconversation. She LOVED Sommelier Efi Kotz’s cat shirt and the story that went with it.

Her good friend Gerry Furth ( @localfoodeater ) was so appreciative to learn the news of this planting after a reunion in LA with the winery representatives who suggested the idea.

Barbara Hansen’s post @tableconversation about Binyamina winery and event with “non-stop pouring”

Binymina Winery ONYX Chardonnay at the Tel Aviv Groove dinner

Wonderful Binymina Wines poured “non-stop” at Tel-Aviv Groove

And the dark, rainy winter evening at NUA when the Binyamina Winery idea came into play

LocalFoodEater.com Supports C-CAP

April 29, 2023 Comments Off

This year’s 29th annual C-CAP awards breakfast provided over $485,813 in scholarship money to students across the wider Los Angeles area. The awards ranged from full ride culinary scholarships to prestigious culinary schools in the country to partial tuition or cash. And there was fascinating news this year.

The fascinating news is that others will use the money to further their education after high school in other areas. As Program Coordinator, Gail Carney noted, Gail Carney, on behalf of C-CAP noted, “in whatever way the student choses to use the tuition money, it all helps to shape future generations of students that will play a big role in society.”

It is wonderful to be a part of an organization so valuable and needed for the community. I am so proud to note that Sri Sambangi, publisher of Local Food Eater was a donor of a $1500 scholarship in the name of our friend and pioneer food writer, Barbara Hansen, who has been a contributor to the website.

Gisselle Rivera of Banning High School received a Culinary Institute of New York at Monroe College Full-Tuition Schoolship ($67,392) with a $1500 Barbara Hansen Culinary scholarship donation by Sridhar Sambangi. Gisselle was matched up because she loves to write and Barbara was a pioneering journalist for Los Angeles Times in ethnic writing.

I was privileged to be able to add this day, “you are so valued aas chefs to develop your own style and cuisine, and still we need writers like Barbara Hansen who are so valuable in connecting you and your work with the public.”

At the C-Cap presentation (top Liza Fontanesi, Program Director; Gerry Furth-Sides, LocalFoodEater.com; Gisselle Ribera, Banning High School; Sri Sambangi; Program Coordinator, Ely Opera, Student Coordinator, Jobs Liaison

Food for thought in academia was in good company by the Jonathan Club’s breakfast buffet. The Club trains and hires C-Cap students regularly.

Board members, teachers and students all had a change to talk with each other. The students introduced themselves and how C-CAP became meaningful to them during the program.

C-CAP students introduced themselves and their C-CAP experiences

Andrew Harris and C-CAP Council LA Chair, Barbara Fairchild

For our coverage on C-CAP ranging all the way back to a 2015 field trip, please see //localfoodeater.com/c-cap-joins-ventura-farm-days-tours-and-2000-vistors-by-gerry-furth-sides/

C-CAP LA Class of 2023 and Program Coordinator, Gail Carney

For more information about the organization, please see: @ccaplosangeles

The light force that makes the red carpet happen, Lawrence Moore with husband, Anthony, and Students.

A C-Cap fundraiser with celebrity chef and cookbook author Jet Tila (bottom right, mom Mary Tila on his left and Barbara Hansen, right; topL Lisa Fontanesi and Gail Carney, C-CAP Program Director and Coordinator, respectively; and bottom left: prominent food stylist, Alice Hart and former C-CAP board member Gloria Mandell)

C-CAP Council LA member Eric Boardman and Restaurant owner, contributor, Neal Fraser

You’ll Love These Crunchy Fries

March 12, 2023 Comments Off

(Barbara Hansen) These are the crunchiest fries you could ever crunch on. They’re not potatoes, they’re idlis, South Indian steamed cakes made from a rice and lentil batter (above). Sliced and deep-fried, they turn into an incredible snack that kids go crazy for, especially because they come sprinkled with tomatoes, onions and cilantro, almost like salsa.

But they don’t lose their Indian identity entirely. The traditional idli accompaniments come with them too. These are sambar, which is a thin lentil and vegetable soup for dipping or pouring over, and fresh coconut chutney, made extra creamy with ground cashews.

The only place you can get the fries is Udupi Palace, a South Indian vegetarian restaurant in Artesia’s Little India. And you have to know the password, because they’re not on the menu. Just say “fried idlis,” and you’ll be rewarded with a sensational snack.

Udupi Palace has another innovation that you won’t want to miss. It’s a sort of South Indian quesadilla (above), with a golden brown dosa subbing for tortillas as the wrapper.

Inside are Jack and Cheddar cheeses, tomatoes, onions and jalapeños (above). Like idlis, dosas always come with sambar and coconut chutney so these are provided too.

The name is Spicy Chilly Cheese Dosa, and it’s in a long list of dosas on the menu (above). These large crisp crepes are as typical of South India as tacos and quesadillas are of Mexico. Maybe that’s where the idea came from.

After this spicy food, you’ll want something cooling, like rose lassi (above). Flavored with rose syrup, it’s topped with ice cream sprinkled with pistachios. Sweet basil seeds (sabja) are mixed in, and the one in the photo includes translucent falooda noodles too.

Also, be sure to ask for a milky Mysore coffee. One taste and you’ll know why South India is as famous for its rich, deeply-flavored coffee as for its unique cuisine.

Udupi Palace, 18635 Pioneer Blvd., Artesia, CA 90701. Tel: (562) 860-1950.

You’ll love these crunchy Indian Fries

May 21, 2018 Comments Off

Udupi Palace has another innovation that you won’t want to miss. It’s a sort of South Indian quesadilla (above), with a golden brown dosa subbing for tortillas as the wrapper.

Inside are Jack and Cheddar cheeses, tomatoes, onions and jalapeños (above). Like idlis, dosas always come with sambar and coconut chutney so these are provided too.

Also, be sure to ask for a milky Mysore coffee. One taste and you’ll know why South India is as famous for its rich, deeply-flavored coffee as for its unique cuisine.

Udupi Palace, 18635 Pioneer Blvd., Artesia, CA 90701. Tel: (562) 860-1950.

Nandita Godbole’s Book is NOT FOR YOU

March 13, 2018 Comments Off

She’s “one of those women” who expresses a strong opinion about everything that concerns her and remains warm and engaging to every single person in a room. She is an international Indian Woman on a Mission and knows how to make it happen. She is Nandita Godbole (Goad-ba-le), author of the recently published, Not for You. This “first of a collection series of Family Narratives of Denial & Comfort Foods” as she subtitles it, is chef-teacher Godbole’s imaginative, captivating book of culture, cuisine, and generations of her own family history based on true stories.

Nandita graciously signs her books with a personal note in each one

Outspoken, witty Nandita is as generous as she is gregarious with an intellect and passion to match. In her blog, she admonishes, “My pet peeves include the improper use of the words Chai-tea-latte and Indian-Curry. The correct usage is ‘never’.” (for more information, please see: //www.currycravingskitchen.com

Nandita signed my book, “This book is for you. Enjoy.”

Nandita is a first-generation American (born in India) and a third-generation chef. A dedicated teacher, she launched her dinner club company, Curry Cravings™ in 2005 to showcase and share the dynamic Indian culture and cuisine she was so homesick for in the US. It also became a way to explore her own identity. As Joan Didion always says (me too), “I don’t really know what I think about a subject until I write about it.”

Still, you can tell what kind of n encouraging teacher (and mom) Nandita is by how excited she was when the guests used up almost all the betel leaves to make the packets as she instructed. “Oh my,” she exclaimed, “Look at this! I’m so happy that you all tried this unusual taste.”

A true teacher who “starts the lesson at the students’ level, she underestimated her LA food writer audience. When Nandita acknowledged Los Angeles-based Melissa’s Produce several times for supplying ingredients she could not source locally in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, you understood why. For more information on Melissa’s Produce, please see: //www.melissas.com/

She urged everyone to “to try the food even though it might be spicy,” (it was not spicy), and to explore Indian shops — “they won’t bite you”. And this is still why tireless Nandita remains an enthusiastic, successful advocate for Indian culture. In her words, she is “bridging the gaps between its perception and ‘consumption.’” A keen observer, as intellectually challenging as she is informative, she writes about cultural overlays on our personal and social environments that provoke the reader to think.

Nandita shares her postcards, each a portrait about a character in her Not for You Book with a recipe on the back

The book signing was a special occasion at Melissa’s with old and new friends – which Nandita makes happen at just about every event. Supporter, friend and legendary chef, Neela Paniz(who introduced authentic, refined regional Indian food to LA at Bombay Cafe and was recently a winner on the Chopped TV show), was in the audience.

(left to right) Neela Panisse, Faye Levy who wrote the introduction to Nandita’s CRACK THE CODE, Nandita

Melissa’s Produce’s special welcome to Nandita’s presentation with festive orange napkins (the color represents “‘party”) encased in sparkly Indian napkin rings.

Whole coconuts juice and coconut water were refreshing even in the winter. Nandita has plenty to say about how to crack open a coconut (no need for anything but a household hammer) and told about her fond childhood memories of it in India. Unlike many Indian dishes which transpose savory and sweet, coconut milk and pulp is expectedly sweet.

Melissa’s coconuts with milk ready to drink

“Kolmbi” Spicy Shrimp in Tomatoes – in a basic Indian tomato sauce flavored with what Nandita calls the “Indian trifecta” of turmeric, cayenne, and a cumin-coriander blend.

“Kolmbi”Spicy Shrimp in Tomatoes

Bateta-Nu-Shaak, Quick Potatoes with Mustard Seeds, cooked with ginger paste, sauteed onions and curry leaves, looks exactly like apples in the pan

Bateta-Nu-Shaak: Quick Potatoes with Mustard Seeds

Prasad K’Sheera: Stovetop Semolina Pudding with Bananas – flavored with cardamom, saffron, ghee and sliced almonds, a rich delicious dessert that is a prasad, meaning that it’s made for religious occasions and also a very special treat for visitors when they drop by a home in India.

“Prasad K’Sheera “Stovetop Semolina Pudding with Bananas

Pappaya-NuRaitu Raw Papaya Salad with cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger paste and garlic paste does the unexpected in western the by making a savory dish out one that is expected to be sweet. It is healthier and the seeds add texture.

This is raw Papaya Salad! Pappaya-NuRaitu

Nandita enthusiastically shared her family’s version of watermelon known as Kalingad. The idea is the same as salted watermelon in the west. Here Spice-Dusted Watermelon Bombs are flavored with Nandita’s homemade chaat masala spice blend of cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds. “Once you’ve tasted this, you’ll never eat plain watermelon again,” said Nandita.

Jeera rice, Basmati rice with cumin, cardamom and cinnamon stick turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant, neutral partner for the spiced shrimp. The cumin seeds add texture and flavor contrast.

Jeera Rice

Nandita’s beautiful daughter and husband travel with her and become her best assistants!

Andrea Rademan with the Godbole family. Both ladies boast that Andrea was behind Nandita writing her first book.

Nandita’s published cookbooks ‘A Dozen Ways to Celebrate’, and ‘Crack the Code’ have reached more than 30 countries. She enticingly identifies Indian cuisine as one to choose because of its “ flavorful, decadent and healthier choice”.

Nandita with writer Barbara Hansen, who she thanked in her book

Grover Zampa Indian Winery Reinvents Itself

January 23, 2018 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) It was one of those spring days in Los Angeles where nothing could go wrong. The Grover Zampa wine tasting for wine writers and influencers at India’s Tandoori Brentwood hosted by owner, Matin Shah, proved it. No elevator? Guests happily took the stairs. Can’t make it for lunch? Matin laid out an equally impressive spread for dinner and one wine writer and grape grower even drove in from Temecula.

(Barbara Hansen) The wine, a Grover red blend, was surprisingly good, not sourish, like most Indians wines I had tasted. Fast forward a bundle of years, and I am tasting a Grover red blend again, not from a paper bag but at a respectable Indian restaurant in Los Angeles.

Grover has changed a lot over the years. The company is now Grover Zampa, the result of a merger, and produces quality wines that sell for as little as $9. Already exporting internationally, Grover is entering the American market starting with eight states, including California.

CEO Sumedh Singh Mandla came from India for the Los Angeles tasting, held at India’s Tandoori in Brentwood. The food was Indian, but not because Indian wines can’t stand up to other cuisines.

“We usually do tastings with international food,” Mandla said. “but Indian food is getting more refined, not as spicy, less oily, and well plated. We want to be part of that movement.”

Wine-making in India started from scratch in the 1970s, despite the conviction that wines couldn’t be produced in a tropical climate. At that time, Kanwal Grover, an Indian businessman, visited wineries in France and fell in love with what he tasted. Today, Grover vineyards are planted with French clones on American rootstock, and Kanwal Grover is regarded as the father of Indian viticulture.

The earlier wine was fine. This one, the 2012 La Réserve Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz was so good I would buy it by the case once it reaches Los Angeles.

The wines poured in Los Angeles were from vineyards in the Nandi Hills near Bangalore, one of three areas where the company has planted grapes, and the one that gives the best results.

In the 1990s, renowned French enologist Michel Rolland came on board as a consultant. More recently, Grover added star power by connecting with Vijay Amritraj, India’s most famous tennis player.

The two Vijay Amritraj wines are a Reserve Collection White (top right), which is a Viognier that is barrel fermented and aged on lees, and the Vijay Amritraj Reserve Collection Red (above), which blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Viognier. Amritraj is on the labels as he appeared in his heyday (above and at the top).

And here he is today, a surprise guest at the tasting.

The Amritraj white was paired with steamed mussels in a creamy curry-accented sauce and Chicken tikka masala (below).

Lamb seekh kebab and tandoor paneer went with La Réserve and the Vijay Amritraj red.

The other four wines were from the Art Collection, so named because each label features the work of an Indian artist, Paresh Maity, known for his tightly cropped faces.

The first wine poured was the 2013 Grover Art Collection Rosé (above), a dry, intense wine that is 100% Shiraz. Its deep salmony color resulted from skin contact with the grapes.

Paired with the rosé were potato pakoras with chickpea flour batter and spring rolls filled with noodles and vegetables.

The other Art Collection wines poured were a Sauvignon Blanc, made in the Loire style, and a Cabernet Shiraz, which was accompanied by fish or chicken tandoori.

Grover is experimenting with additional varietals. Tempranillo is giving good results, Mandla said. Others with potential are Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Merlot is less promising so far.

Syrah has done “wonderfully well,” and Mandla recommends it with Indian food, as well as Viognier. Missing from the line are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. “The climate is not cool enough for them,” Mandla said.

Grapes are hand harvested and picked toward the evening when the temperature is lower. White wine grapes go to a cold room to relax before the wine-making process begins. The vines are young, averaging 8 to 10 years, with 15-year-old vines producing the grapes for La Réserve. Tonnage is kept low.

Grover produces 33 wines, seven of them chosen for the United States.”The trend [wine-drinking] has not really picked up in India,” Mandla said. There, spirits are more popular.

“Given the climate, rosé is good for India,” he said. The Art Collection rosé poured that day (at the right) was complex and assertive enough to be good anywhere, in my opinion.

Barbara Hansen