A Conscious Feast by Nicole Aloni

If this matters—and it does—conscious eating and entertaining has to be a choice for everyone. For the single mom working two minimum wage jobs just to get by, for the unemployed and the under-employed and the marginally making it. When their intelligence, their conscience and their instincts urge them to participate, how can this wise way of nourishing and growing ourselves and sharing that with friends be available for even those on a squeaky tight budget?

One inexpensive way to acquire fantastic produce is to participate in a community garden. For a modest membership fee and some sweat equity folks are growing enough produce to feed 8, 10 or 20. But what if there isn’t one near you? What if you don’t have any extra time to spend in a garden? I’ll have more suggestions as the blog goes along.

For now, I am going to run a series of Democratically Delicious Eats; recipes that are richly flavorful, perfect for a party and easy on the budget—starting with Potatoes Bombay. This recipe was inspired by the wonderful Indian cookbook by Ruta Kahate, 5 Spices, 50 Dishes. I would serve this alongside simple grilled salmon or sablefish, or a sautéed spinach and mushroom frittata.

Potatoes Bombay Recipe

Serves 8

• 3 pounds tiny fingerling potatoes (Yukon Gold or Andean Blue are great)
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 serrano chiles, sliced
• 1/2 cup finely sliced yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/3 cup coriander seeds, coarsely crushed in a mortar and pestle*
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1. Wash the potatoes and steam or boil until just tender (about 6 minutes). Slice them in half.
2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat.
3. When the oil is ready to smoke, add the cumin seeds. After the seeds have “popped”, add the onion and sauté for 1 or 2 minutes until the peppers begin to brown.
4. Stir in the turmeric, then add the potatoes and salt and stir to mix. Cover, reduce heat to medium high and cook about 4 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and add the coriander seeds and toss to coat. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are crusted with the spices. Serve immediately with the chopped cilantro.

*If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, put them in a tea towel and use a rolling pan or heavy can to pound them.