from Memphis BBQ to Dahl

I love VA but my diet goes SOUTH while in the Old Dominion. This trip was not the exception: fried chicken, raised rolls, BBQ, crab cakes, an amazing bombe by my sister and the list goes on. Tonight my pallet and larder lead me to a quick meal as colorful as it was tasty. On the table was a magenta, raw beet salad, red tomatoes (from our garden) with mozzarella + shallot vinaigrette, and yellow dahl. I'd say this was a culturally mismatched meal but it was on hand and met all my dietary needs.

Recipe for raw beet salad adapted from Ro passed on to her by Nicole Lobue (see my website suggestions for a link to her site.)

Eva's face and fingers are a fine work of pink art right now in the bath, she can not even use a fork for this tasty salad

• Take a beet, tonight mine was a standard red beet but I use the pink/white and the yellow variety mostly, grate the beet in to a bowl, squeeze an entire lemon, add a handful of Italian parsley and some salt.
  

Recipe for dahl adapted from many a fine pots of steaming goodness prepared by David! I'm waiting for Padma's (Neema's mom) recipe!!!! We discussed this on my last visit to Vancouver but if I do not have pen in hand or am actually watching the preparation, I'll never remember. Bring it down in November Neema.

• I began with onion sauteed in oil, when starting to soften I add a 1/2 a cinnemon stick, and three shakes of Turmeric, and pinch of salt/pepper, saute for a few minutes longer, until you smell all the spices release their flavor. Add a cup or a cup and 1/2 of dried chana (split garbanzo beans), cover with water, simmer with lid slightly open. Check now and again to see if you need to add more water. I like mine when the beans are soft but keep their shape, you can cook them until they are like a restaurant, more of a mushy consistancy - we'll eat them anyway. This is a family standard, I can not wait to try a variation. Eli has known to eat multiple bowls of this beautiful yellow dish.