Author: Kathy Hunt

Feeling Snarky in the Holiest Hindu City of Pushkar

Published by Kathy Hunt

Imagine a pristine, holy city situated on a clear lake.  Imagine that tranquil spot filled with serene followers gathered together to worship and pray at one of 400 temples.  Imagine how relaxing, pretty and peaceful such a place would be.   Go on.  Keep imagining for the sacred Hindu city of Pushkar is nothing like what you’d expect it to be. After a jaw-clenching, 3-hour drive from Jaipur we arrived in the dusty, trash-strewn town of Pushkar, population 15,000.  Here the streets are paved not with gold or even macadam but with tourists and peddlers.  The beautiful lake?  Thanks to a dry monsoon season, it is muddy and filled with garbage. Upon our arrival we quickly caught on to the overall tone of Pushkar.  Visiting a temple?  Buy some marigolds or puffed rice to throw as an offering.  Looking for a trinket to sum up your pilgrimage to this hallowed land?  Buy my wool pashmina, semi-precious stone bracelet, brass Ganesha, leather sandals or mirrored pillowcase.   Just feeling generous?  Then buy me a chapati for …

In and around Agra – Fatehpur Sikri and the Agra Fort

Published by Kathy Hunt

Due to a great monsoon rate at our luxurious hotel in Agra, Sean and I decided to spend three nights in this sultry city.  The extra time afforded us the rare opportunity to relax, explore a major site per day and return to the Taj Mahal and enjoy it at our leisure. On our second day in Agra we took a nail-biting, 50 minute drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Fatehpur Sikri.  Fans of the writer Salman Rushdie may remember Fatehpur Sikri as the setting for his 2008 novel “The Enchantress of Florence.”  Others may know it as the Mughal emperor Akbar’s “ghost city.”  Due to a water shortage the settlement was abandoned in 1585, only 14 years after its construction and shortly after the death of Akbar. For being uninhabited for over four centuries Fatehpur Sikri remained in spectacular shape. The Jama Masjid (Dargah Mosque), which we visited first, was completed in 1571.  Inside its courtyard rested the marble tomb of Shaikh Salim Chisti, the saint whom the Emperor Akbar had consulted …

The Taj Mahal – Agra, India

Published by Kathy Hunt

You — or at least I — cannot travel to India without seeing the majestic Taj Mahal.  One of the seven wonders of the world,  this mausoleum was built by the emperor Shah Jahan for his second wife and the love of his life, Mumtaz.  She died giving birth to his 14th child in 1631.  From the Indian marble mausoleum and red sandstone gates to sandstone and marble mosque and guesthouse the site took 22 years to complete.   Time and effort paid off for the Taj is truly an architectural and aesthetic marvel.  Believe me, I’ll be dreaming of this jaw-dropping monument for decades. Since so much has been written and said about the Taj Mahal, I’d like instead to offer tips for visiting this site.  This will save me from having to think of something beyond my initial and lingering reaction of “Wow!  Wow!  Wow!”  Plus, it also may provide fellow travelers with a few useful tidbits. Guides:  Your hotel concierge and the hordes of men lining the initial entrance to the Taj will …

Dazzling Delhi

Published by Kathy Hunt

One city.  Countless facets.  It’s the land of government, commerce, religion, modernity, antiquity, wealth, poverty, lush gardens, dusty streets.  Just when you think that you have Delhi pigeon holed, it changes yet again. Such diversity spawns a wide range of sites and activities.  Along with visiting mosques, temples and gardens, Sean and I sweated it out with an afternoon trip to Qutub Minar.  An impressive monument from the period of Islamic rule in India, the Minar was constructed in 1193.  Today it is surrounded by the remains of Mughal summer palaces. We also wandered around the grounds of the 16th century Humayun’s Tomb and 18th century Safdarjang’s Tomb.   Emperor Humayun’s grand burial site was initiated by his wife, who camped out and oversaw its construction until its completion.  Viceroy Safdarjang’s son prompted the creation of his father’s majestic tomb.  It is one of the most recent examples of Mughal architecture in India. A contemporary site that drew in throngs was the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi.  Here the brick platform on which his funeral pyre had …

One Hot Destination – Delhi, India

Published by Kathy Hunt

Many thought that Sean and I had lost our minds when we announced that we’d be spending much of August in India.  Scorching heat.  Monsoons.  Not to mention all the wonderful diseases, such as Dengue fever, malaria, typhoid and polio, that we could contract.  However, by day four we’re both alive, well and, beyond being drenched in sweat, dry each day. Our sultry journey began in New Delhi, the bustling capital of this exotic land.   On our first morning here we strolled over to Lodi Gardens where women in colorful saris and white running shoes jogged alongside men in shorts and T-shirts.  As with all of Delhi, Lodi Gardens was dotted with ruins from the region’s Mughal period.  Lodi was beautiful but, at 8 a.m., already quite a warm place to be — 90 degrees and climbing. Following in the footsteps of locals and tourists alike, we rented not a car but a car and driver to take us around the city.  Smart move.   As in Turkey and Morocco, where Sean drove and I nervously …

A Dumpling by Any Other Name

Published by Kathy Hunt

When I tell friends that the first dumplings that I tasted were brown butter-coated gnocchi, more than a few eyebrows raise. Accustomed to the whole-apple-baked-inside-a-flaky-dough dumpling, they think that I am confused. How could I mistake a savory Italian entree for this luscious treat? Made from a simple mixture of potatoes, flour and egg, gnocchi is, in fact, a savory, Italian dumpling. Like all dumplings, it originally provided a means to stretching meals and satisfying hunger at a time when appetite-sating meat was a rare luxury. Added to a soup or stew, it afforded an inexpensive means to expanding these dishes. Topped with a sauce, gravy, butter or meat drippings, it became economical and hearty entrees in its own right. Historians quibble over gnocchi’s exact origins. More than likely these orbs of dough came to Italy via the Middle East during Roman times.  Originally made from semolina, they later became known as Italian potato dumplings.  Today you can enjoy not only potato-based gnocchi but also spinach, bread and the traditional semolina. Toppings vary as well. …

Spread Some Excitement

Published by Kathy Hunt

Tapenade.  That piquant condiment found on virtually every dining table in the Mediterranean.   Most people associate it with olives.  Tapenade isn’t just about olives, though.  Rather, this biting spread represents the successful marriage between capers and olives.  In fact, its name comes from the French Provencale word for capers — tapeno. To make a fresh tapenade takes only scant minutes and ingredients.  Pitted olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil are either pulverized with a mortar and pestle or processed in a food processor until they become a chunky puree.  The resultant tapenade is either served or refrigerated until ready to use. And just how to utilize a tapenade?  Along with slathering it on baguettes for a quick appetizer, Mediterranean cooks may spread it over seared fish steaks, grilled vegetables, crackers or warm pita bread. They may also employ it as a stuffing for oven-roasted tomatoes or as a savory dressing for sandwiches. Simple to make and a pleasure to eat, tapenades are quite the Mediterranean treat. OLIVE  TAPENADE Makes roughly 1 cup ½ pound Kalamata …

Molten Chocolate Lava Land

Published by Kathy Hunt

I know that many will disagree but, for me, this decade will go down in history as the ten long years of molten chocolate lava cakes.  My first experience with them came not in a restaurant but in my own kitchen.  Armed with Nigella Lawson’s classic cookbook “How to Eat” (Wiley, 2000), I set out to create her gooey chocolate puddings.  These wonderfully decadent treats, I later came to learn, are also known by such monikers as molten chocolate cakes, chocolate lava cakes, and chocolate cakes with warm ganache centers.  Same dessert.  Countless names. Check out the dessert menu at any upscale and/or New American restaurant and I bet that you will spot this sweet. Every 21st century chef seems to have fallen for this moist and oozing chocolate specialty.   Although the recipe is quite simple, many mess up the molten chocolate lava cake (MCLC). Usually the chef has baked the pudding for far too long. Insert your fork into one of these overcooked MCLC’s and you’ll not see that glorious stream of steaming chocolate cascade onto your plate.  Instead you’ll have a forkful of dry chocolate cake.  To …

Beignet v. Funnel Cake – Let the Games Begin

Published by Kathy Hunt

Ah, beignets and funnel cakes.  I can’t think of two more delectable, fried, sugar-coated snacks.  After years of gorging on beignets each time that I visit New Orleans and of living next to Apple Frankie, the undisputed “funnel cake king,” I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the two.  So, with a nod to the aforementioned A. Frankie, I shall attempt to determine, once and for all, which is truly the best greasy sweet.  Although I flew back from New Orleans over a month ago, beignets linger on my palate and mind.  Blanketed with powdered sugar, these pillows of dough are served hot and as a trio at the Crescent City landmark Cafe du Monde.  Light and oh-so sweet, they are a heavenly treat.  To balance out the avalanche of sugar hitting my bloodstream and clothes, I pair beignets with a decaf, chicory-laced cafe au lait and plenty of napkins.   While I associate beignets with New Orleans, they actually originated in France.  Made from the delicate, spongy pâte à choux, these airy, square pastries are found throughout the country.  They likewise pop up in such French-influenced regions as Quebec and, of course, …

It's Al Fresco Dining Time!

Published by Kathy Hunt

On the East Coast we’re in the middle of a spring heat wave.  Sunshine.  Ninety degrees.  Pleasant breeze.  All this beautiful weather spurs me to do one thing — drag my deathly pale, vitamin-D deprived body outside to dine al fresco. Italian for “fresh” or “open air,” al fresco refers quite simply to eating outdoors.  At one time I thought that this was ridiculous.  Who wants to swat away flies and bees, listen to irksome traffic and breath in pungent car exhaust as she eats?   As it turns out, I do.   As soon as the thermometer tops 55 and restaurants start erecting those towering, tree-like space heaters, I’m sliding into a wrought iron cafe chair and dining in the bracing spring air. Why the radical change of heart?  After a cold, dark winter spent indoors I no longer can bear to waste a minute of sunlight.  Pass me my sunglasses and I’ll be off to bask in the sun and nosh on refreshing, seasonal fare.  No gazpacho or vichyssoise on the menu?  No problem.  Although lighter dishes seem more appropriate for an al fresco atmosphere, I’m …