Experiments with Mutton Kheema Pattice or Puff's

I remember a time in the early to mid-1970’s when my dear departed father, Senior Mrs. Stonethrower and my kid sister all in the back seat and, me, a cook and driver acting as frontal air bags were packed into the Ambassador car we owned and set off for Poona. Those were simple times. Everyone owned either a Fiat – later Premier Padmini – or an Ambassador. Some poor lost South Indians who had moved to Bombay owned Standard Heralds. The mechanics of these cars was from the early 1950’s, when things were even more simple and unreliable. The journey to Poona included, if you were lucky, just one scheduled stop, at a picturesque spot, where we would all get out. The bonnet would be opened to allow the radiator to cool. The tea would be brought out. For some reason, the Thermos was always filled with strong sweet coffee. I presume coffee was thought to be a better reviver of tired bodies on these drives. To eat, invariably, there would be Mutton Pattice from the now long gone Gourdon, a restaurant and cakeshop at Churchgate. Those Mutton Pattice were, if I remember correctly, small and round, much like a cup cake. They were delicious, at once crunchy and flaky with the Puff Pasty outside, moist, spicy and meaty with the ‘Kheema’ inside.

Times passed, Gourdon, deteriorated and shut. Mutton Pattice were then bought from RTI and later a very good Mutton Pattice was sold by Oriental Bakery at Grant Road East. I remember eating the Mutton Pattice from Oriental when I was in College in the early 1980’s. Today, alas, I am sorry to say that getting a good Mutton Pattice is virtually impossible. The ratio of filling to pasty is such that all you end up with is lots and lots of pastry. The filling, whatever there is, has little meat and a lot of filler being onion, or coriander or even French Beans. Several reasons for the precipitous decline in quality. Firstly, the price of meat has gone up as has the price of other inputs. Customers are not willing to pay and have competing food that they can buy, the choice is much more.

Before going further, a bit of background following my research. A Mutton Pattice is available in two basic forms in Mumbai. One has Puff Pastry on the outside and is crisp, layered and flaky. The other is with mashed potato on the outside, soft. This soft version is rarer and is generally sold by Irani restaurants and Parsi food outlets. The puff pastry version is much more widely sold. Many people refer to the puff pastry version as a Puff. Also, the fillings of either pattice could be ‘mutton’ or more correctly goat mince, or chicken mince or even curried vegetables.

The word ‘Pattice’ itself is said to be a bastardisation or Gujjuisation [please note I am NOT calling Gujjus bastards] of the English word Patty. A Patty is a small flat cake of food, often minced meat. So, a Hamburger has a Patty. The word Patty was somehow changed to ‘Pettis’ as in `Ragda Pettis’ a classic Mumbai street side snack where you have a mashed Potato Patty served with curried Garbanzo Beans or ‘Channa’. So, Patty became ‘Pettis’ and then ‘Pattice’.

I do like a good Mutton Pattice, so HRH the Queen of Kutch and I thought of making our own. What is so difficult? You need to make a decent ‘Kheema’ which is not rocket science. Push comes to shove, you could also simply go to the restaurant that serves your favorite Kheema, pack a few plates and Bob’s Your Uncle. And, you need to get some Puff Pastry. Of course, you need to have a functioning oven to bake the Pattice.

I guess that for most of my readers, getting Puff Pastry poses the biggest challenge. No worries. The best place to get Puff Pastry is Paris Bakery, 278, Dr Cawasji Hormusji Street, Our Lady Of Dollors Church Lane, Marine Lines, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400002. Their phone number is 022 2208 6619. If you are going towards Churchgate Station and are on Marine Lines, on your left is the Our Lady Of Dollors Church. Stop your car there and walk into the lane. They will sell you raw Puff Pastry. It’s called “Khaari Nu Cross”. Call before you go and order it. Alternatively, if you live in Bandra, go to the bakeries on Bazar Road, and ask them nicely. They will sell you the stuff too. Keep it chilled.

Once you have made your Kheema, make sure it is robustly spiced, has enough lime and is really tasty. Chill it. Do remember that the Kheema should be reasonably dry and not liquidy. The Kheema should be able to hold its shape. If the Kheema is too wet, dry it out. If it is very oily, drain off the oil. Roll out your Puff Pastry. Fill in the Kheema, and enclose the Kheema in pastry. Make a couple of holes to let steam out, egg wash the pastry and bake in a 200 C oven till lovely and golden. Remove, let it sit a bit get your cold beers out or a bracing Gin & Tonic. Cut a big slice and enjoy.

We made a family sized one with 500 grams of Kheema. To accompany this, in a moment of creativity, we made Jellied Kachumber. Tomato Water, Onion water, lime, Green Chilly and Coriander. Jellied and eaten cold with the hot Kheema Pattice.

The family sized Kheema Pattice

A beautiful slice. Lots of Kheema, crisp Pastry.

The Jelled Kachumber

This was a very good meal.

I really do suggest you try this. The results are just so satisfying.

Motown - The Musical

Walking along Shaftesbury Avenue one Monday in late March, we passed the Shaftesbury Theatre which was showing Motown – The Musical. We both like the music and have several CD’s with the music. So, purely on impulse, we walked up to the box office and asked if there were any tickets for a matinee show? Yes, there were! We booked them.

This was a notice at the Box Office.

After having done so, as is usual in such impulsive decisions, we were plagued with doubt. We looked up reviews and read that the play was disappointing. The critics were not happy. But, the deed was done, we were locked in.

Anyone visiting London, or New York for that matter, is always told – go see a show - preferably a musical (West End if in London, Broadway if in New York). We have seen a few and, while the productions are simply stupendous by Indian standards, after a couple, the musicals seem to get cliched, at least for us. Once the dullness had set in we decided to see plays [or ‘dramas’ as Gujjus call them or ‘theatre’ as our Sobo culture vultures refer to them] as opposed to musicals.

Over the years we have seen quite a few plays, most recently a brilliant production of Julius Caesar at the fabulous new Bridge Theatre. Others include, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest with Christian Bale, The Producers with Danny DeVito, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Sienna Miller and many many more. The production of Julius Caesar at the fabulous new Bridge Theatre has been recorded and will be shown at the NCPA in April 2018. You absolutely must watch this.

Motown is a record label founded in 1958 by Berry Gordy, who is still alive. The years from 1960 to about 1980 were its greatest years, and when I use the adjective greatest, I use it in its true meaning. The singers signed by Motown include Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Four Tops, The Temptations, the Jacksons, the Commodores with Lionel Ritchie, Rick James, Michael Jackson and countless others. There are stories of the songwriting factories in Motown writing hit songs, the Funk Brothers being a collection of brilliant studio musicians who played behind all the songs, the quality control departments and the grooming and choreography teachers who ensured the success of the label as well as its stars. All this was true.

The question was, how would all this be captured in a play, albeit a musical without it becoming a sort of “Ek Shyam Kishore Kumar Ke Naam” or “Mohamed Rafi Ke Sunhere Geet” kind of mindless rendition of hit songs?

The play is what can be called a “jukebox” musical tracing the life of Berry Gordy. Some 50 odd songs are performed, though most are truncated. The play is based on Gordy’s autobiography and starts in 1983 with Gordy contemplating whether to attend the recording for a television special to commemorate the 25^th Anniversary of Motown. This was, in reality, a recording of performances by some of Motown’s biggest stars performing live at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in March 1983. This show was hugely important and significant in music history, not just for Motown, but for a person known as Michael Jackson. The “moonwalk” dance step was debuted at this show by Michael Jackson. That dance step, along with John Travolta’s dancing in 1977 to “You Should Be Dancing” in Saturday Night Fever are two hugely influential bits of choreography in modern times. I don’t know how something performed 41 years ago can be called modern, but you get my drift.

For those of you who want, you can watch the performance here. It is 5 minutes, but worth a watch. The magic starts at about 3.30 seconds.

Our fears of watching a disappointing or subpar show vanished within the first 5 minutes of the musical starting. The punch with which the show started, the opening songs, the dancing, the singing and of course the live band made a huge impact. This was captivating magical viewing. But the question still stands. How do you keep this from becoming “Ek Shyam Kishore Kumar Ke Naam”?

The question was more than answered. As I have written earlier, Motown’s finest moments were the decades 1960 to 1980. This was a tumultuous time in America. The development of Motown, the types of songs written in those times, the juxtaposition of events with the lyrics, the development of the artists and the evolution of the music were all there to see against the backdrop of historical events. You may ask what happened in those times? Plenty did. Remember that Motown was primarily a Black music label with almost all participants being Black. There were just a few people in the business end of Motown who were White.

To start you learn how the defeat of Max Schmeling the White Aryan by the Black African American Joe Louis had a deep influence on Gordy. This was in 1938 at the height of the Nazi powers. It was said that an Aryan could never be beaten by an African American! Now shifting the time line to the late 1950’s - remember you had segregation in the USA – white record labels played only white music. Music was segregated. The Race Riots. Equality, Black Power. Then you had the rise and, in 1963, the assassination of J F Kennedy. The influence of Martin Luther King and his assassination. The Vietnam War and its effects like the antiwar protests, the rise of the drug culture. These were huge events and Motown and its artists lived and sang thru them all. These events literally shaped Motown.

You see the music and appearance of Marvin Gaye changing thru the show. From someone who sang simple love songs like ‘Stubborn Kind of Fellow’, to the passionate duets with Tammi Terrell such as ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, to the socially relevant pot influenced song ‘What’s Going On’ to the tormented outright sexual song ‘Sexual Healing’. Similarly, the hard-hitting psychedelic songs, complete with Wah Wah Guitars mixed high, like antiwar song called, “War” were performed on stage with appropriate lighting and costumes. The musical ended with screens showing concluding scenes from the 25^th Anniversary Show. Watching the screens and the actors on stage, I thought brought a most pleasant conclusion and neatly ended the show.  

     

The show was for me quite emotional and I did shed a few silent tears. The audience was old, many were older than me. Towards the end when it was time to join in the singing, and clap ones hands, there was much enthusiasm in the audience.

In the end, both HRH the Queen of Kutch and I wondered that if critics were disappointed with the show, and in our view the show was fantastic, how good would a really good show be? Probably the answer will be revealed after we see Hamilton which has received rave reviews.

In the end we were happy very happy. If you do like soul music, do see Motown.

Bologna - The Restaurants & Food

Let me start by reproducing what I had written in a previous post on Bologna. Bologna is also known by three nicknames: 

·       "the learned one" (la dotta) is a reference to its university;

·       "the fat one" (la grassa) refers to its cuisine;

·     "the red one" (la rossa), originally referring to the colour of the roofs in the historic center, became later connected to the political leanings of the city i.e. Communism.

This post is about the fat one, the glorious food of Bologna.

First, two abbreviations for you to understand. The Italian Government classifies food products as DOP and IGP. IGP is Indicazione Geografica Protetta (Indication of Geographic Protection). The IGP label shows that the quality or reputation of your food or condiment is linked to the place or region where it is produced, processed, or prepared. DOP is Denominazione d’Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin). The DOP label guarantees that your cheese, prosciutto, olive oil, etc., is produced, processed, and packaged in a specific geographical zone and according to tradition. Each step, from production to packaging, is regulated.

Bologna is located in the Emilia Romana region of Italy. This region has the maximum number of DOP & IGP certified products for all of Italy, a mind numbing 44 products are certified as DOP or IGP. The most famous of these are known and eaten by every one of us. Parmesan cheese, Parma Ham, Balsamic Vinegar and many many others. The quality of food and wine so certified is top class.

Not only are these ingredients superb but, the food indigenous to Bologna is similarly eaten world over. The dish Spaghetti Bolognaise and Lasagna Bolognaise would certainly be something you would have eaten. It originated in Bologna, hence, obviously, the name. In Bologna this is known as Ragu and is served not with Spaghetti but with Tagliatelle.

As I had written earlier on the days we were scheduled to be in Bologna there was a huge trade fair. The moment we know this we made bookings at two of the more well-regarded Bologna restaurants – Diana and Al Pappagallo.

Our first dinner was at Restaurant Diana. This is an old Bologna restaurant located close to our hotel. We had a reservation for 7.30 and before that we went to a wonderful Wine Bar opposite the restaurant. We had two glasses of wines, of the choice of the server. Nice wines, just 4 Euro a glass. At 7.30 we crossed the road and entered Restaurant Diana to be greeted and taken to our table which had our name written on it. The waiters were dressed in white coats and black trousers, Old waiters, guys who know everything and have seen everything. We like this sort of restaurant and staff. A bottle of the local wine Lambrusco was ordered. Lambrusco is a delightful wine, it is a red and, unusually for a red, it’s a sparkling wine, very refreshing. The Sorbara version is light, fizzy and clear. Without sounding facetious, this tastes like a light, less sweet Bacardi Breezer.

To start we initially ordered a plate of mixed “cold cuts”. The plate had a selection of Salami, Mortadella and Castello local cold cuts. Salami I presume you are familiar with. Mortadella is a pork product made with very finely minced, pureed pork, heat treated and flavored with spices. This is formed into a cylinder of diameter ranging from 5 inches to a huge 12 inches. This is a cooked product and is eaten either thinly sliced or even cut into pieces.

Culatello is even more delicious. The rear leg of a pig is used to make Culatello which is a cured product. A Parma Ham uses the whole leg, bone and all. For Culatello, a portion of the muscle is removed leaving the bone and remainder of the leg. The portion used for Culatello is then wrapped with twine, dried and cured. When ready, it is thinly sliced and eaten. The texture of Culatello is very “melt in the mouth” much more than Parma Ham.

This was delicious, so we ordered a further plate of just Mortadella

For our first courses, the choices were obvious. Tortellini En Brodo for HRH the Queen of Kutch and Tagliatelle Ragu for me. Outstanding. The biggest difference between the Bolognaise sauces we are familiar with have a lot of tomato and are quite sloppy in consistency. This was drier and far more intense in taste. The Tortellini En Brodo was enjoyable and comforting.

Main courses were again classic Bolognese food. HRH the Queen of Kutch ordered from the trolley. This was 5 meats all boiled and served with a sauce comprised of the liquor – Turkey, Chicken, Pork, beef and Lamb. Boiled Meat or Bollito Misto is available all over Italy. Often the meats in question comprise offal, but this selection was more mainstream. A very good dish, however it was a large portion so was not entirely finished.

I ordered the Bolognese Cutlet which is a variation on the Veal Cordon Bleu. A Veal cutlet is breaded and fried. Then some ham is placed on top of the cooked Veal, and that s topped with Parmesan and gratinated. Very nice, though simple. A side of grilled Artichoke was ordered.

Restaurant Diana was excellent. Service was very pleasant and our waiter was a particularly funny chap. A most pleasant evening.

The nest day we had our mega meal at Osteria Francescana so dinner had to be a little more frugal. In the area known as Quadrilatero which is the old market area comprising of shops selling pasta, food, meats and fish. Many restaurants line the streets in the Quadrilatero. We chose La Baita Formaggi in the Via Pescherie Vecchie. Chaotic, noisy and charming. We sat on high tables on the narrow street and ordered a plate of cold meats and glasses of Campari Spritz to start. Do have a look at the photographs. An absolutely wonderful plate of food. After finishing the meat, I still peckish, so I had a small portion of Lasagna. Tasty, with one major difference from what we are familiar with in India. The pasta is made with spinach so it is green, there is far less sauce so the dish is stiffer and not as sloppy as we are accustomed to. A most enjoyable and fun meal.

The plate is paper and the cutlery is plastic, coloured in shiny silver. Clever

A plate of Olives and pickled vegetables

The next day was a rainy day. We had done our long walk to the Madonna of San Luca Basilica. We fortified ourselves with drinks at a local bar, an actual bar - not a Tabbachi with a bar or a wine bar – and walked to Al Pappagallo another famous Bolognese restaurant. Much more sophisticated and swish as compared to Diana, though it appeared that prices were slightly lower than at Diana. A bottle of Lambrusco was ordered and we settled down to eat our now almost obligatory starter of local meats.

Main courses were specialties of Al Pappagallo. A Tagliatelle Ragu for HRH the Queen of Kutch which had more Ragu than at Diana which you can see from the photograph itself. The actual Pasta at Diana was better while the Ragu at Al Pappagallo was better. I ordered the Beef Cheeks stewed in Red Wine. They were good but should have been cooked a tad longer. The dish photographs very badly. Apologies. The vegetable was grilled Radicchio or Endive. Bitter sweet and just right with the richer sauces.

AF Tamburini is a legendary store that sells meat and pasta in the Quadrilatero. They also have a café where their meats are sold as also hot food cafeteria style. Very popular with the American tourists. Some more cold cuts but with the addition of some Burrata topped with Fig Jam. I had a plate of thinly sliced Porchetta. Porchetta is a Pork belly, sometimes encasing a pork loin, with herbs, rolled, tied up and roasted. So, you get crunchy crackling on the outside and different textures of Pork on the inside. This was served with pickled vegetables, to cut thru the richness of the Pork. All this was washed down with a glass of refreshing and restorative strawberry puree and Prosecco.

Dinner on the last night was at yet another traditional Bologna restaurant – Da Cesari located just behind our hotel. HRH the Queen of Kutch swore that we had eaten at the restaurant when we had last visited Bologna. My mind was blank, I had no recollection. To prove me wrong, she pulled up an email she had written when we had last visited and that email mentioned that we ate at Cesari. So there, the Queen is always correct.

Starters had to be a plate of dried meat. This was our last meal in Italy after all. I ordered a specialty of Cesari a Artichoke Flan with a Parmesan Sauce and some grilled Artichoke on the side. This was a lovely little dish. Enjoyed it.

First courses were two pastas, I had Ravioli stuffed with Pumpkin and finished in a butter sauce. HRH the Queen of Kutch had Green Ravioli with Rabbit, also finished with butter. Both dishes were a little disappointing as the actual pasta was quite thick.  HRH the Queen of Kutch did not want a main course. I still had some space left as I had the meatballs with peas. A simple tasty dish that just hit the spot. No mounds of pasta, just a few meatballs in a rich sauce. I loved this.

Food in Bologna was really very good. It was surprising how reasonably priced the food was. From coffee and pastry in the morning, to mad day sandwiches, to lunches and dinners the food is plentiful, reasonable and most importantly, delicious.

Food is more than reason to visit Bologna. We ate very well.