Chronicles Of The Sassy Fork

It was Rahul and Swati who took me to my first Koli Festival...The VERSOVA KOLI SEAFOOD FESTIVAL.Kolis are the congenial,peaceloving fisherfolk of our city.Every year they hold festivals to display their best fish dishes to Mumbaikars.They dress up in their finest clothes and don their wedding jewelry.They dance on stage to music that they play and leave the thousands that come there enthralled! I just could not believe my eyes when I saw so many delicacies! Lobster Curry... Crab Curry Egg Rolls stuffed with Shrimps/Prawns They wore jewellery that was traditional and weighed nearly 30 to 40 tolas! The food was cooked then and there... Served with a big smile! V ersova Seafood festival had the biggest lobsters. Rahul who introduced me to the fest attends it every year with his wife Swati. There were fish nets above which formed tents underneath which we ate on tables laid out in front of the stalls. ...

On my last day at Santa Rosa, Kavita took us to an organic restaurant called Santi.Sonoma County has an abundance of fresh farm produce.It was there I was introduced to sourdough by Kavita.I was hesitant at first but I was pleasantly surprised when I actually tried it.This region is famous for it since the California Gold Rush days.Yes,it isn't a new flavor.It's the old technique of making white bread when commercial yeast was not available.In addition to yeast,there is lactobacillus that gives the sour taste to the bread and make it hard on the outside and soft on the inside.Akin to homemade yoghurt or curds,a small amount of the mix is kept aside to use for the next dough.This is called the sourdough starter and is carried forward for many generations. The sourdough at Santi was excellent.We dipped it in olive oil.Then I had the panini of the day which had thinly sliced veal and organic veggies packed in slices of sourdough,a bit greasy but flavorsome all the same.Portions a...