The Best Give I Ever Gave

 Delicious smells waft upstairs, and I know that "the man who makes good smells and crumbs" (that's the dog's name for him) has started cooking something for dinner.  Tonight the sweet tang of curry is tantalizing me, and I wonder what recipe he is cooking. 

At my favorite bookstore a few weeks ago I found a small curry cookbook that had absolutely beautiful photographs of the food preparing process as well as wonderful descriptions of different types of curries and how they are prepared.  I bought the book because I love to look at pictures of food (just not cook), and my in-laws, Matt and I had been having a discussion about similarities and differences among the curries that we've eaten at different ethnic restaurants.  I hoped that this book 50 Great Curries of India could clarify our discussion of what curry officially is. It did, sort of. 

Turns out curry means "a meat or vegetable dish to be eaten with rice, which is considered to be the main dish of the meal." (pg 27)  The cookbook includes an incredible discussion of curries, including a curry philosophy section, before getting to the recipes starting on page 65.  I learned that eating curry should make us healthier, as curries integrate each of the six tastes necessary (in varying amounts) to have a healthy body.   These six tastes  - sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent - must be why describing the taste of curry is so complex! 

What I didn't realize is that Matt would totally get in to trying these different curry recipes, and I would get to be the lucky tester!  As of today we've had: curried chickpeas, curried kale, pork curry, curry with rice, curried...you name it, we've probably had it.  Last weekend Matt made a huge amount of curry base (lots and lots of onions simmered with those yummy spices) and he's been able to add that base to any vegetable side dish in order to tempt the kids and I to eat it. I wish I could say that our health has been positively impacted...can't, yet. 

But, finding that cookbook was a total bonus!   Tonight's curry:  Kale with Lima Beans and pork (no rice, Matt's on the no-carb diet).  Verdict - Pretty Tasty! Having a hubby that cooks - totally awesome!