In which Bwog Daily Editor Zach van Schouwen gives in to the demands of anonymous commenters and buys a plastic bag full of curry powder.

In a previous edition of Cooking with Bwog, our high esteem for fried okra was called into question by a number of advocates of bhindi. Bhindi is the Hindi word for okra, but also refers to a particular way of cooking it, using curry, masala and yogurt.

Anyway, it wouldn't be cooking if we didn't get to act like imperialists. So I promptly co-opted the Indian tradition and made some bhindi myself. It was pretty damn good, anonymous Bwog commenters, I'll give you some props. My version of the recipe follows, with instructions and a backstory.

First, it's necessary to cobble together the necessary ingredients. Hopefully, you have a friend with a spice rack, because you're going to need (1) curry powder, (2) masala, (3) cumin, (4) turmeric, (5) red chili powder, (6) salt. You also need about 15 pieces of okra (go to West Side), peanut oil (vegetable is OK) and a cup or two of plain yogurt.

Curry and masala are hard to find (although you can probably get them at West Side). I couldn't find them at my neighborhood supermarket, so I took a nice 90-minute stroll to Jackson Heights and bought them at the Cash and Carry, which is probably the least organized supermarket in New York. But cheap! If you can find curry leaves, use them instead of the powder. I couldn't lay hands on any, because my Hindi is... not so great. (I only know the word for "okra." It's "bhindi.")

This week on Cooking with Bwog, Bwog Chef brings you a recipe from her time whipping up grub for the paying public. It's a crab salad with citrus vinaigrette, tortilla chips, black bean salsa and guacamole. Enjoy!

This recipe is a little more complicated than recipes usually posted in this column, but it shouldn't be too difficult if you have a reasonable amount of kitchen supplies and some cash for buying ingredients. Recipe as printed serves four.

Dressing

1 small can mandarin orange slices
1 small grapefruit (or 1/2 of a large one)
canola oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 green onions (the long skinny ones), cut small
a few pepper flakes

Pour the mandarin orange slices with their juice into a bowl. Peel the grapefruit and supreme it (that's when you cut away all the skin so it's just sections made of pulp) and add it to the oranges. Add the vinegar, onions and pepper flakes and toss. Then add the canola oil while stirring to combine. The oil will probably separate out, so just make sure that you get oil and citrus vinegar on the salad when you toss it later.

Welcome back to Cooking with Bwog. Bwog's resident chef is doing a one-week tour at a Navy mess hall, but in her absence we present a full Southern meal, a recipe that was handed down for generations after this week's chef's family had forfeited all its Southern roots by moving to New England in the 1920s. Enjoy now, y'hear?

Fried Okra

1 package okra (shoot for 3/4 lb)
about 1/4 cup white flour
Vegetable oil

Okra can be obtained at West Side Market. This is frankly unbelievable, seeing as it is currently early March. Don't take it for granted.

Okra gets a bad rap because most people haven't had it cooked correctly. In fact, the one true way to make okra is to fry it, ridding it of the goopiness that damages its reputation in soups. Chop the stub ends off each piece of okra (not the pointy ends, though, which are delicious) and discard them. Slice the okra into 1/4" thick pieces, lengthwise. Put it in a bowl with the flour, cover and shake.

This week on Cooking, Bwog's chef has got her gaze on the Farmer's market that happens outside of Lerner on Thursdays and Sundays. Nothing like tasty winter produce on a cold day like today. Some of the recipes are from Farmers' market pamphlets from the NYS Dept. of Health; others are from Cooking's own repertoire. Enjoy!

*Starred Items can be found at the Farmers' market

Apple Cabbage Slaw

2 cups of sliced apples*
3 cups of shredded cabbage
1 cup celery
1/2 cup thin sliced onion*

Dressing:
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp. pineapple juice (this comes in cans)
1/4 tsp. mustard (just steal a packet from a deli or something)

Combine the vegetables and fruits in a bowl, then toss with the dressing and serve.

Ever since it started to snow last night, Cooking has been craving cocoa. Bwogger Maryam Parhizkar suggested the following home-spun hot chocolate recipe.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon, or alternatively 3-4 sticks of cinnamon
3 tsp vanilla
1 quart of milk

Combine the cocoa, sugar, and cinnamon (if using ground) in a small bowl. Heat half of the milk in a pot until it starts to bubble - don't let it burn. Bring heat down to medium-low. Stir in the cocoa mixture using a whisk or fork until the liquid has a smooth consistency and if using cinnamon sticks, add gradually while stirring. Add the remaining milk and bring to a boil; then add the vanilla and whisk until the chocolate is somewhat frothy. Serves 4.

Have any cool recipes lying around? Want to request something? Write to Cooking at bwog@columbia.edu

Welcome back to Cooking with Bwog, the cooking column that brings you recipes that are healthy, cheap, easy and/or cute. This week, Cooking brings you a tasty recipe that she used to make with her mom.

Before divulging the recipe, I think I should justify why I'm posting something that I got from Real Simple. My mom cut this recipe out of the magazine about 8 years ago and we fell in love with it. It's tasty, the ingredients are easy to find and it makes a great left over (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and because of this it's traveled with me to boarding school, foreign countries, dorm kitchens, and boyfriends' houses. Since I lost the original recipe quite a while back (and Real Simple didn't archive their recipes online until recently), I haven't actually made it the same way as the original in years. A quick web search finds the Real Simple, though - you can read and compare here (mine is real simple-er).

Chickpea Orzo Pilaf

1 big can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, cut into nickels
1-2 cups of orzo - depends on how much you want to make
2 tsp. curry powder
3 garlic cloves
4-6 cups of broth - chicken or vegetable work best.
2-3 packets of ketchup - just steal it from a deli or something

Welcome back to Cooking with Bwog! After a learning sabbatical, Cooking has returned with a whole slew of new ideas to make your culinary experience at Columbia cheap, healthy, easy and/or really cute! This week, tasty and weird Valentine's Day gifts that are not bacon chocolate chip cookies. Also, if you're not in the mood for sweets this Valentine's, check out last year's recipes.

French Toast for the Morning After

1 loaf bread, sliced (Bwog recommends challah from Silver Moon)
6 eggs
½ cup whipping cream, unwhipped
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Sprinkle of nutmeg
1 orange, with 1 tsp. of the skin shredded (zest), then cut and juiced.

Supplies: veggie oil, pan, bowl

Crack eggs into a bowl and add the cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange juice and orange zest. Make sure it's all evenly mixed. Then heat the pan on medium heat on the burner and add a tablespoon of oil. When the pan is hot, immerse a slice of bread in the egg mix and then toss it into the pan to cook. Turn as needed, the toast should look slightly browned. Serve hot with caramel, jam, syrup, peanut butter, or anything else you like.

Whipped cream, twinkies and chocolate chip cookies after the jump.

Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, Cooking with Bwog's chef thought she'd bring you a few recipes for angry dateless people to cook on this special day.

Note: for locating the following ingredients, try here.

Lamb's Heart

Lamb's heart
Rosemary
Oregano
Garlic
Tin foil, an oven, and a pan

There are many ways to cook a lamb's heart. Because the meat is not as tender, slow cooking usually works the best. If the hearts are whole, you can split them on one side, rinse and clean out blood clots and then season with rosemary, fresh garlic, and oregano. Then, wrap loosely with foil, making the wrap tight around the seams, and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for 2-3 hours, checking the meat for tenderness and rawness. If you don't have an oven, you can try simmering on the stove in water for the same amount of time, but some of the flavor will be lost.

You can also slice the heart thin and fry them quickly in olive oil, but it will be much tougher.

Since putting something into an oven (virus infested or not) is really scary, this week's installment of Cooking with Bwog brings you a few tried and true fudge recipes that you can make in the safety of not-your-oven.

Stove Fudge

3 packs (4 oz ea.) German sweet chocolate (break into bits)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened and condensed milk
1 cup pecans or other nuts
2 teaspoons vanilla (not necessary if you don't have it, rum is a good substitute)
More nuts to put on top (if you want)
Grease or butter of some kind
A sauce pan, a low dish, pan, or tupperware to put the fudge in, and a spoon

Butter a pan that you can pour the fudge into to set. Melt chocolate stuff in the saucepan over very low heat - make sure to stir. Remove from the heat and stir the condensed milk, nuts and vanilla. Pour into the greased pan and put it in the fridge until firm.

Even easier recipes after the jump!

Welcome to the next issue of Cooking with Bwog, where we bring you a few recipes made easier by the fact that many of the ingredients come from a can. If you have any dorm-style or Columbia-style cooking inspirations and would like to share with Bwog's culinary team, or you have a mind-bwoggling cooking dilemma, send us an email at bwgossip@columbia.edu!

Over break, Bwog's chef stuck around the Columbia kitchens to try out some of the more risky and exciting recipes in her notebooks. She also got a little lazy. Here's a little taste of some of the more fruitful experiments.

Chili

This is a variation on the conventional cook-it-in-a-pot chili recipe. You need a can of black beans, a can of corn, some onion, butter or oil, pasta sauce, cheese, and some taco seasoning. To cook, you need a spoon, a frying pan, and a knife. This recipe is for one person.

Turn the pan on medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil or butter, wait for it to melt and spread, then chop about one eighth of your onion and add it to the pan. Sautee for three to five minutes or until the onion is clear. Add a sprinkling of taco seasoning at this point, about a teaspoon will do. Then open the cans of corn and black beans and spoon equal amounts of these into the pan (about as much as you want to eat). Stir, and as soon as these are warm (after about a minute) lower the heat and add a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce. Once this is mixed in and warmed up, the chili is done! Just add shredded cheese of your choice on top, and save the left-over ingredients for next time. If you feel like spicing it up, add some tabasco sauce, red pepper flakes, or get a really spicy taco seasoning.

Pumpkin pie and pasta sauce after the jump!

This week on Cooking with Bwog we bring you a special two-week grocery list and meal plan. Use it well. If you have ideas to add variety, please add them to the comment thread.

The Menu

Breakfast

Oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar, milk, fresh fruit
Cereal with milk and bananas
Toast with peanut butter and a glass of milk

Lunch

Salads: lettuce, broccoli, carrots, celery, raisins, nuts, other veggies, articoke hearts
Dressing (if you don't have it)

Pasta: get two textures so you don't get bored, red sauce, and parmesan cheese.

Sandwiches: wheat bread, deli meats, lettuce, tomato, cheese, tuna, portobello mushrooms, and roasted bell peppers. Try doing a grilled cheese sandwich: butter the outsides of the bread and put the cheese on the inside. Cook in a skillet with a lid on it on medium heat.

Omelets: see here for ideas

The rest of the menu and a comprehensive grocery list after the jump....

After a brief hiatus during which Bwog's cooking expert performed brilliantly on her chemistry exams (extracting DNA is a lot like making mayo, yo), Cooking with Bwog is back, bringing you recipes and wisdom for the dorm kitchen. As always, if you have questions for the culinary team or have recipes you'd like to share, please send your tips to bwgossip@columbia.edu. This week's theme: tea time!

Planning a formal tea in your dorm is a daunting task, but absolutely necessary in the cold months when the heightened darkness means watching the sun set in afternoon. As Bwog's tea and cheese expert Leora points out, in order to make your tea as elegant as possible, it's important to understand the three major components of a tea party. Traditional tea has three parts: the finger sandwich, the scone, and the dessert. If at all possible, set the table in white (you can purchase plastic or paper table cloths at Morton Williams) and buy flowers.

In the spirit of patriotism that the Bwog culinary team upholds in every recipe, we've put together a politician-icious compendium of recipes written and inspired by your favorite rich people with power. Apologies to those of you who expected Cooking with Bwog over the weekend. We had to wait for the results to come in.

Hillary's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe - These are supposed to be really yummy

1 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs, beating until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture and rolled oats. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop batter by well-rounded teaspoonsful on to greased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Cool cookies on sheets on wire rack for 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Recipies Inspired by the Oval Office after the jump...

Welcome once again to Cooking With Bwog, bringing you the cooking tips you need to eat well using dorm kitchens, a lack of utensils, and a tight budget. This week, Bwog's culinary team brings you tips for using your microwave.

Microwaves are so informal in the cooking world that they often aren't mentioned in cook books. The truth is, most restaurant chefs use them often - at the restaurant Bwog worked at, pasta sauce was made at the beginning of the week and reheated in the microwave when people ordered the dish. Microwaves in America are as pervasive as TVs, and yet people generally use them for only the simplist cooking tasks, such as reheating and cooking popcorn, and even these are often botched by uninformed cooks. Here are a few things you can do to cook with your microwave.

Keep in mind that a microwave operates by emiting microwave radiation. These microwaves are of a certain frequency, which happens to be the frequency that makes water molecules rotate. Physics aside, this means that when you put something in the microwave, the only thing in it that is being heated is the water. If you put something without much moisture in it it will become dehydrated. When you want to reheat Mac and Cheese, for instance, you should always add about a teaspoon of water to the bowl and stir it into the pasta, and when you want to make quesadillas you should wrap the tortillas in wet paper towels to keep them soft.

Recipes, cooking times and more after the jump!