Nik Sharma

This month, I’m currently reading a few new cookbooks some of which are written by friends. Some of these came out last year in the U.K. but are now being released here in America.

Folks, we just learned that Season was one of the Cookbooks of the Year by the American Library Association! This is such a wonderful honor and I could not be happier. Thank you for all your support!

My freezer invariably contains a bag or two of chicken stock stashed away in ziptop bags. I never know when the need might arise, perhaps as a base for a soup or to make a rice pilaf brimming with an extra punch of flavor. I’m not a fan of using “perfect” to describe recipes but this is the recipe that works for me and the one I go to most often. It’s aromatic and tastes of chicken. A stock is so much more than a collection of spices, chicken bits and veggies, it reflects who you are, where you’ve been and will be a good indicator of what spices and flavors you cherish the most.

Of all the dals in Indian cuisine, dal makhani is perhaps one of the most glorious ones. It’s packed with flavor, a smooth creamy texture, tanginess from the yogurt and tomatoes that go into the stew and you can eat it by itself with a dollop of yogurt or with rice or roti. It really stands on its own. This recipe is for pressure cookers

I baked and baked as soon as I came back home. After our long trip in December, I realized I needed to do things as one does when they come back home, get everything organized and back in order. The backyard grew fast in the short bit of time we were away and everything got a major haircut.

We just got back from a much needed break at my in-laws farm in Virginia, this is where M grew up. We ate a lot of biscuits, had lunch with author Emily Nunn who wrote The Comfort Food Diaries (I strongly recommend, you should read this), pickled beets, fried chicken and casseroles.

After spending a few weeks across the globe for Season, I’m finally back home. I went to the UAE for the Sharjah International Book Festival, visited London for the first time and wrapped up in Seattle before I headed home. I did miss home a bit but it was also difficult to see how much the smoke from the recent fires has taken over the air in the Bay Area, some of you might remember the terrible fires that ravaged the wine country region, to see this happen once again and so soon is sad but even worse for those who have lost their homes and loved ones.