Colourful Cauliflower and Tomato Curry

I was excited when the first Starbucks came to Paris. But then they expanded and now there seems to be one on every corner. I had a Starbucks coffee at the Frankfurt Airport on my way to Ottawa for Christmas and reflected on how it is not special to me anymore. It can be found everywhere. I remember madly hunting for a Starbucks in Chicago with my friend Carol quite a few years ago since we both love strong coffee and lattes and it was a struggle to find a good coffee in downtown Chicago. I used to bring back coffee beans to Paris from Canada before Starbucks invaded the market. Now I rarely ever go to Starbucks or buy their coffee beans. Globalization can be too much of a good thing.

One of the special things about travelling is that you can find things that you can’t get at home. Today, I can find almost every food product I want anywhere. There are very few cravings for things but more for the atmosphere of different places. Some things belong where they originated where they are more authentic.

Jobs are becoming global too. Package a piece up and ship it to somewhere that it can be done for less money. I love working globally and getting to know people from all over the world. Sometimes never even meeting them in person but collaborating remotely. One has to learn how to communicate – to be understood and not offend anyone. Sometimes things in one culture have a totally different meaning in another – being aware of that is the key to effective communication.

As a lot of today’s high-tech jobs are going to India and we are working with an Indian vendor/partner, I wonder how they fare in finding ingredients to cook their home cuisine in Luxembourg.

Here is one of my favourite Indian recipes.

Colourful Cauliflower and Tomato Curry
Serves 4

1 lg. onion, coarsely chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
10 mL (2 tsp) butter or oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
5-10 mL (1 – 2 tsp) curry powder
1.25 mL (1/4 tsp) ground cumin
1 med. size cauliflower, broken into florets, slice base
4 lg. ripe tomatoes, quartered then halved
125 mL (1/2 cup) light sour cream
Toasted cashews or sesame seeds (optional)
Fresh coriander, chopped

Heat butter or oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers and garlic. Sprinkle with curry and cumin. Sauté over low heat for 5 min., stirring often. Add the cauliflower and tomatoes. Turn heat to med-high and stir frequently until cauliflower is done and sauce is formed, about 10 – 15 min. Stir in sour cream and serve over rice. Sprinkle with coriander.

For a complete vegetarian entrée sprinkle each serving with toasted cashews or sesame seeds.