I went to the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition at the Tate last year which was great but I am fascinated by her lifestyle more than I am by her paintings. I would love to go to her house Ghost Ranch in Mexico and I pore through the book I have about it. I love her style, aesthetic and of course her kitchen and larder. A few weeks ago some friends took me to an amazing book shop in Piccadilly called Assouline, and there I got a cookbook with her favourite recipes in it called Dinner with Georgia O’Keeffe. It’s a lovely book with great pictures and lots of recipes that she cooked at Ghost Ranch. I feel theres something that brings you closer to people through recipes. You can almost feel them there with you. So I thought I’d share my favourites from that book with you, because it’s evocative of her history and lifestyle. Apparently she kept a stack of cookbooks as bedside reading. A woman after my own heart.

Recipe

Ingredients:
1lb of small potatoes quartered
1 tablespoon of butter (I used olive oil)
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves plus more for garnish
1 ½teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of turmeric
One pinch of chilli powder (optional)
1 teaspoon of garam masala
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon of maple syrup or sugar which is my own addition

How:
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil or butter and gently sauté the onion and coriander (cilantro).
Add the turmeric, salt, and chilli powder, if using. Stir well, then add the potatoes.
Stir for a few minutes, then lower the heat. Cover and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tender, sprinkling in a little hot water when needed to prevent sticking to the pot. (I did this just before I put the lid on).
Add the garam masala and lemon juice with the maple syrup (if using) about 10 minutes before removing from the heat. I found I needed to cook it longer than the recipe said, but I like my potatoes quite tender.
Garnish with more coriander and I very finely chopped the stalks and use these as a garnish too.
Perfect served with Basmati rice, my dal recipe and most of the Indian recipes on this blog. Check them out in the index if you fancy them.

Lastly, I think this is a great low budget vegan meal paired with my  dal and rice. You could add a salad, chutney and a paratha bread. It’s whatever you feel like…

I shop at:
Waitrose
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Lidl