Winter Wonderland

We make memories of everything we come across as children and then we use and reuse them as we get older. We made the good and the bad associations with little things that decide whether we want to do/feel them again or not in our adulthood. This is called cognitive psychology that get's built very early on in life. Explanation of that will get very dry and boring if scientific language is used, I have a better way of explaining it, through the language of Gastronomy.
Very often we associate life's happenings with the food that was available to us at a point in life.
We Bengalis have great associations with all seasons of the year, whether it's mangoes or kanthal (jackfruit), patishapta or narkel naru(coconut laddoos), ilish mach(hilsa) or kankra(crabs), they all herald a different time of the year.

Winters in Calcutta happen only for a limited time and as such they are associated with picnics in parks around the city, a lot of badminton and a trip to the Zoo if there are any children involved. Christmas is of rum-soaked plum cakes and christmas carols. Maybe a trip to St. Paul's Cathedral along the way! Calcuttans have a strong relationship with christmas probably due to the strong catholic/protestant missionary school system that still exist there and the existence of an anglo-indian population.
My association with winter is my maternal grandparents house, after-meal oranges peeled by her under the winter sun, warm laichangphi (east indian blankets)to huddle under and her pink creamy cauliflower stew. Cauliflowers are winter vegetables, but are now available all year round, even some years back we used to wait for winters so we could eat cauliflowers. Didun made a stew with cauliflowers, potatoes and peas that warmed our stomachs. But thinking about it now it warms my heart too. She also made fish curries with cauliflowers that tasted heavenly. We always binged when we visited her. If asked what different she had done with her meals that ours never turn out quite like hers she would say she sprinkled some love powder, but we think she dipped her little finger in the bowl of food and that changed everything.
Although her health doesn't allow her to cook anymore we still get to call her and ask for the age old authentic bangali recipes!
After moving to Delhi during college winter meant teeth chattering cold and faulty heaters. But it also ushered in the era of adrakwali chai and hours of chattering away. The fire urns at Mocha in GK 1 tempted us more often than not and we ended up spending hundreds on the teas there.
Now the winters are of snow, Mulled Wine, Eggnogs and Krappelchen. And I will miss this as I miss my stew and adrakwali chai when I leave here, if I leave here.
But the memories keep stocking up, I carefully take one out of it's place and reminisce, once it has made me nostalgic enough I put it back in it's place.

Here's the recipe for the stew.

Ingredients

Cauliflower-1
Potatoes -2
tomatoes-1
Peas- couple of handsful
oil- 2 table spoon
some cardomom and cloves(optional)
salt sugar and pepper for taste
flour-1/2 tablespoon
some milk

Procedure:

Halve medium sized potatoes cross-section wise and pressure cook it till just done. Cut cauliflower into big florets and boil them separately in salted water (water should be enough to make the broth of the stew) till just done, al dente; add some tomatoes quartered and peas too (cardamom and cloves are optional)- keep them aside.
In a wok heat up some white oil (lower the heat so that the flour doesn't change its color radically) and add white flour to it add a pinch of salt and pepper stir them all in and start adding milk and/or water stirring continuously so it does not form any lump but a smooth white sauce. Add the sauce to a big pot with all the cooked vegetables and broth. Bring it to a boil stirring continuously so that the sauce blends and you get the desired thickness. Add sugar, check for salt, sugar and pepper for taste. Add a dollop of butter just before serving it piping hot.

Dont forget to sprinkle your own brand of love powder or dip that little finger before serving your loved ones

Details of recipe- courtesy Mom!