Tag: homemade
Channa Dal with Curry Leaves
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 green chili, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup channa dal, rinsed and soaked in water
2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon ghee or oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 to 7 curry leaves
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Heat a medium pressure cooker with the oil. Add the onion, garlic and chili. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato and sauté for 2 minutes on medium heat. Drain the dal and add to the sautéed onion. Add the water, salt, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Bring to a boil and cook under pressure for 20 minutes. Take the lid off once the pressure has subsided. Continue to cook on medium heat. Add the lime juice and check for seasonings.
In a small frying pan, add the ghee, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes till the cumin seeds begin to sizzle. Transfer the cumin seeds and curry leaves to the cooking dal. Mix well and add the garam masala and fresh cilantro. Serve warm.
4th of July Recipes -Mushrooms and Cannellini Bean Burgers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 14 ounces cannellini beans, drained
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup dill, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ cup panko bread crumbs
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, salt and cook until the onion is translucent about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the veggies to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse 5-10 times to combine- careful not to overdo it… you don’t want a paste.
Press mixture between fingers- if you can form a patty with it, you are good, if it is too crumbly, add some water 1 tablespoon at a time until it sticks together. If the mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon at a time until the right consistency.
Form the mixture into 8 patties (about 1/3 cup of the mixture each) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook 3 to 4 patties at a time until brown, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add sliced cheese on top if desired. The left overs can be frozen. Serve in ciabatta rolls with tomato and cucumber relish and cumin mayo!
Tomato and Cucumber Relish
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup cucumbers, chopped
- 1 teaspoons salt
- Juice of half lemon
Mix all the ingredients and let sit for ½ an hour before serving with burger.
Cumin Mayonnaise
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup whole milk yogurt
- Juice of half lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Mix all the ingredients and serve with the burgers.
Ricotta Parsley Gnudi with Sausage Mushroom Ragu
This is a great recipe to make either through the week or for a Sunday meal. A rich sausage mushroom ragu with soft, pillowy gnudi. Saw this being made on tv and modified it a bit to suit my taste. Try it… this is delicious!!
Gnudi
1 pound fresh ricotta, drained overnight to attain super dry ricotta
2 egg yolks
¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Semolina for rolling and coating
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Transfer the ricotta and egg yolks to a stand mixer. Mix at medium speed for a minute or till incorporated. Add the cheese, flour, breadcrumbs, parsley and salt. The dough should moist but not sticky. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes while bringing a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. Roll a piece of dough into a 1 inch ball and cook in the boiling water for about 2 minutes. If the gnudi is too soft to hold it’s shape, add more flour to the dough. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour if not more. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and transfer to a semolina dusted pan so the gnudi does not stick. Refrigerate the gnudi balls, covered with plastic wrap till ready to cook.
Take out of fridge and cook gnudi in salted boiling water until cooked- about 3 to 4 minutes in batches. The gnudi will begin to rise to the surface once cooked. Drain the gnudi and place them into a wide frying pan with the olive oil and butter. Brown the gnudi on the outside for 2 to 3 minutes, moving them about constantly. If the pan gets dry, add some spare pasta water. Serve with the ragu.
Ragu
¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked 1 cup hot water
1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 sausage links of choice, casing off and crumbled
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup strained tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
Salt
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Strain the mushrooms, reserve the liquid and chop the procini mushrooms and set aside.
Heat a sauté pan with olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shiitake and procini mushrooms and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the spare mushroom water, tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and let simmer, with the lid on for 10 minutes. Take the lid off, add salt and let cook for another 15 minutes. Check for seasonings and garnish with parsley. Serve with gnudi with a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Cauliflower and Sausage Pasta with Pesto
- 1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
- Olive oil
- Salt
- 2 to 3 sausage, crumbled
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- ½ pound cooked pasta with 1 cup pasta water spared
Transfer the cauliflower florets to a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle salt and olive oil. Roast under a hot broiler till all sides are golden brown- about 10 minutes on each side. Take out and keep aside.
Pesto
- 1 full cup fresh basil
- 1 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup pistachios
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt
Add the garlic and pistachios to a food processor. Pulse till chopped. Add the basil, anchovy fillets, start pulsing and drizzle the olive oil and proxess till a smooth sauce is formed. Take out of the processor, add the cheese, lemon juice and salt to taste. Keep aside.
Heat a wide frying pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt and sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and ½ cup of the pasta water. Add the pesto, mix well and check for seasonings. Add more pasta water if necessary. Serve warm.
Fettuccine with Scallops and Garlic
I served this delicious pasta dish with some yummy asparagus, simply cooked with some olive oil and salt… very springy!!
- ½ pound fresh fettuccine
- Salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 10 large scallops, cleaned
- ½ cup clam juice
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package label and reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain and keep aside.
In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the scallops on both sides about 30 seconds each. Take out and keep aside, let cool and slice each scallop into 3 to 4 slices. Reheat the pan on medium heat and add the garlic, red pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for about a minute. Add the clam juice, lemon zest and juice. Add the pasta and the pasta water. Add the scallops and parsley, toss to coat and cook for another minute or two until the scallops have warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil before serving.
Sausage and Peppers Sandwiches with Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta Cheese
½ cup full fat ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and keep aside.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pack chicken sausages (I used roasted garlic ones from Trader Joes), sliced
1 large or 2 medium red pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1 inch squares
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups tomato sauce (jar, bottle or fresh)
Salt
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
Heat a medium saucepan with the olive oil. Add the sausage pieces and sauté on medium high heat and brown both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover with lid and cook for 15 minutes. Take the lid off, add the peppers and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or till the peppers are soft, but not too soft and falling apart. Check for seasonings and garnish with basil.
4 ciabatta rolls, toasted with a drizzle of olive oil
Add some sausage and peppers into a toasted roll. Top with a dollop of ricotta cheese. Serve with oven fries.
Creamy Paneer and Peas (Mattar Paneer)
This is yummy interpretation of a classic mattar paneer…
2 tablespoons ghee or butter
1 teaspoon black cumin seeds
3 cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 medium yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
2 inch fresh ginger
1 cup tomato puree
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cups paneer, grated
½ cup cream
1½ cups frozen peas
½ cup cilantro, chopped
Transfer the onion, garlic and ginger to a processor and process till finely chopped.
Heat a large frying pan with the ghee/butter. Add the cumin, cloves and cinnamon. Saute on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the onion mixture and sauté on medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato puree, salt, turmeric, cayenne pepper and coriander and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the paneer and cream. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer and cook with lid on for 5 minutes. Add the frozen peas, cover with lid and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro.