Tag: travel blog
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.
Udon Noodles with Sausage and Shrimp
- 1 pound udon noodles, prepared according to package directions
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 3 sausage links, casings off and crumbled (I used Korean style sausages)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- ½ pound shrimp, deveined and cleaned
- Salt
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and keep aside.
Heat a wok like saucepan with the peanut oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on medium high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the udon noodles and sauce. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp. Mix well, cook for another 2 to 3 minutes till the shrimp is cooked through, adjust the seasonings and serve.
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.
Bean Avocado and Shishito Pepper Salad
Shishito peppers are everywhere now.. they are these small Japanese peppers that can be quite mild or every once in a while, they can be a bit spicy.. this salad is delicious with black beans and avocados…
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 3 to 4 shishito peppers
- 1 medium pepper, yellow or red, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro
- Juice of a large lemon juice
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Transfer the shishito peppers to a heated cast iron pan. On medium high heat, char the peppers on all sides- about 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a chopping board and let cool and then chop. Transfer the beans, avocado, charred peppers, sweet peppers, green onions and cilantro to a serving bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt, honey and oil. Mix well and taste for seasonings and adjust. Let it sit for at least half an hour before serving.
Moroccan Style Carrot and Orange Salad with Harissa Dressing
This is a great carrot salad to complement yesterdays’ stew or any other entree.. in fact, it will delicious with any grilled meats/seafood! I have buying the most gorgeous looking multi colored organic carrots from Trader Joes but any kind of carrots will do, in face you can buy the pack of already shredded carrots to keep things simple. Either way, this is a yummy salad!
- 4 to 5 carrots, peeled and grated
- 3 to 4 navel oranges, cut into segments and squeeze the juice and keep aside for dressing
- 4 green onions, chopped
Transfer all the ingredients to a serving bowl. Keep aside.
Dressing
- ½ cup orange juice
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
Transfer all the ingredients to an airtight container. Mix well with the lid on. Taste for seasonings. Pour half of the dressing onto the salad, mix well and add some salt to adjust seasonings. Pour more dressing if needed. Let the salad sit for at least an hour in the fridge before serving.