Campanelle is a flower shaped pasta that is perfect for hearty and chunky sauces which makes it the ideal for this rustic sauce. The pesto is definitely key to taste of this dish. So make it fresh and store enough for future use. If you have the sun dried tomato pesto pre-made, this pasta takes under 15 minutes to make! 

Sun dried tomato pesto

This is my variation of pesto which turned out to be a keeper!

1 1/2 cups + 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, roughly chopped (drain most of the oil- keep 1 tbsp to add in the pesto) 
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
1/2 cup pecarino cheese, grated or shredded
 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
1 tbsp large capers
1 tbsp pine nuts
6-8 large garlic cloves
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor or blender. Pulse a few seconds until all the ingredients combine together coarsely. Drizzle in the olive oil and continue pulsing until you get a thick coarse paste. Add the remaining 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes and mix it in to keep it chunky and to give a bite to the otherwise smooth dish.

For the Pasta

1 pound campanelle pasta (substitute: fusili, gemelli or shells)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pound asparagus, the thick bottom part snapped off
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 tbsp crushed red peppers 
1/2 cup sun dried tomato pesto
1/2 cup light cream
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp salt 

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 7-8 minutes or until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add sliced onions and crushed red peppers. Saute until the onions are cooked(they turn translucent). Add the asparagus, salt and cook for 5 minutes. 

Add the sun dried tomato pesto, mix and just after a minute stir in the cream, remaining basil and shut the heat off. 

Add the cooked pasta mix well and serve. I served it with shaved pecarino cheese on top and side of my favorite roasted garlic sourdough bread.

2 potatoes, washed and boiled until just firm and cooked

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

1 cup methi leaves, washed 

1 tsp cumin seeds

3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

1 cup light cream
1 tbsp canola oil 
1 tsp salt 

 Paste ingredients :

1/2 cup coconut

1 cinnamon stick

3 cloves

1 inch piece ginger

3 garlic cloves

1/2 -3/4 cup water

1 tsp salt

5-6 indian green chillies

Blend the above paste ingredients together until smooth and set aside.

Heat a pan with oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and saute until golden. Add the onions and cook until soft.  Pour in the blended mixture and let cook for 20 minutes over medium-high heat.

Add the methi leaves, remaining salt and cook for another 10 minutes. Slowly drizzle in the cream over low heat and let cook for another 5 minutes. Peel the boiled potatoes and crumble it gently into  bite size pieces and add to the simmering curry.

Sprinkle cilantro on top and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Sere hot with rice or with any indian bread.

What’s better than pillowy soft gnocchi in warm herbed sauce on a rainy cold day? Nothing! So here’s what’s for dinner tonight.

I used gnocchi bought from my local italian store. If you have extra time on your hands, you could always make your own. Here’s how.

1 pound gnocchi 
Whole tomatoes, peeled and canned 
1 whole bulb garlic, roasted
1 red pepper , roasted
2-3 tbsp large capers
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp + 1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp +1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp crushed red peppers (adjust to your level of heat)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Brush the entire bulb of garlic (skin on) with canola oil. Place it in a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes until golden. Remove and let cool. When completely cooled, gently squeeze the soft roasted garlic from the skin and set aside.

Bring salted water to a boil and drop the gnocchi in. The gnocchi will float and come up to the surface when it is cooked. Drain the water and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the whole canned tomatoes, 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp salt , onion and garlic powders and roasted cloves of garlic and crush into a pulp using your hands. I prefer using whole tomatoes and hand crushing them instead of using tomato puree or pre crushed tomatoes.

In a skillet  heat olive oil over medium heat, add the blended tomato-garlic mixture, crushed red peppers, salt, capers, dried oregano and remaining 1 tbsp dried basil. Mix well together and warm through for 6-7 minutes and drop the cooked gnocchi in.

Just before serving add the chopped roasted red peppers, mix well and serve.

Taquito, a Mexican dish is basically a small rolled-up tortilla with any kind of filling usually meat or cheese. Traditionally the filled tortilla is deep fried. 

My version is both vegetarian and healthy. So, I chose to bake the taquitos to make this a more everyday meal. I also crisped onions to add the sweet caramelized flavor to the cheese taquitos.

The perfect pair for cheesy tortillas are tomatillos. The easiest way of using them are making salsa verde, a tomatillo sauce which have many variations. Mine uses cilantro, mint and garlic. 

8 flour tortillas ( 6″ or 8″ size)
2 cups shredded pepper jack or monterey jack cheese (I used a mixture of both)
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced lengthwise

For the tomatillo-mint sauce:

1 large can whole tomatillos( 8-10 if using fresh) 
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium yellow onion
2 jalapenos, roughly chopped ( I use the whole pepper with seeds, you can deseed to make it milder)
3 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tsp salt 

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a saucepan add 1 cup of water, the tomatillos and salt. Bring this to a boil and cook uncovered or 7-8 minutes until the tomatillos just begin to break down. To this add the garlic, onions, jalapenos and cook covered for 15-20 minutes until all the vegetables cook to tender. Add the cilantro, mint and let cool for 5 minutes. 

Blend this using a hand blender into a smooth mixture. This salsa verde makes a great side to tortilla chips, works great with fajitas, burritos and is fantastic for breakfast over eggs. 

In a non-stick pan heat 2 tbsps canola oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook while stirring for around 15-20 minutes until the onions cook, brown, crisp and caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place a tortilla on a plate. Spread 3-4 tbsps cheese across it and top with 2 tbsps of the onions. Wrap the tortilla tightly and place on a greased baking sheet. Roll the remaining tortillas until you use up all the cheese onions. Arrange the tortillas on the sheet and bake for 8 minutes until the outside gets crispy and the cheese is molten.

Serve the tortillas with sauce drizzled on top.

Did I hear a Burrp?

Here is how I used some great south indian ingredients like fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and mustard seeds with potatoes and tomatoes. It makes a comforting and spicy side dish to any bread or steamed rice.

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp split black gram dal (Urad dal)
1 tsp fenugreek(methi) seeds
10-12 curry leaves, chopped (leaves from 1-2 stems)
1 tsp salt 
1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp canola oil

To make into a paste :

3 medium tomatoes, halved 
1 ” piece ginger, rough chopped
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt 
1/3 cup grated fresh cocnut

Add the tomatoes, ginger, asafoetida powder, coconut, red chilli powder and salt. Grind together into a smooth paste and set aside.

Heat the oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, as soon as it starts popping, add the black gram dal and fry until it starts to turn golden. Add the methi seeds, fry for 10 seconds and add in the chopped onions, half of the curry leaves and saute until the onions turns golden. 

Add the pureed tomato-coconut mixture and a tsp of salt  to the onions stir well. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the tomato masala cooks through. Mix in the chopped potatoes, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.

Sprinkle rest of the curry leaves on top and serve with chapati or with steamed rice.

3 medium beets, washed, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen green peas,thawed to room temperature
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

 Heat oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry till golden brown. Add onions and turmeric powder. 

Try this and you will never complain about cabbage being bland. The crispy pan fried pieces of cabbage and the hearty spiced lentils are a wonderful combination.

1 cup bengal gram dal (Channa dal)
3 cups cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8-10 dried red chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1″ piece ginger, minced
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
5 curry leaves, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp rice flour

Soak the channa dal for an hour in water. Drain and grind into a coarse paste with the dried red chillies, 1/2 tsp salt and asafoetida powder.

Add the minced ginger, chopped onions, cumin seeds, cilantro, curry leaves and salt to this mixture. Mix well, add the shredded cabbage, rice flour toss together and set aside.

Heat oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Take 2 tbsps of the cabbage-lentil mixture, slightly flatten it with your palms and gently place on the oil. Fry for 4-5 minutes on one side until completely cooked through and browned. Flip over and cook for another 4 minutes.

Place on paper towels to drain and serve warm with mint chutney. 

Calling all Bloggers,

Are you having the same issue with Feed Burner as I am? I woke up to 0 readers this morning, now it shows 12, then on refresh 15.  How many I actually have?  no one really knows! It has a mind of its own.  Feed Burner needs some behavioral adjustment!

On that Note:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/22/feedburner-needs-to-get-it-together/

This authentic Tamilian dish is simple yet comforting. The toasted fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds add to the flavor and aroma, the urad dal gives it texture and dried red chillies for spice. It makes a great side dish with rice. Typically served over a hot bed of cooked rice with ghee drizzled on top. 

2 large bunches of fresh spinach
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp urad dal
3 dried red chillies, halved

Wash the spinach leaves and roughly chop them. Bring 3-4 tbsps of water to a boil in a pan and add the salt and spinach. Cook over medium heat. Since spinach leaves contain a lot of water, you do not want to add too much water. Cook until the spinach is tender.

Using a hand blender mash the spinach into a smooth puree.

In a dry pan, roast the fenugreek seeds, watch closely to avoid burning. Roast them until golden and powder them using a blender. 

In another small pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, just when they splutter add the urad dal and crushed red chillies. Remove from heat, stir in the powdered fenugreek seeds and add this to the pureed spinach. Mix well and serve hot.

This is super simple, yet incredibly tasty. It makes a great snack, side dish or an appetizer. This one is standard fare in my parties.

4 medium potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Topping : 

1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 tbsp dried basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
1/8 tsp salt 

Pre-heat oven to 450 F.

Slice potatoes into 1/4″ slices. Use a paper towel to pat them dry. Toss with olive oil, basil, pepper and salt.  

Spread the potatoes out in one layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. 

After 15 mins when the potatoes begin to brown on the bottom side, flip them over and roast for another 8 minutes. When the potatoes have roasted on both sides, remove from heat and set aside.

Mix sour cream, basil, garlic, crushed red peppers and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Serve the roasted potatoes with a dollop of the sour cream mixture on top.

(Inspired from this recipe)