Pigeon Pea Soup version 3

Yep, you have that bag of pigeon pea that you bought and you don't know what to do with it.

Here is version 3 (vers 1 and vers 2)

Ingredients

1/2 cup of pigeon pea, soaked overnight and cooked to a mashable consistency with 1/2 a serrano (can omit the serrano)
2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly minced
1 dried red chilli pepper
1 tbspn veg. oil
salt to taste
a pinch of turmeric

Method

1. Mash the pigeon peas, add salt and turmeric powder and mix.

2. On the side in a pan heat up some oil and add the dried red pepper and garlic and let it cook on high until the garlic browns. Add this hot oil, infused with the essence and spice from garlic and chilli pepper, into the pigeon pea mixture. Mix and let it come to a boil and you're done.

Goes well with basmati rice and yoghurt and bajjes.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

This tomato sauce recipe is a little different - you chop all the vegetables and roast them in the oven. The bacon and balsamic vinegar give it a more round and complex flavor, which is why I left out the tomato paste when I made it. I think next time I'll try adding a half can of tomato paste for texture and color. But, as is, this is really good and very easy. There's nothing like home-made tomato sauce in summer. The basic recipe is from Closet Cooking, my second favorite food blog, but I added a lot more tomatoes, parmesan and used more fresh herbs. --AnglophileLV

Roasted Tomato Sauce - adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:
8 medium tomatoes quartered
1/2 small onion chopped
3 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
A dash of whatever red wine you’re drinking with the meal
5 sprigs fresh oregano (a small handful)
a small handful of fresh basil
3 pieces bacon chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley (chopped)
1/2 C fresh grated parmesan

Directions:
1. Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, basil, bacon, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat.
2. Place the mixture in a baking dish and bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 45 minutes.
3. Place the mixture in a food processor.
4. Use the food processor or immersion blender to chop the sauce to the consistency that you desire.
5. Toss with the fresh parsley, parmesan and pasta to serve.

Garlic and Scallions Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
2 White or Russet potatoes, cooked to mashable consistency.
3 scallion stalks, chopped up.
1 large garlic clove
Pepper and Salt to taste
Milk
1/4-1/2 tbspn butter (I generally don't have butter at home except ones that some restaurants give with take-outs. I use 1/2 of that amount).


Method:

1. Mash potato, garlic, salt, pepper, butter.
2. After it is more or less uniform, add the milk to make it smooth. Also then add the scallions and mix thoroughly.
3. Serve warm!

Pizza Sandwich a la LV

Bon Appetit gets credit for giving me the idea, but their recipe didn't go nearly far enough. They left out key ingredients, and that I cannot forgive. And they make their recipes unnecessarily difficult just to be 'more gourmet than thou,' which I find annoying. A few shortcuts never hurt anyone. So, here is my recipe for their idea (which was a good one): The Pizza Sandwich. Make it the night before and take it to work the next day - oh so deliciously practical. --AnglophileLV

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp dried oregano (or 2 fresh sprigs chopped)
1 tsp coarse kosher salt
4 ciabatta rolls split (Costco makes great ciabatta bread!)

LV's Twist:
4 Slices mozzerella (BA hasn't heard about pre-sliced cheese yet, so this one's mine)
2 cups mixed greens

shredded chicken
Fresh basil to taste
Thin sliced salami (or pastrami) to taste
Sundried tomatoes to taste
Pine nuts to taste

Directions:
Heat 4 Tb of the olive oil and the garlic in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat for about a minute, until the garlic is golden. Stir in tomato paste, sugar, oregano and salt. Cook until tomato spread starts bubbling. Remove from heat and let cool.

Spread 1 tsp tomato spread on top and bottom halves of rolls. Layer the rest of the ingredients (mozzerella, mixed greens, fresh basil, sundried tomatoes, salami, pine nuts). Cut in half, put it in the fridge, and your lunch is MADE for tomorrow.

Be the envy of all the other kids at the lunchtable.

Garlic Coconut Chutney

I love chutneys. Hopefully, with the success of this one, I will be making more.

Ingredients

1 large clove of garlic
3/4 cup shredded fresh coconut (if you have frozen fresh grated coconut, thaw it out)
1 Tbspn tamarind paste
Salt to taste
1 tspn red chilli powder
Some water or coconut milk

Method

1. In a food processor or blender, blend all of the above. The amount of water or coconut milk (for a smoother taste) you add depends, and generally you will need to add it so the ingredients can blend. I added about 1/2 cup. You might need more. The chutney shouldn't be liquidy or too dry, so add water/coconut milk with caution.

Serve with warm pita bread.

The chutney lasts well for about 10 days and makes a delicious quick breakfast along with pitas, if you don't mind the garlic breath, i.e.

Tuscany Lamb Chop Skillet (from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

Summer makes me crave Italian food. Warm breezes, tan skin, blue skies and clay pots bursting with basil—it’s not hard to imagine that I’m in Tuscany right now. This recipe has incredible flavor, even though it uses canned beans and canned tomatoes that any genuine Italian woman would shun. Oh well, I’m English and we can’t cook worth beans. Cannellini beans, that is… --AnglophileLV

Ingredients:
Lamb Chops
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped or torn into small pieces
Olive oil
1 can Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1 can cannellini beans

1. Coat lamb chops with the chopped rosemary and cook in a skillet with the olive oil and garlic until done. When done, put on a plate and cover to keep warm.
2. Drain the cannellini and add to the skillet with the whole undrained can of Italian stewed tomatoes. Add a little more rosemary and heat thoroughly.
3. Plate the tomato and bean mix and top with lamb chops. Garnish with fresh rosemary.

Atomic Spinach Curry

I know the picture is a bit crap, but this dish isn't. Yet another dish I grew up eating and taking to school for lunch. It's very simple but the flavors are fantastic (Garlic !!) It has some eclectic ingredients but I hope you try it out.


Ingredients: (approximated)

2.5 cups of chopped spinach (I used fresh baby spinach)
1/2 cup of toor dal (aka yellow pigeon pea. the dry and not the oily kind) cooked properly (semi or even completely mashed; soak overnight to speed up cooking process, EVEN if you use a pressure cooker like me)
10 cloves of garlic (I used an entire bulb of garlic ergo 'Atomic')
1/2-1 tbspn vegetable oil (actually, just enough to coat your pan)
1/4 tspn Turmeric
1 tspn Red chilli powder (Indian)
1.5 tspn Coriander powder
1 tspn tamarind paste
1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)
Salt to taste ( I almost screwed up this dish by throwing in too much salt...be careful the tamarind paste will provide a significant amount of tang).


Method:

1. To your pan add the vegetable oil and let it heat up.

2. Add the garlic cloves (I love the sizzling sound when it hits the hot oil) and saute until the garlic cloves take on a brownish hue. DO NOT LET THIS BURN.

3. Add the spinach and saute for about a minute (it will wilt a tad bit).

4. Add the cooked dal (this is going to be a semi-liquid form) and coconut milk. Also add the spices and tamarind paste at this point.

5. Let this simmer and jive for about 5-10mins. then it's DONE!

Serve over hot basmati rice with maybe some yoghurt or raitha.

Chardonnay Chicken with Pasta

This is my new favorite pasta recipe. Well, second favorite; my heart will always be with the bourbon based sauce with Italian Sausage, chicken, and mushrooms served over penne or stuffed shells (Shout out to Cafe Italia up in Davis ).
Alright straight to my modified version of this recipe

Serves 1-2 (2 people, if you add sides like a salad and generous helpings of steamed veggies)

Ingredients (I didn't exactly measure...)

1 chicken breast, cubed into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup(or a tad bit more) all-purpose flour
1/2tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1-1.5 tbspn extra virgin olive oil

Sauce:
1tbspn e.v.o.o
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced (yes, I know the original recipe added 4 cloves to 4-6 breasts and I'm adding it to 1 breast. Sue me. Garlic rules me)
1/2 tspn dried Italian spices (My bottle has thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, and basil)
1/2 cup Chardonnay
1/4-1/2 cup Chicken stock (I dropped a bouillion cube in boiling water and added that)

Also some cooked pasta (I used fettucine noodles)

Method:
Before I go further: I LOVE dishes that can be cooked in one pan.
1. Heat the 1.5 tbspn of olive oil in a frying/stir-fry pan (medium high heat)
2. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper to make a dry batter.
3. Coat the pieces of chicken with above batter and place in frying pan.
4. 2-3 minutes on each side and it should look like its just beginning to brown. Remove from the pan and place in a bowl and set aside.
5. In the same pan,add 1tbspn of olive oil (at this point you could also add a dash of butter as the original recipe calls for, but I left it out) and let it heat up.
6. Add minced garlic and saute for about a minute. To this add the spices as well. Saute for another minute. The aroma at this point should tingle your senses.
7. Add the chicken back and stir so it is covered with the garlic and spices [1minute].
8. Add 1/2 cup of Chardonnay (be careful, alcohol and fire..) and let the alcohol cook off. Iit will take about 5 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken.
9. At this point, add the 1/4 cup of chicken stock and cook until sauce thickens to desired consistency.
10.Pour over pasta and ENJOY! maybe with some fresh toasted roasted garlic bread.

Sidenote: garnish with Parmesan+Romano or not! Really great either way.

Greek Shrimp

Gotta love them Greeks. They gave us philosophy, togas, parades with phalluses on sticks, and feta. What's not to like? They were also the inspiration for this recipe, which is just another reason to say a great big Opa! I gotta give a shout-out to the Closet Cooking blog for this, even though I didn't follow any of the directions for ingredient amounts.
--AnglophileLV

Ingredients
Shrimp
4 cloves garlic
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 splash hot sauce
4 sprigs oregano
4 sprigs mint
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 c. feta
A few sprigs parsley for garnish
Toasted or very crusty bread

It should be noted that I didn't pay attention at all to the measurements of the herbs. I just threw in equal amounts of everything, since I have them all growing on my balcony. Feel free to do the same. It came out great!

1. Saute shrimp and garlic, remove shrimp when done.
2. Add chopped tomatoes and green onion. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
3. Return shrimp to skillet and add the wine and herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Remove from heat and gently mix in the feta.
5. Cover and let rest for 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

The best way to eat this is to scoop up the liquid, tomatoes and shrimp with crusty or toasted bread.

Roasted Broccoli

The Best Roasted Broccoli Recipe of All Time
On the 7th day, He rested. But come on folks, God was an over-achiever if ever there was one, and do you really think they “rest” ever? Nah. On His day off I firmly believe He invented this broccoli recipe. And it was good. Well, He, or the Barefoot Contessa.

--AnglophileLV

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 bag broccoli
3 Tb olive oil
1/4th tsp salt
Pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon, zested
1/4th cup parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. In a bowl, mix the broccoli florets with the olive oil, salt,
pepper and chopped garlic. Spread in 1 layer on a lined cookie sheet
and pop in the oven for 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, zest the lemon and grate the parmesan.
4. When the broccoli is cooked and slightly brown (you can toss it around midway through roasting for more even browning), toss with the lemon zest and parmesan. Squeeze a lemon wedge over the broccoli and serve.

Balsamic Vinaigrette - Desi Style

Finally a recipe. It's been a long time. In my defense, I've been traveling around parts of India I've never been to and it's been a blast for all of my senses. I'm really tempted to dedicate a post just to my memories and travels in the past couple of months. In time, I think I will.

Now back to food. A couple of my friends here are slowly getting into salads now. It makes me really happy! Fortunately we get some of the ingredients to make some decent vinaigrettes and I'm going to describe the dressing I've been using here for the past few months. Since I'm in India and us Indians can't be buggered [hello british slang] to measure things, this will be a free flow recipe. It's sort of a rap recipe (improvised with no measurements) but with the basics being the same.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
Balsamic Vinegar -1/2 cup
Olive Oil -1/2-3/4 cup
Garlic - finely chopped - 6-10 cloves
Italian spices - dried. Anything and everything seems to be alright (mainly: oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram, etc.) Pinches of everything! Remember a little of dried spices goes a long way.
English Mustard - VERY VERY little. I should be using Dijon Mustard, but I couldn't get my hands on it.
Pepper - 1/2 tsp or lesser
Salt (can omit this)

In a jar (which you can close and mix) place the finely chopped garlic, add pinches of the spices you have on hand, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and mustard. to this add the olive oil and mix. Shake the jar/bottle for about a minute. Taste it to ensure the flavours are balanced.

Usually it keeps well for about a month or more (i've used it up within a month) and gets better with time.

Salad:
Ice berg lettuce, Green-leaf lettuce, tomato cubes, onion slices, black olives, slivers of carrots, cubes of cucumbers, slices of capsicum/green bell pepper.

I've also added ripe papaya and apples when available.

For those addicted to non-vegetarianism: Marinate a chicken breast with the salad dressing for about 15 minutes. Then grill it. Once cooked, chop it into cubes and toss along with the veggies.