Happy Diwali & Prosperous New Year

Hey All,

I wish you all "Happy Diwali" & "Happy New year" "Saal Mubarak" from me and my family. 

On the auspicious day of Festival of lights..May the joy, Prosperity, and happiness. Glow your days, in the year ahead. SHUB DIPAVLI :))

Cooking Garlic Paste

In Gujarat, one find this garlic paste in every household. It is also called "Lasanwalu Marchu" means chili with garlic. This is multi-purpose paste and can be used in everyday cooking items like gravy, dry subji, daal, grilled sandwich, and kadhi. It gives amazing garlicky taste and smell.

Ingredients :-

• 35 Cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp Water
• 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil

Method :-

1. First add water in blender or prosessor and after that add garlic, red chili powder, cumin powder, and salt.

2. Make smooth paste. Take this out in a bowl.

3. Then heat olive oil for 2 minutes on medium heat, then add Kashmiri red chili powder in it and stir.

4. Pour this mixture in paste and mix it very well.

5. Refrigerate this paste in glass container for longer use, aorund 15-20 days.

Enjoy...

Roasted Peppers With Goat Cheese Pizza

I love pizza and love to bake at home. I always try new stuff on my pizza as I like to experiment with toppings, pizza sauce, or even method to cook them, like in the oven, on barbeque grill, or cook them on grill pan. The inspiration for this came from goat cheese and roasted bell pepper pizza at CPK. The combination of these two is just amazing. The tartness from Goat cheese and sweetness from bell peppers together serves  a creamy and tasty pizza. I like my pizza with loaded with veggies, but you can totally skip a few toppings. 

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Ingredients :-

• 1 Pizza Dough Store Bought, for one pizza around 14 ounces (for 2-3 people)
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 4 oz Goat Cheese, crumbles
• 3 tbsp Mozzarella Cheese, grated
• 1 Big Red Bell Pepper, roasted and sliced
• 1 Big Yellow Bell Pepper, roasted and sliced
• 1/2 Small Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 1/8 cup Marinara Sauce
• Cornmeal or APF for sprinkling

Method :-

1. Preheat oven on 400F.

2. Dust cornmeal or APF on flat surface.

3. Roll out pizza dough with rolling pin in circel.

4. Place this dough on pizza pan, brush 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil on top of the dough. Spread marinara sauce lightly with little salt and pepper.

5. Now top with sliced onion, roasted peppers, mozzarella cheese, goat cheese, and red pepper flaks. Drizzel 1 tbsp EVOO on top of pizza.

6. Bake it for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melt.

7. Serve hot with ceser salad on side.

Enjoy...

Tortellini Soup With Parmesan Crisps

I am welcoming fall with is hearty but light soup. This soup comes together very fast. This soup is a meal by itself, but it is not heavy on stomach. Sky is the limit for ingredients for this soup as it can be made with loads of vegetables, meats, or even with beans; however my version is very simple and light, as I make it in light broth and with not many ingredients. I also cook Tortellini separately because I don't like my soup starchy.

Parmesan Crisps are the perfect with this soup. It is crispy, salty, and super tasty. I always add pinch of lemon zest to make them a little lighter, and give fragrance to it.

For Parmesan Crisps

Ingredients :-

• 1/2 Cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 1/8 tsp Lemon Zest (Optional)
• Pinch of Black Pepper, ground

Method :-

1. Preheat oven on 400 degrees F.

2. Mix all ingredients together.

3. Pour 1 tsp parmesan cheese 1/2 inch apart on to silicon or parchment paper lined in baking sheet. Pat down little bit.

4. Bake for 4-5 minutes until golden and crisps.

For Tortellini Soup

Ingredients :-

• 2 Cups Cheese Tortellini
• 4 Cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 2 tbsp Carrot, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 3-4 Whole Black Pepper, roast and freshly groung
• Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
• Salt to taste

Method :-

1. Cook Tortelling in salted boiling water till Al-dente. Drain and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in sauce pan on medium heat. Add chopped garlic and saute for 10 seconds.

3. Now add carrot, cabbage, little parsley, and shallot. Cook for 30 seconds.

4. At this point add vegetable broth in to the pan. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and mix. Cover pan with lid and bring it to boil.

5. Add tortellini in it and simmer this soup for 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat.

6. Pour this hot soup in serving bowl, sprinkle fresh parsley on top and parmesan crisps on side.

Enjoy...

Green Garbanzo In Gujarati Coconut Masala

This is very popular subji in South Gujarat. The green garbanzo(Fresh) are available at Indian grocery stores, Whole Foods, and occasionally at Costco. I prefer to buy them when they are still in their pod. Fresh green garbanzo(Chickpeas) beans are sweet in taste. They can be eaten roasted. Roast them with pod in a wok, or raw, or boiled. They are low in fat, high in fiber, and are also good source of iron. They are easy to digest if you use them fresh. For this recipe, one can use dried green garbanzo after soaking them in water overnight or frozen. I recommend fresh garbanzo beans for this subji.

The flavor of this subji is little nutty, sweet from coconut, and little spicy from freshly made paste. I still remember when my mom made coconut masala with mortar and pestle in our little backyard and the smell was amazing. We eat this subji with Juwar Rotlo, rice, Gujarati Kadhi, and papad. My mom's recipe is little different from others. She adds milk in it, and that makes the subji richer and smoother in texture.

Ingredients :-

• 2 Cups Fresh Green Garbanzo Beans, peeled 
• 1 Medium Potato, cut into small pieces
• 1 Small Tomato, chopped
• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup Coconut, grated
• 1 tbsp Ginger, grated
• 1 tsp Green Garlic
• 3-4 Green Chilies, chopped
• 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
• 1/8 cup Mint, chopped
• 1 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 cup Milk + 1/4 cup Water Mix
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• Pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
• Salt to taste
• Chopped Cilantro for garnish

Method:--

1. Mix onion, tomato, coconut, ginger, green garlic, green chilies, cilantro, mint, cumin-coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, and 1-2 tbsp water in mortar and pestle or in blender. Make smooth paste.

2. Heat oil in pressure cooker. Add asafoetida and cumin seeds, let them spultter.

3. Add masala and saute them for 20 seconds. Than add garbanzo beans, potato and mix well.

4. Now add milk and water mixture. Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning. Bring it to boil.

5. Cover cooker with lid and give 3-4 whistles. Cool down cooker little and then open it.

6. Add lemon juice, mix well.

7. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Enjoy...

Panch Phoron (5 Spice) Dal

This daal is very special to me because whenever I make this dal, one person in my family enjoys it the most, my 3 year old:)) This daal is in our menu every week.


Panch Phoran means five whole-seed spices. Panch phoran usually constitutes Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Kalonji/Onion Seeds, Fennugreek Seeds, and Fennel Seeds, all in equal parts. This spice blend is great in daals and pickle. Usually this blend is fried in hot oil or ghee, and it smells really nice while frying. Mix this whole seeds together in equal parts and use.

Ingredients :-

• 1/2 cup Toovar Dal/Toor Dal
• 1/4 cup Chana Dal
• 1/8 cup Fresh Tomato Puree
• 1 tbsp Tamarind Paste 
• 1-1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder
• Cilantro, chopped
• Salt to taste

For tempering :-

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Panch Phoran
• 1/4 tsp Hing
• 1 Dry Whole Red Chili
  

Method :-

1. Wash and soak toovar and chana dal in warm water for 3-4 hours.

2. Pressure cook both daals together in 2 cups of water.

3. Heat oil in sauce pan.

4. Once it hot, add hing, and whole chilli in it.

5. Add 5 spice mix in it and let them splutter well.

6. Then add tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes.

7. Now add dal, tamarind, cumin-coriander powder, red chili powder, and salt with 1 cup of water.

8. Let the dal boil for 3-4 minutes and than simmer for 5-7 minutes on low heat.

9. Garnish dal with chopped cilantro, and serve hot with rice or have it as a soup.

Enjoy...

Bell Pepper Crostata

Crostata is an Italian pie/tart which is very flaky and light. It can be sweet or savory. Traditional Sweet crostata filled with fresh fruits along with ricotta cheese (Crostata di ricotta) or with pastry cream.


This post is about savory crostata. Making dough for this pie is very simple, but this was for unexpected guest so I used store bought pie crust. For filling, sky is a limit. Stuff this pie with your favorite sauces, vegetables, meats etc. I had few bell pepers in my fridge, so I just used them with few ingredients that can be easily found in pantry.

Ingredients:-

• 1 Refrigerated (Roll-out) Pie Crust
• 1 cup Red and Yellow Bell Peppers, chopped
• 4-5 tbsp Marinara Sauce
• 3 tbsp Cream Cheese
• 1/2 tsp Cayene Pepper
• Pinch Of Cumin Powder
• Pinch Of Oregano
• Pinch of Lemon Zest
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Method:-


1. Thawed pie crust and preheat oven on 400 degrees.


2. In bowl, mix bellpeppers with cumin powder, little salt, and cayyen pepper.


3. Roll out pie crust on greased baking tray or on parchment paper.


4. Now spread 2 tbsp of cream cheese. Spread some marinara sauce on top of cheese.


5. Add bell pepper mixer on cheese-spread pie crust, leaving a one-inch border all around.


6. Fold the crust border over the filling. Keep aside.


7. In small bowl, mix remainder cream cheese with, lemon zest, and black pepper.


8. Top Crostata with cream cheese mixer and drizzle some olive oil on top of pie.


9. Bake the Crostata until the crust is golden, 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool little bit, serve warm.


Enjoy...