I wanted this caprese salad to be the kind where one gets a surprise with the first bite and maybe even the second bite – like a surprise in the palate. When I made this feta/mozzarella combination in a caprese salad I was thinking that Feta with its briny tangy fresh flavor would make the perfect accompaniment to the milder fresh mozzarella cheese. The caprese is unexpected in that you don’t know what you are getting when you take a piece – since both fresh feta and fresh mozzarella are the same color and look similar, its hard to tell them apart creating an unexpected flavor surprise when eaten. Continue reading Feta Mozzarella Caprese Salad
Category Archives: From the Kitchen
Kossumali. Tamil Mixed Veggie Salad with Cannelloni Beans
Here is a salad with a south Indian Tamil twist just by adding mustard seeds and asafetida oil. These two spices can transform any salad into a traditional Tamil salad called kosumalli. I had a variation of kosumalli when we went for dinner at our friends Padmini and Naresh’s home one evening that was made with cannelloni beans, peppers, tomatoes, and fresh corn. This salad was fresh, filling, and packed with flavor. Continue reading Kossumali. Tamil Mixed Veggie Salad with Cannelloni Beans
Parmigiano Reggiano Fettuccini
The twins Anjali and Rani brought back a bunch of Italian goodies from their school trip to Italy recently -Parmigiano reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, pasta, and honey infused with balsamic vinegar. The parmigiano reggiano cheese was amazingly delicious 😋 and tasted so good that Hitesh asked me to make a pasta with just the cheese, and I did. Gosh, when food is made with quality ingredients it really doesn’t need much by way of flavor enhancers. I didn’t even add any herbs to this parmesan pasta, just olive oil and garlic with salt and pepper. What is it about pasta that makes one feel so good? Pasta has to be God’s gift to man, the ultimate comfort food. Continue reading Parmigiano Reggiano Fettuccini
Hey Gorgeous. You are a Beautiful Breakfast Bowl!
Rani made this amazingly gorgeous breakfast bowl one Sunday morning and all of us gave her this look of “Excuse me, where is our gorgeous breakfast bowl?” This yogurt breakfast bowl looked positively amazing! So many vibrant colors – red, white and blue, nutty granola, peanut butter, juicy berries, honey, and even edible flowers were in this bowl. Is this the perfect cool breakfast on a hot summer day or what? Continue reading Hey Gorgeous. You are a Beautiful Breakfast Bowl!
Juicy Peach and Super Greens Salad with Fennel and Walnut Oil Dressing
It’s summer and stone fruit season is here! Peaches, apricots, plums, pluots, nectarines and cherries are all so delicious in the summertime; you know summer is here when we see all these fruits piled up high at the farmer’s market. Continue reading Juicy Peach and Super Greens Salad with Fennel and Walnut Oil Dressing
Raw Mango Chutney & Sweet Apple on Baguette
If you are looking for an artsy avant garde appetizer that tastes outstanding then this recipe is for you. Sour from the raw mango, sweet from the apples, and delicious from the addition of green chillies and onions. This is the type of unique appetizer that comes from Indians who lived in Morocco and now live here in the Bay Area- a true global background my friend Radhika and her Mom have. Continue reading Raw Mango Chutney & Sweet Apple on Baguette
Cauliflower Potato Curry in Tomato Gravy
The aroma of cauliflower and potatoes cooking with onions and spices in a saucy tomato gravy always makes me smile 😊. I fondly remember my Mom making this cauliflower potato curry when I was growing up. When Mom served the curry in little stainless steel bowls along with her warm homemade chapatis, we would take pieces of chapati and dunk them in the tomato gravy and then eat spoonfuls of tender cauliflower potato curry. The tomato sauce is what gives the curry a nice tangy sourness that is yummy. Mom used to call this cauliflower curry “raswala cauliflower sabzi” translation “cauliflower curry in gravy.” Oh how fondly I remember my younger days and my Mom’s cooking. Funnily I get the same warm and feel good reaction when I make this curry for my family as well. This recipe is simple yet packs a ton of flavor. Give it a try! Continue reading Cauliflower Potato Curry in Tomato Gravy
Blistered Shishito Peppers with Mustard Seeds and Turmeric
Shishito peppers are a Japanese variety of peppers that are bright green mild chili peppers that have a green chili pepper flavor without the heat. It is said that one in every 10 shishito peppers is spicy, and it’s hard to know if that one spicy pepper will end up in your batch, making the entire experience of eating shishito peppers a lot of fun. The excitement, the anticipation, the unknown, and the wondering of “Am I going to bite into that one spicy shishito pepper?” makes it a fun experience eating shishito peppers 😳😡😀. Shishito peppers are so pupular these days that restaurants around town serve blistered peppers as appetizers. Continue reading Blistered Shishito Peppers with Mustard Seeds and Turmeric
Dark Chocolate Brandy Cardamom Ice Cream
Dark chocolate, cardamom, brandy, cream and honey – combine all these ingredients and what you have is a delicious ice cream spiked with a touch of brandy. Naturally, this ice cream is not meant for kids, however of you are looking for an adult ice cream that takes care of after dinner drinks and dessert all in one – then this decadent dark chocolate and cardamom brandy ice cream is the one. Continue reading Dark Chocolate Brandy Cardamom Ice Cream
Basbousa. Middle Eastern Semolina Cake
Happy Thursday! If you have been following the news or know anyone who is of Islamic faith then you know that Ramadan has been observed by Muslims all over the world for the last 4 weeks. During the annual observance of Ramadan Muslims fast for one month, which involves not eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset. This is meant to allow people to devote themselves further to their faith with the goal of ultimately becoming closer to God. The annual fast during Ramadan is an integral part of the Islamic faith.
This year Ramadan took place from mid-May to mid-June (ending on June 15th this year). The last day of Ramadan is known as the “festival of breaking the fast” and it is called Eid al-Fitr, this marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. On Eid as it is known Muslims gather together at the mosque for a prayer before spending the day with family and friends with a large feast and wishing one another ‘Eid Mubarak’ or ‘Blessed Eid’. Which brings me to this Middle Eastern dessert called basbousa that is usually made for celebratory occassions. Continue reading Basbousa. Middle Eastern Semolina Cake
