Sweet Potato Celery Bisque

I just got back from a lovely vacation to Kufri,where all I did was eat, trek, hike, and eat some more. The butter on my paranthas will come back to haunt me, I just know it. So I started eating healthy and light, and found some wonderful gems to support my mission.

This healthy, filling, flavourful bisque is very, very loosely adapted from this recipe, which I have used more for an idea guideline. I always wanted to try out a vegetarian bisque. The beauty of this is its minimal ingredients, and ease of cooking.

Servings: 4
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 12-15 mins.




Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly
1 medium firm, slightly ripe apple, chopped, with skin on (I used Granny Smith here)
1 small celery bunch, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt, as needed
black peppercorns, coarsely ground, 1 teaspoon
Water, about 1 and half cups.
1 tablespoon grated sharp cheddar cheese

Method:
In a deep pan, add the olive oil and onions and slightly sauté.
Add the sweet potatoes, apples, and a pinch of salt. cover and cook for about 2 mins on a medium flame
Add the celery, and cover for another minute.
Add the water, cover, and boil for about 10 mins on high.
Once cool, purée with a hand blender (or in a mixer/food processor), but not too smooth.
Add salt, pepper (I like mine hot so I used more pepper here), and more water if needed.
Serve warm with grate cheese on top.

Cabbage stir-fry

This one goes out to my friend Angana who has been pestering me for "less oil wala recipes". Her lament is that Indian vegetables are not very easily available outside of India (oh well...) so here comes a series of recipes that can be prepared in record time, have a whole lot of optional ingredients, and a lot of flexibility...

SO here's the Cabbage stir-fry

Ingredients
1) 2 cups chopped cabbage(green) (substitues: chopped brussell sprouts, chopped red cabbage, chopped iceberg lettuce chopped chards)
2) 1/3 cup chik peas (chana), soaked and steamed. (substitues: green peas, red beans, black beans, garbanzo beans - pink beans, or any legume)
3) 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder
4) 1 teaspoon paprika/red chilli powder
5) Juice of half a lemon
6) 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
7) 2 teaspoons oil
8) salt
9) chopped cialntro (optional)

Procedure:
1) Blanch the main vegetable (put in boling water for 2 minutes and remove from heat)
2) In a pean, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds.
3) Add the legume and stir for a minute.
4) Add the main vegetable, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water, add the salt and cover
5) cook for 3-4 mins on low heat
6) Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder and stir.
7) Add lemon juice and cilantro just before serving

Cold Pasta Salad

This is definitely one of my go to Dishes. About a couple months back P suggested a picnic. And boy was I thrilled! I made a lot of stuff, Packed it, got a bag for trash, a nonsensical book, and I was ready! We sat in a bamboo grove, talked, ate, read, relaxed. Until the monkeys came. I think they liked the pasta too :) else it would have been pretty insulting!

This is something that can be whipped up in 10 minutes flat whether I am making it for 3 people or 30. Definitely my go to dish. With a slice of cheesy whole wheat or rye toast, I think it can pretty much make a complete meal.

You will need

1 handful of mini pasta per person (I'm making this dish to serve 2-3)

1 medium sized carrot, chopped into small bits

1 small handful fresh or frozen green peas

1 small handful fresh or frozen sweet corn

6 medium sized French beans, chopped into small pieces

15 large red grapes or 15 ripe small strawberries, quartered

1 handful chopped black olives

2 pinches dried parsley or one teaspoon fresh parsley

2 pinches dried oregano or one teaspoon fresh oregano

2 pinches dried basil or one teaspoon fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint

juice of 1 lime

1 or 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 or 2 teaspoons cheese powder

salt to taste.

Method:

Boil the pasta al dente, run cold water over it and keep aside (the baby pasta I get here takes me 7 minutes to cook. Just for the white backdrop and color riot, I stick to durum wheat pasta but whole wheat pasta is definitely a healthier option)

Blanch/parboil the vegetables and keep aside.

Mix the pasta, cooked vegetables, fruit (in the interest of both taste and color, these two fruits work the best), and olives.

Add the herbs, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and stir.

Refrigerate if preferred at a lower temperature. If refrigerating, add lime juice just before serving.

Add cheese powder also just before serving.

Serve on its own or with cheese toasts.

Yellow Pumpkin Soup

Before I got married, I would subsist on soup. Every. Single. Night. Many thanks to Kanchan who made me relive those days. The days where I didn't need to keep stressing on the importance of vegetables, because I would get enough. And to emphasize how awesome a simple bowl of colored goop can be, I start here a soup series.

Soups are the most innovative way to eat vegetables, according to me. They cook enough so that the texture is not a bother, while retaining all the essential components. And the possibilities of experimentation are virtually endless.

This is the easiest, most flavorful and tasty variant I have ever made.

Serves 3-4. Preparation/Cooking time - 20 mins

Ingredients

1) Yellow/Red Pumpkins - about half a kg, or 1 1/2 pounds (You can use any species that belongs to the colored pumpkin family - squash, butternut squash, anything, as long as it is fresh)

2) Salt

3) 2 Bay Leaves

4) Red Chilly flakes - 2 large pinches

5) Coarsely ground black pepper - 1 large pinch

6) Chopped parsley - 1 large tablespoon

7) Saffron strands - a pinch

8) Yogurt (plain) - beaten (optional) - 1/2 tablespoon per cup

9) Toasted pumpkin seeds - optional.

Procedure:

1) Take the skin off the pumpkin - easiest way to to this is to cut the pumpkin into 12-16 pieces, skin and all, and slash off the skin with a knife. Steam the pumpkin in a CLOSED container - a cooker makes the most sense. Add a little salt and the bay leaves to the cooker to steam.

2) Once the pumpkin is cooked, puree the pieces into a smooth paste (after discarding the bay leaves).

3) Dilute with vegetable stock/water, add the chilly flakes and pepper and bring to a boil (on a low flame).

4) Add the saffron when the soup starts boiling.

5) Add 3/4 of the parsley and turn off the heat 5 minutes after doing so.

6) Garnish with a pinch of fresh parsley, a yogurt swirl, and the pumpkin seeds.

I like eating this with a slice of toasted brown bread with olive oil dribbled over it. Yumm!!

Apple-Yogurt salad

Healthy, tasty and light. You can throw in your own variations to it by adding spices, or other dried fruit. The basic recipe is what i have given below.

Ingredients:
1) 2 red apples, cored and diced
2) 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts.

Dressing Ingredients:
1) One cup curd/thick unsweetened non-flavored yogurt (if you are using home made 'curd', hand it in a cotton cloth for an hour.
2) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
3) A pinch of brown sugar
4) 2 teaspoon sparkling apple juice
5) 1 teaspoon ginger juice (grate ginger and squeeze)

Method:
1) Mix all the dressing ingredients EXCEPT brown sugar
2) Add these to the salad ingredients and mix well.
3) Garnish with sprinkled brown sugar

Fruit Panzanella

Here's the sweet version of a panzanella. I have tried not to sweeten it too much so that it may be served as a course at a full meal. Something I don't see being very "desserty" and is hence not classified so.

This recipe again takes off the lemon juice. I prefer substituting that with a thicker juice, to hold in the fruit flavors.

Ingredients:
1) half a cored apple, diced into small cubes
2) 1/2 cup diced pineapple
3) 4 black olives, cut into very small pieces
4) 2 slices of bread (multigrain or whole wheat for a healthier option) cut into small croutons and dried till crunchy (either in microwave or the sun)
5) 1 tablespoon walnuts
6) 1 tablespoon pistachio or almonds (the latter tastes better with bread)
7) 7and 8 can be substituted with 2 tablespoon pine0nuts
8) 1 tablespoon raisins

Dressing:
1) 1/2 cup strawberry, cut into large chunks and mashed
2) 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
3) 2 teaspoons brown sugar (can be substituted with 1 teaspoon honey)
4) One tablespoon red wine (optional, but very strongly recommended by me)
5) grated lemon rind.

Method:
1)In a bowl, mix all the salad ingredients you will be using.
2) In another bowl, take the mashed strawberries and stir. Some strawberry juice should separate.
3) Add the orange juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar (quick tip - one sachet of the Barista brown sugar is perfect for these proportions :D ). Keep a pinch of brown sugar aside.
4) Add the lemon rind and red wine.
5) Pour over the salad ingredients
6) garnish with a sprinkle of the remaining brown sugar.

Footnotes:
1)Although the red wine is optional, I love the body it provides to the dressing. Also, the red wine prevents the other fruit from changing color.
2) It might be tempting to try, but please please emlimitae diary in this recipe. Makes it too heavy and adds too many elements in what is to be just a starter. Moreover, this would be a part of the meal and not the meal itself so its important to keep this dish a little disbalanced, ingredient wise.


Variation:
This is a little tricky but gives an amazing result.
Take 3 tablespoons of white sugar and 2 tablespoons water. When the sugar melts add the bread slices. stir till the bread is caramalized. And add it to the salad. Elimitae the brown sugar in the dressing. However, this is a sweeter version and something that cant be consumed in too much quantities at a meal.

Panzanella

A very light Italian salad. Okay, okay. I admit this is not the actual original recipe. I have played around with it in terms of dressing. I personally like crispy ingredients staying crispy, and I have substituted the original light, lemony dressing with a heavier but smoother mixed oil dressing.

It makes for a great summer salad, light on the stomach, and fun on the tastebuds.

Ingredients:
1) 1 cup bread slices (cut into small pieces and dried till crisp in a microwave, or in the sun - NO toast, PLEASE!!!)
2) 1/4 of a cucumber, diced into small cubes
3) One large tomato, diced
4) 1/4 green bell pepper (optional yellow, but avoid red, it could get too "sweet" for the salad)
5)a bit of Iceberg lettuce or salad greens
6) 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
7) 1/2 a cored green apple (optional)
8) 1/2 cup fresh pineapple - diced (optional)
9) 1/4 cup walnuts - optional

Dressing Ingredients:
1)1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2) 1 tablespoon sesame oil
3) 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
4) 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (I prefer Thai ginger here)
5) 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
6) sea salt
7) A pinch white pepper (optional)
8) 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional) (But I personally LOVE this option... especially if you are using herbed bread, balsamic gives a very nice edge)

Method:
1)In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients (or whatever you are using)
2) In a separate bowl, mix up all the dressing ingredients
3) Pour over salad and toss.

Footnote:
1) The original recipe calls for only olive oil, lemon juice, and eliminates the ginger. The authentic Italian recipe uses stale foccacia, and the sour-ish taste of the foccacia clashes with the ginger. I personally prefer to get my zest with the lemon rind, so that the lemon juice does not soak into the bread and make the pieces soggy.
2) An all-fruit panzanalla tastes divine. Watch the space. :)

Bread Upma

This is not south Indian. It's a convoluted home-concocted stuff which is great as a brunch item, evening snack or for school lunches!

Ingredients:
1) 2 slices of (brown, or whole wheat) bread, broken into small bits
2) 1 medium red onion chopped (I personally like chives here, they taste great)
3) 1 very small carrot, grated
4) 1/4 green bell pepper, cut into small strips
5) 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
6) half a lemon
7) one green chilli, cut into small pieces
8) a pinch of turmeric
9) 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
10) cumin seeds
11) salt.

Method:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add cumin. Add onions and fry till pink. Add chopped green peppers and fry till tender. Add carrots. Add the green chillies.
2) Chop the bread slices into tiny tiny pieces and add these pieces.
3) Add the salt, turmeric and cilantro and stir.
4) Finish off with the squeezed lemon.

Note:
You may add other vegetables of your choice, like chopped botatoes, boiled beans, green peas, zuccini, etc.

Crostinis!

Ingredients:

Common Ingredients (other than topping):

1) A baguette (prefrably the ones without cheese cprinked on top, and whole wheat), diagonally cut
2) Parmesan or cheddar cheese, grated
3) Mozarella cheese, grated (totally optional)
4) 2 teaspoons fresh cream
5) Oregano, white pepper powder and salt
6) totato puree/ (I prefer fresh tomatoes blanched and pureed)
7) 2 teaspoons olive oil

Toppings:

A) Peppers

one red and one yelow pepper (this makes about 10-12 pieces). Roast or bake both n peel off the skin. Take off seeds and chop into small pieces.
Heat olive oil, lightly fry the peppers, and one tablespoon cooking vinegar. Let the vinegar evaporate. Then add one teaspoon cream (this acts as a binder and preverts toppings from falling all over the place.), and one large spoon grated cheese.
Add oregano, salt, pepper, heat some more.

Take the baguette pieces, roast with oilve oil in a pan for 1 min on both sides, coat lightly with puree and add the topping. Garnish with parsley.

B) Zuccini
One small green and one small yellow zuccini. (This makes around 12)
Chop both into small pieces.
Heat olive oil, lightly fry the zuccini, let them vrey slightly brown. add one teaspoon cream (this acts as a binder and preverts toppings from falling all over the place.), and one large spoon grated cheese.
Add oregano, salt, pepper, heat some more.

Take the baguette pieces, roast with oilve oil in a pan for 1 min on both sides, coat lightly with puree, add topping and garnish with fresh tomato.

C) Mushroom:
Chop both into small pieces.
Heat olive oil, lightly fry the mushrooms, let them vrey slightly brown. Add one large spoon grated cheese and let it melt (no cream here! GAG!)
Add oregano, salt, pepper, heat some more.

take the baguette pieces, coat with puree, add mushroom mixture, sprinkle more grated cheese.
Microwave on high for 1 min or bake for 6-7 mins in convection, 360/180 (top/base)

D) Tomato -FRESH
Take 3 large fresh ripe tomatoes, chop into very tiny pices, but do remove seeds. Mix with olive oil, a little fresh cruched garlic, white pepper, 4 drops of lemon juice and oregano and salt.

Lightly roast the baguette pieces in olive oil and add the mixture. Garnish with parsley (ESPECIALLY when yu kmake dieshes with fresh garlic, and not cook it, DO use parsley as a garnish)

Lentil Soup

Telugu: Pappu Pulusu.
Serves: One cup uncooked lentils, this serves 4.

a) the powder.

Ingredients:
1) 15 dry red chillies
2) 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
3) 2 and 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds.

Procedure:
Roast all 3 till dry in a wok/pan (prefrable no color change of chillies)
Grind to a fine powder.

b) the soup base

Ingredients
1) Lentils (yellow, split and dry) (Indian arhar dal OR moong dal only)
2) tamarind paste - 1 teaspoon
3) sugar 1 teaspoon
4) powder (see above) 1 teaspoon
5) 1 teaspoon oil
6) asafoetida powder
7) mustard seeds
8) curry leaves

Procedure:
1) Steam lentils in pressure cooker and mash well.
2) Add water (2 cups) in a pot, mashed lentils, tamarind paste, sugar, salt and powder. stir well. Boil.
3) Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they pop add asafoetida and curry leaves.
4) simmer for 5-7 mins on medium

Variation 1:
Stir onions, boil (but they SHOULDNT be mashed) while soup simmers

Variation 2
Add fried garlic at the end, and boil for a minute.

Variation 3:
Add cooked drumsticks while soup simmers.

Best with rice.

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone for the simplicity and freedom to experiment!!! I tried quite a few tricks before, but the following is the simplest and yummiest so far:

Ingredients:
Any of the following veggies:
Beans
Carrots
Peas
Potato
Pumpkin (squash)
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Brussell sprouts
Golden corn
Zuccini

You can use JUST about anything here!!!

Required:
Onions (1 large)
Garlic 3-4 cloves
Oregano + Rosemary + Basil
Pepper (I prefer white, but blacks ok)
One tbsp olive oil
Lots of water.

Procedure:

a) Preparing vegetables

1) I prefer all veggies fresh
2) cut viggies into tiny pieces, and for every one cup of veggies add 11/2 cups water.
3) microwave in high for 25 mins.
4) after 25 mins, drain the water and keep aside (STOCK)
5) now add 1/2 cup water for 1 cup veggies n microwave on high for 15 mins. Mash with a potato masher, but NOT fine.

b)Preparing soup:

1) Heat olive oil and add chopped garlic. when it just changes color add onions.
2) When onions change color add stock.
3) Boil for about 10 mins on medium flame.
4) Add semi-mashed veggies
5) simmer for about half an hour
6) Add salt ( I prefer sea-salt myself), the herbs and pepper.
7) Seve with grated cheese (optional)