Homemade pasta with lemon-coriander sauce(dhaba style)

Indiaized pasta version for all the spice seekers... This pasta dish seems like it came it came straight out of a Indo-italian 'dhaba'(Indian version of a diner) - but no, it's a concoction out of my kitchen :)

Ingredients:
Homemade pasta - see the video below on how to shape it OR just regular pasta would work too!
Generous bunch of fresh Coriander
One dried red chilly
One clove of garlic
Juice of half a lemon or one lime
Salt
Pepper
Some Olive oil

Shaping the pasta

For homemade egg less pasta recipe click here.

Method:
1. Prepare the pasta sauce by mixing coriander, chilly, garlic, salt, pepper,lemon juice and very little water in a blender.
Note: At this point you can start cooking your pasta in boiling water is if it's store bought.

2. Start warming olive oil in a pan.

3. Once the oil is warm, put the sauce in and heat it for a minute.
Note: At this point you can start cooking your pasta in boiling water is if it's homemade(since it hardly takes a minute to cook it). Over boiling fresh pasta will make it chewy.

4. At this time add your cooked pasta to the sauce.

5. Serve the hot pasta with some more lemon juice and garnish with fresh coriander.

Enjoy dhaba style pasta with some chilled beer! :)

Spinach-ricotta Ravioli with Brown butter sauce

On a weekend when the day is too hot to step out and I want to do something to get me out of that lazy mood on to my feet, I can't think of anything else but to cook something that I have never ventured before.

And today was the day of this super easy pasta recipe. The base of my pasta is egg less(because guess what, I was out of eggs and I was too lazy to go out to get it! :) ). The pasta recipe is derivation of a Marathi staple food called 'varan mutkule' - that is flour dumplings boiled with lentils - which my father loves to cook.

This dish serves two people easily and half the dough that remains can be used to make fresh pasta later. Store in the fridge and bring to room temperature before using again.

Here is the recipe that took me 1hr 10min on clock to make from scratch.

Ingredients:
Pasta:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup semolina flour
1/4 cup lukewarm water
Some salt
Some olive oil

Filling:
100 gm Ricotta cheese
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped spinach(boiled/thawed and squeezed)
Some salt
Some Pepper powder
Some nutmeg powder

Sauce and garnish:
3 tsp butter
Some olive oil
Some lemon juice
Grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley

Method:
1. Start mixing the pasta ingredients in a bowl together. Once a dough like lump is formed, transfer it on the kneading surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes.
Note:You can add a splash of water while kneading if the dough becomes dry, but keep the dough tight.

2. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Note: You can let it rest longer. This is just the minimum amount of time I think is good for rolling it out as thin as possible.

3. While the dough is resting, boil and chop the fresh spinach or thaw the frozen spinach from the freezer. Now squeeze out all the water from the spinach.

4. Add the ravioli, cornstarch, salt, pepper and nutmeg to the spinach and set aside.
Note: Make sure that you squeeze the spinach nicely, the filling shouldn't be runny.

5. After 20 minutes, cut a small portion of the dough(about 1/5th of it) and start rolling it as thinly as possible.
Note: At this point you can start boiling the pasta water with some salt and oil in it.

6. Cut the rolled sheet in two halves.

7. Put filling in the middle and fold the edges on top of each other.

8. Seal the dough around the filling and cut using a knife or cutter wheel.

9. Add these raviolis to boiling water. On another burner, start heating butter and olive oil.
Note: You can add some herbs like oregano, sage, rosemary or thyme. You can also add some marinara sauce to top the raviolis with.

10. Once the raviolis float on top of water, remove them and put in the brown butter sauce.

11. Turn off the heat. To serve squeeze some lemon juice on top along with some grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Enjoy fresh homemade, egg less Spinach-ricotta ravioli!! :)

Spinach-n-Mushroom pasta bake

Looking for a quick and easy way to entertain... Or just want to pamper yourself for a classy Italian meal on a weeknight... Either way, this recipe is definitely worth a try! :)

Ingredients:
Handful of spinach
Button mushrooms - quartered or chopped in thick slices
Pasta
Parmesan cheese - grated
Mozzarella cheese - grated
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
Minced garlic
Some dried Oregano
Some dried Thyme
~1/2 tbsp Butter
Olive oil
Some flour
Some Vegetable/mushroom stock

Method:
1. While the pasta water is kept to boil on one stove burner; heat olive oil with salt, pepper, red chilly flakes, oregano, thyme and  minced garlic in a deep saucepan on another burner.
2. Once everything starts to sizzle, add the mushrooms. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Let the mushrooms ooze their juices in to make the sauce.
3. After about another 2-3 minutes, remove the cooked mushrooms along with their juices in a bowl.
Note: At this point, put the pasta in the boiling water to start cooking.
4. In the same saucepan, add some butter and olive oil. Once butter is melted, add some flour and cook well to make a roux.
5. Add some stock to this and let it thicken. Add mushroom and it's juices to the sauce.
6. Add some roughly chopped spinach leaves to the mixture along with the drained pasta.
7. Empty this pasta mixture in a baking dish.
8. You can sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese on top OR you can skip the cheeses as well.
9. Bake this for 7-10 minutes at 400F/205C oven.

Serve hot!!

Spinach will cook in the heat of the sauce and later in the oven. That way it retains it's green color and has a bite to it.

You can substitute spinach leaves with any other sturdy greens such as arugula, water cress or chard leaves. 

Leek-Tomato Pasta

A great weeknight meal that uses two basic ingredients straight out of fridge - tomatoes and leeks.
Make food and be done with dinner in less than 30 min!

Ingredients:
2 leeks - thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
Dried pasta seasoning
Salt
Black pepper ground
Olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 tbsp flour
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - grated
1 cup uncooked pasta(serves two)

Method:
1. Start cooking the pasta for two servings on one stove.
2. On another stove, heat some olive oil, half butter, garlic, salt, pepper and pasta seasoning.
3. Once the oil is heated, put in the leeks and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and cook for another 4 minutes.
5. Make a small hole in the pan by setting the vegetable mixture aside and put remaining butter. Put the flour and cook it to form a paste.
6. Now mix the paste with the vegetables and stir in the stock(or water). Let it bubble for a minute.
7. Now drain the pasta and add it to the sauce.
8. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Enjoy your simple yet delicious weeknight meal with a glass of good red wine!

Mini wheels with mushrooms and swiss chard

Mini wheel is a very pretty shape of pasta specially when the guest of honor are kids.
This dish will be liked by all - kids or adults - doesn't matter. Ready to break the gold sauce pot!

Ingredients:
Chopped Garlic
Crushed Red Pepper flakes
Black pepper powder
Salt
Olive oil
A few cups of  chopped swiss chard
A few cups of sliced mushrooms
Mini wheel pasta
Pecorino cheese
1 egg per person

Method:
1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a big pan, start heating olive oil, garlic, peppers and salt.
3. Once the oil mixture is warm enough, add some mushrooms and saute until cooked.
4. Now add the chopped chard and wait until it all wilts.
5. Add about 3/4 cup of water in which you cooked pasta to the pan to make a sauce.
6. Drain and add the remaining pasta and some Pecorino cheese. You can also add Parmesan cheese.
7. Pile the pasta in side and crack eggs to make half fried eggs(this will make the gold sauce pots).

Serving suggestions: In a plate, pile the pasta and top it with half fried egg and cheese. Once you break the yolk, the yellow liquid will make for a delicious pasta sauce.

Farfalle with bean-green sauce

Like entertaining a group of health conscious friends or longing for a Tuscan vacation or cooking on a clock! This dish has endless reasons to be tried and tested. With a burst of natural flavors in your mouth and cooking time of only 20 min, this dish has never disappointed me. Perfect dish to get your protein while satiating your carbs craving!

Ingredients:
Bean-green sauce
2 cup canned Cannellini beans, drained and washed
3 cups kale/arugula/spinach(I use a ready to eat salad mixture for this dish)
1 medium tomato, chopped
Olive oil
4 tsp dried Garlic powder
1 and 1/2 cups Grated Pecorino-romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Salt
Black pepper powder
Crushed red pepper flakes(optional)

Recommended Pasta
Farfalle pasta enough for 2

Method:
1. Start cooking pasta based on the package instructions.
2. In a pan, put olive oil, garlic powder, salt and peppers. Turn the gas on low and allow the flavors to warm.
3. Put the diced tomato in the warm oil and cook for a couple of minutes until tomatoes are tender.
4. Now add the greens and cook for a minute or two to wilt them.
5. Add the beans, walnuts and 1/2 cup grated cheese. Mix well. Add some cooking water from pasta to make the mixture more sauce like. Turn the gas off at this point if the pasta is not ready yet.
6. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add 1 cup of grated cheese and some olive oil. Mix it well while still hot.
7. In the pasta bowl, layer the farfalle at the bottom. Ladle the bean and green sauce. Garnish with more grated cheese and chopped walnuts.

Happy entertaining!

Amber confetti in a forest

Some days when I am alone on a weekend, have nothing to do but relax and enjoy a beautiful afternoon, I feel like treating myself with something elegant yet keeping up to that new year resolution of eating healthy. To that, this amber confetti of mushrooms and almond-parsley sauce comes to my rescue. This is a quick and simple dish that makes me feel like a queen of lazy afternoon!

Ingredients:
Amber confetti:
3 cups quartered mushrooms
Olive oil
2 tsp dried Rosemary
2 tsp dried Garlic powder
2 tsp dried Thyme
Salt
Black pepper powder
Crushed red pepper flakes(optional)

Almond-parsley Sauce:
1/4 cup almonds
1 bunch of parsley
1/2 cup grated Pecorino-Romano
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Lime juice
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Method:
Amber confetti:
1. In a pan, put olive oil, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, salt and peppers. Turn the gas on low and allow the flavors to warm.
2. Once the oil is warm, put the mushrooms in and cook while stirring until they are cooked through yet have a firm form.
Tip: Make sure you cook on low to medium heat so that the mushrooms don't dry out.

Sauce:
This is the forest part where amber meets greens.
1. In a food processor, put all the ingredients and mix together. Keep this sauce a bit chunky.
Tip: You prep and make the sauce while the mushrooms are cooking.

Serving suggestion:
Although the amber confetti itself is delicious to eat as such, I like it with small amount of rice and a couple of fingerling potatoes as they taste amazing with the almond-parsley sauce.

Have a good afternoon!

Linguine in wild mushroom sauce

Dried wild mushrooms have become a staple in my pantry these days. With a hectic schedule and a desire to eat as many home cooked meals as possible, there is a need to revise the grocery list every now and then to come up with innovative ideas that are in stock and save time while entertaining! Dried food happens to be one of such items.

Ingredients:
1 cup of dried while mushroom
2 1/2 cups of hot water

1/2 packet of Linguine pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tbsp flour
2 cloves of garlic
Crushed red pepper to taste
Black Pepper powder to taste
Dried oregano to taste
3 tsp cream(optional)
Salt to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-prepration:
Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes before making the pasta.

Method:
1. Start cooking the pasta based on the instructions on the packet.
2. Drain the soaking mushrooms and reserve the liquid for later use.
3. In a skillet start heating olive oil, red pepper, black pepper, garlic, oregano and salt on a medium-low flame.
4. Once the oil is heated(not to the smoking point) put the flour and cook it for 1-2 minutes into a smooth paste.
5. Add mushroom stock to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
6. Add cream and drained mushrooms to the sauce and simmer for another minute or two on low flame.
7. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and mix.
8. Mix half of the Parmesan in the pasta.

Garnish with remaining Parmesan and serve hot!