WHAT DO I MAKE...

Photo: Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times (click on his name to check out his website/photography) I came across this eye-catching picture in The New York Times this morning and wanted to share it here.  Solanum lycopersicum commonly known as Tomato is technically a fruit and a vegetable for almost all culinary purposes! Martha Rose Schulman shares her 5 tomato Recipes for Health.  Check them out here in Cooking with Summer Tomatoes . The amazing photography is my incentive to try these recipes!!  Here's wishing everyone a "bright" and "cool" summer, have a wonderful weekend! Also pitching in to the tomato collection is Aimee,   check out some "simple" recipes in her article Taken with Tomatoes   on Simple bites!

I have been wanting to try a vegetarian paella for quite sometime now. I have lived in Miami for 7 years but never made a good attempt to do it. I have heard my friends and colleagues vouch for restaurants that serve good seafood paella but I never came across any good veg. paellas. I even bought a paella pan but never got around to making it, it served me well to make giant dosais!!! So, now, I finally decided to try making it at home! Paella is originally a Valencian specialty but just like any other dish, there are different versions - Valencian paella, seafood paella, different preparation techniques, spices vary in different recipes and of course each chef has his/her own twists to add. This article Paella:Rice at Its Best by Norberto Jorge is a great place to start if you wish to learn more about this comfort food! I don't have a paella pan now and I don't have any fresh herbs besides parsley (read my NOTE on parsley) but I do have saffron and I know that saffron is ...

I bought a bunch of parsley back in May. I washed it, used a little and stored it in the middle bin of the refrigerator, in the same plastic bag that we put them in at the grocery store. The picture below, is what it looks like now (the pic was taken yesterday, July 28th). So, very obviously, parsley is very different from it's Indian look-alike, cilantro! So, what is the normal shelf-life of fresh parsley? Comments, suggestions and tips welcome...!!

A hearty breakfast that will charge you good for a long day of work. No, I didn't make these waffles but these are the best store-bought waffles I've ever had - chunky, moist and crispy (they are slightly coated with sugar syrup). I picked these up from Costco - Julian's Recipe Natural Butter Waffles with Vanilla. I simply popped them in the toaster in a low heat setting, topped them with butter, maple syrup and fresh fruits - it's quick and taste delicious!! I think the tartness in strawberries goes great with the sweetness of ripe bananas. I am sure you can experiment with some other fresh fruits too. waffles topped with butter, maple syrup and fresh fruits!

Aloo-Gobi with a hint of kasoori methi!

This one turned out to be quite the melange, totally unplanned, I went with the eye appeal and on the dressing I went with tongue appeal :) I think I added a little bit of a lot of things, especially in my dressing (one of those whacky moments in the kitchen!!!). So sorry about the missing measurements, just go with what looks and tastes good to you!! Salad: fresh organic spinach, mandarin oranges (from the can), garbanzos (from the can), thinly sliced white onions and sliced garlic pods (I used a Mediterranean Marinated Garlic). Dressing: balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, jalapeno olive oil, peach pomegranate sauce, lemon juice, honey and crushed pepper

Mirchi ka Saalan is a traditional Hyderabadi curry and a common accompaniment to the famous Hyderabadi Biryani. It does have tons of South Indian flavors but goes well with roti or pulav! Ingredients: Anaheim peppers - 4 (I have also used Hungarian peppers, they work equally well!) Water - 1/2 - 3/4 cup Cumin seeds - 2 tsp Fenugreek (methi) seeds - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 2 tsp Masalas - coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, roasted cumin powder (optional) Curry leaves - a few! Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp Jaggery (gud/vellam) - 2 tsp Salt to taste Preparing the peppers De-seed the peppers and cut them into 2" squares. In a non stick pan, heat a tbsp of oil and roast the peppers.  Paste 1 Onion - 1 medium, roughly chopped Tomato - 2 medium, roughly chopped Ginger - 2" piece Garlic - 3 chubby pods! Coconut - 3 tbsp Heat a tbsp of oil and saute ginger, garlic and onions till the onions turn golden brown. Turn off heat and mix in tomatoes and coconut. Let it cool and...

I've blogged about this appetizer in my Christmas dinner post . We found this recipe on Sips and Spoonfuls , Archana's contribution to the dinner and I must say she has mastered this one! It was my turn to give it a try so here goes... we had already attacked the plate before I took a pic!! Pesto Pastry Pizettes Adapted from Sips and Spoonfulls by Sukaina Puff Pastry sheets - 1 box (this yields 18 pizzettes and you can manage about at least 4 or 5 more if you knead and roll out the scrap dough!) Pesto - the original recipe (click on Sukaina's link above) calls for a special red pesto. I resorted to an easier method, I used Costco's pesto and mixed in some Tom Yum paste (WHATT?? yes, I did!!!) and 1/2 a tsp of Sriracha. I think you can add any red chili paste. As for the proportions, follow your taste buds! Onion - 1/2 of a big one, finely chopped Tomato - 1, cubed to 1" squares - you need 1 piece for each pizzette Shredded cheese - mozzarella or cheddar (I think ...

Photo source: Food Network A unique lasagna recipe I found on Food Network. An inspiration to think out of the box , this picture looks drop dead delicious :)