Rosemary Potatoes Home Style

As Lady Margaret my cook is away on her annual month long break, I am encouraged to cook and decided to try out a dish I had made a few years ago. Again from the Italian cookbook.

Ingredients

Baby Potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 Red Onion sliced lengthwise
8 peeled garlic pods
Rosemary herb
Oregano herb (this is my salt substitute)
Olive Oil
Butter

Prepare a baking dish (I use my microwave as I dont have a seperate oven) with olive oil. Place the slice baby potatoes in the dish, along with the onions, garlic and a little butter. Garnish with Rosemary and Oregano and toss well.

Place to bake for 20 minutes and serve hot. Its pretty tasty and the rosemary makes an excellent tango with potatoes. I use this as a main course but you can make this as a side dish or a mains.

 

My favourite Pesto Pasta unveiled

Those following my blog or FB updates would know that I absolutely adore Pesto Pasta and have actually eaten it thrice this week - once on Monday at Spagghetti Kitchen, Powai with my colleagues, second in Phoenix again at Spagghetti kitchen and today when I made it at home.

Its a really simple pasta to whip up in 20 minutes or so as long as you have the ingredients at hand. I learnt from an Italian cookbook i picked up some years ago at a Crossword sale and ever since its been one of my signature dishes.

Ingredients

Fresh Basil - I use a whole packet
Pinenuts  - 1 tbsp (available at Patel's Bandra)
Garlic paste or whole - 1 tbsp
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Mushrooms
Onions
Pasta: Penne or Macaroni
Garnish with oregano, chilli flakes, jalapenos

Prep
Wash the basil leaves well and drain out all water. Place basil leaves, pinenuts,garlic paste and olive oil in the mixie and whip till you get a fine green paste. If you use fresh garlic, then please add salt. 

Boil the pasta (add salt in the hot water and then add the pasta) till al dente (firm to the bite). Drain and keep aside (toss with a little olive oil so it doesnt stick together)

In a kadai, please add olive oil and onions with a garnish of oregano and chilli flakes, until onions start to turn a deeper pink. Then add mushrooms and saute it for a couple of minutes. The drained pasta can be added as well as the pesto paste. Saute for about 3-5 minutes till done.

Add fresh Jalapenos or any garnishes and serve.

Its absolutely delicious, not as bad for your diet as white sauce pasta and an easy dish to whip up for your friends. Do try it out for yourself.

Delicious Pulidorai aka Tamarind Rice at Chez Moi

Been dying to eat some delicious Pulidorai (Tamarind Rice) and since no Chennai trips are planned soon, decided to cook this easy to make comfort food. I had some grocery shopping to do at Neelam"s and Godrej Nature's Basket (for a change as Patel's was closed). Got back home and dug out the Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana of Indian recipe book to get started. Actually you dont really need a recipe book as its very similar to any of the rices - Lime or Curd.

Ingredients
Rice (freshly made) - I used a katori but how much ever you need
Whole Red Chilli's - 6
Mustard Seeds (rai) - 1 tspn
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Curry Leaves - 10 -12 (I dont use this)
Ginger - 1 inch piece chopped fine
Onion - 1 big red onion (not in the original recipe but I love the taste)
Tamarind pulp - 3 tbsp (add water to the paste)
Asofoteida - 1/4 tsp
Chana Dal - 2 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 3 tbsp
Urad Dal - 2 tbsp
Turmeric (haldi) - 1.2 tsp

Prep

• Wash and soak the rice in water for half an hour. Drain and cook rice in plenty of boiling water. Once the rice is cooked strain and spread out on a plate. You can add a little oil and mix lightly. I actually just add it into the tamarind mixture.
• Dry roast sesame seeds and grind coarsely with 2 red chillis. Wait for it to cool before you place in the mixie.
• Heat oil in a kadai and add 4 red chillis, mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal & peanuts. Saute for a couple of minutes till brown. Add turmeric powder, asofoteida, curry leaves, onion, ginger and tamarind paste. Stir fry for half a minute. Add a little more water if too dry.
• Mix in the tamarind mixture and dry mixture to the rice. Mix well and save.

I love tamarind rice with curd & pickle (i ate Priya's red chilli pickle) but you can serve with Papad or Banana Chips.

Do try out this delicious southern delicacy and tell me how it turned out.

Ringing in Mama's Bday at Chilli's, Powai

Last Tuesday, was my mum's bday and since I finished a training programme at Rodas, we decided to celebrate with a dinner get together intead of the usual weekend lunch. I finished pretty early (around 6.45 pm) and drove home to pick up my folks and also to encourage my mum to wear the pretty new salvar kameez I had bought her.

We had decided on Chilli's which my mum and me both enjoy. As we were early enough to benefit from "happy hour" we both ordered a Passion fruit Pineapple Fizz drink with sours - quite delicious but the first time I saw sugar instead of salt on the glass. I prefer sour and hence salt.

My main course was a mushroom fajita. Chilli's is one of the rare restaurants that has a seperate vegetarian  and a non vegetarian menu and has about 5 variants in their fajitas. Those following my blog will know fajitas rank high in the mexican cuisine lexicon and I love the DIY nature of the dish. Suprisingly no salsa was served though they brought some when asked.

The nicest part of the evening was the surprise we planned for my mum. My bro who lives in Bangalore landed up just while we were finishing dinner and stayed over. My mum was thrilled as she had no idea he was coming to Mumbai.

I would highly reccomend Chilli's for those who can make the trek to Powai. Its located on the main street opp Crossword.

Wine & Dine at Bungalow 9

Sunday evening after a few hours at b blunt saw me having dinner with a friend at Bandra's hottest new hangout Bungalow 9. Located at St. John Baptist Road (for the challenged, go straight at Reclamation Barista), the restaurant has indoor & outdoor seating, a bar and a private dining area for groups of 25 and more. Its a multi cuisine restaurant serving everything from sushi to thai to italian to continental food and has a pretty romantic ambience. A bit of a mediterareanean vibe with white walls, candles etc.

I ordered a wood grilled pizza with goatcheese, mushroom, peppers, jalapenos & sundried tomatoes. Quite nice but discovered I was full after I ate half of it. A bit of waiting at the bar but we were seated in just under ten minutes.

The last time I came here just for drinks so this was the first time I sampled the food. Hope to try some of the pastas next time.

Viva La Mexicana at Sanchoz

Sunday morning I was lazing with my morning papers when one of my friends sprung a surprise. We all decided to get together for a leisurely lunch. As I got to pick the place, I chose Sanchoz which I had been to a couple of times and loved. Great Mexican food, interesting music and  a fab buzzing ambience. Interestingly I have been here only at lunch time all 3 times. Am sure it would be a good choice for dinner too

In Mumbai today, I would rank Sanchoz and Chili's as the best Mexican restaurants with TGIF as a close third.

I ordered my all time fave Mexican dish Cottage Cheese Fajitas. Like the D.I.Y nature of the dish as you need to take your tortillas, add the condiments (salsa, gaucomole, fresh tomatoes) & then add the cottage cheese & roll it up before you eat it. My friends ordered a house salad, an enchillada  & a cottage cheese fajita.

We had to wait almost an hour for a table for 5 as we started pretty late. They take reservations only until 12.30. You can wait at the bar and nibble nachoz / have a drink....

Of Lady Margaret & absent cooks

Summer is here and its time for all good cooks to fly away. My long time (7 years) cook Lady Margaret has taken off for a few weeks to Kolkata to see her son. I am in the meantime left to my own devices so its time to cook again. Went to Patels this evening and stocked up but was a bit too late to snag mushrooms etc. Will try again tmrw or check out Godrej Nature's Basket.

Tomorrow planning to make some delicious Pulidorai for lunch. Will blog about the recipe soon and try out a Arabietta Pasta for the evening.

Stay tuned for the recipes tmrw. If you are in the vicinity, you can try it out for yourself

I am a CPK fan, are you?

Having been to the CPK Outlets at Chicago & Mumbai, I thought I would give the Makati outlet a try for lunch. CPK is California Pizza Kitchen for the unitiated... I spent the morning traipsing around Interamuros including the ramps of Fort Santiago and had worked up quite an appetite with all the walking. Surprising for  Manila, there were at least 4 vegetarian pizza options. I ordered a wild mushroom thin crust pizza with a topping of goat cheese & a grape crush to drink.

The grape crush was nice but not much to drink as there was so much ice. The pizza took about 20 minutes but was absolutely delicious. I ate the entire 13 inch pizza and relished every bite. Again, surprising for Manila, they serve you oregano and chilli flakes plus cheese powder. Must visit again restaurant on my list.

 

A little bit of India at Bollywood.....

Today's dinner was at this trendy Indian cafe - Bollywood - in the heart of Makati in Metro Manila. Hindi Music videos playing on TV, Movie Posters on the wall, interesting ethnic art, beaded curtains make up the decor. Filipino staff greet you every few steps with a cheerful namaste. As its a Friday evening, they have rocking dance music and an equal mix of Indians & Filipino teens occupy the tables. We sit in the outdoor seating area where they also have the Hookahs. Pleasant breeze, nice music and company and we get started on ordering.

One of my colleagues swears by this place so it came highly reccomended. We ordered Masala Papad & Aloo Chat to start with. The Masala Papad was tasty but a bit too oily. The Aloo Chat was a let down as the potatoes werent well cooked.

The main course was a spicy version of Malai Kofta (delicious) and Garlic Naan for me and a Mutton Biryani & Raita for my colleagues. The main course rocked for all of us. Generous portions too. Quick service right down to the finger bowls. There was pan as we exited as well. Truly a slice of India.

Check out the decor in the photos. Must visit if you are in Manila.

Take a ride in my Jeepney.......

Well its actually not a real Jeepney (the matador type van which the locals commute by in Manila), but a restaurant themed to celebrate Jeepneys at the Intercontinental Makati in Metro Manila. The Jeepney is the coffee shop hangout for this hotel but very quiet (both at 4 pm and then at 9 pm). The food isnt much to blog about but I loved the Jeepney front on the wall....  Worth a dekko if you are passing this way.

Spin me around at Spinelli.....

I am currently on a business trip to the Philippines and transited it via one of the best airports - Singapore's Changi airport. Post landing at 7.30 am local time, we decided to get breakfast before the next flight to Manila. Breakfast was an apple muffin (low fat) and a Spinellini Twist -Strawberry Black Tea Crush at Spinelli, San Francisco. This is located on Level 3 in Terminal 2.

Pretty delicious and I regretted ordering the Spinellini Twist in the smaller size. The Blacktea gives it a unique flavour. Hope to catch another flavour in my next transit.

 

Have you tried Spinelli? What's your take?