Minestrone soup with penne pasta

How about a warm comforting bowl of pipping hot soup on a rainy evening?

Here is the recipe for a warm soup, it's my own version of traditional minestrone soup.

Minestrone soup

Ingredients

1 beetroot with leaves
1 carrot
1 onion
1 potato
1 red bell pepper
1 ripe tomato
2 green chilies
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 salt
A small bunch of basil(home grown)
A small bunch of red amaranth (home grown)
5 cups water
2 handfuls of penne pasta
1 inch cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp dry rosemary
1/2 tsp dry oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
A few cheese slices/100 grams grated cheese

Method

1. Wash and chop all vegetables and greens into cubes, roughly chop greens.

2. In a thick bottomed pan pour oil, add dry herbs, cinnamon stick, add chopped cubed, vegetables mix in, add penne pasta, green chilies, roughly chopped greens, add water, cook for two whistles.

3. Open pressure cooker, adjust salt, remember we have added very less salt as most of the vegetables have little sodium in them.

4. Add grated cheese,hand crushed pepper, and serve hot with bread toast.

5 It's easy to prepare, serves three equal portions of medium sized bowls.

Takes approximately 20 minutes for preparation and cooking.

Tips

I have not added tomato puree, if you like tangy taste you can add a 1/2 cup of tomato puree.

If you want the soup to be more watery add two more cups of water. We prefer semi soup with little soup in the bowl.

Mango yogurt fool

How about a quick dessert after lunch?

Mango yogurt and biscuits, a delicious dessert made in a jiffy.

All you need is a few slices of ripe sweet mango, a few biscuits, I used creme biscuit and multigrain biscuits, a few scoops of yogurt.

If you have enough patience use mango puree, I have chopped mangoes and layered it with yogurt and biscuits. It taste good when just before serving we add crunchy biscuits.

Use chilled yogurt. A little honey or dates syrup will add zing to this dessert. It's tangy, colourful, crunchy and filling!

Mango yogurt fool

Ingredients

1 ripe mango

3 multigrain biscuits

2 creme biscuits

4 scoops chilled yogurt

1 tsp honey🍯/dates syrup

Method

* Wash, peel and chop mango into very small cubes

* Crumble biscuits

*In a serving cup or bowl place a
Scoop of yogurt, add a layer of mango, then layer it with crumbled biscuits.

*Repeat the process until mango and yogurt gets over.

*Serve by pouring honey or dates syrup to mango yogurt fool.

* Serve immediately as the yogurt may make the biscuits less crunchy if left in refrigerator. I have added biacbisc just before serving. It's a quick dessert which can be enjoyed anytime!!

Lemon, green chilies and ginger pickle

A quick pickle which can be made with very less ingredients. I have used few green chilies, a few pieces of fresh ginger, two lemon and finally rock salt. You can make this pickle with other citrus fruits like kafir lime.

Citron, fresh ginger, green chillies and pink Himalayan salt. Pickling time!!

Ingredients

2 medium sized lemon

4 to 5 green chilies

100 grams fresh ginger

1 tsp rock salt

Method

*Wash, peel and slice ginger.

* Wash, dry, cut and remove seeds from lemon. Cut into small pieces.

*Wash pat dry and remove stem from green chilies, slit into thin slices.

*Arrange the chopped ingredients into a clean,sun dried glass jar, add rock salt and gently shake it by closing the lid. 

*Leave it on kitchen counter, after sometime you will notice the ginger had turned into very mild pinkish shade.

* You can start consuming the pickle in few hours. 

*Shelf life is not more than 2 to 3 days. Make less quantity and enjoy the citrusy, spicy pickle with curd rice. It's yum!

Adai(lentils crepe)

Adai is a great invention in our Palghat cuisine. It has protein, carbohydrates,fibre and is a tasty, wholesome breakfast option.

I make adai by adding a few more ingredients than the original traditional recipe to make it more healthier. Here is my version of adai.

Adai (Lentils and grains crepe)

Ingredients

(To be soaked and grind to coarse batter)

1 cup Boiled rice
1/4 cup black chana
1/4 cup tuvar Dal
1/4 cup chana dal
1/4 cup whole urad dal with skin
2 tbsp horse gram
2 tbsp lobya (Karamani)
4 green chilies
2 dry red chilies
1 tsp jeera
Salt as required ( I use rock salt)

To be added to the batter before making adai( lentils crepe)

1 tsp crushed pepper
A few curry leaves
1 tsp coriander leaves chopped

Method

* Wash and soak all ingredients together for about 5 hours.

* Keep it for fermentation approximately for 6 hours overnight.

* Before making add crushed pepper, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Adjust salt if needed.

* Heat tawa, clean it with paper napkin, pour oil and spread evenly.

* Pour one ladleful of batter,spread into a thick crepe. Pour gingely oil and cook until crispy, golden brown, flip and cook both sides.

* Serve with jackfruit jam, curd with kadugu manga chili brine, onion, tomato chutney.

* It's nutritious and filling. Try to add as many different types of lentils. It taste good.

Macroni salad and potato wedges

A blend of spices, herbs  and freshly plucked greens from garden for today's lunch. We tried making fresh pesto sauce at home with all homegrown ingredients, it tastes good. I have reduced the quantity of marconi as I tried to add more fresh vegetables to the dish. It's a summer treat for children. Do try, share and comment.

Pesto sauce

A handful of basil leaves

6-7 almond

Salt as required

2 tablespoons of olive oil

7 to 8 Peppercorns crushed

6 to 7 spinach leaves

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

1 pinch Chilli powder

Method

*Grind all ingredients together, without water in a mixer jar.

*Mix the pesto sauce with cooked macroni. 

Adjust salt.

Macroni salad

Ingredients

2 handfuls of macroni or pasta

2 large tomatoes

1 onion

1 bell pepper (any colour,I have used green)

15 black olives

A handful of freshly plucked red amaranth and radish leaves/ or any greens available with you.

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

* Boil water add two handfuls of macroni. Cook it until soft, drain water, keep aside.

*Wash and chop tomatoes and bell pepper.

*Wash and thinly chop greens, mint and coriander leaves.

* Peel and thinly slice onion.

* Peel garlic and tap using kitchen knife, so that it release it's flavour.

*In a kadai pour olive oil add onion and garlic, chopped greens, saute for few minutes, add tomatoes and bell pepper, mix in. Off stove

*Add a little salt, we are going to add tiny cubes of cheese which are obviously salty.

* Blend in pesto sauce and cooked macroni.

*Add macroni to sautéed veggies. Give a toss, add a few black olives. Gently mix everything to a refreshing salad.

*The crunchy nutty almonds, flavour from fresh basil and oregano  gives that refreshing taste to this salad.

*Serve with potato wedges, mint lemon juice and boiled eggs.

Potato wedges

Ingredients

6 large potatoes, wash and cut into large stripes

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp pizza seasoning

1 tsp garlic bread seasoning

10 garlic cloves

Salt as required

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Method

*Wash and cut potatoes into large wedges

*Pour oilve oil into baking tray, add potatoes, add rest of the ingredients, give a toss, make sure all potato pieces are coated with the seasoning.

*Pre heat oven 225 degrees and bake for about 25 minutes,or until all the pieces are well roasted.

*Serve with macroni salad.

*The flavour from garlic and other seasoning make the potato wedges really yum! I have used large potatoes, children are going to really feast on them!!