Italian Sausages With Lentils (Italean Sausagges with Lentels) Recipe

Ingredients
  • - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • - 1 Onion finely chopped
  • - 500g Lentils - either Puy or red
  • - 3 Large cloves Garlic
  • - 8 Italian Sausages
  • - 100ml Red Wine
  • - 50ml Water

Method

  1. Put 2-3 tablespoons of oil into a good-sized saucepan (and one which has a lid that fits) on the heat and when it's warm add the chopped onion and pancetta.
  2. Sprinkle with salt and cook over a low to medium heat till soft (about 5 minutes).
  3. Add the lentils, stir well and then cover generously with cold water. (If using our Cirio lentils which come in a light tomato sauce to cook this recipe you can use this liquid and just add to it at this point but do not worry about needing to cook them.)
  4. Bring to the boil then cover, and let simmer gently for half an hour or so until cooked and most, if not all, the liquid's absorbed.
  5. I don't add salt at this stage since the sauce provided by the sausages later (and which will be poured over the lentils) will be pretty salty itself. So, wait and taste. And remember, you can of course cook the lentils in advance.Anyway, when either the lentils are nearly ready or you're about to reheat them, put a heavy based frying pan on the hob, cover with a film of oil and add the bruised garlic.
  6. Cook for a few minutes then add and brown the sausages. When the sausages are brown on both sides - which won't take more than five minutes or so - throw in the wine and water and let bubble up.
  7. Cover the pan, either with a lid or tin foil and cook for about 15 minutes.Using a fork, mash the now-soft garlic into the sauce and taste for seasoning, adding a little more water if it's too strong.
  8. Remove the lentils to a shallow bowl or dish then cover with the sausages and their garlicky winey gravy.
  9. Sprinkle over some flat-leaf parsley.
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Green Chutney (Mint Chutney) Recipe

Ingredients:

1big Bunch of coriander leaves
4 green chilies
1 onion
1 tomato
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
salt to taste
1/2 tsp Lemon juice

Method:

Put all the ingredients except lemon juice , in a small mixie
Grind it till it becomes like a smooth paste
Add water as and when required.
Once ground , Add lemon juice according to taste
Store in a clean glass bottle
Serving Suggestions:
Serve with any kind of starter
Tip:
Try using no water or as little as possible to make the chutney last longer
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Salsa (Salsaa) Recipe

Ingredients:

1 medium sized onion - finely chopped
3 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro (dhaniya) - finely chopped
1/2 green pepper (capsicum) - finely chopped
2 cloves garllic - crushed
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp tabasco sauce (optional)
salt to taste
1 tsp Olive oil

Method:

Slit the tomatoes and boil them. Once boiled peel the skin and blend them.
Put the blended tomatoes in a bowl
Chop the onion and capsicum finely and put in the bowl.
Add garlic, oregano, chilli flakes, ketchup, tabasco and salt. Mix well.
Heat oil and put in the mixture and add cilantro. Cook on a low flame for 5-7 minutes.
Cool and ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions:

An accompiment to variety of mexican and italian dishes. Can be had aling with Indian snacks and parathas as well

Tip:

Heating the salsa mixture gets the raw taste out and helps to enhance the flavor
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Gujrati Kadhi (Gujarati Kadi) Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup gram flour (besan)
  • 2 cups of yogurt (dahi)
  • 1 green chili chopped
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds( jeera)
  • 1/2 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 3 cloves
  • 2 dried red chillies
  • pinch of asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 small piece of jaggery
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek )
  • water as required
  • coriander leaves for garnishing
Method:
  1. Mix Besan and yogurt and whisk it together
  2. Add 2 , 3 cups of water and mix them well
  3. Heat oil in a small kadai and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chili, curry leaves, cloves,methi seeds and hing.
  4. When seeds starts cracking , add besan-yogurt mixture.
  5. Add salt to taste
  6. Add green chillies, kasurimethi and jaggary
  7. Stir it continuously till you see thick consistency
  8. Garnish with coriander leaves, serve hot
Serving Suggestions:
  • Can be served with Rice , Biryani or Pulao
Tip:
  • Use the yogurt which is little sour, it gives tangy taste
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Sambar (sambaar) Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup toor dal
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp tamarind juice
  • 1/2 tsp white urad dal
  • 1 whole red chilli
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seedspinch of hing
  • 1/2 methi seeds
  • 3 tbsp sambar masala ( Everest or MTR brand )
  • few curry leaves


Method:
  1. Pressure cook toor dal till its tender. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds, methi seeds, hing, urad dal, and curry leaves.
  3. Once seeds starts crackling, add onions, tomato and sambar masala.
  4. Fry till onions turn a little brown and add the boiled dal.
  5. Add salt to taste, tamarind juice and a little water.
  6. Cook with covered lid for 15-20 mins.
  7. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serving Suggestions:

  • Serve with dosa, idli, vadas or appams.

Tips:

  • You can add lemon juice instead of tamarind juice.
  • You can also add vegetables like sambar onions, beans, drumsticks and carrots to the sambar.
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Methi Brinjal Sabzi (Maithi Brinjjal Sabji) Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 2 bunches of methi (fenugreek) leaves
  • 4 medium sized brijals - cut in small pieces
  • 1/2 mustard seedspinch of hing
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 green chilli - finely chopped
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp oil
Method:
  1. Soak the methi leaves in a bowl of salt water for 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
  2. In a kadai, take the oil and add mustard seeds, green chilli and hing.
  3. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add the brinjals.
  4. Cook for 5 minutes or till the brijal is tender and oil is oozing out.
  5. Add all the spice powders and mix well.
  6. Add the methi leaves and cook on low flame.
  7. The methi leaves will shrink and change color.
  8. Once the sabji is dry, take it off the heat.
  9. Ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions:
  • Can be served with phulka or roti.

Tips:

  • Do not add any water in this preparations.
  • You can add ginger/garlic paste or onions to suit your taste.
  • Soaking the methi leaves in salt water takes out some of its bitterness. So don't skip that step!
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