Pesto, need I say what it means to me? Having been a lover for Italian food, I'm sure there should be no second thought that I love pesto. But strangely that wasn't how it started a few years ago when we first tasted it. Well, it was a love hate relationship that we started with. We did not really give into liking it till recently we acquired a taste for the famed pesto.

For a while we despised pesto or even the word of it. Probably, because I never made it the authentic way. My experiments with dill, coriander and other greens, except basil were not received well. I gave up for a while, feeling incredibly guilty about not tackling it and getting such a simple straight forward recipe right. So I stuck by other pasta recipes that were appealing our palate. Then recently we had it at our coveted Italian restaurant, Toscano and that's really when we took liking to it. The pesto sauce served with an assortment of breads had us a convert. It's chunky texture, mild flavour, fresh and oh-so-delicious when we smeared it on bread and even paired them with spaghetti had us love it thoroughly.

The core ingredients that make up a good pesto sauce are basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil. These days, getting basil in a supermarket here is not a worry, but then they are not always fresh. Hence the basil I used here are home grown in a pot, so that makes this recipe fresh and all the more appealing. Pine nuts are something I have never seen or tasted. A quick google search said walnuts or almonds make an equally good substitute. Far from fetching pine nuts here, I settled for almonds as an alternative, something that I always have a stock of. So, these were made, we relished it with simple garlic spaghetti and they tasted close to the original stuff we had the week earlier.

Basil Almond Pesto

Inspired by BBC GoodFood Magazine

INGREDIENTS

50g roasted almonds
A large bunch of basil
50g Parmesan (I used mozarella instead)
150 ml olive oil, plus extra if storing
2 garlic cloves

METHOD

Put all the above mentioned ingredients into a food processor and process until slightly chunky. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Pour the pesto into a jar and cover with a little extra oil, then seal and store in the fridge. It's known that the pesto will keep well in fridge for up to two weeks, although I recommend using them fresh.


Vegan version:

To make the recipe vegan, use vegan cheese or skip cheese altogether.

2nd February 2013: It was quite a relaxed Sunday. I plonked myself on my deep brown and black shaded sofa, threw my legs up on the aged teak coffee table that adorns my living and sat there gazing at a bunch of my favourite magazine collection from BBC GoodFood. The past one year has seen me as an ardent lover of their series and my subscription was due for closure. In the morning the courier guy had just hand delivered my last copy and I kept pondering if I should renew them or stick on to the 12 magazines I had at hand. They lay there in absolute desire to be flipped over again and again and as I made myself comfortable with a cup of coffee, I couldn't hold my fondness for them any longer and I flipped them all over again. I was lost and in love again.

And like it often happens, as I read through them, admire the photographs and get critical, flipping recipes over, I do not realize how I have lost on time. Admit, I spend a lot of my time, often quite futile over these cookbooks. Because it happens frequently that I take more than hours to pin down a recipe that I actually wish to recreate in my kitchen. Again I'm lost. I simply don’t feel guilty either.

So this Sunday wasn't any different. I dreamt of making a savoury, flipped over a couple of recipes and couple of magazines too. Pulao was done, the vegetable stew busy brewing up on the stove, so cooking was almost over. How about a salad I think. I flip over pages. I scan my pantry for those cheeses and herbs. I realize soon I need to stock them. I hunt for desserts instead to make my Sunday worthy. I flip over to the last page and there the beautiful raspberry brownies hold my utmost attention. I know what I have been looking for. Finally! I rush to my kitchen, pull my kitchen scales out, do a quick melt of butter in the microwave and stir all things good to bake these dark beauties.

So these brownies were made, ditto the way the magazine said, measuring out ingredients carefully by their weight, replacing the raspberries for some dried cranberries. I suggest you make them and you’ll know yourself how good they are. They are deep, fudgy and chocolatey with beautiful fruity bites from cranberries. A bit of cheating in your diet is all okay. So forget your fears, pick up a slice and devour them happily to your hearts content.

Cranberry Dark Chocolate Brownies

Inspired by Best-ever Chocolate & Raspberry Brownies from BBC GoodFood magazine

150 gm dark chocolate broken into chunks
125 gm salted butter
200 gm soft brown sugar
2 large eggs
70 gm plain flour
25 gm cocoa powder
100 gm cranberries (I’ve used Ocean Spray here)

Heat the oven to 180 deg C. Line a baking dish with baking paper. Put the chocolate, sugar and butter in a pan and gently melt, stirring well with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the eggs one by one, into the chocolate mixture. Sieve the flour and the cocoa and stir in. add in half the cranberries and scape the batter into the tray. Then scatter the remaining cranberries over the top of the batter. Bake for 30 minutes or 5 more minutes if you prefer a firmer texture. Cool before slicing and store in air tight containers for up to 3 days.

Tucked into our mom’s saree pallu, our little hands twirled into hers, carrying jute bags that we could fit ourselves in, we would often accompany our mom to do the weekly grocery shopping. Tip toeing into the busy streets of the weekly vegetable market, the lookout was always for the freshest of the produce they had to offer. The street side vendors, some on carts and others lining the pavements would sit with heaps of greens, fruits, vegetables and other kitchen staples, often calling us out loudly in the best of their voices, inviting the passing buyers with their heaps of sale. Quite a chaotic scene if I had to recall, where the street vendors would literally pull us into bargaining till we gave in, and even as one got busy perusing the vegetables and fruits, the neighbouring vegetable vendor would try to drag the buyer into his attention. Negotiating for a handful of free curry leaves or a bunch of coriander leaves was a common affair and that brought profound happiness to our hearts. And in odd occasions where the vendor refused to be considerate, mom would grump on her way back, complaining she would never go back to him again.

Those memories of market hopping and raasta shopping will stay with us for long. Shopping was quite a stimulating affair we loved. Yet it came with its rules of pros and cons. Bargaining was the tool and while it brought some joy, somewhere it would leave us dissatisfied with a sinking feeling that probably the vendor down the street sold better produce at lower prices than we bought. Then there were ploys with the traditional weighing scales, with the vegetables often weighing lesser than they should. While most of the fruits and vegetables were picked from the weekly vegetable market, we would heavily depend on the nearby kiraana shops for other kitchen staples, which meant another trip to the kiraana store.

For long now, since the supermarket culture and online shopping trends kicked in, I moved out to a more comfortable zone of shopping in a supermarket where I get my entire pantry staples at a single place. For the modern day working woman like me, it saves me time, energy and more importantly the hassle of weighing and bargaining. I ensure I pick my vegetables and pantry staples, but at times get the luxury of home deliveries too and that’s a bonus. I get to know their manufacturing date, their expiries and the ingredients. More importantly I like to return the product if I am dissatisfied.

Some time ago, I got hooked to online shopping. My first camera was bought online more than 10 years ago. Ever since then I bought several things online and got hooked to it. I browse online shopping websites very often, sometimes out of seriousness to buy, at times out of curiosity, or even to kill boredom. My husband and net savvy dad too appreciate this culture. They’ve bought electronics, tees, books, gifts, sports gears and many other stuffs online. I like the fact you save on time and effort when you need things on demand and its home delivered for free. Then there are sites like Cuponation that give crazy discounts on the products you would buy in market at higher rates and that’s really a bargain.

I wonder how many of you know, but I thought this would interest many. Cuponation has a broad collection of coupon codes with deals and offers from top online retailers like Flipkart, eBay.in, FabFurnish, Future bazaar, Jabong, Naaptol, Myntra, Home shop 18, Pepperfry and many more. I have bought several items from these retailers in the past, however ever since I got to know of Cuponation, I like using their coupons to get those added discounts on my purchases. I am eyeing at some kitchen cutleries and bakewares and these discount coupons will just be perfect. I am excited and hope you’ll too!

For times while you spend surfing the net, buying online or just couching in front of the television, these ginger lime pops will give you a perfect company. Tart, tangy, a spicy gingery twist with hint of cardamom, does that ring bells to you? Yes, its our very own nimbu sherbet in pops.

Ginger Lime Pops

INGREDIENTS

2 large limes
3 cups of water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cardamom powder
1 tsp. ginger paste

DIRECTIONS

Squeeze lime juice out of the 2 limes. Snip off the lime zest for some intense lemony flavor.

Stir the sugar in water till completely dissolved. Extract juice from ginger. Alternatively, you may also use ginger powder. Add in ginger, cardamom powder, lime zest along with the freshly squeezed lime
juice to the prepared sugary water and stir well.

Pour into pop moulds and freeze overnight or for at least 5-6 hours till set. Enjoy!

Note:

Check for sugar and adjust according to your taste. You may replace with honey if you like. These lime pops are a little tart, so reduce if you like a milder taste.

I studied much in an all girls’ high school, so I don’t remember knowing Valentine’s day then. There was no excitement but life as usual like any other day. College life although had a different story to say. Valentine day was about the excitement to dress smart, an anxiety to get sneaky looks from boys, may be a couple of roses, candies and teddies too. Red was a too bold colour to wear, so it stayed away for the day. All were dressed their best for the day, yet they made it look modest, atleast not to be dragged into peppy conversations by friends. There were hopes for those red roses, seeking male attention, for chits of proposals that came through those less known common friends, an ice-breaker conversation, probably a plea to join for a coffee in a coffee shop, and like I said it was an odd anxiety and hushed excitement. Those were the days in college.

Later, life at workplace was a much serious affair. There was a spirit to celebrate the love day, but in a festive way. The fun committee organized entertaining events to promote healthy relationship among peers. There were red roses on every bay, floating balloon hearts across cubicles and team building activities to build rapport. We were encouraged to dress in red, but essentially it did not really mean about love or being in love. It was about anyone whom you cared for and could be your Valentine. I loved that spirit. I respected it and enjoyed it through.

My husband and I hardly got time to celebrate the Valentine’s day ever. We never went out for candle lit dinners, throw parties or the big bashes. We dream about it, but then we are working couples with little time at hand. We exchange no gifts, just hugs and kisses. Instead we sit down and enjoy a home cooked meal together. He cares for me, so he lets me to dig into my favourite dessert for the dinner just that evening, and we relish it together. Over the years, my meaning for love and lust has changed by leaps. Today, it’s about trust and support, of care and affection, of expressing less by words and more in actions, of being faithful and sympathetic. My considerations have changed, because it’s about being selfless and sensitive. It’s a beautiful feeling, and is meaningful by nature. Love is magical. The greatest joy comes from our little daughter, who is a gift of God given to us by the virtue of that bonding and togetherness. She brings life into us, she paints it vivid, makes it worthy to live, and she ties our bonds for a lifetime. Life is short, I like to live it sweet. So why waste even a day that’s dedicated for a purpose?

My menu is sketched. I’ll have some Ginger Lime Pops for my daughter to bite into, that will keep her busy. These Pan Roasted Fiery Balsamic Carrots will make it quick and perfect for the weekday dinner table. And I’ll serve them with some fresh spaghettis and some homemade pesto. I am still dreaming of what dessert I can make. But certainly I would love to pair it with a dollop of Classic Vanilla Ice cream. I think this will make it perfect.

Lay your table, set your glasses, pour the wine, don your apron and get set to whirl up your kitchen this Valentine day. Have a fabulous day with your loved ones and don’t forget to express that you care for them.

Pan Roasted Fiery Balsamic Carrots

INGREDIENTS

3 Carrots, medium sized
1 tsp. Olive oil
2-3 cloves Garlic chopped
2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Red chilli flakes
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Wash the carrots thoroughly and chop them to ½ inch fingers. Blanch them in boiling hot water for 2 minutes. Remove them and shock them in cold water.

Heat oil in a pan and sauté the chopped garlic till they sweat. Next add in the balsamic vinegar and sauté till it reduces to half. Add the blanched carrots, followed by the brown sugar and red chilli flakes. Stir fry for a couple of minutes on medium high flame till the balsamic sauce glazes all the carrots well. I like to smoke the carrots a bit by tilting the pan close to the fire and letting them burn tad bit. They almost taste like grilled. Finally season with salt and herbs, if preferred.