Gharnu Gourmet

January 13 2017, Friday Dinner WHAT Sourdough sliced bread butter 1-2 small Boiled beets thinly sliced 1/2 fennel bulb thinly sliced handful of  julienne spinach splash of balsamic vinegar salt and pepper per taste WHAT for Whipped Feta: 1 Jalapeno or Serrano or other green chili 1 clove of garlic Juice and zest of 1 lemon 2-3 tbsp olive oil 6-8 mint leaves 1/2 tsp dried dill (optional) 1 tablespoon olive oil Per taste pepper (if needed only) 1/2 cup feta cheese HOW: Mix sliced boiled beets, sliced fennel, julienne spinach and add splash of blasamic vinegar and black pepper and let it marinate for few minutes. Flame or oven roast green chili till the skin turns black, let it cool. Remove charred skin and slice the chili in half and discard seeds and vains. Add olive oil, lemon juice, mint leaves, garlic and green chili and blend it together.  Add feta to the above mixure and blend until smooth (add little more olive oil if too...

January 12 2017, Thursday Dinner WHAT for Oven-Roasted Cauliflower: 1 small  head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets 1-2 tbsp olive oil 0.25 teaspoon salt 0.25 teaspoon black pepper 1 tbsp Za'atar (optional) few whole garlic cloves (optional) 2-3 tbsp zested Parmesan cheese WHAT for Pearl Barley Risotto: 1 cup pearl barley 2.5 cups of veg. broth 1 small onion, minced 3-4 small clove garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon olive oil Per taste salt, pepper, red chili flakes 0.5 cup chopped bell pepper, spinach or any other veggies at hand  handful of raisins and roasted cashew WHAT for Tunisian Spiced Yogurt: 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest 2  tbsp or as needed cold water salt and pepper per taste 1 tsp dried dill OR 2-3 tsp fresh chopped dill 1 tbsp olive oil 1 garlic clove minced  1.5 tsp Ras el Hanout (Tunisian spice) HOW: For the cauliflower, preheat the oven to 425F...

February 21 2016, Sunday Lunch WHAT: 4 cups of water of veg. broth 2.5/3 tbsp Instant Tom Yum soup paste   (less if you want less spicy) 0.5 to 0.75 cup coconut milk (or as much as you would like based on thickness and taste) 0.5 tbsp palm sugar 5/6 fresh/frozen kafir lime leaves - split and remove stem from center 5/6 fresh/frozen slices galangal 1 fresh/frozen lemon grass - big pieces of fat white part 1-2  whole fresh/frozen red thai chili (optional ) soy sauce - As needed Sliced mixed vegetables as available: carrots, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnnuts Baked or fresh  tofu and/or vegan thai link sliced Cilantro for garnish   juice of 1 lemon  HOW: In a pan add few tbsp of thick part of coconut milk and add tom kha paste in it and saute until fragrant and thick Add rest of the milk, water/broth, sugar and all vegetables, tofu, soy sauce and boil  Simmer for few minutes Add cilantro and lemon at the end...

August 18 2015, Tuesday Dinner WHAT: Taco size soft corn tortilla Salsa 1 tbsp oil 1 small onion diced 3/4 cup roasted corn (i had frozen) 1/2 cup shredded cabbage 2-3 cloves garlic 2 tbsp Gochujang sauce (thin a bit with water) salt per taste Tofu Crema 1/2 block firm tofu 2-3 tbsp rice wine vinegar juice of 1 lime 1 tbsp miso paste 1/2 tbsp agave(less or more per taste) salt per taste water if needed to thin the paste 2 whole scallions thinly sliced  Peppers 1 tbsp olive oil  12-15 shishito pepper Smoked sea salt (or regular salt) Toppings: julienne  of 1 cucumber 2-3 tbsp rice wine vinegar black sesame seeds (optional) fried shallots ( optional) HOW:  Salsa Heat oil and saute onion until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for few more minutes Add corn and Gochujang sauce Add cabbage add salt per taste and cook for few minutes until everything is done Keep aside Tofu Crema Combine all things listed a...

April 06 2015, Monday Dinner Modification to the recipe found  http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/24/roasted-butternut-lamb-rack-recipes  from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty More book. My Modifications have * in front of it. WHAT: 20g unsalted butter 1 tbsp olive oil 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1cm-thick slices * 1/2 fennel bulb 1 large butternut squash, ( i used precut from TJ) Salt 30g pumpkin seeds * 2,3 small bay leaf 1 tsp nigella seeds, plus extra to garnish ½ tsp each ground cumin and coriander ¼ tsp ground turmeric 4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed 1 cinnamon stick 1 green chilli, halved lengthways 1 tbsp caster sugar 200ml vegetable stock 100g Greek yoghurt 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander * Crushed red pepper flakes (optional if want more spicy) * Optional 1/4 cup Berberis  * Rice  HOW: Preheat the oven to 425F/220C.  Put the butter and oil in a large sauté pan ad...

July 21 2014, Monday Dinner Modification to the recipe found  http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2013/06/bulgur-salad-with-chickpeas-caramelized.html which was modification of Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe  WHAT: 1 1/3 cups bulgur wheats 2.5 cups of boiling water 1/2 cup olive oil 1 Large sliced onion 3 chopped figs 2 tsp ground cumin juice of 1/2 large lemon 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 1/2 cup feta, broken into chunks Salt and black pepper 1 TSP Ras El Hanout   from TJ's (optional or use red crushed pepper per taste) 1/2 can of chickpeas 2 TBSP Barberries  (if not use dried blueberries, cranberries  or raisins)  2 TBSP pine nuts (if not use walnut or pistachio)  2 TSP Pomegranate molasses (optional) HOW: Place bulgur wheat in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water add little salt and leave to soak for 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over...

March 16 2014, Sunday Dinner Combination of Eggplant dip recipe given by Maryann and Yotam Ottolenghi's Burnt eggplant with garlic, lemon and pomegranate seeds  recipe  from his book Jerusalem  WHAT: 3 Large whole eggplants 8-9 Garlic cloves, crushed Grated zest of 1 lemon and 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 5 Tbsp Olive oil Handful of Parsley - chopped Handful of Mint - chopped Seeds of half pomegranate Pinch of white pepper 1 Tsp Cayenne peper 1 Tsp Smoked paprika (substitute with cayenne pepper if you don't have) 1 Tsp Sweet paprika (substitute with cayenne pepper if you don't have) 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin Salt, Pepper Pinch of sugar HOW: If you have a gas range, line the base with aluminum foil to protect it, keep only burners exposed Place the eggplants directly on gas burner with medium flames and roast for 15 to 18 minutes, until skin is burnt and flaky and the flesh is soft. Use metal tongs to turn eggplant around occ...