Barley with Craisins and Capsicum (Green Pepper)

Yes, Barley is no longer for breakfast, or just for soups or for making beer. It can be a wholesome meal in itself. And it is very nutritional also. All the more reasons to have it in different forms. Err..may be just avoid the beer..:.)


Here is one of my simple Barley recipes.

1 cup Barley
1/2 Green Pepper (Capsicum)
1/2 Sweet Onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
2 tablespoons of Craisins, that's right, Cranberries and Raisins
Salt and Pepper to taste


Soak the barley the previous night or 12-18 hrs prior to cooking. It is easier to cook barley that way. Add barley to 2- 21/2 cup of boiling water and cook for 15-20 min. If you like it very soft, you can cook for additional 5-10 min. I like mine a little crunchy. :)
Meanwhile saute diced sweet onions in olive oil in a pan.
Add the minced garlic and ground pepper.
Once the onions turn soft add the cranberries and raisins.
Add the cooked barley to this mixture.
Keep on low flame for another 5min mixing the ingredients gently.
Add the diced green pepper at this time.
 

I added a few Tindora (or Ivy Gourd) thinly sliced into rounds. I sauteed them along with the onions for a good 5-10 min. They hold well in the heat and are very crunchy even after adding the barley and cooking it for another 5-10 min. Tindora does not have a strong flavor of its own. All it does is give an extra crunch and color. But it comes with such a long list of medicinal and nutritional values that it is difficult to ignore. Tindora is commonly sold in Korean stores like H-mart or Indian stores.



But if it is difficult to find Tindora, you can substitute it with some celery.
In any case, it is just a yummy and light dish. You will enjoy it thoroughly, I am sure!!!


Let's see a picture as  a proof. Doesn't that look yummy? I am telling you, it tastes yummy too!!

My experiments with pasta !

So it has been more than 10 months since I created this blog, but not a single post yet, so much for my resolution of 'blogging regularly'.
But today a friend has inspired me to post my first blog. As they say, better late than never!
I begin my blog with a simple pasta recipe.


Linguine Pasta with  Portobello Mushrooms:
I made this pasta today. The recipe suddenly occurred to me when I found 3 boxes of 3 different kinds of mushrooms in my fridge, all of them expiring by the end of this week. I had to use at least one box today. The best part is, it came out really well in the first attempt itself.

Ingredients:

1. 1 bag of whole mushrooms, cut into halves so that they are still big chunks.
2. Linguine Pasta , I used 2 tight handfuls of linguine pasta for 2 servings.
3. 3 table spoons of Balsamic Vinegar with Olive Oil Salad dressing.                                                    (You should find it at your nearby grocery store)
4. 1 tablespoon of orange marmalade.
5. A few leaves of Basil chopped.
6. A clove of Garlic finely chopped.

How to make:

Heat Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pan.
Add the chopped garlic into the hot oil. Let the garlic heat up for a minute
Add the Basil leaves
Cut the mushrooms into halves. Add the mushrooms into the oil along with garlic and basil..
Add 3 table spoons of Balsamic Vinegar with Olive Oil salad dressing.
Now add a table spoon of orange marmalade and mix it well into the mixture of Balsamic Vinegar.
Wait till comes to a boil.  Reduce the flame and let it simmer.
Add half a stick of 'I cant believe its not butter' to the simmering pan.
Meanwhile make the pasta and drain it out. (I added salt and pepper to boiling water before adding the pasta)
Add the pasta to the pan once the butter has melted.

Add a cup of pasta water and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve hot.

I would love to hear how it turned out in your kitchen.
Mine turned out really well and the proof is in the picture. Yum!!!

My first harvest, Radish!!!!

I am so very excited.... I am a newbie to gardening. I started serious gardening this year. I have started an extensive veggie gardening along with a small flower garden in the last 2 months.And let me say this, I do not have a green thumb!!!

I started my seeds indoors using seed starter kits and later transplanted them to containers in the start of spring. And just in a few weeks, I have harvested my first harvest of the season!!! Radish!!!!

I am sharing pictures....

Now, I had planted the Radish seeds along with my cucumbers and in another container along with some cilantro. And I harvested the first batch today. I have one more batch for the summer and I plan to start another 2-3 batches in late summer for my fall harvest.


I have never been too particular about Radish. I can count the no of times I had radish in my life, on my fingers, of just 1 hand :). But today when I see those cute little red balls and leafy greens I do not want to leave out anything! But you al know the radish leaves can be a little bitter. So I came up with this recipe to take the bitterness off of the leaves and use it along with the roots. I cooked them with some potatoes and I am telling you, it was heaven. I dare you if you could find me a yummier recipe for Radish leaves. So here it goes...

Potatoes with Radish Leaf Sauce

Now this recipe has both roots and leaves.


I had some 6 to 8 bunches of Radish in total. Give them a nice long wash under cold running water. After that, cut the leaves but leave out the stems. Take out the roots and chop them into little pieces

Take 2 big potatoes and cut them into very small cubes.

Other Ingredients:

1 big sweet onion, cut into half
1 minced garlic, add chopped ginger to it so that the ginger garlic mixture comes to about a t-spoon
1 t-spoon of cardamon powder
1 t-spoon of coriander powder, half a t-spoon of turmeric powder and half a t-spoon of garam masala
(all found in an Indian store)
1 Bay leaf
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
Preparation:
Okay, so I start with the onions. Chop both halves.
Heat a non stick pan and add half a stick of butter and allow it to melt completely.
Add half of the t-spoon of the ginger-garlic mixture.

Add the onions, saute for a minute or two until they become soft. You do not want to use red onions for this recipe as they come across a bit too strong in flavor. I used sweet onions as they are milder and would take the edge off of the bitterness of the Radish leaves.
Add the radish leaves, just stick them on to the pan and they will wilt down in the butter in a minute or two. Add a t-spoon of cardamon and a bay leaf.
Add salt and freshly ground pepper now.
Turn the gas off once the leaves have completely wilted.
Add a small cup of milk (you can use cream too) now and let the mixture cool for a while.

Meanwhile, take another pan and add a few drops of oil. Add the remaining ginger-garlic mixture when the oil is hot. Wait for a minute and add the remaining onions finely chopped. Saute the onions and add a t-spoon of coriander powder, half a t-spoon of turmeric powder and a pinch of garam masala. Mix it well and let the spices heat up for a minute. Now add the potatoes. Mix the potatoes well with the spices and the onion. Add the chopped radish and mix it well with the potatoes. Lower the flame. DO NOT add any water for the potatoes to cook now.

Now lets go back to our cooled wilted radish leaves mixture. Take the bay leaf out and put it along with the potatoes.  Pour the mixture into a food processor/blender and give it a nice blend, for a minute or 2. Add this sauce into the potatoes. Add a cup of water into the blender and clean it out thoroughly and add it to the potatoes as well. Cover the pan and let the potatoes and radish cook for a while. Give it an occasional stir but never leave the pan alone as the milk in the mixture can eventually boil and overflow. Once the potatoes are soft, you are done. Enjoy this recipe with some white rice or rotis.


Would you not agree with me that a picture speaks a thousand words.

I would love to know how it tuned out in your kitchen :).