Bruschetta

For the first few months after arriving in the US, I was on a quest to find vegetarian dishes that suited my taste in the different types of popular restaurants here. After all, how long can one survive on Indian restaurants as the only option to eat out!!! Italian was an early favorite and bruschetta was one of the reasons why. It is a simple but tasty dish and while it is considered an appetizer there is no reason why you can't treat it as a meal.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 5 min
Makes: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:


French baguette/ french bread: 400 gms (about a loaf)
Tomatoes: 4 medium
Olive oil: 1 tsp + for brushing
Grated cheese: 3 tbsp+ more to add on top, if needed
Dry basil: 1/2 tsp
Italian seasoning: 3/4 tsp
Salt, pepper: to taste

Cut the tomatoes into really tiny pieces and add 1 tsp olive oil, the grated cheese (I used a mix of Parmesan , Romano and Asiago), the dry herbs, salt and pepper. Mix well until the cheese and oil are uniformly distributed.

Cut the bread into 1/2" thick slices and lay on a baking tray. Apply some olive oil on the entire surface facing up, using a pastry brush. This helps to get a nice brown colour and a crispiness on the outside. "Broil" this in the oven until light golden brown (about 2-3 min, depending on the oven). Remember to keep a very close eye on this as it can get burnt very easily.

To assemble, take a slice of the bread and put some tomato topping on top. Sprinkle some more grated cheese, if needed. Serve immediately, or it will start getting soggy.

Caprese salad

We have had this at many restaurants and so decided to make it at home. It is easy to prepare, yet elegant and crowd-pleasing.

I did not have fresh basil in hand , and so used the dry leaves.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
Makes: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:


Tomatoes: 2 medium
Fresh Mozzarella cheese: 8 oz.(about 225 gms)
Fresh basil leaves: 8-10 leaves
Olive oil: to drizzle
Salt, pepper to taste

Cut the tomatoes and cheese to 1/4" slices. Arrange on a platter and keep a basil leaf on each. Drizzle olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus is one of those vegetables many of us don't even bother to experiment with. It has a very subtle taste and my mom just happened to love them, when she came here. So I decided to try this recipe when I saw this on the Food Network.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5min
Cooking time: 10-12 min

Ingredients

Asparagus: 1 bunch
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Pepper: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste

Clean and trim the hard part. This is easy. Take one stalk of asparagus and try to break it. Wherever the stalk  breaks is the mark. Cut the rest of the stalks, using this as the indicator.
Drizzle olive oil after transferring to a baking tray. Sprinkle the salt and pepper, to taste. "Toast" it in the oven for 10-12 min (or until the tip of the stalks are roasted ).The stalks will be nice and soft.
Serve warm.

Vegetable corkscrews in cream sauce

This is one of my attempts to get my children to eat healthy. I guess it is a result of my experimentation. The vegetable pasta is made from a blend of pasta dough and vegetable puree.

Difficulty level: Easy

Preparation time: 5min

Cooking time: 11 min

Makes: 2 kid-size servings

Ingredients

Vegetable corkscrew pasta- 1 cup dry (I used the Organic kind from Natural Eddie's Spaghetti)

Salted butter: 1 tbsp

Heavy cream: 1/4 cup

Whole milk(full-fat milk): 1/4 cup

All-purpose flour: 1 tsp

Shredded cheese (I used a blend of Romano,Parmesan and Asiago chesses): 1/8 cup

Salt: to taste

Dry basil: a dash

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain.

In the meantime, melt the butter and add the cream and milk. Once it starts to bubble, add the all-purpose flour while stirring continuosly.  Keep stirring for 2 min, to make sure the flour is cooked through without forming lumps. Switch off the flame and add the drained pasta along with basil. Mix well. Garnish with some more cheese and let the kids enjoy!!!