Panzanella

An easy to make salad, colorful and with a plethora of flavors! Eaten on its own, it could be a dieter's ambrosia, but I had to, just had to add the heavy mayo. What's a salad without the fattening dressings yar!

Ingredients

• 1 head of lettuce
• 3 tomatoes chopped in large chunks (or 250 g cherry tomatoes, halved)
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 1/2 cup olives
• 1 capsicum diced
• 1 cup sundried tomatoes (I made oven dried tomatoes on my own)
• 2 tsp crumbled feta cheese
• 1 day old Italian bread cut into pieces (you can use sliced bread also)
• a drizzle of olive oil
• salt to taste
• pasta seasoning

 Just throw all the ingredients together in a bowl, add salt and seasoning.

Chill and serve with dressing of your choice. I used mayo and honey and mustard dressing.

Note: To make oven dried tomatoes, chop the tomatoes into half, season with a little salt and garlic and place on a baking tray. Keep the temperature of the oven to the lowest setting, preferably 100 degrees, and place the baking tray in it. You will need to keep the tomatoes for around 3 hours. Keep changing the places of the tomato slices from time to time so they are all evenly cooked.

Happy Cooking!

Gnocchi with Cream Cheese Sauce

I first saw the preparation of Gnocchi (pronounced Nyo-Key) on Rachel Allen's show on TLC. Been dying to try it ever since as it looked really yummy. It didn't fail me.

While I used an egg in this recipe, I have read that you can make gnocchi without egg, though it tends to get difficult if you don't use an egg. It may just disintegrate in the water. It supposedly takes some amount of practice to get the gnocchi right without using an egg.

Also I haven't included any finite measurement for the flour. You have to trust your instinct. Too much flour, and the gnocchi becomes rubbery and hard. Too less and the gnocchi disintegrates. Also, how much flour is needed depends on the type of potato used, the weather, humidity etc. So follow my instructions and pray to the gnocchi gods to help you. I know I did!

Ingredients
For the gnocchi,

• 2 large potatoes
• about 1 cup flour 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pinch baking powder

For the cream cheese sauce

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 5 garlic pods chopped fine
• 1 cup fresh cream
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tbsp feta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp paprika (chilli flakes)
• a sprinkling of dry italian herbs
• salt and pepper to taste

To make the gnocchi:

1. Steam the potatoes until soft through and through.Peel them and grate them so that no lumps remain in them.
2. Break an egg into the mashed potatoes and mix well.
3. Add baking powder. Add flour (maida) one tablespoon at a time. The mixture should not be tacky and sticky, but not hard either. Stop adding flour when the mixture is just very very slightly sticky, but not so much that you won't be able to roll them into balls.
4. Knead the dough well so it becomes smooth. Divide the dough into four portions.
5. Roll each portion into a one inch thick rope. Cut the rope into 8 to 10 small pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten it slightly with your hand.
6. Dip a fork in plain flour and press it on the upper surface of the gnocchi balls to make a slight indentation. (This is just decorative, you may skip this step if you want.)
7. Keep the rolled gnocchi onto a slightly floured surface.
8. Boil a pan of water with one teaspoon of salt. Put the gnocchi into the water with the help of a slotted spoon.
9. When the gnocchi rise to the surface of the boiling water, they are done. Drain them well and remove onto a baking tray.

For the cream cheese sauce:

1. Heat olive oil in a wok. Add the minced garlic and saute for a few seconds.
2. Add the cream and milk and bring them to a boil. Lower the heat and add both the cheeses. Stir well to get rid of any lumps.
3. Turn off the heat and add the seasonings. Taste a little sauce, and then adjust the salt.

To assemble:

1. Place the gnocchi onto a baking tray and pour the sauce onto them.
2. You may add a few fried mushrooms on top for added flavor.
3. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for ten minutes or until the top is just  slightly golden brown.

Serve hot!

Vegetarian Pasta (Farfalle) with Tomato Alfredo Sauce

My sister-in-law's nephew was in town and I called him home. I asked him what did he want to eat, and his two words were.. Surprise me. His only condition was that it shouldn't be Indian and Chinese. Anything else will do.

I had been dying to try out Italian cuisine for a while, and this was a perfect opportunity. I made small portions of four different recipes, and they were an instant hit with everyone.

Instead of making the regular fusilli or macaroni, I decided I'll make the farfalle or the bow-tie pasta. They look really attractive, and as per my plan, my daughter fell for it. All of them were gone from her plate into her tummy in a jiffy! Thanks to that man who first invented pasta! Three cheers!

Ingredients

• 3 cups  farfalle
• 5 cups water
• 1 tsp salt

For the tomato alfredo sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 to 7 cloves of garlic crushed
• 2 medium onions chopped
• 1 cup carrot chopped
• 5 large tomatoes chopped
• 2 tsp pasta seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tsp sugar
• grated parmesan cheese to garnish

1. Boil the water in an open saucepan with 1 tsp salt in it. Once it comes to a boil, add the farfalle and keep stirring occasionally. Boil for around 6 to 8 minutes till the pasta goes completely soft. Drain all the water and toss a teaspoon of  oil in it to make sure that the pasta doesn't stick to each other. Keep aside. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a wok, add the bay leaf and rosemary. Add onions, garlic and carrots and saute on high heat for five minutes. Toss in the tomatoes and saute for eight to ten minutes on medium heat. Add a cup of water and bring to a boil.
3. Add the dry spices, salt and sugar and cook for two to three minutes more. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool down to room temperature.
4. Blend the sauce to a thick puree in a blender. 
5. Place the pasta in a serving bowl and pour the sauce generously on top of it. Garnish with parmesan cheese and pasta seasoning.

Happy cooking!

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