Apple pasta

Kuch nahi se signature dish 😉

What do you do when you are stuck in a place in an apartment in the middle of fields on a lake side on Xmas with EVERYTHING closed? Slushy snow and cold winds and you want to cook the last dinner in your holiday home and you look inside your carry-with-you pantry and very few things there with no scope of eating out or cooking anything decent. I now decide to waken up the wanna be chef in me and push my limits. Pasta, a bottle of walnut pesto, few olives, olive oil and ..... No vegs :( .. Just apples that my hubby picked up from the farm we are holidaying on.....ok... Never mind ... Make pasta with apples 😳😜. My hubby tried to look excited and kids ....DARE NOT SAY ANYTHING😉and so here I go. Caramelized apples and olive pasta with sun dried tomato walnut pasta!!!!!! My hubby said .... Maan gaye yaar tumhe and kids polished off everything! Boiled some fusilli. Chopped apples and tossed them in olive oil and salt till they are golden brown. Sprinkle chilli powder. Add chopped olives and pour into the pasta. Mix the ready made pasta sauce and serve with ( thank God for few pepperonis) a smile. Happy me! 

Mock sarson ka saag

Rapeseed greens

Living here in Germany I have learnt to figure out my way with cravings for Indian vegetables and curries by modifying what we get here. If sarson isn't available here , doesn't mean we miss out on the lovely saag we got home. I walked through few Turkish stores and found these leaves which smell like mustard greens. I decided to experiment these which are used in salads here. It came out so yummy! I teamed it with pungent carrot instant pickle. Sharing it here on my blog.

Ingredients 

2 cup fulls chopped rapeseed greens

1 cup chopped kale leaves

1 cup spinach 

3-4 green chilles

2 tbsp chopped ginger

2 tbsp chopped garlic

2 chopped onions

1 cup tomato purée

1 cup milk

2 tbsp ghee

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp maize flour

Salt

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 lemon 

Method

In a pressure cooker add all the greens , 1 tbsp ginger, green chillies and salt and boil for 15 mins.

Cool and grind with maize flour, milk and little water to get a thick paste.

Heat ghee and add cumin and let it crackle.

Add ginger and garlic and let it brown.

Now tip in onions and brown well.

Add chilli powder and tomato purée.

Cook well and pour the saag paste.

Cook well on low flame for an hour.

Add more water if needed. 

Add butter and mix well.

Squeeze lemon and stir well.

Pour into bowls and top with tadka of ghee , cumin and chilli powder. You can also use garlic in tadka. 

Serve hot with makki ki rotis and pickles.