SAUTEED ASPARAGUS / GREEN BEANS / MUSHROOM

Ingredients:
1 doz firm asparagus, peeled
or
1 doz green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
or
8-10 oz button mushroom sliced

3-4 garlic cloves minced
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped parsley or dried parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
water

Preparation:

• In a large skillet boil water and salt. Add asparagus/green beans. Return to boil, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes. Shock them in cold water.
• Heat butter in a saute pan on medium-low and add garlic, parsley, oregano, black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds. Add salt.
• Add the asparagus/green beans/mushroom. Mix and cover to cook. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom.
• Sprinkle water if they stick to the bottom.
• Cook for about 7-8 minutes. Add lemon juice just before taking them down.

Tips:

• Cut about 11/2 inches off the asparagus from the bottom before peeling. Lightly peel from bottom to the head.
• It is not mandatory to boil and shock the asparagus and green beans. They can be sauteed as is.

GARLIC CHICKEN

This is a Halloween recipe published by the Globe magazine. What better way to keep the vampires at bay than with garlic.

Ingredients:
40 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 chicken (about 3 pounds) cut into 8 serving pieces(or 3 pounds of bone-in thighs)
2 tsp  minced fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
oil

Preparation:

• In a saute pan heat oil over low heat and add the garlic and a pinch of oil.
• Cover and cook the garlic stirring often to prevent them from sticking. Cook till the garlic cloves are browned and softened about 25-30 minutes.
• Remove the garlic to a small bowl leaving as much oil in the pan as possible and set aside.
• Rinse and dry the chicken pieces and very lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat the remaining oil over medium high and add the chicken. Do not crowd them, brown them in batches if necessary.
• Cook them undisturbed, until browned for about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces and cook till brown for another 4 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a large plate. Pour out all the oil only leaving about 2 tsp oil in the pan.
• Heat the oil at medium and add thyme, rosemary and bay leaves and cook stirring constantly until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
• Add the wine and adjust the flame to medium- high and bring to strong simmer.
• Simmer stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced by half.
• Now add chicken broth and return to strong simmer till the liquid is again reduced to about half.
• Add the chicken pieces along with any accumulated juices and half of the garlic cloves and return to a simmer.
• Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and tender for about 40 minutes turning the chicken over. If there are chicken breasts add them after 20 minutes.
• Remove the chicken to a serving plate and remove the bay leaves.
• With a wooden spoon thoroughly mash the garlic cloves in the pan to thicken the sauce. Add the remaining garlic cloves.
• Adjust the heat to medium-high and bring to a strong simmer stirring vigorously. About 4 minutes.
• Now adjust the heat to medium-low and stir in the butter. Add in lemon juice and most of the parsley and stir
• Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Top the chicken witht he sauce and the remaining parsley and serve.

POTATO SALAD

Ingredients:
5 new potatoes (or red potatoes)
1 stalk of celery finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped pimento pepper (cherry pepper)
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped sweet pickles or dill
1 tbsp pickle juice
1/2 tbsp French's mustard
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 hard boiled eggs
Salt & pepper

Preparation:

• Boil the potatoes, peel and cube them. Let them cool.
• Peel the hard boiled eggs and dice them. Let them cool.
• In a bowl mix mayonnaise and French's yellow mustard to make it into soft yellow.
• Mix in the pickle juice, celery, chopped onion, pickles, salt & pepper.
• Now add in the potatoes and diced eggs and mix them well to coat them together. 
• Serve cool.

GREEK STUFFED PEPPERS

Ingredients:
2 large green/red bell peppers
1/2 cup(or 5 1/2 tbsp)  rice
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp black pepper powder
5-6 mint leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp tomato sauce
any grease (butter/oil/ghee)
1 potato thinly sliced
1 tbsp bread crumbs.
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley or cilantro
1/2 tsp sugar
water as needed
salt

Preparation:

• Cut the top off the pepper and scoop off the flesh and seeds from inside. Preserve the top.
• Wash and soak the rice for about 15-20 minutes.
• In a pan heat oil. Add onion, garlic, black pepper.
• After a few moments add the rice in and fry. Add the mint leaves, salt and fry for 3-4 minutes.
• Add about a cup of water to it.And add tomato sauce and sugar to it. Fry by covering for another 3-4 minutes.
• Take it out of the heat and cool it.
• Fork the peppers all around and stuff the fried mixture into it. Don't over stuff it as the rice will rise after cooking.
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs and chopped cilantro/parsley on top of it.
• Coat a baking pan with butter/oil/ghee and pour in about 1/2 inch of water. Add oregano and salt to the water and mix it.
• Cover the peppers with their tops and place them in the pan.
• Add the thin sliced potatoes to the water.
• Bake it at around 375F (180C).

SWEET TOMATO CHUTNEY

Ingredients:
4 medium sized tomatoes
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 cup dried dates / raisin / cranberry
1tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water (if needed)
1 tbsp oil

Preparation:

• Cut the tomatoes into 1 inch cubes.
• Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and let the seeds pop.
• Add turmeric powder to it.
• Now add in the tomatoes.
• Add salt and sugar and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
• Now add the dried fruit (whichever you are using.
• Cook the tomatoes on medium-low flame for another 10 minutes till the tomatoes become tender.
• Add a little water if needed.
• Serve it warm.

TAMARIND RICE (PULIHARA)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup peanuts
11/2 tsp urad dal
1 1/2 tsp chana dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch asafedita (hing)
2-3 sliced green chilies
1 tsp sliced ginger
7-8 curry leaves
2 tsp red chili flakes
3 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup rice, freshly cooked
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a frying pan fry the peanuts till they are brown. Keep them aside.
• Now in the remaining oil, add chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds and asafedita. Fry them till they are light golden brown and the mustard seeds have popped.
• Add the sliced green chilies, sliced ginger and curry leaves and fry them for a minute.
• Now add the red chili flakes and the peanuts and mix well.
• Add the tamarind paste, turmeric powder, salt and little water and cook the mixture for about 2-3 minutes.
• Mix in the freshly cooked rice. 
• Serve hot

Tips:

For people who like it a little sweet can add 1 tsp of jaggery to the tamarind paste while cooking.

CHILLI CHICKEN

Ingredients:
1/2 lb boneless chicken(cut in 1" cubes)
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 egg
2 1/2tbsp corn flour
5-6 green chilies, finely chopped
2 green onion tops, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
a pinch of ajinomoto (optional)
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
2 cups chicken broth/water
oil to fry

Preparation:

• Take 1 1/2 tbsp soya sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp corn flour, egg, salt in a bowl and marinate the chicken pieces in the mixture for about 15 minutes.
• Heal oil and deep fry the chicken pieces till golden brown.
• In a separate wok/kadai, heat 1 tbsp of oil add garlic paste and green chilies and saute` for a few seconds.
• Add 2 cups of chicken broth or water and bring it to boil. Add sugar, pepper powder, salt, ajinomoto and remaining soya sauce.
• Add the fried chicken pieces to it and cook for a dew minutes.
•  Dissolve the remain corn flour in 1/2 cup water and it to the curry stirring to avoid lumps. This makes the gravy thick. Cook. for 2-3 minutes
• Serve chili chicken garnished with green onion tops.

Tips:

You can add 1 inch cut cubes of onion and green peppers to it when the mixture of garlic paste and green chili is frying (before adding chicken broth/water).