Masala Fried Fish with Salad Nicoise-ish

If there is a French person reading this, I apologize for turning a perfectly authentic salad on its head. If there is a person on a diet reading this, I apologize for luring you in here with a salad and then saying it’s topped with ‘fried’ fish. The original recipe calls for tuna, which I replace with fried sear fish. (Go ahead and grill yours, if you want to be on the safe side of the scales). I also omit boiled green beans and add fried croutons instead for crunch. (Blasphemy, I know). At this stage you might understand why I called it ‘Nicoise-ish’. Should I have just called it ‘fusion food’? Or should I have called it ‘things I like to eat’? Like Shakespeare said, ‘a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. Now, who are we mere mortals to argue with that kinda logic, right? It’s a fantastic meal in one and looks so freaking amazing. That said, I love this version of Salad Nicoise (Nee-sh-wah) more than the original! Gasp Gasp :P.

Masala Fried Fish with Salad Nicoise

Prep time: 15 mins

Marinating time: 1 hr

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

For the Masala fried fish:

4 steaks (400 gms) Sear Fish/ any white fish (1 inch thickness)

½ tsp Turmeric

2 Tbsp Chili Powder (or according to taste)

½ tsp Ginger Garlic paste

Salt

Oil for frying

For the Salad Nicoise:

1 big Cos Lettuce, (rinsed and well dried)torn into shreds

4 Tomatoes, chopped

3/4th cup sliced Black Olives

4 hard Boiled eggs

1 Onion, finely sliced

2 slices old bread, cut and fried into croutons (use the same oil as the fried fish for awesome flavour)

For the Vinaigrette:

3 Tbsp Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp white wine Vinegar

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

What to do:

First of all, don’t be alarmed by the list of ingredients. It’s just assembly. Artful tossing together. Starting with the fried fish. Make a thick paste with turmeric, salt, ginger garlic paste and chili (add as much heat as you can take, but be advised that extra chili powder tends to blacken the fish and leave debris in the cooking oil). Marinate the fish steaks by rubbing the paste on both sides of the fish. Set aside. Add all the vinaigrette items into a bottle and give it a good shake till it looks like everything is homogenously incorporated. Keep cool in the fridge.

Heat oil to just below smoking point, put in the fish steaks and immediately lower the heat. Fry for 4 mins on each side. The extra masala will settle to the bottom of the pan. Drain and keep warm.

Wash the lettuce and pat the leaves dry. (Or use a salad drier). Toss in the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, onions, olives) accordingly. Toss over the vinaigrette (Approx. 1 Tbsp per plate), just before serving to avoid the lettuce leaves becoming limp. Divide among four plates with one boiled egg per person. Place the fried fish in the center and serve with pride. Dig in with absolute abandon!

Penne with Bell Peppers Roman Style

I had two lovely yellow bell peppers in my fridge. After four days of racking my brains to come up with a mind blowing recipe, I chickened out. I could not see them go to waste for my lack of creative genius. Thanks to the gazillion cook books I own, (yes, I am cookbook cuckoo!) finding a recipe was a breeze. I would like you to believe that I put in considerable amount of effort picking and choosing just the right recipe, but the truth is I like a good gamble. So I closed my eyes and put my finger on the peppers list in the index! I give you here – Pasta with Peppers Roman Style. The Roman bit is because I had a crush on Julius Caesar. Ok, am playing with you now! Traditionally, tiny black wrinkled olives grown in the Lazio region of Italy are used in this roman dish. But I used Spanish olives. Oops! Don’t declare a war till you’ve tried it. iBuen Apetito!

Penne with Peppers Roman Style

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1/3 cup Olive oil

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 cup Black Olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

400gms canned chopped Tomatoes, drained/ 500gms Tomatoes, blanched and chopped

2 Yellow/ Red Peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips

Salt and pepper

350gms dried Penne/ Fettucine

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve

What to do:

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins or until softened. Add the tomatoes, bell peppers and olives. Saute for 5 mins. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer over very low heat for 25 mins. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile bring a large heavy bottomed pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta return to a boil and cook according to instructions on the packet. Penne must be tender but with a bite. Drain ad transfer to a serving dish.

Spoon the sauce onto the pasta and toss well. Sprinkle generously with the parmesan and serve immediately, with extra grated parmesan.

Note: Green bell peppers are not recommended in this recipe as they are a little too sharp and do not provide enough contrast with the saltiness of the olives.

Coq Au Vin with a Twist

 Coq Au Vin simply means Chicken in Wine. The French sure know how to make simple things sound so ooh-la-la. Traditionally Coq Au Vin is made with red wine and mushrooms. This recipe however is made with white wine and green olives. The result is simply delish! Use chicken pieces with the skin on - this gives it a lovely brown color on the outside, while keeping the flesh inside nice and juicy. Serve it with some mashed potatoes or some buttered carrots to make a complete meal. This takes 50 mins tops to make, so if you want to impress the family on a weekday… I’d say go for it.

Coq Au Vin with a Twist

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1 kg Chicken, cut into serving pieces

1 Onion, sliced

12 Garlic cloves, to taste, crushed

1 tsp dried Thyme

2 cups dry white wine

1 cup pitted Green Olives (16-18)

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1-2 Tbsp Butter

Salt and Black Pepper

What to do:

Heat a deep heavy frying pan. When hot, add a splash of oil and set the chicken pieces skin side down. Cook over medium heat until browned, about 10 mins. Turn and brown the other side, 5-8 mins more. Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate ans set aside.

Drain the excess fat from the frying pan, leaving about 1 Tbsp. Add the sliced onion and ½ tsp salt and cook until soft, about 5 ins. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute more. Add the wine and stir, scraping up any bits that cling to the pan. Bring to the boil and boil for a minute. Stir in the olives. Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Add the bay leaf and season lightly with pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 20-30 mins.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a warmed plate. Stir the lemon juice into the sauce. Whisk in the butter to thicken the sauce slightly. Spoon over the chicken and serve.

Warm Penne, Tomato and Olive Salad

If you want a salad that is hearty, healthy and colorful look no further than this page. Tomatoes and olives are a match made in heaven and in this dish they are combined with just pasta and olive oil, allowing their flavors to shine. I prefer to use black olives in this, cause the colur and taste compliment the dish much better than green olives. But go ahead and experiment. After all the pasta recipes with the heavy sauces, this is a welcome break to my stomach. There’s absolutely no guilt when I indulge in this one. Come to think of it, I have no guilt in indulging in food at all!

Warm Penne, Tomato and Olive Salad

Prep time: 20 mins

Serves: 4 as main course / 8 as salad

What you need:

5 ripe Tomatoes

12 Black Olives sliced

400 gms Penne

4 Tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Oregano

1 Tbsp fresh Parsley

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste

What to do:

Cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 12-14 mins or until tender. Meanwhile roughly chop the ripe tomatoes. Finely chop the parsley. Drain the pasta thoroughly in a colander and return it to the clean pan. Toss with the olive oil, tomatoes, sliced olives and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley. Serve. So simple!

P.S. If you are unable to find ripe tomatoes, roast those you have to bring out their full flavor. Simply put the tomatoes in a roasting pan, drizzle with a little olive oil and roast at 190ºC for 20 mins. Allow to cool slightly, then mash roughly with a fork.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Alla Putanesca

The reason I’m calling this a vegetarian Spaghetti Alla Putanesca is because the original recipe calls for anchovy fillets and I haven’t used any! Come to think of it, I actually have consciously avoided any recipe that calls for the use of anchovy. I love fish, I really do.. But in the form of canned fillets which remind me of cat food by the way… I have avoided them. I’ll let you know when I pick up the nerve to try some, but till then this recipe will be what it is. It’s a really simple, tasty and speedy dish by the way, so don’t hesitate to try it.

Spaghetti Alla Putanesca (sans anchovies)

Cooking time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1/2 cup Black olives (pitted and chopped)
1 Tbsp Capers, drained and rinsed

1 kg tomatoes, peeled and chopped

Pinch of Cayenne pepper/ chilli powder
1 dried Red Chilli, torn into pieces

Salt

400 gms dried Spaghetti

2 Tbsp chopped fresh Parsley to garnish

What to do:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. Add the garlic and cook over low heat stirring frequently for about 2 mins. Add the tomatoes and mash them with a fork. Sauté for a few minutes. Add the olives,chilli and capers and season to taste with the salt and cayenne pepper. Cover and let simmer for 25 mins. Meanwhile bring a large heavy bottomed pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8-10 mins. Drain and transfer to a serving dish. Spoon the sauce into the dish and toss to coat the spaghetti. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately. Simple!

Spaghetti Friday

Mondays are strange days. You still haven't shaken the stupor of the weekend but you know there's loads of work to do.(sigh sigh..) Friday's on the other hand are full of energy. Somehow the thought that the next 48 hours can be spent outside the office is enough to put that zing in anyone's steps. So I headed home bouncing on a trampoline (well not literally), to whip up a quick but satisfying meal before catching a movie. There was a packet of Spaghetti and I was personally leaning towards a tomato based sauce but the co-resident/ husband wanted something cheesy. So the final outcome was Spaghetti in Creamy Tomato sauce with Olives. Its pretty much a throw everything in recipe, so go ahead and fine tune the quantities to suit your taste. Also I mostly cook for two (but the co-resident can easily eat for three), so my recipes serve 4 people. Well, in Indian homes we always make more than we need and feed people till they can't eat another morsel. So a little extra never hurt.. what say? Have fun with your Cooking..

Spaghetti with Olives in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 3-4

What you need:

350 gms Spaghetti

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

6 flakes Garlic (minced)

1 Med Size Onion (chopped)

1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes

20 Marinated Black/ Green Olives

1 tsp Flour

4 Tbsp Tomato Puree

2 Med Tomatoes (chopped)

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Sugar

1/4 tsp dried/ 2 Tbsp Fresh Basil

1/4 cup Grated Cheese

1/2 cup milk

4 Tbsp Cream

What to do:

In a saucepan heat the Olive Oil and add Garlic and Onions. Saute till onions turn transluscent. Add chilli flakes and fry for a few seconds before adding the flour. Now fry for a minute. We're making a roux here, so that the sauce is of coating consistency. Add in the tomatoes and saute for a few minutes. The key is to smash them around so that they release all their yummy juices. Add the tomato puree now and cook for 2 mins. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. There's the tomato sauce, now to make it creamy we need to add in the milk, and grated cheese (Slowly, gently, dreamily ... ) and stir till all the ingredients look like they have become one happy family. Now take the pan off the stove. Toss in the olives and basil, mix in the cream (full fat is always yummy), but skip if you don't exercise.

Cook the spaghetti according to instructions on the packet (toss in some rock salt in the water). Drain and mix the spaghetti with the sauce and serve hot. Always cook the spagehtti just before serving otherwise it will go cold and sticky and won't mix with the sauce well.

Bon Appetit!