The zest of citrus fruit consists of the colorful, flavorful peel without any of the bitter white pith still attached. To remove the zest, use a vegetable peeler, then scrape off any remaining pith with a small knife.
2 (3-inch) strips orange zest, very thinly sliced
¹/³ cup orange juice
4 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch salt
Pinch black pepper
2 cups lightly packed torn escarole or romaine lettuce
2 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 carrot, grated
½ red onion, very thinly sliced
To make dressing, combine orange zest and juice, lemon juice, lime juice, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in small jar with tight-fitting lid; cover and shake well.
Toss together all remaining ingredients in salad bowl. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat evenly.
Ingredients:
2 (3-inch) strips orange zest, very thinly sliced
¹/³ cup orange juice
4 teaspoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch salt
Pinch black pepper
2 cups lightly packed torn escarole or romaine lettuce
2 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 carrot, grated
½ red onion, very thinly sliced
Directions:
To make dressing, combine orange zest and juice, lemon juice, lime juice, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in small jar with tight-fitting lid; cover and shake well.
Toss together all remaining ingredients in salad bowl. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat evenly.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white
wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 sweet onion, cut into thin wedges
½ cup lightly packed fresh fl at-leaf parsley leaves
2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
Directions:
To make dressing, whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt, and pepper in small bowl until blended.
Toss together tomatoes, onion, and parsley in large bowl. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat evenly. Divide salad evenly among 6 plates. Sprinkle evenly with goat cheese.
Ingredients:
1 (2-pound) piece seedless watermelon, rind removed and cut into ¾-inch dice
2 large peaches, pitted and cut into ¾-inch pieces
2 mini (Persian) cucumbers, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white
wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup coarsely crumbled ricotta salata or feta cheese
1 scallion (white and light green parts only), cut into very thin strips
Directions:
Toss together all ingredients except ricotta salata and scallion in serving bowl; let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and scallion.
Use 4 cups of lightly packed torn romaine lettuce instead of 3 cups.
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 cups lightly packed torn romaine lettuce
1 large tomato, cut into thin wedges
1 mini (Persian) cucumber, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
½ red onion, thinly sliced
6 large pitted black olives, halved
¼ cup lightly packed fresh fl at-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
To make dressing, whisk together lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano, and black pepper in small bowl until blended.
Toss together all remaining ingredients except feta in salad bowl. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with cheese.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 cups lightly packed torn romaine lettuce
1 large tomato, cut into thin wedges
1 mini (Persian) cucumber, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
½ red onion, thinly sliced
6 large pitted black olives, halved
¼ cup lightly packed fresh fl at-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
Directions:
To make dressing, whisk together lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano, and black pepper in small bowl until blended.
Toss together all remaining ingredients except feta in salad bowl. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with cheese.
If you are especially fond of clementines, use 4 instead of 2.
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
6 cups lightly packed baby romaine lettuce
2 clementines, peeled and sectioned
¼ cup snipped fresh chives
2 tablespoons pecans, chopped and toasted
To make dressing, whisk together orange juice, oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl until well blended.
Toss together romaine, clementines, chives, and pecans in salad bowl. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat evenly.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
6 cups lightly packed baby romaine lettuce
2 clementines, peeled and sectioned
¼ cup snipped fresh chives
2 tablespoons pecans, chopped and toasted
Directions:
To make dressing, whisk together orange juice, oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl until well blended.
Toss together romaine, clementines, chives, and pecans in salad bowl. Drizzle dressing over and toss to coat evenly.
If you prefer that the apple doesn’t turn pink from the beets, put the apple in a small bowl and toss it with a small amount of the dressing. Pile the apple on top of the salad.
1 bunch beets (about 1 pound), trimmed
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cored, and diced
1 bunch watercress, trimmed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¹/8 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Unwrap beets.
When beets are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins and dice. Toss together beets, apple, and watercress in salad bowl.
To make dressing, whisk together all remaining ingredients in small bowl until well blended. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well to coat evenly.
Ingredients:
1 bunch beets (about 1 pound), trimmed
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cored, and diced
1 bunch watercress, trimmed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¹/8 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Unwrap beets.
When beets are cool enough to handle, slip off their skins and dice. Toss together beets, apple, and watercress in salad bowl.
To make dressing, whisk together all remaining ingredients in small bowl until well blended. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well to coat evenly.
Using only the small inner romaine lettuce leaves makes this Caesar salad especially striking when mounded on plates.
1 cup cubes (¾-inch) whole grain bread
1 small garlic clove, peeled
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
Pinch black pepper
8 cups lightly packed small romaine lettuce leaves
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Put bread cubes in bowl; spray with nonstick spray. Spread in baking pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.
With side of knife, mash garlic with salt.
To make dressing, whisk together broth, 1 tablespoon of Parmesan, the oil, mayonnaise, parsley, vinegar, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic paste, and pepper in small bowl until blended.
Put romaine and croutons in large bowl; drizzle dressing over and toss to coat evenly. Divide salad evenly among 6 plates; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cheese.
Ingredients:
1 cup cubes (¾-inch) whole grain bread
1 small garlic clove, peeled
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
Pinch black pepper
8 cups lightly packed small romaine lettuce leaves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Put bread cubes in bowl; spray with nonstick spray. Spread in baking pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.
With side of knife, mash garlic with salt.
To make dressing, whisk together broth, 1 tablespoon of Parmesan, the oil, mayonnaise, parsley, vinegar, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic paste, and pepper in small bowl until blended.
Put romaine and croutons in large bowl; drizzle dressing over and toss to coat evenly. Divide salad evenly among 6 plates; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cheese.
Ingredients:
2½ tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
pinch fenugreek seeds
1 tsp split chana dal (also called Bengal gram lentils)
1 tsp split black gram (also called urad dal or black lentil)
2-3 dried red chillies, left whole
1 rounded tsp chopped fresh ginger
¼ tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp roasted peanuts, out of their shells
10 curry leaves, torn in half
salt, to taste
3 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
350 gm / 12 oz freshly cooked basmati rice
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and add the mustard and fenugreek seeds, the chana dal, black gram and the chillies and stir fry until lightly browned.
Add the ginger, ground turmeric, peanuts, curry leaves and salt, to taste, and cook for about 40 seconds.
Stir in the lemon juice and cook for another minute before adding the rice. Stir fry to heat through, being careful not to break up the grains too much.
To serve, place the rice onto serving plates.
Ingredients:
2½ tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ medium onion, sliced
1-2 green chillies, sliced in half lengthwise
¾ tsp ground turmeric
salt, to taste
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
½ cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, chopped into 1cm/½in pieces
100gm / 3½ oz green beans, topped, tailed and chopped into thirds
50 gm / 2 oz shallots, peeled and halved
10 gm / ½ oz fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
60 gm / 2½ oz desiccated coconut, soaked in water to just cover
2 small handfuls frozen peas
12 fresh or dried curry leaves
5-6 tbsp plain yoghurt
1 tbsp coconut oil (optional)
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the cumin, onion and chillies and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to colour.
When the onions are cooked, stir in the turmeric, salt, carrots and potatoes. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring often. If necessary, add a splash of water to prevent the vegetables from burning.
After about 15 minutes, add the cucumber and beans. Cover the pan again and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, place the shallots, ginger and coconut (complete with its soaking liquid) into a blender. Blend to a fine paste before adding to the pan, along with the peas. Cook for a further five minutes, stirring thoroughly. Tear the curry leaves into the pan and stir in the yoghurt.
To serve, take the pan off the heat and pour the coconut oil over the vegetables, if using. Spoon the mixture on to six serving plates and serve with basmati rice.
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
125 ml / 4½ fl oz Greek-style yoghurt
small knob fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
salt, to taste
½ tsp chilli powder, or to taste
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp gram flour (also called chickpea flour)
1 tsp cumin powder
seeds of 6 green cardamom, ground
For the skewers:
300 gm / 10 ½ oz paneer, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
1 large onion, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
1 green and 1 red capsicum pepper, cored and cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
oil, for greasing
6 wooden skewers, soaked for an hour
2 tbsp butter, melted, for drizzling
chaat masala (a dried spice mixture available from Asian grocers), to sprinkle
Directions:
For the marinade, mix together all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and add the paneer, onion and peppers. Cover with cling film and allow the paneer and vegetables to marinate for 30-40 minutes, or longer, in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6 and oil a baking sheet.
Thread the vegetables and paneer alternately onto the skewers. Bake in the oven for seven minutes, drizzle over the melted butter, turn and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until charred at the edges.
Sprinkle with chaat masala and serve. They are also great served with a green chutney.
Ingredients:
vegetable oil, for frying
600 gm / 1 lb 5oz small to medium-sized red-skinned potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise
salt, to taste
½ tsp dried mango powder (often sold as amchoor), available from Asian grocers
¼-½ tsp red chilli powder, or to taste
½ tsp ground coriander
Directions:
Heat a couple of inches of vegetable oil in a wide saucepan or wok.
Add the potatoes and fry over a medium heat, turning occasionally, until they are just soft in the centre when tested with the point of a sharp knife. This should take about 10-15 minutes. They should be fairly pale in colour.
Remove the potatoes from the oil and drain on kitchen paper for five minutes. Once cool enough to handle, using the palm of your hand, gently flatten the potatoes as much as possible without them losing their shape.
Before serving, reheat the oil. Add the potatoes to the hot oil and fry over a low-medium heat for about 5-6 minutes, until the potatoes are golden and crisp.
Ingredients:
For the salad:1 tomato, finely chopped
4 tbsp finely chopped cucumber
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
handful coriander leaves and stalks, chopped
2 tbsp salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut
¼ tsp grated ginger
salt, to taste
For the spices:
1 tsp vegetable oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
few curry leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
Directions:
For the salad, mix together all the salad ingredients in a bowl.
For the spices, heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to splutter, add the curry leaves and remove from the heat. Add the lemon juice and stir.
To serve, pour the spice mixture over the salad and stir to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Ingredients:
For the spinach paste:225g / 8oz baby spinach leaves, washed
45g / 1¾ oz fresh coriander, leaves and stalks
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
5cm / 2in piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
6 tbsp roasted and salted peanuts
2-3 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-3 green chillies, seeds removed, roughly chopped (optional)
For the tandoori mushrooms:
75ml / 2½fl oz Greek-style yoghurt
1 tsp each garam masala, ground cumin, ground fennel seeds and green cardamom powder
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 rounded tsp grated ginger
2 tsp gram flour
salt, to taste
2 tsp lemon juice
¼-½ tsp red chilli powder, or to taste
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp water
200g / 7oz Portobello mushrooms, cleaned, boiled for 15 minutes, cooled and thickly sliced
For the paneer:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
100ml/3½fl oz water
300-350 g / 10-12 oz paneer, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
½ small onion, thinly sliced
To serve:
5 ready-made flour tortillas, wrapped in foil and placed in the oven for the last five minutes of cooking. You'll need 5-6 wooden skewers, soaked in water for half an hour
Directions:
For the spinach paste, place all the spinach paste ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. For the tandoori mushrooms, place all the ingredients except the mushrooms into a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add the mushrooms to the paste and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6.
For the paneer, heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the spinach paste and the water and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the paste starts to thicken. Add the paneer and the onion and cook for another minute, or until the onion just starts to soften.
Meanwhile, thread the marinated mushrooms onto skewers, place onto an oiled baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Once cooked, add the mushrooms to the paneer mixture.
To serve, divide the filling into five portions and place each portion onto a warmed tortilla. Roll up and cut on the diagonal.
Ingredients:
165 g / 6 oz semolina125 ml / 4½ fl oz plain yoghurt
125 ml / 4½ fl oz water
two handfuls frozen peas, defrosted
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 small carrot, peeled and grated
handful fresh or frozen (defrosted) green beans, roughly chopped
2.5cm / 1in piece fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
¾-1 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
salt, to taste (season well)
3 tbsp oil, plus extra for greasing
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6 and oil a loaf tin. In a large bowl, mix together the semolina, yogurt, water, vegetables, ginger, chilli powder, turmeric and salt to make a fairly thick batter. Taste and adjust with more salt or spices if necessary.
Heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard, cumin and sesame seeds and cook, stirring frequently, for 20 seconds, or until the mustard seeds have popped and the cumin and sesame seeds are aromatic. Stir the seeds and oil into the batter. If the batter is too thick, add a splash of water.
Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and immediately pour the mixture into the tin. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown. It's ready when a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and become crisp in the tin.
Serve in wedges, either on its own or with green chutney.
Here I include the recipe for one of the most popular starters on the Indian restaurant menu. Onion Bhajees will take about 15 minutes to make and worth the little effort involved.
The simple mushroom is used in cooking all over the world and lends itself handsomely to
the Indian style of cuisine. Personally I like to lightly cook the mushrooms so they just pick up the exotic flavor of the sauce.
the Indian style of cuisine. Personally I like to lightly cook the mushrooms so they just pick up the exotic flavor of the sauce.
Cauliflower is a natural ingredient for Indian cooking and this side dish makes a wonderful accompaniment to any meal.
This spinach based dish with a subtle lime flavour now appears on many of the more upmarket Indian restaurant menus. It is simple to prepare and well worth the small effort
involved.
involved.
This is another vegetable dish, flavoured with methi (fenugreek) and appears on almost every Indian restaurant menu.
This vegetable favourite appears on every Indian restaurant menu and makes a wonderful side dish.
