Category: Drinks & Condiments

Green, hearty and healthy, this recipe is a winner. Spread it on pizzas or sandwiches, use it in pastas or salads. It’s amazing in every way.

1 bunch (about 1 pound) – asparagus, cut into 1″ pieces
1 bunch – fresh basil
10 – pecan nuts
2 slices (more or less) – jalapeno pepper
6 cloves – garlic
1/2 cup – olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the asparagus and cook until fully tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving couple spoons of the cooking liquid, and let the asparagus cool slightly.
2) Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz together till it’s nearly smooth.
3) You can refrigerate it or freeze it for future use.

This summer, I had classes until mid August and soon after I got done, all I wanted to do was to try making an assortment of cheeses from scratch. I made Arabic white cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese, mascarpone cheese and ricotta cheese. Surprisingly, they were all easy to make and all of them used about the same ingredients. One morning I woke up thinking about making fresh parmesan at home too and then I LOL’d to myself when I realized it took 9 -10 months to age and mature.

Adapted from the Smitten Kitchen

3 cups – whole milk
1 cup – heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon – sea salt
3 tablespoons – freshly squeezed lemon juice

1) Pour the milk, cream and salt into a saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat the milk to 190°F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from sticking on the bottom.
2) Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it gently once or twice. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
3) Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. At an hour, you’ll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. Store the ricotta in a airtight container.

Makes about 1 generous cup.

Note: Don’t discard the whey. It’s full of protein so use it up in soups, smoothies or replace the water in making any dough. I used my whey in making the galette pastry dough.

5 cups cold water, divided
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar (more or less depending on your taste)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Zest of 3 limes
1/2 tsp coconut extract

1) Combine 4 cups cold water (if your blender fits 5 cups well enough then you can add all 5 at this point), coconut milk, sugar, lime juice, lime zest and coconut extract in a blender. Cover with lid and blend on low speed for one minute.
2) Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher, then using a rubber spatula press and rub lime zest back and forth against strainer to release oils from the zest into pitcher.
3) Pour in remaining 1 cup cold water and stir. Serve over ice. Store in refrigerator and stir each time before serving.

What makes this classic basil pesto a winner recipe is the key addition of white vinegar which preserves the pesto for a longer time.

Now I do know that oil itself is a great preservative, but somehow vinegar also helps keep the pesto looking green and fresh for much longer. If you’re using sliced jalapeños from a jar, then you can add a tablespoon of the liquid they’re in, instead of white vinegar.

Homemade Pesto

2 cups – fresh basil leaves
2 cloves – garlic
2 tablespoons – pistachios or any other nuts of your choice
1/4 cup – freshly grated parmesan
1/2 cup – extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
1 teaspoon – vinegar
2 slices – jalapeno pepper (optional)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-hnqqLO_hE&w=560&h=315]