Category: Salads & Appetizers

Goat Cheese Stuffed Piquillo Peppers inspired by José Andrés

This past summer, we went to Miami where my sister got engaged to the love of her life.

And to celebrate the big day, we went to dinner at The Bazaar By José Andrés — a restaurant that partly specializes in molecular gastronomy alongside traditional Spanish tapas.

We were thrilled about the whole concept of molecular cooking and so we started off with some terrific cocktails followed by appetizers, some of which looked like they were prepared at a science laboratory.

Passion Fruit Up rum, passion fruit and ginger-laurel syrup, topped with passion fruit foam

The Ultimate Gin & Tonic lemon verbena, lime wheels, juniper berries, fresh orchid

Not Your Everyday Caprese liquid mozzarella (that was like air balloons, cherry tomatoes, basil

Brussels Sprouts lemon pith purée, apricots, grapes, lemon air, plantain chips

LN2 Caipirinha frozen using liquid nitrogen

Making Liquid Nitrogen Caipirinha at the table

Patatas Bravas fried potatoes, spicy tomato sauce, alioli

Flaming S’mores peanut butter icecream, torched marshmallow

In addition to the above dishes and many others, one of them was Stuffed Piquillo Peppers which was not on the menu but it was a chef’s recommendation for our little “veggie” group at the table. So we went with it. It probably was the best decision of the night. All of the tapas were very good, but none like the Stuffed Piquillo Peppers. That being said, I had to try making them at home. Here’s my take on it — it was very similar to the original, if not better. Or maybe even.

For the peppers
6 – piquillo peppers/sweet mini peppers
2 oz – plain goat cheese
a drizzle of olive oil

For the Sweet Balsamic
1/4 cup – balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup – brown sugar

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Jb1eTE0VQ&w=560&h=315]

October 3, 2014
Classic Creamy Hummus

In the four years that I have lived in America, this place has not only served me mediocre weather, but also mediocre Arabic food. The one thing I miss most about home is the delectable Lebanese food — especially the luscious, silky, smoothest-ever hummus.

This hummus recipe is a keeper. It is so smooth and creamy, it tastes exactly like the one we used to get at our local Arabic restaurant called Lebanese Flower, back at home in Abu Dhabi. 1 can (16 oz) – chickpeas OR 1 cup chickpeas soaked overnight and pressure cooked 1 cup + 1/2 cup – chickpea stock (preferred) or water 1/2 cup – labneh OR greek yogurt (If using regular yogurt, make sure to strain out the water) Salt to taste 1/4 cup – olive oil 2 tablespoons – lemon juice freshly squeezed 2 to 3 cloves – garlic 1/4 cup – tahini (you can use store bought paste or make your own by blending together 1/8 cup roasted sesame seeds with 1/8 cup olive oil) Cayenne pepper, parsley and olive oil for garnish [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxhjiPh6uDU&w=560&h=315]

September 29, 2014
Sundried Tomato Dressed Pasta Salad

For the pasta salad:

2 handfuls – pasta of your choice (I used whole wheat fusilli), boiled
2 tablespoons – olive oil
1 – small onion, sliced
1 handful – mushrooms, sliced
1 – zucchini, sliced
1 – small bell pepper, sliced
1 clove – garlic, minced
optional – grated cheese of your choice (I used a mix of emmental & gruyere)

1) Heat olive oil in a pan, add in onions and sauté for 2 minutes till transparent.
2) Add in mushrooms and cook till lightly browned. Lastly add in zucchini, pepper and garlic and sauté for a few more minutes.
3) Add in cooked pasta and sundried tomato dressing and stir well. Refrigerate the salad and mix in the cheese right before serving time.

For the dressing:
4 to 6 whole – sundried tomatoes
1 clove – garlic
1 small – dried red chili (you can use red chili flakes too)
3 tablespoons – extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon – balsamic vinegar
to taste – salt & pepper

1) Place all the ingredients in the jar of a blender/food processor and blitz till nearly smooth.

August 25, 2014
Kale & White Peach Salad with a Honey Dressing

After eating spinach salad for lunch for almost a whole week, I desired for a change. A couple weeks back, my friend Bhavana and I went to dinner at Tapas Teatro and there I had a Kale & Pine Nut Salad with raisins. It was absolutely amazing. It was sweet, juicy and refreshing. I wanted to make something similar to what I had eaten and so I came up with this Kale & White Peach Salad that I sweetened with a honey dressing.
1 tbsp – olive oil
1 small – onion, chopped
1 handful – kale leaves
1 – white peach, chopped
2 tbsp – honey
1 tbsp – lemon juice
1 tsp – lemon zest
salt & pepper to taste

1) Saute the onions in olive oil.
2) Turn off the heat and toss in the kale and peach.
3) Pour in the honey, lemon juice and zest.
4) Season with salt and pepper.

May 14, 2013
Spinach & Grape Salad with Walnuts & Goat Cheese

It was pretty hot and sunny this Friday afternoon and I wanted something cooling and refreshing for lunch. So I made this salad and the grapes gave it all I needed. The creamy goat cheese made it just filly enough and the walnuts added a nice bitterly crunch. And the spinach just made it green enough to make me feel like a healthy person.

2 handfuls – baby spinach
1 handful – grapes
1/2 handful – walnuts, chopped
as much as you like – goat cheese

For the dressing:
3 tbsp – olive oil
1 tbsp – balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp – agave nectar (you can use honey too)
1 squeeze – lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

1) Mix the salad.
2) Pour in the dressing.
3) Mix again and serve chilled.

May 4, 2013
Black Bean & Mango Salad

We love Mexican food. And the salsa that goes with it must be homemade. My mum always has a couple jars full of salsa stocked up in the fridge. Every time she makes salsa during the months of mango season, she must make some mango salsa as well. And every time we make Mexican food during the months of mango season, we must make this black bean and mango salad.

And then we spooned this salad on tortilla chips, squiggled hot queso on it and munched plates full of mango nachos. They were so good that I got no pictures!

1 cup – black beans, soaked overnight and pressure cooked (you can use canned too)
1 – mango, chopped
1 – tomato, chopped
4 – spring onions, chopped
1/2 cup – cilantro, chopped
1 – jalapeno pepper, minced (deseed the pepper if you can’t handle the heat)
4 tbsp – salsa, homemade or store-bought
salt and lime juice, to taste

1) Combine all the ingredients together and serve chilled.

May 2, 2013
Pesto Bruschetta

1 – baguette, sliced
2 – tomatoes, finely chopped
2 cloves – garlic
8 leaves – fresh basil
2 tbsp – olive oil plus extra for drizzling
6 tbsp – pesto
Fresh parmesan, grated
salt, pepper & lemon to taste

1) Combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
2) Lightly toast the sliced bread and spread some pesto on it. Top with the tomato mixture, Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with the parmesan. Serve.

April 1, 2013