WOYP Day # 57 Grilled Corn and Feta Salad

Summer time brings a bounty of fresh corn, Watermelon, Mangoes and scrumptious strawberries. Grilled corn on the cob is a family favorite. Back home in India fresh corn brings back memories of cold days - which meant corn on the cob roasted over a bed of coals and while its piping smeared with a generous dab of green chili paste, salt and lemon juice. There are so many ways to dress up grilled corn, the possibilities are endless!! :D The boys like it with butter and little salt, sometimes with garlic salt. We like it with chili powder (cayenne), salt and lemon juice or with green chili paste and salt and little bit of ghee to cut the heat!! Yumm!

To shake things up a bit, I made a salad with the grilled corn kernels, crunchy red bell peppers, onions and some jalapenos for heat. Tossed in a quick and easy mayo dressing, this salad could well be the star at your next summer party!

Grilled Corn and Feta Salad:

You will need:

3 ears of Yellow corn
1/2 cup Red bell pepper, chopped
1 Jalapeno , chopped
1/4 cup Red onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
3 tbsp Mayonnaise
2 tsp Sriracha (or any hot sauce)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper powder
1 tbsp Crumbled Feta cheese

Grill the corn on the cob over an open flame or on an outdoor grill if you have one. Both methods give it a nice char which is akin to grilled or roasted corn. The easiest way to get the kernels off the cob is to use a sharp knife. I use a large bowl, place a smaller bowl inverted in the larger bowl. Place the cob on top of the smaller bowl and use the knife. Hold the cob firmly with one hand and with the knife in the other start from the top and come down in one swift move. Turn the cob and repeat. That’s it! The kernels are collected in the larger bowl without a mess :)

Remove the inverted smaller bowl, and to the same large bowl add the chopped onions, red bell pepper, jalapeños and cilantro.

In another bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Add this to the corn and chopped veggies. Combine well. Top with crumbled Feta and serve.

We recently had some dead trees felled in our back yard and I had them cut a few stumps for me. I'm still figuring out what I'll use them for, meanwhile couldn't resist taking a few pictures! :D

Grab a chip and this salad makes an awesome dip!

Mediterranean Platter I Kashk O Badmejan - Eggplant Dip

I was introduced to Mediterranean food only after I came to the US. A plateful of piping hot crisp falafel, soft pitas, delicious garlicky hummus, refreshing salad and an amazing eggplant dip.. now that’s one delicious platter. Not to forget a delectable dessert to finish the meal yummy Basbousa or the glorious Baklava, more on the Basbousa in another post.

Falafel

Whole-wheat Pita Bread

Hummus

Kashk O Badmejan (recipe below)

Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad

Basbousa

I’ve made this platter many a time in these past few years. We’ve had Arabic Night themed parties just so we can indulge in these dishes. But one dish I hadn’t made before is the Kashk o Bademjan, Kashk o Badmajoon or Kashk e Bademjan. One of our favorites at a local Falafel place, we never fail to order it when we dine in. Kashk is the main ingredient in Kashk O, it adds a certain creaminess to it which is irresistible. Kashk is made from drained yoghurt or drained sour milk, by forming it and letting it dry. To use it, it must be diluted to make a paste. The closest substitute to this would be Sour cream.

If you see this on the menu when you visit a middle eastern, Persian or Iranian restaurant, be sure to give the Kashko Badmejan a try.

Kashk O Badmejan:

You will need:

1 large Japanese eggplant (You can use Chinese eggplants too)

2 tbsp Dried mint (substitute fresh mint)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 tbsp Oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

½ tsp Sugar

2 tbsp Kashk (substitute with sour cream)

Salt to taste

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wide pan. Peel the eggplant and cut into small cubes. Add to the pan and sauté. Add minced garlic and dried mint. I used fresh mint since that’s something I have on hand at most times. Finely chop the fresh mint and add it to the eggplant. 

Cook the eggplant on medium heat for 8-10 minutes until it is soft and slightly brown. While the eggplant is cooking, in another pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the sliced onions and cook on medium heat. Add little salt and sugar, this helps the onions sweat a little and carmelize into this sweet smoky goodness. Watch the onions and turn off heat when done.

Once the eggplants are done, most recipes call for it to be mashed in the pan but I like a slightly smoother texture so I blended it with half of the carmelized onions and the kashk. Transfer it to a plate and spread it, top with a little olive oil and garnish with the remaining carmelized onions. Drizzle more kashk on the top. Serve warm with pita bread or pita chips. 

This marks the end of the Blogging Marathon #74 of this month for me. BM #75 in April is going to be one awesome adventure. Stay tuned! 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#74

Basil Walnut Pesto with Gemilli Pasta

Fresh basil always makes me high…high on the intense delicious flavour, which makes me crave for more and more of it. I’ve used fresh Basil in a number of dishes before and simply can't get enough of it!

I got my first taste of Basil Pesto, when I had the Mediterranean Pizza at Scholtzky’s Deli. I thoroughly enjoyed the pesto sauce on the base and while biting into the pizza, I was making a strong mental note to find a recipe for pesto and make it asap!

So the next trip to the Farmers Market, I came back with fresh Basil. I began to look for recipes and most of them I came across called for Pine Nuts, which are pretty expensive for a small quantity. I decided to substitute it with Walnuts instead, since I had a big bag of walnuts in their shells. Basil Pesto was ready in no time!

Gemelli with Basil Walnut Pesto:

Gemelli is a dry pasta which is spiral shaped. The different shapes of pasta always fascinate me and every time I run out of pasta (yes, it happens every now and then :-D) I buy a new shape to try, just for the fun of it :) So this time it was these spiral shaped beauties.

You will need:

1 Cup Gemelli pasta
¼ Cup Basil Walnut pesto (recipe below)
Salt to taste

Boil Gemelli in a pot of salted water, till done. Drain and toss with pesto. Add salt if required. Serve hot. Additional parmesan maybe added on top before serving.

Basil Walnut Pesto:

You will need:

2 Cups packed, Fresh Basil leaves
½ Cup Walnuts, chopped
¾ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil as required
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped

In a blender or a food processor, add chopped walnuts and pulse to break the walnuts into smaller finer bits. Now add the garlic and the basil leaves. Blend to combine. Now slowly stream in the olive oil and blend, this loosens the mixture and helps it blend smoothly. Add oil till the mixture has a paste like consistency. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the parmesan cheese. The cheese is salty so taste the pesto before adding more salt.

To store: Transfer the pesto to a clean jar, cover with a thin layer of olive oil and refrigerate if using in a few days, otherwise freeze it. Thaw before using. If frozen, it should last for 2-3 months.

Pesto can be used as a dip, tossed with pasta or even used a pizza sauce. My love for pasta is not unknown, so that is what I used the pesto for.

Gemilli with Basil Walnut Pesto is my entry to A.W.E.D Italian hosted by Dhivya at Culinary Bazaar and also to Herb Mania:Basil hosted by Dee of Ammalu's Kitchen.

Pineapple Habanero Jelly

The last time I was at the Farmer’s Market I was drawn towards these bright coloured peppers and for some reason bought a pack of them too. Like all other things which reach my pantry with no pre-determined use or destination, the habaneros snugly sat in my fridge. The week after I bought them we were at Le gourmet Chef, a store which meets culimary needs and I happened to taste a Pineapple Habanero Jelly, which was very tasty.

The sweet from the pineapples hit the palette first and then came the fiery hot from the habaneros. Cute and small they are, but don’t take these Habaneros for granted; there's more heat packed in there than you think! A little sure goes a long way.

The taste of this jelly lingered in my mind for a long time and the next time I saw the habaneors peeking at me from behind the gazillion other stuff in the fridge, I knew I had to make this jelly. I set about looking for a recipe online and came across this one.

I have never made Jams or Jellies at home before this so I had to rely on what I've seen to get the right consistency.

You will need:

15 habaneros, seeded and deveined (any colour, I used Orange)
1 orange bell pepper (or a bell pepper the same color as the habaneros)

4 cups cubed pineapple
1 cup Distilled Vinegar
5 cups sugar
3-4 tbsp Fruit Pectin
Pinch of salt

In a blender, chop up the habaneros, bell pepper, pineapple and vinegar. Bring to a boil on medium high heat in a non-stick pan. Add fruit pectin and stir. The mixture should thicken as you boil.

For the above mentioned quantity of fruit:sugar:habanero, the quantity of pectin used was sufficient. You can increase/decrease it depending on how well your mixture thickens as you bring to a boil.

Pectin is basically a gelling agent used in the preparation of jams and jellies. It is available in most grocery stores.


The Pineapple Habanero Jelly serves well as a dip for Torilla chips, salted Pretzels or anything else you can think of pairing this with.


Fire up your taste buds!! :D