Category: Garlic

No. 576Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Spicy food is a culinary tradition in hot, arid countries and LA has been no stranger to the heat. What to do about dinner always remains an ongoing question. Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives, just as the name suggests, is a very strong pasta-just in time.

FOODS OF TUSCANY

There are some very special ingredients at play this version of the recipe. Simple yes, but with very intense flavors that begin with Ligurian Olives from the hills of the Italian Riviera. Both black and green olives are packed in brine along with pure mineral salt. The olives create a rich black color for the sauce, with a taste almost akin to salty caviar.

 

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels

The Taggiasca Ligurian olives (to be exact), are mixed with capers, garlic and anchovy to coat strands of another special Tuscan local ingredient addition, Ancient Tuscan Grain Spaghettoni.

ANCIENT TUSCAN GRAINS

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels

These Tuscan Ancient Organic grains are farmed, milled and bronzed but all within 4 miles, keeping this a very local and closed loop product. I discovered these grains online and it is a more ‘toothsome” pasta, similiar to our whole wheat. A special Bronze Extrusion process is used that gives the pasta a rougher surface texture. This allows the sauce to really attach to the pasta, making every bite a flavorful experience. This pasta stands up to the assertive flavors of olives, garlic and capers of the sauce.
Spaghetti Forte with Ligurian Olives | Bijouxs Little Jewels
Just add little jewels of red pepper flakes – a plate of intense flavor to counter that spicy craving.
Stay Strong!

 

No. 574Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola is a light and lovely salad with the surprise crunch from seeded granola. Salads are always a little jewel from the Bijouxs Recipe Membership.

GREEN GODDESS

Salads are at the top of my list for meal-makers and starters. I am always keeping my eyes out for new ways with the salad bowl.

This salad is a fresh take on the Green Goddess salad, with a much lighter than usual green dressing. I enjoy the fresh herbs, avocado oil and Dijon mustard that join for the dressing. I used Little Gem lettuce a favorite, along with leaves of red radicchio for color & flavor.

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola | Bijouxs Little Jewels

CRUNCHY SEEDED GRANOLA

The surprise here is a crunchy granola topping in lieu of the usual croutons. A simple seeded granola is baked with seeds; pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and rolled oats. Spiced with red chili flakes and honey for a sweet-spicy kick.

Green Goddess Salad with Crunchy Granola |Bijouxs Little Jewels

Simply Beautiful Food for the home cook by Bijouxs Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

 

 

No. 570Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Sri Lankan dishes are fresh, vibrant, distinct and a perfect recipe to sample this cuisine is Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry Recipe from Kolamba, Soho NYC. The newest Little Jewel recipe added to the Membership Collection.

LONDON CALLING

Sri Lankan dishes are starting to become known in their own right thanks to a group of restaurants in London. First was Hoppers, which introduced people to the Sri Lankan savory pancake of the same name. Kolamba, is a modern restaurant in the heart of Soho with a more focused approach to authenticity and the dishes cooked and eaten in homes across the island. But when it comes to the food of Sri Lanka, a beautiful island nation just 17 miles off the coast of southern India, a lot of us assume it’s no different to what’s found on the subcontinent. Nothing could be further from the truth. This recipe is adapted from Kolamba in Soho.

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry |Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

SRI LANKAN CUISINE

But what makes Sri Lankan flavors stand out against those found in India? A lot of it comes down to one ingredient: coconut. Despite being a small island it’s the world’s fourth-largest exporter of coconuts, and they are a part of almost every aspect of the national cuisine. ‘We’re always compared to India when it comes to our food, but there are real differences between what we cook and eat compared to the rest of the subcontinent,’ says Eroshan, Kolamba;’s owner, ‘We don’t use any animal fats in our cooking – no ghee, butter, cream or yoghurt – because coconut adds all the rich creaminess we need instead. We go through a couple of hundred coconuts a week here at the restaurant, so it’s the single most important ingredient.’

Sri Lankan food is NOT for the timid eater. Fiery curries, sweet caramelized onion as seen sambal (onion relish), and sour lime pickle are all dominant, powerful flavors that awake the senses dulled by the thick, hot island air. The building blocks of Sri Lankan cuisine are rice, coconut, and native tropical fruits and vegetables. The island grows some 15 varieties of rice (down from 280 just 50 years ago, and 400 in times before that), some of which are used for various types of rice flour pancakes (called hoppers) and rice noodles (called string hoppers).

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

GREEN BEAN CURRY

This simple but flavor forward curry demonstrates the cuisine of Sri Lanka. A simple curry with most ingredients easily found in the supermarket. Curry leaves are the one ingredient that is found in International markets. I am lucky to have a small Indian market by my home where I can get my cooking ingredients, including fresh curry leaves stored in the refrigerated section.  The leaves are used both in the curry and to create the curry oil for garnish. I also can’t leave the market without  Kesar Pista Kufi (Saffron Pistachio Ice Cream) heavenly.

Join Bijouxs and explore the foods of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

No. 554Recipe Card Posted on by — Leave a comment

Sorghum Kale Chickpea & Olive Salad

Sorghum Kale Chickpea & Olive Salad

Do we really need another kale salad? Yes, another kale salad only lighter and with complex flavors. This is a great simple weekday lunch salad that will serve you well all during your work week. Sorghum Kale Chickpea and Olive Salad – No. 554 new in the Recipe Membership Collection.

KALE SALADS

It seems that Kale had its moment. Kale salads were everywhere. Now a softer, less kale assertive version emerges in this recipe. The strong green aspect of kale is softened by a fine chop, creamy chickpeas, Castelvetrano olives and salty feta. Other kale favorites include Dr. Weil’s Kale Salad from Tru Foods Kitchen and of course my Winter Caesar Salad.

Sorghum Kale Chickpea and Olive Salad | Bijouxs Little Jewels

SORGHUM

This salad goes grain and gluten-free with Sorghum, a great substitute for couscous. You cook sorghum much like any grain, and it can be made quickly in the Instant Pot. It is an ancient grain also packed with fiber and protein. You see it many times in American Southern recipes often used as Sorghum Molasses.

EXTRAS

The pickled onions are worth the effort to top the salad. Buy ready to go or make your own, it is very easy, there are many recipes out there.
Using a sheep’s milk feta adds the salty bite to the salad.

Sorghum Kale Chickpea and Olive Salad | Bijouxs Little Jewels

 

 

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Dishoom’s Gunpowder Potatoes

Dishoom's Gunpowder Potatoes| Bijouxs Little Jewels

You got me with the Masala Chai. The Indian recipes found in Dishoom: From Bombay with Love are amazing. I have been dabbling with Indian cuisine for years but this book’s Gunpowder Potatoes are worth the read. Armchair traveling from Bombay with Love is a Little Jewel from the Kitchen.

BOMBAY CUISINE

Indian cuisine is soo so much more than just curry. I like to bring you the best recipes from all cuisines to the website, cook’s love to learn and share.

The recipes in From Bombay with Love are from Mumbai and are dishes that are traditionally found in that region. Learning to cook the world’s cuisines is a challenge, however the flavors are well worth it. Dishoom’s Gunpowder Potatoes are a prime example of complex spices and flavors that really make humble new potatoes sing. This is also a good entry point into Bombay cooking, The potatoes make a unique &  flavorful side to accompany an entree.

Dishoom's Gunpowder Potatoes | Bijouxs Litle Jewels

GUNPOWDER POTATOES

Flavors building on flavors is the key to these potatoes. Toast and grind the trio of spices to release the oils and scents from the spices.
Simply steamed small new potatoes are then broiled to achieve a crispy golden crust. The tender potatoes are cut into craggy pieces using a large metal spoon. These rough edges absorb all the favor goodness.

Next the rest of the ingredients including the melted butter with onions, cilantro, lime and chili, are tossed with the bowl of hot potatoes. Optional is Kebab Masala, a unique Indian spice blend, I do recommend adding it, it adds another depth of flavor (found on Amazon of course).

Dishoom's Gunpowder Potatoes | Bijouxs Litle Jewels

 

From Bombay with Love – Little Jewels from the Dishoom Kitchen.

 

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