basil Archives - Joie De Vivre

Spiced Cherry Tomato Pasta

Such an intelligent and easy way to organise recipes! So here is one I tried out yesterday – a Spiced Cherry Tomato Pasta, it consists of very few ingredients – cherry tomato, olive oil, garlic, chilli and basil. The beauty of the Spiced Cherry Tomato Pasta is the way the cherry tomatoes are cooked down into an almost jammy and luscious sauce, that perfectly coats the pasta but doesn’t make it “saucy”. Kind of like a softened sun dried tomato tapenade – but made simply with a bulk of cherry tomato, some sliced garlic and olive oil to bring it all together. Read more…

September 30, 2018 | 0 comment

Entree, Savoury

Cherry Tomato, Purple Asparagus + Mushroom with Gluten Free Pasta

Sometimes genius strikes when you least expect it. Today, was one of those below-expectations situations. My parents just got back from Dubai and brought back with them tons of goodies, including (but by no means limited to) marzipan so beautiful that you don’t want to eat it, fresh sumac, za’atar, pine seeds, melt in your mouth baklava, assorted stuffed dates, chocolate (SS’s favourite Lindt Orange Swiss Thins), oh, and the purple asparagus! They also brought back unbelievably smooth and silky hummus, and some muhammara, which made a beautiful wholesome dinner along with some fresh salad and (baked) felafel. Since I’m on my gluten free syndrome (barring beer, uh duh!), I ate mine over millet (bajra) flatbread while the rest enjoyed it on pita.

Since I had a bundle of voluptuously plump asparagus, I just had to use it, before we embarked on this weekend’s staycation. So there came the conception of this humble yet phenomenally flavour packed pasta. I, of course, used gluten free pasta Read more…

May 8, 2015 | 0 comment

Entree, Savoury, Soups & Sandwitches

Open Face Caprese Sandwich

I am in the process of researching an imaginary trip to Italy.

Rome, Milan, Florence, maybe the Tuscan countryside, and wine country.

From the crux of my initial research, lets call it Eataly. It is almost like a dream, to be able to eat and live life on the robust flavours of Tuscany, the gorgeous wines and the exceptional deserts. I think my version of a dream holiday in Eataly involves waking up early to beat the long queues spiralling alongside the museums and art galleries, with a mandatory quick stop at a local cafe for a double espresso. After the gallery/museum of the day, walk around one of the many quaint squares and their attached by lanes, poking around the local stores and boutiques, collecting pantry essentials (truffles, olive oils, cheeses, herbs, you get the gist!) and enjoying the local vibe. Next stop – a trattoria or deli

Tagliatelle with Zucchini Ribbons, Basil and Mushrooms

Do you ever get obsessed with eating or fantasising about eating one particular thing, week on week, day on day, meal on meal? I have that obsessive tendency, where I fall in love with a particular dish, and just can’t get enough of it – until one fine day, the obsession dies out completely. I’m still unsure about whether its because I overdid it, or because the dish outlived its welcome. In either way, the evidence is clear – when my heart falls into a plate, it takes a while for me to get it off that plate!

It started a few weeks ago, with creating Ribboned Zucchini with Almond Pesto and Truffle Drizzle. Unhappy with the actual ribbons that were created, I went out and bought a cute little handheld spiraliser, to give me those perfectly extra long and thin spaghetti like zucchini ribbons. After step one was done, I decided that I wanted to make a pasta that wasn’t ‘saucy’ in the slightest, but which burst with flavours, was clean on the palate and looked amazing.

Cherry Tomato Mascarpone Arrabbiata

To the entire world, India has always been associated with its abundance of spices. Not surprisingly, Indians favour the spicier offerings of global cuisine, which brings us to the famous arrabbiata. The literal translation from Italian means ‘angry’, an ode to the fire and heat that is prominent in this sauce, my version using none other than ground bits of emaciated Kashmiri mirchi.

This recipe came about after pottering through the larder and the refrigerator, with the aim of satisfying my friends who we invited over for a long overdue tete a tete consisting of vats of wine and a bounteous spread. Read more…

April 28, 2014 | 0 comment

Cuisines, Entree, Savoury

Made from Scratch: Pizza

Sometimes when I look back at the almost 4 years that I have devoted to this blog, I am aghast that I STILL haven’t posted about certain beloved winning recipes. In am attempt to vilify my angst, this post is dedicated to making pizza at home, from scratch. Further on, my next few recipes are […] Read more…

January 7, 2014 | 0 comment