Tomato Bruschetta Recipe

Bruschetta is a classic Italian appetizer. It's just a mixture of chopped tomatoes, balsamic, basil, and garlic, spooned over olive brushed slices of toasted baguette or rustic bread. Plum tomatoes are best for bruschetta because they have thicker flesh with fewer seeds and less juice than regular tomatoes.

Ingredients 

Plum tomatoes: 5 diced small

Garlic: 1 clove, finely chopped 

Extra-virgin olive oil: 4 tbsp

Red pepper flakes: a pinch

Fresh basil leaves: 1/4 cup chopped 

Balsamic vinegar: 1 tbsp

Baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds: about 14 slices

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes, basil and balsamic vinegar to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature while you toast the bread.

Slice bread and add to a baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the oven until golden brown about 5 minutes. Top the bread with tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil right before serving.

Pumpkin Thogaiyal (Tamil Recipe)

                        

Ingredients 

Pumpkin: 1/2 cup (cubed)

Urad Dal: 1tbsp

Red Chilli: 4

Asfoetida: a pinch

Tamarind: a small piece

Oil: 1tsp

Coconut (scrapped): 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method

Take out the hard skin of the pumpkin and chop them into small cubes.

In a pan add oil and saute the urad dal and red chilli, till the dal turns golden brown.

Keep it aside and Saute the cubed pumpkin in low flame for 10 minutes till the pumpkin shrinks.

When done, allow this to cool and grind it to a smooth paste along with roasted urad dal, red chilli, salt , asafoetida, tamarind and coconut.

Do not add water while grinding. The pumpkin will ooze out water.

If needed sprinkle little water.

Pumpkin Thogaiyal is ready to serve.

Goes well with plain rice and dosa.

Kannu Vecha Pathiri/Madakki Chapathi/Malabar Style Roti

This dish is very common in our area (Kozhikode). We make this for dinner for a change from usual Chapathis. The name comes from the multiple folds that gives it it's distinct layers. Either you can deep fry in oil or cook just like normal chapathi in a non stick tawa by adding only little ghee. I always prefer to cook this in a tawa because of health reasons. It's so flaky and delicious and goes well with almost every curries....

      My friend Fayi asked me to post this recipe, she is an expert cook and loves to try different cuisines. She always brings something special for our get-togethers. She is from Kannur, so she doesn't  know how to make this Kozhikkodan special. So Fayi, this post is especially for you! 😘

Ingredients 

All purpose flour/maida: 1 cup

Wheat flour: 1 cup

Oil: 2 tbsp

Pure ghee: 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Note:- You could make also it fully out of whole wheat flour.

Method

Add salt and lukewarm water to the flour to make a soft dough. Divide into balls bigger than chapathi balls.

Roll it out thick and smear oil over it. Fold as shown in the pictures.

Fold inside from for corners.

Roll again into a 4-5" square.

Heat a griddle or non stick tawa and cook each side for a minute, spread little ghee and flip over to let the roti puffed up.

Serve hot.