Carrot Pickle

Carrot Pickle reminds me so much of my School Lunchbox which were lovingly packed by my Mum. I always preferred  a dry meal to be carried however the side had to be something interesting and the interesting side was something that made me glee with pride made me look forward to the lunch break.

It is absolutely quick and easy to make and it takes only a few ingredients and gets done in a Jiffy.

Ingredients:

3 medium carrots
A few slices of Ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon roasted mustard seeds coarsely ground 
1/2 teaspoon roasted Methi seeds coarsely ground
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Asafoetida a pinch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oil

Method:
Peel the carrots and ginger and thinly slice them.
Ensure that the carrots and ginger have no moisture pat them dry to be sure.
Dry Roast the Mustard and Methi seeds until the seeds slightly change color and coarsely grind them.
Heat the Olive oil and add the coarsely ground Mustard seeds,Methi seeds,turmeric and asafoetida add it to the carrots and ginger with salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients together and add the lemon juice.
The Pickle is ready. You could choose to eat it immediately or after a couple of hours or it tastes best the next day.

This pickle is highly irresistible.You could also add sliced green chilis for added color.

Variation: Try adding this instant pickle to your salads the mustard give it a very distinctive taste along with the carrots giving it a great crunch.

Feta and Chillies Tingle

There are days when we haven’t had much of a chance to come up with anything earth shattering.My channel changing escapades led me to watch 'Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers'.  Nigel cooked a simple recipe of chillies and feta, which initially I wasn't that excited by.  However when he lifted a piece of bread and stuffed it with chillies and the melty feta to his mouth,I immediately said 'I want to eat that!'

Perfect for a Monday evening,I think this is one of those dishes which will definitely hit the spot.

Ingredients

3 large chillies
2 large spring onions or 1 small red onion
a little olive oil
Some thyme, leaves only
A block of feta cheese
soft bread, to serve


Method

Slice the chillies  and  cut them into thin slices. Thinly slice the spring onions.
Warm the olive oil in a frying pan then add the chillies and spring onions. Let them sizzle briefly,you want them to be soft but not browned.
Add a little thyme to the pan then lower in the block of feta. 
Let the cheese soften slightly then serve with the chillies and some soft fresh bread.


The feta offers a salty, lip-tingling hit.Its  great as a starter or nibbles at a dinner party where you could try serving them as canapés.