Muy Delicioso!

Come summer nights and I can hear Mariachi music in the air, with visions of men in sombreros strumming their guitars on a cacti strewn desert and at the back of all that- a hankering for pizza. A twist on squash blossom quesadillas that I saw on an episode of Planet Food, this recipe fulfills all my pizza cravings with an authentic Mexican flair! Studded with crunchy corn, squash blossoms, red peppers and epazote (the classic Mexican herb), drenched with a spicy ranchero sauce, and finished with Oaxaca cheese...I guarantee that a slice of this pie will leave you feeling like a Big Cajuna. So vamos, and make this now!

Charred corn, squash blossom, red pepper and epazote pizza with ranchero sauce and Oaxaca cheese

Bloom yeast in (warm water + sugar + olive oil). Knead (bread flour + salt) profusely with it, cover and leave to prove. Knock out the air, divide into balls and prove once more for an hour. Saute chopped (onions + garlic) in olive oil. Add in chopped (tomato + capsicum + jalapenos) along with (salt + cumin + chili de arbol + Mexican oregano), and simmer for 20 mins. Roast red pepper on flame, cover with cling film; then peel, deseed and slice. Char corn on the cob and shear the kernels off. Remove stems off of squash blossoms. To assemble pizza roll out the dough, smear ranchero sauce and top with (charred corn + red pepper + epazote + squash blossoms + shredded Oaxaca cheese). Put on a pizza stone dusted with cornmeal, and bake until cooked. Squeeze over lime and serve.

Petite spring brunches for Her and Him

Classic European flavors come together in these light open faced sandwiches that are the perfect go-to for a spring brunch.

For her: Poached bacalao, white bean, roasted garlic and parsley tartine

Soak bacalao (salt cod) in water overnight changing water twice. Wrap whole garlic drizzled with olive oil in foil and roast in oven. Heat up milk with (onions + bay leaf + peppercorns) and poach bacalao in it. Flake cod into large pieces, and add to cooked white beans in a bowl. Whisk in a bowl (chopped parsley + squeezed roasted garlic + black pepper + olive oil) and mix with fish and beans. Grill ciabatta toast and top with the mixture.

For him: Garlic parsley buttered girolles, oozy egg and parmesan tartine

Boil egg in water for 6-7 mins until oozy. Mix together chopped (parsley + garlic + salt + pepper) with butter. Heat the butter in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil, and throw in torn girolle mushrooms. Saute until fragrant and tender, but still retaining texture. Spread over grilled ciabatta toast, top with broken egg and parmesan shavings.

This is going to be your new favourite!

We are all familiar with the plethora of Indo-Chinese grub available in our country- from the ubiquitous chilli chicken to the recently popular crispy chilli babycorn- all incredibly delicious and witness to the beautiful way the two cuisines can amalgamate to create unique flavours. Feeding on such inspiration I crafted this recipe of succulent chicken with the mouth puckering taste of tamarind mellowed by sweet jaggery, in a moody dark gravy owing to a generous dash of soy and fish sauce. Serve with fluffy rice and stuff your mouth with it.

Dark chicken with tamarind and jaggery

Soak tamarind pulp in water for an hour. Strain; add grated jaggery to the paste. Mix together (chopped garlic + sliced onion + sliced scallions + sliced green chilly + tamarind jaggery paste + vegetable oil + star anise + cinnamon) in a bowl. Add skinless on-the-bone chicken pieces to the marinade. Leave for 3 hours. Heat wok; tip in the chicken with the marinade. Cook on a high heat for 10 minutes. Add (dark soy + fish sauce) and simmer covered until chicken is tender. Scatter chopped cilantro over it. Serve with steamed rice.