Rosemary Roasted Asparagus + Tomatoes with Toasted Sunflower Seeds

Rosemary Roasted Asparagus + Tomatoes with Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen – Ashley Covelli

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
12 grape tomatoes, halved (I used a mix of red, yellow, orange & brown)
1 shallot, sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
3 sprigs rosemary
1/4 cup mustard-lime vinaigrette (or your favorite citrus vinaigrette)
3 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place all ingredients except sunflower seeds on a baking sheet, tossing to coat, and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes, stir and roast for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with toasted sunflower seeds before serving. Enjoy!

Restaurant Style Curry Sauce

Recipe Type: Base sauce
Prep time:  20 mins
Cook time:  90 mins
Total time:  1 hour 50 mins
Ingredients
  • 3 tennis ball sized cooking onions – finely sliced
  • 50ml vegetable oil or ghee
  • 3 cloves of garlic – smashed in their skins
  • 1 inch piece of ginger – finely sliced
  • 1 inch carrot – peeled and chopped
  • ¼ cup shredded cabbage (optional)
  • ¼ red bell pepper – diced
  • water
  • 2 tomatoes – finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 pinch turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste ( I usually leave this out and simply add it to the final dish)
Instructions
  1. Place the ginger and garlic with a drop of the water in a blender and pulverize to a smooth paste. Set aside.
  2. Now pour the oil/ghee into a large heavy bottomed saucepan and heat until bubbling.
  3. Throw in the sliced onions, bell pepper, carrot and cabbage and cook slowly over a medium heat in the oil.
  4. Allow the vegetables to fry – stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. You want to brown the vegetable lightly but not burn them.
  5. When the onions are translucent and soft, add the ginger and garlic mixture the rest of the spices except for the turmeric.
  6. Finally, add the tomatoes and just enough water to cover the vegetables.
  7. Bring to a boil and then place the lid on the pan and turn the temperature down to low.
  8. Simmer for about 15 minutes. As you do this, a froth will rise to the top. This is okay. No need to skim.
  9. After 15 minutes, remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
  10. For a smoother sauce, popular in many Indian takeaways, simply blend for about two minutes. It is perfectly good unblended though.
  11. Once your sauce is to your liking, melt the ghee in a frying pan. Add the turmeric powder. It will darken as it cooks. You want to brown it for about a minute.
  12. Now add the turmeric/ghee mixture to the sauce and bring to a simmer again. Once it is bubbling away, turn down the heat and simmer for a further 15 minutes. Stop simmering if the sauce becomes too thick.
  13. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to four days.

1. I didn’t exactly follow the recipe. I ground the veges and garlic/ginger together. I used canned tomatoes. After I blended them all together I cooked it down for about  2 hours.

2. Then I added the spices and cooked it down for another hour.

Lemon Caper Marinated Shrimp

Lemon Caper Marinated Shrimp
Tomatoes on the Vine

3lbs. large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2 white onions, sliced
1- 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar
1-cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 -cup drained capers
2 Tablespoons minced parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 Tablespoon sugar

1. Cook shrimp in boiling water for 2 minutes. Rinse with cold water until chilled. Drain.

2. Combine shrimp, lemon juice and onions in a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over shrimp mixture.

3. Cover and refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally.

Serve either on a bed of lettuce as a salad or serve with cocktail picks as an appetizer.