Red Wine Marinated Onions

Was tired of the same salad and dips and kachumbers... so I tried this combination as per my sisters suggestion. Frankly I was not very keen on it but decided to give it a go anyway and the results were amazing. The tang of the wine reduces the hotness and pungency of the onions but at the same time makes it more crisp.
This can be called a side dish or can be called a salad or an accompaniment or even a pickle.....
It goes well with fish or chicken. You can try this as an accompaniment instead of Dahi Onion kachumber with biryani or any spicy chicken gravy.
I have paired it with Chinese Sesame coated fish and it goes well with it too. So go ahead and try it....

Ingredients:

1           Onion
1/2 cup  Red Wine (I used Yorks Shiraz)
1/2 tsp   Red Chilli Flakes
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar

Method:

Cut the onion lenghtwise. Marinate it in the red wine, chilli flakes, salt and sugar. Leave it for 1/2 hour.

Roasted Bell Pepper Salsa

 

 

Oh.... I just love the Bell Pepper for their vibrant colors more than for anything else. Those Reds, Yellows and Greens just makes a dish more appealing. They impart an unique but a subtle taste and that's what I like about these veggies. 

Since my son loves his pastas and pizzas, I have to keep certain sauces handy. Also I prefer home made ones to the bottles ones so here is something I tried and which definitely turned out to be so much better than its ready made counterpart. 

And now for the best part.... this salsa can be bottled and stored in the fridge for upto 7 to 8 days.

Instead of simply cooking the peppers here I have roasted them. Which I think imparted a certain subtle smokiness and at the same time brought out the sweet flavor of bell peppers. Plus, the sweet scent of roasting peppers is magical. This Roasted bell peppers salsa is great on anything from pizza to salad and of course the pasta. Bell Peppers are a good source of vitamins A and C. Whether you roast your own or use them from a jar, these roasted peppers will definitely brighten you day with their sunny colors...

Ingredients:

1            Yellow Bell Pepper

1            Red Bell Pepper

1            Tomato

1 tbs      Olive Oil

6 to 7     Garlic Cloves

1/2 tsp   Thyme

1/2 tsp   Oregano

1 tsp      Red Chilli Flakes

1/2 tsp   Namak Shamak

1/2 tsp   Sugar

Method:

Cut and deseed the Bell Peppers. Drizzle some olive oil on it and grill them till the skin darkens little. Remove and cool a little and peel the skin.

Now roughly chop the bell peppers and the tomatoes.

 

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the finely chopped garlic, when lightly brown toss in the tomatoes and the bell peppers. Add the salt, sugar, the herbs (You can also add the mixed italian herbs) and saute till done.

Cool and store in a glass jar.

This salsa can be used as a dip or as a sauce for pasta or as a pizza topping.