Green Pasta (for the kids)

Not sure about other kids, but mine refuse to eat spinach. Or any leaves. They love broccoli and most vegetables but hate spinach. But I've been trying very hard to get them to eat it. This is what we made for dinner tonight and they actually liked it. I wouldn't say loved but they did like it, and that's a huge step. And said they would like to have it again. Sometime.

Green Pasta
(Pasta with a lovely creamy spinach sauce)

1 cup Pasta, feel free to use any kind, cooked
3 cups Spinach
2-3 Garlic cloves
1 cup Plain Yogurt
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup Pine nuts, toasted (optional or feel free to substitute any nuts that you like)

In a blender, add the spinach, garlic, salt, yogurt and parmesan and blend to a smooth sauce.

Put the pasta in a pan on medium heat and add the spinach sauce. Stir to combine and cook together for a few minutes. 

Spoon the pasta into bowls/plates. Top with grated parmesan and toasted pine nuts.

Really quite nice.

Tomato Yogurt Curry

This more kozhambu or yogurt curry is a crowd pleaser. The rich color gets lots of compliments as does the delicate flavors. More means buttermilk in Tamil, and Kozhambu is a kind of watery curry. Its usually served with rice, or idiyappam, or sevai (a thin rice noodle).


Tomato More Kozhambu

6 Tomatoes, diced
3 cups Yogurt, beaten to a smooth consistency with 1 tbsp water
1/4 cup grated Coconut
6 Green Chillies, slit
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 pinch Turmeric powder

Tempering:
1 pinch Mustard seeds
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2-3 Curry Leaves

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped tomatoes. Toss for a minute and then add the green chillies, cumin, turmeric and coconut. Let it cook together for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and let it cool slightly until cool enough to pour into your blender. Grind until smooth. Add the yogurt and pulse again until combined.

Transfer the mixture back onto the stove and heat on low until the mixture is warmed.

Tempering: Heat a pan with a little bit of oil. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to splutter, add the rest of the ingredients for the tempering and stir for about a minute or two. Pour the tempering into the yogurt curry and stir to mix.


Remove from heat. Serve warm.