Linguine with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Overview
A simple but delicious linguine pasta dish with roasted cherry tomatoes. Roasting the cherry tomatoes adds an extra unique flavor to this. You can add shrimp or chicken to this linguine too but here I just left it plain the way by boys like it. Make sure you do not overcook the linguine it has to be al dente.

Linguine with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients
Fresh Linguine - 9 Oz
Cherry tomatoes - 20 cleaned and cut in half length wise
Garlic cloves - 3 finely chopped
Red pepper flakes - 1 tablespoon
Dry Basil leaves - 1 tablespoon
Fresh ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Olive oil - 4 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Spray oil on a pan and place the cut cherry tomatoes in one layer with the seed side up.  Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground black pepper and one tablespoon olive oil. Roast at 400F in oven for about 20 - 30 minutes till the tomatoes are roasted well.
2. Cook the fresh pasta in salted water per instructions. Drain and add fresh basil leaves and a tablespoon pf olive oil. Mix well and keep aside.
3. In a large pan heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil gets hot add the finely chopped garlic to this and saute till the garlic starts to turn light brown. Add the red pepper flakes and saute  few minutes.
4. Add the roasted tomatoes to this followed by the pasta and Mix well. Turn off heat  and it is ready to serve.

You can serve this sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Lime Curry (Kerala Lime Curry)

Overview
This is one of my favorite dish that my mother use to make with lemon and lime. It stays in the refrigerator for months and can be used as a pickle with rice or chapati. Dry roasting the spices and grinding them enhances the flavor.

Lime Curry

Ingredients
Lime 6 - 8 cleaned and cut into small pieces
Green chillies - 6 - 8 finely chopped
Ginger 2 inch pieces - finely chopped
Garlic - 8 - 10 cloves finely chopped
Shallots -  2   - 3 tables finely chopped
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Whole red chilly - 6 - 8
Whole red chilly broken into two - 2 - 3
Whole Coriander seeds - 3 tablespoons
Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Asaofoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
Tamarind - the size of a small lime
Dark brown sugar - 2 - 3 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 - 3 tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoons

Steps
1. Mix the fine chopped lime pieces with enough salt and turmeric and keep aside.
2. Soak the tamarind in warm water and squeeze out the tamarind juice and keep aside.
3. Dry roast the dry chillies in pan till it is roasted. Remove and dry roast the coriander seeds next followed by the fenugreek seeds.  When they come to room temperature grind this to a smooth powder in a coffee grinder and keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a pan. When Oil gets hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add pieces of broken whole red chilly then add the curry leaves, finely chopped green chillies, ginger, garlic and shallots to this and saute well till onions start to become light brown.
5. Add the ground spices to this and mix well. Add the marinated lime pieces with the juices to this. Add the prepared tamarind juice to this  and mix well and bring this mixture to a  boil. Lower heat and add brown sugar and salt as needed followed by asafoetida powder. Mix well and let it simmer for few more minutes till gravy thickens. Turn off heat

When it comes to room temperature store in a clean jar.

Serve with Rice or chapati.