Cooking Escapades

Fudgy Roasted Almond Brownies with cacao nibs

2013-04-28T04:48:00.000-07:00

Using some coffee and cacao nibs intensify the dark chocolate flavour of the brownies. Add some toasted almonds to complement it. I used an olive oil brownie recipe which never fails. The outcome is intense fudgy brownies a delight for dark chocolate lovers.

Ingredients
260 gm dark chocolate
2/3 cup olive oil
6 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups jaggery powder/ brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp Hershey's cocoa powder
1 tbsp instant coffee
1 tsp salt
1 cup toasted almonds roughly sliced
1/2 cup cacoa nibs

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a square 12" baking pan. Melt the olive oil,chocolate over a double boiler until melted. Add the coffee powder, stir and leave it on the double boiler to stay warm. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together, adding one egg at a time until the mixture thickens and pales. Add the vanilla extract. In a small bowl, sift the flour, cocoa and salt together.

When the chocolate is just warm but not hot, pour it in the egg & sugar mixture, beating it continously so that it thickens. Sift the flour over the batter in three additions using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to gently fold in each addition before adding the next. Stir in the roasted almonds.

Pour the batter in the pan and spread. Sprinkle the cacao nibs. Bake for approximately 35 mins or until a tester inserted in the centre of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it and the surface is set, shiny and perhaps begining to crack slightly at the edges. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool. A thin blade knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts makes cutting these sticky bars easier.

Dips Dips Dips!!!

2013-04-19T22:23:00.004-07:00

Dips are a staple at home. So versatile and so really easy. A few ingredients and you get a creamy dip that will sustain when you have nothing else in the house. Chapati and dip or spread it on your bread. It can also work as a salad dressing, a healthy alternative to mayonnaise. I make all kinds of dips so here are some of my favourites. The ingredients range from home made low-fat paneer, hung curd and tofu. Mayonnaise, I don't miss you. Nor do I miss the store bought dips and salad dressing when I can prepare one in a jiffy and you can mix the ingredients in the proportions you like.

Fiery paneer dip

Made with home made low-fat paneer, garlic, black pepper, cummin, chilli flakes, lemon juice, sun dried tomatoes. Topped with chives sumac and cracked pepper. I sometimes add yoghurt or whey to make it thinner and easier to spread.

While this tastes best with just about anything. I like it best on crispy smashed baby potatoes or a wrap.

Creamy garlic dip

Made with low-fat home made paneer, low-fat hung curd, garlic, cummin, chives and black pepper, extra virgin olive oil.

Simple recipe that works as a wonderful subsitute for Kraft cream cheese or sour cream

Emerald dip

I improvised the recipe from the back of the tofu pack. This one has garlic, lemon, black pepper, jalapeno and fresh basil. Remember not to chop the basil, add it directly to the mixer to whir it and retain it's wonderful fragrance and flavour. Top it with some chives and cracked pepper. the color is a light fresh green.

It works really well as a low-fat nutritious Creamy dressing on a salad with cabbage, colour pepper, tomato, cucumber, lettuce and microgreens.

Home made dried herbs

2013-04-13T03:49:00.002-07:00

If you have the patience and the passion to DIY, make fresh dried herbs. I somehow do not care for the ready-to-use herbs available here in the supermarkets except for chives (since I did not have much success with drying them). For the rest of the herbs, I have to get them done at home. It is time-consuming but on a lazy Sunday when you decide not to cook much and spend the day at home, you can do this at leisure.

I brought a lot of packets of herbs, cleaned them, washed them and left them to dry on the centre table under the fan. My daughter nailpolish bottles turned into weights to stop the kitchen towels from flying away.

You cannot rush with this, you have to let the herbs dry naturally for at 4-5 hours. Some dry quickly while others take time.

Place a kitchen towel on the microwave turntable and place the herbs in a single layer on it. Set the microwave on high for 2 minutes. For some of the tougher herbs, you may need an additional minute. The herbs will be crispy dry. Once they are cool, you can store them in bottles, label them and put them in the refrigerator. The herbs last for at least a year.

For the flavoured olive oil, I dried them for just 1 minute in the microwave, placed them in a clean glass bottle and poured around 200 ml extra virgin olive oil on it and into the refrigerator, it went, ready to be used on pasta and salads.

Chicken Tagine with Zeresh Rice

2013-04-13T02:54:00.002-07:00

I love middle eastern food. Sumac and zeresh (barberries) being my favourite ingredients. Both have an intense red color and add a tang to the dish. After scouring various website for Chicken tagine recipe, I finally created my own recipe which I think needs improvement but nevertheless the tagine looked beautiful and I got to use black lemons in the tagine :-)

Chicken Tagine goes best with rice, burgul or couscous. I made zeresh rice topped with crispy brown onions and it turned out to be the perfect compliment to the tagine.

Tagine

Some day I will own a tagine pot of my own but until then, I will use the earthern handi(pot) locally available for my tagines. The proportion are not exact go by your tastes. It is the technique that is interesting.

Ingredients

1 packet boneless chicken flattened into large pieces and marinated with lemon garlic, a dash of cinnamon, chilli flakes and salt for at least 1 hour

2-3 large potatoes cut into thick rounds
10-12 large squares of peppers
2 cups tomato puree
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 large onion sliced
6-7 pitted black and green olives

1 black lemon
6-7 flakes garlic
1/8 tsp ajwain
salt to taste
1/4 tsp brown sugar
4-5 tbsp olive oil
some chopped fresh coriander
Method

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the potato slices till brown on both sides. Coat the chicken with some flour (you can use whole wheat flour) and place it in the hot oil. When it is browned turn to the other side. When both sides are browned and the chicken loses it's pink color, remove it with a slotted spoon.

Add some more oil, add the ajwain seeds and grated garlic. Saute for a minute and add the sliced onion. Fry till it softens. Add the tomato puree, salt, brown sugar and cook till it becomes slightly thick. Add torn basil leaves, the rest of the spices and keep aside.

Now you can prepare the earthen pot. Grease the pot. Add some tomato puree. Layer the potatoes on the tomato puree. Add some more puree and now place the chicken, topping it with some tomato puree once again. Keep the black lemon in the center. Now place the rest of the vegetables and pour the rest of tomato puree. Seal with silver foil and bake for 45 mins to 1 hour on 200C. Sprinkle some fresh coriander and serve hot with zeresh rice.

Zeresh rice with crisy brown onions
Ingredients
2 cups rice washed and drained
3.5 cups water
salt to taste
olive oil
1/2 tsp shahjeera
1/2 cup zeresh
1/3 cup fried brown onions/ birista
some fresh chopped corainder/mint

Method

Cook the rice in salted water with 1 tsp oil and shahjeera for 7 minutes in a pressure cooker after you hear the first whistle. Remove from the cooker and fluff it with a fork. Add the 1/2 of the washed zeresh and onions. Transfer to plate and top with zeresh and onions and some mint. Serve with chicken tagine.

Paneer Teriyaki Sizzler

2013-01-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

Never seem to get enough of sizzlers. The combinations are endless and as usual it is a meal that you cannot gobble down. The food on the sizzler plate is hot so you need to take small bite, converse and savour. The preparation time can be rather daunting but you have it all ready, assembling is really easy. I will not get into too much detail on how to prepare a sizzler, since I have ample posts which cover this

What you need is the following
1) Steamed vegetables of your choice. I love broccoli, colourful peppers, beans and peas
2) Fried rice flavoured with garlic and stirred with some carrots or mushroom. Think differently.

2) Some pan fried potatoes to bring the extra crunch to the plate. Fried potatoes have no place here

3) To add some drama, scoop out the inner of a tomato and stuff with the fried rice and cook it upside down along with the teriyaki paneer

4) How about some greens - sauted spinach with sweet corn works really well. Keep the flavours simple some pepper, garlic and light soy sauce.

5) Now for the highlight of the sizzler - Paneer Teriyaki. Marinate flat large pieces of paneer with 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce and 1 tsp soya sauce. Season with salt, chilli flakes and pepper.Pan fried and coat with some toasted black and white sesame seeds.

Heat the greased plates on a low flame for about 5 minutes. Place each food items and top with the delicious sauce. The sizzling sound is just so right. Be careful, the plate is really hot. Place it on the wooden plate. Use a fork and spoon to dig in, you may to blow on the piece of food you picked up to cool it. Serve some extra sauce on the table. Let the conversations flow as you savour the sizzler...

I keep varying the sauce used so here is the sauce that I prepared for the sizzler
Ingredientst
1 tbsp Hickory sauce
1 tbsp Pepper sauce
1/2 tbsp honey
6 tbsp water
1/2 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tsp water
Method
Use the above proportions to prepare the quantity of sauce you desire. Stir the sauces and water together and bring to boil. Add the cornflour with water to thicken it.

Whole Wheat Olive Oil Mint Brownies

2012-11-22T17:37:00.002-08:00

I love after eight chocolates and cannot resist when I get my hands on them. Well this feeling is shared by all of us. I bought creme de menthe when I visited Canada almost two years back and it is lying in the fridge waiting for the right inspiration and opportunity. Well I almost forgot that I also had a pack of mint chips as well.

So that's how this recipe was born - wholesome brownies that you can relish with mint flavour. Mint chips added to batter enhanced the experience of that heavenly mint flavour. I substituted butter with olive oil. I seem to be doing this more often now and find that it works quite well.

Ingredients
30 g mint chocolate chips
90 g dark chocolate
3/4 cup olive oil + 2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup milk
4 large eggs at room temperature
2 cups jaggery powder/ brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp creme de menthe
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp Hershey's cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup toasted hazelnuts split in half
1/2 cup mint chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a square 12" baking pan. Melt the olive oil, milk and chocolate over a double boiler until melted. In a large bowl, beat the eggs slightly just to blend the yolks and whites. Add the vanilla extract. Whisk in the sugar and beat until the mixture is thickened and pales about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. In a small bowl, sift the flour, cocoa and salt together.

When the chocolate is just warm but not hot, pour it in the egg & sugar mixture, stirring to blend well. Stir in the creme de menthe. Sift the flour over the batter in three additions using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to gently fold in each addition before adding the next. Stir in the hazelnuts.

Pour half of the batter in the pan and spread. Sprinkle the mint chips. Scrape the rest of the batter over it and place it in the centre of the oven. Bake for approximately 35 mins or until a tester inserted in the centre of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it and the surface is set, shiny and perhaps begining to crack slightly at the edges. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool. A thin blade knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts makes cutting these sticky bars easier.

Curnchy Fruit Cake

2012-11-18T03:11:00.001-08:00

Crunchy fruit cake is an apt title for this cake. The cornmeal bring a crunchiness and the dried fruit adds the element of surprise with each bite. When I visited Mahableshwar a couple of months back, I picked up a pack of dried fruit which had almost every fruit - kiwi, peach, gauva, cherries, papaya, pineapple, awla, chikoo, apple. I bought it thinking that it would be a good addition to muffins. But I came across this recipe and the fruits were perfect for this rather crunchy cake.

This is wonderful tea cake. Taste best when fresh for the simple reason that the crunch disappears the next day. Not that I did not devour it the next day. You can make this cake with just about any kind of dried fruit - apricots, dates, cranberries, cherries too. The recipe is from Cakes & Bakes published by Paragon Books Ltd. I enjoy shopping for second hand books and Mumbai has a wonderful place in town for such books. Browse through the books at your leisure, sometimes I pick up a book by an unknown author and like it when it turns out be a good book. This is one such book that I happened to pick up and it has really good recipes which have always turned out really delicious.

Spot the various type of fruits here

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter softened
1/2 cup raw sugar/ castor sugar
2 eggs, beaten lightly
generous 1/3 cup self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 1/3 cups mixed dried fruit
1/4 cup pine nuts
grated rind of a lemon
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
2 tbsp milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 7 inch cake pan with a little butter and line the base with baking paper.

Whisk the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Whisk in the beaten eggs, a little at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition. Gently fold the flour, baking powder and cornmeal into the mixture until well blended. Stir in the mixed fruit, pine nuts, grated lemon rind, lemon juice and milk.

Spoon the mixture into the pan and level the surface.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer inseted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan before turning out.

Fettuccini with sun dried tomatoes pesto

2012-11-15T17:53:00.002-08:00

I was rummaging for ideas to make a simple and quick meal for my daughter which she could easily prepare and eat on her own. I was running a busy schedule so had no time for cutting vegetables or anything that would be time consuming. With a big packet of Sun dried tomatoes in the freezer, I decided to use it well and prepared this pesto which is just amazing.

Combination of sun dried tomatoes, garlic, pepper and pine nuts with some extra virgin olive oil make a wonderful pesto which has a rather complex flavour tangy sweet and nutty all at the same time.Throw in some black peppers to bring a sharpness to the flavour.

Ingredients
3-4 portion of fettucine pasta cooked al dente according to package instructions
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4-5 garlic

1tsp black pepper
salt to taste
a large pinch of brown sugar
2 tbsp chopped basil leaves
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Method Pulse all the ingredients except basil and chilli flakes in a mixer. Add the chopped basil and chilli flakes. Toss warm cooked fettucine pasta in it and relish.

Wholesome Super Moist Banana Nut Cherry muffins

2012-11-10T02:02:00.000-08:00

Bananas is one ingredient that I avoid while baking and this recipe was initially sought since I had some overripe bananas lying around and I did not want to waste them. But I am glad that this happened since I now make these muffins more often. I used Tyler Florence's recipe and as usual converted it to a healthier version. It was really relished by everybody since the banana flavour is not overpowering. I used jaggery which is known as a medicinal sugar since it is great source of calcium, iron and phosporous. In fact, I substitute soft brown sugar with jaggery powder and it works really good.

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 overripe bananas
1 cup jaggery powder/ soft brown sugar
1/3 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries/ cranberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Method

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt and keep aside. In a large bowl peel and mash the bananas. Add the yoghurt and beat well. Add the jaggery powder and beat again. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the olive oil, milk and vanilla extract and beat well till the liquids are well combined and frothy. Fold in the flour until just combined. Stir in the nuts, dried fruit and chocolate chips.

Pour in the muffin tray lined with paper cups. Makes about 8-10 large muffins. Bake at 180C for 45 mins to an hour until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow it to cool down and devour with afternoon tea or for breakfast next day.

To make an oatmeal variation, replace 1/2 cup whole wheat flour with 1/2 cup oatmeal flakes.

Whole wheat overnight yeast waffles

2012-11-09T20:58:00.001-08:00

Waffles with the neat chain of golden brown squares appealed to me a lot. Finally after a lot of research and settling down what is available here in India, I bought my waffle maker. It's such fun to watch the dollop of dough you pour on the waffle turn in a neat square with tiny interlinked squares.

When I visited Belgium, I got so excited with the waffles and the amazing variety that each store had to offer. But I must say when I tasted it, I was tad disappointed. Well I guess, must be choice of waffles which was loaded with cream and goodies. Looked appealing in the display window. It was soggy and just too heavy. It did not allow you to enjoy the waffle - crispy yet soft inside.

So I decided to replicate the yeast Belgian waffles at home with a whole wheat makeover - minus all the toppings. I like it best with a dash of golden syrup, blueberry jam or even nutella. If I am in an indulgent mood - some fresh warm, slightly sweetened fruit. No dollops of cream for sure.

Ingredients
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water or orange juice
1 tsp orange zest (optional)
2 large eggs
4 tbsp sugar (reduce to 1 tbsp sugar in case you plan to make savory waffles)
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp rapid rise yeast
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oat flakes
3/4 cup white flour
2-3 drop vanilla essence (optional)

Method

Combine the whole wheat flour, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Heat the milk, water and oil until lukewarm. Add to the dough and combine. Leave for 15 minutes covered with cling film. Remove the cling film. Add the salt and eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the remaining flour and oats and mix slowly using a stand mixer till combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Heat the waffle iron for about 10 mins. The iron should be really hot when you pour the batter. Grease it using some olive oil. Pour 1/3 cup of the batter in the centre of each section of the waffle iron. You need to pour it till the end, the batter will spread to the rest of the iron. The first time I made waflles, I poured it right upto the edge of the waffle. It kind of ruined the presentation of the waffle and made it less crisp. I realised this accidently when I made the last waffle. Each waffle takes about 5-6 minutes each. Wait till you can barely see the steam coming from the waffle iron. Do not be tempted to open it while it steams.

I added some dried blueberry to the batter for a blueberry waffle but I would recommend not doing it since it burns and does not do justice to sweet flavour of blueberries

Enjoy with a topping of your choice - nutella or cinnammon, sugar and butter, or some blueberry jam, maple syrup.Keep it simple to bring our the enjoy the waffles.

Restaurant style Pizza in a Mumbai home - No baking stone no fret

2012-10-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Pizza is one restaurant favourite that we do not miss at all. When I started making bread at home and eventually moved to making a pizza(whole wheat of course), the first compliant was that the crust was a bit soggy. Most recommendations on the internet expected that a baking stone is used to get that wonderful crust. Well here in Mumbai, actually in India a pizza stone is not available. So, I found a simple solution for this. I used a very heavy oven proof ceramic plate as my pizza stone!! Now the white bread crust of Pizza Hut or Dominoes does not appeal to us at all. Making a pizza at home is definitely time consuming but with proper planning, it is worth it.

Some Tips that I learnt thanks to my love of pizza and trying to make them healthier and tastier

Make the bread dough and the tomato sauce a day ahead.
Sprinkle wheat bran or semolina generously along with some flour on the sheet of paper, before you place the rolled pizza on it for proofing. While rolling the pizza, sprinkle some wheat bran or semolina along with the flour. Both these help ensure you get a crisp yet not too hard crust.
Place the oven proof ceramic plate in the oven and preheat at 250 C for at least 20 mins. The ceramic plate should be very hot.
Add some soaked and crushed sun-dried tomatoes/ oven dried tomatoes to the sauce for a rich tomato flavour.
Use a combination of mozarella and cheddar in the proportion of 3: 2. For the health conscious, mix 2 portions of paneer in the cheese mixture. This does compromise the taste but it is matter of achieving a balance between taste and health.
Bake the pizza at high i.e. 250 C. This is the best temperature to use when baking in an OTG. It takes about 15 mins to get a wonderful crust and evenly browned and baked pizza.
Apply the tomato sauce right upto the edge of the pizza bread. This ensure that the top crust does not get too hard and also taste better.

Here is my step-by-step guide to making the pizza using a ceramic plate and managing to do it without a lot of fuss.

Assemble all the vegetables that you plan to use for the pizza. Do add some extra chilli flakes, thyme and oregano to the prepared tomato sauce. Olive oil for brushing the pizza base. Flour and semolina or wheat bran to sprinkle on the pizza base. These are the veggies I love on my pizza. You can include some tandoori chicken to add a zing, of course.

Veggies cut in large pieces and ready to use

My baking stone - a heavy ceramic plate from Lifestyle Mumbai. Does it impact the shape of the pizza or the evenness of baking? Not at all.

Set the OTG temparature at 250 C. Place the ceramic plate and allow it heat for about 20 mins. You need a really hot plate when you transfer the pizza to it for baking.

Sprinkle semolina and flour generously on the wooden board before placing the dough ball. Roll the pizza to the desired thickness. You can remove the dough for the next pizza from the refrigerator and keep it aside to allow it to thaw while this pizza proofs and bakes.

Place a baking paper on a baking tray without any sides, this will ensure that you can easily slide the pizza on the hot ceramic plate. Sprinkle semolina and flour generously. Place the rolled pizza on the baking paper. Allow it to proof for about 10-15 minutes. Spread the tomato sauce on the pizza base. Take care not to use a lot of sauce since it would make the pizza soggy.

Sprinkle the cheese mix of grated mozarella and cheddar. You can add some zataar powder if you want to add a middle east flavour.

Add the veggies and cooked tandoori chicken. Now it is ready to be transferred to the oven. remove the hot plate from the oven. Slide the pizza along with the baking paper on the hot plate. Place the hot ceramic plate back into the oven and bake at 250 C for 15 minutes. While this is baking, it is time to roll out the next pizza and keep it for proofing so that it ready to assemble while this one bakes.

A perfectly browned pizza with a crispy crust is all ready to be devoured. While you enjoy this pizza, assemble the other pizza and transfer it to the oven. Also remember to remove the next dough ball to thaw it.

Pizza Dough
Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup semolina / oat flakes
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp rapid rise yeast
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups whey left over when you make paneer/ water

Method

Pour 1/2 cup really hot whey into the semolina/ oats. Stir well and leave aside. Mix 3 cups whole wheat flour and the yeast in a large bowl. Make a hole in the center of the flour and add the honey, salt and oil. Heat the milk & remaining whey until luke warm and pour it into the centre. Knead the dough using a hand mixture until the flour is completely moist. Cover with cling film and let it stand for about 30 minutes. This ensures a softer bread and requires less kneading.

After 30 minutes, incorporate 1 cup flour mixed with salt, semolina/oatmeal mush and knead to combine. Incorporate the rest of the flour slowly. Knead well until the dough bounces back when pressed lightly and it passes the windowpane test. Cover with cling film and keep it in a warm place until doubled. When ready, punch the dough and leave it for 5 minutes. If you do not plan to use it immediately, you can keep it in the refrigerator. I generally use it with 36 hours i.e. 1 1/2 days.

Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
2 medium onions grated
10-12 grated garlic pods
10-12 medium tomatoes, blanched, peeled and deseeded
1/2 tsp oregano seeds
1 tsp dried basil (optional)
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika/ chilli flakes
1/2 tsp pepper powder
salt to taste
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup oven dried tomatoes/ sun dried tomatoes (optional)

Method

Chop half of the tomatoes and puree the rest. Mix and keep aside. Heat the oil in large vessel. Add the oregano seeds till it gives a nice aroma. Add the garlic and fry them for about 30 secs. Add the onions and cook them till they are translucent. Add the tomatoes,salt, sugar & pepper and cook till it becomes thick. Add the herbs & spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the flame and allow to cool. Top with sun/ oven dried tomatoes. If not using immediately, refrigerate it.

Roasted herbed chicken legs with gremolata

2012-08-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I made something different and also inspire me to post it. Since it is a weekend, I have some free time to post a welcome break from the rather busy life. I was watching 'The Help' on Id and couldn't help but drool over the Southern Fried Chicken Legs. Now frying was something I just avoid for two reasons - you end up wasting a lot of oil plus I need to stand there and fry. I enjoy baking/ roasting since it is so easy. Once you put the dish in the oven, you can sit back and relax. an occasional basting is all it requires.

So I made my version of herb chicken legs. The chicken legs had a lot of flavour, crisp and herby on the outside and juicy tender on the inside. I served it with gremolata, fragrant vegetable rice and the herbed gravy. The gremolata added a zest to the chicken and the barberries in the rice provided the much need tang. The moment you bite into barberries, you feel a burst of tangy sweet flavour which complements the rice.

Since I have a conventional oven, I researched on the best way to roast them. I did gather some tips which helped.

Ingredients

Chicken Legs

6 chicken legs cleaned and pricked allover
salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

First marinade

3 tbsp ground fresh coriander and mint

2 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp pepper powder

1 cup yoghurt well beaten

juice of 1/2 lemon

Second marinade

2 tbsp chiffonade of fresh coriander

3 tbsp mayonnaise (I used an olive oil marinade)

Gremolata

2 tbsp olive oil

zest of 1 large lemon

pepper from 2-3 turns from a fresh pepper mill

2 tbsp chiffonade of fresh coriander

1 large garlic crushed

salt to taste

a dash of sugar

a dash of lemon pepper (I added since the lemons were rather small)

Vegetable rice with barberries

1 onion chopped fine

1 tbsp garlic grated

1 tbsp ginger grated

4 baby corn chopped at a slant

1/2 red capsicum chopped

1/2 green capsicum chopped

1/2 yellow capsicum chopped

1/2 cup carrot juliennes

1 cup cauliflower floret cut into small pieces

1 tbsp barberries soaked in a strainer in a large bowl of water to allow the sand to settle down

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp kashmiri garam masala (optional). Can be substituted with all-spice or black pepper

3 tbsp oil

1/4 tsp brown sugar

salt to taste

Steam Rice
1 1/2 cups rice
3 cups of water
salt to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1 star anise
1 badi elaichi
2-3 small elaichi
1" stick cinnamon
2-3 cloves

Method
Marinate the chicken legs overnight and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator, add the salt and mix well. Let it come to room temperature so let it stay on the countertop for an hour before baking. Preheat oven to 220C. In a square glass baking dish, spread about 1 tbsp oil. Place the chicken legs and drizzle another tablespoon of oil over the legs and place the dish in the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes basting it occasionally about 2 times. Check for doneness by piercing a knife in the thickest part of the legs. If clear juices run from it, the chicken has cooked. Remove from oven and place the chicken legs on a wire rack. Increase the oven temperature to 250C. Mix the ingredients of the second marinade and apply over the chicken legs and place in a foil line baking tray. Place it on the topmost rack of the oven, very close to the heat to allow quick browning.

Prepare the gremolata by mixing all the ingredients and refrigerate it for an hour before serving to allow the flavours to develop.
Steam the rice in a pressure cooker for 7 minutes. Add the water,oil and spices. When the rice is done, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains. In a large wok, heat the oil, fry the onion, followed by the ginger and garlic till the raw aromas can no longer be smelt (about 2-3 mins). Add the cauliflower and baby corn, with some salt and sugar first since they would take a longer time to cook. After about 5 minutes, add the garam masala,lemon juice, and rest of the vegetables and cook till soft. Add the barberries and stir for a minute. Add the cooked rice and stir well to mix the vegetables and the rice. You can make the gravy from the herb chicken marinade by add 1 tsp cornflour and heating it till it boils.

To serve, place the chicken legs on a plate and top with gremolata. To serve it with the rice, place the rice in the center of the plate, pour the herbed gravy around the rice. Place the roasted chicken on top of the rice and spoon some gremolata. Enjoy a delicious meal.

Whole wheat Oatmeal waffles topped with peaches

2012-06-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

Waffles crisp on the outside and soft inside is wonderful lazy weekend breakfast. Waffles fascinate me not only because of the pattern in which they are grilled but the deep squares also give you an opportunity to fill it with some delicious fruit toppings. You can also have these plain with some cinnamon brown sugar butter too.

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
2 tbsp honey/ brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk or milk with 1 tsp lemon
2 eggs whisked
4 tbsp olive oil/ melted unsalted butter
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Method
Sift the flours and baking powder. Add the oats and keep aside. Whisk the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined. The dough should have pourable consistency. So if required add some buttermilk/ milk.

Preheat a waffle iron. It is important that the waffle iron is really hot when you pour the batter in. Pour the batter on the waffle iron (I used a half cup measure for each waffle). Close the waffle iron and allow to cook until you see very little wisps of steam coming out from the waffle iron. Do not be tempted to open it while it is really steaming even if the waffle timer indicates that it is done. This will make it less crisp.

While the waffles are being done, you can make the toppings
1) Combine 1/4 tsp cinnamon with 2 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp melted butter.

2) Peel, deseed and chop 250 gm of peaches. Heat the peaches with 2 tbsp cane sugar, a pinch of salt until it becomes soft and thick. Allow to cool slightly. You can add some cranberries for extra color.

Brush the waffle with cinnamon butter mix. Top with warm peaches and relish. Despite the fact that these waffles have whole wheat and oatmeal it does not impact the crispiness of the waffles.

Pasta in mushroom sauce with basil flavoured spicy vegetables

2012-06-22T18:48:00.002-07:00

I decided to try something different this time while making pasta for a weekend lunch. No tomato sauce was a mandate I gave myself. So I made a white sauce, flavoured with mushrooms. To add some color and crunch, I used spiced zucchini and cherry tomatoes, flavoured with basil. A refreshing change from the usual red sauce pasta.

Ingredients
For the pasta
1 cup Barilla macheroni pasta cooked according to directions
1 leek chopped sliced
3 garlic pods grated
1 green chilli chopped fine (optional)
1 lemon zest grated
1 tsp lemon juice
10-12 mushroom pureed
1 cup milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cracked pepper

For the flavoured vegetables
1/2 cup green zucchini quartered and sliced thin
1/2 cup yellow zucchini quartered and sliced thin
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
10-12 basil leaves, washed and patted dry
1/2 tsp brown sugar
salt to taste
2 tsp olive oil

Method

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic for a minute. Add leeks and fry for another minute. Add the baby corns and mushroom puree, frying it till the color changes and the puree starts bubbling. Stir in the flour and pour the milk slowly. It will now start to thicken. If it is too thick you can add some more milk. If for some reason it is too runny for your liking, you can mix 1 tsp flour with some milk and pour it in to thicken the sauce further. Turn off the heat and keep aside.

Heat a small frying pan with the olive oil. Add the basil leaves and cover immediately to retain the flavour in the dish and also to prevent the spluttering. Once it stops spluttering (in about 5 secs), remove the lid and add the chilli flakes. Fry for a sec and add the zucchini, salt and sugar. Cook for 2-3 minutes on high stirring constantly until the zucchini has wilted slightly but it still crisp. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir for a minute. Remove from fire.

Add the pasta to warm white sauce. To plate it, ladle some of the pasta on the dish. Top with some cracked pepper. Place some of the flavoured, spicy vegetables on top of the pasta. Garnish with a basil leaf and serve warm.

Sweet chilli prawns in fried basil oil

2012-06-12T07:08:00.001-07:00

I love prawns but I hate cleaning them. I recently bought frozen Canbay tiger prawns and am quite pleased with them. I had a prawns in a sweet and spicy sauce at a Chinese restaurant recently and enjoyed them. So decided to try something similar at home. Frying basil in oil, releases the fragance of basil in the oil and makes the dish really flavourful. This is technique, I keeping using very often now ;-)

Ingredients
10-12 tiger prawns with their tails, thawed and washed
1 onion chopped in large pieces
3-4 garlic pods chopped fine
2 tbsp red chilli sauce
2 tbsp sweet and sour sauce
1 tsp soya sauce
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
10-12 basil leaves whole
salt to taste
1/2 tsp chill flakes (optional, if you want it really spicy)
2 tbsp sesame oil

Method

Marinate the prawns in 1 tbsp each red chilli sauce and sweet and sour sauce for 2 hours. Heat the oil in a wok, add the garlic and fry to a minute. Add the basil, stir and cover immediately (since it splutters a lot if you have not wiped it dry). Once the spluttering calms down, about 5 secs, add the onions and fry for another two minutes. Add the prawns along with the remaining sauces and cook for 10 minutes or until the prawns are cooked. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with fried rice.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

2012-06-09T07:32:00.001-07:00

Tunnel of Fudge cake from Annie's Eats is a beautiful moist cake bursting with chocolate. Since I love baking, I bake the birthday cakes and this one was baked for my birthday :-) Who bakes a bake for their birthday but a enthusiastic baker who would never want to miss an opportunity to bake a wonderful cake like this. I made some changes in way the cake was assembled but it still tastes good. Best baked in a bundt pan but I had a difficult time looking for a bundt pan so settled for a tube pan and used two small angel food cake pans. The fudge sauce is a bit too thick as compared to the gorgeous glaze on Annie's Eats. I made the mistake to letting it cool down a bit too much.

Ingredients
To prepare the pan
1 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the cake
1/2 cup boling water
60g/12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 cups caster sugar
1 tsp salt
6 eggs at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar (I used, raw sugar available in Fab India)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
280 gms/ 20 tbsp butter at room temperature

For the glaze
3/4 heavy cream (I used really cold Amul cream and drained out the liquid cream)
1/4 cup light corn syrup (I used honey and 1 tbsp date syrup)
240 gms/8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Mix the cocoa and melted butter and apply to the cake pan.. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Mix the water and chocolate. When it is melted, whisk and keep aside. Stir the flour, salt and cocoa powder together. In a large clean bowl, cream the butter, raw sugar and brown sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating it to ensure that the mix remains light and fluffy. Beat in the chocolate. Add the caster sugar slowly and continue whisking it. Fold in the dry ingredients in 3-4 portions. Pour the batter in the prepared pans. Bake for 45 mins until the cake begins to pull away from the pan. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 1.5 hours before inverting onto a cake platter. Allow to completely for 2 more hours.

A small tunnel of fudge

To prepare the glaze

In a small saucepan, add all the ingredients. Heat over a medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Set aside for some time until it has thickened. Pour the glaze over the cake and let it set for at least 10 mins before slicing.

You can have it with warmed with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Whole wheat Potato Knish

2012-05-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

Deb of Smitten kitchen introduced me to this lovely Jewish snack - Potato knish. Crisp on the outside with a soft centre not mushy but creamy enough to make want to repeat it. She suggested adding some green leafy vegetable to potatoes which I really liked. Her recipe is perfect, I just healthified it - replace the all-purpose with whole wheat flour. I feel this is a compulsive behaviour for me, I just cannot use only all-purpose flour. I have to replace it ww flour!! Did it compromise the taste... not at all :-)

I will head straight to the recipe. For detailed step head straight to her blog
Ingredients
Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup olive oil/ vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 cup water (start with 1/4 cup and check if you need more)

Filling
3-4 medium boiled floury potatoes, mashed roughly
1 small onion, peeled and diced small
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup cooked and drained spinach
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup grated cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preparing the dough. Stir together the dry ingredients. Beat the egg, oil, vinegar and water together. Sprinkle the dry ingredients in it. Stir till it all comes together and knead for about a minute.Cover in a plastic wrap and keep it aside for an hour.

Preparing the filling. Heat the oil and butter in frying pan, add theonion and saute them till they are light pink. Add the spinach, lemon juice, sale and pepper. Stir for a minute to combine, turn off the heat and allow to cool. When it is cool, add the cheese and potatoes and mix well. Adjust seasoning.

Rolling the knish. It is likely that the dough would have sweated some beads of oil while it rested, just knead it back in.

1. Divide the dough in 2 or four pieces (depending on the size of your rolling board). Similarly divide your filling into four portions.

2. On a well-floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a very thin sheet (as thin as you can without tearing it).

3. Place a one portion of filling across the bottom of your dough (lengthwise).

4. Roll the filling up in the dough gently like you were rolling a log. If you stretch it and roll it tight, it the dough will crack while baking. Keep rolling until the log has been wrapped twice in dough. Trim any unrolled length and add it to the second half of the dough; it can be used again. Repeat the process remaining dough and portions of filling.

5. Make indentations on the log using your hand like a knife, depending on the size of knish you want to make.

6. Twist the dough at these points. Using a knife cut the dough at each twist, then pinch one of the ends of each piece together seal the knish base. Flatten the knish a bit into a squat shape. The top may expose some bit of filing but do not bother about it, it looks good when baked.

Baking the knish. Preheat oven to 190 C. Arrange knish on prepared baking sheet so that they don’t touch each other. Whisk egg yolk and water together to form a glaze and brush it over the knish. Bake knish for about 45 minutes until they get a golden brown. You may have to move your tray around to ensure even baking. I had to move it from the bottom to the top since I have a very small oven. Let them cool slightly before eating.

Tijgerbrood or is it Giraffe bread - you decide

2012-05-25T21:38:00.001-07:00

I was attracted to this bread because of wonderful patterns on the bread. This bread has a story of how it was renamed from tiger bread to giraffe bread. When I told my daughter it is called tiger bread. She went like "Oh yeah, tiger paws". But when I told it also looks like the patterns of a giraffe, she agreed :-) So whatever you call it, I like the sound of "Tijgerbrood".

You can use any recipe for the bread. A soft bread recipe complements the crispiness brought in by the topping. Getting the topping of the right consitency is important. You do not want to plaster the bread with a lot of topping, at the same time it should be sufficient to draw the tiger paws on the bread. After some amount of researching, I settled for a recipe which involved less yeast. Some recipes required 1 tbsp yeast for the same quantity which seemed way too much according to me.

I used my never failing whole wheat bread recipe. Here is the recipe for the wonderful topping that draws tiger paws or is it a giraffe's back on the bread. I am pretty lazy when it comes to photographing the in-between steps so what you can see is the final outcome.

Tijgerbrood topping
Ingredients
3/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 cup warm water

Method

Combine all the ingredients with a whisk. The consistency should be thick but not too runny. When you lift the whisk, the batter should drop slowly and smoothly. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Once the bread has proofed and ready to bake, apply the coating with a brush and bake as you would normally bake your bread. I prefer to bake it on high for the first 5 mins to get a good oven spring and then reduce to 200C. To get an even browning, I had to shift the bread from the lower to the top midway. So it would depend of the type of oven you have.

I baked some stuffed breads and plain rolls. So lunch was a stuffed tijgerbrood with white bean soup. A really light weekend lunch :-)

White bean soup with fresh vegetables and corn flavoured with a few herbs and garlic - simply wholesome and tasty.

The tijgerbrood rolls with butter and tea made breakfast interesting.

Sending it to Yeastspotting this week.

Stir fry noodles with spicy teriyaki panfried paneer

2012-05-19T03:41:00.002-07:00

Noodles with vegetables are a really quick and comforting meal. Top it with pan fried spicy paneer - crisp on the outside and really soft inside. Just love this combination. I used Red Dragon flat whole wheat noodle and prefer them to the regular noodles available.

Ingredients

Paneer marinade
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp red chilli sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

8-10 large square pieces of paneer/ tofu

Stir fry noodles
1/4 cup cabbage
1/4 cup carrot julienes
1/2 cup sliced coloured peppers
3-4 portions of the Red dragon noodles
4-5 basil leaves torn
2 dry red chillies, deseeded and broken into large pieces
3 baby corn sliced thick
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1 cup leeks chopped
5-6 garlic crushed

Method

Mix the ingredients for the marinade. Coat the paneer and leave aside for 1/2 hour.

In a large pan boil a lot of water. Once it comes to a boil add some salt and noodles. Allow to simmer on high for 3-4 minutes. Drain in a colander and keep aside. Give it a stir once or twice while you prepare the rest of the dish to ensure that the noodles do not stick together.

Heat the oil in a large bottomed pan and fry the red chillies till the color of the oil changes. Add the garlic and fry for a minute. Add the leeks next and stir fry them for another minutes. Add the vegetables and fry them on high for a minute or two. Reduce flame and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Give it a good stir. Add the noodles and stir them around to mix well.

Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep it warm.

Grease the pan and place the paneer in a single layer. Turn on the heat and allow to brown on each side before turning. Remove from fire.

Microwave the rest of the marinade for 1 minute to get a table sauce for the noodles.

To serve, pile the noodles on individual dishes. Top with the spicy paneer. The table sauce can be added according to the individual taste.

This is my entry to Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Ruth Daniels.

David Leite's Orange Olive Oil cake

2012-05-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Using olive oil for baking is my new mantra. I try to substitute it where possible and also search for recipes which use olive oil. So I stumbled across David Leite's recipe - Portuguese orange olive Oil Cake. The cake has a wonderful citrusy flavor which complements the fruity flavor of extra virgin olive oil. The cake bakes to warm golden orange and the sweetness is apt. David Leite found it really difficult to develop this recipe and made about 13 versions of it before getting it right. And the recipe is perfect!! I halved the recipe since I did not have such a large bundt pan.

Ingredients
3 large navel oranges/ tangerines
1 cup whole wheat flour (healthified it)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups mild extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 C. Grease 9-8 inch tube pan and set aside.Finely grate the zest of 2 of the oranges, then squeeze 3 of them. You should have 3/4 cups of juice. Set aside.Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a handheld mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs on medium-high speed until well-combined, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the granulated sugar and continue beating until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and oil, starting and ending with the flour, and beat until just a few wisps of flour remain. Pour in the orange juice and zest and whirl for a few seconds to bring the batter together.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, about 45 mins. If the top is browning too much as the cake bakes, cover lightly with foil. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.Cut and serve.

A small engraving by my daughter :-) Her pet name

Turn the cake out onto the rack and cool completely, then place it in a covered cake stand and allow it to cool. David Leite recommends to allow it to cool overnight. I did not have the patience to wait for so long, so the rest is history.

Baked cheese cake using local Mumbai ingredients

2012-04-19T19:05:00.003-07:00

Philadelphia cheese is such a prominent ingredient in most cheesecakes. The rich, creamy and dense cheese gives the cheesecake it's wonderful texture and taste but when you think of the calories, you feel really guilty. Philidelphia is available in Mumbai but it is rather expensive plus the fat makes me think twice before using it. What did I substitute for cream cheese - low-fat hung curds!! Now this happened by accident. I left curds in a colander for about 2 days and I found that the end result is really thick curds like cream cheese or labneh. I used Samantha Tan recipe and modified it adjust to local ingredients available here. The cheesecake was dense with a nice creamy flavour. I topped it with some blueberry sauce but plain is equally good:-)

Ingredients
Filling
400 g cream cheese/ hung curds (Leave 2-3 large packets of Danone/ Nestle curds to drain in a large fine colander in the refrigerator
250 g sour cream/ thick cream (Refrigerate Amul cream packets and after cutting it allow the thin liquid to drain out from the the packet)
3 eggs separated (Samantha used 2 eggs. I used an extra egg since I was scared the batter would curdle)
4 tbsp flour
1 cup + 3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange + 1 lemon
1/4 tsp kosher/ sandhav salt + pinch of salt
Base
70 g graham crackers/Marie biscuit
50 g toasted almonds/hazelnuts
50 g butter

Method

Grease a 10'' inch springform pan. Crush the biscuit and almonds coarsely. Combine well with the butter and press it in the springform pan tightly. Refrigerate it while you prepare the filling.

Beat the egg yolks and 1 cup sugar together till light and creamy in a large bowl. Add the flour and cream alternately and beat well. Beat in the hung yoghurt, 1/4 tsp salt, vanilla essence and zest till it is fluffy and creamy.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites till frothy. Add the salt and beat till soft white peaks form. Adding one 1tbsp sugar at a time, beat till the egg whites become shiny and stiff. Fold the egg whites in the yoghurt. Fold gently until you can no longer see the white streaks. Pour the mix over the base gently. To remove air bubbles and spread the filling evenly, lift and knock the pan down onto the counter firmly a few times, and run a butter knife through in an “S” pattern.

Place a tray of hot water in the bottom of the oven and pre heat to 150C. Place the springform tin on a oven rack above the water. Bake for 1-1.5 hours till you get a nice golden crust. Do not open the oven at least for an hour in between the baking. Turn off the oven once the cheesecake is done and allow it to cool down. The cake rises but will fall as it cools. refrigerate at least for a day or overnight. To remove the cake, place the springform tin on a glass/ small katori (balance it well), unlock the springform. You can drop the slide walls and pick up the cake. Transfer the cake to a serving dish. Slice it and serve it plain or with a blueberry topping.

It still is not as good as the cheesecake I had in New York so will try with full fat yoghurt next time (forget the extra calories).

Some tips

1. Springform tins are now easily available in supermarkets now in Mumbai. Lifestyle, and Haiko stock it. Of course good old Arife now has a branch almost everywhere now - Bandra, Ghatkopar, Crawford Market, Andheri
2. Make sour cream using amul cream. Simply add some curds to the cream and leave it to set just like curds. You need to strain it in a colander overnight to drain out the whey and get a thick sour cream

Vegetable Pot Pies with puff pastry

2012-03-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Individual pot pies with vegetables layered with creamy sauce with a crisp topping appeals to me. I served these pots with zeresh burgul and grilled haloumi. A lovely weekend treat.

I got these pots recently from the Lifestyle sale. Really liked them, so could not resist buying them. These pots came with individual covers which I used to serve the zeresh burgul.

Stir fry some blanched and finely chopped cauliflower, carrots and corn with onions and garlic, chives, black pepper and chilli flakes. Transfer to the individual serving pots

Beat 3 cups of leek and garlic white sauce with 1 egg. Adjust salt and pepper. Pour it on the vegetable mix in the individual pots.Top with some wilted spinach

Some parmesan

Finally cover with the pastry sheet. Cut some lines in the pastry to allow the steam to escape.

Bake at 200C for 20 minutes or until the pastry browns. Serve alongside zeresh burlur with grilled haloumi.

Ingredients
White sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp all purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup chopped leek
3 garlic cloves grated
1 poblano chilli chopped fine
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
1 egg beaten with salt

Wilted Spinach
1 bunch spinach washed and chopped
2 tsp olive oil
salt to taste

Vegetables
2 cups blanched cauliflower, carrot and corn
1 tsp dried chives
1 tsp red chilli flakes
salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 onion chopped fine
2 garlic cloves chopped fine

Other Ingredients
1/4 cup parmesan
4 square low-fat puff pastry sheets

Method
To make the white sauce
Heat the olive oil in a large wok. Add the garlic, fry for 10 seconds, add the leeks, chillies, stir to coat and cover to soften it a bit. Add both the flour and stir for 1 minutes. Add the milk slowly. Keep stirring as a thick sauce is formed. On a low flame, keep stirring it till the sauce starts to bubble and thickens. Allow to cool. Beat the cheese, egg and white sauce together.

To prepare the wilted spinach
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped spinach and salt. Stir well and cover to let it wilt. Once wilted, cook on a high till some of the water evaporates.

To prepare the vegetables
Heat the frying pan and add the olive oil. Stir in the garlic and chopped onions. Allow to soften, add the vegetables and spices. Stir for a minute or two and keep aside.

To prepare the puff pastry sheets
On a floured board, roll the puff pastry sheets to thin them out just a wee bit.

To assemble
Butter four square individual baking pots. Divide the vegetables equally in each pot. Cover with the prepared white sauce. Top with wilted spinach. Sprinkle some parmesan. Cover the pot with the puff pastry sheet. To seal the pastry, apply some water to the edges of the pot and press the puff pastry on it. Make some cuts in the pastry sheet to allow the steam to escape. Bake at 200C for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot alongside zeresh bulgur pulao and grilled haloumi.

Zeresh Burgul with toasted almonds and Grilled Haloumi

2012-03-17T20:04:00.001-07:00

I picked Zeresh 'barberries' from the Global Village in Dubai. The Syrian and the Lebanese sections were eye-openers from a culinary perspective but left me confused with so many spices on display. I ended up buying those that I was aware of - sumac and black lemons. Language was an issue too, the vendor spoke in Arabic and none of us understood what they were saying :-) There are so many varieties of Zataar. I liked one variety but the vendor refused to give anything below 250 gms so I had to drop the idea. Green Zataar will do for now :-)

Well back to Zeresh 'barberries'. Mumbaikar are familiar with Zeresh thanks to Brittania cafe's Berry Pulao. It is really scrumptious. Zeresh has a really tangy flavour which mellows once you combine it with some burgul or rice. Here is my take on Zeresh. Maybe I will try berry pulao sometime ;-)

Ingredients

For the burgul
1/2 cup burgul
1 cup salted vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves grated
1/4 cup zeresh/ barberries
1/4 cup almond flakes toasted
1 tbsp tomato paste
a pinch of brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice (optional if you like an extra tang)
1/2 cup diced peppers (red, yellow & green)
1/2 cup leek chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp chopped coriander

Marination for the grilled haloumi
1 packet cypress haloumi
1 grated garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried celery
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Mix all the ingredients for the haloumi marination together. Slice the haloumi and toss in the marinade. Keep aside. Heat the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil. Add the burgul, stir and keep aside for at least 15-20 minutes. Fluff up after 10 mins.
Zeresh needs to soaked in some water to loosen the dirt and to allow it to settle at the bottom of the vessel. This needs to be done at least 3-4 times to get rid of the dirt and soil.

Heat the olive oil in the frying pan. Fry the garlic for 1 minute (do not burn). Add the leek and cover to make it soft. Add the peppers, tomato, salt, sugar, spices and cook on low till the vegetables are soft. Add the burgul and zeresh. Stir to coat the burgul well and cover to keep warm.

Heat a grill pan and oil it. Grill the haloumi for a minute till it browns.

To serve, transfer the zeresh burgul to indivdual serving plates. Place one grilled haloumi. Top with chopped almonds and coriander and relish.
I served the zeresh burgul alongside Vegetable pot pies .

Andama Bread

2012-03-10T05:27:00.010-08:00

"Andama bread" Most food bloggers interested in bread know the history of Andama by now. I find it a rather sad story, but what was born out of this is wonderful tasting bread. I made a whole wheat version of the Andama bread and it turned out rather good. Tasted better when lightly toasted with some butter.

Ingredients
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup boiling water
2 tsp rapid rise yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

Method

Mix the cornmeal and boiling water together and leave aside. In a large bowl, place the whole wheat flour and yeast. Stir and make a hole in the center. Add the molasses, water, oil and milk. Stir to get a wet mix. Cover with cling film and leave it for 10-15 minutes. Add the cornmeal, salt and all purpose flour and knead to a soft dough until it passes the windowpane test. I used the Philips stand mixer with a bowl attachment. A cheaper alternative to Kitchen Aid mixer. It works very well. I use it for cakes as well and I find it rather easy compared to holding a stand mixer. Less strain on my hands and neck ;-)

Place in a well-oiled bowl and allow to rise until more than doubled (about 1-2 hours). Knock down the dough. On a well floured wooden board, roll the dough into a rectangle. Bring both the side to the center. Pinch to seal the seams. Tuck in the other side and place it in a well oiled rectangle baking tin. Score in the centre and brush with some oil. Allow to rise until almost double.

Steam the oven and preheat to 250 C. Brush the bread with milk and bake at 250 for 5 minutes. Reduce to 220C and after 5 minutes reduce to 200c. Allow to bake till the bread sound hollow or the instant thermometer records 100C when inserted in the centre of the bread. Allow to cool on a wire rack and slice when cool.

Toast slices and serve with some butter.

David Lebovitz - Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-03-10T03:20:00.001-08:00

This recipe from David Lebovitz of thin chocolate chip cookie with roasted nuts is simply extraordinaire. The recipe instructions and the proportions work to the tee. I made them healthier by using brown sugar and whole wheat flour so I was unsure of the outcome but the cookies stayed fresh and crisp for more than a week. I was complimented by everybody who got a bite of it. The recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies which meant ample to share with my colleagues and friends.

Ingredients
1½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup gursakhar/dark brown sugar (David's recipe : light brown sugar)
¾ cup raw sugar (David's recipe : granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts toasted and coarsely chopped
3 cups (340 g) chocolate chips (David : Chocolate chunks)

Method
In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter, sugars,and vanilla extract on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then stir in the flour mixture followed by the nuts and chocolate chips.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches (23 cm) long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably for 24 hours.

David Lebovitz recommend that the cookies turn out better if you do not bake them immediately. Some resting time results in better crisper cookies. Well it's true, I baked a small batch immediately and they were not as good as the ones I baked the next day.

The cookies are really crisp, full of chocolate and roasted nuts.