Learn with recipes: February 2014

Friday, February 28, 2014

Milestone

Its time to celebrate !!!

I am happy to announce that my blog has crossed 1000 visitors till date (17-July-2009).

This is a special moment in my Life.

To add to the joy, my hubby presented me a lovely Gift (Glass Rose).

I would like to thank all my bloggers for their feedback and continued appreciation, that keeps me going.

Couscous Primavera – Because I Dont Get Enough Hate Mail from Morocco

Well, it started before I even posted the recipe. Heres a comment from the couscous primavera tease post I did yesterday:

Soukaina said... "plz plz plzzzzzzzzzz !! I am begging you !! stop massacring couscous !! Im a Moroccan ; been born there , lived there my entire life so I know what Im talking about !! theres one way and one way only to make couscous , and yours is just not it !! but if you prefer changing some ingredients or adding some stuff to it? thats fine ! do as you wish !! just dont call it couscous."

First of all, Im only calling this couscous because the package says, "Couscous," and the stuff inside the package was couscous – or at least what we Americans get as couscous.

Secondly, as with all my ethnically inspired dishes, I dont claim this is in any way authentic. Im sure its not, but not having ever had "real" Moroccan couscous I cant argue which version is better, so Ill just assume mine is.

Anyway, the point is, were not trying to "massacre" anyones cultural/culinary heritage. This is how we do couscous around these parts, and its tough to knock a healthy, delicious, and easy side dish that takes about 10 minutes to make.

Im obviously borrowing the name from the ubiquitous spring dish, Pasta Primavera, which like this recipe hopes to take advantage of fresh, seasonal, green produce. Speaking of which, you are highly encouraged to use whatever vegetables look good at your local (hopefully farmers) market.

Please note: check the instructions on whatever package of couscous you happen to use. Times vary from 5-10 minutes depending on the brand. Enjoy!

Couscous Ingredients:
2 cups couscous

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 jalapeno, minced

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 tsp cumin

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

big pinch of cayenne

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 small bunch asparagus, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 cup freshly shucked green peas (or sub frozen like me)

2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, or other sweet herbs

View the complete recipe

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Sausage Shrimp Paella – Before You Run You Walk Or In This Case Crawl

When I first do a version of a classic dish like paella, I try to use a minimum of number of ingredients and steps so we focus on the technique. So, while you experienced paella makers will probably find this quite unremarkable, it really is intended for the first-timer.

Real paella is not baked, but cooked on top of a fire, which results in a similarly textured rice to what you see here, except a layer caramelizes onto the bottom of the pan, and those gloriously crunchy bits are considered the best part. So, basically I’m telling you we left out the best part.

The trade-off is that this method eliminates most of the finesse and monitoring required by the traditional method. Consider this a gateway paella, and the first step to a serious, lifelong addiction. Besides the method, ideally you’ll use a wider variety of ingredients; things like clams, mussels, squid, chicken are all very commonly used, and will make your rice that much more interesting.

No matter how you cook you paella, one thing you must try to include is the saffron. Besides the short-grain rice, this is probably the most key addition. Unfortunately, the flavor and aroma are almost impossible to describe, so you really need to experience it yourself to fully understand. I’ve heard it described using things like “earthy metallic honey,” and “rusty champagne,” but these really don’t do it justice.

Anyway, if you’ve never tried to make paella before, I really hope this inspires you to give it a go. The Arborio we use here is easy to find in the big grocery stores, and as long as you stick to the liquid/rice ratio, there’s not a lot that can go wrong. And like I said in the video, stay tuned for my future attempt at a more classic version. In the meantime, I hope you give this quick and easy paella a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

(best to use a 12 or 13 inch wide skillet)

For the saffron broth:

2 tsp olive oil

reserved shrimp shells from 1 pound of jumbo shrimp

1/2 to 1 tsp saffron threads, depending on how strong you want the flavor

2 1/4 cups chicken broth

*Simmer for 20 minutes, strain and reserve. Be sure to season generously with salt, or your rice will be bland.

For the paella:

1 tbsp olive oil

8 oz sliced chorizo sausage, or any smoky, spicy sausage

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/3 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup green peas

1 tsp regular or smoked paprika, optional depending on how much was in the sausage

2 cups (exactly) hot saffron broth, or just plain hot chicken broth

1 pound peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp

1 sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips

salt and cayenne to taste

garnish top with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and freshly chopped Italian parsley

lemon wedges, optional (some love lemon, I prefer without, but give it a try and see)

*Bake at 425 degrees F. for 20 minutes, then finish over med-high flame until rice is just tender. It will be firm and slightly sticky. Don’t burn it, but you can leave it on the flame a little longer to try and get the rice to caramelize and crust onto the bottom of the pan, like the classic version. Be careful.

Gobo inspired Mango Salad

Update: Continuing from the JFI-Chillies round up, Id received an entry from Elizabeth of Blog from Our Kitchen (Toronto). Since her site was down during the round up I could not access it. She has sent in Ras el Hanout - North African spice mix especially good as a spice rub for grilled meats.

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I love the Kesar variety of mangoes. If there was a competition between Kesar and Alphonso, I would actually vote for the Kesar. It is sweetness personified and the fruits are long and graceful (no wonder, it is called the Queen of Mangoes in India) , almost lady like as against the short-stocky Alphonso. I know, I could just be e-murdered for voicing out my opinions like this - but hey, this is my space.... ha ha!

This season, when I ate an exceptionally tasty fruit, the thought of sticking it in the mud and growing my own tree lead me into doing just that. And 3 weeks later, I saw the tiniest bit of green shoots coming out of the opened up seed and it was such joy to watch them grow.

I think the photo shows a mango plant which is about 2-3 months old. And boy, the leaves are just as big as you would find on a big mango tree. When our under-construction house is ready, I plan to take it there and let the tree blossom there. It is to be seen if the Gujarati mango finds itself at home, at some distance down South. Im not giving up hope anyway!

Mangoes from our Madras home

Gobo is a vegan restaurant in NYC, located in both West Village and Upper East Side. It is tough to get a place to sit on most days and once you are in, it is tough to get away from all the delicious, gorgeous food. You will be surprised that a vegan restaurant has such a roaring business, but it does!! I had the good luck to be there in one of our partying weekends from Rochester in upstate New York. NYC was a 5-6 hour drive and we had a good friend living in the heart of Manhattan. It was always fun, trying out new dive bars, new places to eat and just walking about the streets.

When I tried out this salad, it had such simple flavours and ingredients, that I had to re-create it at home. The original salad had loads of baby spinach, mango pieces, crispy onion slices and candied walnuts in a vinaigrette dressing. I replicated the same salad in a couple of weeks after we had visited Gobo, at a house party and the salad was a huge success. Since I dont find baby spinach in Bombay, I do it using just mangoes. With a fruit like that, I dare say, we really dont miss the spinach! In case you were wondering where Im getting mangoes in the midst of monsoons, it is from our tree in the Madras house. My father in law tells me they are a cross between a Banganapalli and some other variety, giving it quite a fibrous, very sweet flesh.

While I consider peeling the whole mango with one stroke (ie. the peel should not break off, giving one long peel in the end) as a fun challenge, that is not everyones idea of fun. Check Elises step-by-step demo on how to cut and peel a mango.

Chilled Mango Salad

Mango Salad
Category: Salad, summer food
Time taken: Under 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced into bite sized pieces
Scrape the flesh upto the seed and reserve
Handful of almonds, roasted in microwave for 1-2 minutes till crisp

For dressing
1/2 - 1 tsp strong English Mustard (I used Colemans)
3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp dried parsely
few turns of freshly ground black pepper
pinch of salt
scraped mango bits
Whisk all the above together with a fork and keep aside

Directions
Place the diced mangoes in a bowl.
Whisk the dressing well. Pour over the mangoes, toss till it evenly coats the mangoes.
Chop the toasted almonds into small pieces, each into 3-4 pieces and scatter over the salad just before serving. Serve chilled.

Notes
1. You can serve this salad on a bed of baby spinach or salad greens, and use candied walnuts / any other nuts instead of almonds.

2. This salad goes well with grilled food such as fish or chicken, cutting through the tastes with its sweet freshness. You can also serve this beside a biryani or if you are like me, you can eat it just like that.

Interesting reads

A Mango Medley - by Gowri Ramnarayan for The Hindu

On Mangoes & the love for Banganapalli

Rowanberry jelly

European rowans (Sorbus aucupari, sometimes called European mountain ash) grow well in the Icelandic climate and are common garden trees. In the autumn after the first frost and thaw you can see thrushes feasting on the berries and getting quite drunk on the fermented juice.

Humans also eat rowan berries, especially in jams and jellies (raw berries will cause indigestion, so dont let the lovely colour tempt you to try them uncooked).

The slightly bitter flavour makes rowan preserves an excellent match with strong cheeses and game, such as wild goose and reindeer, and its also good with lamb.

If I can get enough rowan berries from a non-polluted source I plan to try making this jelly:

2 litres rowan berries with stalks
500 gr apples with skins (Jonagold is recommended as being flavourful and rich in pectin)
750 ml water
900 ml sugar for every 1 litre of juice

Pick the berries and freeze them overnight. This removes the worst of the bitter flavour of the berries.
Bring the water to the boil in a cooking pot and add the berries, stalks and all, and the coarsely chopped apples with skins and cores (only remove the seeds and stalks). Simmer gently for about 20 minutes.

Mash the stewed berries and apples with a potato masher and strain through a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth, or use a fruit press to extract the juice and then strain through a cheesecloth. Measure the juice and add 900 ml of sugar for every 1 litre of juice.

Return to the cooking pot and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until a drop of the liquid sets when dripped on the back of a cold spoon. Pour into sterilized, hot jars and seal immediately.

Preservative may be added.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Rhubarb Rose and Elderflower Jellies and a Giveaway

I did warn you that rhubarb was going to feature quite frequently on the blog as tis the season! These jellies were inspired by the fabulous natural cordials and presses produced by Belvoir Fruit Farms a family run company based in Lincolnshire.

Most of us have had a little glimpse of summer, at the weekend, when I took this photograph, although there was a cool breeze blowing, the sky was blue and it wasnt raining! I know that further south it has been much warmer and summer drinks are definitely on the menu. Ive tried all four of these drinks and must declare them totally delicious. They are not too sweet, very fruity and the presse is not too fizzy and very refreshing. The Cranberry and Raspberry (lurking at the back) was probably my favourite, but they are all very good.

I was inspired by the Elderflower and Rose Presse to make the jellies as I know that elderflower goes well with rhubarb and the pale pink rose colour complements the colour of the young poached rhubarb.

Rhubarb, Elderflower and Rose Jellies (makes 6)

6 stems of young rhubarb cut into even pieces
2 tbsp granulated sugar
500ml Belvoir Fruit Farms Elderflower and Rose Presse
4 sheets Gelatine (Supercook)

1. Heat the oven to 170C
2. Place the rhubarb into an ovenproof dish, add 50ml Elderflower and Rose Presse and 2 tbsp sugar.
3. Cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the rhubarb is just tender (check regularly)
4. Soak the sheets of gelatine in cold water as per the packet instructions.
5. Remove the rhubarb from the oven and drain the juices into a measuring jug, squeeze the water from the gelatine sheets and add to the hot liquid, the gelatine should melt into the liquid immediately.
6. Top up the liquid to 500ml with the Elderflower and Rose Presse.
7. Place a few pieces of rhubarb in each of the glasses and fill with the jelly mixture.
8. Chill in the fridge until set, this quantity of gelatine gives a fairly soft set, you can use more if you like a firmer jelly.

Printable Recipe

Belvoir have recently launched a range of five new products all with an English garden theme and I have five gift sets to give away comprising a Sophie Conran gardener’s journal and matching enamel mug plus 4 bottles of Belvoir products.

Gardeners Journal

Sophie Conran

Enamel Mug

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter Widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sweet Iced Bread

This is a great treat for when you make too much white dough for another dish. It is a real sweet treat! Have fun getting sticky! :)

White Bread Dough

Vanilla Essence

Powdered Sugar

Few Drops Lemon juice

For the Icing

Put a few drops of vanilla essence and lemon juice with a little cold water into a bowl and sieve enough powdered sugar into it to form a thick icing. (you dont need to make this until your bread is cooled)

Sprinkle your dough with sugar and knead in, sprinkle again and knead again.

Your dough should start to come apart a little because of the sugar - this is fine now shape it into a round and put onto a greased and floured baking dish.

Put into a hot oven approx 220C for 15 minutes or so or until golden and cooked. Then leave on a wire rack to cool.

Once cooled spread your icing alover the top, leave the icing to harden a little and enjoy! :)

Orange crumbled cake

Orange crumbled cake

Ingredients for sponge

Flour 4 ounces
Caster sugar 4 ounces
Eggs 4
Baking powder 1 tsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Fresh cream 16 ounces whipped with 2 ounce icing sugar
Orange juice ½ cup
Oranges slices 2 cups

Ingredients for crumble

Sugar 4 ounces
Almonds 3 tbsp
Mandarin tin 1 for decoration

Method

Make sponge cake by beating together egg and caster sugar till light and fluffy, add vanilla essence, fold in sieved flour and baking powder mixture gradually, and spread mixture in 2 well greased 8 inches sandwich pan, bake on 180 degree C for 20 minutes. Remove cake, cool, spread 1 layer of cake on a serving platter, soak with orange juice, spread cream, kino slices, sprinkle praline, put second layer of cake, soaked with orange juice, cover cake with whipped cream, decorate with mandarin slices, swirls of fresh cream, praline, serve chilled.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Apple sweet heart

Apple sweet heart

Ingredients for short crust

Flour 10 ounces
Butter 6 ounces
Egg 1
Icing sugar 3 ounces
Baking powder 1 tsp

Ingredients for filling

Apples ½ kg
Sugar 75 gm
Water ½ cup
Cinnamon powder ½ tsp

Method for filling

Peel and slice apples. In a saucepan put sugar, apples, water, cinnamon, and cook for 10 minutes.When the water nearly dries add 1 tsp corn flour and remove.

Method for short crust

In a bowl beat butter and icing sugar. Beat in the eggs and fold in sieved flour and baking powder.Form into a dough and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes.Now divide the dough into two portions.
Roll one into 14 inch thick round, put it in a 8 inch pie plate, put the apple filling, roll the second half of dough, cover the top of apples and brush top with a beaten egg.
Decorate as required, sprinkle with 2 tbsp granulated sugar, bake at 190 degree C for 25 to 30 minutes, serve apples sweet heart with vanilla ice-cream or whipped fresh cream.

Garlic Bread

This is for my cousin Nafay who has specially requested to post Garlic Bread. Since i dont know the recepie i got the below from http://chefatwork./2008/07/garlic-bread.html

I N G R E D I E N T S 8 slices of Bread lightly toasted 3 tbsp Olive Oil 1 tsp Garlic Paste 2 tsp Red Chilli Flakes 1 tbsp Mixed Herbs 2 tbsp Cheese Powder Or Cheese Salt to taste Mix the red chilli flakes, garlic paste, salt and mixed herbs with the olive oil and keep aside for 5-10 minutes. Brush the toasted slices with the olive oil mixture and sprinkle the cheese powder over them. Bake in a hot oven (450F) for 10 minutes.

Monday, February 24, 2014

How to beef jerky in the oven with best beef jerky recipes

Jerky recipe s are delicious and unique recipe s that make great meals. Jims oven jerky, marinated beef jerky and microwave jerky is 3 recipe-s that closely resemble the large jerky meals.

Here are the 3 recipe-s where you can prepare a jerky meal today:

1. Jims oven jerky

Ingredients:

-1 lb steak or roast
-5 TB soy sauce
-2 TB Worcestershire sauce
-2 TB brown sugar
-2 ts paprika
-1 / 2 ts pepper
-1 / 2 ts garlic powder
-1 / 2 ts onion powder

Directions:

Cutting all the fat from the meat and slice into 1 / 4 "thick stripes."
-Vermischen you other ingredients.
-Marinated meat overnight in the mix.
-Line cookie sheet with foil and arranging meat to you in a single layer.
-Dry for 8 or more hours at 200 degrees F, turning every 2 hours.
-Cool and store in a tightly covered glass or sealed in a plastic bag.
-Other marinade ingredients [optional]: 1/2 ts or more hot pepper sauce/1 / 4 ts Cayenne / 1 ts chili powder 1 TB or more liquid smoke 1 TB parsley flakes 1 / 2 ts ginger 1 / 2 ts allspice

2. Marinated beef jerky

Ingredients:

-1 kg of beef; Their choice; If not tender cut; Slice thin as paper; Tender cut of glass 1 / 8 to 1 / 4 "thick"
-1 / 2 ts pepper
ts-1 onion powder
-1 / 2 ts garlic salt
-3 TB soy-sauce + 1 teaspoon; Light can be use.
-2 TB Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Cutting all fat from beef.
-Vermischen you other ingredients.
-Marinated meat overnight in the mix.
-Entfernen from the marinade and pat meat between towels.
-Line cookie sheet with foil and arranging meat to you in a single layer.
-Dry for 8 or more hours at 200 ~, twirling after 6 hours.
-Cool and store in a tightly covered glass or sealed plastic bag.

3. Microwave jerky

Ingredients:

-1 / 2 lb venison trimmed
-1 / 4 ts salt
-1 / 3 ts garlic powder
-1 ts accent
-1 / 4 ts of black pepper
-1 / 4 c Worcestershire sauce
-1 / 4 c soy sauce
-1 / 4 c water
-4 Drops liquid smoke

Directions:

Cutting you meat into 1 / 8 "thick strips, which is easier if it is somewhat frozen."
-Ingredients and place you marinate meat in refrigerator overnight.
-Then place the meat strips in the microwave oven roasting rack.
-Einstellen the microwave on high for 4 to 6 minutes.
-Fügen second after 4 minutes in increments of 30.
-The idea is a dried jerky, which means a change in color from Brown to dark brown and a consistency in the flesh, the of supple, leathery has changed in its texture.

Thats it!

Welcome to our website, visit next: the delicious recipes package and cheap meal ideas recipes for more delicious recipes.

Fried Kofta

Fried Kofta

Ingredients

Beef mince ½ kg
Corianders leaves ¼ bunch
Mint leaves ¼ bunch
Bread crumbs 3 tbsp
Onion chopped 1
Garlic chopped 3 – 4 cloves
Egg 1
Chili powder 1 tsp
Cumin seeds crushed 1 tsp
Flour 3 tbsp
Allspice powder 1 tsp
Oil for fry
Salt to taste
Shashlik sticks as required
Yogurt 250 gm
Garlic paste ½ tsp
Cumin crushed 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Green chilies chopped 2
Coriander leaves few

Method
In chopper put together ½ kg mince, 1 onion, 1 egg, 3 – 4 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp all spice powder and 1 tsp chili powder. Chopperize well.
Remove mixture in a bowl.Also add 3 tbsp bread crumbs and 3 tbsp flour. Mix well.Now make small mince balls, thread 3 mince balls in each shashlik stick.
Beat 250 gm yogurt in a bowl.Add in ½ tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds, salt to taste and a few coriander leaves. Mix well.
Now arrange fried kofta shashlik sticks in a platter. Spread prepared yogurt sauce on top and serve hot.

Oven Baked Fish Pilaki Fırında Balık Pilâki

Pilaki is originally a Greek word. I am not sure what it means in Greek, plate?, but in Turkish pilaki refers to a group of dishes that are cooked with onion, garlic, carrot, potato, and parsley in olive oil. We usually cook beans in this style, like "fasülye pilaki" or "barbunya pilaki", yet fish pilaki is another favorite. In my family this dish is usually made with bonito (palamut), yet any fish can be cooked this way. What you see above is talapia.

3-4 tbsp olive oil
4-6 fish fillets
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 potato, petite diced
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
salt&pepper

optional
mushroom
celery root, petite diced

-Heat olive oil. Add onion. Cook until soft.
-Add carrot. Cook for a couple of minutes. (if you are using mushroom, add now)
-Add potato. (if you are using celery root, add now). Cook until vegetables are soft.
-Add tomato, garlic, sugar, salt, and 2 cups of water. Cook until the cooking liquid is almost absorbed. Add half the parsley.
-Spread half of the vegetables on a oven dish. Place the fish on top.
-Cover with the rest of the vegetables.
-Season with black pepper. Pour lemon juice and place lemon slices on top.
-Cover and bake in a preheated oven at 350-370F for 30 minutes or until the fish is tender.
-Sprinkle remaining parsley and serve.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Turkey Saltimbocca Piquante

Saltimbocca is a dish made with veal, prosciutto and sage, which is popular in Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Greece. You can read more about it here.

My version of this famous dish is for a competition run by British Turkey to create an all year round dish using British Turkey and Peppadew Peppers.

Turkey Saltimbocca Piquante
500g British Turkey fillets
100g Peppadew Whole Sweet and Mild Piquante Peppers
84g Prosciutto
6 sage leaves
8-10 wooden skewers

For the marinade
4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
2 tbsp oil from the tomatoes
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
200ml dry white wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the turkey into small chunks about 2cm square. Cut the sage leaves into strips and slice up the Peppadew peppers, cut each slice of prosciutto cross ways into five pieces (see below)

2. Place the turkey cube onto the slice of prosciutto, add a small strip of sage and a slice of Peppadew pepper, roll the prosciutto around the turkey, sage and pepper and put the skewer through.

3. Add further pieces of rolled turkey to the skewer, 4 pieces seemed about right for the size of skewers I was using.

4. Put all the marinade ingredients, except the wine, into a liquidiser or food processor and blitz until well combined. Add the wine and blitz again.

5. Place all the skewers into a non-metallic dish and pour over the marinade. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.

6. Grill the skewers on a high heat for 5 minutes each side, then lower the heat and grill for a further 5 minutes. Drain the marinade into a saucepan, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve the sauce with the skewers.

The marinade ensures that the skewers are deliciously moist and the punchy flavour of the Piquante Peppadew peppers really complemented the turkey and prosciutto.

I served these Turkey Saltimbocca Piquante skewers hot with buttered new potatoes and spring greens, but they would go well with rice or couscous. They would be ideal for a barbeque and would also be delicious chilled and served with salad or as finger food at a buffet.

RASHMI BIRIYANI with Vege option

My greetings to all of you on the occasion of Dushera festival. I am sure all of you have excused me for my absence from the blog sphere. Not that I post many recipes , but I do read all recipes, like reading novels, newspapers. I was stuck with lot of work ( rare occasion) at the home front, could manage to read few blogs and could rarely post my appreciations . I shall catch up now before I proceed on official work again.

My daughter visited us 1st time after marriage and had sent request in advance for cooking few of her favorite dishes. Biriyani Rashmi was one of them.

THE RECIPE.

This recipe is adopted from the famous book by Maharaja of Sailana, the ultimate Royal dish book.

The recipe is very different from all the Biriyanis you might have eaten. It is devoid of onion and garlic and the spicing is different. This gives a unique flavor to the dish. I know many types of Biriyani and pulao, but always end up cooking this in a gathering ( which is rare) as the guests are very demanding about this Biriyani.

This Biriyani is cooked with goat or lamb meat. I havent tried chicken and wont, in near future. If you try let me know how was it. I will -prefer a paneer , patato biriyani over chicken

I have given a vege option with Paneer and potato. Absence of garlic and onion makes this dish a absolute Vege one , Jain or temple dish or like a prashad.

NOTE: As directed by the Maharaja, please do not compromise or change the recipe while trying for the 1st time.

INGREDIENTS

Mutton pieces 1 Kg

Ghee 250 ml ( I have reduced slightly from the original recipe)

Fresh curd 350 gms

Red chili powder 4 tsp ( level) You can use less hot one.

Ginger fresh , scrapped and ground 30 gms

Asafoetida ( Hing) 1 level tsp , 30 % active content diluted in water . (You can use your measure)

spices

Coriander seed powder 25 gms ( dont reduce)

Cumin seed powdered 2 gms

Black cumin seed powdered( It is Sha jeera and not the Kala jeera or Nigela ) 2 gms

Clove powdered 20 pieces ( freshly powdered)

black Cardamom 4 pieces , freshly powdered.

Saffron a good pinch diluted in warm water

Basmati rice 500 gms

Milk 350 ml

Kewada water 30 ml. ( This is also known as Kiya, Keya, Ketaki water in India . English name screw pine, botanical name Pandanus fascicularis .) If you are using Kewra concentrate , add less.

(Punjabi BaDi 12 gms, powdered, is there in the original recipe , but I havent used it. But it gives a good taste.)

THE PROCESS

Preparing the meat

* Heat ghee in a thick bottom deep pan, add the Hing water, immediately followed by meat, whipped curd, Red chili powder, ginger paste, salt and mix.

* When the liquid dries up , brown the meat lightly.

* Add hot water little at a time so that when the meat is tender, there will be very little water left. CAUTION: Dont over cook the meat..that means the meat must not be falling off the bones.

If it is slightly undercooked, dont worry, it will get cooked at a later stage . Please apply your experience in meat boiling ...avoid use of pressure cooker.

Ready for spice addition

* Now add all the spices mentioned above i.e. Coriander, both cumins, clove, cardamom, saffron and Punjabi Badi powder ( optional)

*Stir the mix and simmer on very low heat till the water dries up and ghee remains. NOTE: Please dont burn the spices, if in doubt, quench with 2-3 tbsp water and mix.

Preparing the rice.

* Wash and soak rice in water for an hour.

* Heat plenty of water (about 3 liters ), add about 6-8 level tsp of salt and bring to boil. Add rice and cook.

* When the rice is 3/4th done, drain into a sieve or colander removing water completely.

* Transfer the rice to a big tray and spread evenly ..allow it to cool a bit.

Arranging the rice and meat for dum ( sealed steaming)

This is an interesting step and the layering technique is applicable to most type of Biriyani.

* Heat the milk , close to boiling and keep aside. mix 30 ml of Kewada water.

* Grease a thick bottom pan lightly with ghee. Dont take too big a pan. Ideally the pan should be 80% full when every thing is added.

* Divide the rice into 4 parts

* Add 1/4th of the rice to the pan and spread evenly.

* Sprinkle all the milk on the rice layer

* add 1/2 the meat and spread evenly.

* Now add rice, 2 parts out of 4 parts and spread evenly. ( i.e 2 portions of the 1/4th rice...I mean after this addition, you will be left with 1/4th of rice.)

* Add rest of the mutton and spread evenly. Top it with the balance 1/4th rice.

Put on Dum ( on steaming under sealed condition.)

*Put the pan on medium heat , and allow steam to be formed.

When steam is formed, cover and seal the edges with flour ( Atta) dough

There are few ways of putting it on dum.

Heat an OTG or oven to 180 deg C, and cook for 30-40 minutes

Or Put a flat steel griddle on heat, then put a separator. Keep the Pan on the separator and cook for 30-40 minutes. Adjust heat , there may be slight burn out at the bottom...

Open the Pan on the dining table, so that every one gets the opening aroma

VEGE OPTION WITH POTATO AND PANEER

The spicing and procedure will be same with some variation.

Peel medium potato and cut to half. Dont take much, may be 11/2 pieces per head or more.

Take generous quantity of paneer ( cottage cheese), cut them to 11/2 inch by 11/2 inch pieces and 1 inch thick. ( you can use smaller size too. I use 1inch pieces.)

Fry the cheese in ghee to brown , poke it with fork and keep aside.

Take ghee, fry the potato to light brown, add, hing , curd, ginger, red chili powder, salt etc and dry out to light brown.

Add the spices, stir for a minute , add 1 cup of water.

Mix well, add the paneer and simmer until only the ghee is left.

Proceed as above.

Happy eating.

EKADASHI AALU SABZI

EKADASHI AALU SABZI

INGREDIENTS

Boiled potatoes (slightly mashed)-2
Tomatoes puree form-2 small sized
Saindha namak (salt to be used in fast) to taste
Black pepper powder-1/4 teaspoon
Oil-1 tablespoon
Water-1-2 cups

METHOD

Heat oil in a pan.
Add tomatoes to it & as they start leaving oil, add saindha namak & black pepper powder.
As the mixture leaves oil, add the mashed potatoes to it & fry well.
Then, add water to it & bring it to a good boil.
Cook it till slightly thick & properly cooked gravy is formed & turn off the flame.
Aalu sabzi is ready to serve.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Last year I tried making these slow roasted tomatoes after seeing them on blogs everywhere. They were simple, easy and fantastic. I put them on sandwiches, on antipasto platters and in pasta salad. I wanted to make them again and found it intriguing when my friend Marie said that her husbands gradmother added chopped garlic and basil to it. The idea sounded fantastic however I never asked any questions and didnt really think it through. Turns out Marie and I completely misunderstood each other. We discovered this when she and her hubby came over for dinner. I showed them to her and told her that they were good but the garlic was a little bitter. I liked them much better plain. She asked what I did and I told her that I did what she told me. We ended up laughing all day about it because I had TONS of these tomatoes and adding garlic to them while roasted was not at all what she meant. The tomatoes werent bad but the garlic did not taste great after being roasted in the oven for 2 hours. I need to clarify exactly what she did mean. Next year I say she makes them for me, what do you think?

Wondering why Im posting this? Well I still think that slow roasting is a fantastic way to cook plum tomatoes. They arent dried out like sun-dried tomatoes. They are sweet and still a little plum and have an incredible flavor. Next time I just wont put anything other than oil, salt and pepper on them. They are still salvageable though. I took off the garlic from some of the tomatoes, chopped them up and made a sauce with them. They were still delicious! I will post that soon.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise and seeded
salt, pepper, olive oil

Toss tomatoes with oil, salt and pepper. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchement paper or foil. Lay the tomatoes cut side up on the baking sheet. Bake at 250 for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Garlic Basil Hummus

Hummus makes a healthy snack because the chickpeas are high in fiber, folic acid, a good source of iron, magnesium, copper and zinc. The lemon provides a good source of vitamin C and the olive oil is a source of healthy fat. Packed with good-for-you fats, hummus is a favorite go-to for quick, healthy snacks. I have had hummus a number of ways… both with and without tahini. I love it either way. This time I made it with out tahini.

Ingredients:
1 can organic garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1/2 lemon juiced
2-4 cloves garlic
5-10 leafs basil
2-3 tbs olive oil
Salt, ground coriander, cumin, paprika
1 tbs tahini optional ( from Trader Joes is the best)
I used almond butter instead of tahini, it worked out well

You can use a food processor or magic bullet. In magic bullet I pureed half of the can of chickpeas and garlic first. Then the other half adding olive oil to make it smooth.