Sunday, November 30, 2008

Chocolate Pudding Cake for Alice & Friends

Alice in Wonderland is a wonderful dream that takes us through a wonderful journey and introduces us to wonderful characters.The end scene where her sister shooks Alice out of reverie and gives her tea,brings us also back to reality and definitely makes us hungry as well.Well,I am not sure about how Alice felt when animals threw pebbles at her which turned into little cakes but it made me hungry.Also the book was full of the word 'cake' saying 'eat me' and tea party and what not.So I decided to bake mini chocolate pudding cakes for Alice and Friends for her wonderful tea party and also send it to my BookClub TeaParty.

A pudding cake has got two layers - a cake layer and a top sauce layer and upon baking,it separates with the sauce becoming base.If you cut it open into half or while gorging on it ,you can see the sauce oozing out.This cake is usually served warm and what makes it more approachable is though it seems to be intense cake with two layers and all,it is very easy to make and is served in the same pan that you bake it.I used the recipe I found here

Ingredients:

Cake Layer

All Purpose Flour: 2/3 cup
Sugar: 1/4 cup+as per taste
UnSweetened Cocoa: 2 tbsp
Salt:1/4 tsp
Baking Powder: 1tsp

Vanilla Extract: 1/2 tsp
Vegetable Oil: 3 tbsp
Water:1/2 cup

Top Layer
Sugar: as per taste
Unsweetened cocoa: 2 tbsp
Salt: a pinch

Water/hot chocolate: 3/4 cup

Preparation:
Cake:

Whisk together flour,sugar,cocoa,baking powder,salt in a bowl.In another small bowl,mix water,oil and vanilla.Blend in the wet mix to the dry mix to obtain the cake batter.Divide the batter into greased ramekins /mugs filling each upto halfway.

Top layer:
Whisk together the dry ingredients of sugar,cocoa and salt.

Top each cake ramekin/mug with this -fill each ramekin 3/4 -1/2 with cake batter + 1/4 with the top layer dry mix.Spoon 2-3 tbsp of water/hot chocolate on top of this dry mix.The ramekin would almost be full by now.Place each mug/ramekin onto a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 28-32 minutes.Serve as such topped with marshmallow/whipped cream.

I baked in foil ramekin,so I slowly loosened the edges using the knife and then inverted it into a plate and then reversed the plate gently into a serving dish,so that the top remains the top :D.Though I did this slowly,some of the pudding base remained in the foil mug.So lookwise,it is average,but tastewise perfect.Well, I can always say,it came out of the rabbit hole that Alice fell into.You can see the sauce oozing out if you look carefully.Also,while baking ,some liquid boils out of the edges as well and the cake puffs up.You can see the ramekins along with the inverted marshmallowed cake.


Now,I enjoyed the pudding cake and will surely bake another for Alice.The above estimate gave me 3 cakes,though the estimate was for 4 as per the original recipe.So it depends on the dish size you are using.
UPDATE: The cake when dry becomes a bit chewy.The pudding layer remains as it is though.If you have reduced the amount of water drizzled,then it becomes a bit dry.Apart from that no difference in taste.

Meanwhile lets see,what other members bring for Alice's Tea Party: Simran - Playing Cards Cake,Bhags,Aparna - Orange Marmalade Cake,Rachel -Sandwiches for a mad hatter's tea party,SunshineMom -eat me vegan cheesecake brownies,Siri -veggie finger sandwiches,Dee,Srimathi

Cranberry Jello Fruit & Nut Minis

Cranberries are in season during the last two months of the year and are a major part of Thanksgiving.I found that there is a simple cranberry and raspberry jello salad which is supposed to be traditional and adjusted the recipe a bit.It is very quick and involves only freezing.

Ingredients:

Raspberry Jello : 2 packet
Cranberry sauce : 1/4 cup (homemade /store bought)
Walnuts: 1/4 cup chopped
Fruits:1/2 cup chopped
Peach Nectar(optional)

Preparation:

Prepare the jelly as per package instructions and mix in all the other ingredients and pour into mini muffin tin lined with paper cups.Refrigerate overnight or atleast 4 hours.Serve individual jello cakes in plates or line together in a big serving tray.

You can add whatever fruits/dry fruits/nuts to this.Normally 1 packet jello is used.But to help setting another additional packet or atleast half packet of unflavoured jello is used here.I have used chopped apples and pears and also added peach nectar ,just for the additional flavour.Also instead of muffin tin,you can make it either in a big dish or in dessert cups as well.Muffin tin makes the job easier and avoids cutting/serving of the jelly.Actually anything can be added to the jelly apart from the ingredients mentioned


Relishing on this wonderful jello salad on the last or 30th day of Recipe Marathon,lets look back to see who else are the winners:
1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi


Saturday, November 29, 2008

Roasted Grapes with Crema di Ricotta

Interesting,right?Now before you think I am crazy,let me explain:I was searching for something purple for FIC:Purple,and I hit on this at the EatingWell site.I had earlier roasted pears and was curious to try this recipe,if you call it a recipe that is.I was sure the grapes may burst and I may have to clean and clean the oven,but no,they came out as good as they went in.They can be taken as such,or with sweet dip/flavoured yoghurt.I served them with twisted version of crema di ricotta - creamy ricotta dip I from a TV Show. :D

Roasted Grapes

Ingredients:

Red Grapes
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Preparation:

In a baking dish,mix together washed and drained grapes and other ingredients.Only very little oil is needed.Spread the grapes in a single layer and roast in a preheated oven at 450F for exactly 15 minutes.Take out and let it cool for 1-2 minutes.

Serve with crema di ricotta or vanilla yoghurt or as such.They tasted sweet-tangy-savoury-depending on the type of grape and amount of salt/pepper used.To tell you the truth I was happy they are still in one shape and not burst.Its nice and different from the normal grapes/grape recipes we consume.Also sometimes if the grapes are too overripe,the sauce may ooze out,but still they retain their shape.With crema di ricotta they were excellent.


Crema di Ricotta/Creamy Ricotta Dip
Creama di ricotta can actually be taken as such.Actual version by Mario Batali had ricotta cheese blended with sugar,cream cheese,goat cheese and sugar.I made it with just ricotta and cream cheese -both fatfree along with zero calorie splenda
LowFat/Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
Fat Free Cream Cheese
Sugar/Zero Calorie Sugar/Splenda


Blend all these together either by hand/blender to obtain a creamy dip.the ingredients can be adjusted as per your taste.It can be served at room temperature/chilled.It can be taken as such if you are a sweet n cheese lover or as a dip with roasted grapes or anything.


A warm plate of roasted grapes with chilled crema di ricotta is on its way to Daily Tiffin LowFat Dessert Table for the Monthly Mingle .

Relishing the roasted grapes dipped in creamy ricotta on Recipe Marathon Day #29,lets see who all have we left behind with just one more day to reach the finishing line:
1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi

Friday, November 28, 2008

Cherry Biscotti

Biscotti is Italian for 'Biscuit;.It is the plural of Biscotto which also means 'twice baked'.These are twice baked for longer storage,but I can assure that once you taste these,they won't be there for long.:D I found a wonderful cherry biscotti from here and they were wonderful.

Ingredients:

Sugar: 6 tbsp+
Tofu: 1/4 cup ground to replace a single egg

All Purpose Flour: 1 cup
Baking Powder: 1 tsp
Walnuts: 1/4 cup chopped
Salt: a pinch

Vegetable Oil: 2 tbsp
Orange Juice: 1 tsp+
Vanila Extract: 1 tsp

Preparation:

Blend tofu with soymilk or water to obtain a creamy paste.In a big bowl,cream together sugar and tofu until well blended.To this,add orange juice+oil+vanilla extract.Blend until combined.You can also add orange zest,but I did not add any.In another bowl,add flour,baking powder,walnuts and salt. Add the flour mix in batches to the tofu-sugar-oil-juice mix.Stir gently until combined to obtain a sticky dough.Fold in the chopped cherries.I used boxed cherry halves in syrup and so I only corasely chopped some,while adding others as such.

Do not over mix the flour,as this kneading increases gluten development.We do not want gluten as it makes the biscotti chewy.Gently folding flour with the wet items reduces the formation of too much gluten.Also gently fold in the cherries.

Once the sticky dough is formed,transfer it to a lightly floured surface (baking sheet as well)and shape it into a log.Transfer it to a baking sheet and gently flatten the top.Brush the surface with milk and sprinkle with sugar.Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 35-40 minutes until the top is lightly browned and cracks appear.The recipe specified an oventime of 25-30,but it took nearly 40 minutes to me.Reduce the oven temperature to 300F.

Let the log cool for atleast 15 minutes or more.Then using a big serrated knife,diagonally cut them into pieces.It looked like.........

Place these pieces cut side up on a baking sheet with atleast 1 inch between them and bake at 300F for 8-12 minutes.Then flip to the other side and bake again for 8-10 minutes.Cool for a few minutes and enjoy.The biscottis were crunchy,crusty,hard outside and nutty inside and perfect with or without a cuppa.




Also,I have to confess,these do not look as perfect as professional biscotti or even as I want them to be,coz my oven in the midst turned off and while cutting,my knife was behaving very badly.So I had to make do with these,but they were excellent in taste.I usually avoid cherries,but this time in a biscotti,they were perfect.Next time I will ensure everything is perfect(my fingers are crossed and I will be buying a new knife). Also though I used the abovementioned recipe,I referenced this -which has step by step techniques and pictures-as well.The above estimate yields almost 1 dozen biscotti,which were quickly polished off.

These biscotti fresh from the oven are on the way to AFAM: Cherry an event started by Maheswari and currently hosted by Rachel.

Snacking on the cherry biscotti on Recipe Marathon Day #28,lets take a round of fellow runners kitchen:
1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Oatmeal Butterscotch Muffins

These are very simple muffins.I was planning to make butterscotch and oats cookies,then I saw the recipe for muffins here.It invovled soaking oats in buttermilk,which made me curious as it was the first time I saw/heard such thing.I tried it out with little adjustments and they were delicious and moist.

Ingredients:
Old fashioned oats: 1 cup
Buttermilk: 2/3 cup +few more spoon if needed
Brownsugar: 6 tbsp+as per taste
Unsalted Butter: 1/2 stick melted
All Purpose Flour: 1/2 cup
Baking Powder: 3/4 tsp
Baking Soda: 1/4 tsp
Salt: a pinch
Butterscotch chips: 3/4 cup

FlaxSeeds: 1 tbsp ground with 3 tbsp water to replace a single egg

Preparation:

In a big bowl,soak oats and brownsugar in buttermilk for around 1 hour..As far as I know,this is to soften the oats and make the muffin moist and soft.Grind flaxseed with water and keep aside.In a small bowl mix together,flour,baking soda,salt,baking powder.Melt butter and let it cool.

Combine melted and cooled butter and flaxseed paste.Add it to the oats mix and combine.Add in the flour mix to the oats-butter mix in batches and stir to combine.Fold in butterscotch chips.

Layer muffin tins with paper cups or grease with a cooking spray.Divide the batter in prepared tins .Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 15-18 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Cool for a few minutes and serve as desserts or snacks or part of breakfast.The recipe yields about 1 dozen medium size muffins.



The muffins were moist and soft,maybe the soaking did the trick.Though the recipe specified soaking time of 1 hour,I soaked only for 30-40 minutes.I loved these as I like butterscotch desserts.You can also use choco chip or any other dryfruit if you do not like butterscotch chips.

Relishing the Oatmeal Butterscotch Muffins on Recipe Marathon Day #27,lets look inside fellow runners kitchen:
1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi


Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Spicy Sweet Potato Rolls

Sweet potatoes are tuberous roots known to all.In each and every culture,they are used in a variety of dishes.In America,they are a specific ingredient in Thanksgiving,and are baked,fried or boiled and incorporated into sweet or savoury dishes.I got wonderful sweetpotato rolls from here and turned these into spicy with little adjustments.

Ingredients:

Sweet Potato: 1
All Purpose Flour: 1 1/4 cup
Soy milk: 1/2 cup
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Salt: 1tsp+
Pepper: as per taste
Active Dry Yeast: 1 tsp.

Preparation:

Bake the sweet potato either in the oven at 375F for 35 minutes or in the microwave for 3 minutes or more.I did in the microwave,sprinkling little water on the sweet potato.Keep aside and let it cool.

Once cooled for a few minutes,peel and mash the sweet potato in a big bowl.Add soymilk,sugar,salt,pepper and yeast and mix well.Add the flour in batches and mix well to form a dough.Add more flour if needed to obtain a smooth but little sticky yellow coloured dough.The dough should be easy to handle and should be tasted for salt and pepper.You can also add other spices if needed.The original recipe gives a sweet dough but,I preferred savoury one.Knead for atleast 5-10 minutes more and then rest it covered in a bowl.

Allow the dough to rise for about 1-2 hours.Then pinch small portions of the dough and shape into buns and let these pieces rise again for another 30-45 minutes in a covered bowl.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375F for about 20-25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.Mine took 20 minutes only.Serve warm for dinner or as breakfast rolls.The above estimate yield 5-6 medium size rolls.

They were yellow in colour and little moist and little chewy and little dense and perfect with spread or herbed cheese or choice of gravy or as themselves if properly and thoughtfully spiced.

These yellow coloured sweet potato rolls are going to Bread Baking Day #14 :Coloured breads hosted by Boaz of GrainPower.They also go Susan of Wild Yeast for Yeast Spotting .Since I have used vegan ingredients,they also go to Suganya for Vegan Ventures.

Priya of EasynTastyRecipes has tagged me to participate in a noble event of BreadLine Africa and bake bread for a WorldWide Blogger Bake Off Challenge. Baking is something I ventured into this year after coming to US.I love it,though still a novice in it and mishaps do occur.This is my humble and simple contribution to the challenge.I am not tagging anyone in particular,but anyone can take off and bake a bread for this noble cause.

Breadline Africa is a registered charity in South Africa that is seeking to put an end to poverty in South Africa and further afield in Africa. Their aim is to break the cycle of poverty and help communities to achieve long term self-sustainability. Breadline Africa was founded in 1993 by social workers and communities in South Africa with minded colleagues in Europe, (who were well placed to source out donations). They are geared to help fund small ground level projects in Africa which are most likely to succeed with financial help.

On Blog Action Day Breadline Africa launched their Worldwide Blogger Bake-Off campaign. The aim is to raise $1 million in funds for a project to convert shipping containers into locations for food production and distribution in Africa. It is hoped that these sustainable community kitchens will not only provide food such as bread and soup to those in need, but also opportunities for skills development within poor communities.


Relishing the wonderful sweet potato rolls on Recipe Marathon Day #26,lets see if the fellow runners are chugging along:1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi


Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Potato Lyonnaise

This is a very simple potato dish from Lyons,France.It is said that people in Lyons are potato lovers and consume it in different ways and anytime of the day.Well,this is just a proof as it is nothing but sliced fried/baked potatoes with caramelized onions.It takes some time to make,but is really simple.I used the classic lyonnaise recipe from here and made it with very little changes.

Ingredients:
Baking Potatoes: 2 very big
Onion: 1 big,chopped thinly

Butter : 1tbsp+
Salt
Pepper
Other Spices
Parsley for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
Chop onion into long,thin pieces.Peel and slice potatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices.Actually you can use a mandoline for that.I simply sliced them.Boil water ,adding salt and add the potato slices.Boil for 2 minutes only.Remove and keep aside.

Heat olive oil and add the chopped onion.Add salt,pepper (I did not add any at the beginning of this,but at last) and let the onions caramelize slowly.This will take about 20 minutes atleast with stirring in between.Its better you have wide pan for this for even cooking.You can also add garlic minced at the last stage,though I avoided that.Traditionally no spices are added to this.Once done,keep aside.

Melt butter in the same pan or microwave and pour into the baking dish.Spread the butter all over the dish.You can use as much butter as you like and give the dish a thick butter layer.Then layer the dish with one third of potatoes.Top the potatoes with required spices and salt-I used salt and pepper and little oregano on the top layer.Top these with half of onions.It looks like..


Top the onions with another layer of potatoes and continue this layering till the ingredients are used up or the dish is completely filled.The final layer should preferably be potatoes.Final look..

Add more spices and seasonings if needed and bake in a pre heated oven for 10-12 minutes at 400F or until the top starts browning.I used very big potatoes and I had three layers and I pulled these out of the oven,just as the top layer started to brown.

Serve hot as a snack/side dish with rice/breads.Simply spoon from the dish into the plate and garnish with fresh herbs like coriander,chives,thyme or parsley.

The dish has no spices,apart from salt and pepper and is buttery tasting.So make sure you salt it correctly.You can add garlic and also other spices like parsley or oregano or your choice.Garnishing can also be as per choice.I used parsley which leaves a refreshing taste.

This baked version is very good when one has to serve a crowd or even feeling lazy as I did.If you are using only little quantity,like a small potato,then you can simply pan fry the slices after par cooking-boiling in salted water-sprinkling the spices and finally adding the caramelized onions and heating everything through for a few minutes.But the disadvantage here is you should be alert to avoid burning these and concentration and patience is required especially after spending 20 minutes caramelizing the onion. :)

Munching on buttery Potato Lyonnaise on Recipe Marathon Day #25,Lets peep into fellow runners kitchen:
1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi



Monday, November 24, 2008

Chili Sin Carne - Spicy Vegetarian Chili

Chili con carne or 'peppers with meat' in Spanish or simply chili is a spicy stew made with meat,chili peppers,cumin,garlic and onion.Chilli sin carne -'meatless chili' is a vegetarian version that is equally popular.In this,meat is replaced with potatoes,tofu or other equivalents and this also has got several regional versions.As chili became popular,a version with beans also became equally popular in USA,especially where the beans where easily available.I got a vegetarian bean chili from here and I relished it as it was very comforting and filling.

Ingredients:

Red KidneyBeans: 1/2 cup
Black Beans: 1/4 cup
White Navy Beans:1/4 cup

Onion:1 small
Carrot: 1 small
Celery: 1 stick
Garlic: 1-2 cloves
Red & Green Bell Pepper: 1 cup mixed

Chipotles in Adobo: 2-3 tbsp as per taste
Cumin powder: 2 tsp
Chilli Powder: 2-3 tsp+
Oregano:1-2 tsp
Tomatoes/Tomato Paste: 1 big/2 tbsp

Salt& Pepper :as per taste

Preparation:
Presoak and cook the beans adding little salt.Chop onions into long thin slices.Clean and cut celery into cubes.Peel and chop carrots and bell peppers into cubes.Crush/Chop/Mince the garlic.

Heat oil in a deep pan,add onions,garlic and then carrots ,celery and little salt and cook till they soften.Add chipotles,cumin & chilli powders,oregano and salt if needed.Mix well.Add chopped tomatoes/paste and water.Let it simmer till the flavours blend for 10-15 minutes and gravy thickens.Add the beans along with the water in which they were cooked and blend well.Simmer for 10-12 minutes until required consistency is reached.Adjust the salt and spices and serve hot.It can be served as a hearty side with breads/rice or as a comforting soup.I loved it as both.


I find it similar to our Indian curry in terms of spiciness though chipotles give a nice Mexican twist.Also the original recipe is with black and red kidney beans only.I had navy beans,so I used it.Also instead on can of diced tomatoes in the original recipe,I used tomato paste +water.Well,the adjustments did not affect the taste as I got the same chili that I usually get from nearby Mexican restaurant.

Filling ourselves with this hearty chili on Recipe Marathon Day #24,lets take a quick round of fellow runners kitchen:
1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi


Sunday, November 23, 2008

Simple Peas Pulao

Pulao or Pilaf is another versatile dish present in each and every cuisine.Here I a giving a simple Peas pulao recipe that I enjoy and it is easy to make.Pulao differs from biryani in that, the rice is almost cooked and then mixed with vegetables or meat and spice to finish cooking resulting in a flavourful and comforting dish.Usually veggies are cooked before sauteeing as I have seen in many versions,but since it is peas pulao,I took easy way out as I used frozen peas.This dish is at its flavourful best when cooked in ghee and fresh peas.

Ingredients:
Peas: 1 cup
Onion: 1 chopped finely
Basmathi Rice: 1 cup
Ghee/Clarified Butter: 2-3 tbsp +/-
Coriander Leaves

Whole Spices:
Cinnamon
Cloves
Cardamom
Shah Jeera
Bayleaf
Peppercorns(optional)

Salt

Preparation:
Clean rice and cook it -half or three-fourth cook -by adding salt.I do this in the microwave,but can also be done stove top.You can also add little whole spices to this,so that it mingles nicely when mixed with veggies or in this case peas.In case you are using fresh peas,you can lightly steam it.

Heat ghee/clarified butter in a pan,add the whole spices and saute for a minute.Add onions and saute till transparent.Add the peas and little salt and saute for 2-3 minutes till it starts to cook.Then add little water,mix well, boil.Simmer, add the half cooked rice and then blend well,add the chopped coriander leaves and close the pan and heat through for 1-2 minutes.Let it remain covered for 5-10 minutes.For ease of use,switch off the gas,while adding rice and then if water is still remaining,heat through.

After the standing time,when you open it,the rice would be perfectly cooked and if needed garnish with more coriander leaves and top with ghee.Serve with raita or gravy or papad & pickle.



On another note:
A lot of hardwork goes into each and every recipe-not just mine but all the fellow bloggers.
  • If you do not like it,leave it alone.
  • If you like it,do leave your esteemed comments and enjoy the dish.
  • If you want to blog about it,do so with the original bloggers reference
  • It is every bloggers cherished honour to know his/her dish has become a favourite of a fellow blogger/reader.
  • DO NOT COPY,ASK FIRST
  • Do support Malar of Kitchen Tantra in her fight against plagiarism
  • What happened to her could happen to each and everyone,so Support and Stand together
Stuffing ourselves with this hearty peas pulao on Recipe Marathon Day #23,Lets check fellow bloggers:
1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi


Saturday, November 22, 2008

Quick n Easy Veg Biryani

Biryani is a versatile dish.There are several versions and each of them has a hold on its own.I have seen baked ones,dum ones etc.Also as per wiki,the rice has to be cooked separately,which differentiates it from pulao.Anyway,I love this dish and experiment a lot and try other versions as well.I recently tried a friends recipe and found that it is the easiest-no grinding the masala or separate cooking -just one pot of comfort food.Hence this recipe

Ingredients:

Basmathi Rice: 1 cup
Mixed Veggies: 1 cup or more as you like
Onion: 1 small
Green chilli:1-2 (optional)
Ginger: little chopped/ground (optional)
Tomato paste: 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder: pinch
Cinnamon+Clove+Cardamom : 1/2-1tsp each or as per taste
Roast and Powder Cinnamon+Clove+Cardamom : 1/2 tsp each
OR
Homemade/Store Bought Garam Masala : 1-2 tsp as per taste
Coriander Leaves(optional):few sprigs chopped for garnish as well as cooking.

Preparation:
Chop the vegetables and keep aside.I use carrots,beans,peas,cauliflower .Clean the rice as well.Finely chop the onions and mince/paste the ginger.Slit the green chillies.Roast and powder the above spices or use store bought garam masala.Also keep together the whole spices.

Heat oil/ghee/mix of both,add the whole spices,saute till it is about to splutter,add onions,greenchillies and ginger.Saute till transparent.Add the cubed veggies and salt,tomato paste,turmeric and the spice/garam masala powder and saute for a few minutes.Add the rice,blend well with the spices and oil and add little chopped coriander leaves and water as needed to cook the rice and cover and cook till done.

Serve garnished with more coriander leaves and serve hot with raita or any other choice of gravy.I usually do not go for the final garnish . :D


This is a simple version.You are adding the spice powder along with whole spices to make it all the more spicy and tomato paste is a concentrated paste of several tomatoes.It acts much better than the yoghurt and the chopped tomatoes combined.If no paste is available,add chopped tomatoes along with little yoghurt or tomato puree.This is just my version of this tasty dish.Hope you enjoy too.This quick n easy veg biryani is going to fellow runner SriValli's Rice Mela

Filled with a spicy biryani on Recipe Marathon Day #22,lets peep inside fellow bloggers' kitchen:
1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi

Friday, November 21, 2008

Baked Stuffed Potatoes

This is a very simple dish with potatoes baked and stuffed with veggies.For a long time I wanted to try this.And when I did ,I loved it.This can be served as a side dish and depending on your stuffings also as a whole meal itself.

Ingredients:
Baking Potatoes: 3 atleast

Filling:
Mixed veggies: 1/2 cup or more (I used corn,redbell pepper,scallions)
Pepper
Oregano
Red chilli flakes
Salt

Topping:
Mozarella cheese

Preparation:

Wash potatoes without peeling.Prick them with fork and place on baking sheet.Bake for 1 hour in a preheated oven at 400F.Keep aside and let cool.

Horizontally cut little bit of the top portion of the potatoes.Discard the tops.Scoop potato from inside,making holes or boats to be filled.It will look like this.

Filling:

Chop all the filling ingredients into small pieces.Saute these in oil adding salt and choice of spices.If you are using scallions as I did,add the green part at the end as they require very little cooking.Add the scooped up potato to this and mix well.


Once ready,spoon the filling into these shells.

Updated Note: before filling add little salt inside the boats,as we had not salted the potatoes.

Top with more pepper and sliced/shredded mozarella cheese or your choice of cheese/sourcream.

Broil until the cheese melts and the top is lightly browned for 12-15 minutes.

Serve as a hearty side dish.The peel /skin will be crispy and can be consumed as per choice.

With a hearty side like baked stuffed potatoes on Recipe Marathon Day #21,lets peek into fellow runners kitchens: 1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Bizcochitos

Bizcochitos are NewMexican Christmas Cookies or rather ccokies developed by Spanish residents of New Mexico,US.These are butter cookies traditionally anise and cinnamon flavoured and mde during religious holidays especially Christmas.There is no official recipe for this and recipe varies from region to region.The basic recipe for these cookies can be classified into two-Southern New Mexican and Northern New Mexican.I have followed here the latter from Wiki cookbook with my own adjustments-halving the recipe and replacing eggs with soymilk and little oil.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour:3/4 cup
Unsalted Butter:1/2 stick softened
BakingPowder: 1/2 tsp
Soymilk:1tbsp
Vegetable Oil: 1 tsp
Cinnamon Powder: a pinch
Anise Seeds: 1 tbsp or more

Topping:

Cinnamon+ sugar

Preparation:

Cream together butter and sugar in a big bowl until mixed well.Add soymilk and oil.blend.Add the rest of ingredients-flour+baking powder+cinnamon.Finally add in anise and blend well to obtain a cream coloured smooth soft dough.

Mix together sugar and cinnamon in a small plate.

Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick rectangle.Cut the shapes using cookie cutters or pinch small pieces and form into desired shape.Put oneside of the cookie into cinnamon sugar mix and place on a ungreased baking sheet 1-2 inches apart and the dipped side up.

Bake for 5-8 minutes until the sides are lightly browned.Cool and serve.



The cookies look very plain on the outside,but are crisp and crunchy.The anise seeds when bitten into leaves a refreshing flavour.I actually thought that since they had cinnamon and were topped with cinnamon sugar they would be cinnamony(my favourite spice) in taste but they are anise tasting.


I have replaced the single eggyolk or half of it as I halved the recipe, with soymilk and oil.The original recipe after halving had 1/2 tbsp of milk.You can use tofu in this as well,but I wanted to see whether soy milk works and also for making it moist,I added oil.I halved the recipe as I was not sure how the replacements will work and it was just an experiment.Still these estimates yield around 15-18 medium sized cookies.

Anise is used in a variety of confectionaries all over the world.It has medicinal properties as well and is a bit similar to Fennel seeds used in Indian cooking.

Bizcochito is officially the state cookie of New Mexico and despite its Spanish name,traditionally American.These crunchy anise cookies are going to Think Spice:Think Anise,a spicy event started by Sunita and currently hosted at BakingHistory.Also warm cookies fresh from the oven are travelling to A.W.E.D - American hosted by dearest DK.The warm Christmassy cookies travel to Susan of FoodBlogga where she is in search of ChristmasCookies.

Munching on bizcochitos on Recipe Marathon Day#20,lets race to fellow runners kitchen:

1) DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Sweet and Spicy Cranberry Relish

Cranberries are tart berries high in nutrients and anti oxidants.They play a vital role in reducing bacterial infection and stone formation in kidneys.They are majorly associated /a major part of Thanksgiving and other winter festivals celebrated in America.

Cranberry sauce is the simplest of all my sauces/dips .It is a sweet dip and can also be made into spicy.Usually I prefer craisins,or dried sweetened cranberries,but I had fresh cranberries and so I made a simple cranberry sauce and also turned into savoury portion as well.

Ingredients:
Fresh Cranberries
Sugar
Honey
Cinnamon

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients along with little water and bring to boil.Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes till cranberries burst and the sauce thickens or rather sauce consistency is reached.Mash a bit if needed.Cool.Store in a clean sterilized jar.

Now here I added honey to reduce the amount of sugar used and cinnamon for spicing this up.These two are optional.Also whatever other spice you want you can add. This can be used as a fruit dip or for cakes,crackers and muffins or as you wish.It can be taken as such also :D. Also you can keep on boiling it and mash it till all the water evaporates to obtain a preserve.


Cranberry Avocado Relish :
Add to cranberry sauce,chopped/mashed avocados,jalapenos/green chillies ,pepper, lime juice and other spices and seasonings.Serve as a variation to the normal cranberry sauce with/without tortilla chips.


You can also add whatever you want to this sauce.Even you can make the sauce in orange juice rather than water to obtain cran-orange relish.For a cheesy version,rather than cooking the sauce,puree the cranberries and sugar and mix with cream cheese and choice of items like nuts,spices etc.

After relishing the cranberry sauce on recipe Marathon Day #19, lets take a round of fellow bloggers:
1) DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Muhammara with Baked Pita Chips

Muhammara is another Middle Eastern dip that I have come to enjoy.It is made of fresh/roasted red bell peppers,walnuts,breadcrumbs and olive oil.But mostly it contains pomegranate molasses along with other spices in it.Now,I found that you can substitute this ingredient with balsamic vinegar or cranberry concentrate.So with the necessary substitutions here's the recipe

Ingredients:

Red Bell Pepper: atleast 1
Bread crumbs: 5 tbsp+
Garlic :1-2 cloves
Walnuts(toasted): handful
Olive oil
Lime juice
Balsamic Vinegar/pomegranate molasses:1-2 tsp
Chilli flakes
Cumin seeds or powder
Salt

Preparation:

You can use store bought roasted peppers drained and rinsed or cut the pepper into half and broil on a baking sheet with their skin side up for 10-12 minutes.Then seal them in a ziploc bag for a few minutes.Then remove their charred skin and chop.You can also roast them on the stovetop.For toasting walnuts,use oven or simply dry roast them on the stovetop.After toasting chop them. Peel and lightly crush the garlic.Seasonings are to be adjusted as per taste.

Puree all the ingredients in a blender drizzling olive oil little by little.Garnish and serve as a dip with pita chips or as per preference.

Baked Pita Chips

Pita bread: atleast 1
Salt & Spices as per taste
Olive oil.


Cut the pita bread into small bite sized pieces.Here I have used pocket less pitas.Any pita will do.Also you can make them thinner by slicing the pita into half and then cutting into triangles or whatever shapes.


In a small bowl,mix together choice of spices and seasonings-onion powder,garlic powder,cumin,pepper,chilli flakes,chilli powder etc.Mix the spices and salt with olive oil.Check for salt and adjust accordingly.Using a pastry brush or any other choice of device,brush each pita piece with this spiced oil.Bake on a preheated oven at 400F for 7-8 minutes.

I love red bell pepper and this dip is perfect for me.Munching on pita dipped in muhammara lets check out what fellow runners are cooking on Recipe Marathon Day #18:

1) DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi



Monday, November 17, 2008

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Salsa is Spanish/Italian for sauce.Salsas are common in Mexican cuisine and are varied.One of them is Salsa Verde or Green Sauce.This is made from Tomatillos or small green husked tomatoes.They are not to be confused with green tomatoes though.

Salsa Verde is made by pureeing cooked tomatillos with chiles,onions,cilantro etc.The flavour ranges depending upon the spices.I got a simple roasted tomatillo salsa from epicurious and tried it out.It was a tangy and nicely different from the tomato salsa/sauce which we normally use.So here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomatillos: 2-3
Onion: 1 small
Green chillies/jalapenos: 1+as per taste
Garlic: 1-2 cloves unpeeled
Cilantro/coriander:2 tbsp chopped
Salt

Preparation:
All the ingredients can be adjusted as per taste and choice.

Remove the husk from tomatillos and clean them using warm water to remove stickiness.Place tomatillos,green chilli/jalapenos,onion peeled and roughly chopped,unpeeled garlic in a baking sheet and broil for 7-10 minutes until the tomatillos are lightly charred.Turn once during broiling,so that they get evenly cooked.Remove the charred skin of garlic and top of green chillies

Puree all the roasted items and cilantro and salt and serve with tortilla chips.
This tangy dip can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.



After dipping chips in this tangy and spicy salsa verde on Day #17 of Recipe Marathon,lets take a sneak peak into fellow runners kitchen:

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Medha 7)Priya 8)Bhawna 9)Raaji 10)Ruchii 11)Anu 12)Kamala 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)LakshmiVenkatesh 20) Sripriya 21)Viji 22)Kamalika 23)Pavani 24)Karuna 25)Roochi



Sunday, November 16, 2008

Baba Ghanoush

Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern dip made of eggplant.There are several version of this,but basically the eggplant is baked or broiled and peeled and mashed with tahini and other seasonings.The spicier version is also called mutabbel in some parts of Middle East.There are several regional variations to baba ghanoush. Bhaingan bharta is similar to this in that eggplant is roasted/baked and mashed.I found this recipe for Israeli version of baba ghanoush and it turned out well.So here it is.

Ingredients:

Chinese/Purple Eggplant: 1 big
Parsley: 2-3 tbsp
Onion: 1 small
Tahini paste: 2 tbsp+
Lemon juice:2 tbsp+
Garlic: 1-2 cloves crushed

Salt
Chilli/Cumin Powder: as per taste

Preparation:
Bake the eggplant in a preheated oven at 450F for 25-30 minutes.You can directly roast on the gas as well.Baking may not give that earthy brown colour that we get when we roast on stove top.Also the smoky flavour will be lesser.Do as per choice.Once baked/roasted cool slightly.

Peel the eggplant/remove the charred skin and then mash it to a pulp in a bowl.Finely chop onions and parsley.Blend together parsley,eggplant and chopped and squeezed onions.

In a small bowl,blend together tahini paste,finely crushed garlic and lemon juice.Mix well and also add little water to obtain a creamy paste.Blend this mix with the eggplant mix along with salt and dash of cumin/chilli powder (optional) to obtain babaghanoush.


The colour varies from cream to light brown,depending on the addition of spices.I have followed the traditional method specified for mixing though all the ingredients can be blended together.Whatever method you use,it takes only minutes to make,except the roasting/baking time.

Serve with choice of chips,or can also be used as a sandwich spread or veggie dip or with pita bread.

After tasting the wonderful dip,lets peek into the kitchen of other runners and see their fare as we have successfully entered the halfway mark of the Recipe Marathon of Day #16:
) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Medha 7)Priya 8)Bhawna 9)Raaji 10)Ruchii 11)Anu 12)Kamala 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)LakshmiVenkatesh 20) Sripriya 21)Viji 22)Kamalika 23)Pavani 24)Karuna 25)Roochi



Saturday, November 15, 2008

Creamy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

This is another simple soup that I make.Its nothing fancy and will not go down well with those,who do not like the sweetness and tanginess that red bell pepper brings.But still its worth a try.So here it is.

Ingredients:
Red Bell Pepper: 2
Onion: 1 medium
Garlic: 1-2 cloves
Butter: 2 tbsp
Coriander Leaves: few sprigs
Tomato Paste/chopped: 1/2 tbsp/1 small chopped
Heavy Cream: 1/4 cup
Corn Starch: 2-3 tsp
Water/Stock: 1 cup

Salt & Pepper: as per taste
RedChilli flakes or any other spices as per taste

Preparation:
Cut the bell pepper lengthwise into 2 halves.Place each half,skin side up on a baking sheet.Place under broiler for 10-12 minutes, until the skin is charred and liquid oozes out of the bell pieces.Remove the bell pepper halves and seal them in a ziploc bag.Let them sweat inside the bag and cool,so that it becomes easier to peel them.If needed you can even freeze them for 10 minutes.Once they are easy to handle peel,them and chop them into small pieces.Chop onions finely and lightly crush garlic.Chop the coriander leaves as well.

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pan,add onions and garlic and saute till raw smell disappears.Add bell pepper chopped,tomato paste and water/stock.Boil and then let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.Stir in spices and salt and coriander.Also add in cornstarch mixed in water to let it thicken.Simmer for a few more minutes.Stir in cream and let it heat through.Cool the soup for a few minutes and then blend in batches using a blender or food processer.

Serve with choice of accompaniments or as such.



I love soups and try different ones and this is one such.It brings out the flavour of red bell pepper.Filled with soup lets stop by the kitchens of fellow runners:

1) DK 2) Siri 3) Srivalli 4) Ranji 5)PJ 6)Medha 7)Priya 8)Bhawna 9)Raaji 10)Ruchii 11)Anu 12)Kamala 13)Roopa 14)Divya Kudua 15)Rekha 16)Divya M 17)Lakshmi 18)Raaga 19)LakshmiVenkatesh 20) Sripriya 21)Viji 22)Kamalika 23)Pavani 24)Karuna 25)Roochi

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