Vegan Colcannon

Colcannon is simple Irish style mashed potatoes with cabbage.In Irish 'colcannon' is the term for 'white headed cabbage' or simply 'white cabbage' .Traditionally ,this side dish has mashed potatoes,kale or cabbage,pork/meat (optional) along with butter,salt and pepper.Other additions are chives,milk,herbs etc as per taste.

There are quite a few vegan version available on the net.My version/adaptation is from VeganYumYum's Colcannon recipe.She had made her dish with kale rather than cabbage and had replaced pork/meat with seitan and had sprinkled nutritional yeast in it.Now these items being unavailable here ,I used white cabbage itself and spiced up the dish with red chilli flakes and used TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) or soy chunks or soy meat as you can call it and used vanaspati instead of vegan butter.

Ingredients:
Potatoes: 3 medium sized or almost 1 cup

Vanaspathi/Vegan Butter/Butter/Margarine: 2 tbsp
Cabbage: 1 small cup chopped
Soy chunks: 1/2 cup prepared as per instructions and roughly chopped
Garlic: 2-3 small cloves minced/crushed

Soy milk: 1/4 cup warmed (can also use milk if dairy is ok)

Red chilli flakes
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:
Chop the potatoes into small cubes and boil them till fork tender.Alternately you can boil,peel whole potatoes and then chop them into big pieces.I did the latter.Also chop the cabbage finely and mince the garlic cloves.Soak the soy chunks in warm water for about 15-20 minutes.Then squeeze them out of water and repeat the process again to obtain soft chunks.I simply soak the chunks in hot water for about 30 minutes and then squeeze them out and use them in dishes.Do as per package instructions.

Heat vanaspati in a pan/kadai,add minced garlic and cabbage and saute.Once it starts releasing water,add in prepared and roughly chopped soy chunks,little salt,pepper and chilli flakes and mix well.Cover and cook till the water evaporates and the spices blend in and the cabbage is soft.Take off heat.

Add in potatoes and warmed soymilk to this warm mixture and mash thoroughly with a potato masher/ladle so that everything is mixed and mashed thoroughly.Adjust salt and pepper and spices if any needed and garnish with fresh herbs and serve warm as a side to any preferred main course.

You can increase the soymilk for a more creamier texture,but not too much.Also if you do not have soy chunks,then feel free to leave it aside.I used these just because I had them and wanted to see how they taste in a mashed potato.It was a hearty potato dish and obviously if you like spicy food then its better to add your choice of spices be it red chilli flakes or more pepper ,oregano,thyme etc.

The colcannon is on way to Vaishali's IAVW:British where a yummy vegan Brit dishes can be seen .Its also going to AWED:Britain ,started by DK and currently hosted by Simran .

Vegan Tattie Scones

These are simple yet delicious breakfast scones made from mashed potatoes and are popular /staple breakfast dish in Scotland.These can be panfried unlike the other scones which are always baked.Basically speaking,we can call them as the Scottish cousin of Indian Aloo Parathas.

The recipe is very simple and involves mixing of flour,butter and boiled,mashed potatoes with salt ,pepper and optional herbs and forming a dough,rolling it out and panfrying it.Keeping 'veganness' in mind,I used 'vanaspathi' rather than butter for making these.Vanaspati is made of vegetable oils and is usually used as as substitute to ghee in Indian cooking.It is almost equivalent to shortening and is dairy free.

Ingredients:
Potatoes: 1 cup boiled ,peeled and mashed or 2-3 medium potatoes
All Purpose Flour: 6-8 tbsp
Vanaspati/Shortening/Margarine/Vegan Butter/Butter: 1 tbsp I used vanaspati
Salt,Pepper , optional herbs: as per taste

Preparation:
Boil,peel and mash the potatoes.There should be minimum or no lumps at all.Melt butter/Vanaspati/vegan butter and add it to the mashed potatoes.Add salt,pepper and optional herbs and mix well.Add flour,4 tbsp at a time and them mix everything to form a dough.

It took me around 8 tbsp to obtain a non sticky,soft,smooth,pliable dough.The quality or the flourines of potatoes will affect the quantity of dough.So start adding 4 tbsp of flour and then keep on increasing it to obtain a smooth non sticky dough.We should be able to roll the dough out or atleast pat the dough into a required shape.

Once the dough is formed,gently roll it out or pat it into a big round disc around 1/4 inch thick.Cut into wedges but not not separate them.I didnot do this at this stage,but cut into wedges just before serving.

Heat a tawa/pancake pan/griddle. Brush it with little butter/vegan butter/vanaspati/margarine.Put the dough disc in the tawa/pancakepan and cook for 2-3 minutes till the insides get cooked and brown spots appear on the crust.Turnover and repeat for the other side as well.Alternately they can be baked in the oven.

Separate the wedges and serve warm.

I adapted the recipe from here.The original recipe had around 3 tbsp of butter and I reduced it after referencing Val's Tattie scones where she had used just 1 tbsp of butter along with baking powder.Feel free to add more butter/margarine if you want very rich scones or even baking powder which may cause the scones to puff up slightly while panfrying.Also other additions can be finely chopped onions,cilantro/coriander leaves,green chillies, spring onions etc.

Obviously warm scones are visiting Vaishali's IAVW:British where vegan British food is being celebrated.

They are also joining AWED:Britain an event by DK and currently hosted by Simran.

Quick Buttery Naans with Lahori Choley

These are delicious dishes that I tried and tasted from Asha's FoodiesHope.It is a blog full of all sorts of food be it Indian or International and I always gets lost in that blog.I have bookmarked several dishes and have tried out several ones as well,and this is a combo that I tried out for T&T:FoodiesHope,started by Zlamushka and currently hosted by Ashwini.

Naan:
I halved the recipe and made mini naans.You can find the original here

Ingredients:
All Purpose floor: 1 and 3/4 cup
Baking powder:1/4 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp

Yeast: 1 tsp
Warm water: 1/2cup
Oil:1.5 tsp,

Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Crushed Fennel seeds:1/2 tsp
Yogurt:almost 1 tbsp

1-2 tbspMelted Butter + 1 tsp Garlic powder to brush on top : Mix together and keep aside

Preparation:
Warm water and oil in a bowl and add yeast and sugar. Let it foam for 5-10mins.

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder. Add in the yogurt , fennel seeds(I also used cumin) and then add yeast mix and knead well until soft dough is obtained. Brush some oil on the dough, cover and rest for an hour until doubled in a warm bowl.

Punch down the dough.Divide the dough into 6-8 or more balls, press one dough ball with your palm into a big 1/2 " thick circle.Repeat for others and lay then in a greased/lined baking sheet. Cover them with a clean towel/plastic wrap and let them rise for few mins or until the oven heats up to 450F. Preheat the oven to 450F, slide the baking sheet with 3 or4 naans at a time, bake for 5-7 mins until they are golden on top. Repeat with others.Take them out, brush with garlicky butter immediately and cool on the rack or serve immediately or cover with foil until you are ready.

Serve warm with Lahori Choley.

Lahori Choley:

These are slightly similar to the original Punjabi Choley and also known as Chikkar Choley. Asha's version avoids the tea leaves and add in tomato puree for a difference. I added the spices/ powders as per my taste and preference and if you want exact measurements please refer the original recipe here

Ingredients:
Chick Peas or Garbanzo beans:1/2 cup presoaked
Potato: 1 cubed

Onion: minced 1
Ginger Garlic Paste :2-3 tsp

Tomato Puree/paste/sauce: 2-4 tbsp
Paprika: 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder:1 tsp+
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt: as per taste

Garam Masala: 1 tsp +
Amchur Powder:1-2 tsp
Coriander Powder:1/2 tbsp
Cardamom: 1/2 tsp (or Cardamom Powder)
Fennel Seeds: 1/2 tbsp (or Fennel seed Powder)

Preparation:

Wash,pick and rinse the chickpeas.Heat oil in a presure cooker/deep bottomed pan,add the minced onion and saute till the raw smell disappears.Add ginger-garlic paste,saute for 1 minute.

Add in chilli powder,paprika ,turmeric powder and tomato puree (I mixed the powders in the puree and added) and saute till oil appears.

Add washed chickpeas,cubed potato and water needed to cook the chickpeas.Mix well and cook till done, ie 2-3 whistles in a pressure cooker or 40 minutes if using a deep pan.Mash some of the chickpeas to make the gravy thick and creamy.

Crush together fennel seeds,cardamom powder, coriander powder, garam masala,and amchur powder till they are well mixed well.Add the crushed spices to the chickpeas.Alternately you can add them individually.Since I did not have fennel seed powder,I lightly roasted fennel seeds and crushed it adding the rest of the powders. Simmer the chickpeas for a few more minutes.Garnish with coriander and serve warm with naan/rotis/breads.

It was a wonderful hearty and very filling combo.Thanks Asha for the hearty meal.The plate of naans with choley is on way to T&T:Foodieshope hosted by Ashwini .

Choley also inch their way to MLLA:14,an event by Susan and currently hosted by sunny SunshineMom.

Tofu Akuri -Parsi Style Scrambled Tofu

This month the bookclub had chosen 'The Space Between Us' by Thrity Umrigar.It is a simple yet touching story that occurs in a Parsi household.The story begins with onions being chopped for Poras (omelettes) by Sera Dubash who is a widow with a married and pregnant daughter and then unfoldds the story of her househelp Bhima and her unwed teenage granddaughter.The story tells you about the domestic and emotional abuse that is happening even in so-called cultured households and when she had thought that all there is a new beginning what with her only daughter and a supposed to be good son-in-law,going to be blessed with a child,then the terror strikes.Foodwise,it is has a fair share of references.

Akuri (Akoori) is a Parsi style scrambled egg with coriander,chillies,ginger and garlic.There are several Parsi dished using eggs and akuri is a spicy scrambled egg served on/with bread and can include as many veggies as possible to make it more filling and healthy.Well I used Tofu to substitute egg and had referenced Jugalbandi's Akuri Masala Dosa and also the as delicious Scrambled Tofu by Vaishali.

Ingredients:
Silken Tofu: 1 package drained and crumbled
Onion: 1 small chopped finely
Garlic: 1-2 cloves
Ginger: 1 small piece
Green chillies: 1 -2 as per taste
Coriander: few tbsp chopped for garnishing + frying
Tomato: 1 small
Turmeric Powder: a pinch
Salt: as per taste

Preparation:
Drain tofu in paper towels for atleast 15-20 minutes and crumble into pieces.

Finely chop onion,garlic,ginger,green chilly,tomato and coriander leaves.Keep aside half of the coriander leaves for garnishing.

Heat oil in a pan/kadai,add onions,chillies,ginger,garlic and few tbsps of chopped coriander leaves and saute till the raw smell disappears and it becomes transparent.Add in tomatoes,salt and turmeric powder and saute for a few minutes till oil separates or it starts to get cooked.Add in crumbled tofu and mix well.

Adjust salt and optionally add pepper as per taste.Garnish with remaining coriander leaves.Serve with bread.

Apart from this,you can add in minced/chopped veggies to this and add it after sauteeing onions.Also you can add other spice powders like chilli powder,garam masala,etc as per your taste.1 packet of tofu gives to two servings.Turmeric powder gives you the look of normal scrambled eggs,but is optional.

This is a filling and a quick dish -obviously quick enough when you have a book to read,but also a stomach to fill.So the pictures are not so good.

But lets see what other members have cooked up.
Simran shows us the yummy bhelpuri,while Aquadaze serves us delicious and hearty Dhansak.
Dee has also posted the normal akuri with eggs .

Cream & Ginger Scones

Scones are preferred small breads for English High Tea and are made of flour,cold butter,sugar (optional) and has baking powder as leavening agent.There are sweet scones which also fall under cakes or even savoury scones with veggies and spices.These are simple scones made of cream & candied ginger which I adapted from here.

Ingredients:
White Whole Wheat Flour: 1 cup and 2 tbsp
Cold Unsalted Butter: 4 tbsp
Sugar: 8tsp
Baking Powder: 1.5 tsp

Candied Ginger: 1/4 cup chopped
Orange Zest: 1-2 tbsp

Heavy Cream: 6 tbsp + 1-2 tbsp for brushing the tops

Preparation:

In a big bowl whisk together flour,sugar,baking powder.Add in zest and chopped candied ginger.Add cold butter pieces and mix well together so that the entire mix resembles coarse sand.

Make a well in the centre of this mix and pour in 6 tbsp of cream.Mix gently until combined and a dough takes shape.

Keep the dough on a lightly floured surface and very gently knead the dough into a ball.

Pat the ball into a 3/4 inch disc using hands or a rolling pin and then using a cookie cutter cut circles of the dough.

In my excitment,I patted the dough into a 1/4 inch disc.So my scones look thin.
Place the circles 1 inch apart on a greased or lined baking sheet.Brush the top with cream

Bake in a pre heated oven at 400 F for 12-16 minutes or until the top starts browning.

Serve with Tea or any time of your choice. Normally the scones are served with Devonshire clotted cream or even whipped cream or butter.

The original recipe used 1and 1/2 stick of butter which since I halved it came to 3/4 cup or 12 tbsp.But I reduced the butter to just 4 tbsp as I found it sufficient and also after reading the reviews of the original recipe.Feel free to use 12 tbsp if you want.Also since I was not sure how candied ginger will taste after baking,rather than going for 1/3 cup I went to 1/4 cup.The gingery taste was there but mildly only. Feel free to increase it if you want more gingery taste.Also the scones had very slight baking powder taste when fresh from the oven.This disappeared the next day.Since I used 2 tsp of baking powder I assume that could be the problem and have reduced the measure to 1.5 tsp.

The scones are obviously going to be a part of AWED:Britain by Simran.

They being made of white whole wheat flour are also on way to Madhuram's Whole Grain baking Event where the chosen grain is Whole Wheat.

The scones being small sweet quick breads and can also be preferred breakfast breads as well they are on way to BBD#22Sweet Breads,at Hefe und mehr by Stephanie

Ezo Gelin Corbasi - Turkish Lentil & Bulgur Soup

Ezo Gelin Corbasi (Bride Ezo's Soup) is a delightful and filling Turkish style Red Lentil and Bulgur soup.A net search will give several results on this but I found this delightful soup and also the history behind it in 'A Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska' -or Laurie's blog.Refer the recipe here.

I loved the story of Ezo and am retelling it here.The soup is supposed to have been created by a beautiful girl called Ezo for her mother-in-law with whom she had a difficult relationship.

Born in Anatolia,Turkey Ezo was famed for her beauty.She was married off to a person who was in love with another woman and after suffereing for an year in a loveless marriage she returned home.After few years,she was married off to a distant cousin who lived in Syria or rather Syria-Tibet border.Her marriage worked this time,but she had difficult relationship with her mom-in-law.Added to which were her yearning for her native village.It is said that Ezo created this soup to pacify her mother-in law.

Finally when Ezo died she was first buried in Syria but later after some agreement-disagreement or negotiations between Syria and Turkey she was reburied in her native village.Her story became an legend and has been made into film as well.

The soup which is made of red lentil and bulgur is quick and easy to make and hearty and filling as any lentil soup.It is said that every bride in Turkey will be given this soup on the eve of marriage -may be for a smooth relationship with mom-in-law.!

Ingredients:
RedLentil (Masoor Dal): 1/2 cup
Bulgur: 1/4 cup

Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
Onion: 1 small finely chopped

Garlic: 1-2 cloves minced/crushed
Aleppo Pepper or Hot Paprika: 1-2 tsp
Tomato Paste: 1 tbsp

Veg Stock: 3 cup +

Mint Oil Topping:
Olive Oil
Dried Mint
Aleppo Pepper/Paprika (optional)

Preparation:
Pick,wash,clean and drain the lentils.

Heat olive oil in a deep pan/kadai.Saute onion adding little salt and pepper till it becomes brown.Add minced garlic,tomato paste and Aleppo pepper/paprika.Saute for 2 minutes till oil separates.I added a mix of chilli powder and paprika.

Add stock,bulgur and red lentil and mix well and bring to a boil.Reduce to a simmer and cover and cook for 15-20 minutes till the lentils get cooked.

Puree in a blender for a smooth and creamy soup.This is optional but I did.If the soup is too thick,add more stock/water.Adjust salt and pepper and serve garnished with mint oil.

Mint Oil:
Warm little olive oil in a pan.Remove from heat and stir in dried mint and optional paprika.Drizzle on top of the soup.

FYI: If you do not have dried mint,then take few fresh mint.Clean the leaves and pat dry on paper towels for atleast 1 hour.Microwave at full power for 1-3 minutes keeping them sandwiched between two paper towels and also reversing the sides during half time.The leaves should become dry and crumbly-when touched the dried mint leaves should crumble into pieces.Check after 1 minute or so as you should not burn the leaves.Refer here for more details.

The oil garnish is optional but adds a different taste.I liked it but preferred the soup as itself.Well,I am assuming here that Ezo's mother-in law liked it too.The soup on pureeing turned out to be very very thick and I had to add more water/stock to it.

The hearty Bride Soup with bulgur is on way to NoCroutonsRequired:Grains hosted this time by Lisa.

The soup being made of legumes is also going to MLLA-13 ,started by Susan and hosted by sunny SunshineMom

Mixed Bean Salad

This is a simple salad made of mixed beans like ed Kidney beans(Rajma),Cannelini and moong with a tomato basil dressing.The dish is very simple yet hearty and healthy as a side.The recipe is from Tarla Dalal's cookbook but adapted as per availability of items.

Ingredients:
Mixed beans: 1/2 cup
(I used red kidney beans(rajma),cannelini beans and whole moong (green gram))
Onion: 1 medium finely chopped if possible in rings
Tomato: 1 medium finely diced.


Dressing:
Fresh Basil: few leaves
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
Garlic: minced 1 clove
Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

Presoak and cook the beans together.I did not soak moong beans.Mix the cooked beans and finely chopped onions and diced tomatoes.If interested remove the tomato pulp and then mix it with the beans.Mix all the ingredients in the dressing including salt & pepper and add it to the bean onion tomato mixToss/Mix well.Serve the salad chilled or at room temperature garnished with fresh basil and optional salt and pepper.

This is a basic recipe for a simple salad.You can add or remove ingredients and even use other available fresh herbs like coriander,rosemary,mint etc.

The simplest salad is on way to take part in MLLA -13th helping started by TheWellSeasoned Cook Susan and currently hosted by Sunny SunshineMom

Simple Capirotada for the Fiesta

Capirotada is a Mexican Bread Pudding taken especially during Lent.It is made of stale bread or toasted buttered bread if not stale and has raisins and cheese in it.Compared to other bread puddings it uses sugar syrup rather than eggs or milk to make the pudding.The sugar syrup is made with Mexican unrefined brownsugar or Pilloncillo with optional cinnamon,nutmeg,star anise,cloves etc.I found several version of capirotada and adapted mine basically from here.I halved the recipe and used sliced wheat bread and spiced up my syrup with not just cinnamon but star anise as well.

Ingredients:
Bread: 1 loaf of Crusty Bread preferable or normal wheat/white sliced bread : 5-8 slices
Cheddar cheese : 1/2 cup +/- shredded
Craisins: 1/4 cup +

Sugar Syrup: 1/2 cup +/-
Brown Sugar: I used Demerara: 3/4 -1 cup
Water: 1-2 cup
Cinnamon ,Star anise: as per taste (optional):1-2 sticks

Preparation:

If using stale or leftoverbread use as such.Else lightly butter both sides of a slice and then toast it on both sides till goldenbrown.

In a syrup,bring sugar ,water and cinnamon and optional star anise to boil and reduce and simmer for 10-15 minutes till the sugar dissolves and a syrup is formed.Strain the syrup and keep aside.

In a suitable greased baking dish -I used 8 inch square pan,tore the toasted bread into small pieces and layer the dish.Top the bread layer with raisins or craisins as I have used.Then sprinkle half of the shredded cheese on top.Then pour the sugar syrup over this mix such that the bread is completely soaked in it.Then sprinkle rest of the cheese over this.It looks like ...........

Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/360F for 15-20 minutes or more until syrup is absorbed .

Allow it to cool a little bit before slicing and serving with whipped cream or icecream or as such .

Mine turned out little crusty as I had added only 1/2 cup of syrup which I thought would be sufficient.Hence I have mentioned more sugar syrup

The pic makes it looks very crusty and solid,but it is actually soft.Optional additions to this are fruits ,veggies like tomato and also pepper.
The warm dessert if off to Jenny at AllthingsEdible for the MM:Mexican Fiesta,an event by Meeta

Culinary Train Through Switzerland

The culinary train through Switzerland started one fine morning last month and the train which normally takes hours to go through the several cantons (states) of Switzerland took almost a month but was filled with culinary delights.

All the passengers were welcomed by delicious,yet sinful hot chocolate by Simran of BombayFoodie.

Following this they had a choice of perfect breakfast-microwave muesli by Priya

or uncooked yet fruity yogurt muesli by yours truly.

The second breakfast course were traditional rostis by Priya

And cheesy mini bellpepper rostis by yours truly.

As the train chugged on and hours passed,we were served light fruity refreshment and what do we have on its side ,delicous chocolate fondue by Priya

and another delicious chocolatefondue by Shri of TastyTouch.

By the time the fondue was polished off,we had reached our midpoint of Graubunden and it was lunchtime.What do we see ,Yasmeen welcomes us with traditional Graubunden Barley soup

accompanied by WholeGrain Rosemary Zopf. Too perfect and hearty

But wait,Lunch is not over yet.We have another choice of soup in Oatmeal soup by Rekha of Plantainleaf.

After heartily partaking the soup as the trains moves on to Tincini Rekha again presents her hearty and aromatic saffron rissotto

After such heavy lunch our eyes close and the train slowly inches forward only to be rejuvenated by the tasty yet amateurish magenbrot by yours truly.

This will be enough for us till suppertime just before our final destination where breads and pastas are awaiting us.

At suppertime,we are greeted by AWED Chef DK of ChefInYou with here beautiful zopf-I literally could not take my eyes off the pic.

Abhirami of Soulful Creations also presents her zopf which is equally hearty.

Other options in the supper are AeplerMagaronen orSwiss Farmers Pasta by Dipali where she serves it with tradional applesauce and also studded it with mushrooms for a different taste.

We also have another AeplerMagrone by Yours truly as well.

After stuffing with these goodies which were smaller in number yet very hearty we arrive at the final destination.There are several more vegetarian recipes in Swiss cuisine and several baked goodies.Do checkout Rosa's YummyYums and FXCuisine for more recipes and also the history behind them.Also if someone sends me another Swiss vegetarian recipe I will be updating the round up including them as well.

UPDATE on July 18th,2009.Few days back I received a late entry of Swiss Potato Gratin from Minu (better late than never,the gratin is simply delicious) and I am including it here

By the Way our final arriving place is Britain and we are AWED to see Simran waiting for us with AWED:Britain.

Aepler Magarone - Swiss Farmer's Pasta

This is a simple peasant style pasta dish popular in Swiss cuisine.It is nothing but creamy macaroni with potatoes with almost no spices except salt & pepper.It is usually served with apple sauce though I served it as a single healthy one pot meal.I adapted the recipe I found here and also referenced here .The dish basically has pasta,potatoes,cream/milk based sauce and cheese.I used mozarrella instead of Swiss cheese.

Ingredients:
Macaroni Pasta: 1 cup
Potatoes: cubed 3/4 cup or 1 medium potato
Onion: 1 medium size cut into rngs or long thin strips
Milk: 3-4 tbsp
Heavy/Lowfat Cream: 2-3 tbsp
Mozarella Cheese: 2-4 tbsp
Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:

Cook the pasta 'al dente' as per package instructions.Peel,cube/chop the potato into small pieces and cook along with pasta in the same salted water.Drain and keep aside.

In a small pan,melt butter and add the onion rings and brown them.

In a small pan,mix together milk and cream and warm these slowly.Take a greased bowl/ individial serving bowls and add a layer of potato + pasta on it.Sprinkle pepper and pinch of salt.Top it with a layer of fresh grated cheese.Then repeat the potato-pasta layer,salt pepper,cheese . It looks like....

Once the top is reached pour few table spoons of the warmed milk mix and top it with more cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes till the cheese melts and the sides start browning.

Serve warm topped with browned onion rings with Applesauce as is traditional or simply with more salt and pepper as I did.I was thinking the dish would be bland,but it was delicious.hearty and filling.If you are a spicy person,then you can add red chilli flakes as well.

This is again going to AWED:Swiss hosted by yours truly and started by DK of ChefIn You.Do send me Swiss entries for the event till 10th of this month when I will be publishing the roundup.Also do check out the next AWED at Simran's Bombayfoodie.

Amateur Magenbrot

Magenbrot or Stomach bread is a Swiss Christmas gingerbread cookie.It is a spiced bread and is similar to gingerbread in taste.It is like a cakey cookie and is called magen (stomach) brot (bread) as it contains stomach friendly spices.Magen brot is actally from Alpine region of Switzerland and is easier to make.I got an eggless recipe which I divided the recipe to two thirds and adapted it.Tastewise it was perfect,but lookwise,I donot think it was pro looking but was very amateurish.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour/Cake flour: 1 cup + few tbsp
Sugar: 1 cup (I used only 3/4th)
Cocoa Powder: 1 tbsp
Baking Powder: 1/2 tsp
Clove Powder & Cinnamon powder: 1/2 -1 tsp each as per taste.
Water: 1/2 cup +



Preparation:

In a big bowl,whisk all the powders -flour,sugar,cocoa,baking powder and the spices.Add water little by little to this and mix well to form a dough.You can add more flour if more water is added and the batter/dough does not form like an equal mass.

I actually added 2 tbsp of water first to the dry mix and then started mixing them to form a dough.Keep on adding more water /flour as per this and finally a smooth dough should be formed.Knead lighlty to obtain a firm yet sticky dough -its like a dough is made of cake batter.It took me almost 1.5 cups and 5-7 tbsps of water to obtain a dough which looks like...

Divide the dough into two or threee smalled pieces if needed,pat them into a loaf shape,place them in a greased or lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 20 minutes until the tester comes clean.

Allow the bread to cool completely and then slice and serve with a frosting preferably with confectioners' sugar.I did not go for frosting.

Do check out the original recipe here at FXCuisine.This bread though amateurish is also going to AWED:Swiss,hosted by yours truly and started by DK of Chef in you.

The taste was great but the texture/appearance was not pleasing to the eyes.There were cracks on top as well.The insides were cooked and perfect.I have nothing to compare this to,but the taste was perfect.

Grilled Corn with Spicy Cilantro Butter

This is a simple recipe where I grilled fresh corn and served it with spicy coriander/cilantro infused butter.You can make spicy butter by softeneing butter and adding your choices of spices and herbs and the combo goes well as a spread with bread or grilled veggies especially corn.

Cilantro Butter

Ingredients:

Unsalted Butter: 4 tbsp at room temperature

Coriander/Cilantro Leaves: 2-3 tbsp finely chopped/minced

Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Other optional ingredients:

1 garlic clove finely chopped/minced

Lemon juice: as per taste

Preparation:

Soften butter by keeping it out in room temperature.

Finely chop the coriander leaves and mix it with butter along with salt and pepper and mix well.

Serve immedietaly as a spread or refrigerate until serving time by wrapping it in plastic and shaping it as a stick/log/rectangle.

This butter can also be cut it into cubes and serve as spicy cubes.You can add whatever spices you want along with your choice of herb as well.I served it with grilled corn.

Grilled Corn:

Ingredients:

Fresh corn: atleast 1

Oil :as needed for grilling. Optional for nonstick pans.I did not use

Preparation:

Remove the husk from the corn and place it in a hot grill/pan spraying oil/cooking spray optionally.Grill it turning occasionally till all the sides look charred and cooked.This takes atleast 10-15 minutes per side.

I actually tried grilling with the husk on as well,but found that this takes longer time though the corn looks slightly more moist or steamed than the first method.But still I went with the first method of dehusking and grilling.You can optionally soak corn in water for 10-15 minutes after removing from the husk prior to grilling to obtain the moist effect.Grilling suits the corn perfectly.

The cilantro butter was perfect with the corn.You can also add chilli powder instead of pepper and lemon juice/garlic or whatever combo you prefer.I liked the cilantro butter which goes to Weekend Wokking:Cilantro ,chosen by the creator of the event Wandering Chopsticks and hosted this time by Darlene of Blazing HotWok.