Pantzarosalata -Greek Style Beetroot Dip

As you know, I like trying out several cuisines. The moment I read about Pantzarosalata -actually came across,nit too much info,I wanted to try it out. Somehow, I could not do so immediately and even during AWED:Greek. Something or other happened and I kept on postponing until I saw a recipe perfect for me in  Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian.

Pantzarosalata is an  easy salad/dip made using boiled beets,olive oil and red wine vinegar. There are several versions and variations available -some with boiled and sliced beets,some having beet greens,some with potatoes,some fully mashed like a dip  etc. It is usually  served in the appetizer or mezze course as a dip/sauce for bread /fritters etc. 

Ingredients:

Beet root: 1 big one boiled and then peeled
Walnuts: 3-4 tbsp
 One Day old bread :about 2-3 tbsp
       OR
 Boiled and peeled potato : 1 small about 3-4 tbsp (I used a potato)
Garlic: 1 small clove
Olive Oil: 4-6 tbsp
Red Wine Vinegar: 1-2 tbsp
Salt: to taste

Preparation:

Chop the boiled and peeled beet coarsely.In a blender add all the ingredients and blend to a thick smooth puree. Serve as dip with spiced fritters or tortilla/pita chips.

 You can adjust the quantity of oil and vinegar to get your choice of smoothness and the acidity/sourness needed. What I got was a sweet -sour dip which pairs very well for spiced chips/fritters or even meat. The sweetness of beets balances the sourness of the vinegar while giving you the comfort of potato which are used instead of bread in the dip.Or at least thats the way it should be. But I must confess that my family members did not take too  much to this though I loved it. So if your sourness taste buds have to be tickled do try this at least once. I am planning to make this again at least for me.

Teppal & Chinese Five Spice Powder

Before I started blogging, I thought I had a fair knowledge of my own cuisine ie Konkani cuisine or 'amchi' cooking. The upkaris,ghasshis, ambats, ummans, pathrodoes, etc . But slowly realisation  dawned on me, that I know just a small part of it. Ofcourse I knew that the cuisine has got its own regional variations -even within Kerala where I grew up, I have seen two or 3 versions of the same dish. However I was pleasantly surprised to see the write up about teppal in Shilpas blog and also RedChillies and came to know that it is a staple in Mangalorean Konkani cuisine and also Saraswat cuisine. Well, thats not all. It is also a common ingredient in Chinese Cooking and is also known as Sichuan Pepper.

Anyway,my neighbour as well as friend C gave me this and ofcourse apart from trying out few amchi dishes, I  used it for making 5 spice powder. The Chinese Five Spice mix has cinnamon,cloves, fennel and star anise apart from the above mentioned Sichuan Pepper.It is supposed to have all the five flavours of sweet,sour,bitter,pungent and salty. I have adapted the recipe seen here to make my 5spice powder.

Ingredients: 
Sichuan Pepper: 2 tsp
Star Anise : 8 Pods
Cinnamon: 1 tbsp powdered
Cloves: 1/2 tsp powdered
Fennel Seeds: 1 tbsp powdered

Preparation:
Dry roast the sichuan peppercorn, over low to medium heat, in a skillet shaking it periodically to roast uniformly, until the aroma is released.

Grind/powder this with star anise in a pepper mill/blender.

Strain the powder and blend with cloves,cinnamon and fennel seed powders to obtain a finer mix. I didnot strain it and hence mine is a bit coarse.

Store in an airtight container and use as per the recipe says.

A little bit goes a long way and so use sparingly.

I am planning few uses for my 5spice powder. Lets see how they turn out.

Tzatziki- Greek Yogurt & Cucumber Dip

Tzatziki is a Greek strained yogurt and cucumber dip which is served also as a sauce with appropriate main course. I had tried tzatziki while in US using thick Greek Yogurt but somehow found that it was very liquidy or watery (similar to normal raitha) and felt something amiss. After coming back I saw Chef George Calombaris explaining how to make a perfect tzatziki in MasterChef Australia and tried it with regular yogurt available here. It definitely worked and here is the simple dip in my words.

Ingredients:
Cucumber: at least 1 medium peeled
Yogurt: atleast 2 cups

Garlic: 1/2 small clove finely grated
Shallots/ pearl onions: 1 small coarsely grated
Fresh Dill : small bunch finely chopped
Zest of 1 small lemon
Cayenne Pepper: a small pinch

Olive Oil: 2-3 tbsp atleast

Preparation:

Strain the yogurt by pouring it in a cheesecloth and letting the whey/liquid flow out into a bowl. Keep this overnight in the fridge or atleast 2-3 hours. I did this overnight. You can use this post for straining the yogurt.

Coarsely grate the peeled cucumber and squeeze out liquid from this.You can grate it on top of a tray covered with cheesecloth so that the liquid drains away.To this,mix in little salt and cover it with  another clean cloth,leave for 5 minutes and then squeeze out the remaining liquid.To simplify, I squeezed out the grated cucumbers,mixed in salt, after few minutes again squeezed out. Make sure most of the liquid is removed from cucumbers and the yogurt as it affects the consistency of the dip which should be very thick.

To the thickened yogurt,mix in grated shallot, grated garlic,chopped dill,lemon zest and cayenne pepper.Add the squeezed out cucumbers and stir until combined.Add olive oil and mix well. Serve topped with more olive oil and dill leaves as a dip with chips/fresh veggies or as per choice.

Delectable dip this was and almost same as the tzatziki I had tried or seen. Perfect for the hot weather as well. Make your own and enjoy.

Simple Guacamole with Potato Pancakes

Guacamole is a simple avocado based dip from Mexico. You mash avocado in a mortar and pestle with little salt and lemonjuice along with optional additions like chillies,tomato etc. There are several versions with different ingredients, and this is a simple one which I have been making based on the recipe by chef Rick Bayless. Normally it is served as a dip with tortilla chips,but can also used as a spread  with a pancakes as well.Chef Bayless serves it with a simple potato pancake which makes the dish all the more hearty.

Ingredients:
Ripe Avocado: atleast 1

Garlic: 1 small clove,finely grated.
Salt

To make it more herby:
Cilantro : finely chopped 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice: 1-2 tsp

Additions:
Fresh Green Chilli: Jalapeno or serrano :1finely chopped
Onion: 2-3 tbsp : finely chopped : preferably white,but I used red
Tomato: finely diced: 2-3 tbsp :seeds removed

Preparation:

Make sure your avocado is ripe. To check for ripenness,try gently squeezing the avocado. IT should be firm,but must give in a little under pressure. Rock hard avocado is not ripe and if you have one,wrap it in brownpaper cover/bag and let it sit outside for atleast 1-2 days.It will be ripe enough to be mashed into guacamole. Unripe avaocado must not be used for guacamole .

Cut the avocado into half,running the knife around the pit from stem to end and back again.Twist the two halves in opposite direction to free the pits and pull the halves apart.

With a spoon ,scoop out the flesh in a bowl.Adding little lemon juice (to prevent discolouration of avocado) and salt mash it finely.Add in finely grated garlic and other ingredients and mash well to get guacamole.Adjust the salt if needed.

The raw garlic will be overpowering and hence keep it to the the bare minimum.If using onions,rinse the finely chopped onions,squeeze them to remove the water and then add to the avocado.This is done to remove the excess onion flavour it may lend to the dip.You can do the entire process in a mortar and pestle.

If not using immediately,plastic wrap the dip -with the wrap pressed directly on the surface of the dip- and chill in the fridge where it may stay for a few hours.

As per the source recipe ,I served it with potato pancakes.

Potato Pancakes:

Peel and grate 2-3 medium sized potatos.Squeeze out the excess moisture with your hands.Heat a skillet on medium heat.Lightly spray with oil.Take handfuls of potato mix,squeeze again,shape into pancakes and put on the skillet.Sprinkle with salt and pepper.Press flat with a spatula.When browned,turn over and brown the other side too. Serve with guacamole.

A simple appetizer or breakfast,depending on how you serve this.Else you can also serve the guacamole as a dip for chips/fritters/veggies.

Fresh Ginger Cake with Citrusy Stewed Prunes

When BookClub chose A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, to be honest, I never expected to fall in love with it. To begin with I was happy that it had recipes,but as I started reading it, I found myself drawn to it. The author,also blogger at Orangette takes us on a journey through her life filled with food and family. Its not a simple diary of events,but a record of life through food. We can see how the places,the people and event are stored in mind through the food. I think its a common nature of people -foodies especially- to attach food with memories.

To  be honest, I believe that its the ultimate dream of a blogger to release his/her own cookbook. But it is an art to weave a true story in words that enthrall the reader and also take him to your kitchen. I always suffer from writers block.Long ago, I believed I had the talent in writing,but never cooking. But the recent years have shown otherwise.Even now, when I sit for posting , I may have so many things to tell and blog -small tidbits or something something,but only little comes out in actual writing. So  it was very gutsy of the author to leave her chosen courses of French, anthropology etc to pursue a career in food writing.

Anyways, when I just sifted through the book as soon as I received it,the first recipe that caught my eyes was the fresh ginger cake with caramelized pears.The author vividly records the events of the day or rather night when the family gathered in the kitchen. Then later when I saw the roasted ratatouille my heart went for it. I had all the ingredients for the latter. After being in two minds for a few days- when it comes to good food,its tough to choose- I decided to go for the cake and instead of pears,I served it with stewed prunes from the same book. The zing of ginger with the tang of lemons and prunes -ofcourse you can go with the caramelized pears,but this combo is equally if not more good.

Fresh Ginger Cake:

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour: 1 cup
Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp

Unsulfured Molasses: 1/4 cup
Sour Cream :1/4 cup (I used thick yogurt)
Unsalted Butter: 4 tbsp (melted & cooled)
Lite Brown Sugar: 1/4 cup firmly packed (I used regular brown sugar)
Egg: 1 or Ener G Egg: 1 (1.5 tsp of Ener G + 2 tbsp of warm water mixed/blended/whisked together)

Fresh Ginger: 2 tsp peeled and grated
Lemon zest: 1/2 tsp

Preparation:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour,soda and salt. Keep aside.

In a bigger bowl,combine molasses,sour cream/yogurt,butter,sugar,egg,ginger and zest.Whisk until smooth.Add the flour mix and stir until combined.Pour the batter into a buttered/lined baking dish and spread evenly with a spatula.

You may get a thick batter hence the spreading is neede.In case of using egg replacer, the batter may be extra thicker in which case addition of 1-2 tbsp of water may be needed.I added 2 tbsp of water.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 15-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Cool the cake in a cake pan for about 5 minutes,then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

Cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream,caramelized spears or stewed prunes for a tangy twist.

Stewed Prunes with Citrus and Cinnamon

Pitted Prunes: 1 pound
Orange /lemon : 1 small or combo
Cinnamon Stick: 1

These are the authors estimates in the original recipe. I used around 1/2 cup of prunes or so.I used  lemons rather than oranges.

Slice the citrus fruit thinly along with its peel.Remove the seeds if any. Toss in the sliced citrus,cinnamon stick and prunes in a heavy pan and add water just to cover them. Place the pan on medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook adjusting the heat so that the liquid barely trembles, until the prunes are cooked and citrus is soft and liquid in the pan is reduced to a syrup. Remove the cinnamon stick.Cool slightly and serve or cool and store in sealed containers in the fridge for about 1 week.

Making them a day ahead improves the  taste of prunes.You can als serve them with pancakes or oatmeal.


Top the cakes with the prunes and optional powdered sugar. Serve

Now lets see what the other members have cooked for Molly Wizenberg.Do visit The BookClub. 

Vegan Buckwheat Crȇpes with Strawberry Coulis

Crȇpe is a type of thin pancake belonging to French cuisine and usually made from flour,eggs, butter,milk and salt. The word is derived from the Latin 'crispa' meaining curled.The crepes can be served with a variety of fillings -sweet as well as savoury and generally belong to two categories -crêpes sucrées or the sweet ones with sugar in the batter or galettes or crêpes salées which do not have sugar and are traditionally made with the gluten free buckwheat flour.

I have just made basic crepes referencing the recipe of David Lebovitz who gives the authentic buckwheat crepe recipe in his restaurant as well the crepe recipe in 'Complete Vegan Kitchen' by Jannequin Bennett. The recipe in the book had around 1 tbsp of potato flour that acts as a binder as well since eggs are not used.I adapted mine from both.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour: 1/2 cup
Buckwheat Flour: 1/2 cup
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Potato Flour or Instant Potato flakes: 5 tsp

Soy Milk: 1-1and 1/4 cup
Water: 6 tbsp +
Vegetable Oil: 2 tbsp

Vegan Margarine/Shortening/oil/oil spray: for greasing the pan (optional)

Preparation:

In a big bowl,mix together the flours and salt.Add oil,6 tbsp of water and 1/2 cup of soy milk.Mix well removing lumps adding more soy milk as needed to obtain a smooth batter.I needed total 1 cup for this.

Chill the batter overnight or atleast 30 minutes.

Gluten free flours tend to give heavy end results or crepes in this case.Chilling the batter will allow the particles to swell absorbing the liquid and the resulting crepes will be lighter.So chilling for atleast 30 minutes is amust.Normally the crepes derive the structure from the gluten in the flour,milk,fat and the eggs added.Since these items are avoided/reduced here or replaced by their vegan counterparts we need to do something to the batter so that it will hold its shape while being cooked.This is the information that I have got while googling for vegan crepes and since the crepes came out quite nicely or just as they are supposed to be, I suppose they may be right.I chilled the batter for about 2 hours.

Take out the chilled batter and let it come to room temperature.Add more liquid if needed.The batter will be very thick or the consistency of thick cream.I had to add about 1-2 tbsp of additional water and 4 tbsp+ of soy milk to get the pouring consistency.

Heat a pancake pan,apply cooking spray to it or melt margaring/horteninh on it.As the fat sizzles,ladle spoonful around 2-4 tbsp of batter on it.Tilt the pan so that the batter spreads out in a circular fashion or you can even use a spatula to spread it like dosa.But tilt is the traditional way.

Cook the crepe till the edges start browning about 30-40 seconds and then flip on to the next side and cook it for another 20-30 seconds.
The stages from batter to plate is shown as ....

Serve warm with your choice of accompaniments.I served it with strawberry coulis.

Strawberry Coulis:
A Coulis is a strained sauce made from fruits or vegetables.I have adapted the simple recipe from here.

Strawberries: few hulled and chopped
Powdered Sugar: as per taste
Lemon Juice: a small squeeze

Blend together all the ingredients and strain it.Adjust the sweetness and optionally spice it with your choice of spices and serve.

The crepes are going to be a part of Priya's Pancake Event and both the coulis and crepes are on way to Its a Vegan World :French,an event by Vaishali and currently hosted by Graziana .

Crispy Zucchini Sticks with(out) Fire Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa

When I just a few days old in blogging world.I had accidentally stumbled upon Egglesscooking.I kept on being a silent visitor and tried one recipe after the other.I had just started baking and the first recipe I tried was her AlmondButter Bread.Actually I brought a loaf pan for the first time for this recipe.And not just this,it was her Twirly Whirly Pizza that I had sent for MBP:Less is More by Nupur.(You can find my version here).After that I have been trying one dish after another and this one is the easiest among the bakes.The oven baked zucchini fries are actually from Parents magazine and Madhuram had modified it.

Crispy Zucchini Sticks

It is a simple recipe in which zucchini cut into sticks is dipped in yoghurt and coated in breadcrumbs and baked.Rather that the normal frying,baking provides a healthier option.Madhuram had spiced up the breadcrumbs with chilli and pepper powders.But since I wanted to try our a dip with it,I avoided chilli powder and reduced the pepper.

Ingredients:
Zucchini: 1 medium size

Breadcrumbs: 1/2 cup + as needed
Plain yogurt: 1/4 cup whisked
Chilli powder
Pepper
Salt

Preparation:

Peel (optional) and cut zucchini into sticks.Dip the sticks in whisked plain yoghurt,shake off the excess and then roll in breadcrumbs.Shake off the excess crumbs(I did not do this)Arrange in a lined/greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 425F for 20-30 minutes.It took me more than 20 minutes.The sticks came out crunchy outside and soft inside .But I had not shaken off the excess breadcrumbs so some of the coatings broke in crumbs.You can see it in the picture.Serve warm with or without dip.It is best when hot/warm.

Fire Roasted tomato and Chipotle Salsa:
I simply wanted to make use of the chipotles in adobo lying in my fridge and this led to the creation of the salsa. I roasted tomato, garlic and onion on gas and then blended it with chipotle chillies,lemon juice and little olive oil.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes: 2 medium
Onion: 1 small peeled
Garlic: 1-2 cloves peeled

Cilantro/Coriander: 1 small bunch
Salt
Pepper
Cumin (optional)

Chipotle :dried or in adobo sauce: 1 medium

Olive oil

Preparation:

Roast tomatoes in an directly on the gas burner till the skin blisters and it starts turning blackish.Keep aside and let it cool.Once cool,peel off the skin,chop into pieces and put in a blender.Thread the garlic and onion on a skewer or knife and roast the same way.You can remove the blackish skin of garlic and onion if you like but I did not.Chop into pieces and add to the blender.Add salt,lemon juice,chipotle chillies (adding little or no sauce) to the blender and blend coarsely adding olive oil.Adjust salt and add pepper or cumin powder as per taste.

The salsa can be served as a dip or spread or whatever way you like .I served it with zucchini fries though the fries can be served as such.Each dish can be consumed as itself -ofcourse the salsa is not goodlooking,but the taste is spicily perfect.

Obviously the baked zucchini sticks are on way to T&T:Madhuram's EgglessCooking ,an event by Zlamushka of SpicyKitchen and currently hosted by Poornima of TastyTreats . The salsa is going to spice up the HomeMade #6: Salsas at WhatsCooking Forum

Walnut Vegetable Pate

Pate is a piced mixture of minced meat and fat in the form of a spreadable paste .Generally it is a sandwich spread/topping/dip made from gizzards,liver and other parts of poultry or animals along with nuts,spices,vegetables and sometimes wine.Vegetarian pates are quite easy to make, containing nuts,tofu,beans or vegetables sometimes raw or cooked and can be made easily in the food processor.Vegetable pates can be used as a sandwich spread or dip depending on choice.I made a pate using walnuts and quickcooking vegetable after referencing several similar recipes from the net.

Ingredients:
Vegetables : 3/4 cup (I used carrots,green bell pepper,scallions)
Walnuts : 1/4 cup+
Garlic: 1 small clove
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Oregano

Preparation:
Clean and chop all the vegetables finely.This fastens cooking.In a wok/kadai/thick bottomed pan add very little oil and saute the vegetables adding spices and crushed garlic for a few minutes.I sauteed them till they were cooked yet crunchy.This takes only few minutes.Also add chopped walnuts during the last 1 minute of cooking.This also gives them a roasted flavour.Allow the veggie-nut mix to cool a bit and coarsely grind them in the processor.

I served them on toasted whole wheat bread topped with lettuce and cucumber.Generally use the pate whatever way you prefer.

You can add your choice of vegetables and even nuts in pate.You can avoid roasting nuts and simply add them while grinding.You can use your choice of spices as well.

Walnuts are preferable here as they have good fats -walnuts are rich in omega 3 fatty acids and help in lowering cholestrol.The addition of vegetables make this all the more heart healthy.So this pate on toasted whole wheat bread is perfect as an anytime food and I think is also the heart healthy choice and this is on the way to HOTM:Finger Foods where the second anniversary is being celebrated.

Roasted Carrots with Simple Tapenade

Oven roasted carrots is a simple appetizer or snack and is healthy as well.This can be made in a jiffy and you can serve it as such or with any dip if interested.I served it with a simple vegan tapenade dip.Tapenade is a simple French dip made of olives and capers with additional spices/herbs.Traditionally anchovies are used as well,but I avoided them.Tapenade can be used as a rub,sauce,sidedish or whatever way you like,though traditionally it is an appetizer/amuse bouche dip.

Roasted Carrots:

Ingredients:

Carrots: 2 large

Salt

Pepper

Vegetable Oil:1-2 tbsp

Preparation:

Peel,clean and slice the carrots into small medium thin slices.Toss the slices with salt,pepper and vegetable oil and then spread as a single layer in a lined baking sheet.Bake in a pre heated oven at 400F/200C for 15-20 minutes or more until they start browning.Start checking after 10 minutes.Serve warm as an appetizer/snack as itself or with tapenade or any other dip.If interested you can also add in other spices apart from pepper as well.The oven time may vary depending on thickness of slices.For very thick slices it can go upto 30 minutes as well.Mine were done by 15 minutes as they were almost thin.

These roasted carrots are my entry to Daring Aparna's FIC: Orange ,a colourful event by evergreen SunshineMom.

Tapenade:

Tapenade is a French or Provencal dish made of pureed/crushed olives,capers,anchovies and olive oil.The vegan versions avoid anchovies though.It derives its name from tapeno which is French for capers.Traditionally is made as a coarse paste of ingredients in a mortar and pestle.It can be used as a side dish,stuffing,rub,sauce or whatever way you like.It is flavoured differently as per taste,region etc.I made a simple version using pitted black olives in brine,capers,garlic and lime juice.There is no need to add salt at all.

Ingredients:

Black Olives: 4 tbsp

Capers: almost 1 tbsp

Garlic: 1 clove

Lemon juice: half of a small lemon

Olive Oil: 1 -2 tbsp

Preparation:

Chop the olives and capers into small pieces and peel and chop the garlic.Blend these chopped items adding lemon juice and olive into a coarse paste.

Carrots can be served as itself and tapenade can be used as itself as well.But together the sweet spiciness of carrots is well balanced by the tangyness of tapenade.So feel free to use the combo.

The tapenade,being French is going to AWED: France by DK

The combo of carrots and tapenade is a hearty appetizer and is going to Rachna's HealthyBites.

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

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

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

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

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

Tibetan Style Dumplings -a.k.a Momos

Momos are savoury steamed dumplings that are staple in Tibet.The dough is made from flour and the filling is normally meat,but in Tibetan monastries they are served vegetarian.They are very similar to savoury modaks or even kozhukattai.Well here's the recipe

Ingredients:
All purpose flour: 1 cup
Water: for kneading the dough

Filling:
Potato: 1 medium
Cabbage: 1/4 cup grated
Spring onion: 1
Tofu: 1/4 cup
Butter: 2 tbsp
Chilli powder: 1-2 tsp
Soy sauce: 1-2 tbsp
Tomato sauce:1 tbsp
Green chilli sauce/paste/mince(optional):little
Ginger: 1 inch piece

Salt: as per taste
Pepper:as per taste(optional)

Preparation:

In a bowl mix flour and salt and blend.Add water little by little to make a smooth dough.Knead the dough for about 15- 20 minutes or more to make it more elastic and smooth.Knead into a smooth ball and let it rest for atleast 30 minutes in a bowl covered with a wet towel/paper towel.

While the dough is resting prepare the filling.Grate the potato and cabbage and ginger.Finely chop the spring onion and keep the green part separately.Pat the tofu dry in 2-3 paper towels.At the time of adding the tofu,you can crumble it.

In a pan,heat butter /butter+oil and add the potato,cabbage,ginger,little salt and white part of the spring onion.Saute till the raw smell goes and they start to cook.Then add more salt if needed,chilli powder,soy sauce,pepper,tomato and chilli sauces.Tomato and chilli sauce are optional.You can add whatever spices you like.Saute for two more minutes and then add green part of the spring onion and crumbled tofu and heat through.

Take the dough and divide it into equal pieces.I cut the dough into 4,then each portion into 2 totalling 8 pieces.Take a piece and roll it out into a small disk on a lightly floured surface.The disk should neither be too thin nor too thick.Also roll in from the egdes to the centre at the end as well.This ensures the centre to be thicker than the edges as the edges should be thin enough to be easily sealed together.Also this does not allow the filling to seep through the dumpling.

Take the disk into your hand,keep the filling on the centre and close the disk in a money bag fashion-bring the centres of two opposite sides together,pinch together to seal them,bring the centres of other sides to fuse with this .You will be obtaining a flower-shaped piece.Bring the corners/petals of this flower one-by-one to the centre and press and finally gently twist it while pressing down a little.Place it covered in an oiled sheet/foil or wax paper.While you are working on one piece,keep the other pieces covered with a wet towel.

Now,given above is my idea of making a money bag or circular momo.You can follow your own method and seal the piece so that the filling does not come out.The 'World Cookbook for Students' from which I used the recipe,also specifies the crescent shaped method and also pleating the dumplings.This above method seemed easier for me and I followed it. :D . I do not think this is the traditional way of making them,but the shape I have obtained is almost traditional.You can also follow any method making them-the main thing is the filling should not come out and the water should not enter the dumplings while steaming.Those who are familiar with modaks can easily make these dumplings.

Also you can use your own choice of filling including leftover curries,salads etc.I thought this filling was a bit different from the normal,cabbage-beans-bellpepper -filling which I had already used in my spring rolls.But this is a little bit colourless compared to the former.

Once the dumplings are filles and all the dough is used,steam them in a steamer basket or in my case, the idli tray while has been lightly oiled.Steam for about 15-20 minutes or more till cooked.Taste to check whether they are done or not.

Serve hot as a snack/appetizer with Tzal sauce or any other choice of dipping.

Tzal sauce:

Tomatoes: 1-2 medium cubed
Spring onion: 2or 3 chopped
Garlic:1 clove crushed
Chili flavoured oil: 1-2 tbsp
or Heat sesame/peanut oil and add chilli flakes and then heat through.Cool and use
Salt: as per taste

Blend together all the ingredients.

To be honest,when I started on the filling,I was disappointed that it lacked colour.Hence I added sauces and brought little colour and spiciness,but still I was little down.Also while they were steaming,I made the tomato dipping sauce.I expected a rich red colour as I had added tomato paste as well,but they were little brown-grey in colour as the spring onions were more.When I tasted it was not like the normal tomato sauce we relish.But once I served it with the momos and relcutanly tried the combo,I found that they match perfectly and it was delicious.

Gorging on momos on Recipe Marathon Day #10,lets check out what fellow runners are coming up with:
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

Simple Potato Kibbeh

This is a simple Lebanese/Middle Eastern appetizer.Now do not get afraid of this because it is simply made of bulghur and potato.During my search for appetizers, I came across this and it was tasty and easy snack/appetizer and so here it is.

Usually kibbeh is prepared with ground lamb or other meat,but during festive fasting occasions,it can be prepared with potatoes and you can even bake it.There are also versions where you can stuff the basic kibbeh and fry or bake them.I have simple prepared the basic kibbeh which is very much easier though it had to be spiced up a bit.

Ingredients:
Bulghur/Cracked Wheat: 1/2 cup
Potatoes: 2 medium
Onion: 1 small
Salt: as per taste
Oil for deep frying

Spices (optional)
Cumin/Jeera powder,pepper,chilli powder,minced green chillies etc

Preparation:

Soak the bulghur in cold water for 30 minutes.Boil,peel and mash potatoes.Puree the onions.Drain the bulghur and squeeze /press them down in a strainer to remove the excess water.Mix the bulghur with pureed onion,finely mashed potatoes and salt and other spices.I added cumin powder,pepper,chilli powder.Knead the dough-like mix so that the spices are mixed well.Make small patties/balls and deep fry in hot oil.Serve hot with Tahini Sauce or choice of ketchup/sauce.

A Closer look...

Tahini Sauce:
Blend together tahini paste with water,lime juice,mashed garlic, salt and cumin powder.Can add more spices to this as well.

Munching on kibbeh on Recipe Marathon Day #9,lets open our windows wide so that we also get the aroma wafting from fellow athletes' 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