Apple, celery and kiwi refresher

This is just made for a hot summer's day but I find it is a great pick me up when I am feeling dull and tired...

4 green apples (Not granny smiths as it would be too tart. Golden delicious is a thumbs up)
2 stalks of celery
3-4 Kiwis
1/2 lime

Put the apples, celery and kiwis through a juice extractor. Round it off with a squeeze or two of lime juice - to your liking - and lots of ice.

You can do the same using a blender, but do strain the pulp out as it tastes best that way. You do need a bit of acid in this, otherwise the apple juice in it will turn brown.

Chicken curry with fennel and coconut milk

500g boneless chicken thighs cut into pieces
1 onion chopped finely
1 tomato chopped
1 stick of cinnamon
3-4 cardamom pods
1 star anise
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup of  thick coconut milk
2 tsp oil
handful of coriander leaves chopped
Salt to taste

Masala powder
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black pepper
6-8 cardamom pods
2 star anise
1 stick of cinnamon
2 whole dried chilli
1 tsp powdered pomegranate seed (optional)
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Marinade
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp lemon/lime juice
1 tbsp masala powder (see above)

• Dry roast the masala ingredients and grind to a fine powder in a spice blender.
• Marinate the chicken pieces with the masala powder, ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice for at least 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan. Add the whole spices ( star anise, cardamom and cinnamon) to the hot oil and fry for a few seconds. Add the fennel seeds and allow to splutter slightly.
• Add the chopped onions and fry till they are golden brown.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric and chilli powder and continue to cook till the tomatoes are done and the oil starts to separate from it. 
• Add 11/2 tbsp of the masala powder and sauté for a minute. 
• Add the marinated chicken pieces and stir till the pieces are coated nicely with the masala.
• Add salt and little water (1/2 to 3/4 cup). Cover and cook till the chicken is done. Do not add too much water as the chicken will also release water as it cooks. 
• Finally add the coconut milk and simmer for 3-4 minutes. If the gravy is too thick, dilute with some more water.
• Finish with chopped coriander leaves.

Seven cup cake or burfi

Just like a pound cake contains a pound of each ingredient, this sweet also contains 7 ingredients each of the same measure. Hence the name! It doesn't necessarily have to be a baking cup measure. Just ensure what ever you use,  you use it to measure all the ingredients.

It took me a about 45 mins from start to finish on a medium flame.

1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
1 cup grated coconut ( dessicated coconut is fine too)
1 cup clarified butter or ghee
3 cups sugar
1 cup milk

• Mix all of the above and pour into a pan.
• Keep stirring this mixture over medium heat till the mixture thickens to a slightly runny  peanut-butter-like consistency and starts to leave the sides of the pan. This can stick to the bottom and burn quite easily toward the end of the cooking time, so make sure you keep stirring.
• Spread this evenly into a greased baking tray and while it is still warm score the surface with criss cross lines so you eventually end up with diamond shapes. When it is fully cooled, cut along these lines. It is easier to cut when it cools down if you have done this. 

Chocolate cake

Whilst organising the cupboards in my kitchen, I came across a tin of unopened cocoa powder that I had bought a couple of years back with the intention of using it in a cake. Since it was nearing its best before date, I decided to use that as an excuse to bake. There goes my diet out of the window but who cares, right?!

I have only ever baked a chocolate cake once in my lifetime. This was when my parents had first bought a microwave. Microwave was still new in the Indian market and every cookery programme at the time was trying to cook anything and everything under the sun using this appliance. This was about the time I started to discover my love for cooking. Knowing my propensity for "accidents" this just seemed like a safe tool to experiment with! One of the more successful experiments then was a chocolate cake. The best part of that cake was that it was incredibly moist.

So when I decided to bake one this time, I started searching for a recipe that would for one use cocoa powder ( duh, that's what started this whole thing remember!) and would be as moist as the one I first attempted.  I found this one from AllRecipes that ticked all the boxes (follow the link for the original recipe).

I had to make a few adjustments as I didn't have the exact ingredients. I had self raising flour instead of plain, so that's what I used. The cake batter I thought was a little too runny (I read somewhere that american cake batter is  usually wetter than british ones, but I might be wrong). Anyway, I used half of the boiling water quantity recommended. I don't think it took anything away from the cake. I didn't  have the amount of icing sugar that the buttercream frosting required. I had a 500g pack and that's what I used by adjusting the amount of liquid I added. I still found it a tad oversweet, so I'll probably reduce that the next time as well.

 For the cake
225g self raising flour
375g caster sugar
65g cocoa powder
11/2 tsp baking powder
11/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
125ml vegetable oil
250 ml milk (easier to work with when closer to room temperature)
2 tsp vanilla extract
175ml boiling water

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg Celcius. 
• Rub two 23cm cake tins with butter and dust with cocoa powder.
• Place the sugar in a large bowl and also sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and bicarb soda. Whisk the milk and egg together and add to this along with the oil and vanilla. Mix this for about 3 minutes with an electric mixer. 
• Add the hot water to this and mix using a wooden spoon. The mixture can be quite runny.
• Spread the batter evenly between the two cake tins and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer or knife comes out clean.
• Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.

Frosting
175g butter ( at room temperature )
125g cocoa powder
500g icing sugar
about 150ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

• Whisk the butter in bowl until softened and light.
• Add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and 100ml of milk. Mix well with an electric mixer starting at a low speed till it comes together and forms a creamy and spreadable mixture. Add the remaining milk in small quantities if needed.  

Split each cooled cake in half. Stack them one over the other after covering the top of each layer with the frosting. Use the remaining frosting to cover the outside of the cake.

I found the amount of butter cream I made was more than what I needed. That was probably because I only had a layer of cream in between the two cake layers. It will probably be needed if you split each cake and end up with 3 layers of cream.

Barbecue chicken

Attempting to make an American style barbecue sauce. Not a perfect one yet, but hubby didn't mind the end result at all. It is really difficult to try something non-veg and new when one is a vegetarian!!!! Anyway here goes...

For the BBQ sauce:
1tbsp honey
1 small onion roughly chopped
3-4 cloves garlic chopped
1 Bay leaf
2-3 fresh red chilli chopped
2 tsp red chilli paste
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
8 tbsp Italian sieved tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

• Heat oil in a pan. Add the bay leaf to the hot oil and sauté for a few seconds.
• Add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté till the onions have softened.
• Next add the vinegar and keep stirring till it has cooked off.
• Add the sieved tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, honey, chilli and chilli paste, salt and pepper and cook till the sauce has thickened. 
• Cool and grind till smooth.

For the chicken:

1 kg chicken pieces (I tried with skinless thighs, but think legs or wings might be better)

• Pre-heat oven to 200C.
• Clean, score the chicken and coat with the sauce. Hold back about a tablespoon worth to coat again half way through the cooking time.
• Place on a roasting pan and cook in the oven. Half way through, turn the chicken over and coat with the remaining sauce. It will take between 35-50 minutes to cook depending on the size of the chicken pieces. The oven can be cranked up to 220C towards the end to encourage some charring.

Breakfast spinach quesadilla

1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1-1/2 cups of spinach ( I used frozen, adjust equivalent fresh spinach. Remember spinach reduces to about less than half the quantity when cooked!)
1 or 2 egg whites ( enough to bind the mixture)
3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
2 flour tortillas
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

• Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic to the hot oil and allow it to flavour the oil for a short time.
• Add the chopped onions and sauté till they are soft and translucent.
• Add the fresh and dried herbs, chilli, spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the salt that you add as the feta cheese is quite salty and will compensate for it. Cook the spinach uncovered and ensure the water in the spinach gets cooked out as much as possible. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Transfer the spinach to a bowl and mix in the egg white(s). The mixture should be such that it just drops from a spoon and should not be very runny.
• Spray or brush a pan that is large enough to hold the tortilla flat with oil and place it over low heat.
• Place a portion of the feta cheese on one half of the tortilla and allow it to melt slightly.
• Increase the heat to medium and add half the spinach and egg mixture over the feta layer. Fold the tortilla in half and allow the egg to firm up inside. Flip the tortilla and do the same to the other side.
• Cut into wedges (I found a pizza slicer does this very nicely) and server hot.

Bread with tomatoes, basil and parmesan

Caught an episode of the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network this weekend where Ina Garten made this gratin of bread and tomatoes with basil, garlic and parmesan cheese. It looked really appetising and I thought it might be lovely even without the time in the oven. So out I went to buy the necessary ingredients and made it for breakfast this morning. I had it with a fried egg while hubby liked it better with scrambled egg. It was rather heavy for breakfast and would probably be ideal for a brunch instead. But the end result was quite good. The only problem I had was than I had to use a lot more fat that I normally do to get the bread to crisp up. I'll try it as a gratin some other time.

 A small baguette or ciabatta roll cut into bite size chunks
4-5 medium sized tomatoes cut into chunks
2-3 roasted red bell pepper chopped (optional)
2 pods of garlic chopped
Small bunch (10-12) basil leaves chopped
3 tbsp Olive oil
1tsp Butter (optional)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chilli flakes (optional)

• Heat the oil and butter in a pan. When it is hot, add the bread pieces and allow them to crisp up on all sides.
• When the bread is toasted, add the tomatoes,  garlic, chilli flakes, salt and  pepper  and cook for 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes just start to disintegrate in the pan. The bread will soak up the liquid and soften slightly. You can also optionally add chopped roasted bell pepper if you like it. I found it needed the chilli flakes to compensate for the sweetness from the peppers.
• Take off the heat and toss with the basil and parmesan cheese (according to your taste) while still hot. Sprinkle with more parmesan before serving.

A 6 inch baguette will feed 2 people generously.

Stuffed mushroom

Another mushroom starter to celebrate India's win  against Pakistan in the World cup semis... yippee!!

3 large mushrooms

1/2 an onion chopped  

3 spring onions chopped

3 tbsp bread crumbs

3 garlic pods chopped finely

Few basil leaves

Few sage leaves

2-3 tbsp olive oil 

Grated parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• Preheat the oven to 220C.
• Clean the mushrooms, remove the stems and brush all over with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a tray, cover with foil and cook in the oven for 15 minutes until they almost done.
• Meanwhile, in a heated pan, add some olive oil and sauté the onions, garlic and spring onions till they are softened. Remove into a bowl and allow to cool slightly. Add the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and chopped herbs and mix well.
• When the mushrooms are almost done, remove from the oven and top them with the above mixture and put back in the oven for another 7-10 minutes or until the top starts to brown.
• Sprinkle some parmesan cheese before serving. 

Grilled mushroom with goat's cheese, mango chutney and balsamic reduction

I only had a taste when a friend ordered this at a pub in Wales and but that was enough.  I liked it so much that I decided to try it at home.  The combination of salty goats' cheese and sweet mango chutney gel so well together. I don't think the original had balsamic vinegar drizzle, but again I knew that it went really well with the goat's cheese. So I decided to try all three together...

2-3 tbsp sweet mango chutney
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
75g Goats' cheese
3 large mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste

• Preheat the oven to 220C.
• Remove the stems and clean the mushrooms with a brush or paper towel. Brush all over with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the tray facing up and cook in the oven for about 20 mins on the top rack till they are cooked. 
• Meanwhile place the balsamic vinegar in a pan over medium heat. Reduce by half and allow to cool. 
• When the mushrooms are done, remove from the oven, top with goats' cheese and place them back in the oven for a final 3-4 mins so that the cheese heats through and softens.
• Drizzle the balsamic vinegar reduction over the mushroom and cheese and spoon some mango chutney before serving.

Grape and amaretti layered dessert

A refreshing dessert that is low in calories. This has oodles of taste with no guilt associated... what more can a girl ask for! The crushed amaretti biscuits brings texture to this dessert. The grapes can be substituted with other fruits as well. I especially like cherries and I think strawberries will also work well, although I haven't tried that myself.

300ml creme fraiche
300ml greek yoghurt
3-4 tbsp icing sugar (adjust this according to your taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract
6-10 amaretti biscuits crushed coarsely
450g black or red grapes halved

• Mix together the creme fraiche and the yoghurt together in a bowl and blend in the icing sugar and vanilla into this mixture.
• Place a small portion of the crushed amaretti mixture into a serving glass to form a thick layer at the bottom of the glass. 
• Top this with a layer (1-2 tbsp) of the yoghurt and creme fraiche mixture. 
• Next, add 1-2 layers of the grape halves and sprinkle a layer of crushed amaretti over the grapes.
• Top this again with 1-2 tbsp of the yoghurt and creme fraiche mixture.
• Add another layer of grape halves and sprinkle a think layer of the crushed biscuits to finish this off.

Tip: Crush the biscuits by placing them in a zip loc bag and running a rolling pin over it.
This will serve 4-6 people.

Saag paneer

A discussion my colleague and I were were having on our drive back home from work about the leafy vegetables that the dish can be made from inspired me to try this out . She and I car share to work everyday and our talk generally revolves around food! This is my version of the dish and is certainly not the authentic way of making it. It is quite mild with very few ingredients that makes the taste of the greens to stand out. It is commonly made using mustard leaves although spinach is usually substituted as mustard leaves can be quite hard to find. I used a combination of spinach and kale this time.

200g spinach
200g kale
Paneer (one block, usually about 200-220g) cut into cubes
3/4 tsp English mustard
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3-4 cloves of crushed  or finely chopped garlic
3-4 green chillies
1/2 medium onion chopped
1-2 tsp oil

• Cook the spinach and kale. I like to put them in a pan with 3-4 tbsp of water, cover and allow them to steam. You could do the same in a microwave. When cooked, grind them very coarsely. Don't make it a fine paste as I find the texture adds to the taste.
•  Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions. When they have softened slightly, add the garlic and green chillies and continue sautéing till the onions are translucent. 
• Next, add the cooked greens, turmeric and the paneer and cook on a low flame with little water for about 5 minutes or till the water has been absorbed and the paneer is soft. I find microwaving the paneer for a minute or putting it in hot water for 5 minutes makes it really soft.
• Add the mustard and nutmeg powder. Mix well and cook for a final couple of minutes to allow the flavours to combine.

Spinach, ricotta and sun-dried tomato tart

This is one of those recipes that packs a punch but actually requires very little effort!

1 pack of frozen puff pastry cases
200g of chopped fresh or frozen spinach 
200g of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
5-6 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes preserved in oil
1 egg (for the egg wash)
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
Salt
Ground black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 220C.
• Place the spinach in a microwaveable container, add 1 tbsp of water, cover with cling film and steam in the microwave for about 6-7 minutes until the spinach is cooked. Remember to prick the cling film to allow the steam to escape. If using frozen spinach, follow the pack instructions to cook it.
• Allow to cool slightly and remove as much water as possible by pressing it between your hands or in a mesh strainer.
• Mix it with the ricotta cheese, parmesan, nutmeg and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper.
• Place the frozen puff pastry in a baking tray and prick the centre area with a fork to prevent it from puffing up. 
• Make an egg wash with the beaten egg and little water or milk.
• Brush the pastry cases with the egg wash.
• Place a tablespoonful of the spinach and ricotta mixture in the centre of each of the pastry cases.
• Cook in the oven for 16-20 minutes till golden brown.
• Serve warm.

This is sufficient quantity for 6 tarts.

Roasted butternut squash risotto

I started the day itching to try something new but couldn't quite decide on a dish. Inspiration struck when I was channel surfing in the afternoon and happened to see the fag end of a programme putting finishing touches on a risotto. So after some quick "research" on the web, I decided to try a recipe that was posted on the BBC-Food website, albeit tweaked to suit my taste.  This is my first attempt at a risotto and I was quite pleased with the results...

1 butternut squash
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 large onion chopped finely
400g of Arborio rice
1- 1 1/4 litre of stock ( I used vegetable stock, but choice is up to you) - it needs to be hot!
White wine
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
Small bunch of sage leaves
1cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

• Preheat the oven to 230C.
• Peel and cut the squash into medium sized chunks. Take half of the sage leaves ( about 10-12 leaves), chop it finely. Chop the garlic finely or put it to a garlic press. Put these together into a roasting sheet, season with salt and pepper and toss it with 1tbsp olive oil. Place in the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the squash is softened.
• When done, allow to cool slightly and roughly mash it with a fork.
• Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in a flat bottomed pan, add the onion and cook till the onions are translucent. It should not brown!
• Add the rice and fry for a minute or two till it is fully coated.
• Add the wine and stir continuosly till it is absorbed by the rice. 
• Add a ladleful of hot stock to the rice along with the remaining sage and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat to low and simmer till the liquid is absorbed. Keep adding the stock gradually a ladleful at a time and stir constantly. This helps release the starch and gives the dish it's creamy consistency! Follow this cycle until the rice is cooked but has a slight bite to it. It probably will take about 15-20 minutes. The risotto should be creamy and slightly runny.
• Turn off the heat, stir in the roasted squash, parmesan cheese and the butter and check the seasoning. If the risotto seems too thick, loosen it with some stock. Cover for a few minutes.
• Server hot topped with more parmesan.

 This will serve 4 people generously.