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.