Gastronomical Indulgences

Aloo Anardana

2011-09-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

Made in as roy will call it - Raga's Cheating style.

Peel and cut in smallish cubes 2 big potatoes. Boil in microwave till it is fully cooked. In teh mean time Finely chop one small onion and 2-3 green chillies. Half a pomegranate ( peeled and fresh ofcourse )

Heat some oil in a pan. Mustard, jeera, chillies and onion gets thrown in. Saute for a while till onion is not raw. Add a pinch of haldi, salt to taste, a pinch( seriously only a pinch - we have green chillies remember ?) of redchilli powder. Throw in the poatatoes and pomegranate. I also added half a small tomato since i needed to use it up :P ! Mix it well. Add a full tablespoon of sambar powder. Yes, I am serious.Satuee for a few minutes till all the masala mixes and cooks with the potato. Since the potato is fully boiled you only have to do this for a few minutes.

Garnish if you have the patience with a sprig or two of cilatro finely chopped !

Enjoy :) !

Before and After

2011-06-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

Before you became my baby,
Kutti, Where were you ?
I think you were a wish,
Just waiting to come true.

Before I became your Amma,
Kutti, where was I ?
I was always searching for you
In the starry skies.

Finally we met,
on a moonlit summer night.
It is you It is you,
I sang in delight

Without a fuss or worry
You snuggled against me
I knew that very instant
This was meant to be.

A new story began,
Resounding with joy and laughter
Kutti, thats the very beginnning
of our Happily ever After.

- Love Amma.

Mowgli is almost 11 months old. I keep flying back to a year ago. I will remember soo many things that he has no idea about. So I write.. for you my little kitten, I write.

Soup Matrix from Nytimes

2011-03-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

Really neat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/magazine/06eat-t.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=soup%20recipes&st=cse

Matar Paneer

2010-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, but I had never made it this way before and it turned out just Yumm. This madhur jaffery recipe has been slightly modified by me. Serves 4.

1 big Onion
Nice big piece of ginger

Grind the above two together to make a nice paste. In a pan heat some oil and fry the onions and ginger. Add salt, turmeric, red chilli flakes ( yes the one you use on pizza) and fry together. Add garam masala and fry. Add tomato (3-4)puree and cook well till the masala is well cooked. Add Matar(250gms) and Paneer (400gms) and a big spoon of yogurt and cook on low flame.

When paneer is well cooked garnish with finely chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot !

Bon Apetit.

Basic Cookie Dough

2010-04-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar (granulated or powdered
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Mix butter with sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well mixed. Add flour and baking powder and blend well. Refrigerate overnight in a airtight container.

Its not very sweet at all. So you can add honey, walnuts. choco chips etc etc to make any version of cookies.

Bake at 425 for about 5-8 minutes.

Orange Cake

2010-04-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

See Lemon Cake.
Replace Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice with twice the amount of orange zest and orange juice (Additionally I used some of the strained pulp as well).
Also I added 1/4 cup more sugar.

Lemon Cake

2010-03-14T14:11:00.001-07:00

Step 1:

2.5 Cups Flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
0.25 tsp salt

Mix the dry ingredients together and keep aside.

Step 2:

1 Cup Butter
1.5 Cup Sugar

Beat the above together.

Add 2 large eggs and 2 egg yolks
+ 1 tsp vanilla essence
+ 1.5 tsp lemon zest ( grated lemon peel)

Whisk above to together well into a smooth mix.

Now Slowly beat in 1/4 cup freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice. It may look like its going to curdle but beat it into a smooth mix.

Step 3 :

At this point fold in the dry mix along with 1/2 cup of milk alternating the two to get a nice even batter.

Step 4 :

Pour into a greased baking dish and bake at 425 for 25 minutes.

For the Topping:

Chopped fresh strawberries
1 Cup Fat free whipped cream. ( I used cool whip)
1 tbsp sugar

Mix the above in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

After cake is done and cooled down, evenly spread this on top of the cake and refrigerate until you serve. Alternately you can split the batter to make two small cakes and use this as a layer in between.

Baked Spicy Enchilada Casserole

2010-02-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

For 2 People:

2 medium Zucchini's chopped into small pieces.
1 medium size Onion
2 Green Chillies
1 Cup mushrooms sliced
1 medium Capsicum chopped into small pieces.
1 cup diced Fire roasted vine tomatoes

Salt, Pepper, Chipotle Chile powder, garlic powder, pinch of oregano : To Taste

7 small Corn Tortillas

2 Cups of Mix of Grated Jack and Cheddar Cheese.

1 Cup Enchilada Sauce from Trader Joes (I used the red one)

How to:

1. Pre-heat Oven to about 350 degrees.
2.In a skillet, heat a little bit of oil and add green chillies and Onions first followed by the rest of the vegetables.
3. Add the To taste seasonings and cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.
4. On an open flame, lightly cook the tortillas and keep aside.
5. Grease a deep enough baking dish lightly with olive oil.
6. Assemble all the components in the following order in nice layers: Enchilada Sauce, Tortilla, Vegetables, Cheese, Tortilla.
7. above teh last layer of tortilla, a thinner layer of sauce, veggies and cover completely with cheese.
8. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes.

Voila !!! Serve hot and enjoy.

Chocolate-Banana Cake

2010-02-03T07:45:00.001-08:00

You need:

1.25 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs
2 bananas
1.5 cup milk
1/2 cup oil

How to:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together and keep aside.
2. Whip all the wet ingredients together.
3. Slowly fold in the dry ingredients mixed.
4. Pour in a greased baking tray.
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 for about 40 minutes.

Enjoy !

Summer Salads !

2009-07-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Courtesy New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=global-home

hmmm..

2009-03-07T09:15:00.001-08:00

Jacob's Creek

Reserve

Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage 2002

Spinach Delight

2009-03-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

I am going to put up two versions of this recipe. The original is from Abha's mom. The modified version is a mix of that and a recipe I found on NYTimes food section.

Ingredients:
1 Bag washed and cut spinach
1/2 a medium onion finely chopped
1-2 finely chopped green chillies (Optional)
1 can Garbanzo beans
1 cup Vegetable broth
Salt to taste
Lemon to taste
Seasoning:
Oil
Methi seeds
Hing
2-3 cloves of Garlic
A touch of Jeera
Dried red chillies or red chilli powder

How to (Original Recipe from Aunty):
1. Take the spinach in a big bowl and microwave for 5 minutes. It will shrink significantly.
2. Heat oil. Add the seasonings (minus jeera).
3. Add the Spinach and cook well.
4. Voila ! its ready to serve.

Modified version:
1. Take the spinach in a big bowl and microwave for 5 minutes. It will shrink significantly.
2. Heat oil. Add all the seasonings and the finely chopped onions. If you are not using the dried red chillies then use the chopped green chillies and a pinch of red chilli powder. Saute well.
3. When onions are roasted add the garbanzo beans and Spinach. Sautee well.
4. Add the broth (add water as necessary to get a consistency you like. I like to make it like a soup or a dal) and cover and cook on low-medium flame for 5 minutes.
5. Take it off the flame and squeeze lemon. Its ready to serve.

Asian Style Tabouleh Salad

2009-02-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

This recipe is "inspired" from Rose Reisman's Light Vegetarian Cooking book.

Ingredients:
1.5 cup Bulgur Wheat
2 Cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup peas
1 green capsicum chopped
1 cup chopped spring onions (I used 1/2 small regular onion since i didn't have spring onions)
1 cup chopped broccoli (I used cauliflower)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and Pepper(very little) to taste

For the dressing:
4 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp oil
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 inch piece of ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce

Serves about 6.

How to:
1. Bring the broth to boil and turn off gas.
2. Stir in the bulgur wheat and cover and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Take all the vegetables (except cilantro)in a bowl and add a little water and cook (I like it a little crunchy so I only cook for 3 minutes) in the microwave.
4. Drain excess water from vegetables and mix with the bulgur wheat when it is ready.
5. Put all the ingredients for the dressing in the blender and blend well.
6. Add the dressing to the salad slowly mixing it in well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lemon. Serve fresh.

Butternut Squash Soup with a Twist

2009-02-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

This recipe is "inspired" from a recipe I found on WholeFoods's website.

Ingredients:
1 whole butternut squash
1 medium size onion
1.5 inch piece of ginger
1/2 liter Vegetable Broth
1/3 can of Lite coconut milk
2 table spoons of olive oil
Few leaves chopped fresh basil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Thai Red curry Seasoning

Will serve 4-6

How to:
1. Cutting the butternut squash proved to be a very daunting task. It took me forever to peel and cut the damn thing. Its harder than a rock. I later found out that you can throw it in the oven to soften it before you cut it. Anyways, wash peel and cut the butternut squash into medium size pieces.
2. Chop onion and ginger. Saute the squash with the onions and ginger in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Add enough broth, salt and pepper to taste and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
4. Allow to cool sufficiently and slowly puree in the blender adding the coconut milk little by little at a time.
5. Add more broth to get the consistency you need.
6. Add thai seasoning to taste and allow to simmer on low heat till all the flavours mix well.
7. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve hot.

Roasted Potatoes Peppers and Shallots

2008-12-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

Serves Four

1.25 pounds potatoes
12 Shallots
2 Yellow Bell Peppers
Olive Oil
2 Sprigs of Rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a big pot boil water. Put the potatoes (poke holes with fork) and blanch for 5 minutes in boiling water.
2. Drain, cool and peel and cut into wedges.
3. Peel Shallots and allow them to fall in their natural shape. Slice in half if each clove is too big. Slice Yellow Peppers. We used 1 Yellow and 1 Green to add colour to the dish. Cut the rosemary springs into 2 inch long pieces.
4. In a bowl mix a little Olive oil Salt and fresh ground black pepper.
5. Take a oven ready glass bowl and place a layer of potatoes. Season with the salt and pepper oil. (The more generous the dressing, the tastier it is :)).Place a layer of peppers.Alternate such that you finish with a layer of peppers on top.
6. Stud with the shallots. Tuck the Rosemary Sprigs in the vegetables.
7. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until veggies are tender.
8. Serve hot and enjoy.

Argula Pear Salad

2008-12-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

Serves 4

2-3 Bartlett Pears Sliced
1 packet Arugula (2-3 Ounces)
Lemon Juice (2 Tablespoons)
Olive Oil ( 2 Table Spoons)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Walnuts to garnish
Shaved Parmesan to Garnish (Just a little bit)

Mix all the ingredients gently in big bowl and serve :)

Wine Pick

2008-03-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

Grand Vin De Bordeaux 2005

Chateau Candelaire

Canon ~ Fronsac

Excellent smooth wine brought over by Soumitra !

Cream of Mushroom Soup

2008-03-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

You need:
1 pack mushrooms
1 small onion
1 table spoon butter
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup organic veg broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

How to:
1.Sautee Mushrooms and finely chopped onions in the 1 tbspn butter until soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2.Blend well to thick consistency in a food processor along with the milk and broth.
3. pour back into pan and simmer for a few minutes.

Serves two.

Spinach Soup

2008-02-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

A healthy tasty recipe that looks great too :)

You need (makes 4 servings):
250 gm of washed ready to eat baby spinach
1/2 of a mid size onion
1 small potato
1 piece ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup skimmed milk

1.In the pressure cooker combine choppped spinach, peeled and chopped potato, onion, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Add some water and cook for 2 whistles.
2. Drain out the water and keep aside.
3. Blend the rest well in the mixer.
4. Add milk and blend again.
5. Pour it out into a vessel and keep on low flame.
6. Add the drained water and broth till you get desired consistency.
7. Mix well and let it simmer for a few minutes.
8. if you like a twist, squeeze a little bit of lemon into it :).

Serve hot and enjoy !

Wine Pick

2007-12-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

Fetzer Gewürztraminer

Its about 6 bucks but a delicious wine that pair very well with Indian food.

Lemon Rice

2007-12-17T13:46:00.001-08:00

This is one of my all time favourite rice dishes. It is especially great for serving non-desi guests.

Ingredients:

Rice - 2 cups
Lemon - one medium to large
Green chilles
Cilantro
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
Turmeric

How to:

1. Cook rice with 2:1 water ratio.
2. Dry Roast peanuts and keep aside.
3. Spread the cooked rice on a large dish so it cools.
4. Heat some oil and add mustard seeds and finely chopped green chillies.
5. pour this on the rice. Add peanuts and 1/2 spoon of turmeric and salt to taste. Do not mix it in while rice is still very hot.
6. once it cools a bit mix all of it till the rice is evenly yellow and salt is even.
7. Now squeeze the lemon on the rice and mix well. Addding lemon when rice is hot will make it bitter.
8. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro. Pair with Sambar and cucumber raita to make a simple and wonderful lunch :)

Yum.

Wine Pick

2007-12-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

PKNT Cabernet Sauvignon (chile, central valley)

Pasta Al Pesto

2007-12-08T20:22:00.000-08:00

1. Peel one big potato and cut into cubes.Put to boil.
2. Just when its boiling and the potatoes are almost cooked add green beans (I used mushrooms) and add a pinch of salt and cook pasta to perfection :)
3. In a separate bowl, Take the Trader Joe's pesto sauce and add some of the starchy boiling water to get right consistency for sauce.
4. Once pasta is cooked, Drain. Add the sauce.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also liberally use Oregano or the Italian Seasoning from Henrys. Very nice.
5. Ricotta is good for health. Or so I like to believe. So one spoon gets mixed in before serving. :)

Enjoy.

Bucatini Dolce Salato (Sweet and Sour Bucatini)

2007-12-08T20:18:00.000-08:00

Ingredients(makes for 4)

1 Red Onion
1 Jar of Trader Joes sundried tomatoes
4 spoons of ricotta romana(sweet ricotta)
3 Table spoons of ricotta salato(salty)
1 can diced tomatoes

How to:

1. Saute finely chopped onion in Olive oil.
2. Set water to boil. Add a few drops of vinegar. Blanch the sundried tomatoes.
3. Cut fine and add to sautee. Add half a can of the diced tomatoes till you have a gravy-ish thing. The pasta is a dryish pasta. Add sugar to remove the sour taste if you dont plan on using the sweet ricotta. Cook this thing very well.
4.Now add pasta in that water and cook.
5. In a separate bowl mix Ricottas and 1 tsp olive oil and ground black pepper.
6. Add saute to cooked pasta and toss in the pan. Add ricotta mix and serve as it melts into the hot pasta.

And, Oh the title suggests that you have to use Bucatini but Fetuccine works just as well. :-)

Mango Pie

2007-12-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

I tried this at Sujata Auntie's house and fell in love with it. Its an amazingly simple recipe. And spectacularly delicious. Here is the recipe if you want to try it out for yourself.

Ingredients:

1 Pie crust (plain, trust me the chocolate one in the store is not good)
1/2 can - mango pulp.
3 tbsp - sour cream.
1/2 cup - sugar (skip this if you use sweetened pulp that you get in Indian grocery stores)
1 packet - unflavoured gelatine.

1.Dissolve gelatine in hot water.
2.Mix the rest of the ingredients and slowly stir in the gelatine water.
3.Pour into the pie crust. Decorate by sticking pieces of mango (or strawberry if you want to make it colourful)along the crust edges like a flower.
4.Allow it to chill overnight and set completely, in the fridge.
5.Serve with cool whip.

Voila !

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

2007-12-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

You need (Serves 6):

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

How to:

1.Cream together margarine( or butter) and sugars.
2.Beat in eggs and banana. Add flour, salt and soda. You can do these two steps in a regular blender. Makes life easy and turns out just fine.
3.Stir in chips and nuts.
4.Bake in greased loaf pan for 50 minutes in 350-degree oven.

Enjoy!

Swedish Apple Cake

2007-12-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

Ingredients (Makes 6 servings)

5 Apples
4 c Dry bread crumbs (not seasoned)
1 c Butter (softened)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 c Granulated white sugar

How to:

1.Boil apples in minimal water till they soften. Add 2 spoons of sugar to boiling water to sweeten.
2.Melt butter in pan; add crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon.
3.Butter deep cake pan well. Put crumbs and apples in layers, crumbs on bottom and top.
4.Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.

Trust me its YUMMMMMMM !!!!

Mushroom Broccoli Au Gratin

2007-12-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Ingredients (Serves 4)

3 Cup nicely chopped Broccoli (i used the frozen one)
1/2 Onion sliced thinly
1 packet of mushrooms chopped
1 Cup grated cheese (Optional)
1 Cup bread crumbs
5 tbsp butter/margarine
4 Cups milk
4 lg tbsp all purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat 1 tbp of butter in a pan. Add onions and sautee till translucent. Add mushroom and broccoli. Add sat and pepper to taste and sautee for a minute or so. Add 2 cups of water, cover the pan and cook till tender.

2. Now while that is cooking ,heat 4tbsp of butter in a pan. Mix in the flour and add salt and pepper to taste. Now add the milk and bring to boil on low flame. It will thicken into a paste/thick sauce. As you take it off the heat, mix in the cheese if you are making the sauce with cheese in it.

3. Drain the vegetables well and layer the greased baking dish with the white sauce and the vegetables. First and last layer should be the sauce. Cover with the breadcrumbs and bake for 30 minutes.

4. Serve with Warm Bread, Salad and Wine to make it a fine meal :) !

Bon Apetit !

Wine Pick

2007-12-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

Red Guitar Navarro 2006 - 8.99$

Cheers

Chocolate-Rum-Coffee cake

2007-12-03T19:01:00.000-08:00

You need (Makes a decent size cake)

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

3/4th teaspoon baking soda

3/8 teaspoon salt

3/8 pound fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped

1.5 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup dark rum

1 cup strong brewed coffee

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs, beaten lightly

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.
4. Remove chocolate from heat and stir in rum, coffee, and granulated sugar.
5. Beat in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down side.
6. Beat in eggs and vanilla until batter is combined well.
7. Pour into a pre-greased pan and bake cake in middle of oven (about 40 minutes) until a tester comes out clean.
8. If you have enough batter for two not so thick cakes, you can stack them on each other with sweetened raspberry pulp in between. Else you have one nice moist cake.

Hmmmmm.. Rummmyyyy.. :)

P.S: Thanks Nija for the recipe.

Vodka Cream Sauce for Pasta

2007-12-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

You need (Makes for 4):

Olive Oil
Diced Tomatoes (1 Big Can)
Salt - To taste
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Pepper - To taste
Chilli flakes - To taste
Oregano - To taste
Few cloves of garlic
One Medium Onion
Half cup Vodka
Half cup Broth
Half cup cream

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add chopped garlic followed by onions and sautée till soft
3. Add the diced tomatoes from the can. Use half fresh if you want a less tangier taste. The canned tomotoes have sometimes a strange sour taste.
4. Cook till its a nice soft puree. Add sugar to remove the sour taste.
5. Add salt, pepper, chilli and oregano to suit your taste buds. (Don't skip Oregano)
6. Cook it well till it thickens on medium flame.
7. Now add Vodka and let it simmer and cook until all the vodka is absorbed and the sauce is further thickened.
8. Now add the broth ( you can add a little more than the recommended if you feel you may be short on quantity) and quickly bring to boil.
9. Hopefully the Pasta is done in time as well. Take the sauce off the heat. Mix in the cream. The sauce will now be a delightful pink colour.
10. Add to pasta and serve right away.

Bon Appetito !

P.S: Courtesy

Why?

2007-07-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

Why this blog?

A. I have developed a sort of passion for cooking.
B. I am a big foodie.
C. I dont like spending too much time in the kitchen.
D. I scribble recipes on pieces of paper and lose them soon enough.
E. I enjoy hosting friends and parties.
F. I own a couple of cookbooks but rarely use them.
G. I want to collect recipes from all over the place and store it in one place.
H. I want to have a constructive blog :)
I. I will be stealing recipes from friends and family, so its a pretty exclusive collection; and I want to share it with them.
J. From someone who never even made a cup of Tea in the first 21 years of her life to somone who aspires to have a recipe blog, the transition has been long. It has taken a few cuts and a few burns but every cuilinary experiment has been fulfilling and fun.
K. Special thanks today to all the people who have always supported me by eating whatever junk i dished out.