Pesto and Garlic Bread

I've been MIA for a long while. I haven't been cooking much either. And had serious writer's block! Thanks to everyone who enquired after me! Not sure if I'm back but I wanted to share a recipe that I kind of created recently.


Pesto and Garlic Bread

For the Bread:
4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
2 tbsp Sugar
1.5 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Cold Butter
400 ml Water

For the Flavors:
4-5 cloves of Garlic, roasted and chopped
1/4 cup Pesto

Mix all the ingredients together and knead the dough until it begins to feel smooth to the touch (about 10 minutes). Place the dough in an oiled container and cover with a muslin cloth. Leave it in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

Remove the dough and shape into a log. Cut into three portions. Roll each portion out to a rough rectangle. Spread one side of each rectangle with pesto (I used homemade walnut and spinach pesto) and the chopped garlic. Roll each portion up as tight as possible. Place in a loaf pan with the seam side down. Repeat for the other portions and place alongside each other.


Cover with a muslin cloth and leave in a warm place until doubled again (about 45 minutes to an hour). Preheat the oven to 220 deg C. Bake the risen bread for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and when tapped, sounds hollow.

This was delicious. And the pesto gave the bread a much softer crumb than regular bread. And it had the added advantage of being very pretty!


This bread is off to Susan @ Wild Yeast for YeastSpotting.

Banana Leaf Rice

I first had this at a friend's house and loved it. The entire house smelled great and we really couldn't stop eating the rice. Gorgeous spicy rice steamed in a banana leaf - it was flavorful and delicious!


Banana Leaf Rice

For the rice:
2 cups Basmati Rice
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Ghee/ Clarified Butter (I used regular vegetable oil)
Salt, to taste

For the curry:
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
2 tbsp Ghee/ Clarified Butter (I used regular vegetable oil)

Grind to a paste:
1 medium Onion, chopped fine
2 tbsp Coconut
6 Red Chillies
2 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 pieces Cardamom
1/2" piece Ginger
3 cloves Garlic

For the rice: Parboil the rice and set aside. In a saucepan, heat the ghee and add cumin and fry till it turns a light brown. Add the cooked rice and some salt and mix to combine.

For the curry: Heat the ghee and fry the ground paste for 3-4 minutes or until the raw smell disappears. Add the tomato puree and salt and cook for a minute.

Cut the banana leaves or pieces of aluminum foil into medium sized squares. In each square, spread one portion of rice and top it with a few tablespoons of the curry. Fold the individual packets (fasten the banana leaves with toothpicks).

Steam the banana leaves for atleast 15 minutes. If using foil, bake in an oven at 450 deg F for 25 minutes.

Remove and serve individual packets to each guest, and let them unwrap the packets themselves - that way the rice stays hot and the aroma from the packets isn't lost.

Potato Chip Cookies

If you're looking for healthy and nutritious, I suggest you skip this post! But if you're looking for amazing flavor, read on.

Having a surplus of potato chips after a birthday party, I wanted to put them to good use and I remembered a cookie I had bookmarked from Baking Bites. These cookies have amazing crunch and a fantastic salty sweet flavor.


Potato Chip Cookies
(recipe from Baking Bites)

Makes about 40 thin cookies and about 25 thick, chewy ones.

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar + 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 large Egg
1 1/2 cups Potato Chips, crushed fine (I didn't crush them too much but I will next time)

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda). In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and whisk together very well.

Mix the butter mixture with the dry ingredients. Fold in the crushed potato chips.

Shape into balls (about the size of a small lemon). Drop the balls onto a baking sheet and flatten them out a bit. Bake for 12-15 minutes (12 minutes for chewy and more for crispy cookies). Cool completely on a wire rack.


Here are some other cookie recipes from this blog: Snickerdoodles, Peanut Butter Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Chocolate Christmas Cake

If you haven't checked out Sweet and Simple Bakes, you really should. Its great for amateur bakers. Started by Rosie and Maria, they challenge us every month to go a little further and bake something you probably haven't baked before. And every single recipe has been tried and tested and comes out perfect.

For November's Sweet and Simple Bakes, Maria asked us to make a chocolate Christmas cake.


Chocolate Christmas Cake
(recipe from Sweet and Simple Bakes)

Preparation time: 20 minutes + cooling
Cooking time: 1¾ -2 hours

Ingredients
150g (5oz) soft butter
150g (5oz) light muscovado sugar or soft brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
185g (6½oz) self-raising flour
40g (1½oz) cocoa powder
400g jar of luxury mincemeat (recipe follows)
80g (3oz) each of sultanas and raisins
50g (2oz) blanched almonds, chopped
100g packet of white chocolate chips

For decoration (decorate as you wish!)

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/electric 160ºC/fan oven 140ºC. Line a 20cm (8inch) cake tin (see below for instructions).

Lining the cake tin: One of the keys to success when baking a fruit cake is the preparation of the tin before you start mixing the ingredients. Because of the length of cooking time, you need to use two sheets of greaseproof paper or baking parchment inside the tin.

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat together for a minute or two until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1¾-2 hours until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. You will probably need to cover the cake with foil towards the end of cooking to prevent the top from browning too much. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Decorate as you wish! (I didn't decorate it)


Vegetarian Mincemeat
(check here for the original recipe. Since a lot of the ingredients required aren't available in India, I made some substitutions).

To make 2 lbs mincemeat

Ingredients

450g (1 lb) mixed dried fruit (I used dates, figs, blueberries, cherries and cranberries)
100g (4oz) melted butter
100g (4oz) cooking apples or apple of choice - peeled and grated (weight when prepared)
100g (4oz) soft brown sugar
50g -100g (2-4 oz) of chopped nuts of choice (I used pecans)
100g (4oz) glace cherries (I used more blueberries and some raspberries)
100g (4oz) chopped candied peel (I used raisins)
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon mixed spice (I made my own spice mix - recipe follows)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons brandy

Mixed Spice Mix:

Grind together 1 small cinnamon stick and 1 tablespoon each cloves, mace, ground nutmeg and coriander seeds.

Method

Add all the ingredients into a large bowl and soak overnight covering with a clean cloth. Mix thoroughly through together either with a large spoon or clean hands. Cover over with a clean tea towel and leave to stand for 24 hours giving the mixture a good stir as you pass by. Next day pack the mincemeat into sterilised jars, and top with greaseproof paper jam covers. Seal the jars tightly and store in a cool place.

*Note*: if you choose not to use glace cherries make the weight up with mixed dried fruit instead. If you wish not to add alcohol use apple juice or orange juice instead. We have given a recipe here for mincemeat without suet, but should you wish to use either beef or vegetable suet in this recipe omit the melted butter.

I sneaked a little taste when I was bottling the mincemeat, and it was so good. I knew the cake would be amazing.


Thanks, Maria for another interesting recipe.

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is a pasta made primarily with mashed potatoes and a little bit of flour. When it's good, they can be little pillows of heaven - light and flavorful. But when they're badly made, they are just lumps of lead. The key to making good gnocchi is a light touch and lots of practice! Let's just say the recipe I used from Smitten Kitchen was absolutely fantastic but I need lots of practice - mine were definitely not pillows of heaven, but they were full of flavor and we loved them.

Gnocchi
(recipe from Smitten Kitchen)

2 pounds Potatoes (the more flour-y the potatoes, the better. We don't get russet here, so I made do with large golden potatoes)
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 Egg, lightly beaten


Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork and bake in the oven until tender. Allow to cool slightly and peel the potatoes. Grate the potatoes using the large holes of a box grater.

Add the salt and the egg to the potatoes and mix well. Spoon the flour into the potato mixture a little at a time, just using enough so that the dough comes together and doesn't stick to your hands. Transfer the dough out onto a kneading surface and knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, with a very light touch, roll each piece into a long rope about 3/4" thick. Cut 1" pieces from the rope.


Now comes the part that requires a lot of practice. Gnocchi has little ridges that are, I think, mainly there for cosmetic reasons, but they also trap sauce very well. And, hey, it just doesn't look like gnocchi if it doesn't have the ridges.


To get the ridges, pass each piece on the inside of a fork, pressing slightly on the tines. I was afraid of handling the dough too much and so didn't put enough pressure. The ridges were there, but not very prominent.

The gnocchi can be frozen at this stage. Remember to first freeze them on a tray and then drop them into a ziploc bag once frozen. If cooking them right away, drop the pieces into a pot of salted boiling water. The gnocchi will start to float to the top, let it cook for another minute and then remove with a slotted spoon.

I tossed the gnocchi with homemade spinach-walnut pesto and grated some fresh Parmesan over it. Delicious!


For some lovely unusual gnocchi, see the Celery Leaf Gnocchi at Ideas in Food, Sweet Potato Gnocchi at Wild Yeast, Olive Gnocchi at Vegalicious and Peach Gnocchi at 101 Cookbooks.


Check out my fellow marathoners:
DK, Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya, Lakshmi, Raaga, Lakshmi, Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, Pavani, Karuna and Roochi.

Traditional Egg Curry

A few days ago, I had posted a non-traditional way we make egg curry at home. And then I realized that I'd never actually written about how to make a traditional egg curry. Usually, eggs are hard boiled and then mixed in with a spicy curry. The non-traditional way is great in terms of flavor, as the eggs soak up the curry. But the traditional egg curry is a quick-fix curry and great when you're short on time.



Traditional Egg Curry

5 Shallots
1 tsp Ginger, ground
1 tsp Garlic, ground
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Coriander, ground
1 Cardamom
1 Clove

1 Tomato, chopped
1 Bay Leaf
2 small Onions, chopped
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Salt

1 cup Potatoes, cooked, skinned and chopped (optional)
1 cup Peas, cooked (optional)
1/4 cup Coconut Milk

6 Eggs, hard boiled, sliced halfway lengthwise

Grind the shallots, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, coriander powder, cardamom, clove and tomatoes. Keep aside.

Heat a little oil in a pan, add the bay leaf and fry till brown. Add the chopped onions, sugar and stir fry until the onions start to turn brown. Add the ground paste, turmeric and salt. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes a very dark brown. Now add the cooked vegetables. Add one cup of water and let it come to a boil. Cook for a few minutes.

Add the coconut milk and eggs, stir once and remove from heat.

Serve warm with rice and/or rotis.


Check out my fellow marathoners:
DK, Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya, Lakshmi, Raaga, Lakshmi, Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, Pavani, Karuna and Roochi.

Sambar

An important part of a south Indian breakfast is sambar. We eat it with rice, dosas and idlis. It's almost a competition between the rasam people and the sambar people (ie those who like rasam vs those who like sambar). I'm a rasam person myself - I find it has a subtler flavor and is light and delicious. But when you have a good dosa in front of you, you've just gotta have sambar!

Sambar can be made with any and all vegetables. My favorite is carrot sambar, but the shallot kind is probably the most popular.


Sambar

1 cup Shallots, peeled
1/2 cup Toor Dal
1 Tomato, chopped
1 tbsp Oil
4-5 Curry Leaves
1 cup Tamarind Water (about a marble sized piece of tamarind, dissolved in 1 cup warm water)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

For the Spice Powder:
3 tbsp Split Yellow Lentils (Moong Dal)
1 tbsp Coriander Seed (Dhania)
3 Red Chillies
1 tsp Cumin Seed
1 tsp Urad Dal
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seed
1/4 tsp Peppercorn
1/2 tsp Asafoetida

For Tempering:
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Urad Dal
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Red Chillies
2-3 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Oil

To make the spice powder: Heat a pan with the oil and add all the ingredients for the spice powder. Roast on medium-high heat until golden. Grind to a fine powder and set aside.

Cook the toor dal in 2 cups of water and mash very well when cooked. Keep aside.

Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil. Add the ingredients for tempering. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the shallots and tomato and fry for a couple of minutes. Now add the turmeric and tamarind water. Allow it to come to a boil and continue to keep it at a boil for 5 minutes.

Add the ground spice powder and stir to combine. Let it continue to boil for 5 minutes. Add the cooked toor dal and boil again for 5 minutes. Add salt, to taste. If it is too thick, mix in some hot water. When it has reached a thick soupy consistency, remove from heat.

Serve with rice or dosas or idlis.

In this same method, you could substitute shallots with your favorite vegetable - some of the common sambar vegetables are drumsticks, carrots, eggplant, bell peppers, onions and okra.


Check out my fellow marathoners:
DK, Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya, Lakshmi, Raaga, Lakshmi, Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, Pavani, Karuna and Roochi.