tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129400962024-03-26T20:25:43.921+00:00Food, In The Main...Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.comBlogger515125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-58790932500315825812020-02-09T23:39:00.000+00:002020-02-09T23:39:05.786+00:00The most delicious apple cake<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rYtjt9Eqq30/XkCX5GJDD0I/AAAAAAAAVk4/S0iKEfWjWC85FqJUsihQsudu4Up2xc6_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/cake.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rYtjt9Eqq30/XkCX5GJDD0I/AAAAAAAAVk4/S0iKEfWjWC85FqJUsihQsudu4Up2xc6_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/cake.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Let me say right at the start that I'm only writing this post because my sister asked me to. I'm not at all sure that this blog is being resurrected for anything else, so if anybody is keeping an eye on this old, old space for any updates, please know that I'm not in the raising-hopes business. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So this recipe is really simple, a one-bowl affair that resulted in the most delicious cake I've made in a long while. I'm not a fan of fussy, over-filled, over-frosted, over-sweet, overly rich cakes. This cake, however, with its fresh fruit baked in, and its crunchy buttery cinnamon-y crust, is the absolute opposite of all those I've just described. I had an apple and a nectarine, so that's what I used this time. I've made it with just apples previously, and it's just as amazing. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now, without more ado, here's the recipe for: </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Simply delicious apple cake</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2" pieces</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">240 gms plain flour</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">150 gms caster sugar</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">120 ml full fat Greek yogurt (preferably not Greek-<i>style</i>, but the real thing)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">120 ml sunflower oil</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 large eggs </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 tsp baking powder</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp baking soda</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>For the topping:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 tsp ground cinnamon</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">50 gms demerara sugar</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Spray a 7" round cake pan with Pam or other non-stick spray. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract and oil until the mixture is smooth. No need to beat it into submission. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a large mixing bowl and add the apples. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix lightly with a wooden spoon just until combined. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mix together the topping ingredients and dollop evenly over the batter. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6. Bake the cake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the tin and turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In my humble opinion, this cake needs nothing but a mug of tea or a coffee to accompany it. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-34193907702558614282017-02-28T22:18:00.001+00:002017-02-28T22:19:20.667+00:00Bittergourd / parakkai / karela podi<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I may have mentioned once or twice or a few dozen times that, or the first 30 or so years of my life, I hated parakkai (also known as pavakkai, karela, bittermelon or bittergourd - or, if you're my husband, as "green rats"). If you're a karela lover, today's recipe will be right up your street. If you're not a karela lover, this recipe will still be quite a way up your street because you will not taste the bitterness from the vegetable at all. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you know your karela at all, you would think it's hard to mask the bitterness, but because everything is roasted and there are lots of other ingredients, the resultant powder has no discernible bitterness. At least, none that I could taste. And I didn't even peel the skin or discard the seeds (although if they're red and hard, DO scoop them out and discard) or salt the cut bittergourd to reduce the bitterness. Because I'm lazy and that's the way I roll, baby. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo 0700d77a-a039-46ac-a322-f247abb1621b_zpspafquavv.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2017%20Food%20Blog%20Pix/0700d77a-a039-46ac-a322-f247abb1621b_zpspafquavv.jpg" /></span></a><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I ate this mixed with rice and ghee, I ate it sprinkled over roasted vegetables, I ate it as a side with kootu and roti, I ate it mixed with yogurt both as a dip and as a salad dressing - it's my most favourite thing at the moment, and it seems to work with everything. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Best of all, since the karela is oven roasted with only a mimimal amount of oil, it's a healthy podi. There are versions where the vegetable is deep fried until crisp, but - while I love deep fried foods with a deep and abiding love - I see no need to load this podi with unnecessary calories. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Recipe for: </span><span style="color: #274e13;">Bittergourd / pavakkai / karela podi</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo a6b15ceb-f168-450a-a923-5e8d387f9c2b_zpsshqtqozs.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2017%20Food%20Blog%20Pix/a6b15ceb-f168-450a-a923-5e8d387f9c2b_zpsshqtqozs.jpg" /></span></a><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3-4 medium size tender karela</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">10 dried red Kashmiri chillies </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp coriander seeds</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp whole urad dal</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp chana dal</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp kollu or horsegram</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp fresh or frozen grated unsweetened coconut</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 tbsp black sesame seeds (regular will probably also do)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Handful of curry leaves (fresh or frozen)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2-3 cloves of garlic, halved</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 small gooseberry sized ball of tamarind (seeds and strings removed if any)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp asafoetida powder</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp + 1 tbsp oil</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Salt to taste (or about 1.5 tsp)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Thinly slice the karela, mix with 1 tbsp oil and roast in a 180C/350F oven until the slices are brown with very little green showing. This should take about 30 minutes, but be sure to stir them around every 10 minutes so that they crisp evenly. Let them cool completely. </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Heat the oil in a wok and add the red chillies. Roast on a medium-low flame, stirring often until the chillies turn a darker shade, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn them or you'll regret the fumes! Remove to a plate and cool. </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Add the coriander seeds, the sesame seeds and all the dals. Dry roast them, stirring often, until they are toasted and fragrant, and turn a darker shade. Again, don't burn them or the podi will taste bitter. Add to the roasted chillies and let cool.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Finally, add the coconut, curry leaves, garlic and tamarind and toast in the pan, stirring frequently, until the coconut has turned golden brown and has no more moisture in it - yet again, be careful not to burn it. </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. Once all the ingredients are cool, grind them into a slightly coarse powder. Add salt and asafoetida powder and mix well. Store in an airtight container. </span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-21691381837771023182017-02-01T21:02:00.001+00:002017-02-01T21:02:19.372+00:00Eggless chocolate pudding pie<span class="fullpost" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This post has been languishing since Christmas 2016, and I think it's time it saw the light of day. </span><br />
<span class="fullpost" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For Christmas lunch, I made roast chicken for Pete (and Pete alone, as the sole non-vegetarian). The rest of the menu consisted of a large tray of roasted vegetables with lots of roasted garlic, cauliflower cheese, pulao, dal, rmint and cauliflower parathas, rasam, yogurt rice and plain rice. And boondi raita. </span><br />
<span class="fullpost" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were three desserts - gulab jamun cheesecake brought by a friend, cranberry and orange pies made by my sister (spectacular with cream) and this pudding pie that I made. With two non-ovo people in the family (my mother doesn't eat eggs, and my older niece is allergic to eggs so ditto), I wanted to make a dessert that everyone could eat. It had to be chocolate flavoured on request from my sister-in-law because she is a chocolate fiend and will eat practically anything if it has chocolate in it. As an added bonus, my niece is almost as crazy about chocolate. The icing on the cake (in a matter of speaking, that is) was that my niece's best friend ... but you know what I was going to say, right? </span><br />
<span class="fullpost" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So chocolate pudding it was, a non-baked version made with cornflour. To be absolutely honest, I didn't care for it much - I can take or leave chocolate, and I don't really like moussey desserts. It's the texture of mousse that puts me off, mostly. </span><br />
<span class="fullpost" style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">Anyway, everybody who mattered liked it, and that's all I wanted. Be warned though, this pudding pie doesn't keep well, even refrigerated. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">(As for me, I had no room for dessert, but I did have cranberry-orange pie for breakfast the next morning.)<br />
<br /><b>
Recipe for:</b></span><b> </b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Chocolate pudding pie<br />
<br />
Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
1 9-inch pie crust, readymade or prepared at home<br />
3 cups whole milk (almond milk if you want it to be vegan)<br />
1/4 cup cornflour<br />
1/3 cup sugar<br />
3 tbsp cocoa powder<br />
3 tbsp chocolate chips (semi-sweet if you have it)<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
pinch of sea salt<br />
<br /><b>
Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Whisk together the cornflour and one cup of the milk to a smooth mixture in a medium saucepan. Then add the remaining milk and cocoa powder, the sugar and the salt. (Note: The cocoa powder will not combine with the milk until you start to whisk the mixture over heat.)<br />
<br />
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and keep it to a slow rolling boil, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes or so. <br />
<br />
3. Take the pan off the heat and add the chocolate chips and vanilla, stirring until the chips have dissolved. Pour the filling into the pie shell and let it cool for about 3 minutes, then place a sheet of non-stick paper over the top to form a skin from forming. After 10 minutes, put the pie in the refrigerator and leave it there for a minimum of 3 hours. </span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-91473989071718459792017-01-04T01:53:00.001+00:002017-01-04T01:53:15.698+00:00Vazhakkai (green banana/saba banana) fry<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">My entire family likes this vegetable, but my sister and I, we're "lattoo" (Hindi slang for "crazy") when it comes to <i>vazhakkai</i>. If we were asked to eat it every day for a year, we would probably beg to have it <i>twice</i> a day! The recipe below is how my mother makes it, and I see no reason to mess with something that I think is perfect. The flavour that the coconut oil gives this vegetable is unbelievable. The two just go together, no question. <br />
<br />
That said, <s>if</s> <b>when</b> I get my hands on <i>vazhakkai</i> again, I hope to make a recipe that I've had in my folder for literally years, involving fresh mustard paste. You would think I could hold back at least one <i>vazhakkai</i> for the mustardy recipe... but no. I haven't yet made it because each time I end up making this same one. This dry fry with my mother's <i>thengai kuzhambu</i> (South Indian coconut-and-fenugreek-seed gravy)and steamed rice - I couldn't want for more! <br />
</span><b><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
Recipe for:</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">Vazhakkai fry</span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 42b56010-ed00-4713-9af3-8d86be5ca5ad_zpsbjo9myep.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/42b56010-ed00-4713-9af3-8d86be5ca5ad_zpsbjo9myep.jpg" /></a><br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
3 green (raw) bananas<br />
2 tbsp coconut oil<br />
A few fresh/frozen curry leaves (optional)<br />
1/4 tsp turmeric powder<br />
1/8 tsp asafoetida powder (optional)<br />
1/2 tsp urad dal<br />
1 tsp mustard seeds<br />
1/4 tsp black pepper powder<br />
Red chilli powder to taste<br />
Salt to taste<br />
1 tsp tamarind paste<br />
<b><br />
Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Wear disposable gloves or grease your hands with oil before peeling the bananas as the sap will otherwise stick to your hands. Make sure to get all the thick green skin off the bananas. <br />
<br />
2. Slice the bananas into even slices about 1/4cm thick and put them in a saucepan of water. The water should be enough to cover the slices generously. Dissolve the tamarind paste and turmeric powder in the water. <br />
<br />
3. Parboil the sliced bananas, then place in a colander to drain off the cooking water. Handle carefully so that the slices don't break up too much. <br />
<br />
4. Heat the coconut oil in a wide saucepan, then add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and urad dal. Cover and let the seeds splutter. The urad dal should be golden by now. <br />
<br />
5. Now add the chilli powder and black pepper powder, stir it for 20 seconds, then add the parboiled banana slices along with salt to taste. Stir carefully to coat the slices evenly. <br />
<br />
6. Cover the pan and let the slices roast for 8-10 minutes on a medium heat, until the slices turn golden and are fully cooked. Turn the slices carefully over and let them roast for about 5 minutes more. Serve hot as a side with rice, rasam or sambar and any South Indian "gravy" like moar kuzhambu, vattha kuzhambu or thengai kuzhambu (recipes for all these are on my blog).</span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-57987569561280967892016-11-24T00:11:00.003+00:002016-11-24T00:36:16.484+00:00Pan-roasted brussels sprouts<span class="fullpost"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">Brussels sprouts are a great favourite with me, especially since I discovered that they could be roasted in the oven. That is definitely my most preferred way to eat these little green cabbagey things. My mother and I are the only two people in my family who would willingly and happily eat sprouts. My husband turns green at the sight of a sprout. Despite that, he always insists on having this vegetable as a side dish at Christmas dinner, and he'll even put a couple of them on his plate - but they remain untouched all through the meal and then they go straight into the bin. I've asked him why he wants sprouts on the table if he hates them so much, and why he puts them on his plate if he never means to eat them. The only answer I've received is a stubborn "There should be Brussels sprouts at Christmas dinner. It's a tradition." Yeah, his Christmas tradition being never to eat sprouts.<br />
<br />
Anyway, my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, my niece and I all make up for Pete's boycott of the sprouts, because we all love them.<br />
<br />
Today, inspired by Masterchef Australia 2016 (which I have been watching diligently and religiously), I decided to pan-fry my sprouts. I usually add a lot of chilli powder to my dry curries, but for some reason I refrained, just limiting myself to a pinch of Jaffna curry powder. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="fullpost"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span class="fullpost"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">Cooking the sprouts on a slightly higher heat, covered, for 15 or so minutes helped them "caramelise" where they were in contact with the hot pan. Masterchef contestants (and judges) are very big on caramelisation, which I've interpreted as "crisp in places and just very slightly burnt". </span></span></span><br />
<span class="fullpost"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span class="fullpost"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">Well, whatever the actual definition, the sprouts were absolutely delicious! i'm not joking when I say that I kept eating them straight from the pan - the caramelised bits were lovely and crunchy, the inner bits were soft... seriously, just thinking about it is making me salivate. I still have a few sprouts left and I'm very certain I'll be making this again tomorrow. Thank you, Masterchef Australia, for the caramelisation fixation! </span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;"> Recipe for:</span> </b><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Pan-roasted Brussels sprouts</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 20e928ffe4de493eb7c245729642318e_zpsiqk4ncnk.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/20e928ffe4de493eb7c245729642318e_zpsiqk4ncnk.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<b> Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
15 medium sprouts<br />
1 tbsp oil<br />
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder (optional)<br />
1/2 tsp coriander powder<br />
1/2 tsp Jaffna curry powder (or any curry powder or garam masala you might have)<br />
Salt to taste<br />
<br />
<b> Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Trim the sprouts and cut into quarters. <br />
<br />
2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the asafoetida powder and coriander powder and stir it for 30 seconds. Then add the quartered sprouts, sprinkle the curry powder or garam masala over, and stir to coat the sprouts in the oil and spices. <br />
<br />
3. Keep the heat just below medium-high and cover the pan. Let the sprouts cook for 15 minutes undisturbed. Then take off the lid and check to see that they are cooked. They should be beautifully caramelised from the prolonged undisturbed contact with the hot pan. Sprinkle the salt over the cooked sprouts and stir it in.<br />
<br />
4. Take the pan off the heat and serve the sprouts hot as a side with rice and sambar. (I ate most of them straight from the pan because they were just that delicious.)</span></span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-69182873386928794452016-11-13T18:24:00.003+00:002016-11-13T18:24:51.214+00:00Triple ginger white-chocolate cookies<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, I have a confession to make - I might as well be up front about it. I hate white chocolate. I think it's far too sweet and it isn't even proper chocolate. Another confession: I've kind of gone off chocolate bakes in general, although I did like my orgasmic brownies. More to the point, everybody else liked it a lot more, so they disappeared very quickly. </span></div>
<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
The problem of the day was there was half a bar of white chocolate in my cupboard that had been there for absolutely ages - possibly even years, because I can't remember the last time I used white chocolate in anything! Still, I didn't want to throw it away because I'm stingy like that. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was toying with the idea of making a white chocolate and raspberry <i>something</i> but wasn't sure what that should be - apart from the small matter of not having any raspberries in the house. My husband tried to convince me to let the white chocolate be and make ginger nut biscuits instead. I make a really mean spicy ginger nut biscuit that he loves, but I wasn't in the mood because they're quite labour-intensive. Also because I didn't want that white chocolate sitting around for a single moment longer. So, as a compromise, I finally decided I would make cookies with ginger AND the white chocolate. And that is how these cookies happened. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My husband thought the cookies were lovely. Some friends who popped by also thought the same, so they went back home happily accompanied by a dozen. My husband was happy, my friends were happy. I tried a cookie myself and I thought it was ok (considering it contained white chocolate). Still, I was happy too, because no more white chocolate in the house... and no more coming in ever if I have a say in it! </div>
<br /><b>
Recipe for:</b></span><b> </b><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Triple-ginger white chocolate cookies</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 6fcea889-71aa-4fe5-9764-eff51452c169_zpsrpteivsy.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2016%20Food%20Blogs/6fcea889-71aa-4fe5-9764-eff51452c169_zpsrpteivsy.jpg" /></a><br />
<br /><b>
Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
2 tsp grated ginger<br />
1 tsp ginger powder<br />
2 tbsp chopped stem ginger <br />
225gm plain flour<br />
3/4 tsp baking soda<br />
1 large egg<br />
150gm butter<br />
100gm light brown sugar<br />
50gm dark brown sugar<br />
150gm white chocolate, chopped into small pieces (or use white chocolate chips)<br />
2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1/2 tsp nutmeg<br />
<br /><b>
Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla and beat until well combined. <br />
<br />
2. Now add the flour, grated ginger, nutmeg and ginger powder to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until it comes together in a dough. Fold in the chopped stem ginger and the white chocolate until they are evenly distributed. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, as it will be too sticky to work with otherwise. <br />
<br />
3. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. While the oven is heating, form walnut-sized balls from the chilled dough and place 1.5 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with non-stick foil. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. (The time will vary a little depending on your oven - mine is a fan-assisted oven.) If you have to bake the cookies in batches like I did (because I only have one baking sheet that I actually like), remember to keep the dough refrigerated between bakes so that it doesn't soften too much. <br />
<br />
The cookies will be quite soft at first, so leave them on the tray for 2 minutes before carefully removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will crisp up as they cool. <br />
<br />
If you like your cookies crisp around the edges but softer in the middle (I do), take them out of the oven after about 8-9 minutes. My husband likes them crisp so I baked his for the full 10 minutes. </span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-19075119781532954842016-11-12T21:00:00.000+00:002016-11-12T21:01:04.397+00:00Apple, cucumber and carrot salad <span class="fullpost"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">Salads aren't my most favourite food, if I am to be honest. Seeing a recipe for salad on anyone's blog doesn't usually float my boat. So I don't expect this simple recipe to turn the Internet's head and send millions of unique visitors my way. But it really was a refreshing salad when I ate it yesterday, and I thought it worthwhile to make a post of it. The best part was that the apples were from my own little container tree, which has done rather well this year. i think I got about 20 apples from it, all told. It's only got two branches!<br />
<br />
I had picked a couple of apples to see if they were edible or whether I would have to make an apple crisp or cake, because last month when I tried one, it was much too sour to make pleasant eating. (I made a cake with the apples then). They are meant to be eating apples, you see. But this time they were perfect, beautifully juicy and sweet with the right amount of tartness. Really lovely. Why I fancied a salad using the apples, I have no idea. I don't usually want a salad for dinner. But I had also picked some mint too, and I wanted to use that. So here it is. I can assure you that the salad is refreshing and I really enjoyed it. It is not any more exciting than that, unfortunately. <br />
<br />
No wait, that's not <i>quite</i> true. There was SOME excitement while I was slicing the vegetables - I used a mandoline to make wafer-thin slices, and it was so viciously sharp and efficient at its job that I found I had sliced a bit off the side of my forefinger before I knew it. I cursed a bit and ran cold water over my finger, then went back to the mandoline. And it happened AGAIN, this time to my thumb. It was painful, but at least I can claim that I put myself into my salad. You don't have to do the same, though. I'm sure the salad would taste just as nice without the blood, sweat (metaphorically speaking) and tears. <br />
<br /><b>
Recipe for:</b></span><b> <span style="color: #274e13;">Apple, cucumber and carrot salad</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="fullpost"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 9a86087f-b4a3-4aa1-a80c-4d580c057999_zpspafi9lb4.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2016%20Food%20Blogs/9a86087f-b4a3-4aa1-a80c-4d580c057999_zpspafi9lb4.jpg" /></a><br /><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="fullpost"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients: </b><br />
<br />
2 medium eating apples<br />
1 small cucumber<br />
1 medium carrot<br />
2 tbsp walnuts<br />
handful of Chinese cabbage or lettuce, shredded very fine<br />
<br /><b>
For the dressing:</b><br />
1 tbsp lime juice<br />
1 tbsp olive oil<br />
1 tbsp very finely chopped mint<br />
1 tbsp honey<br />
1 tsp apple balsamic vinegar <br />
Salt to taste<br />
<br />
1. Slice the cucumber, apples and carrot very thinly (I used a mandoline).<br />
<br />
2. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Adjust the taste to your requirement. <br />
<br />
3. Mix the salad vegetables together, then add the dressing a little at a time - you may not require all of it, so go easy. Sprinkle the walnuts on top and eat immediately. </span><br />
</span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-72505247149228342002016-11-11T15:06:00.003+00:002016-11-11T15:12:56.260+00:00Mixed vegetable pakoda v2<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">I've posted a pakoda recipe before, but I thought I'd do a post on this version because, for one, it IS slightly different and for another, I really REALLY like my photo and think it deserves to be enshrined on my blog for posterity to view over and over.</span></span><br />
<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">HAHAHAHA! <br />
<br />
My mother's version (which is the only one I've used all these years) for vegetable pakoda does not involve ginger-garlic paste. This time I decided to add it, and gosh, what a difference it made to the taste! The mint also added a refreshing note. I recommend it. </span></span><br />
<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">Oh, and while you're considering my recommendation, make sure you guys admire my beautiful photo of the pakodas. I recommend that too. <br />
<br /><b>
Recipe for:</b></span><b> </b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Mixed vegetable pakoda</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 9d02ee62-6afc-47c2-8255-d76b419ef479_zpsbsmepbnl.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/9d02ee62-6afc-47c2-8255-d76b419ef479_zpsbsmepbnl.jpg" /></a><br />
<br /><b>
Ingredients:</b>
<br />
1 medium potato<br />
10-12 green beans<br />
1/5 small cauliflower<br />
1 medium carrot<br />
1 cup spinach<br />
1/4 cup green peas<br />
1 medium onion<br />
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste<br />
2 tbsp finely chopped mint</span></span><br />
<span class="fullpost" style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;">1 tsp omam/ajwain/oregano seeds<br />
1 tsp red chilli powder<br />
1 tsp coriander powder<br />
1.5 - 2 cups chickpea flour<br />
2 tbsp rava/semolina<br />
Salt to taste<br />
Oil for deep frying<br />
<br /><b>
Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Peel the carrot. Chop all the vegetables into thin 1/2-inch long strips. <br />
<br />
2. Heat the oil in a deep wok. While the oil is heating, in a large mixing bowl, mix together all the chopped vegetables, spice powders, grated ginger and garlic, the semolina and the chickpea flour. Mix well, then add salt to taste and mix again. Add 1/4 cup water and mix with your hands to a thick dough. It should not be runny at all, because the vegetables will exude water. And once the dough is mixed, use it straightaway. <br />
<br />
3. Drop a small piece of dough in the oil - if it floats to the top rightaway, the oil is ready. Drop the mixture carefully into the oil by the tablespoonful. Don't crowd the oil or the pakodas will not be crisp and soak up the oil. Once they are an even golden brown, remove from the oil and drain onto kitchen paper. <br />
<br />
4. Serve warm. Great with drinks. </span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-8347881942965531272016-11-07T23:41:00.001+00:002016-11-08T21:15:57.754+00:00No-cook green chutney <span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is such a simple recipe that I'm slightly embarrassed that I'm making it an actual post. However, consider this a record of the ingredients for this chutney. Bear in mind that the ingredients are not set in stone. The coriander and mint are necessary, but the spinach can be omitted, you can use peanuts or walnuts instead of the almonds, add or omit the sunflower seeds or substitute some other seeds... you get the idea. </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This chutney can be used as is, as a condiment to go with samosas and other Indian snacks, as a sandwich spread, as a dip mixed into yogurt. It could even be good with pasta, if you consider it as a sort of fat-free Indian "pesto". I haven't tried that, but there's no reason to think it won't be nice. It's versatiie, zingy and easy to make. Last but not the least. this is a healthy chutney - </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">not in the sense of "I've halved the sugar so I'm calling this healthy" or "I've added spinach to the vegetable pakodas that I deep fried, so I'm calling it healthy" - but actually good for you. That's all. </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh - one more thing. I had this chutney with khatta dhokla yesterday (made from a packet mix, so sue me). And today, I dolloped a couple of spoonfuls over my bowlful of oven-roasted veggies (Charlotte potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, red onion) and enjoyed every last bite of my light supper. See what I'm saying about this green chutney being versatile?</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Recipe for:</span> <span style="color: #274e13;">Green chutney</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 741f192e-023b-42ad-9e51-83ada681778e_zpstbxa8yqe.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/741f192e-023b-42ad-9e51-83ada681778e_zpstbxa8yqe.jpg" /></a><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3 cups chopped coriander</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 cup chopped mint</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 cup chopped spinach</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1-2 green chillies, chopped (or to taste)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">10-12 almonds, skinned</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp mixed seeds (I used sunflower and melon)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp cumin seeds</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp sugar</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Juice of half a lemon (or to taste)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Salt to taste</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Water as required</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Grind together all the ingredients (except the salt and lemon juice) to a smooth paste.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Mix in the lemon juice and salt to taste. The consistency should be softly runny, not very thick. </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. That's it. It's ready to use. </span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-15480159725789362882016-11-03T23:10:00.003+00:002016-11-03T23:10:22.799+00:00Blackeyed bean curry<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love my local "Indian" shop in Wellington. Del, the owner, is a really nice man with a great sense of humour and enough knowledge of rugby to engage with Pete. Plus, he keeps adding new products, especially in the fresh frozen section. I might not get a wide variety of fresh and exotic vegetables there, although most of the Indian staples are easily available, but there's plenty in the frozen section to keep me happy.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like the fresh frozen black eyed beans that I bought the other day. (I also bought a couple of bags of some type of mystery greens, but that's another story.) I guess my foodie friends will understand when I say that my cup of happiness ranneth (new word!) over when I saw the fresh beans and green chickpeas in the freezer section. <span class="fullpost"> </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I made a curry the same evening with the black eyed beans - really tasty it was, too. I won't say that it will rock your world, although it should. (Mine wobbled a bit on its axis.)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">Recipe for:</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">Blackeyed bean curry</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></span></b></div>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 3c815a01-06df-43e4-b706-5b7b4fe807a1_zpsxbpircn9.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/3c815a01-06df-43e4-b706-5b7b4fe807a1_zpsxbpircn9.jpg" /></a><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 tsp oil</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 cups fresh frozen blackeyed beans</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 medium potato, sliced into strips</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3 large tomatoes, chopped fine</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 large onion, chopped fine</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3-4 green chillies, minced (or to taste)</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1" piece ginger, grated</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 cloves garlic, minced</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp coriander powder</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp cumin powder</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 tsp Kitchen King masala (or garam masala)</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1-2 cups water</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/4 cup yogurt</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Salt to taste</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Juice of half a lime</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Coriander leaves for garnish</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span> <span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion, green chillies, ginger and garlic along with the coriander and cumin powder. Mix well and fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to soften.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Now add the chopped tomatoes and sliced potatoes and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the frozen blackeyed beans, pour in a cupful of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Then cover the pan, turn down the heat and let the beans cook for 10 minutes. Stir once in a while so that the masala does not burn. Add a little more water if required.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Once the potatoes and beans are cooked, and the sauce is thick, stir in the yogurt over medium heat. Do not let it boil after adding the yogurt. Add salt to taste and mix it in, then the lime juice. Turn off the heat, sprinkle the beans with the chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or chapaties. </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-30499749714665788402016-10-22T16:16:00.004+01:002016-10-22T16:39:13.979+01:00Kesar pista nankhatai (Saffron-pistachio cookies)<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
Until yesterday, I'd only ever seen nankhatai in photos on various blogs (most of them very, very beautifully shot photos, I might add). Never seen them in real life, never eaten any (not that I know of and not by that name), never baked any. Since Diwali is next week, and because I'd just bought a lovely big bag of pistachios recently, and also because our friends were going to drop by and I wanted to bake something for them with an Indian touch, I decided to make nankhatai with the pistachios and the last of my stash of saffron. The <a href="https://www.saffrontrail.com/kesar-nankhatai-indian-shortbread-cookies-with-saffron-recipe" target="_blank" title="ST">recipe I followed is on Nandita's Saffron Trail blog</a>. My only two additions were pistachio nuts in the dough itself, and extra milk as the ghee alone was nowhere near enough to bind the mixture together to make a dough. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">And what a good decision it was. I love saffron - although I don't use it often because it's expensive - and I love pistachios, and I know they're a flavour match made in heaven (fictitious place, obvs, but the match is very real and the flavours are very lovely!). These cookies are very moreish - they're not too sweet, the saffron flavour is awesome, the pistachios are delicious and the semolina gives the nankhatai a lovely crunch. Be sure to use fine semolina, though, otherwise, the nankhatai might have a sandy mouthfeel rather than crispness. Happy eating, people! <br />
<br />
<b>Recipe for: </b></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Kesar pista nankhatai (saffron pistachio cookies)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br />
</span></span> <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo f5710913-d2ea-438a-900c-989e2ced8eb0_zps6y1brntg.jpg" border="0" height="400" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/f5710913-d2ea-438a-900c-989e2ced8eb0_zps6y1brntg.jpg" width="316" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients: </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1.5 cups plain flour</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2.5 tbsp chickpea flour</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1/2 tbsp fine sooji (semolina)</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp baking soda</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1/4 cup slivered pistachio nuts </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios (optional)</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1/2 cup powdered sugar</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1/2 cup melted ghee (clarified butter)</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1/4 tsp saffron strands, crushed in a small mortar-pestle</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Milk as required</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Sift together the flours, semolina and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix in the slivered pistachio nuts and set aside. Warm 2 tbsp of the milk and let the saffron steep in it for 5 minutes. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. In a large bowl, mix together the ghee, powdered sugar and saffron-milk until smooth, then add the flour mixture. Add extra milk a tablespoon at a time until you can form a soft dough. Be careful not to add too much liquid. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Roll the dough into balls the size of large marbles and place on a cookie sheet lined with non-stick paper or foil, leaving a gap of about 1.5 inches. At this point, if you wish, you can make a dimple in the centre of each cookie with your thumb and sprinkle a pinch of the chopped pistachios. If not, just flatten each ball slightly and place in the preheated oven. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cookies are a pale brown, switching the tray around after 10 minutes so that they brown evenly. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. Remove to a wire cooling rack. The cookies will crisp up as they cool. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. Try not to eat all the nankhatai yourself. </span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-11471362558466182862016-09-21T11:12:00.002+01:002016-09-21T11:13:49.712+01:00Orgasmic cocoa walnut brownies<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brownies are my nemesis. I don't make them particularly often, and pretty much every past effort has ended up overbaked, dry and crumbly - not exactly ideal, when I like them chewy on the outside and fudgy in the centre. And with nuts in, to cut through the sweetness. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Two weeks back I baked brownies again, using fancy dark chocolate, because I wanted to take them to a friend's new apartment where we had been invited for dinner. While those brownies were not too bad, they were still drier than I wanted. Sort of dusty tasting. This was disappointing and annoying, especially because I'd used expensive chocolate to make it. Nobody else seemed to mind and the brownies were gobbled down, but I was still not really happy with the result. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I nearly decided not to bother making them again, but those darned brownies kept bobbing about in the back of my mind, never quite going away. (Well, obviously not the ACTUAL brownies, but the thought of them.) Yesterday around midnight I finally gave in to the compulsion and decided to make them with cocoa powder (and the remainder of the dark chocolate from last time). Just regular cocoa powder (actually Tesco's own brand, so the very opposite of posh!) which had been lurking in the back of the cupboard for ages. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I made the brownies with hope, but no expectation that it would be what I wanted. For once, I managed to ignore my inner voice which was as usual screaming "but it's not FULLY baked yet!" and removed the brownies from the oven when the centre was still slightly shiny. A toothpick inserted into the centre went in with just a little resistance and came out mostly clean - perfect! The brownies were absolutely sensational - orgasmic, even. Just goes to show that expensive ingredients do not necessarily transform into fabulous baked goods. If you have not come across this <i>tattuvam</i> (truth, in Tamil) anywhere else before, or realised it for yourself during your own cooking experiments, then this is where you heard it first. Credit where it's due, after all, haha! </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here's another truth - underbaking a brownie is preferable to overbaking it. If, like me, you've baked cakes but are not particularly experienced with brownies, your instinct will be to ensure that the toothpick comes out clean. This is a good instinct when it comes to cakes, where underbaking would be disastrous, but it <i><u>does not apply</u><b></b></i> to brownies. Keep that in mind, and you'll be fine! More importantly, so will your brownies. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo d52aa14a-96c6-4a36-be57-028dff9eed1f_zpsytmsaois.jpg" border="0" src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2016%20Food%20Blogs/d52aa14a-96c6-4a36-be57-028dff9eed1f_zpsytmsaois.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">Recipe for:</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">Orgasmic walnut cocoa brownies</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">140gm unsalted butter, cut into cubes</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">230gm granulated sugar</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">50gm unsweetened cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">30gm dark chocolate</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 htsp instant coffee granules</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/4 tsp kosher salt (or regular if you don't have kosher)</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 tsp pure vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 large eggs</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">65gm all-purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/3 cup nuts of choice (I used walnuts), broken into small pieces</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Method:</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Preheat your oven to 170C. Line an 8"square tin with nonstick aluminium foil such that there is an overhang on all sides. This will make removing the brownies from the pan way easy!</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Put the butter, sugar, salt, coffee granules and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat it on high for 30 seconds, then stir with a wooden spoon. Repeat until the butter and chocolate are completely melted and smooth. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Tip in the cocoa powder and vanilla and stir until fully incorporated. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring well. Then the flour, first mixing it in, then beating the mixture vigorously until it is thick and shiny. Stir in the nuts, if using. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. Pour/scrape the mixture into the prepared tin - it will be quite thick - and level it. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top of the mixture loses its shine. This may take a little more time in your oven, but after 20 minutes keep a very sharp watch on the brownies. Underbaking is always preferable to overbaking! A toothpick inserted into the center of the mix should come out mostly clean. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Remove the tin from the oven and let the brownies cool completely before cutting. If you can resist temptation, after the brownies are cool, put them in the fridge for 30 minutes. When cutting them, dip your knife in water every so often, to get clean cuts. Or, if you're like me, never mind refrigerating, just dive in! </span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-42203342800496769192016-08-20T19:45:00.002+01:002016-08-21T11:03:20.660+01:00Lime-vanilla sugar cookies<div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The basic sugar cookie recipe was from a colleague who made hers first from a recipe on the back of some cookie mix or other. She brought some leftover cookies to work just before Christmas break last year, and they were SO delicious that I asked her for the recipe. I'm not really a cookie person - either eating or making - but her cookies really were incredibly moreish. </span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first time I made the plain sugar cookies was last Saturday - they turned out really well, and Pete loved them. He insisted that we should take some to a friend's barbeque party. She had two types of desserts for the guests but her daughter decided that she was going to make herself a dessert with my cookies, layering them with strawberries that been macerated with sugar, and clotted cream (like an ersatz strawberry shortcake) and declared it a superhit. </span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the meantime, my friend's husband was quietly putting away cookie after cookie, looking sheepish when he was rumbled, but not letting it stop him from taking a couple more. There must have been at least 40 cookies in the container, but by the end of the party they were all gone to the last crumb. That was definitely a pleasing result in my eyes, both because the cookies came out so well and because everyone liked them, from the 7-year-old granddaughter to the 70-year old neighbour!</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All week since, Pete had been begging me to make some more. Yesterday I chose to make them but give it a citrusy twist, because I love citrus-flavoured things. Lime was my flavouring of choice. Again, the cookies turned out really well - which I guess convinced me that it wasn't a fluke the first time around (really, I'm not famous for baking cookies). </span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I liked these lime-flavoured cookies quite a lot myself, and so did Pete. And so did Pete's son and his girlfriend who dropped by. Like me, Andy is not really a cookie person, but he said "these are the best cookies I've ever eaten" and went on to prove it by eating half a dozen in quick succession. As for his girlfriend, she scarfed down a few, and then took charge of the bag containing the 2-3 dozen that I packed for them to take away. I'm not sure Andy will be seeing very much of them, unless he is V E R Y nice to her... </span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the way, I got about 60 cookies from the amount of dough that this recipe makes - but mine were small, about the diameter of an Oreo. If you make bigger cookies, you will get fewer (yes, well, <i>duh</i>). I also toyed with the idea of icing them with a simple lemon icing (lemon juice + icing sugar mixed to a spreadable consistency) but laziness got the better of me. Besides, I didn't really think the icing was essential. </span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One last tip - the dough is best worked with when chilled. </span></div><div><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
</span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">Recipe for:</span> <span style="color: #274e13;">Lime-vanilla sugar cookies</span></b></div><span class="fullpost" style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/20e51a30-6f41-48d7-b81b-2b913b8d297b_zpsxsjczgof.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20e51a30-6f41-48d7-b81b-2b913b8d297b_zpsxsjczgof.jpg"></a><br />
<div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">150gm softened unsalted butter</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">150gm caster (superfine) sugar</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">300gm plain (AP) flour</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1.5 tsp best-quality vanilla extract</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp pure lime oil (optional)</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zest of one lime</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 medium egg, beaten</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Method:</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Cream butter and sugar using a wooden spoon in a large mixing until light and fluffy (I did this by hand, takes about 7-8 minutes).</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Add the beaten egg, the lime zest, lime oil and vanilla extract and beat it in. </span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Add the flour in 4-5 installments, mixing just until incorporated. When it comes together into a rough dough, dust your hands with some flour and form the dough into a ball. Place the ball on some clingfilm or a sheet of non-stick foil and flatten it evenly till about 1/2 inch thick. Cover completely and place in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour. </span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Scatter some flour on your working space. Turn out the chilled dough onto the floured space and gently roll the dough out until it is evenly 3-4mm thick. You may need to dip the rolling pin into flour now and then to stop the dough sticking. You can divide the dough into two before rolling out, to make it easier. Keep the other half chilled in the meantime. </span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. Using a cookie cutter of choice, stamp out the cookies, dipping the cutter into flour each time. Re-roll the remaining dough and cut out until the dough is used up. </span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6. Transfer the cookies onto a sheet lined with non-stick foil or baking paper, leaving about an inch in between them as they will spread a little. Place the cookie sheet in the fridge again to chill for 15 minutes. </span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F (mine is a fan-assisted oven) and bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes or until they are a pale golden brown. You can turn the sheet around after 5-6 minutes to let them brown evenly, if you like. </span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">8. Let them cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer carefully to a cooling rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight jar. </span></div>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-79547538808919222222016-04-24T20:34:00.002+01:002016-04-24T20:34:26.676+01:00Eggless orange almond cookies<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My little niece, who is nearly 6 years old, has been allergic to eggs since she was a baby. If she eats anything with even a trace of eggs, within about 15 minutes of ingesting it, she gets very uneasy and then invariably throws up. Once she's evacuated the contents of her little tummy, she's right back to normal, bouncy and happy while people around her deal with the aftermath. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Obviously an allergy to eggs, while not as terrible as various other food-related allergies that children can have, does mean that she has to be very careful when she eats away from home - especially when it's a kiddie birthday party and there are tempting cakes and cookies on offer. Also because no party-organising parent really wants to have to deal with a kid who's having an allergic reaction that could escalate to life-endangering! However, touch wood, my niece is not fatally allergic to eggs, so her allergy is probably one of the easier types of problems to deal with. After all, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">it's easy enough to make egg-free food, especially cakes, cookies and ice creams. This holds true especially for home bakers. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="fullpost" style="color: #660000;">
</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I made these orange almond cookies last week as a trial, to see how they would turn out prior to making them for my sister to take back for my niece when she returns to Seattle next week. The cookies turned out incredibly crisp and orangey and really tasty, and they disappeared really rather quickly. So I'm making a double batch today, because there would be a one-man mutiny if I didn't keep a few cookies back for home consumption. And here's the recipe so YOU can make it too. </span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Oh by the way, I've taken to weighing out my ingredients for baking - I have the most basic of Salter kitchen scales that can weigh up to 500gms or 1/2 kilo. What's more, it can be tucked away neatly in its weighing bowl with its own plastic lid. Don't ask what's the big deal here, if you're the kind that weighs things automatically - until now I've not been the sort of person who bothered with all that "fussiness" (as I considered it). I'm not yet 100% on the side of weighing every single time...but I'm far more likely to do it than not. I consider myself to be the new improved version of me. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Recipe for:</span> <span style="color: #274e13;">Eggless orange almond cookies</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">115 gms unsalted butter, softened</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">100 gms caster or granulated) sugar (I've tried it with both and it doesn't seem to have made any difference to the end result)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">155 gms plain flour</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 tbsp orange juice</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp pure orange oil (optional)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3-4 drops of orange food colouring (optional)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Zest of one orange</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 tsp cardamom seed powder if you prefer)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. By hand will do - I used a wooden spoon.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Add the rest of the ingredients apart from the sliced/slivered almonds and mix together until fully incorporated. Place the almonds on a plate. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for an hour for it to firm up. Line a flat baking sheet with a Silpat mat or with nonstick baking paper. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Break off pieces of dough (about the size of a large marble), roll them into a ball and press them into the almonds. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. Place the cookie dough balls on the lined tray (almond side up) and flatten each one slightly. (You may need to wash and dry your hands every so often to stop the dough sticking as it starts to warm up). Leave 2 inches space between cookies as they will spread. Put the remaining dough back in the fridge if you can't use it all in one batch. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">6. Bake the cookies in a 180C oven for 9-12 minutes (or until the edges turn golden brown). Leave the cookies on the sheet for a minute, then transfer carefully with a spatula on to wire cooling racks. They will crisp up as they cool. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-16716439820911702602016-01-26T23:15:00.000+00:002016-01-26T23:15:19.031+00:00Stuffed karela (bitter melon, bitter gourd)<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can't seem to get enough of karela or bittergourd nowadays - I really love these ugly knobbly vegetables that look like a bit like rats with a long tail. A couple of days back, I went to my favourite "Indian" shop in Wellington for vegetables, and was beyond thrilled to find small baby karela for sale. I picked out the freshest 10 and came home joyfully, having decided how I was going to cook them. Stuffed, basically. I didn't want the stuffing to be the usual onion masala or potato masala or peanut-based masala - mainly because I didn't want to spend time cooking the stuffing. Bad enough that I would have to wait for the karela itself to cook. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">S</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">o I just put together a random mixture of flours and spices, toasted the mix in a dry pan until fragrant, then used some oil and water to bind the powdery mix and make it amenable to stuffing, basically. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I admit that this recipe uses more oil than usual, but it's worth it if you love karela and only make it once in a while. It was SO delicious. I had the stuffed karela with lemon masoor dal and rice and a little ghee, and felt like I had gone to heaven without having to die first. Yes, THAT good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So good that I forgot to take a photo before diving into the karela. Oops... </span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recipe for</span>: <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stuffed karela</span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> </span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6-8 small (about 4-5 inches length) tender karela<br />
<br />
<b>For the masala paste</b><br />
1/4 cup soya flour or jowar flour<br />
1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan/kadalai maavu)<br />
1/8 cup rice flour<br />
4 tbsp coriander powder<br />
1 tsp cumin powder<br />
1/2 tsp aniseed powder<br />
1/2 tsp fennel powder<br />
1 tsp garam masala/rasam powder/any other masala you prefer<br />
2 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)<br />
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder<br />
Salt to taste<br />
4 tbsp oil<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b> <br />
<br />
1. Lightly peel the karela so that the ridges no longer stick out. Make a slit in each karela from end to end, being careful not to cut right through to the other side. <br />
<br />
2. Use the handle of a small spoon to gouge out the inner seeds and membrane. <br />
<br />
3. At this point you can rub salt on the inside and outside of the karela and let it sit for a few hours so that some of the bitter juices are drawn out. If you do this, be sure to squeeze the juices out, then wash the karela well to remove the excess salt. Pat dry with kitchen paper and reserve. <br />
<br />
4. Mix together all the ingredients for the masala paste, bar the oil. Heat a pan and dry toast the mixed masala powder, stirring constantly, until the flours start to smell fragrant and savoury. Be careful not to burn it. <br />
<br />
5. Once the masala mix is toasted, transfer it to a container. This might be more than you require, but you can always store the excess for another day in an airtight container. I prefer to make extra, because I don't like it when I find out halfway through stuffing that there isn't enough masala paste to fill all the karela. so you can use all of the toasted mix, or just half, depending on how many karela you have and their size. <br />
<br />
6. Now add 2 tbsp of the oil to the masala powder and stir it in. The paste needs to come together enough that if you pinch some together, it shouldn't fall apart. You can add a bit more oil to get the powder to that stage, or you can add a little water. Either way, don't make it into a gooey paste.<br />
<br />
7. Once the masala mix is ready, use your fingers to stuff it into the karela. Once they are all stuffed, you can use kitchen string to tie the karela so the stuffing doesn't come out (it tends to expand a bit as it cooks), but it's not strictly necessary especially if the karela is small. <br />
<br />
8. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add 1/4 tsp asafoetida to it. As soon as it sizzles, put the stuffed karela in the pan and stir them gently so they are coated in the oil. Sprinkle 2-3 tbsp water over the karela and close the pan. Cook the karela covered over medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until they soften and turn a paler green. After that take the lid off and turn up the heat a bit more, occasionally turning them over, until they turn brown and crisp on all sides. <br />
<br />
Serve hot with dal and rice.</span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-1161771177934449082016-01-25T21:50:00.000+00:002016-01-25T22:00:14.049+00:00Pineapple upside down cake<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All these years of blogging, all these cakes I've made... and I've never posted a pineapple upside down cake recipe! It's kinda retro and old fashioned, apparently, but I've never understood how anything can be "in fashion" or "outdated" when it comes to food - especially if it's a tasty, delicious recipe. Who cares if it's from the '70s or the '50s or the '80s? For heaven's sake, it's<i> FOOD</i>, not fashion. It annoys me tremendously when some idiot foodista or television chef somewhere labels a particular greens or grain or fruit as "fashionable" or "healthy" or "THE must-have item", and the entire bleddy food blog world immediately features it, so that there is a landslide of samey same posts. I dislike food fads with a passion! Okay, my soapbox rant is over for today. </span><span class="fullpost" style="color: #660000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, pineapple cake. I only made it because Pete bought a bag of fresh pineapple "fingers" that was so acidic and sharp, it could have stripped the enamel from your teeth no problem. He then had the brainwave of making pineapple upside down cake. Or rather, getting me to make it. Since I had a simple, one-bowl sort of recipe (based on a BBC Good Food recipe) for this cake, I acceded to his request. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the recipe called for pineapple syrup and vanilla extract to flavour the cake, I didn't have either ingredient, my pineapple being fresh rather than canned. But there was enough pineapple juice at the bottom of the bag, which I substituted for the syrup. And then simply ignored the fact that there was no vanilla extract in my store cupboard. It didn't matter, anyway. The cake smelt amazing as it baked, so fragrant and pineappley, and it tasted as beautiful as it smelt. I love this cake - I just can't understand why it took me so long to post the recipe!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Recipe for:</span></b> <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Pineapple upside down cake</b></span></span></div>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 2d2ece7f-b3c8-47c1-b7db-79daeb003197_zps6kmbngue.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2d2ece7f-b3c8-47c1-b7db-79daeb003197_zps6kmbngue.jpg" /></a><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients: </b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<u><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the topping</span></u></div>
<div>
<u><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></u></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">50 gm softened butter</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">50 gm soft light brown sugar</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fresh pineapple fingers or tinned pineapple slices</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<u><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the cake</span></u></div>
<div>
<u><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></u></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">100 gm softened butter</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">100 gm soft light brown sugar</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">125 gm plain flour</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tsp baking powder</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1/2 tsp baking soda</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 large eggs</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp pineapple juice</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract (if you have it)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white;">Method:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Beat the butter and sugar for the topping until soft and creamy. Spread this as best as possible around the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 7" round cake pan. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries (if using) over this such that the entire bottom of the tin is covered with as few spaces as possible. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. In a big bowl, add all the cake ingredients and beat until the batter is soft and smooth, and the ingredients well mixed. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. Drop the batter by spoonfuls over the pineapple rings and spread evenly to cover.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. Bake for 30-45 minutes until a tester inserted in the cake comes out clean. The cake could take longer than 45 minutes, or be done in less. Test at 35 minutes, then every 5-7 minutes until it is cooked. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #274e13; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving plate. Eat warm, with or without vanilla ice cream.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-51005143402961857502015-05-30T15:50:00.000+01:002015-05-30T16:00:49.458+01:00Black pepper garlic kuzhambu<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;">I simply had to post this kuzhambu recipe, because it is just literally so lip-smackingly good - thick, tangy, hot, spicy, a tiny bit sweet and entirely irresistible! The recipe is from a foodie group on Facebook of which I am a member, and I can't seem to find it again on FB (which I wanted to do for crediting purposes on my blog). I am SO pleased that I wrote it down on a piece of paper when I saw it on FB (not having had access to a printer or my own computer at that point). I state freely that this is not my own recipe, and I do really wish I knew whose it was. All I DO know for certain that it is comfort food whose ingredients are good for health. <br />
<br />
I made the kuzhambu and refrigerated it just before going on a week-long trip on a narrowboat with my husband. It was a lovely, relaxing, stressfree holiday, with the most gorgeous, eye-poppingly pretty scenery... but that's only by the way. The main thing is, I knew that the food I would be eating on the boat (and off it, at the various canal-side pubs that we stopped at) would not be spicy enough for me, and I would be dying for something to tickle my palate when we got back. <br />
<br />
And so it turned out. <br />
<br />
I certainly enjoyed the food en route, but I couldn't wait to get stuck into hot and spicy comfort food when we got home - and this kuzhambu was absolutely just the thing. I could not have asked for anything better. All I had to do was make some rice - and because it was too late to make any vegetable side-dish to accompany it (and because I was much too hungry), I just microwaved a couple of poppadoms and ladled the kuzhambu on the rice. It tasted like heaven - but there was rather too much of the kuzhambu on the rice, because it was so full-on hot and peppery. It's really meant to be mixed with rice in small amounts, not in quantities like regular sambar or rasam. I had to tone the spice quotient down somewhat with a large dollop of Greek yogurt on the side of my plate, but that was a wonderful combination anyway.<br />
<br />
Oh, and if you're wondering why I didn't mention the taste of the large amounts of garlic that went into the kuzhambu, it's because it doesn't come across as overly garlicky. So don't worry about it, and don't skimp on the garlic; in fact, next time I will probably add even more garlic. It's good for you, anyway, so no harm done.<br />
<br />
One other thing - the correct amount of salt is essential, otherwise the kuzhambu tends to be on the sweetish side. I'm used to making do with less salt in my cooking than (after all, you can always add more, but you can't really undo oversalting disasters!) but in this case I did have to add some more. So, it would probably be best to start by adding 3/4 tsp salt, then taste-testing to see if your palate requires more. Let your tongue and palate be the judge. <br />
<br />
Happy eating!</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Recipe for:</b></span> <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Black pepper garlic kuzhambu</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2015%20Food%20Blog%20pix/Pepper20garlic20kuzhambu_zpsa6inuc2n.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Pepper20garlic20kuzhambu_zpsa6inuc2n.jpg"/></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
1/4 cup baby shallots/sambar onions<br />
1 tbsp tamarind paste, dissolved in 1/2 cup water<br />
1/2 tsp turmeric powder<br />
1 tsp jaggery (raw palm sugar) (optional)<br />
1 tbsp neutral oil<br />
Salt to taste<br />
<br />
<b> To grind:</b><br />
<br />
1-2 tsp black peppercorns (more if you love your black pepper)<br />
6-8 dried red chillies<br />
1 whole head of garlic (about 1/8 cup garlic cloves, peeled and chopped into chunks if very large)<br />
2 tsp cumin seeds<br />
1 medium onion<br />
1 medium tomato<br />
3 sprigs curry leaves <br />
<br />
<b> To temper:</b><br />
<br />
1 tbsp nallennai (unrefined sesame oil)<br />
1/2 tsp vendhayam (methi/fenugreek seeds)<br />
2 tsp mustard seeds<br />
10 curry leaves<br />
<br />
<b> Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a small pan and add the first four items on the "To grind" list. Saute for 2-3 minutes on med-high, stirring, until the chillies turn a darker shade of red and the garlic is starting to turn colour. Then add the remaining ingredients and fry until the garlic is golden. Allow to cool, then grind to a smooth paste. Set aside till required. <br />
<br />
2. Heat the remaining neutral oil, add the small onions and fry till golden (approx 3-4 minutes). Add the tamarind water, salt to taste, turmeric and jaggery. Bring it to a boil and let it bubble for 2 minutes.<br />
<br />
3. Now add the ground paste and 2 cups water and mix well. Bring to a boil again and let it simmer for 10 minutes, or until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. <br />
<br />
4. As a final touch, heat the nallennai in a small pan, then add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Cover and let the mustard seeds pop. Now tip in the fenugreek seeds and fry for 30 seconds or until the seeds turn a darker shade of brown. Be careful not to burn the seeds or they will be horribly bitter. Pour the tempering over the kuzhambu and stir it in. Let it simmer for another 3 minutes, then take the pan off the heat. <br />
<br />
Serve sparingly over steamed white rice with a dollop of ghee, any dry vegetable curry and microwaved poppadoms.</span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-47365122262938337382015-02-10T22:35:00.002+00:002015-02-10T22:35:51.567+00:00Egg salad with creamy salad dressing<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;">I'm BAAAAAAAAAAACK! At least for today. This recipe is more for the salad dressing than the salad itself. You can use whatever salad vegetables you like, that you would eat raw. Mine had shredded carrots and beetroot, rocket (arugula), baby spinach, some lettuce of the red-veined variety (who knows what it's called!), tomato wedges, cucumber slices and of course boiled eggs.<br />
<br />
Oh, and please ignore the rather gruesome grey-green ring around the yolks. I'm usually pretty deft at getting a perfectly yellow-yolk in my boiled egg, but it so happened that I completely forgot that I had eggs simmering away on the hob. I was distracted by a Facebook status and got sucked in, as you do. I don't know about you, but I blame Mark Zuckerberg. I was loath to throw the eggs away for this blemish and, besides, the green-ringed yolks aren't harmful to eat. So there you have it. By the way, the dressing works rather well with the eggs. I wouldn't have thought it, to be fair.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo Egg20salad_zpsblatmllv.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/Egg20salad_zpsblatmllv.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>Recipe for: </b></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Egg salad with creamy salad dressing <br />
<b>Ingredients<br />
<br />
For the salad dressing:</b> <br />
1 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise<br />
4 tbsp Greek or natural yogurt (not sour)<br />
1 htbsp grated parmesan cheese<br />
1.5 tsp Worcestershire sauce<br />
1 tsp lime juice<br />
1 small garlic clove, grated <br />
Freshly ground pepper<br />
pinch of salt<br />
pinch of smoked paprika<br />
<br />
<b>For the salad:</b><br />
1 cup shredded carrots<br />
1/2 cup shredded beetroot<br />
2 medium tomatoes, quartered OR 10-15 cherry tomatoes, halved<br />
1/2 cup cucumber slices<br />
Generous mixture of salad leaves as desired<br />
4 boiled eggs, peeled and quartered<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b> <br />
<br />
1. Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Thin it with a little water, whisking it in, until the dressing is thick but pourable. Adjust the ingredients as required till it tastes good to you. Chill the dressing until required. <br />
<br />
2. Put all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss them together until evenly distributed. Just before serving, divide the contents between two bowls and dollop most of the dressing over. Mix it into the salad lightly and carefully with your hands fingers or using salad "hands". Place the quartered eggs on top, dab with the remaining dressing and serve at once.</span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-40372982444401364972014-03-22T10:36:00.001+00:002014-03-22T11:07:05.738+00:00Double cherry almond cake<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">Can you believe it's over 6 months since I last posted anything on this blog? It's amazing how quickly times flies - the truth is that while I've kind of missed posting new recipes, I've also felt some relief to be able to ignore the tyranny of the blog itself. (Kind of. Obviously, since I'm posting a recipe now, I've not exactly <i>totally</i> escaped the tyrant!) Anyway, my husband keeps saying that it would be a shame to shut down this blog, considering how many years I've been keeping it going. I guess that's true, too. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
So, I made this cake because Pete loves maraschino cherries. I'd bought a big bag of these in the run-up to Christmas 2013, and while I did use some in fruit cake and Christmas cake, I've also been half toying with the idea of throwing the remainder of the cherries away. It's their sticky sweetness that puts me off. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
Pete would have been happy if I'd used just those cherries in a cake, but that really did not appear to me one bit. So I compromised by using the maraschinos, but also added Kirsch-soaked Morello cherries (I thought I had some dried sour cherries, but turns out not) that were lurking in my dried fruits container. Again left over from last Christmas, but no complaints there. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
For some crunch, and because I like nuts in my cakes to cut through the sweetness, I used flaked almonds both in the cake batter and in the topping. Of course, since this was baked in a Bundt pan, the "topping" is really the "bottoming", to coin a phrase. Doesn't sound particularly graceful, but that's how it hangs, my friends. In other words, you sprinkle the almonds in the pan, pour the batter on top, bake the cake, invert the baked cake - and voila, the bottoming is now the much nicer topping!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
</span></span> <a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo photo12_zps6f5b8a10.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2014%20Food%20Blog%20pix/photo12_zps6f5b8a10.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
This cake smelt to me like a combination of sweet bread and cake all at once, while baking. No idea why, but it was lovely. The texture of the cake is moist and moreish, and the combination of the dark Morello cherries and the jewel-coloured maraschinos in every slice made the cake look beautiful!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
</span></span> <br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo cd891771-ea36-45f7-94c7-ef490bbeb344_zps61502db4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2014%20Food%20Blog%20pix/cd891771-ea36-45f7-94c7-ef490bbeb344_zps61502db4.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"> </span><br />
<b><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recipe for</span>: <span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Double cherry almond cake</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b></span></div>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo photo14_zpsb8695ea0.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2014%20Food%20Blog%20pix/photo14_zpsb8695ea0.jpg" /></a><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup ground almonds</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup butter at room temperature</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup Quark (you can use cream cheese)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 cup white sugar</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup maraschino cherries</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 cup kirsch-soaked Morello cherries (or plain dried Bing cherries)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 eggs</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3 tsp baking powder</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp salt</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 tsp vanilla extract</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 tsp almond extract</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/3 cup + 2 tbsp flaked almonds</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Butter and flour an 8" Bundt pan and knock off the excess flour. Sprinkle the 2 tbsp flaked almonds evenly on the bottom of the cake pan. Preheat the oven to 165 degrees C. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder, and set aside.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy and light, then beat in the Quark and flavourings. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the flour until just combined. Stir in the maraschino and Morello cherries as well as the flaked almonds. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Dollop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Tie or pin a wet towel around the cake pan. This helps the cake to rise evenly and not "dome" too quickly or crack. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Bake the cake for about 70 minutes, testing with a skewer to see if it is done. If the top of the cake browns too quickly, cover it with a piece of foil. The cake is done when a tester or skewer poked into it comes out clean. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Leave the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack. Let ir cool for 15 minutes or so, then slice and serve.</span></div>
Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-19486704317896057692013-09-29T22:33:00.000+01:002013-09-29T22:33:25.687+01:00Farfalline with turnip, mushrooms and greens<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This post is dedicated to a dear blogger whose every post reflects her sincerity and sweetness - <a href="http://outofthegarden.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" title="lotg"><b>Linda OutOfTheGarden</b></a>(AndLatelyByTheLake). If it hadn't been for her <a href="http://outofthegarden.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/out-of-the-surplus-garden-plus-pickles-as-promised/" target="_blank" title="linda"><span style="color: purple;"><b>timely rant</b></span></a>, you wouldn't be reading this - because there wouldn't have been anything to read. Oh by the way, do read her rant - you'd be hard pressed to find a gentler, sweeter one! When I rant, I <i>rant</i>; when Linda rants... well, she's as likable as ever!<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About this recipe, it was meant to be mild and mostly monochrome (white turnip, white pasta, white onion, white mushrooms) but I decided to greenify it a bit by adding spinach and rocket (love the stuff) and a tiny touch of red and heat by way of a fresh red chilli - and then some crunch in the form of pine nuts... and pretty soon it wasn't the original recipe any more. It was better (she said humbly). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Recipe for</span>: </b><span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Farfalline with turnip, mushrooms and greens</b><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 6eac00eb-16a2-42c7-9c87-a1f3f081c277_zps3c975f68.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/6eac00eb-16a2-42c7-9c87-a1f3f081c277_zps3c975f68.jpg" /></a><br />
<b> Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
1/2 cup farfalline or orzo pasta<br />
1 medium turnip, peeled and sliced about 1/4 cm thick and each slice quartered<br />
1 small onion or 2 banana shallots, chopped fine<br />
1/3 cup chestnut mushrooms, sliced<br />
Good handful of spinach leaves, torn<br />
Good handful of rocket leaves<br />
1 red chilli, minced very fine (optional)<br />
1 fat clove garlic, sliced<br />
1 tsp butter<br />
2 tsp olive oil<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
2 tbsp basil and parsley, sliced</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">1 tbsp toasted pine nuts, for garnish<br />
<br />
<b> Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Cook the orzo/farfalline according to directions in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain, toss with a little olive oil and set aside.<br />
<br />
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the garlic, chillies and shallots and stir. Cook over medium heat until the shallots are soft and light brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.<br />
<br />
3. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and butter, add the sliced turnip and mushrooms. Fry until they're golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. <br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo d03aa369-8184-4696-8c6e-81dd911e4ba0_zpsd0aea3d6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/d03aa369-8184-4696-8c6e-81dd911e4ba0_zpsd0aea3d6.jpg" /></a><br />
4. Add the cooked shallots to the pan and mix them in. Toss in the spinach and rocket, then stir in the cooked pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the basil and parsley, scatter over the pine nuts, and serve hot or at room temperature.</span></span> Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-33992859223389370232013-06-13T01:28:00.000+01:002013-06-13T01:28:52.795+01:00Sundried tomato and roasted garlic bread<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">Tell you what, I'm really enjoying baking bread. I can say quite definitively that I'm no longer afraid of working with yeast - instant or fresh. I've actually got into the rhythm of baking two loaves of bread (sometimes three) pretty much every other Saturday. They're mostly a mix of white and wholewheat bread for everyday use, and sometimes I bake a third loaf which might be a flavoured one, to go with soups and suchlike. <br />
<br />
The bread loaves get sliced - and I'm getting pretty good at cutting even, thin slices, even if I do say so myself - divided into half-loaves and fed to the freezer, stored in bags labelled with the date of baking. That way I get to <s>rotate</s> <s>recycle</s> <i>use</i> <i>up</i> the bread, oldest ones first. Yep, I'm THAT organised. It's kind of disconcerting, even to me. Or especially to me, because only I know <i>just</i> how alien this behaviour is to me. <br />
<br />
Now that you've all been made aware of my weekend baking activities and the resulting follow-ons - which information I'm sure has been of great interest, by the way - let's get to the sundried tomato and roasted garlic bread that is today's recipe. By rights it should have been posted two months back, because that's about when I made it... but never mind that. The bread is really nice with soup, but I was happy to eat it by itself, with no adornments, because it was that tasty. Can't say better than that, can I? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">By the way, if you don't like a strong garlic flavour, use less of the roasted garlic paste... and if your thing is to wilt every living thing within a 10-metre radius with your breath, by all means use MORE garlic paste, as much as you want. At least Dracula won't get you. <br />
<br />
<b>Recipe for:</b></span> <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Sundried tomato and roasted garlic bread</b><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSCF8667_zps01c43660.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/DSCF8667_zps01c43660.jpg" /></a><br />
<b> Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
3-1/2 cups (15 oz) strong white bread flour<br />
2-3 tbsp olive or other oil of choice<br />
2 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste<br />
1 tbsp roasted garlic, roughly mashed<br />
1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes in oil (but leave out the oil)<br />
1 htsp salt<br />
About 300 ml warm water<br />
1/2 tbsp instant yeast<br />
<br />
<b> Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Place the flour in a deep bowl and mix in the instant yeast and salt. <br />
2. Then add the roasted garlic, tomato paste, and chopped sundried tomatoes <br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSCF8657_zps3d02237c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/DSCF8657_zps3d02237c.jpg" /></a><br />
along with 250 ml of the warm water and mix together till the flour begins to form a rough dough. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes to absorb the water.<br />
3. Now knead again, adding as much of the remaining 50ml water as required, to make a dough that is not exactly sloppy but also not hard or dry either. <br />
4. Pour 1 tbsp olive oil on your worktop (make sure your worktop is clean first!) or kneading board and spread it around a bit. Turn the dough out onto the oil and start kneading, pushing the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, turning it a quarter, then repeating the pushing/turning movement. Add more oil to the worktop if the dough starts sticking again, and continue kneading. Occasionally scrape your hand clean of dough. <br />
5. After about 8-10 minutes, the dough should be elastic and only a little tacky. Now grease a large bowl (I use Pam spray, but you can use more oil if you like) and place the dough in it, turning it around to completely coat it in the oil. Cover the bowl and place in a warm place for the dough to rise and more or less double in volume. This can take between 1-2 hours, or even longer - there's no way to accurately predict how long it might take, so I can't give you a precise time. <br />
6. Once the dough is risen, punch it back down. Sprinkle a couple of tbsp extra flour on your workspace and put the dough on it. Shape it into a round ball, place on a baking tray (flour the top of the dough lightly if you like) and cover with a clean tea-towel. Let the dough rise again for 45 min to an hour. Use a sharp knife to slash a 1-cm deep cross into the top.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSCF8662_zpscf38ed70.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/DSCF8662_zpscf38ed70.jpg" /></a><br />
7. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and put the dough in to bake. Let it bake for 25-30 minutes - the top should be a nice golden brown and the bottom should sound hollow when tapped. <br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSCF8665_zps8bb4f59c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/DSCF8665_zps8bb4f59c.jpg" /></a><br />
Remove the loaf to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely. Serve sliced, with soup.</span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-31247720210092813362013-06-03T00:13:00.000+01:002013-06-03T00:13:55.666+01:00We Knead to Bake #5 - Bialys<i>(Adapted from King Arthur Flour)</i><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">First off, I have to apologise for the delay in posting my version of this month's challenge - actually, last month's, now. In my defence, my laptop was on a dreadful go-slow, and on top of that, the Internet connection at home was unavailable all of last week as we'd changed over from AOL to BT... and the engineer from BT could only come last Friday to actually install whatever he needed to install for us to go online. So now we have a superfast connection... but my laptop has not received the memo yet, methinks. It's extremely frustrating to work on photographs when it takes 5 minutes to save every change that's made. But this post had to be published, and I didn't want to risk being thrown out of this group for a perceived lack of participation. (I but jest, I know Aparna is very forgiving!)<br />
<br />
Anyway, those of you who are still dropping by my blog might be wondering who's been writing my posts for me. I wonder that myself, because the last few posts show every sign of having been dashed off by someone who didn't know how to write, who didn't want to write in the first place and who had a dozen different distractions. That was me. Distracted and reluctant. And it showed in my writing - hastily done for the sake of doing it, not because I was enjoying the process. I'm still in the reluctant phase, so this probably isn't going to be a long post. I just wanted to make my excuses for the quality of my posts lately. I know I can do better, and I probably eventually will. <br />
<br />
On to the bialys. I've made them twice - they're pretty easy to make, but the reason I made them the second time is because the onion filling got burnt practically to cinders. My first mistake was to cook the onions for too long on the hob, and my second mistake was to leave the overcooked onions to cool in the frying pan itself. That was a rookie mistake, really. So the already overcooked onion simply got incinerated when they spent 20 minutes in a 230C oven. The bialys tasted great, so Pete and I ate the bready part after I'd chiselled off the charred onions. <br />
<br />
This anecdote is merely to emphasise that it's very important to cook the onions till just soft and no more. And remove the cooked onions to a bowl where they can cool. <br />
<br />
The second batch of bialys was spectacularly tasty. You can add chopped, cooked smoked bacon to the onion mix for the non-vegetarians, like I did. Believe me, those bacon bialys just vanished. <br />
<br />
<b>Recipe for:</b></span> <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Bialys</b></span></span><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSCF8779_zpsf5ae616b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/DSCF8779_zpsf5ae616b.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span> <span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b> <br />
<br />
<b>For the dough:</b><br />
1 teaspoon instant yeast<br />
1 tbsp sugar<br />
1 1/4 cup warm water<br />
3 cups all-purpose flour (use bread flour if you can find it or all-purpose flour + 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten)<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
Milk for brushing the dough <br />
<br />
<b>For the Onion Filling:</b><br />
1 tbsp oil<br />
3 medium onions, finely chopped<br />
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds<br />
3/4 tsp garam masala<br />
Salt to taste<br />
<br />
<b> Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Make the dough first. Put the yeast, sugar, salt and flour in a large bowl. Mix well and then add the warm water in a steady stream. Knead until the dough comes together as a mass and then let the dough rest for 10 minutes. This will help the dough absorb water. Knead again, adding a little more water or flour (not too much) if you need it, until your dough is smooth and elastic but not sticky.<br />
2. Shape tre dough into a ball and put it in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough till it is well coated. Cover and let it rise till about double. This should take about 2 hours. If you’re not making the bialys right away, you can refrigerate the dough overnight at this point. When ready to make them, keep the dough at room temperature for about half an hour and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. <br />
3. In the meantime, make the filling. Heat the oil in a pan, and add the cumin seeds. When the crackle, add the onions, and sauté over low to medium heat. Sprinkle a little salt and continue sautéing until they become soft and turn golden brown in colour. Add the garam masala and stir well. Keep the caramelised onions aside to cool.<br />
4. Sprinkle your work surface lightly with flour and place the dough on it. Divide it into 8 equal pieces and shape each one into a roll by flattening it and then pinching the ends together to form a smooth ball. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover them with a towel. Let them rise for about one hour (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for refrigerated dough) till pressing with a finger on the top leaves a dent. <br />
5. Work on one piece at a time, while you keep the others covered so they don’t dry out. When the rolls are ready, pick them up one at a time and using your fingers, form the depression in the middle. Hold the roll like a steering wheel with your thumbs in the middle and your fingers around the edges. Pinch the dough between your thumb and fingers, rotating as you go and gradually making the depression wider without actually poking a hole through. <br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSCF8775_zpsfb1e1d2f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/DSCF8775_zpsfb1e1d2f.jpg" /></a><br />
6. Remember not to press on the edges, or they will flatten out. Once shaped, you should have a depression about 3” in diameter with 1” of puffy dough around the edge, so your Bialy should be about 4” to 5” in diameter. Prick the centre of the bialys with a fork so the centre doesn’t rise when baking. <br />
7. Place the shaped dough on a parchment lined (or greased) baking tray leaving about 2 inches space between them. Place the caramelised onion filling in the depressions of each Bialy. Brush the outer dough circle with milk. Bake the bialys at 230C (450F) for about 15 minutes till they’re golden brown in colour.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSCF8777_zps0bbfddc6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/DSCF8777_zps0bbfddc6.jpg" /></a><br />
Cool them on a rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.</span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-40385911408935714452013-04-29T22:46:00.006+01:002013-04-29T22:54:30.530+01:00We Knead To Bake #4 - Torcettini di Saint Vincent yeasted cookies<i>(Adapted from A Baker’s Tour by Nick Malgieri)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 2d45381e-0021-4ab0-8119-5f053742d236_zps6795fdbd.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/2d45381e-0021-4ab0-8119-5f053742d236_zps6795fdbd.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cookies are not my thing. I might have tried baking cookies maybe a scant 2 dozen times in the last 10 years (or since I started cooking, anyway). Not always successfully, I might add. There aren't many biscuits that have come out well, except for the multiple batches of ginger biscuits that I baked last Christmas, much to Pete's satisfaction. Pete loves ginger biscuits, but not really any others. As for me, I'm no cookie monster!<br />
<br />
Anyway - these yeasted cookies were pretty easy to make. Like most everyone else, we both liked the sugar crust and the caramelised underside of the cookies. They were different from anything I've had before, that's for certain! <br />
<br />
And one more thing - I'm glad I've managed to post this recipe before the end of April. I missed the publish date of 24th April because of a combination of circumstances, the most distressing one being a bereavement in the family. Still... it's a part of the cycle of life, I suppose, and life being what it is, it must go on. So... onward to May's challenge!</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 46e9092a-4149-47e4-8ff4-9099da2374a1_zpsd90e42a2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/46e9092a-4149-47e4-8ff4-9099da2374a1_zpsd90e42a2.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup warm water</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1-1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 tsp instant yeast)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp salt</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp lime/lemon zest or 1 tsp crushed anise seeds</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2-1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">about 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookies</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Method:</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, in a small bowl and keep aside.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. Put the flour and the salt in a large bowl and stir everything together. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is well mixed and the flour-butter mixture looks powdery.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. Add the yeast-water mixture and knead just till it all comes together as a ball. Place the ball of dough in a oiled bowl, turning it so it is well coated with the oil. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise. This dough does not really double in volume, but it should look “puffy” after about an hour or so. When you pinch off a bit from the top you can see the interior looking a bit like honeycomb. Press down the dough to deflate it, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate it for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4. When ready to make the cookies, take the dough out and lightly roll it out into an approximately 6” square. If the dough feels sticky, scatter a little sugar on it. Using a pizza wheel cut the dough into four strips of equal width. Cut each strip into 6 equal pieces, by cutting across, making a total of 24 pieces. The measurements are not very critical in this part because this just makes it easier to have 24 equal sized bits of dough, as compared to pinching of bits of the dough.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5. Roll each piece into a pencil thick “rope” about 5” long. Sprinkle a little sugar on your work surface and roll the “rope” in it so the sugar crusts the dough uniformly. Form the “rope” into a loop crossing it over before the ends.</span><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo 1b8ce3c0-48c3-4962-b043-eba7a17cea2d_zpsad93676c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/1b8ce3c0-48c3-4962-b043-eba7a17cea2d_zpsad93676c.jpg" /></span></a><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6. Place the Torcettini on parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 1-1/2" between them. Leave them for about 20 minutes or so till they rise/ puff up slightly. They will not “puff up” much, like bread, but the “puff” will be visible.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">7. Bake them at 160C (325F) for about 25 minutes till they’re a nice golden brown. </span><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo 8dea603c-2a72-4146-a093-ed662349737b_zps6be2cc48.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/8dea603c-2a72-4146-a093-ed662349737b_zps6be2cc48.jpg" /></span></a><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cool the cookies completely, on a rack. Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature. </span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-84085187236791988652013-04-02T22:47:00.001+01:002013-04-02T22:55:18.954+01:00Roasted smoked garlic<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">I keep hearing things about roasted garlic... good things, like how lovely and mellow it tastes, and how it's perfect as a spread straight onto fresh French bread, etc etc. It's not a new thing, obviously. I must confess that this is not the first time that I've roasted garlic bulbs whole. It's actually the second time. And the reason that there's been a gap of a few years between the first attempt and this one is that I <i>sodhapufied</i> (ruined, in Tamil slang) it big time. The garlic was absolutely disgusting, bitter to the core. After that I was too nervous to try again, although I thought about it every so often.<br />
<br />
Then I bought 3 bulbs of smoked garlic on an impulse, with no real idea of what to do with them... until it struck me that I could roast them. This time, I was careful to cover the garlic with foil and to roast the heads at 180C for about 30 minutes. This time, probably because I was careful, the roasted garlic was just wonderful - it slipped out of its papery skin without a problem, it smelt gorgeous, and I must have eaten a full head by myself without really realising it, it was <i>that</i> good. The rest of the bulb I used to make a garlic and tomato bread... but that's for another post.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;">PS. You don't have to use smoked garlic; regular garlic will do just as well.<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe for:</b></span> <span style="color: #274e13;"><b>Roasted smoked garlic</b><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo e6dc49dc-ee56-4f67-9cb0-2b944040e181_zpse8e1fc89.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/e6dc49dc-ee56-4f67-9cb0-2b944040e181_zpse8e1fc89.jpg" /></a><br />
<b> Ingredients:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><br />
3 heads of smoked garlic<br />
3 tsp olive oil<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Peel the garlic until you're down to the single skin covering the bulbs. Slice off the top of the bulbs to expose the white flesh within.<br />
<a href="http://beta.photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 2a2b2e23-61c3-4ad7-b6f1-cca6e21c1d1c_zps026a288e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/2a2b2e23-61c3-4ad7-b6f1-cca6e21c1d1c_zps026a288e.jpg" /></a><br />
2. Drizzle one tsp olive oil over each cut head of garlic. Place in a small baking tray and cover the top tightly with foil.<br />
<a href="http://beta.photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo d2bb405b-f45d-4a01-b633-1c349ac2842e_zps05420125.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/d2bb405b-f45d-4a01-b633-1c349ac2842e_zps05420125.jpg" /></a><br />
3. Bake at 180C (350F) for 20-30 minutes, or till a knife inserted into a garlic pearl goes in easily. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before squeezing the inner flesh from the papery skin (carefully, as it can still be very hot). Use the roasted garlic in cooking, or just smear it on a baguette with a little salt.<br />
<a href="http://beta.photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 3c9262c5-2572-49f5-aa9b-810ee22937dd_zps097035eb.jpg" border="0" height="303" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/3c9262c5-2572-49f5-aa9b-810ee22937dd_zps097035eb.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span> Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12940096.post-4659849148232771272013-03-23T00:00:00.000+00:002013-03-24T13:55:42.183+00:00We Knead to Bake #3 - Hokkaido Milk Bread<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 0eb68333-7485-4f50-9e2e-bf9572af6399_zps87ad1e05.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/0eb68333-7485-4f50-9e2e-bf9572af6399_zps87ad1e05.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo d0af005b-9053-45f3-ab27-adb7cfa86d49_zps13b8df7e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/d0af005b-9053-45f3-ab27-adb7cfa86d49_zps13b8df7e.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last month's baking challenge saw me at my whiny worst, because the croissants that we were supposed to make nearly got the better of me. But I persevered, rather to my surprise, and at least I can say "I tried it". This month's challenge was much more in keeping with my ability and my interest, because I can make bread. I can knead dough. I've been experimenting with different types of bread, with different proportions of strong white, wholewheat, wholemeal spelt and wholemeal rye flours. Mostly they've been successful bakes. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That is why this Hokkaido bread didn't faze me. Yes, the dough was irritatingly sticky. Yes, I kneaded the dough by hand, because I don't have a machine to do the job... but to be fair, I didn't put my entire being into the kneading. That's because of the technique recommended by Dan Lepard of the Guardian newspaper (jeez, the number of times I've mentioned this man in my posts, he should be paying me a commission!). </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I didn't do a 10-second knead with this dough, but I certainly didn't knead for 15 minutes at a time either. It turned out so soft and buttery, it was unbelievable. I made one big loaf, and some Nutella rolls and some with a spicy potato filling. They all turned out incredibly moreish. I'm planning to use the tangzhong technique with regular baking flours rather than just all-purpose. The tangzhong will continue to be made with AP flour, though. However, that's for another post. In the meantime, thank you once again, Aparna Balasubramanian, for introducing me to this bread technique that was completely new to me. </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></span> <span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <b> Recipe for:</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">Hokkaido milk bread</span></b></span><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo b4229644-0f25-4796-95c3-4a83929b70b9_zpscb27837d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/b4229644-0f25-4796-95c3-4a83929b70b9_zpscb27837d.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">(Original Recipe from 65 Degrees Tangzhong “65C Bread Doctor” by Yvonne Chen, and adapted from Kirbie’s Cravings)<br />
http://kirbiecravings.com/2011/05/hokkaido-milk-toast.html <br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
For The Tangzhong (Flour-Water Roux) <br />
1/3 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
1/2 cup milk</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><br /><b>
For The Dough:</b><br />
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
3 tbsp sugar<br />
1tsp salt <br />
2 tbsp powdered milk<br />
2 tsp instant dried yeast<br />
1/2 cup milk (and a little more if needed)<br />
1/8 cup cream (25% fat)<br />
1/3 cup tangzhong (use HALF of the tangzhong from above)<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
25gm unsalted butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)<br />
1/2 to 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips if making the rolls<br />
<br />
<b> Method:</b><br />
The Tangzhong (Flour-Water Roux):<br />
Whisk together lightly the flour, water and milk in a saucepan until smooth and there are no lumps. Place the saucepan on the stove, and over medium heat, let the roux cook till it starts thickening. Keep stirring/ whisking constantly so no lumps form and the roux is smooth.<br />
<br />
If you have a thermometer, cook the roux/ tangzhong till it reaches 65C (150F) and take it off the heat. If like me, you don’t have a thermometer, then watch the roux/ tangzhong until you start seeing “lines” forming in the roux/ tangzhong as you whisk/ stir it. Take the pan off the heat at this point.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 9478cba3-9d49-4ce1-adcc-1bd93af88891_zpse02e385d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/9478cba3-9d49-4ce1-adcc-1bd93af88891_zpse02e385d.jpg" /></a><br />
Let the roux/ tangzhong cool completely and rest for about 2 to 3 hours at least. It will have the consistency of a soft and creamy crème patisserie. If not using immediately, transfer the roux to a bowl and cover using plastic wrap. It can be stored in the fridge for about a day. Discard the tangzhong after that. <br />
<br />
<b> The Bread Dough:</b><br />
I made this bread by hand. This dough dough is a bit sticky and can take some time and effort to knead by hand. If you have some sort of machine which will do the kneading for you, use it. Don’t punish yourself. And do not add more flour to make it less sticky either!<br />
<br />
Put the flour, salt, sugar, powdered milk and instant yeast in a large bowl and pulse a couple of times to mix. In another small bowl mix the milk, cream and Tangzhong till smooth and add to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Now add the butter and knead till you have a smooth and elastic dough which is just short of sticky. <br />
<br />
The dough will start out sticky but kneading will make it smooth. If the dough feels firm and not soft to touch, add a couple of tsps of milk till it becomes soft and elastic. When the dough is done, you should be able to stretch the dough without it breaking right away. When it does break, the break should be form a circle.<br />
<br />
Form the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl turning it so it is well coated. Cover with a towel, and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or till almost double in volume. <br />
<br />
Place the dough on your working surface. You don’t need flour to work or shape this dough. This recipe makes enough dough to make one loaf (9” by 5” tin), 2 small loaves (6” by 4” tins) or 1 small loaf (6” by 4”) and 6 small rolls (muffin tins). Depending on what you are making, divide your dough. If you are making 1 loaf, divide your dough in 3 equal pieces. If you are making two smaller loaves, divide your dough into 6 equal pieces.<br />
<br />
The shaping of the portions, whether for the loaf or the rolls, is the same.<br />
<br />
Roll out each portion of the dough with a rolling pin into an oval shape, about 1/8” thick. If you are using a filling, spread it on the dough now, before shaping it into a ball with your hands, bringing the edges to cover the filling. <br />
<br />
Roll this folded dough with the rolling pin so the unfolded edges are stretched out to form a rectangle. Roll the rectangle from one short edge to the other, pinching the edges to seal well. Do this with each of the three larger pieces and place them, sealed edges down, in a well-oiled loaf tin.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo c757d852-82e8-461c-951a-b4a20a658d37_zpsdbcdcab3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/c757d852-82e8-461c-951a-b4a20a658d37_zpsdbcdcab3.jpg" /></a><br />
Cover with a towel and leave the dough to rise for about 45 minutes.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo e8dd20bc-4e92-4e03-9217-95b71b07cd5d_zps6ca12d99.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/e8dd20bc-4e92-4e03-9217-95b71b07cd5d_zps6ca12d99.jpg" /></a><br />
To make the rolls fold them in the same manner described above, but before rolling them up, put in the filling.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 65884c2f-336b-42c7-9421-f042fd27a4ff_zps9f964e3a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/65884c2f-336b-42c7-9421-f042fd27a4ff_zps9f964e3a.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo ecb61269-f3ea-400a-8c53-5ebfbcea2332_zps91f0ecbb.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/ecb61269-f3ea-400a-8c53-5ebfbcea2332_zps91f0ecbb.jpg" /></a><br />
Turn the roll over so the seam side is down, and shape it with both hands, sort of cupping it so that the top is smooth and tight, and the underside is sealed.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 1fae9820-872d-40f4-b118-03419a36c62c_zpsd898dbce.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/1fae9820-872d-40f4-b118-03419a36c62c_zpsd898dbce.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 86f4b90c-d533-42da-85e0-5498c7ed74e3_zps4f39ef68.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/86f4b90c-d533-42da-85e0-5498c7ed74e3_zps4f39ef68.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Carefully brush the tops of the rolls and the loaf with milk (or cream) and bake them at 170C (325F) for about 20 to 30 minutes till they are done (if you tap them they’ll sound hollow) and beautifully browned on top. <br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 22b009b7-4f7b-4c30-8b96-2ffccd986d86_zpsb0e3ee51.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/22b009b7-4f7b-4c30-8b96-2ffccd986d86_zpsb0e3ee51.jpg" /></a><br />
Let them cool on the tray for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack till slightly warm or cool.<br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 038a10f0-7791-4350-8687-bd31fc937235_zpscea6043b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/038a10f0-7791-4350-8687-bd31fc937235_zpscea6043b.jpg" /></a><br />
<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo ec5dc6b1-9eaa-4837-a5ca-20e687caac69_zps244cfff3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y246/shyam69/2013%20Foodblog%20Pix/ec5dc6b1-9eaa-4837-a5ca-20e687caac69_zps244cfff3.jpg" /></a><br />
Serve or else store in a bread bin. This bread stays soft and delicious even the next day. This recipe makes enough dough to make one loaf (9” by 5” tin), 2 small loaves (6” by 4” tins) or 1 small loaf (6” by 4”) and 6 small rolls (muffin tins). </span></span>Shammihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07905000396589717457noreply@blogger.com3