It is Valentine's day week and it is all things CHOCOLATE!! This chocolate crinkle cookies will surely fit your mood if you are a cookie person. Sure, it is not something like a dessert for two, but is a simple and easy thing to make for your loved ones. It is a goodie which you can send to your kids' school.. (Psst.. It is nut-free).
Ingredients:
Makes 3 dozen cookies
Recipe slightly adapted from here
Preparation time - 10 mins; Setting time - 2 hrs; Baking time - 10 mins
All purpose flour / Maida - 1-1/4 cups
Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp
Baking powder - 1-1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Butter - 1/4 cup, cubed
Semisweet chocolate, chips or chopped - 2/3 cup (4 oz by weight)
Instant coffee powder - 1-1/2 tsp
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Pure Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Eggs - 2 (room temperature)
For rolling:
Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
Method:
Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt well. In a microwave proof bowl, place the butter and chocolate chips and melt in the microwave oven in 20 second increments, whisking well with a fork in the intervals. When completely melted, add the instant coffee powder and mix. Allow to cool. When it cools down, add the sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix until completely incorporated. Add the flour mixture little by little until no streak of flour remains and the cookie dough comes together. Cover with a tight fitting lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
When the time is up, preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into balls. Coat the balls with granulated sugar and then coat in powdered sugar. Place about 12 cookie balls in the baking sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes. The cookies will be soft when removed from oven but will harden as it cools. Cool completely on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
I have been spending quite a lot of time in Pinterest lately. Pinterest is a whole world of ideas and inspiration and is definitely addictive. It was one of those days when I was flipping through the pins and I stumbled upon a simple Thai curry rice recipe. I made a mental note on the idea and forgot about it. Fast forward few weeks, I was cleaning up my fridge door when I found this poor bottle Thai curry paste leftover after making Thai Style Mushroom Tofu Soup which was about to touch its expiration date. Without further thoughts I made this rice dish the same day for our lunch.
Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3
Rice - 1 cup (or) Leftover cooked rice (white or brown) - 3 cups
Shallots / Pearl onions - 1/4 cup, thinly sliced in rounds
Garlic - 2 cloves
Carrots - 2, medium, chopped
Beans - 10, chopped
Broccoli - 1/2 a floret
Tofu - 1/3 of a block (5 oz), crumbled
Thai Green Curry paste - 2 tbsp (store bought or home-made)
Soy Sauce - 3 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Light olive oil (or) any light tasting oil - 2-3 Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Method:
Cook the rice with 2 cups of water. When done, spread in a plate to cool completely. Blanch the carrots, beans and broccoli for 4 minutes. Drain and plunge in ice water. After 5 minutes, drain excess water in a colander. Heat a cast iron skillet with oil and add thinly sliced shallots and minced garlic. Fry until the onions take a light shade of brown. Add the green curry paste, soy sauce and water. Fry in medium heat until most of the water evaporates. Add the cooked cooled rice and mix. Add the vegetables to the rice. Mix in low heat until completely mixed through. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot garnished with green onions.
Things have been crazy since the start of the year and I am trying to make some time for myself between daily routines, additional items on to-do list and a two and a half year old who is keeping me more busy. I want to spend more time with him because in a few weeks he will be starting school and will be busy in his own world. Blogging had been put in the back burner for that reason. But there is something about this little space which keeps my mind engaged and excited to connect with the world and I don't want to stay away for a long time.
Today's recipe is a simple one to write and also to make. I love to make fresh mint pesto whenever I make pasta and have fresh mint at hand. I reserve some cooked pasta and toss with fresh ground pesto to make a light refreshing lunch.
Ingredients:
Cooked pasta - 1-1/2 cups
Mint leaves - a handful
Pistachios - 20, roasted and shelled
Red pepper flakes - a dash or two
Salt - a dash (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil - 3 tbsp
Method:
Pulse the pistachios in a blender a couple of times. Add the mint leaves, red pepper flakes and salt. Pulse again until the nuts becomes coarse. Add the olive oil and blend again. Toss with cooked hot pasta and serve immediately.
Notes:
You could add about 2 Tbsp of parmesan cheese and skip the salt altogether.
I tasted this Undhiyu in a restaurant before a couple of months. I had not heard about it until recently, I came across it in Anjum's New Indian cookbook which I borrowed from the library. This is a cookbook with an introduction to many regional Indian food much unlike the usual cliche of menu in the Indian restaurants abroad viz. Saag Paneer, Paneer Butter Masala or Dal Makhni.
This dish is generally made during winter with fresh, seasonal produce. The carbohydrates in this dish supposedly keeps the body warm during the cold.
When I was making this dish, the aroma and flavors reminded me of the Bhindi Sambhariya I made a while ago.
Ingredients:
Potato, large - 1
Sweet potato, small - 1
Turnip, large - 1
Brinjals / Small Eggplants - 4
Val papdi / Broad beans - 1/2 cup (frozen)
Oil - 4 tbsp*
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Caraway seeds / Ajwain - 1/4 tsp
Spice paste 1:
Ginger - 2 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 3
Green chillies - 3
Lemon juice - from 1/2 of a lemon
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Spice paste 2:
Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup
Almonds - 6
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp, heaped
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Method:
Peel and cube the potato, sweet potato and turnip. Cut the eggplants into wedges. Place the cut vegetables immersed in a bowl of water to avoid browning.
Grind the ginger, garlic, green chillies and lemon juice into a smooth paste adding water as needed. Add the coriander leaves and pulse a few times. Remove from the blender and reserve. In the same blender add the almonds and grind coarsely. Add the rest of the ingredients for the spice paste 2 with water and pulse a couple of times. Mix with the spice paste 1 with caraway seeds.
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet and splutter the mustard seeds and asafoetida. Add the spice mix paste and saute for a few minutes. Add the cut veggies (water drained and discarded) to bind. Add about a cup of water and allow it to boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the beans and check for seasoning. Add salt and water if needed and cook covered for 5 more minutes. When done, remove the cover and cook stirring occasionally until the desired consistency is reached. Garnish with coriander leaves and coconut (if desired). Serve with roti.
Notes:
The amount of oil used may seem a bit too much, but trust me that is what brings the taste of spices together in this dish.
It is going to be almost a month since my last post. Things have been busy in personal and family front. However I didn't want the whole month of January to go without a single note. Though I have been cooking and clicking frequently, the composing part had to take a back seat due to lack of time.
I love making pasta sauces from scratch but mostly I tried to build flavors upon store bought sauces. This is a hearty sauce which I made with leftover canned crushed tomatoes which I had used to make Minestrone soup. Pasta in tomato sauce is my little one's favorite meal and he didn't complain. Sneaking veggies is my favorite part and he didn't have a clue :).
Add any hearty winter vegetable in the place of or in addition to butternut squash in this soup. Carrots, parsnips, acorn squash and pumpkin are great choices.
Ingredients:
Serves - 4
Penne - 1 lb
Onion, chopped - 1 cup
Garlic - 1 clove
Crushed tomatoes, from can - 1 cup
Butternut Squash, cubed - 1 cup (Can substitute Pumpkin)
Vegetable Stock - 1 cup
Evaporated milk - 1/3 cup (see notes below)
Rosemary sprigs - 2 (optional)
Dried Italian seasoning - 1 tbsp
Crushed red pepper flakes - 1/2 tsp
Ground pepper - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - a pinch
Olive oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Parsley / cilantro - for garnish
Parmesan cheese - for garnish
Method:
Heat a tsp of oil in a cast-iron pan and roast the cubed butternut squash until brown and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat. In another sauce pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the onions and garlic until slightly brown. Add the cooked squash, rosemary sprig, spices and salt. Add the tomato, sugar and stock. Check for seasoning and allow it come to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile cook pasta according to packet instructions. When done, drain reserving about 1 cup of pasta cooked water. Remove the sauce from heat and use an immersion blender to puree. Return to heat and add the evaporated milk. Add the pasta water to thin out the sauce as needed. Add the cooked pasta and toss well. Serve hot garnished with parsley and parmesan cheese.
Notes:
Cream / Half & Half / Whole milk can be used in place of evaporated milk or it can just be skipped.
This sauce can be made in advance and stored in a glass container in the fridge for a couple of days or frozen in ziploc bags.
