Watermelon Vodka Cooler

It’s a Friday and what better way to kick start the weekend than with a nice drink. My alcohol choices have become milder and milder as age catches up (sob sob). No longer can I knock down multiple shooters and wake up with my head on my shoulders. So now I have to be satisfied with a drink that knocks my head off with flavor rather than the alcohol content. In college, we used to cut a chunk out of the watermelon and then pour vodka into it. Refrigerate the whole fruit for a couple of hours then cut up the watermelon into cubes and you have a boozy party fruit!! College always had a way of making even the good ones bad! Of course no one ever complained! So to go down memory lane (albeit in a milder more grown up way) I give you the watermelon cooler. Have a great (Hic!) weekend!

Watermelon Vodka Cooler

Prep time: 10 mins

Makes: 4 cocktails

What you need:

2 cups fresh watermelon juice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar syrup (4Tbsp sugar dissolved in 1/4 cup water)

100ml Vodka

Ice cubes and watermelon chunks to serve

What to do:

Cut the watermelon into cubes. Puree enough to get 2 cups of sieved watermelon juice. (basically discard the seeds and pulp). Save the rest of the cubes by freezing it, to use as 'watermelon ice' in the drink.

Combine the watermelon juice, vodka, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a shaker and shake well. (obviously!) Pour into a glass filled with ice and 4-5 frozen Watermelon cubes. Garnish the drink with a watermelon slice/ sprig of mint. Hic hic Hurray!

Happy Birthday - Food for Swaps turns TWO!!

Happy Birthday to you… Happy Birthday to you… Happy Birthday dear FoodforSwaps…. Happy Birthday to you!

So we enter our terrible two’s today :)  I must say, the journey has been supremely fulfilling. What started out as a way to document all the things I tried out in the kitchen has now turned into something that inspires me to try out things! It gives me a space to play out my food obsession and my photography. It’s my little window to the world of foodies – you guys, who stop by the blog and send me little words of praise, encouragement and new ideas. So today, I just want to leave you a comment – Thank you for rocking this party for so long!

I have a few additions to the blog, to mark the anniversary. An 'About' page – yes I know, I do like to wax eloquent. And a 'Food Blog searcher' – more foodies more fun! So enjoy and keep stopping by!

The world's best Hot Wings!

I know people exaggerate when they say something is the world’s best. You’re thinking, a.Their world is really small or b. They have false ideas of grandeur. I have fallen prey to both statements many many times, but (and this is a big BUT) Not this time!!! Firstly, I can say with conviction that if there is a restaurant I have visited and they list hot wings on the menu – I have tried it. And I eat out very often. So my world of hot wings is not small. Secondly, I am in no way partial to any food, so if something blows my mind – it firmly earns it’s place in my heart and taste buds! As these Hot Wings satisfy the above criteria – they are, according to me (and my entire clique of hungry friends and family) The World’s Best Hot Wings!

 Hot Wings/ Buffalo Wings

Prep + Marinating time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 20 mins

Makes: 20 wings

What you need:

3/4 cup All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Salt

½ tsp Garlic Powder

1 ½ tsp Chili Powder/ Cayenne Pepper

 ½ tsp Black Pepper Powder

20 Chicken Wing segments

Oil for Frying

For ¾ Cup Hot Sauce:

4 Tbsp Ketchup

3 Tbsp Sirachara Hot sauce (or any other Hot Sauce)

½ Tbsp Tabasco

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

¼ cup Butter

1 Tbsp Coarsely ground Black Pepper

What to do:

Wash fresh wings in water, split them at the joints and remove the wing tips. (If you buy 10 whole wings, you get 20 pieces and 10 wing tips to discard). Place them on a wire rack and refrigerate for 2 hrs. (The step is optional, but I’ve noticed it makes the wings crispier.) In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt, garlic, chilli and the black pepper powder. Coat chicken pieces entirely in flour mixture and refrigerate for a further hour.

My quantities for hot sauce can be varied within each element according to desired heat, as long as the total amount equals ¾ cup. The key however is the fat to hot sauce ratio which is 1:3. One part butter to 3 parts hot sauce. This is what gives it a glossy amalgamated feel.

In a saucepan, heat hot sauce with the knob of butter, just until the butter melts. Add crushed pepper and mix well. Keep warm.

Dip the chicken in flour again, dust off. Deep fry the chicken for 13 mins 8-10 mins, till nice and crispy and golden brown. Drain chicken on wire rack for 30 secs, then immediately toss fried chicken in hot sauce and remove. Let is stand for 5-6 mins. Garnish with some more crushed pepper. Serve with some cold beer! Its gonna rock your world.

P.S. For the Bangaloreans – This tastes like the hot wings in Millers 46 (if not better!!)

Penne with Bell Peppers Roman Style

I had two lovely yellow bell peppers in my fridge. After four days of racking my brains to come up with a mind blowing recipe, I chickened out. I could not see them go to waste for my lack of creative genius. Thanks to the gazillion cook books I own, (yes, I am cookbook cuckoo!) finding a recipe was a breeze. I would like you to believe that I put in considerable amount of effort picking and choosing just the right recipe, but the truth is I like a good gamble. So I closed my eyes and put my finger on the peppers list in the index! I give you here – Pasta with Peppers Roman Style. The Roman bit is because I had a crush on Julius Caesar. Ok, am playing with you now! Traditionally, tiny black wrinkled olives grown in the Lazio region of Italy are used in this roman dish. But I used Spanish olives. Oops! Don’t declare a war till you’ve tried it. iBuen Apetito!

Penne with Peppers Roman Style

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1/3 cup Olive oil

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 cup Black Olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

400gms canned chopped Tomatoes, drained/ 500gms Tomatoes, blanched and chopped

2 Yellow/ Red Peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips

Salt and pepper

350gms dried Penne/ Fettucine

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve

What to do:

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins or until softened. Add the tomatoes, bell peppers and olives. Saute for 5 mins. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer over very low heat for 25 mins. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile bring a large heavy bottomed pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta return to a boil and cook according to instructions on the packet. Penne must be tender but with a bite. Drain ad transfer to a serving dish.

Spoon the sauce onto the pasta and toss well. Sprinkle generously with the parmesan and serve immediately, with extra grated parmesan.

Note: Green bell peppers are not recommended in this recipe as they are a little too sharp and do not provide enough contrast with the saltiness of the olives.

Minted Pea Soup

Is it a guy thing, to be repulsed by the idea of green food? No seriously, even before tasting my pea soup the co-resident faked fullness of the belly, courtesy a late lunch. The office mate nearly choked on his food before being forced to try it. The other colleague acted like he was part of a science experiment before gingerly licking the back of the spoon! Men I tell you… gutless, literally. That said, they all concluded that it was ‘not so bad – for pea soup’! And as an afterthought grudgingly added that it was actually (gasp gasp) tasty! I for one, love this version , cause the mint really uplifts it and its really easy peasy! 

Minted Pea Soup

Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Serves: 4-6

What you need:

2 Tbsp Butter

1 large Onion, coarsely chopped

1 Tbsp all-purpose Flour

500 gms frozen Peas

5 cups (1.25 lt) Vegetable/ Chicken Stock

½ tsp Sugar

2 large Mint Sprigs

Salt and Black Pepper

Shredded fresh Mint for garnish

What to do:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the chopped onion and cook very gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until soft but not colored. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for a further 1-2 mins, then add the frozen peas, stock, sugar and sprigs of mint. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently. Stir occasionally for 5 mins or until the peas are soft. Do not simmer any longer than this otherwise the peas will lose their fresh green color.

Remove the mint sprigs and discard. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return the soup to the rinsed out pan, reheat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot garnished with shredded fresh mint.