Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

Why oh why do I gravitate towards recipes with pesto in it? a. What I thought was a chutney couple of years ago is now my favorite condiment. (Apart from Maggi Hot and Sweet sauce – you will always be my first love!). b. It has the most wonderful fresh flavor that can bring summertime running in! This one uses store bought pesto (for small quantities, making a whole batch seems unnecessary), but you can always use my Pesto recipe if you have the ingredients at hand. Sandwiches are looked upon as a snack in India but this one has enough going on for it to make it a light lunch. The co-resident said he would pay good money to eat this at a Deli, so I’m guessing it was good. Actually it WAS that good! So get your grill pan out (I bought a gorgeous one from Bergner… good definition) and start grilling. Yes, I don’t have a BBQ (sob sob) but beggars can’t be choosers or rather apartment dwellers can only dream of the joys of an open fire! But rest assured the grilling works rather well on the pan and if you want the grill lines to be prominent just keep a weight on the object to be grilled to push it down. Scar face would have been proud!

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves: 4 as a snack, 2 for lunch

What you need:

8 slices of Bread or 4 Panini Rolls

1 Chicken Breast fillet

2 cups Lettuce or rocket leaves

4 Tbsp Pesto

4 Tbsp Mayo

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Oil for grilling

What to do:

Lightly brush or spray a chicken fillet with oil, season with salt and pepper. Place on a BBQ or heated grill pan on the stove and cook over medium heat for 4-5 mins per side (depending on the thickness) till cooked. For more definition of the grill lines, press down with a weight. When pricked with a fork, the juices should run clear and the chicken must be opaque. Keep aside and slice the breast into pieces of ½ inch thickness.

Spread a Tbsp of Mayo on one slice. Place a generous quantity of lettuce on the other. Top with the grilled chicken breast and a Tbsp of Pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Sandwich together. I think this tastes best when the sandwich is toasted. (You can use a sandwich maker/ tava or grill pan.) Lightly spray the grill pan with some oil and press the sandwich down for about a 45 seconds per side till it looks golden and toasty. Hmmm….Yummy yummy yummy!

P.S. I really like the new Cooking Sprays. It’s slightly expensive but delivers the right amount of oil to coat the pan/ meat while grilling. You can always use a basting brush, but how fun is using an aerosol can?!

Orange-Raisin Muffins

Winter in Bangalore (if it can be called winter at all!) is a lovely time. We have a crisp chill in the air but the sun shines brightly and the sky is a gorgeous blue with dots of white clouds. What is also wondrous at this time is Oranges. One of my favorite fruits. Orange juices in cartons might have all but killed the joy of eating one, but there is nothing like a sweet citrusy orange to add that zing to your morning brekkie or evening snack or dinner time…you get the drift! An orange is one fruit that I eat with utmost care, not because it’s delicate but because my grandmother (bless her soul) had fed us with scary stories. She claimed that if we swallowed an orange seed, an orange tree would grow in our stomach and sprout leaves from our ears! Yes, she was quite the graphic storyteller! In such circumstances, my sisters and I all but spat the seeds out as soon as it touched our tongues. And since we had a lovely balcony that overlooked the road, the recipients of the seeds would always be unsuspecting passers-by! We would duck and giggle and continue the attack. So it’s with fond memories that I look forward to orange season every year. Brings the little rascal out in me!

Orange-Raisin Muffins

Prep time: 15 mins

Baking time: 20 mins

Makes: 8-10

What you need:

3/4 cup sultanas/ raisins

2 Tbsp Honey

Zest and juice of 1 Orange

1/4 cup Milk

1 cup natural Yoghurt

50g Butter, Melted

1 egg

2 cups plain Flour, sifted

2 tsps Baking powder

1/3 cup Castor sugar

What to do:

Preheat oven to 190'C. Lightly greese a non stick muffin pan.

Place sultanas, honey, orange zest and juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Beat egg, mix with milk, yoghurt and melted butter. Combine with the orange sauce. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Spoon into prepared muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Makes a lovely addition to your morning cuppa!

P.S. The sultanas may seem like a lot, but all the orange flavor is concentrated in them. Also the sultanas are what give the muffin sweetness. IF you like you’re breakfast sweet, then go ahead and increase the sugar to ½ cup.

DO NOT leave the muffins in longer than 20 mins as they will turn as tough as hockey pucks. If you want to see a little more colour on the top of the muffins, give it an eggwash. (lightly brush some beaten egg over the muffin in the last 5 mins of baking.)

Garlic Pepper Sliced Pork

The story started when I decided to take a ride on the Metro from Indiranagar to MG Road. I had already used the metro the day it opened, but that was purely on a touristy whim. This time I wanted to be a commuter with a purpose. The purpose - taking me to the holy grail at the end of the boulevard – The Bangalore Ham shop. After picking up the usual, the owner suggested I try the sliced pork. And there begins my dilemma. The sliced pork looked fantastic – meat and fat in thin slices, almost bacon-ey. I wanted to do something different with it, something special. I combed through the internet but nothing impressed me. I posted a ‘Help me’ on the Foodies in Bangalore page and waited …waited… waited. Finally, I met chef and restaurateur Madhu Menon on Saturday for lunch.  He asked me if it was Korean style sliced pork. I say yes. He asked me if I wanted an authentic recipe? I said I wanted it to taste like the indianized chilly pork in restaurants. Stunned Silence! Considering he is a pan-asian chef, this was tantamount to blasphemy. After sheepishly apologizing for my lack of refinement, he relented with his Garlic Pepper Pork recipe. It needed Oyster Sauce. I din’t have any. I was contemplating to just wing it without, when Madhu’s “tsk tsk” face appeared in my head. So I went and bought some and the rest as they say is history! I am now harboring the most intense love for it! To sum it up - Best oriental Pork recipe ever! All hail Madhu Menon!

Garlic Pepper Pork

(Recipe Courtesy: Madhu Menon)

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 12 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

250 gms Sliced Pork

1 Tbsp Coriander root

1 Tbsp/ 2 tsp White Pepper powder (Or lower, depending on taste)

1 Tbsp Garlic, minced

2 Green Chilli, chopped

2 Tbsp Oil (peanut/vegetable)

2 Tbsp Dark Soy

2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

1 tsp Sugar

3 Tbsp Water/ Stock

What to do:

Buy the sliced pork. Because slicing it at home is a pain and you won’t get the right amount of fat and meat in each slice. Cut up the slices into 2 inch strips. (I use a scissor). Get all your prep done. Wash the coriander root (it has the most flavor, followed by the stems). Mince it up finely or whizz in a chopper for a few seconds. Keep all your ingredients at hand, cause timing is critical in a stir fry.

Heat a wok till smoking and add the oil. Toss in the coriander root, garlic and white pepper powder and fry for a minute. The pepper will stick to the bottom of the wok, just scrape and stir. Add the pork and green chili and stir-fry for 3 minutes. You can see the pork releasing the fat and the meat getting opaque. Now add the soy and oyster sauce and the sugar. Stir for another minute. Add the water and incorporate so that the dish dosen’t burn. Stir for 3 more minutes. Serve hot!

P.S. Actual cooking time depends on the thickness of the slices and the temperature of the wok. So make sure you check a slice for doneness, before taking it off the heat.

Paneer Butter Masala

Growing up in a South Indian household, Paneer was as exotic a dish to us as Polenta. Tandoor on M.G. Road was one of the first places I had a Paneer Makhni. Dada took us there with his business partner and family, when I was in junior school. The setting was formal and royal (ok, the waiters were dressed up in a turban!) and I was in awe of all the golden chandeliers. And there I tasted it…rich and creamy and tomatoey and cheesy. I was hooked…have been ever since. After that, it was something I religiously ordered whenever we dined out in a ‘North Indian restaurant’. (Ok, I still do!) The dish of course has moved from being exotic to completely local, with every Darshini across the corner serving ‘Paneer Butter Masala’! It’s almost staple in a North Indian Thali ordered in Bangalore. We never cooked paneer at home, because sourcing good paneer was difficult in the earlier days and mom’s home made paneer was at best – tough. Thankfully we have now come out of the dark ages and paneer is readily available in the supermarket. I know the original Delhite will scoff at the quality, but I know a trick which makes it as soft and pliable as the earstwhile Tandoor’s. Soak the paneer in hot water for five minutes before you cook it. It transforms into creamy, soft, textured awesomeness. Here’s a recipe that gives you all the flavor goodness without the evil restaurant flavor and colour additives. Who wants to stain their freshly manicured nails anyway?  

Paneer Butter Masala

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

 

What you need:

250 gms Paneer (soaked in hot water for 5 mins and drained)

½ tsp Chili Powder

½ tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves)

2 tsp Ginger-garlic paste

1 Tbsp Ghee

1 Bay leaf

1 heaped tsp Coriander Powder

2 Tbsp Tomato Puree

4 Tbsp Cream

10 Cashew nuts

½ tsp Garam Masala

1 Tbsp Butter

Salt to taste

What to do:

Slice and dice the Paneer. Ensure its not too thick. Mix ¼ tsp each of the chilli and turmeric powder into the diced panner along with ½ tsp salt. Meanwhile soak the kasoori methi in teaspoon of hot water.

In a medium pan, heat the ghee on high. When it is hot, add the paneer pieces and fry from two minutes on either side, or until pale brown. This will seal the spices and prevent the paneer from falling apart in the gravy. Remove the paneer pieces and set aside. In the same fat, fry the bay leaf. When it starts sizzling, add the ginger garlic paste and stir for two minutes. Now add the coriander and the remaining chilli and turmeric, along with the tomato puree and stir vigorously for 2 mins until the pungent masala smell softens. Lower the heat, spoon in the cream (can substitute Yoghurt for a healthier option) and let it simmer for 5 mins. The colour will change from white to a rich orange as the spices blend in.

Meanwhile, grind the cashews with a Tbsp of hot water to make a smooth paste. Stir into the masala along with the paneer pieces, the garam masala and kasoori methi with the water. These are added to balance the tangy taste of the curry. Let the mixture simmer away for two minutes to ensure all the flavours meld.

To finish, stir in the butter and salt and enjoy hot with phulkas, naan or even some Ghee Rice!

Gorgeous Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera was the classic 70’s dish. Apparently invented in a French restaurant in New York City, it was the popular high style dish that you indulged in, when you ate out. Indulged in because, it’s a host of veggies but doused in butter, cream and cheese. Of course that got my attention and now it is one of my favorite veggie pasta versions. The sauce is almost a smackdown copy of the Alfredo but the treatment is a little different with the addition of cornstarch and stock. Since it’s got cream, I would suggest making the sauce just before serving as reheating tends to make the cream go all watery. The original dish uses French beans, peas and asparagus. I din’t have any of that at home, but mushrooms, spinach and broccoli sounded way good. To zing it up, I added sun dried tomatoes and jalapenos, trust me this is the only way I’m going to me making it henceforth!  The colors and textures were just beautiful to look at and amazing to eat. I know why it was called the high style dish! The co-resident and me ate for four…at one go!

Pasta Primavera

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

2 cups Broccoli florets

2 cups Spinach leaves, roughly torn

200 gms Mushrooms (Oyster/ Button), sliced

1 Onion (quartered)

4 cloves Garlic sliced

4 Sun dried tomatoes in Oil (chopped)

4 Jalepenoes (chopped)

400 gms Pasta

1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

60 gms Butter

1 Tbsp Cornstarch

200ml Cream

400ml Vegetable/ Chicken Stock

3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)

Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do:

Blanch the broccoli florets in salted boiling water till cooked but still firm. Do the same with the spinach for 45 seconds. Immediately plunge both in cold water to retain the colour. Drain and keep aside. (Alternately you can microwave the broccoli with a Tbsp of water for 3 mins).

Heat the olive oil in a pan and toss in the garlic and Onion. Saute for 2-3 mins. Toss in the mushrooms and saute till the mushrooms start to brown. Keep aside.

Meanwhile put a pot of salted water on the boil for the pasta. Once the water is on a rolling boil, toss the pasta in. Cook the pasta al dente. (10-12 mins or according to packet instructions). Drain and toss with some olive oil to prevent sticking together. Reserve some liquid.

In another big saucepan, heat the butter. Remove off the fire and add the cornstarch. Stir to ensure there are no lumps. Now bring back to heat and let small bubbles appear on the surface. Keep stirring and add the stock slowly to incorporate. The mixture will start to thicken, so ensure to stir to avoid lumps. (I use a whisk). Now lower the heat and slowly mix in 3/4th of the cream (this is to avoid it from curdling). Wait till the sauce starts to simmer and now toss in 3/4th of the parmesan cheese. Mix to make a smooth sauce. Now add all the remaining cream, vegetables, sun dried tomato pieces and jalapenoes. Stir. Season with Salt and Pepper. Toss in the cooked pasta. Mix well. You can add some of the reserved liquid to get the desired consistency. Serve hot garnished with the remaining pasrmesan cheese.