Breaking the jinx with Mushroom Melts

The thing about leisurely cooking in the afternoon, is that I get to take pictures. And that is a privilege that I seem to have lost with my current work schedule. Add to that, the imagined pressure of blogging about something fabulous and you have yourself a pretty non-existent blog over a couple of months. (Sorry Shwe!) So I’m breaking the jinx and blogging about something. Even if it’s something really simple. Something I make myself pretty often and something that I really like. 

My normal grocery shopping always includes a packet of button mushrooms. I like to toss these babies into omelets, pulaos, stews and casseroles. But what I like to do most is just sauté them in butter and garlic and pile them mile high on some good bread. The key to making this more than ‘mushrooms on toast’, is to know how to sauté the mushrooms. What we are looking for is a nice seared brown outside and a juicy plump center. Overcrowding mushrooms in the pan and/or adding them in before the butter/oil is hot, will just cause them to water out and steam, instead of sauté. And we don’t want watery, shriveled up mushrooms - not when they are the star ingredient! 

This version takes it a step further and adds some passata and cheese. I use a Baguette as the base, but Ciabatta would work great as well. The Mushrooms Melts make a delectable appetizer or light lunch with a fresh salad. What they also do, is serve to break my jinx and for that I adore them even more. 

Fattoush Hummus (Lebanese Bread Salad)

Featured in Tastespotting.com on 16th Jan 2013

The first time I ate Fattoush, I didn’t pay much attention to it. It was my accompaniment to the more interesting Shawarma. And in the Bangalore of 2000, a Shawarma with all its trimmings was very very exotic. A vertical spit roaster filled with chicken slices rotating ever so slowly, while the chef toasted and filled the strange yeasty bread with Hummus, Tahini, salad and finally the sliced chicken – was a demonstration I thought was fit to bunk classes for. But slowly, ever so slowly, the Fattoush has established a firm place in my heart and I actually forgo the shawarma for just fattoush-hummus these days! So what exactly is the Fattoush? For those of you who have seen ‘Meet the Zohan’ – it’s Zohan’s arch nemisis Phantom’s real name! And for those who have better things to do than indulge in trivial pursuits – it’s a salad. A Lebanese Bread Salad that chefs in the earlier days made as an excuse, to use up stale pita bread. (Ok, no one uses stale bread anymore – just toasted crisps work just fine!)  So why am I acting all Alice in Wonderlandy about an ex-stale bread salad? Because fattoush hummus is my comfort baby. My tummy actually asks for this on a regular basis. Coupled with the hummus and the pita crisps, it’s actually a complete meal – One that will leave you feeling healthy and satiated. (No… KFC doesn’t do that!)

Sun Dried Tomato Pita-Pizza

Featured in Tastespotting.com - 19th Mar 2012

I know I have a penchant for extremely long, all-encompassing titles to the post. But trust me this one is the modified version of the original title, which was – Sun Dried Tomato Pita-Pizza with Ham, Mozzarella and Basil. When I read that, it struck me that the entire recipe was in the title itself. Wow! My job is done right? Just chuck whatever I told you onto the pita and bake it in an oven. No really, Pizza making is that simple! (If you’re not kneading the dough that is - which I am not. I don’t have the arms for it!) I also am not rich enough to invest in a Kitchen Aid, so I will be cheap and buy some readymade pizza bases and get the job done. No one has to know! I know the true blue Italians are turning in their graves, but honestly who has the time to appease everyone these days?! My motto is to ‘get the job done’. I’m pretty partial to the thin crust variety but no one sells them at the bakery, so I improvise and use Pita bread as the base. No, I’m not insane. It works as a fantastic substitute. Also even though the 3 hour reduced pizza sauce is marvelous, my sun dried tomato instant pizza sauce is such a good imitation, that no one will be able to tell the difference! The rest as they say is history, or rather my-story. Cheesy? Well a pizza has to be :P

Sun Dried Tomato Pita-Pizza

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

4 Med Pita Breads

8 sundried Tomatoes in Oil

4 Tbsp Tomato sauce

100 gms Ham slices

200 gms Mozzarella, grated

Handful of Basil leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dried herbs to garnish

Red Chilli flakes for added heat

What to do:

Grind the sundried tomatoes along with the tomato paste and 5 basil leaves to make an instant pizza sauce. Add in 2 Tbsp of the reserved sun dried tomato oil, mix well and keep aside. Check seasoning.

Divide the rest of the ingredients into four portions. Now spread one portion of the pizza sauce on the pita bread. Top with one portion of ham slices and mozzarella. Garnish with some basil leaves. Bake/ Place under a preheated grill for 8-10 mins till the cheese melts and is all bubbly. Season if required. Repeat with the other three pitas. Serve hot, sprinkled with some dried herbs (oregano, parsley) and red chilli flakes for added heat! Voila.

P.S. Go ahead and use pepperoni instead of Ham. That’s a different kind of heaven!

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Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich

Some days you are just so lazy that the only option to a fulfilling meal = a Maggi. I have no shame in admitting that the choice for a meal for one, when the co-resident is away is to shove my face with the noodles in front of the telly. Their byline does it for me – Ready in 2 minutes. It’s another matter that its 400 calories of zero nutrition! (I still love you though, my darling Maggi Noodles!) What can I say, old habits die hard! One sunny Saturday afternoon (that’s when laziness is at its peak), I reached into the store cupboard for my customary lazy meal when … Gasp! I had run out of Maggi. Now the paramount rule of laziness restricts me from getting dressed to go to the store down the road to buy one. So my brain had to think of an alternative which would be ready in two minutes. That’s when I made my Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich! (Well technically two minutes for the assembly, as I already had boiled eggs). Also this one packs in loads of the good stuff – salad leaves, eggs, tuna. A high protein healthy lunch, if you ever needed one! I can feel myself getting leaner already ;)

Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich

Prep time: 5 mins

Grilling time: 5 mins

Serves: 2

What you need:

8 slices of Bread (use wholegrain, if you want to up the health quotient)

200 gms can of Tuna in water, drained

4 hard boiled Eggs, sliced

4 Tbsp Mayo

2 cups Mixed Salad leaves

For the Vinaigrette:

3 Tbsp Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp white wine Vinegar

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

What to do:

Put all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar, close the lid and shake well until blended. Pour over the salad leaves and mix to combine.

Spread a Tbsp of Mayo on one slice. Place a generous quantity of salad on the other. Top with the tuna and egg slices. Season with salt and pepper. Sandwich together. Repeat for the other three sandwiches.

Lightly spray a heated grill pan with some oil and press the sandwich down for about a 45 seconds per side till it looks golden and toasty. Alternatively use a sandwich maker. Sit down to enjoy a happy meal!

Sweet Cinnamon Rolls and Savory Dill Rolls

Featured in Tastespotting.com - 14th Jan 2012

Now that I think I can bake bread, I have ventured further into this magical world of yeast. Yes, I know it sounds corny, but it’s becoming an addiction. Somehow knowing that this little growing organism holds the key to a perfectly turned out loaf, makes me feel completely ensnared by it. Like a little slave, I wait for the yeast to make its presence felt and grace my little loaf with the air and water it needs to grow. Amen. This week I made rolls. I used the basic bread roll recipe and decided to twist the dough around – literally. In the end I had these pretty looking swirls enclosing raisins and cinnamon for the sweet lovers and dill and onions for the savory tongues. If you are going to have someone over for tea, I suggest serving a couple of these. Very very fun and tasty. Or have them for a fantastic breakfast – beats the crap out of store cereal anyday!

Cinnamon Rolls and Dill Rolls

Prep time: 15 mins

Sitting time: 2+2 hrs

Baking time: 10-15 mins

Makes: 8-10 rolls

What you need:

1 Basic Bread Dough recipe (Click here)

If making Cinnamon Rolls:

50 gms Butter, softened

2 tsps Cinnamon Powder

2 Tbsps Brown sugar

Some raisins to sprinkle in between

If making Dill Rolls:

¾th Tbsp Oil

1 Onion, sliced

2 Green Chili, chopped

1 bunch Dill leaves, chopped

¼ tsp Salt

What to do:

In the basic bread dough recipe, when you reach the stage of shaping the dough into rolls, follow the below instructions. Divide the dough into 8-10 balls. Now roll out the ball into a 10” rope. Lay it on the table top and flatten it out to 1” width and 1/2” thickness.

For the Cinnamon rolls: Spread some softened butter onto the flattened rope. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon powder. Toss in a few raisins. Now start folding the flattened dough to make a spiral.

For the Dill rolls: Heat oil and fry the onion and chilli. Add dill and fry for 2 mins. Seasn with salt. Cool. Spread the cooled mixture onto the flattened dough rope and then fold into a spiral.

Now place the dough rolls on a baking tray and loosely cover with cling film (to keep the moisture in). The dough will ferment and double in size in the next two hours. Just before baking, glaze with a eggwash for the dill roll or a milkwash for the cinnamon roll. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10-15 mins. Once done, overturn the rolls in the baking tray to avoid the bottom getting soggy. Serve Warm.

Note: If you’re oven is small, you can still bake this in 2 batches. Ensure space between the rolls after shaping, as they double in size. Also if you plan to make both the rolls – don’t bake the cinnamon ones with the dill. They both have very strong smells and the resultant intermingling is strange. Two batches – one for each type should be ideal.

The rolls are at their glorious peak when hot. Serve at tea time or devour for brekkie!!

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Baking Bread - In all shapes and sizes

The warm yeasty smell, the soft fluffy touch, the chewy satisfying taste, the golden yellow sheen – it can only be Bread!! I love bread. I love it so much that I want to sleep on a pillow of freshly baked bread… Sweet dreams for sure. Of course no one really bothers to try to bake bread – not without a bread machine. It’s too cumbersome, when you can just run out to the bakery that’s been making it for generations and pretty much knows how to earn their dough from it! But everyone wants to ‘try’ to bake bread. This attempt was one to scale my personal Everest of the year. Yes, some climb mountains; I make mountains of a mole hill challenge! Anyway I was mighty impressed with the results. *Patting myself on the back*. Just thought I’ll gloat to you guys as well J

Basic Bread Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins

Sitting time: 2+2 hrs

Baking time: 30 mins for loaves; 15 mins for buns/ rolls

Makes: 2 loaves or several fun shapes

 

What you need:

3 ½ cups Refined Flour/ Maida

100ml + 100ml Water

50 ml Milk

2 tsp Yeast (granules)

4 tbsp Sugar (Powdered/ Castor)

1 tsp Sugar (Granulated)

1 ½ tsp Salt

5 Tbsp Oil (refined sunflower/ neutral tasting oils)

What to do:

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water (100ml) with the granulated sugar and keep aside for ten minutes. If the mixture starts bubbling and yeast starts rising to the surface you know the yeast is activated.

Sieve the flour, add salt and sugar. Mix in the remaining water. Then add the yeast, milk and oil and knead to a soft and smooth dough. Use the base of your palm to knead the dough by pushing the dough away from you and then gathering it again. 10 mins of this labour of love should do it. Keep the dough covered with cling wrap for 2 hours. It should have doubled in size. Now unwrap and punch the dough down. Go on release all that pent up energy. We do this to remove all the trapped air.

If making a loaf of bread: Put it into a loaf tin and keep it covered with cling film. The dough will ferment and double in size in the next two hours.

If making buns/ rolls: Mould the dough into the desired shape. Place on a baking tray, loosely cover with cling film (to keep the moisture in). The dough will ferment and double in size in the next two hours.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30 mins if making bread/ 15 mins for buns. Enjoy the smell of heaven!!

 

The dough rising slowly.

You can use an eggwash (beat an egg and use it to brush the surface of the bun before baking) to give the buns a nice glaze!

Classic Bacon and Egg Salad Sandwich

It’s called classic because it’s a timeless combination. Bacon and Eggs. I could actually have an entire blog dedicated to the dishes you could dish out of this very combination. But we don’t want to be biased now, do we ;) ?  New question… why do I need a separate blog post for the simplest of sandwiches? Because my friends it’s the little things that matter and this recipe has all the little things that will transform a slap dash sandwich into the classic it is. For a hint – it’s Mustard. Not convinced? Ok, Parsley. Still not convinced? Ok its mustard and parsley and mayo. Trust me, the combo works like a charm!

Classic Bacon and Egg Sandwich

Prep time: 10 mins

Makes 2 sandwiches

What you need:
2 rashers rindless Bacon
2 hard boiled Eggs
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf Parsley
Salt and freshly ground Black pepper
Butter or Margarine
4 slices Milk or other White Bread

What to do:
Grill bacon or fry in a dry non-stick pan until crisp. Allow to cool, then chop. Chop up eggs and mash with the mayonnaise, mustard and parsley. Stir bacon pieces through and season with salt and pepper.
Lightly butter bread, spread egg mixture on two slices and top with remaining bread.

P.S. This sandwich is also tasty when toasted. Or if you please, you can ditch the bread and have it as an Egg Salad instead!

Double Banana Nut Bread

Well baking is really not my forte. Not that I suck at it, but I would never really attempt a 10 layer cake and expect to get it right. That’s what the patisseries’ are for right? That said, this Banana Bread recipe is extremely simple. Actually I am even willing to call it failsafe. Add to the fact that it lets you use up overripe bananas left over from overzealous shopping expeditions, well who’s complaining?? The basic Banana bread recipe remains the same and you can toss any dried fruits/ nuts into it to make it more interesting. I would suggest walnuts, almonds and raisins. Also for a yummy flavor you could add blueberries.. but solo. We don’t want a hodgepodge now do we? It’s a really dense bread, so it keeps moist for a long time. But it's never lasted beyond two days at my place… cause we eat it up!!

Double Banana Nut Bread

Recipe Courtesy: Shelley Albeluhn

Baking time: 60 mins

Serves: 8-12 / One 9X5 inch loaf

What you need:

2 cups All purpose Flour

2 med Eggs, beaten

2-3 mashed Overripe Bananas

¼ tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

½ cup Butter

¾ cup Brown Sugar

Handful of Raisins and Almonds (broken into small pieces)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, sift and combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in beaten eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Ready and Bready :)

P.S. It’s called Double Banana Nut Bread cause it’s got a pronounced Banana flavor compared to other breads. Yes, it’s actually a result of a very scientific survey. Sue me!

Irish Cheese Pudding and some Beer

I would presume cheese and bread are staple items in anyone’s cupboard. No matter which way you combine them, you’re sure to have a comforting meal. You can almost call them a happy couple - Wonderful by themselves and more fun when they are together. So obviously I was game when I came across a recipe for “Irish Cheese Pudding”. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what was so Irish about it, then I read about the magic ingredient - Dark Beer. Magic? Well, if you’re a beer drinker/Irish (they’re almost synonymous) the reason will be obvious to you. But for the uninitiated, .. the Dark Beer will make the Cheese Pudding moist and fluffy. And anyone who’s tried to achieve the same result without beer, will now vouch, that beer in a main course weaves it own little magic. So I made my cheese pudding and served it with a green salad and like the Irish say, “LoVely it was!”


Irish Cheese Pudding

Prep time - 30 mins
Baking time - 30 mins
Serves 4

What you need:
8 slices stale bread
60g softened butter
150g cheddar cheese, grated
4 eggs
1 cup Dark Beer / Chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
freshly ground pepper

What to do:
Preheat oven to 150 degree C (300F/Gas 2). Remove crusts from bread, butter each slice on one side only. Sprinkle two-thirds of the grated cheese onto four slices, sandwich with the remaining bread. Cut Cheese sandwiches in half diagonally. Well you can make pretty star shapes for all I care.. but we are trying to keep it simple :)
Grease a shallow oven proof dish with the remaining butter. Arrange sandwiches over the base.
Beat the eggs, beer and cream; Note: You can substitute chicken stock for beer or go half and half (Just making the recipe kid friendly!). You can also stir in a spoon of Dijon Mustard for more flavour. Pour mixture over the sandwiches, moistening each. Make sure you cover all the sandwiches and there is some liquid standing at the base. Let the preparation stand for 30 mins. This is where the happy union begins.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and season with ground black pepper. Bake for 30 mins or until pudding is set and golden.
Serve with a green salad to make a complete meal. And more dark beer on the side wouldn't hurt either!