Two ways to be Feta Chic - Salad and Appetizer

Feta is a brined soft cheese, made from sheep (and goats milk) and is very popular in Greek cuisine. It looks like paneer but is much softer, grainier and tangier. While the most popular way of using feta is in a Greek Salad – this cheese has the ability to shine in many other dishes. I picked up a slab of Feta this week and was hard pressed to find a recipe that does it justice. I wanted Feta to be the star of the dish and not just a supporting element. After many frustrating hours of searching my recipe books and the internet, I just decided to use it in a Watermelon and Arugula (Rocket) Salad. Besides, I had recently learnt how to deseed a watermelon and I was itching to see if it works. (It does – Instructables shows you how!). The salad is an amazing medley of tastes and textures – sweet and crispy watermelon, crunchy and peppery arugula and finally creamy and salty feta, dressed with silky honey and olive oil. The salad is super easy to put together and colorful to look at as well. I used up half the slab of feta here and packed the other half away.

Later in the day, I remembered a beautiful meal that me and the co-resident had in one of our favorite Greek restaurants – Thalassa in Goa. The appetizer was a slab of marinated Feta served with toasted Pita! I had found my Feta Star recipe. This is an absolute breeze to make and you will not believe the flavor explosion in your mouth. If I wanted to serve up a really chic appetizer in a fancy party – this would be it! It makes sense to go out and scout for a good slab of Feta, just to have the pleasure of eating this. The creamy Feta just luxuriates in a good quality olive oil and once you dress it in some herbs – your work is done. Like Leonardo Da Vinci said and Steve Jobs believed - “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.  

Strawberries and Banana Breakfast Smoothie

My fridge is filled with boxes and boxes of Strawberries. Yes, tis the season to be jolly …again! I’ve raved about my strawberry love many times before so you already know I’m crazy about the little suckers. And I always stock up whenever they come around. Apart from eating them dunked in hot chocolate fudge or enjoying them with the traditional fresh cream I also like to make a mean smoothie out of it. Besides, I just bought a nice Morphy Richards blender this month … so I need to puree and blend! I call this my breakfast smoothie because it gives me the necessary kick to start the day. Yes, I need a kick… I am NOT a morning person. Come to think of it, I’m not a night owl either. I’m a nine-to-fiver! Unfortunately those kinds of jobs are hard to come by and even if they do, it will involve sucking up to someone in a government office! Now that I’m done ranting about the lack of optimal timed employment, I come back to the smoothie. It’s yummy, it’s easy, it’s healthy and it’s in season. It’s a complete breakfast, so you can give your Masala Dosa a break today!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Chili Maple Croutons

Now don’t be babies and skip this post because it’s got ‘kaddu/ kumbalkayi’ as the star ingredient. I know I ran a mile when my mom made pumpkin playa when I was a kid. There was so much drama about not eating it, that my mom finally relented and stopped making it for many years. But I guess I was always a hypocrite when it came to pumpkins. There’s a special halwa (sweet) called ‘Kashi Halwa’, that’s made out of pumpkins for our wedding ceremonies. I used to wait patiently furiously tapping my banana leaf for the waiter to serve us the halwa. I would quickly devour it before he finished serving the rest of the table and act like he missed serving me. The look on the waiter’s face was priceless!  But topping that look was mine, when my mom finally told me that the halwa was made out of pumpkin! Evil evil woman! After that I had to make my peace with the pumpkin. (If only to avoid the dichotomy while eating the halwa!)

Circa 2012, over a dinner in Graze at the Taj Vivaanta – I order Pumpkin Soup. The co-resident looks like he’s going to gag on his breadstick. I look at him smugly with a wait and watch approach. The soup is divine! Maybe because of the generous amount of truffle oil, but divine nonetheless. It also costs an arm and a leg. So I come back home and attempt to replicate it over the weekend. And the result is this gorgeous concoction. Yum yum yum… I kicked the recipe up a notch and served it with some Maple-paprika croutons. I now crown myself Queen of the Pumpkin Patch! :P

Roast Chicken Drumsticks in a Pomegranate and Honey Pepper Marinade

I know the title is mighty long and a simple Anardana Chicken would have cut it, but where’s the fancy shmancy in that?!  I've never really found a recipe with pomegranate that caught my attention till today. Always ate Pomegranate by itself or sprinkled over a salad. I know using pomegranate and chicken together might jolt some of you, but trust me and carry on reading.  This recipe from the Good Food magazine, seemed too simple. It made me doubt whether that was all there was to it.  I love pomegranates and have always known heard that we use dried pomegranate powder (Anardana) in Indian cooking. However,  the spice mix in this recipe seemed very Middle Eastern and I had a niggling feeling that this maybe Moroccon! I read the ingredients thrice over before finally deciding to go for it! (After all, as the magazine says – Every recipe is thrice tested, so how badly could I screw up?). So how did it finally turn out? It was Fantastic – moist, juicy, peppery and tangy. Excellent bang for the buck. It’s something that you can whip up in a jiffy and just by throwing in some pomegranate jewels it looks so desirable. I call them jewels because they remind me of rubies or garnets and I can’t hide my love for color and bling. It’s also really good for the heart – the pomegranate that is, not the fat dripping chicken! Besides its kinda cool when you mix fruit and meat don’t you think? A most unlikely hit pair!  

 Pomegranate and Pepper Roast Chicken Drumsticks

(Recipe Courtesy: BBC Good Food India, Nov 2011)

Marinating time: 4 hrs or overnight
Cooking time: 35 mins
Serves: 6 as starter, 2 as mains

What you need:

6 Chicken drumsticks, skin removed
1 Tbsp dried Pomegranate powder (Anardana)
1 tsp Black Peppercorns, coarsely ground
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Honey
Salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds to garnish

What to do:

Mix the oil, melted butter and honey in a large bowl till well blended. Add the dry spices and salt till evenly mixed. Wash and dry the chicken drumsticks and into the marinade. Make 2 to 3 diagonal slits in the meat. Rub the marinade into chicken and coat all the six pieces. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate, allowing the chicken to marinate for atleast 4 hours. (Ideally overnight).

When the chicken is marinated, preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the legs on a roasting pan and roast until the surface is golden and the meat is done. (about 30 mins ). Baste the chicken with the run off marinade in the pan occasionally.

Test for doneness by piercing the chicken at its thickest part, towards the bone. The juices should run clear. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate seeds on each drumstick.

I would serve this as a starter but if you want to make a main out of it – Cous cous with a splash of orange juice and chopped parsley and pomogrante seeds folded into it would look gorgeous!

Note: The original recipe said 3 Tbsp of Honey, Oil and Butter each but I felt that was way too much. 2 Tbsp of each worked just perfect. Also I used a roasting tin with a groove around the edges that let the extra fat and oil collect. Perfect for basting without letting the meat wallow in too much liquid while roasting.

P.S. You get Anardana Powder (Dried Pomegranate Powder) in any Indian Grocery store. Make sure you store it in an airtight packet after opening it.

Honey Chilli Chicken

This is the first Asian style dish that I have posted online. Shall we say in honor of the Year of the Metal Tiger, which starts in the month of February. The year of the Tiger is supposed to bring in dramatic changes but a lot can be accomplished if we are resilient. But enough of the astrology advice...this recipe actually doesn’t require much resilience. It’s very accommodating …gives you enough time to watch an episode on the telly while it cooks away contentedly. I use chicken thighs which have a darker meat which is much more flavorful and suited for this recipe. Also I leave the skin on, which results in a crispy outside but moist inside meat. The co-resident’s not much of a fan of honey in savory dishes, but I love the caramelly glaze and the sweet, pungent and tangy combination.. Drool drool!

Honey Chilli Chicken

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

8 Chicken thighs / 20 Chicken wings

2 tsps minced Ginger

1 tsp minced Garlic

2 tsps Red Chilli Sauce

2 Tbsps Honey

2 Tbsps Lemon juice

2 Tbsps Soy Sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/425ºF. Place ginger, garlic, honey, chilli sauce, lemon juice and soy sauce in a bowl and mix well. Brush the chicken generously with the mixture and place in a greased baking dish. Cook for 30 mins or until chicken is cooked through and skin is crispy. Baste frequently with sauce during cooking. Its done!

P.S. New potatoes, broccoli and carrots are an ideal accompaniment to this dish. I also served egg noodles with garlic, you know I need my carbs!