Ham, Bacon and Green Apple Quiche

So today has been a frustrating day. I made a cheese cake which did not set and made a Mexican Chicken Mole which had too much cinnamon! And on a hot day tempers can flare everywhere! Clearly some days are not for culinary adventure or rather just any culinary venture. Every woman who rushes home from work and still wants to whip up a fancy meal a la Nigella, is living in a dream world if she doesn’t have failsafe recipes to fall back on! It’s times like these that I have even more reverence for a good recipe, a blogger who tests the recipe and finally a book that publishes only tried and tested recipes. That is why you can be rest assured I am not putting up dubious recipes on my blog. I don’t want to inflict the pain of failure on anyone. (No, seriously, that’s how it feels when a recipe screws up!) So it’s with supreme confidence that I am posting the Ham, Bacon and Green Apple recipe. It worked liked a charm, tasted supremely good and was a breeze to make. Now who doesn’t want that in their repertoire?

Ham, Bacon and Green Apple Quiche

(Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food India, Jan 2012)

Prep time: 20 mins

Baking time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

8 Ham slices

8 Bacon slices

½ Green Apple, halved and sliced

2 Eggs

200ml Cream (I used Amul)

1 large Onion, sliced

A pinch of Nutmeg

1 cup dried Breadcrumbs

50 gms Butter, salted

6 Sage leaves, chopped finely

Handful of grated parmesan

Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do:

Put the breadcrumbs and softened butter in a food processor and mix till you get wet pasty crumbs. Now empty the contents into a 8 or 9 inch flan/pie dish and press the mixture to coat the bottom and sides. Pat down with your fingers to get an even layer and use your knuckles to push the mixture into the sides. Cover with cling film and toss into the refrigerator to chill while you make the quiche mixture.

Stack the ham slices up and cut into large squares. Chop the Bacon into strips and cut the apple and onion into slices. Add the bacon to a large skillet and sauté over low heat to render the fat. Cook until the bacon just begins to crisp. Now add the onions and sauté in the bacon fat, then add the apple slices and sauté till both turn translucent.

Add the cream and bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Remove the skillet from the fire and let it cool for a few minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. In the meantime, beat the eggs. Now add the eggs to the skillet and mix well into the sauce. Take the pie dish out of the fridge. It should look dry. Pour the contents of the skillet into the baking dish and sprinkle sage leaves on top. Bake at 180°C for 20 mins in the center rack of the oven. Now remove from the oven, sprinkle grated parmesan on top and return to bake for another 5 mins till the crust looks golden brown.

Serve hot immediately or chill overnight, cut into neat wedges and serve at room temperature or warm. I served mine with a nice green salad with balsamic dressing for a fantastic mid week meal!

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!

Here's what was featured in Tastespotting.com

Risi e Bisi

All good food is comfort food but some rank higher in the list. And if it’s warm and soft and has ham and cheese in it… the points just go way up! When I first read the recipe, I concluded that I liked the name very much. Sounds just like ‘hot rice’ in Kannada! Risi e Bisi actually means rice and peas in Italian. It’s a classic Venetian risotto dish. Comforting for sure, but also simple to make. My version has sweet corn in addition to the peas, just because I think the sweet flavor complements the salty ham well. I use frozen peas in this dish. They are cheaper and are available year round. They also often have a better flavor than the fresh ones, as they are frozen at source immediately after being picked, which helps retain their sweet taste. I bought a kilo of very expensive risotto rice and am using it judiciously, but feel free to use Idly rice. (Apparently the final result is comparable). Don’t take my word for it… I just heard it from a little birdie. But I would love to hear from you, if the substitution worked in your favour. For a cold winter day – Risi e Bisi!

Risi e Bisi

Cooking time: 50 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1 ½ cups Risotto rice

1.25 litre / 5 cups simmering Chicken stock

6 Tbsp Butter

1 small Onion, finely chopped

150 ml White wine

1 cup frozen Peas

1 cup Sweet Corn kernels

100 gms cooked ham, diced

50 gms Parmesan/ Grano Padano, grated

Salt and freshly ground Black pepper to taste

What to do:

Wash the rice, drain and keep aside. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large heavy pan until foaming. Add the onion and cook gently for about 3 mins, stirring frequently, until softened. Have the hot stock ready in an adjacent pan. Add the rice to the onion mixture. Stir until the grains start to swell, then pour in the wine. Stir until the wine stops sizzling and most of it has been absorbed. Then pour in a little hot stock, with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the corn. Stir continuously on low heat, until all the stock has been absorbed.

Add the remaining stock a ladle at a time, allowing the rice to absorb all the liquid before adding in the next ladle. Add the peas after about 20 mins. Stir to mix well and cook for a further 5-7 mins. The risotto should be nice and creamy and cooked. (Some people like it al dente, I like to be a little more cooked, say 3-4 mins more).

Now, gently stir in the diced ham and the remaining butter. Heat through until the butter has melted. Stir in the grano padano. (Save some to grate on top). Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Transfer the risotto to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.

 

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.

Lamb Chintamani - The Three Ingredient Wonder

This one is a revelation. I came across the recipe at Spices and Aroma and was instantly intrigued. A lamb main course using just three ingredients? Now that must be either really simple or really a joke. I had to satisfy my curiosity. So I immediately bookmarked the page to try it and asked the co-resident to go meat shopping. (He knows this awesome butcher near my mom-in-law’s house, rest assured we always get the freshest and best cut of meat). The recipe says Lamb but I like to use Goat Meat. It’s less fatty and somehow so much more flavorsome. The recipe is an authentic Kongunadu (Salem, Erode and Coimbatore) recipe using lamb and onions in equal quantities with some many fiery dried red chillies to liven it up! The result is an almost pickle like consistency that you serve with some hot white rice and loads of ghee. Now, most people add ghee to their sambhar and curries to reduce the heat, but the purpose of serving ghee with this dish is to also enhance the flavour. Ghee brings the whole dish together. So leave your calorie conscious self aside when you liberally pour ghee over your hot rice and lamb to savour it. I loved the dish so much that it’s going to be a regular at the family dinner table. Remind yourself to have loads of yoghurt to sooth your stomach if it complains… the tongue however will be begging for more more more!

Lamb Chintamani

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Serves: 4-6

What you need:

1 ¼ kilo Lamb/ Goat meat

1 ¼ kilo Onions – chopped

25 Dry Red Chillis

¼ cup Vegetable Oil

½ cup Water

To Serve:

White Rice

Ghee

Yoghurt

What to do:

Heat oil in a large pressure cooker. When the oil get smoking hot, tear the dry red chillies into half and add them to the hot oil. Let them sizzle and cook for 30 seconds. Throw in the onions and little salt. Cook on low flame for 10-15 minutes until the onions brown. Finally add the cleaned and cubed lambs and water. Mix well to combine.

Pressure Cooker Method: Cover the pressure cooker with the lid and cook for 8-10 whistles. Once the steam has settled down, open the lid and slowly remove the lamb pieces in a clean container leaving behind the liquid.

Turn on the stove to high and reduce the liquid to less than half the amount, or until they turn syrupy. At this point, mix in the cooked juicy lamb and cook for further 2-3 minutes.

OR 

Traditional slow cooking method: Cook in a large cooking pot. Follow the same steps as in the previous method. But instead of the letting it whistle, cook them covered for 45-60minutes stirring every now and then.

Serve hot with rice, ghee and yogurt. OMG yummy!

P.S. I prefer the Pressure cooker method, saves time and effort. And you don’t have to keep hovering over the stove and praying that the lamb is not burning. (Ok, it dosen’t burn in the traditional method, but who wants to spend an inordinate amount of time watching the pot?)

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

Here’s a tricky one. The recipe uses raw eggs. Don’t freak out, I’ve been relishing carbonara for many years and I still live to tell the tale. The reason I said it was tricky is because of the technique. You need to keep everything hot, so that when you add the eggs at the end, they just cook in the residual heat but do not scramble. Otherwise we would have scrambled eggs with spaghetti – not the best combo! That said, it’s the quickest and yummiest thing you can have with pasta. Also when the final result tastes like restaurant goodness in under ten minutes, your guests are sure going to sing praises of your effortless magic. Shall we say Nigella style? (It helps if you wear lipstick! Wink wink ;)

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

450gms Spaghetti

1 Tbsp Olive oil

225gms rindless pancetta or lean bacon, chopped

4 Eggs

5 Tbsp light Cream

3 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground Pepper

What to do:

Bring a large heavy bottomed pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, return to a boil and cook according to time instructions on the packet. The spaghetti should be tender but still firm to the bite. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottom skillet. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently – 8 to 10 mins. Beat the eggs with the cream in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Tip in the contents of the skillet, then add the egg mixture and half the parmesan cheese. Stir well, then transfer to a warmed serving dish. Serve immediately sprinkled with the remaining cheese.

Macaroni with Spicy Sausage Meat

So I bought some spicy sausage when I bought my bacon. It’s always the same routine. The co-resident will throw a fit if he knew that I came back from the deli one without the other. This sausage is really special, most likely not found outside Bangalore. It’s called the green masala sausage at the ‘Ham Shop’ on M.G. Road. The man’s been in business for decades and trust me he knows how to turn this one out to perfection. I’m pretty sure the sausage has coriander, chilies and pepper. And I’ve decided to not boggle my brains with deciphering the rest of the mix. You can substitute any other sausage for this recipe, but if you can head down to the Ham Shop nothing like it. (P.S. No, he did not pay me to write for him and No and I don’t think he needs any more publicity!)

Macaroni with Spicy Sausage Meat

Cooking time: 25 mins

Prep time: 15 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

400 gms Pasta

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 large red Onion, very finely chopped

6-8 good quality pork Sausages (skin removed)

1 fresh medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 small glass of dry White Wine

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Pinch of dried Oregano

150 ml hot Vegetable stock

300 ml Double Cream

Salt and freshly ground Black pepper

Handful of fresh flat leaf Parsley, finely chopped

What to do:

Place pasta in a pan of boiling salted water and cook until just tender. Drain, keep back a tiny amount of cooking water.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, and cook over a low heat for 5 mins or until soft and translucent. Chop up the sausage meat and add to the pan, using the back of a fork to break it up. Cook until they are no longer pink, about 5 mins. Add the chili and cayenne and stir. Raise the heat, add the wine and simmer for a few mins. Add the garlic and oregano and season well with salt and pepper. Pour in the stock and cream, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins.

Toss the pasta with the sausage sauce, get your desired consistency with the cooking liquid. Garnish with parsley and serve hot. (Not cold, because the pork fat tends to get heavy when cold.)

Bacon and Mushroom Quiche

Anyone who’s not a bacon fan can sign off at the moment because this recipe extols the virtues of fat … Pork fat… interspersed between salty pork meat…which melts and crackles on a hot pan… which curls into a heavenly roll… and then when you bite into it, just melts into your mouth.. sigh! See.. Dint I say anyone who’s not a bacon fan can sign off? A quiche is an open tart with a thin pastry shell (shortcrust) filled with a rich savory egg custard. I made the shortcrust pastry of the quiche at home, so will pat myself on the back. But you can buy the dough from any supermarket. Bacon and mushrooms top this one, but you can add anything you like. They say the original quiche din’t contain cheese... but for me a quiche is not a quiche without liberal amounts of cheese! You can eat this hot or cold, I prefer my quiche cold as the flavors mould in well after some sitting time. The co-resident loved this one and ate a recipe for 6 by himself... God bless his heart!

Bacon and Mushroom Quiche

Prep time: 30 mins + 20 mins refrigeration time

Cooking time: 1 hour total

Serves: 6

What you need:

Pastry

11/2 cups plain Flour

100 gms Butter, chopped

1 Egg

1 Tbsp Water, approx.

Filling

10 thinly sliced Bacon rashers

200 gms Mushrooms

6 Eggs

2/3 cup Milk

11/4 cup Thick Cream

½ cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

Salt and Pepper

What to do:

To Make Pastry: Place flour and butter in food processor. Process for 30 seconds or until mixture is fine and crumbly. Add egg and almost all the water, process for 20 seconds or until the mixture just comes together when squeezed, adding more water if required. Turn onto a lightly floured board. Knead mixture gently to form smooth dough. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to moderately hot 210ºC.

Roll Pastry on a flour board large enough to fit a 13 inch round loose bottomed flan tin. Ease pastry into tin. Trim edge with a sharp knife. Cut a sheet of baking paper large enough to cover pastry lined tin. Place paper over pastry; spread a layer of dried beans or rice evenly over paper. Bake for 15 mins, remove paper and beans; bake for another 10 mins or until pastry case is lightly browned; cool. Reduce oven temperature to moderate 180 ºC.

To make Filling: Reserve four slices of bacon. Chop the remaining bacon. Heat pan, cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Sauté the mushrooms in the bacon fat. Keep aside. Combine eggs, milk, cream, salt and pepper in a jug. Whisk well. Line pastry case with mushrooms; sprinkle with bacon; pour cream mixture over. Cut reserved bacon rashers in half. Lay strips over cream mixture, sprinkle with cheese. Bake 40 mins or until cooked through and golden. Serve hot or cold with a nice green salad!

P.S. Do not overwork the dough when making pastry in a food processor or pastry will be tough. Another way is to just rub the butter with the flour till it resembles bread crumbs and then just combine with enough water to pull together.

Bangers and Mash

Bangers and Mash = Sausages and Mashed potatoes. It’s called Bangers because if you don’t poke a hole in the sausages when cooking them, they tend to burst with a “bang”. This is a cheap and economical meal, but there is no compromise on the taste. It's a British favorite and generally there serve whole sausages in gravy. However, I like to slice and dice mine up, so that the rich gravy can coat each mini piece of yumminess (Don’t know if that’s a real word!). The best part about this dish is that I can have it for breakfast or lunch or dinner. Promise you the kids will love them…and so will you. Easy Breezy.


Bangers and Mash

Cooking time – 15 mins
Serves 4

What you need:
8 Medium Size Sausages (Chicken - I like the flavoured ones)
2 Tbsp Oil
2 Med Onions (sliced)
4 Tbsp of Barbeque Sauce
2 Tbsp of Water
Salt and Black Pepper
For the Mash:
800 gm Potatoes
6 Tbsp Milk
1 Tbsp Cream
50 gm Butter
Salt and Black Pepper

What to Do:
Boil water in a saucepan and toss in the sausages for about 5 mins. Drain the water and dice them up. Keep aside.

In the meantime, boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until soft. Drain and keep warm until ready to mash.

Heat Oil in a pan and toss in the slices onions till they turn pink. Then the sausages go in and we need to sauté for 5 mins, till they start turning brown. Now mix the Barbeque sauce with the water, to get a gravy like consistency and pour over the sausages. Stir fry for 2-3 mins till the gravy coats each piece. That's done.

Now mash the potatoes using a masher/ fork. Toss in the butter. The heat from the potatoes will melt it. Stir in the milk (adjust the quantity to how sticky you like the mash to be). Finally season with salt and pepper and mix in the cream.

Serve the Bangers and Mash with a nice Green Salad and you’re set.