Porcini Mushroom Risotto

Let’s face it - porcini mushrooms are expensive. It’s not something that finds its way into my grocery list AT ALL. But there are odd days (when the salary account has been credited) that one is inclined to feel generous. So I picked up a teeny tiny bottle of it for half a thousand rupees. When coming up with an idea to use it judiciously – a Porcini Mushroom Risotto was a no brainer. The mushrooms would lend themselves nicely to being slowly rehydrated while cooking the risotto and the flavor and color would permeate the stock. And to be fair, just half a cup of Porcini mushrooms is more than enough to make that risotto praise worthy. 

Cooking risotto is like barbequing something – you have to hang around. The stock has to be poured in ladle by ladle while the rice absorbs the liquid and gets plump. And you need to use your intuition and your tasting spoon to know when it’s ready. Lucky for you, I use a fail-safe risotto recipe that has consistently given me perfectly cooked risotto time and again. If you want a grain that holds its shape, is glossy, creamy and luxurious – you’ve come to the right place. 

Easy Grilled Chicken with Pasta

The grill pan is one of my favorite kitchen treasures. It lets me (almost) replicate the look and taste of an outside grill, right on my stove-top. I’m all for shortcuts and making life easier, so you well know how this fits into my lifestyle ;) Another thing that makes life easier is ready-made sauces – for the life of me, I can’t imagine slow simmering some BBQ sauce over 12-14 hours! I have better things to do, like read a juicy cookbook or go grocery shopping for exciting ingredients! Now, there’s two kinds of grocery shopping I indulge in. The first one is running to the local kirana store (doubles up as exercise) for curry leaves or a loaf of bread and the second is where I make a huge list and plan an exciting day at a large and well stocked supermarket. (yes, I’m sad like that).

Foodhall @ 1MG Road, has been a regular haunt to pick up all things interesting – wasabi paste…check, gnocchi…check, tarragon vinegar…check, Ras-El-Hanout…check, an elephant…check (ok, just checking to see if you’re paying attention!). So when I received a little hamper from Foodhall, I was pretty thrilled - more ammunition for my kitchen! I wanted to act all Master-cheffy and do a mystery box challenge, but we both must agree that Grilled Chicken and Pasta sounds pretty basic. We however jazz it up by using the red chilli, apricot and rosemary sauce and a twisty coloured pasta. Not so basic anymore huh? :P But honestly, repeatable and easy recipes are what I always bookmark and this one finds pride of place in that list. Let’s get cooking…

Penne a La Vodka

Featured on Foodgawker.com and Tastespotting.com on 24th Jan 2013

Featured on The Berry on 26th Feb 2013

 

I’m still detoxing after the excesses of December, but this dish needed to get made! I just got assigned an additional role at work and to add to that, we have a new boss. Changes, changes, changes – how I hate them! (Especially, when I’m not the one making them!) Since I’d sworn off alcohol atleast for a month (part of the detox plan), I needed to find an alternative. (And No, I can’t make the ‘special’ brownies). So I gave myself and my frazzled nerves some loving, in the form of Penne a la Vodka. It doesn’t count as cheating because technically, the alcohol content is supposed to burn off when you deglaze the pan with it. (It’s another story that when you’re off alcohol, even a whiff of it can send you into a happy place). Anyway, this is a classic recipe and loved the world over. It’s sophisticated enough to serve at a dinner party and comforting enough to take it to the couch with you. When you have the best of both worlds you don’t really question it…..ever!

P.S. In case anyone (after reading the above para) thinks I’m an alcohol addicted crazy person who’s headed down the path to rehab in a couple of years…rest assured I’m not! Though I might need anger management sooner than later! (Watch your back…)

Quick Fried Rice - A Lifesaver, literally!

Chinese Cooking is an art (At least for me). So attempts of Chinese cuisine at home are few and far between. We do visit the fancy Chinese restaurant for a nice meal, but nothing beats ordering greasy Chinese food from the neighborhood restaurant and settling blissfully on the couch to watch reruns of ‘How I met your Mother’ (Or CSI Miami, if that’s your scene :P). At the end of the meal however there’s always a faint feeling of regret. And regret tastes like a swollen tongue because of the amount of MSG/ Ajinomoto that the local guys use, to kick up the taste of the food. Not nice… not nice at all!

When such derailing urges strike these days, thankfully I don’t need to call the Ajinomoto joint anymore. (No, I don’t have a Chinese chef at home.) But I recently found this brand called Blue Dragon, which makes some amazing stir fry sauces. All I need to do is cut up some chicken and veggies and stir fry them quickly and toss the sauce in to finish! It tastes brilliant :) and even though I know there is some MSG in it, the level is not as high as leaving my mouth feeling like a barren wasteland! The only problem with this situation is that I only have the main course bit covered. Now if I order the noodles or rice from Ajinomoto Joint (that’s not their real name!), it defeats the purpose. That’s when I came across this fantabulous (yes, it’s that satisfying) Quick Fried Rice recipe. It looks and tastes like the real deal and helps complete the meal! Win win! Feels as good as Superman saving the day… well almost!

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

Featured in Foodgawker.com on 16th Oct 2012

Featured in Tastespotting.com on 21st Oct 2012

No matter how good my refrigerator is, I can’t store things forever. Especially fruits and vegetables. I don’t have the luxury of taking a lovely evening stroll to source my produce everyday, like the friendly aunty who lives across the street from me. I go to a hypermarket close by and bundle everything I can into the car and lug it home once a week. I know the hypermarket claims the produce is super fresh and challenges anyone to claim otherwise. But everyone knows that even the supposedly ‘fresh’ produce in supermarkets is already stashed in cold storage for weeks to help transport it intact. Now is this a rant on the troubles of city living or the hypocrisy of large corporations? No.

I just have a rule that once I buy something perishable from the market, I need to finish it within a week. In a perfect world, I would have planned the menu for the week in advance. I would have used up everything judiciously by the end of the week. I would have variety everyday and would eat healthy and balanced meals. Unfortunately we live in the real world. Sometimes we work late, sometimes we run out of gas, sometimes we go out for dinner and sometimes we just want to order in greasy Chinese. Towards the end of the week, when I open the fridge to grab some chocolate – the veggies are staring back at me. The guilt meter points to high. That’s when genius strikes and I rustle up something that can accommodate the weeks shopping list. Fortunately this time, they all lent themselves to a nice Roasted Vegetable sauce served with Pasta. Hallelujah! Because it looked and tasted so amazing, the co-resident thought I planned this, weeks in advance J

Methi Chicken with Coconut Rice

I always hated all the weird green leafy things that my mom religiously included in atleast one meal of the day. It din’t matter if the greens were all different and tasted unique, just the fact that it was greens, was enough to make us wring our faces in disgust. We gave it a combined names of ‘Soppu’ which literally means ‘Greens’ in Kannada and left it at that. Methi or Fenugreek leaves was maybe the general of the green army. The fact that it was bitter elevated it to the hate list pretty quickly. Yes, it’s healthy and a fantastic source of Iron, but try getting that into our little brains. Now that my brain is slightly bigger (Ok, my head got bigger, fine?) I may have developed a taste for it….Gasp! (Don’t tell my mom!). Actually aging has a strange effect on the palate. You tend to appreciate other tastes apart from the sugar buzz that got you through high school! (Not saying that sweet somethings don’t get me all woozy brained and manic eyed but you get the drift…). One of my favourite recipes with Methi apart from Methi rice is Methi Chicken. The bitterness all but disappears and you’re left with a smokey flavor. Compliments the coconut rice beautifully!

P.S You can also serve the Methi Chicken with roti’s. That’s what I do when I’m pressed for time!

Methi Chicken with Coconut Rice

Cooking time: 45 mins

Serves: 4-6

What you need:

1 Kg Chicken, curry cut

2 cups Methi/ fenugreek leaves (fresh), chopped

2 Tbsp Vegetable/ Sunflower oil

1 large Onion, chopped

1 large Tomato, chopped

1 Tbsp Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Ginger, minced

1 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tsps Kashmiri Red Chili powder

2 tsp Coriander/ Dhaniya powder

1 tsp Garam Masala

Salt to taste

For the Coconut Rice:

3 cups Jeera Sambhar Rice (or any aromatic short grain)

2 medium Onions, sliced

2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

2 pieces Cinnamon (1” each)

2 Bay leaves

3 Cardamom pods

10 whole Cashews

5 Tbsp Oil

2 cups Coconut Milk (I prefer the Homemade Brand)

3 cups Water

1 cup Grated Fresh Coconut, lightly toasted

Salt to taste

What to do:

For the Methi Chicken: Heat the oil in a large cooking pan. Once the oil ripples, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds. Then add the onions and a teaspoon of salt and let it cook covered for 5 minutes. (The salt hastens the browning process, gives the curry a lovely colour). Sprinkle the turmeric, red chili and coriander powder. Reduce heat and saute for 2 mins, till the raw smell disappears. Don’t let the spice mixture burn. Mix in the tomatoes, raise the heat to medium-high and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken and mix well to combine. Cook covered for 10 minutes. After that add the chopped methi/ fenugreek leaves and cook covered on medium-low flame for a further 25-30 minutes. Don't add any water and let it cook in its own juices. Finally, sprinkle some garam masala and season with Salt as per taste.

For the Coconut Rice: Soak the bay leaves, cinnamon and cardamom in 3 Tbsp of water for 5 mins. Wash and soak rice for 5 mins. Drain and set aside. Heat a pan/ cooker frying pan. Toast the coconut till it starts to just dry out and some strands turn brown. About 5 mins, then set aside. Heat the oil in a cooker frying pan. When it is hot add in the ghee. (This is to prevent it from burning). Put in the whole spices sans water (save it), reduce the heat. Toss in Onions and sauté on medium flame till they turn translucent. Add ginger garlic paste, fry well. Toss in the cashews, and sauté till golden. Now add the rice and stir well to coat the grains with the oil mixture. Pour in the water, spice water and coconut milk. Stir well to combine. Wait till the contents come to a boil. Pressure cook with weight on for 10 mins. Let it stand for 10 mins before serving or till pressure disappears. Now open the lid and fluff the contents with a fork – this ensures the rice does not stick together. Now gently fold in the toasted coconut.

Serve hot with Methi Chicken!

P.S. If you want a pronounced coconut-y flavor, increase the coconut milk to 3 glasses and reduce the water to 2 ½ glasses. Generally the rule for good fluffy rice is a rice to water ratio of 1:1 ½. However, since the coconut milk also has a solid component, we add more water to ensure the rice cooks to perfection.

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.

 

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.

Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto

This one is inspired by the Pasta Salad that I have in Café Max every single time I go there. One rainy day I was craving for it, but the car was out of commission and there’s no way I was going to hail a rickshaw and pay triple! After pacing up and down the hall swinging between ordering something else or hailing the hell ride, I decided to make it myself. I generally have readymade pesto in the fridge for just such emergencies, but today was one of those days. Ok, no problem, I’ll whip up my failsafe Pesto. I opened the fridge to realize I also didn’t have Basil at home. Pesto without basil? Was I going to lose this battle? Necessity is the mother of all inventions. Cilantro looked like a good substitute for Basil (Ok, it was leafy and green, beats using a carrot!). The problem with cilantro though is it reminds me of Chutney. So after I wrestled the idea out of my mind, I finally got mixing. I must tell you that I was pleasantly surprised. The result was a fantastic light salad!

Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto

Prep time: 20 mins

Serves: 4 small portions/ 2 large portions

 

What you need:

 

½ portion Pesto Recipe (click here) (Please substitute Cilantro for Basil)

2 cups cooked Pasta

1 onion, chopped

2 Tomaoes, seeds removed and chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do:

Make ½ portion of the Pesto Sauce according to my fabulous recipe ;) Don’t forget to substitute Cilantro for Basil. Or you can use the basil as well and then it will be a regular Pesto salad. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and drain.

Now is the simple bit. Just toss all the ingredients together. Make sure the pesto coats everything. Drizzle with some extra olive oil and grate some more parmesan if required. Stuff your face blissfully.

Divine Mushroom Risotto

‘Risotto is an Italian dish of rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. The broth may be meat-based, fish-based, or vegetable-based; many kinds include parmesan cheese, butter, and onion. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy’ – or so says Wiki. But in most of the restaurants in Bangalore it looks and tastes more like Pongal - which is the biggest insult both to the humble pongal and the exquisite risotto! This is the reason that I religiously bypass the risotto in any restaurant menu here. I hadn’t seen anyone who could get the final product creamy but not gluggy and still have some bite to it…. Until I ate at Graze.  Oh… my…. God!! It was like I died and went to heaven! So of course I begged the chef to tell me his secret. Let’s just say I now have the ingredient list! Ahem ahem…There arose the problem – the man was using truffle oil and pea sprouts and Enokitake mushrooms and all the wonderful, if not crazily expensive ingredients to make it taste the way it does!!! So could I replicate it at home? – Yes, but I’d have to lock and stalk my pantry 24/7 to safeguard these items. As this is feasible only in theory I begged him again to give me substitutes. This he gladly obliged, because now he knew, no matter how I try to replicate it at home, I’d have to come back to Graze for the original! (Clever man!) That said, this version is the closest you can get to heaven with your pockets not devoid of cash.

Mushroom Risotto

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1 ½ cup Arborio Rice

300 gms mixed Mushrooms (Button, Oyster)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp Butter

4 Shallots, finely chopped

3 cups Chicken/ Veg Stock (kept hot) + 2 cups extra if required

½ cup grated Parmesan

Salt and Pepper

To Garnish:

1 Tbsp chopped Chives

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar with 2 cloves, ½ inch cinnamon, 4 peppercorns (reduced to 2 Tbsp)

What to do:

Wash the rice and drain. Brown each type of mushroom in batches in 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Remove. In the same pan add 2 Tbsp of Butter and sauté the shallots till soft but not colored. Toss in rice and stir to coat each grain with the butter so that the rice looks shiny. Pour in a ladle of hot stock. Wait for the rice to absorb it. Repeat the process till you have poured in about 3 cups of stock. Check to see if the rice is 80% cooked. (Smash a grain with your finger – there should be resistance but no hard bits). Now toss in the mushrooms and stir to incorporate. Put another ladle of stock if you feel the rice needs more cooking. Continue till you get the consistency of double cream. Take off the flame and add in the 2Tbsp of butter and Parmesan. Stir. Garnish with chopped chives, Dash of olive oil and the reduced balsamic vinegar. Eat up immediately!

P.S. For the Balsamic reduction – Heat the balsamic vinegar with cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns till the liquid reduces by half. Take it off the stove, strain and use as required. You can also do the same with some Port wine.

Baked Beans and Pasta Hot Pot

I am always trying out new recipes that I fish out of the internet or my gazillion new cookbooks. I almost forgot how much I love the good ole recipes of yore. No, I’m not talking about the medieval times, just rewinding to school. One of my first cookbooks was one that I stole from mom. The free cookbook that came along with the Preett Pressure Cooker! It had a ‘how to use a pressure cooker guide’ as well as ‘101 recipes from India and Elsewhere’. (with pictures!!) I was hooked. J I came across it, while cleaning my bookshelf last week. Yellowing, tattered along the edges, a few pages coming loose of the thread binding – but there it was, waiting to exhale. I picked it up gingerly and spent an hour reading it cover to cover. (Yes, I read cookbooks.. . how many times do I have to say it?). I zeroed in on the Baked Beans Pasta recipe. It was considered very international in those days. I know… we were easily impressed! But considering we found pasta (only macaroni mind you) and baked bean cans in Thoms or maybe Nilgiris on MG road, once in a blue moon – it was always a special dish. Honestly, I love this recipe from the bottom of my heart. It’s my little time machine to simpler days…

Baked Beans and Pasta Hot Pot

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1 ½ cups uncooked Pasta

1 small tin Baked beans in Tomato Sauce

½ cup grated Cheese

2 Capsicums

3 Tomatoes

3 Onions

3-4 cloves Garlic

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Oil

1 Tbsp Butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mixed herbs for flavor

What to do:

Slice onions and Capsicums into rings. Blanch tomatoes, peel and dice. Cook pasta according to the instructions on the packet, drain and keep aside. (Ensure you toss in some olive oil so that it doesn’t stick). Heat oil in a skillet, add butter. Toss in onion and capsicum and fry for a while. Remove a few and keep aside for decoration. Add crushed garlic, chopped tomato, chili powder and salt to taste. Allow to cook for a few mins. Add pasta, baked beans in tomato sauce and half the grated cheese. Toss in some mixed herbs for flavour. Mix well and heat through for 2 mins.

Grease an oven proof dish. Pour mixture in. Decorate with onion and capsicum rings. Sprinkle remaining cheese, dot with butter and bake for 15-20 mins in a moderately hot oven (180-190°C). Serve hot!

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.

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.)

Ghee Rice Mummy Style

My mum is a fantastic cook. So is my mom-in-law. Whatever I make falls two spots short of whatever they churn out, by just chucking random ingredients into the pan. Life’s not fair is it?! I always console myself thinking that they had 8 hours a day for the last 30 years to practice their art while I’ve just had weekends. Score settled. Anyway, they’ve always been more than willing to share their gems of wisdom with me, which I reverently jot down in a little notebook to ‘try’ replicating at home. Alas, it’s always a not quite. Am sure the wily women are not disclosing the magic ingredient! How else would they get me to come home often? So here is my mum’s Ghee Rice. It’s the most amazing accompaniment to any curry/ gravy. And don’t worry, even without her secret ingredient (shall we be soppy and say ‘love’) it still rocks my boat!

Ghee Rice

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves: 4-6

What you need:

3 cups Jeera Rice (or any aromatic short grain)

½ Lemon, juice of

3 med Onions, sliced

3 tsp Ginger Garlic paste

6 Green Chilies

2 pieces Cinnamon (1 inch each)

2 Bay leaves

8 Cloves

5 Cardamom pods (green)

10 whole Cashews

75 ml Oil

100 ml Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Salt and Pepper to taste

To garnish:

Handful of fresh peas/ chopped Fresh Coriander

What to do:

Soak the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom in 3 Tbsp of water for 5 mins. Wash and soak rice for 5 mins. Drain and mix with lemon juice, set aside. Heat the oil in a cooker frying pan. When it is hot add in the ghee. (This is to prevent it from burning). Put in the whole spices sans water, reduce the heat. Toss in Onions and sauté on medium flame till they turn translucent. Add ginger garlic paste, fry well. Toss in the chilies and sauté for 5 mins. Add the cashews, sauté again. Now add the rice and stir well to coat the grains with the oil mixture. Pour in 4 ½ glasses of water. Wait till the water comes to a boil. Pressure cook with weight on for 10-12 mins. Let it stand for 10 mins before serving or till pressure disappears. Serve hot with curry. My favourite is Chicken Chops Masala or Andhra Chilli Chicken. Maybe I’ll share the recipes in the coming posts. Heaven!

Chicken Lasagna

Lasagna was always one of those things on the menu that I was in awe of. Considering I dint know how to pronounce it when I looked at the spelling!  Oh puleez, stop raising your eyebrows and shaking your head in disbelief. That was eons ago! I know how to say it now ‘La-zan-ya’. There. Can we move past this now? Layers of pasta, cheese, meat and sauce - looked complicated! (Ok Ok … NOW I know its nothing but assembly line work). If you have all the components in place you really just need to stand there and go into a trance like state where you slop on pasta, meat, white sauce and cheese in a never-ending sequence. (Again I exaggerate – till you have reached the top of the baking dish is more like it). It does give you a very satisfying feeling at the end of it … mindless repetitive work always takes me into zen mode. (Ask me more about that meditative technique later). For the time being it’s safe to say, make this lasagna for a fleeting feeling of bliss and a longer lasting satisfaction from the big portions that will inevitably land up in your stomach. Say it with me ‘La-zan-ya’.

Chicken Lasagna

Prep time: 25 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Serves: 4-6

What you need:

6 no pre-cook required Lasagna sheets

400 gms Chicken mince

100 gms Mozzarella cheese

2 Tbsp Olive oil

6 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Onions, finely chopped

1 tsp Chilli flakes

2 Tomatoes finely chopped

2 Tbsp Tomato Puree

2 Tbsp Tomato ketchup

½ tsp Sugar

1 tsp Basil

1 tsp Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 portion Cheese Sauce (1 ½ cup milk, 1 ½ Tbsp butter, 3 Tbsp Flour, ½ tsp salt, ½ cup grated Cheddar)

What to do:

Prepare cheese sauce. Keep aside. (Click for recipe http://foodforswaps.blogspot.com/2009/11/pasta-with-peppers-in-cheese-sauce.html). Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic and sauté for a minute on low heat. Toss in minced onion and sauté till transluscent. Add chilli flakes, basil and oregano. Add tomatoes and sauté for 3 mins. Toss in the puree and ketchup and heat through for 2 mins. Add the chicken mince and cook till done.

Preheat oven to 180°C. To assemble – grease a baking dish (9”X9”). Spread a layer of white sauce, then arrange a lasagna sheet. (No pre cook required sheets are a blessing!) Spread the chicken mixture and top with some grated mozzarella. Repeat the layers till you land up with a lasagna sheet. Now top with the remaining white sauce and cheese. Bake the assembly for 25 mins. (or according to time instructions on the lasagna packet). Serve bubbling hot. But blow on it before shoving a spoonful into your mouth!