Penne with Broccoli

I honestly don’t know why so many people have an aversion to Broccoli. Is it because it looks too green (almost alien green) and healthy? Or is it because no one has ever thought of serving it deep fried? I really can’t fathom the reason, as the only time my palate was exposed to broccoli, was when I had already crossed the fussy food period in my life. In some ways I’m glad, because I do adore the vegetable. Whenever I include broccoli in my food I feel my health quotient going up a couple of notches! Did you know it’s a minus calorie food? – It takes more calories for our body to digest broccoli than the calories it provides. It also has a really high antioxidant and folic acid level. Come on! The little bugger is just rooting for a slimmer and more beautiful you! Need I give you any more reasons to include Broccoli in your meal plans??

Penne with Broccoli

Prep time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

1 head of Broccoli

1 Onion (finely chopped)

3 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

200 ml Double Cream

225 gms Penne

50 gms Parmesan Cheese grated

Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

What to do:

Steam the broccoli and break up into small florets. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook on a medium heat for 5 mins or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds more. Then add the broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and chilli flakes and gently simmer for about 4 mins. Meanwhile cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to instructions on the packet. Drain, keep back a tiny amount of cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir in the cooking water. Toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

P.S. Asparagus/Courgettes or the broccoli’s cousin – Cauliflower can also be used in this recipe with the same success.

Strawberry Fool

What’s red and sweet and juicy with a little green mop top? Strawberries! They are finally in season and I’m thrilled! I love strawberries – the colour, the taste, the cutesy look! Absolutely beautiful, these fruit are rich in antioxidants and Vitamin C. If you have a cold, get yourself a big glass of strawberry juice and you can kiss the cold goodbye. Really! (Ok, It works for me all the time, maybe I subconsciously want to add one more reason to love the lil buggers!) So, if you want to get on my good side, give me a bowl of strawberries and cream! Yes, I’m a fool for strawberries …sigh!

Strawberry Fool

Prep time: 30 mins

Serves: 6

What you need:

350 gms Strawberries

1 tsp lemon juice

300 ml Double Cream

175 gms/ 1 cup Castor Sugar

What to do:

Put the strawberries into a small pan with 3 Tbsp of water and cook over a low heat until soft. Remove from heat, add the sugar according to taste and stir until dissolved. Leave to cool, then blend or sieve to make a puree. Set aside and cool. Add the lemon juice and stir well. Whip the double cream until it is fairly stiff and using a metal spoon, carefully fold it into the strawberry puree, losing as little volume as possible. Turn the mixture into six serving bowls/ dessert glasses and leave to set. Decorate it with strawberry slices. Leave in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

P.S. Fools are a very good way of using up a lot of seasonal fruit. Especially if it is soft as it needs to be pulped up and combined with cream. Other fruits that work well include raspberries, blackcurrants, mangoes and peaches.

Kumbh Badami Mirch/ Mushrooms in a Chilli Cashew Gravy

Featured in GoodFood India Magazine - April 2012. (Top 3 recipe, selected under the Himalya Mushroom recipe contest for April)

Mushrooms are nutritional powerhouses and a great source of antioxidants. For vegetarians, mushrooms are a wonderful alternative to meat. They are extremely versatile and I love the earthy flavor they so liberally exude. Healthy and tasty…now how many veggies can lay claim to that title? It’s no surprise that mushrooms rank among my top veggies. I mostly toss them into omelets or into a bowl of pasta, but the Indian mushroom gravies are another thing altogether! This one uses green chillies and cashews and is a rich accompaniment to Naan or rotis. Try this out if you can stomach the heat and I promise you won’t regret it!

Kumbh Badami Mirch

Prep and Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

200 gms Button Mushrooms (quartered)

15 Cashew nuts

4 Green Chilies

1 Onion (finely chopped)

¾ tsp Garlic paste

¼ tsp Turmeric

A pinch of Garam Masala

A handful of Cilantro/ Coriander leaves

5 tsp Refined Oil (Sunflower/ Peanut)

Salt to taste

Garnish:

Juice of half a Lemon

Lemon Wedges

Coriander leaves

What to do:

Grind – Chillies, Coriander leaves and Cashew nuts with ¼ glass water to get a thick paste. Sauté the mushrooms in 2 tsps of Oil for 3 mins. Don’t let them lose all their water and shrivel up. Aim for plump but soft mushrooms. Keep aside. Add the remaining oil, sauté the chopped onion until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic paste and sauté for another minute. Now add the turmeric and garam masala and sauté for another 2 mins. Add in the chili-coriander paste and sauté till incorporated. Toss in the mushrooms, season with salt and mix well. Lower the flame. Add water as required, to make the gravy. Let the gravy come to boil. Turn off the heat. Garnish with the juice of ½ lemon and coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis and a cool cucumber raita. I also like to top crusty bread with some of this for a chic appetizer!

P.S. The cashew nuts are what gives the gravy it’s rich creamy texture, so feel free to use more in this recipe, but keep in mind that they are not low in calories. (But mushrooms are, so let’s pray they cancel each other out!)

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!

Warm Penne, Tomato and Olive Salad

If you want a salad that is hearty, healthy and colorful look no further than this page. Tomatoes and olives are a match made in heaven and in this dish they are combined with just pasta and olive oil, allowing their flavors to shine. I prefer to use black olives in this, cause the colur and taste compliment the dish much better than green olives. But go ahead and experiment. After all the pasta recipes with the heavy sauces, this is a welcome break to my stomach. There’s absolutely no guilt when I indulge in this one. Come to think of it, I have no guilt in indulging in food at all!

Warm Penne, Tomato and Olive Salad

Prep time: 20 mins

Serves: 4 as main course / 8 as salad

What you need:

5 ripe Tomatoes

12 Black Olives sliced

400 gms Penne

4 Tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Oregano

1 Tbsp fresh Parsley

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste

What to do:

Cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 12-14 mins or until tender. Meanwhile roughly chop the ripe tomatoes. Finely chop the parsley. Drain the pasta thoroughly in a colander and return it to the clean pan. Toss with the olive oil, tomatoes, sliced olives and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley. Serve. So simple!

P.S. If you are unable to find ripe tomatoes, roast those you have to bring out their full flavor. Simply put the tomatoes in a roasting pan, drizzle with a little olive oil and roast at 190ºC for 20 mins. Allow to cool slightly, then mash roughly with a fork.

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!

Spinach and Cottage Cheese Ravioli

There are some days when you say to yourself, “This is too easy and boring..Lets complicate life a bit.” Ok, no one really says that, but adding a little challenge to a mundane existence does spice things up! This kind of thinking also occurs in the beginning of the year when resolutions are made with hearts braver (or more foolish) than the rest of the saner months. So my challenge was to make ravioli – from scratch. Huh! Did I disappoint you? Maybe you thought I was going to Base Jump?? Well considering this is a food blog lets stick to my adventures in cooking. So here’s my Spinach and Cottage Cheese Ravioli, which really was a LABOUR of love. It took me a good 2 hours to make, cause I hand rolled the pasta. Of course you can be saner and just buy some and toss it into the pan… But where’s your sense of smug achievement? Happy New Year by the way. :)

Spinach and Cottage Cheese Ravioli

Cooking time: 2 hrs

Serves: 4

What you need:

Home Made Pasta:

1 ½ cup plain flour

2 med Eggs

2 Tbsp Oil

¼ tsp Salt

Filling:

1 Tbsp Oil

3 Garlic cloves

½ Onion

½ tsp Chili flakes

2 bunches fresh Spinach (blanch, drain and finely chop)

100 gms Cottage cheese

Sauce:

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Plain Flour

2-3 Tbsp Fresh Cream

1 cup Milk

100 gms Cheddar

¼ tsp Oregano and Parsley

¼ tsp Chili flakes

¼ tsp Salt

What to do:

Pasta: In a bowl sift flour with salt. Beat eggs with 1 tsp water add oil and mix. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix to get a soft smooth dough. Keep covered for an hour to let the dough rise.

Filling: Heat oil, add minced garlic then chopped onion. Add chili flakes and sauté well. Add spinach let it wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from fire and cool. Mix grated cottage cheese and keep aside.

Sauce: Heat butter, take off the heat and add flour. Mix well and return to fire to cook for a minute. Add ¾ th of the milk slowly and cook to get a smooth thick sauce. Add the cream, remaining milk and half of the grated cheddar cheese. Give one boil and keep aside.

Now, roll the dough into 2 thin sheets. Place filling 1 inch apart. Cover with second sheet. Press both sheets together properly. Cut it into squares and immediately toss into salted boiling water and cook for 3-4 mins. Remove and plate the ravioli, spoon the sauce over it and garnish with chilli flakes and herbs.

P.S. I licked my plate clean! :)

Vegetarian Spaghetti Alla Putanesca

The reason I’m calling this a vegetarian Spaghetti Alla Putanesca is because the original recipe calls for anchovy fillets and I haven’t used any! Come to think of it, I actually have consciously avoided any recipe that calls for the use of anchovy. I love fish, I really do.. But in the form of canned fillets which remind me of cat food by the way… I have avoided them. I’ll let you know when I pick up the nerve to try some, but till then this recipe will be what it is. It’s a really simple, tasty and speedy dish by the way, so don’t hesitate to try it.

Spaghetti Alla Putanesca (sans anchovies)

Cooking time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1/2 cup Black olives (pitted and chopped)
1 Tbsp Capers, drained and rinsed

1 kg tomatoes, peeled and chopped

Pinch of Cayenne pepper/ chilli powder
1 dried Red Chilli, torn into pieces

Salt

400 gms dried Spaghetti

2 Tbsp chopped fresh Parsley to garnish

What to do:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet. Add the garlic and cook over low heat stirring frequently for about 2 mins. Add the tomatoes and mash them with a fork. Sauté for a few minutes. Add the olives,chilli and capers and season to taste with the salt and cayenne pepper. Cover and let simmer for 25 mins. Meanwhile bring a large heavy bottomed pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8-10 mins. Drain and transfer to a serving dish. Spoon the sauce into the dish and toss to coat the spaghetti. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately. Simple!

Corn and Cheese Chowder

What is it about the color yellow that makes us think of summer and feel happy at the same time? Perfect for a dreary winter night, this chowder has loads of yellow in it! Corn, cheese, potatoes and cream. When you finally eat it, the happiness of the yellow gets transferred onto your face in the form of a content smile. Chowder is a thick soup, usually milk based, made with seafood, fish, vegetables or chicken. The name comes from the French chaudiere, a copper pot in which fishermen’s wives cooked a communal soup from a share of each man’s catch to celebrate the safe return of the fishing fleet from the sea. OK, so this recipe does not have fish but the story does make you feel all warm and benevolent, just like this soup!

Corn and Cheese Chowder

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves: 8

What you need:

90 gm Butter

2 large Onions, finely chopped

1 clove Garlic, crushed

2 tsps Cumin seeds

4 cups (1 ltr) Chicken stock

2 medium Potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup canned creamed Corn

2 cups fresh Corn kernels

1 cup cooked Macaroni

¼ cup chopped fresh Parsley

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Salt and freshly ground Black pepper to taste

¼ cup Cream (optional)

What to do:

Heat butter in a large heavy-based pan. Add onion and cook over medium-high heat for 5 mins or until golden. Add garlic and cumin seeds and cook for 1 min, stirring constantly. Add chicken stock. Bring to boil. Add potato; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins. Add creamed corn, corn kernels and parsley. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins more. Stir in cooked pasta, cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and cream. Heat gently until cheese melts. Serve immediately, sprinkled with chopped parsley. Heavenly summer in a bowl!

Hariyali Paneer Tikka (Grilled Cottage Cheese in Spicy Herb-Yoghurt Marinade)

If I had to have only one type of cuisine for the rest of my life it would have to be Indian food. Maybe I’m partial to it because I’m an Indian, but I’m lying if I say that’s the only reason. I’m actually kinda cheating when I say ONE type of cuisine, cause it’s not one actually :) Indian Cuisine is so diverse you can just spend the whole of your life sampling all the dishes and you would still have not covered half the country. Anyway, the recipe below is a North Indian favorite. You can serve it as a starter or a main course (like I have with some Ghee rice). You can substitute Ricotta for Cottage cheese, it would give you the same results. As for the Indian spices, if you don’t have them… then don't make the dish! It won’t be the same … Honest.

Hariyali Paneer Tikka

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves 6 as starter and 4 as main course

What you need:

500 gms paneer (cubed)

1 big Capsicum (diced)

1 big Tomato (diced)

1 big Onion (diced)

Marinade:

1 cup hung Yoghurt

1 Tbsp ground Mint leaves

1 Tbsp ground Coriander leaves

4 Green chillies

1 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp Garlic paste

½ tsp Garam masala powder

½ tsp Turmeric powder

Garnish:

1 tsp Chaat Masala

1 Tbsp Butter/ Oil

Salt to taste

Wooden skewers for grilling

What to do:

Soak the wooden skewers in water to avoid burning. Cut the cheese (paneer) and vegetables into big cubes. Mix all the marinade ingredients with the paneer and vegetables and refrigerate for half hour. Heat the grill. Skewer the paneer, capsicum, onion and tomato. Brush with butter. Grill for 15-20 mins till golden brown on all sides. Make sure you reposition frequently and brush with butter.

Sprinkle with chaat masala and serve with hot ghee rice and some raita. Wah!