tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51114275937590002652024-03-14T02:06:50.179-07:00Two Guys in a KitchenTwo guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-59411960048163703212015-02-20T01:44:00.000-08:002015-02-20T01:44:23.099-08:00Green Tea Summer cooler with Sweet Basil and Lemon <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Summer is here. And so are the coolers. The temperature is already hovering around 30C in Bangalore and 'working from home' is not making it any easier to deal with the onset of summer. If I could, I would drink beer for lunch and dinner but I want my lungs to go on for at least 20 more years. That rules out the possibility of dousing the summer heat but there are always these coolers. Just a little quick thinking and innovation can bring to table a variety of coolers.<br />
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When I was in Varanasi recently, I drank a green tea, mint cooler and quite liked it. I did not waste time to try it out at home as soon as I came back. I brewed some green tea and infused some herbs and made this cooler. I used the green tea leaves to make a pickle but that story can wait for another post!<br />
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Here is a very simple recipe of a green tea cooler. It is healthy, refreshing and a thirst quencher like no other. Again, if I could, I would use it to make cocktails by adding a dash of gin or vodka to it. I haven't tried that but you could. And let me know how that went.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8MhQfT5A_lx2FAOdIENDVec8c7CSmlGjZp7YgXarUavh6rGmFxH0TgcIRawTGlI8dV1p19AesWOzTfu57l3ovggfcJz8DRl8MpAZQDeRZfdapI8gIa3hb9_RrcTOfPt3N5TRHY0wrPY/s1600/corrected+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8MhQfT5A_lx2FAOdIENDVec8c7CSmlGjZp7YgXarUavh6rGmFxH0TgcIRawTGlI8dV1p19AesWOzTfu57l3ovggfcJz8DRl8MpAZQDeRZfdapI8gIa3hb9_RrcTOfPt3N5TRHY0wrPY/s1600/corrected+1.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Tea Cooler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Ingredients</b>: (makes 4 glasses)<br />
Green Tea - 2 bags<br />
Water - 4 glasses<br />
Lime - 1<br />
Honey - 2 teaspoons<br />
Sweet basil leaves - a bunch<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAlz_eJyoA4IdWEnM3WxDfRv5kmTde_UvU45J8eYjgWSEJ7Zo1A5Av1vdBkW68loiZ1KzZ4E6LfROVBeVVju_CTscL6Z9J_Flse0aD1kxVP_e1CcDTCynbjMJX_p_QgwtJoytsAN2Q5E/s1600/corrected+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAlz_eJyoA4IdWEnM3WxDfRv5kmTde_UvU45J8eYjgWSEJ7Zo1A5Av1vdBkW68loiZ1KzZ4E6LfROVBeVVju_CTscL6Z9J_Flse0aD1kxVP_e1CcDTCynbjMJX_p_QgwtJoytsAN2Q5E/s1600/corrected+2.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer Cooler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Here is how you make it:</b><br />
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Boil water and brew green tea<br />
Drain the tea leaves and refrigerate the brewed tea after it has cooled down sufficiently for a few hours and after adding the bunch of sweet basil leaves and squeezing the lemon<br />
Take it out, pour it into serving glasses and enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2I6D1ByStlXy4O-nKPdb9x3Us2cZF5lP391hKuHfH2d1Xl7WDxWXpPoIEmYfdr6bqGSWPW3UBbtzYxr71oHIt20HyZL7y9Xgo4ZOmnZxP9YfDElvEMy4pEKKQFp-kPC7L_RDkNnrpbQ/s1600/corrected+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2I6D1ByStlXy4O-nKPdb9x3Us2cZF5lP391hKuHfH2d1Xl7WDxWXpPoIEmYfdr6bqGSWPW3UBbtzYxr71oHIt20HyZL7y9Xgo4ZOmnZxP9YfDElvEMy4pEKKQFp-kPC7L_RDkNnrpbQ/s1600/corrected+3.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Tea Cooler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Note: If sweet basil is hard to come by, just replace it with mint. You can also add / reduce the sweetness by stepping up / down honey.</div>
distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-51525814479983167142015-02-02T02:53:00.000-08:002015-02-02T02:53:15.198-08:00Polenta Vegetable Squares with Chunky Tomato Sauce!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The first time we tried Polenta was when someone from the family brought a bag from overseas (actually, we asked that someone to get it for us). We loved the simplicity of it and the fact that it was easy to make (just like making upma). Though Indian supermarkets stock Polenta, it is essentially imported and can cost a mighty rupee.<br />
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However, we discovered that our neighborhood supermarket stocks something called corn sooji (semolina) and it is essentially the same thing. It is extremely inexpensive and after we stumbled upon it, we have used it in our cooking often. We have made corn breads and Polenta with it. And even added a spoonful or two in breakfast muffins. Also, you could scroll down or click to view a <a href="http://backyardbasil.blogspot.in/2014/02/cornbread-breakfast-muffins.html" target="_blank">corn muffin recipe for a breakfast dish.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7cOjGoI0dBekeIFdxh9bENQ0BpNWuhrirfK7XdKSy4BAcnqDKCB1fHnEfaKE8BeksUsMToKSvIyINRumxJkR0UYibFi8k9qApxzkCG72d8k9OfFlLTiy5WjLqv7jrnLv7RbypDkUCD8/s1600/IMG_4367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7cOjGoI0dBekeIFdxh9bENQ0BpNWuhrirfK7XdKSy4BAcnqDKCB1fHnEfaKE8BeksUsMToKSvIyINRumxJkR0UYibFi8k9qApxzkCG72d8k9OfFlLTiy5WjLqv7jrnLv7RbypDkUCD8/s1600/IMG_4367.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polenta Squares with tomato sauce</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TE96cwv6ttmgNv_59oomrpSFX7agznIC-D30-dIn5lPqd0zUb2NkUru74rKTd3wNwK2WhVa7fSDl02LGB0qdZTZJ6Q71wg5AZfZ_BnJ1JBO9vRQ_KEhwKh2Cnat3hqGqZ0r2q9HX4_s/s1600/polenta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TE96cwv6ttmgNv_59oomrpSFX7agznIC-D30-dIn5lPqd0zUb2NkUru74rKTd3wNwK2WhVa7fSDl02LGB0qdZTZJ6Q71wg5AZfZ_BnJ1JBO9vRQ_KEhwKh2Cnat3hqGqZ0r2q9HX4_s/s1600/polenta.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polenta Square as it comes out of the oven.</td></tr>
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We found this recipe on <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-breakfast-polenta-squares-with-spinach-bacon-breakfast-recipes-from-the-kitchn-200887" target="_blank">The Kitchn</a> (a site that we love and visit often) and figured our corn sooji would be perfect for this simple and quick recipe. As an addition, we made a chunky tomato that complemented the Polenta squares really well. The squares tend to lose their moisture and become somewhat dry as they sit and cool but pour a generous spoon of the tomato sauce and you will have the perfect dinner.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgCCE57zGkQZnnhI0NbigeC2jFKdmkXPusF2J8-m4aWnCy-W9NHsgyISx0piIfU66kDVhJ4rBvyasnm5A_W3WdpRbyq8ca1_6VRqE4KMyMxgbwU0OmB7A4RtzzZxKrerFs1TDS3G9sdU/s1600/IMG_4378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgCCE57zGkQZnnhI0NbigeC2jFKdmkXPusF2J8-m4aWnCy-W9NHsgyISx0piIfU66kDVhJ4rBvyasnm5A_W3WdpRbyq8ca1_6VRqE4KMyMxgbwU0OmB7A4RtzzZxKrerFs1TDS3G9sdU/s1600/IMG_4378.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Polenta Squares with tomato sauce<br /></td></tr>
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<b>You will need (serves 2 - 3)</b><br />
1 cup of corn semolina (or Polenta flour if you will)<br />
2 cups of milk<br />
1/4 cup of olive oil<br />
1 tiny block of cheddar cheese (grated)<br />
1 egg<br />
3 - 4 shallots diced<br />
2 garlic cloves<br />
1 handful of chopped vegetables (we used Zucchini but you are welcome to use any vegetable that can be sauteed)<br />
Salt and pepper according to taste<br />
1 table spoon butter<br />
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<b>This is how you make it</b><br />
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Grease your baking dish.<br />
Sautee onion, garlic and the vegetables along with salt and pepper until soft. Let it cool.<br />
In a fairly big bowl, whisk together egg, milk and olive oil.<br />
Add grated cheese.<br />
Add salt to Polenta, mix well and add it in the egg-milk-olive-oil mixture.<br />
Stir in the vegetable mixture and pour it into the greased dish.<br />
Bake it in the preheated oven at 180C until it passes the knife test (insert a sharp object and if it comes clean, it is cooked).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvO2300cp22nO8Yc-giQxFsRlZbSYKJOH8s_fz0H64fz2d7lRHnpL-9C__2aAx1Q914Hux4qWOr9I5PM0pdQRFmXlVbdKkBhdvH0nFOk6joEvLQSnKA4n-EMO-SH_rJjw4WWu0m55-Asw/s1600/IMG_4365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvO2300cp22nO8Yc-giQxFsRlZbSYKJOH8s_fz0H64fz2d7lRHnpL-9C__2aAx1Q914Hux4qWOr9I5PM0pdQRFmXlVbdKkBhdvH0nFOk6joEvLQSnKA4n-EMO-SH_rJjw4WWu0m55-Asw/s1600/IMG_4365.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polenta Squares</td></tr>
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Click on this link and u<a href="http://backyardbasil.blogspot.in/2012/09/nidi-italian-for-nests.html" target="_blank">se the recipe for the tomato sauce.</a><br />
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After your baked Polenta is out of the oven, cool it a bit before cutting it into squares. Spoon your tomato sauce on top of the squares and serve warm.<br />
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<b>Note: </b>The original recipe calls for stirring during the baking process but I found it not necessary. Also, do not worry about the excess liquid in your polenta mixture, it will aid in the cooking and will evaporate soon enough in the oven.</div>
distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-27518516162708322662015-01-22T05:36:00.000-08:002015-01-22T05:36:19.309-08:00Millet & Oats idli - quick breakfast recipes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy new year to you all. It has been more than six months since this blog was updated. So much has happened in our lives (only for the better, hopefully). One of the two guys is now in Germany (and hopefully will post some recipes from there) and the second guy has quit his job and plunged headfirst into freelance travel writing. Check out his blog, called <a href="https://thesunlitwindow.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Sunlit Window</a>, here. We have realized this blog is part of our existence and it should be kept alive. So here goes the first post of the year. We promise to post more recipe ideas and be regular at it as well.<br />
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Off to the post...<br />
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Millets have become a regular staple in our daily diet. So should it be in yours. Like quinoa in the west, there is a silent millet revolution happening in India (at least in South India). If you scroll down, you will notice a few more millet recipe ideas here. Besides their health benefits, millets also provide variety in your day to day meal.<br />
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This millet idli can be done in 20 minutes flat. It is for those days when you open your fridge and find empty trays staring at you because you forgot to buy that dosa batter previous night. And you realise there are no eggs as well. There is oats but you hate the mushy paste it makes when it is mixed with milk. Should I go on and on about the scenarios here? No, but I will tell you this much. You can get creative with the kind of millet you use with this recipe and these idlis could even make the idli haters fall in love with it because it is crumbly in texture.<br />
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Millet / Oats idli <i>(serves 2)</i><br />
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<b>Here's what you will need:</b><br />
<br />
1/2 cup of little millet (coarsely ground)<br />
1/2 cup of oats (coarsely ground as well)<br />
1/2 cup of thick curd<br />
1 pinch of asafoetida<br />
1 pinch of baking soda<br />
Salt - to taste<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbczjZH1w_UWFA6zu4MiSjU_6gOj_haw8_AmInPOpCdFl3FzXh0TwVKuuMKtqGBTI-vTej9VLlO43eh13bb1zJlJB20feZTo5oXULgTdbgrssKIO1WRD5HPnvSxSh1s7jhNRjPDlsQ4T8/s1600/blog+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbczjZH1w_UWFA6zu4MiSjU_6gOj_haw8_AmInPOpCdFl3FzXh0TwVKuuMKtqGBTI-vTej9VLlO43eh13bb1zJlJB20feZTo5oXULgTdbgrssKIO1WRD5HPnvSxSh1s7jhNRjPDlsQ4T8/s1600/blog+2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Millet - Oats idli is ready to serve</td></tr>
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<b>Here's how you make it:</b><br />
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1) Coarsely grind little millet. Repeat the process with oats. Mix both.<br />
2) Lightly roast the millet and oat flour mix along with the pinch of asafoetida<br />
3) After the mixture is cool, stir in the curd and salt and make a thick batter. Do not add a lot of water because it will ruin the consistency of your idlis.<br />
4) Stir in the baking soda and set it aside for a minute or two.<br />
5) Pour it into your idli cooker and steam for 7 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS16A3OZUzBa8z21CxOX0nUvfbRxCq2bYIj9-76qOTlSrg7xhCqK6holQIEBb_A439bRdTPQDIxKuHsjkUmrd1bN8T07pzyqwvdZAViB_rxXZsXY2vHDNL6epkKHrt7SxGMEBO99veRfM/s1600/blog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS16A3OZUzBa8z21CxOX0nUvfbRxCq2bYIj9-76qOTlSrg7xhCqK6holQIEBb_A439bRdTPQDIxKuHsjkUmrd1bN8T07pzyqwvdZAViB_rxXZsXY2vHDNL6epkKHrt7SxGMEBO99veRfM/s1600/blog+3.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Millets-Oats idli</td></tr>
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Ta-da, your millet-oats idli is ready. Serve it hot with coconut chutney.<br />
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Like what you read? Leave a comment and let us know you exist.</div>
distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-19387042902761716312014-07-29T09:49:00.000-07:002014-07-29T09:54:50.614-07:00Spiced pancake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Why do pancakes have to be just rounds of cooked white flour that depend on syrup for taste? Try out these pancakes with the motley bunch of slightly atypical ingredients and enjoy the sweet spice burst for breakfast.<br />
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For about 8 pancakes you will need:<br />
- 1 Tbsp butter<br />
- 3 Tbsp sugar<br />
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
- 1/4 tsp ground mace<br />
- 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds (saunf)<br />
- 1 egg<br />
- 2 Tbsp yoghurt<br />
- 3/4 cup milk at room temperature<br />
- 1 Tbsp sweet basil seeds (sabja seeds)<br />
- 3 Tbsp roasted wheat germ (optional)<br />
- 1/2 cup millet flour (we used proso millet)<br />
- 1/2 cup white flour<br />
- 1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
- 1/4 tsp salt<br />
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Melt the butter on very low heat in the bowl that you will be using to make the batter and add the sugar to it. Mix to cool as well as to dissolve the sugar. While the butter cools, mix the yoghurt, milk and the basil seeds and keep aside for the seeds to ooze their gel. Once the butter cools completely add vanilla extract, ground mace, fennel seeds and the egg and mix well. Add millet flour and mix until well incorporated. There is no need to be extra careful as with wheat flour, as there is no gluten that will develop. By now the basil seeds would have become gelatinous. Add the milk mixture along with salt, stir well and let stand for about 30 mins. This time is necessary for the millet flour to soak in the liquid a little and for the basil seeds to further thicken the mixture. You can even make this ahead and keep it in the fridge overnight, in which case use only one tablespoon of yoghurt. The spices will be more pronounced.<br />
When it is time to make the pancakes, sift in the white flour and baking soda (and wheat germ if using) and stir carefully till the flour is just incorporated and there are no lumps. Heat a skillet and add some oil to it. Ladle in the batter and cook on both sides. Serve with fresh fruit or honey.<br />
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Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-17757393285908083082014-07-08T08:47:00.000-07:002014-07-08T08:47:11.118-07:00Pumpkin pie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Store bought pie shells or even just frozen pastry is fairly hard to come by in India. That doesn't stop one from making the occasional pie at home with pastry made at home. This is a savoury pumpkin pie.. a quiche if you will. It can by all means be converted into a sweet pie by just adding sugar and the adjusting the spices. Spices that go with a sweet pumpkin pie are cinnamon and maybe some nutmeg.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbKKRHaJCxS3Ap9BuDO5VA_oDqmLKDQ5PBMI4ehqumvy2CcDop0PmX4mKxSCkIiR-Lri3DquN35kNL6bAiKLnZkFNgP-bOW_7EO4PZTgF9V0LI6frr9QcNSv4gMpqCk9eUh3z3nRVV_5T/s1600/IMG_4434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbKKRHaJCxS3Ap9BuDO5VA_oDqmLKDQ5PBMI4ehqumvy2CcDop0PmX4mKxSCkIiR-Lri3DquN35kNL6bAiKLnZkFNgP-bOW_7EO4PZTgF9V0LI6frr9QcNSv4gMpqCk9eUh3z3nRVV_5T/s1600/IMG_4434.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pumpkin pie with a quirky crust</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b><i>Ingredients for filling:</i></b><br />
- 400 gm yellow pumpkin (whole piece)<br />
- 60 gm grated cheese of your choice (cheddar is fine)<br />
- 50ml milk<br />
- 1 egg or 1 Tbsp plain white flour (optional)<br />
- Lemon basil<br />
- 2 Tbsp olive oil<br />
- Black pepper<br />
- Salt<br />
<br />
<i><b>Ingredients for the shell:</b></i><br />
- 1/4 cup flax seeds<br />
- 1/4 cup millet<br />
- 1 cup whole wheat flour<br />
- 1Tbsp Tbsp olive oil<br />
- 40gms chilled butter<br />
- Salt<br />
- Dry rosemary<br />
<br />
The making of the shell and the filling go in tandem. Follow through in order to not have to wait between steps.<br />
<br />
Begin with the filling. Cut the piece of yellow pumpkin in two and with the skin on pop them in a pressure cooker. Cook for about 3-4 whistles. Open once the pressure is off and let cool.<br />
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Meanwhile roast the flax seeds and the millet in a wok with 1 Tbsp of olive oil until they just begin to pop about in the wok and let them cool. Be careful not to burn them. That could make the entire shell taste burnt.<br />
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Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the cooked flesh into a bowl. You will find this easy as the skin being tougher would hold the softer flesh intact. Mash the pumpkin flesh into as smooth a puree as you like. We like it a bit chunky and a even otherwise a blender/hand whisk is really not required.<br />
<br />
The millet and flax must be cool enough to run in the blender. Blend into a fine powder. In a bowl mix this powder, the whole wheat flour salt and rosemary. Add the chill butter and break into pieces with your fingers. Rub the butter into the dry mixture until the result resembles wet sand i.e. it should be friable yet hold shape when pressed together. Also add one ice cube into the mixture and repeat the rubbing in process like with the butter. Spread this mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of a pie dish and press to make it firm. Then put the pie dish into your deep freezer. It would like like this before going in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRkHvY1EMgobfM0UELsgs7YQ0EHcYAuMLkSpOXDUnjPmQWsrntT5oMEJ_Lt_ltQoWI0mGRIeg76YcMamLcljznWi2uaaaDFlIZVY6dHJ_rXVci5IdZPqv6on8_-ul-65FxjJvHzFTAnD2/s1600/IMG_4420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRkHvY1EMgobfM0UELsgs7YQ0EHcYAuMLkSpOXDUnjPmQWsrntT5oMEJ_Lt_ltQoWI0mGRIeg76YcMamLcljznWi2uaaaDFlIZVY6dHJ_rXVci5IdZPqv6on8_-ul-65FxjJvHzFTAnD2/s1600/IMG_4420.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shell ready to be frozen!</td></tr>
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The pumpkin mash would have completely cooled by now. Add all the remaining ingredients for the filling except the lemon basil and also reserve about a third of the cheese. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Take out the pie shell from the freezer which would be rather firm now from the butter solidifying. Pour in the filling and spread evenly with a spoon or a offset spatula. Cover the top with the reserved cheese. Use more cheese if not covered and bake for about 40 mins.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72Fm0HSekSuJS_ey4wRCDTv3Rbkmi7bctJ4rl-23inuEO3FAn6HXqJP5mG1nsZDpCrrO6JSY-xh5WxBnkZVCN8nDaIe94vgj5qVcCvqrPKA6vTRTl58ZjIl4tw3Ts4IWDZAbF_XT8h93i/s1600/IMG_4423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72Fm0HSekSuJS_ey4wRCDTv3Rbkmi7bctJ4rl-23inuEO3FAn6HXqJP5mG1nsZDpCrrO6JSY-xh5WxBnkZVCN8nDaIe94vgj5qVcCvqrPKA6vTRTl58ZjIl4tw3Ts4IWDZAbF_XT8h93i/s1600/IMG_4423.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pie ready to be baked</td></tr>
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Snip the lemon basil into shreds and spread on the hot pie as soon as taken out from the oven. Serve warm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5Y6VchzmzkL9spdq-vBMO1o8TllABefDvf7Ksbj2-7FvkqdxECNEh8MpcAGYdQ9qWZKlE3UBkNjXD2ASM7NkDRJUYM3c45HLebJm78YNxR4huLXSWVMc9AiZxLbxc8KXIRZhyIYYki5q/s1600/IMG_4433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5Y6VchzmzkL9spdq-vBMO1o8TllABefDvf7Ksbj2-7FvkqdxECNEh8MpcAGYdQ9qWZKlE3UBkNjXD2ASM7NkDRJUYM3c45HLebJm78YNxR4huLXSWVMc9AiZxLbxc8KXIRZhyIYYki5q/s1600/IMG_4433.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pumpkin pie is served</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Notes:<br />
- The pie shell described here is a very crumbly one. If you don't like it so crumbly step up the ice water, a tablespoon at a time and knead into a dough then press into the pan.<br />
- The egg/flour is for binding. I actually did not use it. But if you are entertaining, its better to use it as it would give a clean cut.</div>
Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-52811335214537966062014-06-24T09:30:00.000-07:002014-06-24T09:30:08.655-07:00Millet patties with tomato coulis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The millet mania continues... Did you know that the word "rice" is actually a generic term, which has come to mean paddy rice by default. Paddy is the grass and the seeds harvested as food is rice. Similarly seeds harvested from millet grasses are referred to as millet rice. It can be substituted in meals for rice as a healthier less starchy option.<br />
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We have been doing so recently and feeling good about it. It can be eaten just like regular rice with vegetable curries, daal etc. Naturally, as with most staples there is some left over at the end of the meal and this is what was used in this recipe. Of course you can make it fresh for these patties if you don't have left overs. The patties make for a good breakfast or snack idea.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0qQeuZH4X8Y-RHtA6d0iJ7Kf7X9CSU1it3xmEOA8O-yT3SNCn4efqd_k5EJtiQN0PPO0prPusYDteJZazhXdJvdr58fabHmi5AHCmJBdhSBMgKPox6NYSky404_z2Rv4WishLIOizkym/s1600/IMG_7221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin0qQeuZH4X8Y-RHtA6d0iJ7Kf7X9CSU1it3xmEOA8O-yT3SNCn4efqd_k5EJtiQN0PPO0prPusYDteJZazhXdJvdr58fabHmi5AHCmJBdhSBMgKPox6NYSky404_z2Rv4WishLIOizkym/s1600/IMG_7221.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>For eight patties you will need:</b><br />
- 1 cup cooked millet rice (Kodo or any other of your choice)<br />
- 1 finely chopped onion<br />
- 2 medium or 1 large potato cooked and mashed<br />
- 2-3 table spoons of whole wheat flour<br />
- 2-3 cloves garlic chopped<br />
- Crushed black pepper corns<br />
- Salt to taste<br />
- Oil for shallow frying<br />
<br />
Mix all the ingredients for patties to a firm dough and make 2 inch balls. Apply some oil on the palm of your hand and flatten the balls to 1/2 inch thick patties. If you don't apply oil on your palms you will end up wasting more of the dough as it will stick to your palm. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the patties till brown on both sides. Take out on to a kitchen towel to let oil drain off. Serve with tomato coulis explained below.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>For the tomato coulis you need:</b><br />
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes<br />
- 1 Tbsp butter<br />
- 1 tsp sugar<br />
- 1 tsp white vinegar<br />
- 6-8 leaves of lemon basil<br />
- Salt to taste<br />
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.<br />
<br />
Make a smooth puree of the tomatoes with the sugar added. In a heavy bottom wok or pot add the butter and turn up the heat to high flame. Once the butter just begins to brown and smoke, add the tomato puree. It will sizzle and turn a deep red. Do not reduce the flame. Stir lightly and keep covered for 2 mins. Open and add the vinegar and salt. Keep the flame high and stir only occasionally. At the end of 5 minutes the tomatoes should have reduced to a thick deep red paste. Add finely chopped lemon basil and turn off the heat immediately. Stir in the olive oil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWKMwYSaztQ-nPcw2AKNMFgu1hKreXKMxwfIDS6v5S1x25zlzSZY96JcsDU7yAR5sg5Tz-FjIWFzrKhiQLFauaa0IgUxv59eTBfS6qxe0BDXomk2MaHldZtMOeZL-ARrDFsuD_f7wa1Ms/s1600/IMG_7231+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWKMwYSaztQ-nPcw2AKNMFgu1hKreXKMxwfIDS6v5S1x25zlzSZY96JcsDU7yAR5sg5Tz-FjIWFzrKhiQLFauaa0IgUxv59eTBfS6qxe0BDXomk2MaHldZtMOeZL-ARrDFsuD_f7wa1Ms/s1600/IMG_7231+(2).JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-30606908765668411402014-06-17T09:47:00.001-07:002014-06-17T11:10:54.882-07:00Millet Banana Breakfast Muffins <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yes, it's muffins again, but this is not so much a recipe as it is an idea that opens up to several recipes for the imaginative. So, we all know muffins, cakes and most bakery are best enjoyed when you don't make them yourself i.e. you don't see the amounts of white flour, fat and sugar that goes into them. We try to add some healthy things in them such as vegetables or fruits and try to step down the fat by substituting milk but alas these are tricky options as the gluten in the flour begins to develop when in contact with water (in the vegetables/fruits/milk) yielding a bread like chewy consistency. So we keep the healthy stuff to a minimum, step up fat and the vicious circle repeats.<br />
Enter - the millet. <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you have already jumped onto the gluten free bandwagon, you have probably started experimenting with millets. Millets are perfect if you are aiming at a gluten free diet. Considered among the most ancient of grains, millets provide you with a healthy alternative to rice, wheat and corn.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span>They don't grow big and fat with starch like other main grains, but this is the very trait that makes them an healthier option. India is almost the top producer of millets in the entire world. <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you are in India</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">you can add 'responsible eating' to your portfolio while consuming locally grown millets.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS0Ko1cQ3itkGLmBcaZIKan0OGiA9Ec0iiYFcPMw1351B1C5yYR7UA48nNQh0_QE-d687kVIvXHbLpzAHFfksNgoy2PY0f4tFST91VNeVPHO8otKFTXYftHLE8S6uROLcJBoU2LUu9ZI/s1600/InstagramCapture_61c90238-acbb-4b4e-978b-ca0923b22f11_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS0Ko1cQ3itkGLmBcaZIKan0OGiA9Ec0iiYFcPMw1351B1C5yYR7UA48nNQh0_QE-d687kVIvXHbLpzAHFfksNgoy2PY0f4tFST91VNeVPHO8otKFTXYftHLE8S6uROLcJBoU2LUu9ZI/s1600/InstagramCapture_61c90238-acbb-4b4e-978b-ca0923b22f11_jpg.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Millet muffins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Ingredients (yields up to 7-8 muffins):</b></span><br />
<br />
- 2/3 to 3/4 cup mashed bananas<br />
- 1/4 cup fat: butter (or oil)<br />
- 1/4 cup milk<br />
- 1 egg or equal volume of thick non-sour yogurt<br />
- 1/2 cup sugar<br />
- 1 tsp vanilla or nutmeg<br />
- 1 1/4 cup millets *<br />
- 1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
- 1/4 tsp salt<br />
- 1/4 cup or 2 tbsp white flour.<br />
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* options are: foxtail millet, barnyard millet, amaranth or a mixture of these.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's how you make it.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whisk butter and sugar until fluffy followed by other wet ingredients i.e. egg/yogurt, milk, bananas and vanilla.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Run the millet(s) in a blender to make a fine powder. It can be made coarse if you like some extra texture in the final product. Experiment varying the coarseness to find out what you like.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix salt and baking soda to your millet powder and add this dry mixture to the wet and mix. This is the step where you would truly appreciate the gluten free nature of the millets. Were this white flour, you would have to be extra careful not to over mix and your cook book will advise you to "gently fold in the flour". With millets however, there is no fear of turning the batter bready due to over mixing. Give it a good whisk until the millet powder is thoroughly incorporated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally add in the two tablespoon of white flour by sprinkling it evenly over the mixture and gently folding in until just moist. This small amount of white flour is to provide some binding, else the cakes would be too crumbly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Divide batter among muffin cups and bake at 180 degrees C for 20 mins or until the cakes pass the toothpick test.</span><br />
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distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-16188435784171502672014-02-19T21:01:00.002-08:002014-02-19T21:01:37.727-08:00Cornbread breakfast muffins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Though we do not make muffins as often as we would like to, we are all for the simplicity of muffins. Especially the savory ones. It is - j</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ust throw in the flour, oil / butter and some vegetables and mix it and spoon it into the tray - simple. When I found this recipe for Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins at <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2014/02/08/jalapeno-cornbread-muffins/">Damn Delicious, </a>I knew it was a must-do. As you can see, I used her entire recipe (down to the styling of the dish) but made it savory by skipping honey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The challenge though, will be the availability of cornmeal in India. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What we did was simple. We bought dried corn from the supermarket (not the frozen ones, but you get dried ones in the pulses section) and ground it coarsely. That became an effective cornmeal for this recipe. Don't let the unavailability of ready cornmeal deter you from making these little beauties. Just make your own!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's how I made it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GmK0IbxKuClyIhU4niUWU83oKS2XWw6CS62IKCCNL2TFUABHKor2yfvRCEzLsQ0cIT70PiV6AbHNg3S895y41-pibUbXtNjlcYquz0Czw-iUYmjCFWrrwmgk9I2dTwHN31Dij-p69hk/s1600/IMG_4802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GmK0IbxKuClyIhU4niUWU83oKS2XWw6CS62IKCCNL2TFUABHKor2yfvRCEzLsQ0cIT70PiV6AbHNg3S895y41-pibUbXtNjlcYquz0Czw-iUYmjCFWrrwmgk9I2dTwHN31Dij-p69hk/s1600/IMG_4802.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your dry ingredients</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYanDKmJcE_bwleC0dE2OEKB2ldw0j0DAGNDJdj7d2DyP8tjtOYQCFkYKg9_wyAZIB2P2D-BupW26KWWV8yA8TyvHuYpBeW-43I0B1LLbzzznn_0hGFk7YwjsJc0FmbKBNotM148JeSiY/s1600/IMG_4803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYanDKmJcE_bwleC0dE2OEKB2ldw0j0DAGNDJdj7d2DyP8tjtOYQCFkYKg9_wyAZIB2P2D-BupW26KWWV8yA8TyvHuYpBeW-43I0B1LLbzzznn_0hGFk7YwjsJc0FmbKBNotM148JeSiY/s1600/IMG_4803.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your wet ingredients</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0KZZbpaPRqkPMgOCgW1kORMXsJwS_af7xfEYuyH4TaWSmql5YQaypfn4t3mOcNA6rSqUcc0YNHNI3VvlaUlHPnWygtELWfpJG7sle4d3j8KaM6re1aN8h3Ok8Q8DdZPPH_wucI9Jsd4/s1600/IMG_4805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0KZZbpaPRqkPMgOCgW1kORMXsJwS_af7xfEYuyH4TaWSmql5YQaypfn4t3mOcNA6rSqUcc0YNHNI3VvlaUlHPnWygtELWfpJG7sle4d3j8KaM6re1aN8h3Ok8Q8DdZPPH_wucI9Jsd4/s1600/IMG_4805.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">whisk together to form a spoon-worthy batter</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3P3j1_GFpRpratjR71V09KhPpC2vRUXPQjOLALYo4jc4konxyYYy0zcNwscZfaBJcSM_8LlN3SDRK5hDwuSILqE5I-IDYCkCe-XoxikiHd6dpmEgRl_cefQckCQSEfRCY4Vh0IztIRE/s1600/IMG_4806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3P3j1_GFpRpratjR71V09KhPpC2vRUXPQjOLALYo4jc4konxyYYy0zcNwscZfaBJcSM_8LlN3SDRK5hDwuSILqE5I-IDYCkCe-XoxikiHd6dpmEgRl_cefQckCQSEfRCY4Vh0IztIRE/s1600/IMG_4806.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pour the batter in muffin trays and bake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This recipe yields 4 large muffins. Good enough for a breakfast for two.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Ingredients:</b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup of corn flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup of plain flour (maida / all purpose)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup of buttermilk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 cup of cooking oil (we use rice bran)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 teaspoon of baking soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt, according to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 egg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 block of cheddar cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 green chillies </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Here's how you make it:</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Combine the dry ingredients - flour, soda and salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Combine the wet ingredients - buttermilk, egg and oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Pour the wet over dry mixture and whisk gently to combine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Add shredded cheese, chopped green chillies and combine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) Spoon the batter into greased muffin trays and bake in preheated oven for 200 F for 15 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test (poke a toothpick and see if it comes out clean, if it does, your muffins are ready)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6) Serve hot over coffee.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br /></div>
distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-86904553821761142802014-02-11T08:04:00.001-08:002014-02-11T08:04:55.380-08:00Cucumber dosa with green chutney - Easy Breakfast Recipes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If Tamil Nadu is the Masala Dosa capital, Karnataka stakes its claim for the Dosa crown with many easy to make variants - neeru dosa, cucumber dosa and so on. While I haven't mastered neeru dosa as yet (it is made with a super thin batter and takes good expertise to swirl it around in the dosa pan), </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">making</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">cucumber dosa wasn't a difficult task. It makes for an easy breakfast / dinner recipe with only a teeny bit of planning. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I started looking for recipes (on the internet as well as asking around colleagues who are native to Karnataka) to make cucumber dosa, I found an overwhelming number of variations to this recipe. Some suggested urad dal, some plain rice, while some fermentation. In the end, I picked and chose the techniques from various recipes and arrived at this one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The measurements yield about 10 tiny dosas. Here is the recipe for dosa and green chutney.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ingredients for the dosa:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) 1/2 cup of uncooked raw rice (pre-soaked, preferably overnight)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) 1/2 cup of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">uncooked </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">boiled rice </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(pre-soaked, preferably overnight)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3) 1 tiny piece of ginger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4) 1 green chilly </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5) 1 cup of grated cucumber</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6) 1 handful grated coconut</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>How to make dosa:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1) Wash and grind the rice along with the rest of the ingredients (do not add a lot of water while grinding because the cucumber has water in it)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2) Let the batter sit for about half-hour (if you are in a hurry, go on and pour your dosas)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3) Heat up your dosa pan and spread the dosas</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHtnYfTDL_t0wQcSIsWsZjrSsF3KbjFY-DbhtfjE2L83mG_cxT_W_JGenzG0unkwPGdLC_gHoyc_dV44qndCu4O6tAG-RoOACsnnd42dr2DT_38AScJBsCjo336QQSseA4LK6di6j3YE/s1600/IMG_4779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHtnYfTDL_t0wQcSIsWsZjrSsF3KbjFY-DbhtfjE2L83mG_cxT_W_JGenzG0unkwPGdLC_gHoyc_dV44qndCu4O6tAG-RoOACsnnd42dr2DT_38AScJBsCjo336QQSseA4LK6di6j3YE/s1600/IMG_4779.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your cucumber dosa and chutney are ready to be served!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's how you make the green chutney to go with it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1) 1/2 cup of grated coconut</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2) 1 tiny bunch of coriander leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3) 1 tablespoon of roasted gram dal (pottukadalai)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4) 1 pod of garlic </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5) 1 green chilly</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6) 1 teaspoon of oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>How to make chutney:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1) Heat up the oil and fry chilly and garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2) Grind the rest of the ingredients along with the fried chilly and garlic. Your chutney is ready.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy your quick-fix breakfast.</span></div>
distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-61888326912624807592014-02-04T08:02:00.000-08:002014-02-04T21:09:45.482-08:00Can you make Cappuccino at home? Without a machine? With instant Coffee? Yes.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some things hide in plain sight - like this supremely simple method of making a mug of steaming, frothy coffee with instant coffee. We are coffee drinkers (actually sort of snobs) and believe a day without coffee in the morning is a day not worth spending altogether. 80 - 20 is our blend and instant coffee is frowned upon. It is only for those days when real coffee runs out and we did not realize we are out of it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recently, when we went on a weekend holiday with a friend, I discovered a new method of making coffee (actually if you are a North Indian who is reading this, there is nothing new you will learn from this post). My friend took some instant coffee and sugar and beat it with a drop or two of water until the mixture got fluffy. And voila, we all have frothy cups of cappuccinos in a few minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I became an instant coffee convert. Beating instant coffee with sugar does something to the flavor. Try it to experience it. Though it is not as frothy as your cafe cappuccino, it comes close.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is a three step method of making cappuccino with instant coffee.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Step 1: Take a tea spoon of instant coffee with two teaspoons of sugar in a mug</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2E0liPflieZs-hOsO7BM2ongDufah_H_6P6JTLXkxfU8zFgVkqvJ6I7oIIh8wfqGrvH8MXPzNc-G7GDx7h84sfLHOTKHXSWBOXX7KF_bRD-s7Bx9Hn0nbj79EtdR26rWpptYrgXvXBFs/s1600/IMG_4758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2E0liPflieZs-hOsO7BM2ongDufah_H_6P6JTLXkxfU8zFgVkqvJ6I7oIIh8wfqGrvH8MXPzNc-G7GDx7h84sfLHOTKHXSWBOXX7KF_bRD-s7Bx9Hn0nbj79EtdR26rWpptYrgXvXBFs/s1600/IMG_4758.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No excuse for the bad picture, but it is visually representative!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Step 2: Beat the hell out of the mixture with just a droplet or two of water until it froths up like this</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeUe4RQe1hG9JaUM5hS43ZT6Gpw5MrzOBB84ogNMA-_h_aIzxxyQoR097cGasIUIOHwQDKA12IYFwjfFw0jIP1LhzhUGlcaiwioxR3dIF-GgetwyQTpqp9N1LPcu1uUYALvYPCElZJv4/s1600/IMG_4762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeUe4RQe1hG9JaUM5hS43ZT6Gpw5MrzOBB84ogNMA-_h_aIzxxyQoR097cGasIUIOHwQDKA12IYFwjfFw0jIP1LhzhUGlcaiwioxR3dIF-GgetwyQTpqp9N1LPcu1uUYALvYPCElZJv4/s1600/IMG_4762.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can store this mixture in the fridge for a later time, I was told</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Step 3: Add hot milk and stir nicely!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQG8y6CMkOKFWwA0rt9zShjrV_HrjTfDozRfFNLGh610dIcr2ae9lzfuMkA6nVxVLYh6-53i75lYuCkq8QujY0FBhpfKIUCUZtSSJsg4FzxIFhG77JVm_D4V8Zz9WZ5u4R_RYpnZL36xg/s1600/IMG_4769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQG8y6CMkOKFWwA0rt9zShjrV_HrjTfDozRfFNLGh610dIcr2ae9lzfuMkA6nVxVLYh6-53i75lYuCkq8QujY0FBhpfKIUCUZtSSJsg4FzxIFhG77JVm_D4V8Zz9WZ5u4R_RYpnZL36xg/s1600/IMG_4769.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your steamy cup of frothy cappuccino is ready.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is as close as you can get to a home-made cappuccino with instant coffee, without a coffee machine or the added froth.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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</div>
distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-53984983882737349682014-01-31T05:58:00.002-08:002014-01-31T05:58:54.967-08:00Sugarfree Strawberry - Banana smoothie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Strawberries are in season, at least in India. I have only heard strawberries being inherently sweet because the ones you get here are tangy at best. Sometimes, they are just too tangy it is impossible to consume them without sugar. When I picked up a tiny packet of strawberries from the supermarket this time around, I did not have a plan. But as I placed it next to the bananas that were already at home, I suddenly knew what to make - Strawberry Banana Smoothie. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGS_NF3M3fW09MIUl3A91McHiMoqTbaEugmdQLc2cn1pPDTc8RktWNLKAskgkYuktVmAVzYT75oRApGdKbyHDRfbK6OiMuqP8XkXR8IBOKcPzAlBO4VRnNJ8KY6ZwLCNLbG1fk9BHRDE/s1600/IMG_4735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGS_NF3M3fW09MIUl3A91McHiMoqTbaEugmdQLc2cn1pPDTc8RktWNLKAskgkYuktVmAVzYT75oRApGdKbyHDRfbK6OiMuqP8XkXR8IBOKcPzAlBO4VRnNJ8KY6ZwLCNLbG1fk9BHRDE/s1600/IMG_4735.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ingredients, well almost. Milk is missing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Making smoothies are super simple and this one is no exception. I did not add any sugar in this but did add a couple of teaspoons of honey. You can skip it if you want it absolutely sugar free. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbF507CA-T743RtCuyY5HU6n4tWJ-ZvFhJe37km5grLfe74a4tCiQKcj1Y2oBPcokLbjb2uBS6Jgmr__cyc2eTgFnyj48Ej-WnyA_ZaZ3MN2lrFSh0MaAvkVLlL4_ecB1EUX74OSBiNk/s1600/IMG_4750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbF507CA-T743RtCuyY5HU6n4tWJ-ZvFhJe37km5grLfe74a4tCiQKcj1Y2oBPcokLbjb2uBS6Jgmr__cyc2eTgFnyj48Ej-WnyA_ZaZ3MN2lrFSh0MaAvkVLlL4_ecB1EUX74OSBiNk/s1600/IMG_4750.JPG" height="640" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garnish with a mint leaf before serving.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bananas - 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Strawberries - 3 medium ones</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Milk - one glass (some recipes call for yogurt, I have never tried though)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Honey - 2 tea spoons (optional)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Here's how you make it:</b></span><br />
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pulse all the ingredients in your blender and pour it into an old fashioned stout glass</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Garnish with a mint leaf and drizzle some honey on top if you like</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serve chilled</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Simple, no? </span></div>
<br /></div>
distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-47485038622000315692013-11-13T19:38:00.003-08:002013-11-13T19:40:10.504-08:00Spaghetti in basil & tuna pesto - Simple Italian Dinner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;">I remember the first time I was initiated to
the world of pesto. That first bottle of basil pesto sunk two inches deep in a thick
film of olive oil must have attained the most-satisfying moksha as far as basil
pesto bottles go. Because I used it on practically anything Italian from salads
to grilled fish dishes and everything (read pasta) in between. And I
discovered, to my absolute delight, that basil pesto is a delightful
accompaniment to the humble, homegrown curd rice.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not too long after, I stumbled upon fresh basil
leaves in the supermarket and tried my first pesto from the scratch. Seriously,
once you try and make basil pesto at home (which is not all that difficult, I
tell you. Only if you find making chutneys difficult at home that is.), your
hands will never hover over the pesto bottles in supermarket shelves deciding on
which brand to settle. But again, it depends on the availability of fresh basil
in the city you live.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Basil is a hardy herb that loves sunshine. It
works as a great indoor plant as well. If you get a sapling, you can have a
steady supply of fresh basil leaves in a tropical country like India. Seeds are
easy to germinate and once you have a plant, they easily reproduce and sustain
your kitchen needs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This recipe is inspired by an episode of Jamie’s 15-minute meals but
heavily adapted to work around the non-availability of ingredients (say for
instance canned anchovies that I could just not find anywhere). I substituted
canned tuna flakes in brine. The result was a mildly tuna flavored pasta with
the roasted tomatoes and garlic giving it just the required amount of tang and
crunchy spiciness. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Ingredients you need (serves 2):</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spaghetti – 150 gms<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Canned tuna in brine – ½ can (100 gms)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fresh basil leaves – 1 cup<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Almonds – 5 <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cheese – just enough to garnish<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cherry tomatoes – 15 to 20 or 3 regular ripe
tomatoes <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Garlic – 4 cloves unpeeled<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Olive oil – 2 tbsp<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pepper – as required<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt – as required<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszf2Lo8Mi73nyjwYWP9UIShz9hm70zosIUO4yFmrMwjY4c5ecpDF98xUOuZ0VI4ds4lVQklkL91qRH8x9U6Q5vcnzrw4dyL2E_5Rs7uycJorhN3mya6Q_ZJJEuUj_0AOmPCL1DB53wC4/s1600/Spaghetti_tuna1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszf2Lo8Mi73nyjwYWP9UIShz9hm70zosIUO4yFmrMwjY4c5ecpDF98xUOuZ0VI4ds4lVQklkL91qRH8x9U6Q5vcnzrw4dyL2E_5Rs7uycJorhN3mya6Q_ZJJEuUj_0AOmPCL1DB53wC4/s640/Spaghetti_tuna1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spaghetti is super simple to make!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<i style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How to prepare:</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;">Set a pot of water to boil. When it boils, add
salt and a teaspoon of cooking oil.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;">Take a heavy bottomed pan, slit each cherry
tomatoes or quarter the regular ones. Smash the cloves of garlic with the side
of a knife. Mix with the tomatoes some olive oil, salt and pepper and keep it
in a preheated oven for roasting for 15 to 20 minutes at 180</span><sup style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">0</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"> C.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;">Meanwhile, throw in the basil leaves, almonds
and half of the required tuna and some salt in your food processor and grind to
a paste.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;">Cook the spaghetti al dente and drain it in a
colander. Add the pesto to the spaghetti and toss well.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;">Add the rest of the tuna, salt and pepper to
adjust the taste.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;">Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic on top of
the spaghetti.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Garnish with cheese and serve.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Tip: </b>Let the dish sit for 5 minutes before you
serve so the basil loses its raw taste. However, if you are using pesto from a
bottle, you can serve it immediately. This pasta tastes great as a leftover
too. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Note: </b>The header you see on the blog is picture in this post.</span></span></div>
</div>
distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-72140316104818290792013-11-01T11:09:00.000-07:002013-11-01T11:41:27.877-07:00Spinach - Ricotta Pizza<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A pizza recipe is in three parts, two of which have been explained in
great detail in two previous posts i.e. Pizza Bites and Nidi. With these out of
the way, we would like to concentrate on other aspects of pizza making - Toppings,
pizza base stretching/shaping, important points about baking the pizza and serving
it. Don’t worry; this post also tracks back the previously mentioned recipes
for dough making and sauce making for your convenience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVjZs0nkVjVYo0zA84b1AZTSlv77HE0yu_BhmlP56aBSxquc8E5irv_t4a0JUdKsZdqL-rlgyWOQmeH_Ur8n451DQ8BVry4gWAqCnc40Akkd-P7TwzFEwBlAQLa3S8ZphQkL24RMTlNs/s1600/IMG_1802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVjZs0nkVjVYo0zA84b1AZTSlv77HE0yu_BhmlP56aBSxquc8E5irv_t4a0JUdKsZdqL-rlgyWOQmeH_Ur8n451DQ8BVry4gWAqCnc40Akkd-P7TwzFEwBlAQLa3S8ZphQkL24RMTlNs/s640/IMG_1802.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read on to learn how to make pizza like this. It is not that difficult. Really.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The measurements here are for two medium sized pizzas. Serves about 2
adults.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Part 1 – The Pizza Base (</i>read
this recipe for a better idea of dough making <a href="http://backyardbasil.blogspot.in/2013/05/pizza-bites.html">here</a>)</b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>For the dough</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 ¼ cups of flour (we used all purpose, if you are using maida = 2 cups
of maida + ¼ cup whole wheat flour)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">½ to ¾ cups of water to knead the dough</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">½ teaspoon yeast </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Baking paper (greased)</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Check the dough making process used for ‘pizza bites’. The same applies for pizza as well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The trick to get a crisp crust, you need to roll the base out not-so-thin using a rolling pin. Follow this with stretching the base using your hand till you achieve a fairly thin base.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">We can write any length of techniques about dough stretching/shaping. But it’s like trying to learn swimming by reading a swimming manual. Practice and practice, at one point you will zero down on the technique that works for you. A separate post on pizza dough stretching coming soon.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">After stretching the base, lay it on greased baking paper.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Part 2 – The Sauce (read this recipe for making the most simple delicious pizza sauce <a href="http://backyardbasil.blogspot.in/2012/09/nidi-italian-for-nests.html">here</a>)</i></b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">For the sauce</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">400gms of ripe tomato</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1 blob of butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">10 peppercorns</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2 gloves of garlic</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Salt to taste</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Prepare the sauce according to the recipe and apply
it on the base</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrKd2dWZMsD2VIfRehx9xaHjX1PrkbJPFEymV-gHfN2AFMfb4DOEnJkwzlV49nKJSjrS-akYZ14ZUqPwTYjP9-gmzdFl6bWOjHRgxQY95qwtwI7iCIw392-EBaCX4bMQ-pRIcZhseeso/s1600/IMG_1754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrKd2dWZMsD2VIfRehx9xaHjX1PrkbJPFEymV-gHfN2AFMfb4DOEnJkwzlV49nKJSjrS-akYZ14ZUqPwTYjP9-gmzdFl6bWOjHRgxQY95qwtwI7iCIw392-EBaCX4bMQ-pRIcZhseeso/s640/IMG_1754.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Apply a thin layer of the sauce on your pizza base</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Par</span>t 3 – Toppings</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b>A word or two about toppings – a good pizza is not loaded with too many toppings with overlapping flavors. A well developed base and the sauce have flavor and have to stand out. Go for two or three toppings at the most, the cheese being counted as one of the toppings. The cheese also does not have to cover the entire pizza as one sees on the pizza pies of fast food pizza. Unless of course you are making an exclusive cheese pizza (like Quattro formaggi) in which case you have select the cheeses you are going to use. We use cheese very sparingly on pizza and in this one we have used a fresh homemade ricotta. You may use any soft melting cheese you like.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9Id6_wHai83dEfaM5eoPQxB0DZl5eNbrO3Ul5j5TTY8KoRcxDJBLS_6FpmH1QrzkneFH_-cpuW8iObbh_F0_GUl7DOQkZOCThh_tVrC-VvTAn14QSZz_qByYlI595xETYv-wepFa0BY/s1600/IMG_1772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9Id6_wHai83dEfaM5eoPQxB0DZl5eNbrO3Ul5j5TTY8KoRcxDJBLS_6FpmH1QrzkneFH_-cpuW8iObbh_F0_GUl7DOQkZOCThh_tVrC-VvTAn14QSZz_qByYlI595xETYv-wepFa0BY/s640/IMG_1772.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Load your pizza with toppings of your choice.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Here is what we used for toppings.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One bunch of spinach leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cheese (we used homemade ricotta and a less than generous shaving of Parmesan)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Basil leaves</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Sauté the spinach leaves with oil after washing
them thoroughly. Set them aside to cool.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Scatter the spinach on the base, sprinkle with cheese.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Preheat the oven to 200C with the cookie sheet / pizza stone.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Slide the pizza onto the hot cookie sheet / pizza stone and bake your pizza
until done (for about 12 - 15 minutes on top rack).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Garnish with basil leaves after the pizza is out
of the oven and shave Parmesan onto the pizza if you are planning to use.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Enjoy your pizza. </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wUh342ABkt8zR42HDBa4Zqm7_QZQDyz4oGTSovueonZZGI-hP9OId3SqfqPFV3C-23CKzkaMNNI1u8f2Cjtryznasj8_5TRgYQpLFD0swOrx5PbuJ2bsZbhp9KKGsdCkd3_iYemB5Kk/s1600/IMG_1779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wUh342ABkt8zR42HDBa4Zqm7_QZQDyz4oGTSovueonZZGI-hP9OId3SqfqPFV3C-23CKzkaMNNI1u8f2Cjtryznasj8_5TRgYQpLFD0swOrx5PbuJ2bsZbhp9KKGsdCkd3_iYemB5Kk/s640/IMG_1779.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Pizza ready to go into the oven</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wZ2o6q5tNc1yJVKRtBsqF0paKy3y1qmFBVr93c9fQFYkS7T37fDcIOZUHwDKzjHs3sEOvrMDZbaIic4h-lPuDyR821nGEc8MT1Dmk3Yj88l-HJJyCOuSG5LOnhJ7HI7SaKFRQRw3D98/s1600/IMG_1792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wZ2o6q5tNc1yJVKRtBsqF0paKy3y1qmFBVr93c9fQFYkS7T37fDcIOZUHwDKzjHs3sEOvrMDZbaIic4h-lPuDyR821nGEc8MT1Dmk3Yj88l-HJJyCOuSG5LOnhJ7HI7SaKFRQRw3D98/s640/IMG_1792.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a big slice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b><br />
<div>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></b></div>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Notes:</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">If you do not have a pizza stone, bake your pizza</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -24px;"> on the back of a cookie sheet. Remember, the cookie sheet has to be hot. So either preheat it in the oven or heat it on the stove.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">
Final word - </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">No, you cannot use ketchup /
sauce to eat with your pizza. Trust us - that ruins the entire taste and experience.</span><br />
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distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-2760151975027527462013-10-22T09:15:00.001-07:002013-10-24T03:20:53.224-07:00Zucchini / Pumpkin Flower Fritters - Quick Breakfast / Snack<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I dream of Italy. A lot. I do. It is my culinary mecca (as it is for
three quarters of the world). And when I go there someday – which I hope to – I
will eat like it is nobody’s business. I will stuff my face with their glorious
gnocchi, ravioli and tagliatelle in millions of sauce variations eating like a
pig (and eat pig too), making orgasmic noises. But until then, I will continue
to discover little Italian culinary pleasures in my own kitchen like this post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Although you can find every single Italian dish ever invented in the
restaurants, some are still far from reaching the kitchens of India. Zucchini
flower fritters is one of them in my opinion. And when I planted zucchini in
the backyard it grew wildly and made humongous zucchinis besides also producing
numerous flowers. That is when I decided I should try making zucchini flower
fritters. The internet is filled with deep fried versions of zucchini flowers but
I found one at Parsley Thief that I loved. This is more like a zucchini pancake
and you need not necessarily fry them in oil, which means slightly healthier
than the deep fried version.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0o7iXJpAbiyyXquFOo69aZo4bXiWu5473tdSd6xDKQ_9Ur-CphV718a-wUGCKUWq2fvMI7ZwRViLw2oRJAHU13VNphQ8lMbAEdWKrgyDOGUn_0T71yO595orvJ1XhqBLpWLynTdHLvQ/s1600/IMG_1498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0o7iXJpAbiyyXquFOo69aZo4bXiWu5473tdSd6xDKQ_9Ur-CphV718a-wUGCKUWq2fvMI7ZwRViLw2oRJAHU13VNphQ8lMbAEdWKrgyDOGUn_0T71yO595orvJ1XhqBLpWLynTdHLvQ/s640/IMG_1498.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zucchini Flower Fritters</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnNyajctshJ7cEEhiB0DhXNfjMlsDKzc1hmqAgO1opgt0774FPaEsW0l1lloX-a-4UgKu9C2a7u9bIhUiR2U8MzCD5WZmO1sX8Bww40MVJKplPsyDevhyGdZR4y9ubmIFBaIiX1rtSS0/s1600/IMG_1424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnNyajctshJ7cEEhiB0DhXNfjMlsDKzc1hmqAgO1opgt0774FPaEsW0l1lloX-a-4UgKu9C2a7u9bIhUiR2U8MzCD5WZmO1sX8Bww40MVJKplPsyDevhyGdZR4y9ubmIFBaIiX1rtSS0/s640/IMG_1424.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients you would need, well almost.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNA1wBeIiKOcNiPLwPsHdz5SooKjHGtr5XVTXIyN1GlzwOYXQJ2fjfK2mZwFkFpnXBY_SrrNpO2ocCF-WqCRIIfZTNIzTHZFiLRZSNt2swEA6hItqJqBJUhkVcAisLkENhqlQIsb1LuAM/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNA1wBeIiKOcNiPLwPsHdz5SooKjHGtr5XVTXIyN1GlzwOYXQJ2fjfK2mZwFkFpnXBY_SrrNpO2ocCF-WqCRIIfZTNIzTHZFiLRZSNt2swEA6hItqJqBJUhkVcAisLkENhqlQIsb1LuAM/s640/IMG_1438.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chop the zucchini flowers, shallots and garlic</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi345XU4o2HfVN6HlFbjdZDbgvskF9Z_AuDXm2-KMEqEH6i0ZwWsdYSzZwx4-wyUgJoXrp07XC9TYlp8oy4IRv0Ven1-lKxePRS9Rn-PDa0QYbdG1IZbYLdeEe0VvF45jxZsrGvnU-3weM/s1600/IMG_1439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi345XU4o2HfVN6HlFbjdZDbgvskF9Z_AuDXm2-KMEqEH6i0ZwWsdYSzZwx4-wyUgJoXrp07XC9TYlp8oy4IRv0Ven1-lKxePRS9Rn-PDa0QYbdG1IZbYLdeEe0VvF45jxZsrGvnU-3weM/s640/IMG_1439.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Saute the zucchini flowers</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEDqit1X8jfAuqblcELwJ4_4ZPYK5e9TOvLQpzdWYCWuRwvUCFWtrp4Y-b49kD1nwhuXKv4RKCmtVH9CcMdOM85CsOK_HNH7J1xUfmKM73PsPyApkIt2WYZrW1EhFLz0ogj5-NlpE8G4/s1600/IMG_1454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEDqit1X8jfAuqblcELwJ4_4ZPYK5e9TOvLQpzdWYCWuRwvUCFWtrp4Y-b49kD1nwhuXKv4RKCmtVH9CcMdOM85CsOK_HNH7J1xUfmKM73PsPyApkIt2WYZrW1EhFLz0ogj5-NlpE8G4/s640/IMG_1454.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Make the fritter batter</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73GCt9LsATZ77S3iV0ot0hl2eq7tRpyKi9n-c6RAyMV3E5Ago9PVePBz_VKAcgo6-u644-E9NNREZ8KyoNiJQglfGK_wzBoJmlmier3fv4m_7WzGBWy6SVEFTwsgzi-fqAOwV1krOYL4/s1600/IMG_1479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73GCt9LsATZ77S3iV0ot0hl2eq7tRpyKi9n-c6RAyMV3E5Ago9PVePBz_VKAcgo6-u644-E9NNREZ8KyoNiJQglfGK_wzBoJmlmier3fv4m_7WzGBWy6SVEFTwsgzi-fqAOwV1krOYL4/s640/IMG_1479.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pan fry the fritters</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>You will need:</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zucchini flowers - take 10 – 15 for 6 pancakes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Flour - 1 cup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Basil leaves - handful</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Egg - 1 (you can totally skip it if you are not an egg person)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yogurt - 1 cup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Garlic - 2 pods</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shallots - 4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cheese - a tiny block (of cheese in stock, I used cheddar. Also I tried
once with tofu and it tasted well too)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Baking soda - a pinch</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oil - as required </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - as required</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Preparation:</span></i></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Wash the zucchini flowers thoroughly under
running water. Remove the green sepals from the flowers and chop them finely
after checking for any bugs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Chop the shallots and garlic.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Heat oil and sauté shallots and garlic for a
minute. Drop the zucchini flowers and sauté them for another minute. Turn the
flame down and leave it to cool.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Grate the cheese.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Break the egg into a bowl, add chopped basil,
grated cheese, yogurt, flour, salt and then the cooled down zucchini flower
mixture.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Whisk well and check for consistency and to
avoid lumps. If needed, add water / yogurt / milk to adjust.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Add baking soda as the final step.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Heat the griddle and pour the fritters, cook in
low flame on both sides.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Transfer it into a paper towel so the towel absorb
oil from the fritter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Serve hot (it can be eaten plain or with Tabasco).</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Note: I tried making the fritters with whole wheat flour and found that
it turns out dense. I also tried without adding soda but the effect was just
not the same.</span></div>
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distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-23707600819417753622013-07-03T04:53:00.000-07:002013-07-03T04:53:38.255-07:00Breakfast cookies... I mean cake.. I mean scones?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not a planned post, so I want to excuse myself for two things and get them out of the way. Firstly, for the fugly photo and secondly err... I really don't know what these are. They make a quick breakfast if you are the kind who likes muffin/croissant and coffee breakfasts. Bad planning had it that these would have to be egg-less. Go ahead and add an egg by all means, making sure to adjust other wet ingredients accordingly. So here they are; chocolate and banana cake/cookie/scones.<br />
<br />
This is the most non fancy- dunk all in one pot- kind of baking. I have listed the ingredients in the order you will actually add them so just follow through!<br />
<br />
You will need:<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>- A little more than 3/4 cup white flour</li>
<li>- A little less than 1/4 cup cocoa powder (i.e. total flour + cocoa = 1 cup)</li>
<li>- 1/4-1/3 cup sugar depending on the sweetness of your muesli and the banana.</li>
<li>- 1/2 tsp salt</li>
<li>- 1/2 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>- About 1/3 cup muesli with nuts (if using plain muesli, add some almonds)</li>
<li>- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg</li>
<li>- 1 ripe banana mashed roughly</li>
<li>- 3 tbsp olive oil or melted butter</li>
<li>- 1/4 cup plain yoghurt (or 1 beaten egg)</li>
<li>- Milk to adjust</li>
</ol>
<br />
In a bowl, mix ingredients 1 to 7 (all dry) and combine well. Prepare your baking surface. Grease your cookie sheet or baking paper with shortening, which is what it is really good for; not for eating really. Sprinkle some flour on the sheet. Crank up your oven to 180 degrees C and return to your mixture.<br />
Now, add the mashed banana, oil and the yoghurt and mix with a spatula. You really don't need a hand mixer for this and actually you should not over mix. Just mix until there are no dry portions in the dough/batter. If there are and the mixture is too dry, add milk by the teaspoon to adjust the consistency.<br />
The consistency you are looking for is between cookie and cake, i.e. too wet to be able to handle like cookie dough and too dry to be able to pour like cake batter.<br />
Once there, use another spoon along with your spatula to scoop out and drop blobs of the mixture on the cookie sheet in rows with space enough for them to spread and rise. Bake for about 15-18 mins till they pass a toothpick test. Remove from oven and let cool while the coffee gets ready.<br />
Good morning :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW72lxyFygCmuCDpexf6jkJkDuezZEK_qZRKfKxfg5qREnw9qGlpVHL5J7UQYFaxbnFqz9Sz9KWMVnYp242f-RVQY7TiE85O_R_0QpQuKz0Wjbc8v3_OvMkmuIBeBbIXcHbCSRDFsvCSIQ/s800/IMG_3846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW72lxyFygCmuCDpexf6jkJkDuezZEK_qZRKfKxfg5qREnw9qGlpVHL5J7UQYFaxbnFqz9Sz9KWMVnYp242f-RVQY7TiE85O_R_0QpQuKz0Wjbc8v3_OvMkmuIBeBbIXcHbCSRDFsvCSIQ/s1600/IMG_3846.JPG" /></a></div>
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Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-86194745566653992542013-06-30T11:26:00.000-07:002013-06-30T11:26:39.681-07:00Thai curry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4g5M8WMUK6hK5FYW7Ke8smyH6vKsPm_kAOXOh0H734anDMVRUMUJ4JisxT7CEjZEJsT-X-hVnVhCQV6XeV0pr6nF6rwsT6b9cGX29Krduy3Lb5tOuzrjJ4VEsRmXJ4mIJu-DYmcYxzW3h/s1600/IMG_20130626_221302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4g5M8WMUK6hK5FYW7Ke8smyH6vKsPm_kAOXOh0H734anDMVRUMUJ4JisxT7CEjZEJsT-X-hVnVhCQV6XeV0pr6nF6rwsT6b9cGX29Krduy3Lb5tOuzrjJ4VEsRmXJ4mIJu-DYmcYxzW3h/s640/IMG_20130626_221302.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It all started with a simple purchase I made at the neighborhood
supermarket. My grocery / vegetable shopping is impulsive and I never fail to
pick up anything interesting that meets my eye (much to the dismay of the
partner). And the Thai kit was one such. It had a (fairly large) piece of
galangal, two bird eye chillies, few blades of lemon grass and a few kafir lime
leaves. I picked it up and wasted no time in looking up for recipes for Thai
Green Curry. </div>
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After hours of research that involved reading up recipes ranging from
the completely indianized version to the authentic version, I zeroed in on two
recipes (which are pretty much similar). The guardian has a lengthy post on <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/sep/23/make-perfect-thai-green-curry">How
to make perfect Thai green curry</a> that gave me insights like why there is no
need to use oil while making the curry. The <a href="http://shesimmers.com/2010/06/easy-thai-green-curry-recipe-interview.html">recipe
and the interview</a> with the Thai cooking teacher and author Kasma
Loha-unchit also provided useful tips on readily available curry pastes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Frankly, I am not a fan of curry pastes (neither the other guy) since
we are sticklers for freshly ground spices (even the coconut milk I used in
this recipe is homemade, so there you go). The flavor of freshly ground spices
can never be replaced with store bought pastes that are often overtly spicy,
lacking in flavor and extremely pungent owing to their preservative content. </div>
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<br /></div>
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My variations for this recipe:</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Almost all the recipes I stumbled upon mention eggplant
(preferably the round ones) in the ingredient list but all I used in this
recipe was zucchini and tofu and my curry turned out fine. In fact, fabulous. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Also, I did not use the fish sauce because I did
not have any. Instead I crushed some dry shrimp and added in the curry. You can
totally skip it if you want a completely vegetarian version. </div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->I added peanut milk to give my curry body.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Without much ado, here’s the recipe. I hope your curry turns fabulous
too. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Ingredients</div>
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<b><i>For the paste<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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1” piece of Galangal</div>
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2 bird eye chillies (else regular green chillies are ok)</div>
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3 blades of lemon grass</div>
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2 large kafir lime leaves chopped</div>
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2 cloves of garlic</div>
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4 shallots</div>
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10 white pepper corns</div>
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Salt</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>For the curry<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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1 cup of coconut milk</div>
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1 tsp of palm sugar / palm jaggery</div>
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1 medium sized zucchini chopped</div>
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50gms silky tofu cubed</div>
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1 kafir lime leaf chopped</div>
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1 handful of thai basil leaves</div>
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1 handful of roasted peanuts</div>
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1 tsp of soya sauce</div>
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2 tbsp dried shrimp (optional)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Dump all the ingredients for the paste in a mortar and pestle and pound
nicely until it becomes a paste. If you are time-pressed, go ahead and use your
food processor.</div>
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Meanwhile, pour the coconut milk in a hot pan and let it boil for about
a minute (or until it starts to split). Throw in your curry paste and let it simmer
for some more time. Add the zucchini and tofu and cook until tender.</div>
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Grind the peanuts and soya sauce with little water first to a paste and
then add about 1/3-1/2 cup more water and blend on high speed like you would a
smoothie. Add this peanut milk to the curry, it will thicken. If using, powder the dried shrimp by just pulsing dry in a blender. Add the kafir lime leaves and basil leaves and turn heat off after a
minute or so.</div>
<br />
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Serve hot with fried (or plain) rice. </div>
</div>
Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-84751957644592299742013-06-23T11:12:00.000-07:002013-06-23T11:46:01.762-07:00Quick and easy lemon cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One hour flat including the baking if you are a slow coach
with obsessive no-spill compulsion like me – that’s how long this fluffy yet crumbly
lemon cake will take from measuring flour to cutting the first slice.<br />
<br /></div>
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A few technicalities about this recipe; there is lemon juice
and dairy- so careful not to over-mix else you will end up curdling the milk.
Use cold milk to adjust (explained below) to reduce further the risk of it
splitting. The small portion of semolina flour has two purposes- it gives the
crumbly texture inside the cake and on the outside it gives you a firm, almost
crispy crust which eases slicing. Size of the pan is crucial. A smaller pan
will mean a taller cake and hence a longer baking time plus excessive doming. The
butter- my promise of one hour does not hold if you are taking your butter out
of the freezer. It should be at room temperature but firm and not become runny
the second you begin whipping it.<br />
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Ready for the take off?</div>
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<br />
Your dry stuff:</div>
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1 cup of white flour (maida)</div>
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2 tbsp fine semolina (rava/sooji)</div>
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¼ tsp salt</div>
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½ tsp baking powder</div>
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¼ tsp baking soda</div>
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<br />
Your wet stuff:</div>
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¼ cup unsalted butter</div>
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3 tbsp olive oil</div>
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½ cup sugar (this much is fine for dessert; a little less if
it’s for coffee/tea time or breakfast)</div>
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1 egg</div>
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¼ cup milk to adjust (explained below)</div>
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1 lemon- zest and juice.</div>
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<br />
Other things you need:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7-inch round cake tin</div>
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Vegetable shortening for greasing</div>
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<br />
In a small bowl mix your dry stuff well with a fork. In a
larger bowl whisk the butter with a hand mixer till creamy. Add in the sugar
and continue whisking until fluffy. If your sugar grains are very large, just
pulse the sugar in a blender before adding. Mix in the olive oil and egg and
the zest of the lemon.</div>
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<br />
Add in your dry mixture and mix until combined. It will be
very dry so use the milk to “adjust” the consistency. To those people intimidated
by baking, trust me; this is what cake baking finally comes down to - knowing
the consistency of the batter you want and some sense of proportion. You hear only
too often people saying the proportions are oh-so exacting. The measuring is so
snootily critical. It is not- all that banter comes from just one difference in
the cooking method. Unlike your soup or gravy that you can fine tune as the
cooking goes on the stove top, in baking you have one chance to mix your stuff
and pop it into the oven. There is no adjusting after that and there is no
interrupting the cooking. So when you realize that that is the only reason we
are measuring more carefully, you will be less worried about whether you got
5/17<sup>th</sup> cup of ingredient X measured right.</div>
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<br />
Back to the batter. So you adjust with the cold milk to get
the batter consistency right. Go with my measurement of ¼ cup for the first
time and you will figure out the right amount in the subsequent cakes. Now
there is the last ingredient lemon juice remaining and we will hold off for
now. Turn on your oven to 180 degrees C. Grease your cake dish with the vegetable
shortening. It is the best thing for greasing- tastes horrible and bad for
health if consumed in excess but perfect for greasing. I usually have a stick
of the stuff in the fridge frozen and use it like a crayon to grease the baking
dish.</div>
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<br />
Add the juice of lemon and whisk until just combined (but
well distributed in the batter) as less as possible. Quickly scrape out the batter
into the prepared dish and pop into the oven (I never wait until fully
pre-heated). After adding the lemon juice you need to work quickly because the
acid in the lemon and the baking soda react very fast. You do not want to lose
all that fizz which will make your cake fluffy.</div>
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Bake for 25-30 mins until the cake passes a toothpick test.
Cool a bit but serve warm :)<br />
<br />
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Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-91996517783675634772013-05-29T01:33:00.000-07:002013-05-29T01:33:26.840-07:00Whole Wheat bread<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Key to making whole wheat bread is to first get to know the
high hydration requirements of whole wheat flour and secondly giving up the
attraction for fancy shapes that white bread can be made into. When it comes to
whole wheat bread, taste, texture and most importantly health are the
highlights. If you want a golden glossy 5 strand braided wreath bread, please
stick to white bread (it will look pretty on one's coffin as they say "the
whiter your bread, the sooner you're dead!"). There is not much shaping
possible with this bread.</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
This is the second post for whole wheat bread. This one is
different in that it is a little lighter as there are no potatoes and I also found this was closer to the store bought wheat bread as regards the crumb and the
ease of slicing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For a small little loaf that can be polished off by two
people at breakfast you will need:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
- 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
- 5/6 cup of water *<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
- 1/6 cup of olive oil * (any liquid fat is fine, be healthy and
choose a good kind)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
- 3/4 tsp dry yeast<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
- 1/2 tsp sugar<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
- Salt<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
- Spices/nuts/seeds ** (optional add-ons)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
- 1 Tbsp White flour i.e. maida - for handling the sticky dough.
Lesser you use the better, although no more than 1 Tbsp.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
(*<i>The weird water to oil proportions are because I had to write in some numbers. The basis is 1 1/2 cup flour to 1 cup fluid (oil+water). Easy
measuring is explained below)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Getting started. Warm roughly 1/4 - 1/3 cup of water. You should
be able to hold your finger in the water comfortably (60 degrees C precisely).
Add the warm water to the yeast and sugar, stir and keep side while you measure
out the whole wheat flour in a large bowl. Add the salt and add-ons if using.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
** Digression: Whole wheat flour uses the whole wheat berry i.e. the bran and the germ that contains oil is also ground into the flour. This oil is what gives
the bread a more full nutty taste when fresh but is also responsible for the
slightly bitter taste associated with whole wheat bread. The oil in the germ
turns rancid due to contact with water. The bitter taste is very mild and does
not at all mean that the bread is going bad. It can be felt only when eating the
bread plain without toasting and if you are very discerning of such mild changes
in taste. However, bitterness is bitterness and most whole wheat bread recipes
contain some additives to mask it (I know of a recipe that uses orange juice!).
Choose wisely at most one or two additives from each of these two groups.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Spices: (dry) oregano, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, crushed garlic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Nuts/seeds: Sunflower kernels, watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds,
sesame, walnuts. I used caraway (ajwain) + sesame in this one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Back to the bread; your yeast should be frothy and bubbly by now.
Pour it into your cup measure and add more water well above ¾ of the cup but
not full. Then top up the cup to the brim with olive oil. This will get you
close to the 5/6 water to 1/6 oil ratio. Pour the brimming cup of fluid into
the dry ingredients and mix until all wet. Knead with the dough hook
attachments on your and mixer for about 7-10 minutes. I don’t recommend hand
kneading; it gets very sticky and you will waste a lot trying to clean your
hands and hand kneading requires a good 20-25mins of kneading.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
If you have made white bread before don’t expect the same smooth,
springy dough. It is going to be a shaggy dough and definitely avoid attempting
a paning test; it won’t pass. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the dough hooks to
gather the dough to the center and keep covered to rise. There is no additional
kneading on the counter top to make a ball, it can rise as such in the bowl.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
In an hour or two your dough should have risen to double its volume.
Grease your loafpan and keep ready. I find vegetable shortening
(vanaspati/dalda) is the best for greasing. It’s horrible to taste and
unhealthy to eat but excellent for greasing. It does not get into the bread.
You can find it remaining in the pan once the loaf is out. Using a rubber
spatula deflate the dough and gather it to the middle of the bowl. Heavily
flour your counter top/kneading surface and your hands using some of the 1 Tbsp
white flour. Turn out the dough onto your counter top and sprinkle on top some
of the white flour. With as few as 6 to 10 light strokes pat it smooth and
shape it into a log. Remember; do not work the white flour into the dough. It
is supposed to remain at the surface to prevent sticking (to your hands and the
counter). Plop the shaped log into your prepared loafpan and give it a shake
for the log to settle in snuggly. Let rise another 30-40 minutes and bake at
180 degrees C for 35-40 minutes. Knocking on the bottom of the pan should
produce a hollow sound. Remove from pan and slice when cooled completely.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-43586544189528265262013-05-19T22:36:00.000-07:002013-05-19T23:20:03.315-07:00Pizza bites<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Nothing fancy. There are recipes all over the internet dime a dozen. This just happens to be a tried and working vegetarian variation. The classic recipe is with pepperoni. Also in this version the tomato sauce goes into the dish and is hence easier to serve. The prep for this dish is exactly the same as for pizza. In fact in the last minute you can just decide to make it a pizza, albeit one with only very unimaginative toppings. So let's get started.<br />
The recipe has two parts- dough and filling. Start with the dough.<br />
Warm about 1/4 cup of fluid (water or milk). You should be able to comfortably keep a finger in the water. "Ouch"- hot is equal to "ouch, you killed the yeast". If this subjectivity is too much for you, get a thermometer, we want 60 degrees C. Add 60 degrees C water to 3/4 tsp dry yeast and 1/2 tsp sugar, stir and keep aside while you measure out flour.<br />
For 12 pizza bites you will need 2 cups of all-purpose flour. If all-purpose flour is synonymous with maida for you (which it is not, ask me), then take 1 3/4 cup of maida and 1/4 cup of atta. Add salt to taste and check the yeast now for bubbly froth. No froth? Pack up- next recipe please. Yeast has to be frothy. Pour the frothy yeast into the flour and an additional 1/4 cup plain water. Measure out 1/4 cup water and keep aside before starting to knead. Use the dough hooks attachment on your hand mixer. You will need more water as you knead. Use the measured out 1/4 cup of water, but that is the max you can go with water i.e. 2 cups of flour to 3/4 cup of water in total (1/4 cup with yeast, 1/4 to start kneading and 1/4 as you go on). It is precisely 2 cups of flour to 2/3 cup of water. Since atta soaks a lot we allow 3/4 cup water , but really no more. Knead 5-7 mins with the hand mixer or 15-20 mins after the dough comes together if kneading by hand. Nice smooth and springy ball, coat with a dot of oil to avoid drying and then pizza dough - R.I.P (rise in peace).<br />
Summing up pizza dough ingredients and proportions:<br />
- 2 cups flour (see above about what kind)<br />
- 2/3 cup water<u> in ALL</u> (3/4 if using whole wheat, see above)<br />
- 3/4 tsp dry yeast<br />
- 1/2 tsp sugar<br />
- salt<br />
<br />
For the filling you will need:<br />
- 6-7 ripe tomatoes<br />
- A knob of butter (1tsp)<br />
- 10 leaves of of fresh basil or dry oregano/thyme<br />
- Black pepper corns<br />
- 3-4 cloves garlic<br />
- Handful of sweet corn kernels (frozen is fine)<br />
- 75 gms of your favourite cheese (cheddar or mozarella works fine).<br />
- 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil<br />
- salt<br />
<br />
Quarter tomatoes and throw them in the jar of a blender. Pulse for 3-5 seconds. We don't want them pureed; just thoroughly crushed <u>small</u> chunks are good. Set on a stove a saucepan or any heavy bottomed vessel with the knob of butter on high flame. Add all the tomato mush and bring to a boil. Then reduce the flame to simmer; cover and forget about it for at least 20 mins.<br />
Meanwhile, crush pepper corns, peel and mince garlic, thaw the corn kernels and cut the cheese into 12 equal cubes/pieces.<br />
Back to the tomatoes. Scrape the sides of the pot and bring the pulp together in the middle. There should be very little water separating out of the tomato pulp, else cook open on a high flame. Add the crushed pepper, salt and minced garlic and stir well on high flame. You should have crossed pizza sauce consistency reached almost a loose tomato paste consistency. Turn off the heat and mix in the corn kernels immediately. After about 2 mins stir in olive oil and shreds of basil.<br />
<br />
Assembly. Deflate with flour dusted hands the now risen pizza dough and make a ball with as little handling as possible. Depending on your work surface, roll out the dough as thick as you would for pizza (or a little thicker if you only make thin crust).<br />
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Cut them up into about 3 inch pieces (squares/rectangles) with a knife.<br />
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On each piece of rolled out dough place some filling and a piece of the cheese (no grating..yipee!).<br />
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Wrap up each piece bringing up the sides and sealing in the filling. Place seam side down on a greased baking dish.<br />
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If you do not want them pull-apart style use a large cookie sheet and place them well spaced (totally unnecessary in my opinion). Let rise for another 20-30 mins and bake in an oven pre-heated to 180 degrees C for about 30-40 mins or till the bread looks done. Optionally brush on top with butter and dry spices when still hot. Pull apart (or not) and enjoy.<br />
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Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-91075590855209517092013-05-08T22:37:00.005-07:002013-05-08T22:40:01.975-07:00Blog resurrected with prawn curry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I claim and assert my malayalee roots to excuse myself from explicitly calling the dish Kerala prawn curry. Well it is and most curry posts,especially seafood, unless otherwise qualified will be.<br />
This is a super quick dinner fix; one of those meals about which you can hear non vegetarian Keralites saying.. "I make non-veg meals so that I don"t have too many veggies to chop and too many side dishes to make and just this one curry completes the meal".<br />
A note before we begin, this is not a curry to make if you have umami craving. The prawns are really only meant to flavor the curry and not for biting into. Hence the really small quantity of prawns required. We now begin.<br />
You will need<br />
- 6-8 medium sized prawns (cleaned)<br />
- 1 raw mango from the mango tree outside peeled and chopped.<br />
- 10 curry leaves<br />
- 2 green chillies<br />
- 1/4 coconut<br />
- Red chilli powder<br />
- Turmeric powder<br />
- Corriander powder<br />
- Cumin seeds<br />
- 2 cloves of garlic<br />
- 1 small piece of ginger<br />
- 3 dry red chillies<br />
- 3 shallots/1/4 onion finely chopped<br />
- Mustard seeds<br />
- Fenugreek seeds<br />
- 2-3 Tbsp Coconut oil<br />
- Salt<br />
<br />
Ok, that seemed like a long list, but you must admit it's mostly just regular stuff found in any Indian kitchen even when your grocery shopping is due. Set on the stove a pot with 2 cups of water with prawns, mango, curry leaves, slit green chillies, turmeric and salt. When it comes to a boil reduce to a simmer and carry on with the remaining prep. Into the jar of a blender make a paste of chopped coconut (don't bother with grating), red chilli powder, corriander powder, cumin seeds, garlic and ginger. Add water as needed. The prawns must be simmering for about 15-20 mins by now. Add the contents of the blender and bring to a boil. Simmer again for 5 mins for the raw spices to cook through and take off heat. Temper the curry - heat coconut oil in a wok, splutter mustard seeds, add fenugrek seeds, dry red chillies and shallots/onions- pour the hot oil with condiments into the curry and mix. Ladle some curry into the wok to get all the oil. Serve with rice or rice based main dish like idli, dosa, idiappam or appam.<br />
Nothing fancy hence no photo.</div>
Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-41907882877867254452013-02-18T10:27:00.000-08:002013-05-08T22:05:11.345-07:00Spaghetti with Mackerel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New year and all that! For the elusive reader, here's a sincere apology for not posting for a long time. To be fair to us, it's the terrace gardening that kept us from posting new recipes. So one of these days, when we saw Jamie Oliver's 'Fish with linguine' recipe on his FB wall, we knew this should be tried and tested. Tried and tested we did and owing to its awesomeness, we immediately decided it needs to be shared. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here it is for you. We have generously adapted the recipe to fit our taste (and to the ingredients that we had in the kitchen). Not a fish eater? Just skip the mackerel and you get a great, light pasta dish for dinner!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mackerel - 2 fillets </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spaghetti (or linguine) - 250 gms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Garlic - 3 large or 4 small cloves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cherry Tomatoes - 4 to 5 (or one big tomato)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Parsley - few sprigs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thyme - few sprigs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lemon - 1 (juice and zest)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fresh Red Chili - 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Butter - 1 tbsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Olive Oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sea salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pepper </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Directions to cook:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Set a pot of water to boil for the pasta with a teaspoon of cooking oil and salt. Meanwhile...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wash the fillet, apply just enough salt and crushed pepper and keep aside to marinate.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peel and slice the garlic cloves, finely chop the red chili, parsley and thyme; also, halve the cherry tomatoes and z</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">est the lemon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add around 3 tablespoons of oil in the hot wok, add the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">garlic; once it starts to show some color, add red chili, half of parsley and the fish fillet (skin side down, else your fish will curl up in the heat)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toss and cook the fillet in low heat; it's ok if it flakes and breaks, it's supposed to (if it doesn't, use the spatula to break it up into rough chunks. You don't want a whole fillet in your pasta)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the tomatoes and stir for about a minute</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throw in the lemon zest and stir for exactly 30 seconds, else the zest loses its flavor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and give it a stir</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your pasta must be done now, use tongs to add the pasta from the pot to the wok. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the butter to the hot pasta and toss to coat</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add the seasoning, salt followed by the finely chopped spices - Parsley and Thyme</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serve warm!</span></div>
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distanthorizonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13854015154454252929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-44152220453566961482012-10-22T10:28:00.000-07:002012-10-22T10:28:01.071-07:00Spinach and roasted pumpkin sandwich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the Indian context sandwiches are considered a snack. One that you can whip up in minutes if you have the chutney. Typically a sandwich is just a couple of slices of pure white bread (preferably with the crust trimmed off!!) with green corriander chutney and butter in between and a few measly slices of tomatoes, cucumber, onions and boiled potato. With a good appetite you can easily polish off 5-6 triangles and then some more.<br />
<i>Subway</i> managed to introduce the solid and substantial western of the sandwich. However they have managed to only reach out to a fairly upward crowd and their sandwiches are exclusively referred to as Subway with clear opposition (and rightly so) to the "Indian Sandwich".<br />
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Here is one sandwich recipe which attempts like <i>Subway</i> an acceptance of "The Sandwich" as a meal. The preparation is also as elaborate as you would reckon for a meal. The ingredients list for this sandwich:<br />
-Whole wheat sandwich bread (preferably home made, I have a posted a recipe already)<br />
- Pumpkin 300 gm<br />
- Cheese - as much as you like and the kind you like. I used Parmesan.<br />
- Green peppers - 2 Nos. (any colour actually)<br />
- Garlic - 2-3 cloves<br />
- Red chilli flakes or Chilli oil<br />
- Basil leaves - 8-10 leaves<br />
- Cream - 1 Tbsp (optional)<br />
- Olive oil<br />
- Salt<br />
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The recipe has three parts: veggies and cheese, dressing and the bread. If you are not using chilli oil, start with the dressing. Mix the chilli flakes in about a tablespoon of olive oil and keep aside. We will come back to this later. Chilli oil is just olive oil with chilli flakes soaking in it for a couple of days or more, so the oil gets infused with the spice.<br />
Now we being with the vegetables and cheese part. Peel and chop the pumpkin in 1/2 cm thick slices i.e. really thin. Just quarter the green peppers, you want longish broad slices. Put the pumpkin and peppers in a roasting pan, drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pop it into an oven at 180 degrees celsius. (Pre-heating or semi-pre-heating is good, I never bothered in which case it takes a little longer).<br />
While the vegetables roast, prepare the spinach. Trim he roots and the tough stems and chop roughly. Put a little oil or butter in a pot and add the spinach. On low heat, the greens will take 2-3 mins to wilt and release a lot of water. Cook the spinach through, but save about a tablespoon of the water. Grate cheese and keep aside.<br />
Start dressing. To the chilli oil or the olive oil with chili flakes add crushed garlic cloves and about 4-5 finely chopped basil leaves and mix well. Add the cream if using, the spinach water and mix again- the dressing is ready.<br />
Bread: Lightly toast the bread slices dry. Brown them only slightly. Very stiffly toasted slices of bread don't make good sandwiches.<br />
We are now good to assembles the sandwiches if the vegetables in the oven are done. Check on them in the oven. Remember to give them a stir half way through their roasting time (somewhere around the time you wait for the spinach to wilt). The pumpkin slices would be a nice golden brown when done.<br />
Take two slices of bread, spread some of the dressing on them. Place some spinach followed by cheese, pumpkin slices, one whole leaf of basil and finally two long slices of the peppers. Close your sandwich. Enjoy your meal. If the bread used is home made, I bet you will finish your meal with two of these sandwiches.<br />
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Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-58459382505049563472012-09-19T10:49:00.000-07:002012-09-19T10:49:53.014-07:00Nidi = Italian for nests<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Countless Italian foods, mainly pasta, are named after their shapes of after things of similar shape found in nature. For example, did you know "Farfalle" means butterfly, "Orecchitte" means little ears and "Conchiglie" means shells? Google up their images and you will instantly know how the names came about.<br />
This recipe is one along those lines. <i>Nido</i> means nest and <i>Nidi</i> refers to several of them. These nests are made of pancake strips and house roasted vegetables and a makeshift filling with easily available Indian ingredients to substitute the actual recipe which calls for ricotta, as explained in the TV series "Simply Italian". That's where this recipe is inspired from. It can be served just plain, but pairs just excellently with a classic arrabbiata sauce. So here we go.<br />
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Ingredients for the pancakes:<br />
1/2 (120ml) Cup Milk<br />
1/2 Cup White Flour (maida)<br />
1 Egg<br />
Salt<br />
Nutmeg<br />
<br />
Ingredients for the filling:<br />
2 Tbsp Mawa/Khoya (unsweetened)<br />
1 Tbsp Thick set Yogurt<br />
1/2 tsp Red chilli flakes<br />
4-5 large leaves of fresh Basil<br />
Zest of half a lemon<br />
Salt<br />
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Veggies to roast:<br />
Egg plant, Zucchini, Peppers (Green/Red/Yellow), 1Tbsp olive oil, Salt. Parmesan cheese.<br />
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Ingredients for the arrabbiata sauce:<br />
5-6 ripe Tomatoes<br />
1/2 Onion<br />
1Tbsp cooking Butter<br />
2-3 pods of Garlic<br />
Salt and Pepper<br />
3Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil.<br />
<br />
We start with the slowest. Slice the vegetables to be roasted. Do not chop them. You want to be able to spread them on the pancakes without piling too high. I have not given any measurement for how much of each vegetable because it depends on the size of the veggies. One whole Egg plant might be too much or too less depending on how big the Egg plant is and likewise for zucchini and peppers. So read till the end of the recipe and use your judgement. Apply a few drops of olive oil on a skillet and spread the veggies as much as possible on it and pop into an oven set to 180 degrees Celsius for 20-25mins. Pre-heating is not required.<br />
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We start on the next slowest. My recent discovery and my would-be all time favourite- The Classic Arrabbiata Sauce. This sauce is so simple and so awesome and will never let you down. Perfect to be used in any Italian recipe that calls for a tomato sauce or just toss in any cooked pasta grate cheese and you'll have the your Italian cravings satiated in minutes.<br />
Quarter the tomatoes and put them in the jar of a blender. Pulse for exactly five seconds. We are trying to arrive at the consistency of "crushed" tomatoes, NOT tomato puree or paste. Set a non-stick pot on a medium-high flame and pour in the contents of the blender. Rinse the blender with no more than a tablespoon of water to get the remaining tomato and pour into the pot. Peel an onion, halve it and dunk one half into the pot. No chopping, no slicing- just half the onion as such. Plop in the tablespoon of butter, give the three (tomato, onion and butter) a good stir, cover the pot, reduce flame to simmer and forget about it for 15-20mins.<br />
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Next, the pancakes. With a hand or electric whisk mix all the pancake ingredients into a smooth batter. It should be quite runny. Ladle out onto a good non-stick skillet to get a large thin pancake. Use up the batter and you should have two large ones. Keep aside.<br />
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Filling. Except the basil leaves, mix the other ingredients well with a fork until well combined. The mawa will give a grainy texture, this is ok. Finely snip the basil leaves with kitchen scissors and mix in as well.<br />
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Give the tomato sauce a good stir now. Remove the half onion and return the lid. Let it go for another 5-10mins and turn off the heat. Keep aside with the lid on.<br />
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The veggies must be done now too. It's time to assemble the Nidi. Generously oil a baking dish (borosil) and keep ready. On a large cutting board place one of the pancakes, spread on it half of the filling in a thin layer stopping about 2cm before the edge. Place a layer of the roasted veggies without piling them. Gently but firmly roll the pancake, leave the last inch or so. Place the other pancake and repeat the same layers. Overlap the left out inch of the first pancake with the starting of the next and continue rolling. It sounds more complicated than it is. You are trying to simulate rolling up a longish mat by placing the pancakes one after the other. You should have a very thick roll of the two pancakes now. Using a very sharp knife, slice the roll into about one inch thick slices and place these on the oiled baking dish. The slices touching each other to hold shape. Grate parmesan cheese on top of the Nidi and bake for 10-15mins in a pre-heated oven at 180 Degrees Celsius until the cheese has melted and cooked through.<br />
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While the Nidi bake, resume the tomato sauce. Put back on the stove on low flame and stir in any juices that have separated. Crush the garlic pods with the side of a knife and add it to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in 2-3 Tbsp of Extra virgin olive oil. Never heat Extra virgin olive oil. The virginity is lost! Literally.<br />
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Nidi must be done. Serve a couple of Nidi onto a plate and spoon some arrabbiata sauce on them. Serve with good white wine!<br />
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Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-64622629471895321652012-08-12T12:26:00.000-07:002012-08-12T12:37:30.890-07:00Upma + Muffin = Upffin!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Torn between snooty breakfast choice (muffins and coffee) and traditional breakfast choice (upma) we came up with the upffin, which was quite a success. Only one thing was missing, it definitely needs a chutney to go with. We suggest the chat chutneys i.e. the green coriander chutney and the sweet tamarind jaggery one.<br />
It makes a very nice 5pm snack too. The semolina (rava) gives a nice brown crispy outside to these savory muffins.<br />
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For four jumbo Upffins you will need:<br />
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1 cup Semolina (rava)<br />
3/4 cup plain Yogurt a little on the sour side<br />
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder (Manjal/Haldi)<br />
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder<br />
1/2 large or one small Onion chopped<br />
3 Green chillies chopped (or more as per taste)<br />
1 handful Sweet Corn kernels<br />
1 handful fresh Green Peas<br />
Salt to taste<br />
1/2 tsp Baking soda<br />
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<i>For Tempering</i><br />
3 tbsp Cooking oil, Mustard seeds, cumin seeds and Asafoetida (Kayam/Hing).<br />
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Dry roast the semolina in a wok taking care to stir constantly and get an even golden brown colour. Transfer into a bowl and let it cool a bit. Add the yogurt and mix well. You can adjust the amount of yogurt depending on how thick it is. The batter should not be too runny, you should be able to spoon the batter into the muffin tray. Mix in all the other ingredients except those for tempering.<br />
Turn on your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease well and flour a muffin tray and keep ready.<br />
In the wok heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter, add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida. Turn off the heat and add the contents of the wok to the batter. Spoon in some of the batter into the wok and back into the bowl to get all the oil. Mix the batter well. Spoon the batter into the muffin tray and pop into the oven (even if not completely heated). Bake for about 20mins or until brown. Remove from the mould and serve with the above suggested chutneys.<br />
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<br /></div>Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5111427593759000265.post-4344151137167301892012-08-02T09:44:00.000-07:002013-05-28T23:13:43.265-07:00Slinging pretzels (Brezelschlingen)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Lye) Pretzel ((Laugen)Brezel in German: pronounce "brey-tsel")</td></tr>
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This post is a story post not a recipe post. Though I have no children connection I believe this post could interest children raisers due to the fable like story. This is not the historical account of the origin of Pretzels (which I am sure is not as interesting) but one of the several stories narrated in Germany to explain its origin. The courtesy goes to of course Elvira again and this book she gave me as a Christmas gift. </div>
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In Germany pretzels are famous mostly in the two Southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg (especially Swabia). It's a savoury bread with a tick chewy middle and thin tapering ends called the "arms" with rock salt strewn on top for a nice salty punch when you bite into the crispy crust and the chewy crumb. Altogether it's a wonderful warmth that spreads in your body and spirit when had fresh from the baker on a cold morning; dunking it in coffee as some like to do. They are had with butter, cheese or Wurst although they are great even just plain.</div>
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The main highlights of the pretzel are firstly it's shape of course and secondly the fact they they are dunked in Lye (Lauge) before baking which is what gives it the deep brown colour. Lye is a diluted solution of Sodium Hydroxide (Soda - NaOH). The way the shape is formed is important as this imparts the tension and stretch to the dough required for most yeast doughs. That's why it's called slinging pretzels (Brezelschlingen). This is how pretzels are professionally "slung". It takes some practice but can be learnt and is great fun! (when you get them right)</div>
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Now to the story.<br />
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Once upon a time there was a baker called Frieder. He and his wife baked delicious bread for the entire town. There were few other bakers as good as Frieder. He even delivered his bread to the royal palace. The King was very happy with the bread that Frieder provided for him and his townsmen.</div>
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As Frieder got richer, he also got greedier. He began mixing his flour with cheap lime and making his loaves too small. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">When the king came to know of this, he called Frieder to the court and sentenced him to be hanged. Until the decided day he would be locked up in a cell. During his time in the cell the townspeople had trouble getting bread and even the royal palace faced delays in getting their supply.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The King not wanting to lose his only good baker decided to give Frieder a chance. He summoned Frieder on the evening before the planned hanging and said: "You may go free under one condition. You bake a bread so delicious that I have never ever tasted, before the third crow of the rooster tomorrow and through which the sun may shine thrice". </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With this task the King let Frieder go home for the night. Frieder went home and made the dough for the bread without knowing how he would proceed. All he could picture in his head was the noose that would go around his neck the next day. His hands formed the dough just like the rope of the noose. His plump wife stood by patiently in the door of the kitchen with arms crossed. Arms that would not embrace him anymore once he was dead. He formed similar crossed arms with the dough with the plump middle. And behold! The sun can actually shine thrice through this bread! Happy with the chance of going free, Frieder and his wife danced about in joy. Alas! They tipped the tray and the shaped dough fell into the bucket of lye meant for cleaning the oven. They hurriedly took the dough out of the lye and replaced them on the tray. There was no time to make more and the bread was baked as such. It tasted like nothing the King had had before. Frieder was free to go!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">The below batch was our second pretzel breakfast. The first one was far from perfect. Recipe on request and orders in batches of 12 are welcome :)</span></div>
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Two guys in a kitchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06180307854889769620noreply@blogger.com1