in love with food

September 30, 2007

INSTANT ITALIAN THIN-CRUST PIZZA

that too made from a scratch!, including the base, all ready in 15 minutes, what more can you ask for!, In my previous post about Instant Donuts I mentioned Instant gratification, this is again one of those recipes that gives me exactly the right dose of it and let me tell you I am very pleased with the results this recipe gives a perfect, crisp base and a delicious cheesy taste,but MAKE THIS RECIPE INTO A THIN CRUST BASE ONLY which is what I PREFER not a thick one, it is simply not designed for that and you will be disappointed., so no waiting hours for the dough to rise! Get ready to switch on the oven right now....

pizza chef

PIZZA-There is agreement that pizza may have been developed by peasants in Naples,Italy. This early pizza consisted of flattened bread dough with olive oil, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese.NOW it is a Universal favorite.

Ingredients-

(makes 3 medium sized one's)

Refined flour-1 cup
Olive oil/butter- 2 tbsp.
Salt-1/4 tsp.
Sugar-1/4 tsp.
Baking powder-1/2 tsp.
Milk- 7-8 tbsp.or as required

For the Topping- use as per your requirement and liking

Tomatoes
Onions
Capsicum
Tomato ketchup
Mushrooms
olives
pineapple
sweet corn
pepperoni/shredded chicken
chicken/paneer tikka/chilli chicken bits
Any kind of cheese(provolone/gorgonzola/ cheddar/mozzarella)
Oregano/italian seasoning- as desired
chilli flakes
anything else you like

Method-

Pre-heat oven. Combine all the ingredients for the base together (except milk),slowly add milk to make into a soft ,pliable dough, divide into three balls, roll out thinly like a chapati, prick with a fork , bake for ten minutes.

the rolled out pizza base

Take out the base, spread out about 2-3 tbsp. of ketchup first and then all the toppings (chopped up/sliced) that your heart desires sprinkle the oregano, or

for Pizza Margarita-use only ketchup ,spread 1/2 cup grated cheese, sprinkle oregano and bake

grating the cheese

Bake for 20-25 minutes or till base is crisp and crunchy, and cheese is golden and bubbling.... bite in...YUM! Instant Italian thin-crust pizza

flowers and pizza

Good things in life-Flowers and Hot Pizza!

September 27, 2007

DEVILLED EGGS..with green chilli pickle

Enough to get you drooling right???, the mere mention of green chilli pickle does this to me specially the one's pickled in mustard seeds, yummy!, this is a cool cocktail snack with a zing, and is always a hit at all get-togethers! and to top it all it's as easy as ABC!

fresh brown eggs

Ingredients-

Eggs- 6 (hard boiled)
Pork/chicken ham or salami- 1/3 cup, finely chopped
cheddar cheese- 1/3 cup, grated
mayonnaise- 1/3 cup
pickled green chillies-2-3, (depending on how hot you want it).
salt and black pepper to taste
chopped cilantro/coriander for garnishing

Method-

Cut eggs into halves and remove yolks carefully, mash them up in a large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, as well as the green chilli pickle, chopped fine ,do this very carefully, WARNING: DONT TOUCH YOUR EYES OR FACE AFTER CHOPPING THESE, PREFERABLY USE GLOVES, refill back into the egg whites, garnish with cilantro,and serve!, see I told you it was that easy!.

devilled eggs- ready to serve

September 24, 2007

PLUMP JAM FILLED MUFFINS

Muffins! make me go all mushy, drooling and falling in love all over again, these have a little jam treat baked right inside them! ,liked my both kids and grown-ups, split them open-and they are so pretty looking too!

C'mon make them with me step-by-step , this recipe is so forgiving it is difficult to go wrong!

Ingredients-

(makes about 10 medium sized ones)

Refined flour- 1 cup
Powdered sugar-1/4 cup
Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp.
salt- 1/4 tsp.
egg-1
Milk- 1/3 cup
Butter- 3 tbsp.
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp.
your favorite jam- 5 tsp.

Method-

Preheat oven at 180 deg.C .Cream together butter and sugar together till light.I am whisking everything by hand since I think you can control the folding and beating much better, but you can use an electric beater too.

Add the egg and vanilla essence

Add flour, baking powder, salt and the milk.

I am using tart moulds here, but you can use regular muffin trays, lined., put the batter into mould halfway through ,like so-

Put half a tsp. of jam into the middle making sure that jam does not touch the sides of

the moulds

Cover up with more batter ,carefully ,sort of like spread it over them covering well on

all sides like in the pic below-

Bake for 20-25 mins till puffed up and golden on top.

Enjoy over cups of hot tea/coffee with friends! delicious plump jam-filled muffins-split wide open!

September 22, 2007

LAJAWAB DAHI-WALA MEAT

LOVE AT SO MANY LEVELS –That’s what I think of when I make this,since this is my hubby's absolute favorite!

Lets go step by step to make this awesome concoction of lamb meat and yoghurt and other ingredients right off your kitchen shelf.

Step 1-EASY:

Ingredients-

Onions-2 medium sized, ground.
Thick Yoghurt-1 1/2 cup, beaten.
Mutton-1/2 Kg.
Desi ghee,(clarified butter)-4 Tbsp.
Ginger- garlic paste –1 Tbsp.
Black Cardamom –1 whole
Cloves-3-4
Cinnamon-1 inch pc
Black pepper-1/2 Tbsp.
Bay leaf-1
Salt to taste
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
Green chilli-1 deseeded and sliced

Step 2-EASIER:

Method-

Method: Heat ghee in a heavy bottom karahi, add the ground onions, ginger -garlic paste and brown them very carefully they should be very well browned; this needs constant stirring and vigilance. WARNING –Do not let the onions burn!!!!

Start adding the curd little at a time till all of it is used up. Grind all the spices together except for the bay leaf and add to the gravy along with green chili and whole bay leaf. The gravy should have turned thick by this time giving off a heavenly aroma. Now add washed and dried mutton pieces and continue roasting and stirring on a low flame for another 15 – 20 minutes.

Heat 1 cup of water and add it to the mutton, transfer to a pressure cooker, add salt and give at least 8-9 whistles.

WARNING AGAIN this is sure to attract all those loved ones at home to the kitchen!

Step 3-EASIEST:

VOILA!!

“LAJAWAB DAHI WALA MEAT” is ready. Eat it hot with tandoori parantha or tawa wali roti and of course onion salad.

Lajawab Dahi-wala meat -A truly epicurean experience

Note- This entire post was so beautifully written by my dear sis while I made it and shouted out the recipe to her!, Thanks payal for being such a sweetheart!

Technorati Tags: mutton , lamb , dahi wala meat

WAZWAN-THE HEART AND SOUL OF KASHMIRI CUISINE

This post is for my parents - my dad who was almost a Kashmiri himself, been born and brought up in Srinagar, (may his soul rest in peace), and for my mother, because of whom I am what I am today.

the kashmir valley

Most of my ancestors had lived for some time or the other in the Kashmir Valley, and as long as I can remember- despite being a typically punjabi family, kashmiri cuisine had firmly interwoven itself in the weft and warp of our lives.I made Rogan Josh for the first time when I was 11yrs old!.

As a child I remember, there used to be lavish parties thrown by my mother, who is an extremely gifted cook herself ,and for some very special guests "WAZWAN" was prepared. Let me give you a little introduction about wazwan, it is a unique concept and means "WAZ"-the chef person with the rare culinary skills passed on through generations, an artist who is obsessively and passionately involved with his art and who is one of the priveledged few flag bearers of this great Kashmiri tradition,"WAN" is the shop with the abundant supplies of meats and delicacies.

the vasta waza

My mother learnt much of Kashmiri Cuisine from the "VASTA WAZA"(head-chef) who is assisted by a court of waza's, the title conferred on a chosen few after years of apprenticeship.

The traditional Wazwan consists of 36 courses, each dish has it's own tradition and brings to mind- memories of momentous events and of special occassions.

the traditional preparation of wazwan

Thus the Wazwan is not a simple meal but a ceremony, first the "TASH-T-NARI" is passed around so that you can wash your hands, it would be sacrilege to use anything but your fingers to eat this meal.

People sit in fours to eat this meal, which is considered auspicious, I remember being a part of this meal a number of times. A large plate called "TARAMI" is used(my mom has a collection of these as well as of samovar's), which is heaped with rice and the first few courses,each successive course follows separately to allow you to savour the distinct flavors.

The cuisine of Kashmir has evolved over hundred's of years, the major influence was of Kashmiri pandit's -who use a lot of yogurt and turmeric and no onions or garlic, food is mainly cooked in mustard oil.The typical Kashmiri dishes are-

Chaman qaliya (cottage-cheese squares in gravy)
Dum Oluv (potatoes cooked in yogurt gravy)
Nadir Yakhn (lotus stem in a delicate yogurt sauce)
Hak(with nadir/vangan) (a local variety of greens)
Nadir Palak (lotus stem with spinach)
Mujh Chetin (a sharp radish and walnut chutney)
Rista (meatballs in a fiery red gravy)
Rogan Josh (tender lamb cooked with kashmiri spices)
Tabak Maaz (ribs of lamb simmered in yogurt till tender, then fried, can be served as a snack/side-dish)
Daniwal Korma (a mutton curry with lots of coriander)
Aab Gosht (spicy lamb curry)
Marchwangan Korma (an extremely hot lamb preparation)
Kabab (minced meat roasted on skewers over hot coals)
Gushtaba (a velvety textured meatball in white yogurt gravy,a speciality)
Yakhni (delicately spiced yogurt curry)
Phirni (a dessert of rice flour thickened in milk set in earthenware cups with nuts and "varq"-silver leaf)

wazwan dishes

wedding wazwan-pounding meat for gushtaba's

Phirni is the dessert served at the end of the meal,a delicious preparation of rice flour and milk, the entire meal is washed down with "KEHVA" served in the "SAMOVAR"-green tea flavored with spices and served with slivered almonds in it, truly warming!

To date all of the above dishes are prepared in my mom's and uncle's home and will be posting some authentic recipes in the coming weeks.

Yesterday we went for an authentic Kashmiiri meal to Dilli Haat(opp. INA Market),New Delhi, since this is the only place in Delhi serving Wazwan, and maybe a few others.My uncle,aunt and cousin ordered a typical meal, enjoy the pics.

the kashmiri stall

gushtaba's in a lovely yogurt gravy

Rogan josh - lamb cooked in fiery red curry

September 21, 2007

DIVINE BANANA BREAD

My friends and family say that this is the best that they have ever had!, it is bursting with the flavor and goodness of bananas, even if you have never baked before ,I promise you it is so great you would want to make it again and again...

The key is to use over-ripe bananas or bananas that are past-it, you can use the batter for muffins too.This bread is very soft & moist and will remain so even after several days, though it doesn't last more than half an hour in my home!

The best part is that during baking my entire house fills up with a to-die-for heavenly aroma!

Ingredients-

(makes 1 medium-sized loaf), (serves-6 :only in theory)