Year: 2010

Strawberry Fool

What’s red and sweet and juicy with a little green mop top? Strawberries! They are finally in season and I’m thrilled! I love strawberries – the colour, the taste, the cutesy look! Absolutely beautiful, these fruit are rich in antioxidants and Vitamin C. If you have a cold, get yourself a big glass of strawberry juice and you can kiss the cold goodbye. Really! (Ok, It works for me all the time, maybe I subconsciously want to add one more reason to love the lil buggers!) So, if you want to get on my good side, give me a bowl of strawberries and cream! Yes, I’m a fool for strawberries …sigh! Strawberry Fool Prep time: 30 mins Serves: 6 What you need: 350 gms Strawberries 1 tsp lemon juice 300 ml Double Cream 175 gms/ 1 cup Castor Sugar What to do: Put the strawberries into a small pan with 3 Tbsp of water and cook over a low heat until soft. Remove from heat, add the sugar according to taste and stir until dissolved. …

Kumbh Badami Mirch/ Mushrooms in a Chilli Cashew Gravy

Featured in GoodFood India Magazine – April 2012. (Top 3 recipe, selected under the Himalya Mushroom recipe contest for April) Mushrooms are nutritional powerhouses and a great source of antioxidants. For vegetarians, mushrooms are a wonderful alternative to meat. They are extremely versatile and I love the earthy flavor they so liberally exude. Healthy and tasty…now how many veggies can lay claim to that title? It’s no surprise that mushrooms rank among my top veggies. I mostly toss them into omelets or into a bowl of pasta, but the Indian mushroom gravies are another thing altogether! This one uses green chillies and cashews and is a rich accompaniment to Naan or rotis. Try this out if you can stomach the heat and I promise you won’t regret it! Kumbh Badami Mirch Prep and Cooking time: 30 mins Serves: 4 What you need: 200 gms Button Mushrooms (quartered) 15 Cashew nuts 4 Green Chilies 1 Onion (finely chopped) ¾ tsp Garlic paste ¼ tsp Turmeric A pinch of Garam Masala A handful of Cilantro/ Coriander leaves 5 …

Honey Chilli Chicken

This is the first Asian style dish that I have posted online. Shall we say in honor of the Year of the Metal Tiger, which starts in the month of February. The year of the Tiger is supposed to bring in dramatic changes but a lot can be accomplished if we are resilient. But enough of the astrology advice…this recipe actually doesn’t require much resilience. It’s very accommodating …gives you enough time to watch an episode on the telly while it cooks away contentedly. I use chicken thighs which have a darker meat which is much more flavorful and suited for this recipe. Also I leave the skin on, which results in a crispy outside but moist inside meat. The co-resident’s not much of a fan of honey in savory dishes, but I love the caramelly glaze and the sweet, pungent and tangy combination.. Drool drool! Honey Chilli Chicken Cooking time: 30 mins Serves: 4 What you need: 8 Chicken thighs / 20 Chicken wings 2 tsps minced Ginger 1 tsp minced Garlic 2 tsps …

Warm Penne, Tomato and Olive Salad

If you want a salad that is hearty, healthy and colorful look no further than this page. Tomatoes and olives are a match made in heaven and in this dish they are combined with just pasta and olive oil, allowing their flavors to shine. I prefer to use black olives in this, cause the colur and taste compliment the dish much better than green olives. But go ahead and experiment. After all the pasta recipes with the heavy sauces, this is a welcome break to my stomach. There’s absolutely no guilt when I indulge in this one. Come to think of it, I have no guilt in indulging in food at all! Warm Penne, Tomato and Olive Salad Prep time: 20 mins Serves: 4 as main course / 8 as salad What you need: 5 ripe Tomatoes 12 Black Olives sliced 400 gms Penne 4 Tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil 1 tsp Oregano 1 Tbsp fresh Parsley Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste What to do: Cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly …

Double Banana Nut Bread

Well baking is really not my forte. Not that I suck at it, but I would never really attempt a 10 layer cake and expect to get it right. That’s what the patisseries’ are for right? That said, this Banana Bread recipe is extremely simple. Actually I am even willing to call it failsafe. Add to the fact that it lets you use up overripe bananas left over from overzealous shopping expeditions, well who’s complaining?? The basic Banana bread recipe remains the same and you can toss any dried fruits/ nuts into it to make it more interesting. I would suggest walnuts, almonds and raisins. Also for a yummy flavor you could add blueberries.. but solo. We don’t want a hodgepodge now do we? It’s a really dense bread, so it keeps moist for a long time. But it’s never lasted beyond two days at my place… cause we eat it up!! Double Banana Nut Bread Recipe Courtesy: Shelley Albeluhn Baking time: 60 mins Serves: 8-12 / One 9X5 inch loaf What you need: 2 …

Spinach and Cottage Cheese Ravioli

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