Tag Archives: continental

All Posts, Soups

German Carrot Soup

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The first time I heard ‘carrot soup’, I thought the very idea was weird. But then it was suggested by a trusted German friend, so I gingerly went along with her idea. The result was marvelous, and I have been a fan ever since. This is a heavy soup, so paired up with a few bread sticks or toasted slices of bread, it can easily be a filling dinner.

Serves 2
Time taken: 25 min

Ingredients

3 carrots, sliced
1 medium potato, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock (I often use water mixed with half a cube of maggi chicken stock)
1 tbsp finely chopped chives or spring onions
2 tbsp cream
Salt, pepper

Method

  • Heat the oil and add onions and garlic.
  • When slightly caramelised, add the carrots and potatoes.
  • Bring the stock to a boil separately, and pour it in, when the vegetables are half done. Add the rosemary.
  • Boil until vegetables are done, cool and blend until smooth.
  • Pour the soup back into the pan, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Add more water to bring it to the desired consistency.
  • Serve hot, garnished with cream and chives
All Posts, Desserts

Baked Blueberry & White Chocolate Cheesecake

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For some reason, I was never interested in a baked cheesecake. Until I ate one. When we have potlucks at my place, I always make something that would otherwise be too expensive, asking the bachelors to bring the items. And that’s how this cheesecake came about.

If you don’t want to spend lots of money buying cream cheese, hang a kilo of thick yogurt overnight in a muslin cloth and let it drain (place it in the refrigerator to prevent it from souring). You could substitute the frozen blueberries with blueberry preserves or jam – although it would change the appearance and the taste, I’m sure it would still be very yummy.

Ingredients

200 g digestive biscuits
80 g butter, softened
400 g cream cheese, softened
1 cup caster or icing sugar
150 ml cream
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 ½ cups frozen blueberries (or preserves)
½ cup white chocolate (chips or grated)
Fresh blueberries & whipped cream, to decorate (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Spray side and base of 22cm springform pan with oil. Line base with baking paper.

In a food processor, process biscuits until they resemble fine bread crumbs. Add butter and pulse until it all comes together. Press into base of pan. Refrigerate.

Whip together the cream cheese, sugar, cream, zest, juice and vanilla. Process until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after adding each.

Setting aside a tablespoon to sprinkle on top, melt the chocolate chips, (place them in a little bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir till melted). Mix a little cream cheese batter into the melted chocolate, mix until smooth and pour this into the batter. Mix well.

Pour into pan, scatter blueberries and chocolate chips over, and stir gently to distribute evenly.

Bake for 1 hour; the cheesecake should still be slightly wobbly in the center. Cool completely in oven. Refrigerate overnight.

Serve with whipped cream and fresh blueberries.

All Posts, Breakfast

Vegetable Burger

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Vegetable Burger

Since we traveled quite a bit when we were young, we were fortunate enough to grow up eating a wide variety of things, for my mother would pick up a recipe or two every place we went.

Burgers were special times, and I’ve been spoiled, because whenever I eat a burger outside, I’m always thinking “where’s the lettuce”, or “not enough mayo” or something like that. Best to make it at home no? Especially after hearing things like Mc D’s burgers last forever without spoiling. What could be better than a home made burger with fresh ingredients?

Makes 4 burgers
Time taken: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

4 burger buns
1 Greek cucumber, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 bunch lettuce leaves
4 eggs (optional)
4 slices of cheese
4 tbsp butter

For the Patties
2 large potatoes
1 small carrot
¼ cup peas & sweet corn
1 egg (or 3 tbsp plain flour mixed with water to make a thin paste)
1 slice bread
¼ cup breadcrumbs (toast bread & grind it to a powder)
Salt
Oil

For the Cole Slaw
1½ cups finely sliced cabbage
1 cup grated carrot (I used purple cabbage instead, in the pic)
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ tsp mustard sauce (I used kasundi)

To Serve
Potato chips or fries
Tomato Ketchup
Toothpicks

Instructions

Patties:

  • Wash the potatoes thoroughly, cut in half or quarters, and pressure-cook along with the carrots and salt until done (usually 10 min).
  • Meanwhile, boil the peas and sweetcorn with some salt until cooked.
  • Soak the slice of bread in water for a few seconds, remove and squeeze all water out.
  • Mash the potatoes, carrot, peas, corn and bread together to form a smooth mixture. Shape into 4 patties.
  • Dip the patties in beaten egg, pat on breadcrumbs, and shallow-fry on medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

Cole Slaw:

  • Mix all the ingredients together.

Assembling:

  • Slice the buns in half, butter each side and toast on a pan until slightly crispy.
  • Place the lettuce on the lower portion of the bun, place the cucumber and tomato slices, a spoon of cole slaw, and then place the patty on top of it. Top with a slice of cheese and the top portion of the bun. Insert a toothpick to hold it all in place. Repeat for the remaining three burgers.
  • Serve with the remaining cole slaw and a side of fries.

All Posts, Desserts

Lemon Bars

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lemon bars

I have been reading and hearing about lemon bars for a long, long time. Just the name would put me off. I couldn’t imagine how such a sour thing could made a nice dessert. Oh, how wrong I was.

The tang balances the sweetness just right, and this melt-in-your-mouth dessert if going to have you pop one after another. Don’t make if you’re on a diet!

Preparation time : 1 hour
Makes about 16 bars

Ingredients:

Crust:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened

Filling:
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F.

Mix 1 cup flour and confectioner’s sugar together.

Cut in the butter and mix well until the dough resembles a pie dough.

Press the dough into a 5×10 inch baking pan.

Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Beat eggs and sugar together, and fold in the remaining flour, lemon juice and lemon rind.

Pour the mixture over the baked crust and bake another 10-15 min, until the lemon topping has set.

Once cool, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, cut into bars and serve.

All Posts, Sides

Roasted Cauliflower

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Ingredients

1 medium size cauliflower
2 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp oil
Salt

To be ground together for green chutney
2 cups chopped coriander or cilantro
½ onion, chopped
½ tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

  • To make the green chutney, grind together coriander leaves, tomato, onion, garlic, salt, sugar, cumin seeds, dried mango powder and lemon juice
  • Keep the cauliflower immersed in salt water for an hour. Take it out, wash under running water and steam it for ten minutes. Set aside to cool.
Steamed cauliflower
Steamed cauliflower
  • Mix together green chutney, yogurt, salt, and ginger garlic paste; apply this over the cauliflower and try to push it in between the florets. Let it sit for an hour or two to marinate.

two

Marinated cauliflower
Marinated cauliflower
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Keep the cauliflower in a dish smeared with oil, and pour some oil over the cauliflower. If you don’t want the cauliflower to dry out much, keep a small dish of water next to it, or you could cover it in foil.
  • Bake for 25 minutes.( You could also bake for 20 minutes and then grill for ten minutes too)

 

All Posts, Breakfast

Ragi Bread with a Twist

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Ragi Bread

I love rye bread, but rye is not something you get easily in India. And anyway, being a fan of eating locally grown foods, I figured that finding a decent substitute was in order.  Enter ragi.

Now, ragi is wonderful. It contains lesser fat and higher fibre than brown rice and wheat. The amount of calcium contained in ragi is around ten times that contained in wheat or rice!

But there was a problem. Good bread needs gluten, and ragi is gluten free, so breads turned out to be dense and heavy, not exactly how I like them. I was at a loss.

The best dishes are usually created by accident. One day, I used ragi huri hittu (popped ragi flour) because I ran out of ragi flour. And what a difference it made!

Ragi huri hittu is available in most supermarkets in Bangalore, usually next to the rice flours and the like. It is tremendously nutritious and easy to digest, and is used almost all over Karnataka as baby food – the first solid food introduced to an infant. It is not usually cooked again, so it is possible that there may be a slight nutrition loss as a result of the baking – a loss I’m ok with.

Ok, so here goes.

Time: ~ 3 hours
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

1 cup ragi huri hittu
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup refined flour
½ cup mixed seeds ( flax, sunflower, pumpkin, chia, sesame, poppy)
1 tbsp active dry yeast or 2 tbsp of fresh yeast
2 cups warm water (just a tad above body temperature)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg (optional)

Method

Proof the yeast. That is, place the yeast, sugar and a little of the water in a bowl and let it sit for about 10 min until frothy.

Now mix the yeast with the flours, salt, oil, seeds (save 2-3 tbsp of the seeds for later) and water, adding slowly to bring it to a dough consistency.

Knead the dough patiently, for about 10-15min. Shape it into a ball, pat the surface with a little oil, cover with a damp towel and set aside for about 45 min to an hour or until more than double in size.

Gently punch down and shape into a loaf. Moisten the top with a little water and pat down the remaining seeds on top of the loaf.

Let it rest another 20 min. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Brush the top with beaten egg if you want a glossy finish (I haven’t used it on the loaf pictured above). You could make a few slits on the top surface as well if you like, but I find that it sometimes makes it harder to slice the bread cleanly.

Bake for about 40-45 min until the bread makes a hollow sound when tapped with the back of a knife. Take it out of the oven and cover with a towel until cool.

Let it cool completely before slicing, although a slice of oven-fresh bread with a dollop of butter has its own charm.

Tip:

Smear some butter on the knife before slicing the bread. I find that it helps slice it thinner.

Variation:

Add chopped basil, red bell pepper, olives, raisins and onion seeds to the flour along with the seeds for a nice Mediterranean flavor.

All Posts, Mains

Twice Baked Potatoes

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twice baked potatoes

There’s something magical about baked potatoes. I’d make them as a young teenager using the microwave, top it up with plenty of butter and it was one of my favorite snacks. What’s more, it just took 10 minutes to make!

I don’t use the microwave anymore, definitely not for cooking, so I just threw them into the oven. I found that they were so much more moist and tasty.

The timings can vary a bit, depending on the size, variety and the quality of potato you are using, so be careful about that. Also, if you are using the microwave, remember not to use foil unless you want to start a fire!

Russet potatoes are the best variety for baking. Look for potatoes with a brown, even skin without any green patches. Avoid potatoes with discolored patches, bruises or sprouts. Pick potatoes with similar sizes and shapes so that the baking is as even as possible.

Time taken: 1-1.5 hours
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 medium sized potatoes (Russet if possible)
3 tbsp olive oil or melted butter
2 tbsp butter, cold
Salt

½ cup green peas
½ cup sweet corn
½ cup carrots, chopped
½ cup green or red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup grated cheese
½ cup milk or cream
1 tsp Italian herbs or pizza seasoning
salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F

Wash the potatoes under cold water, scrubbing to remove any dirt. Pat dry.

Pierce each potato with a sharp knife or fork, at approximately one inch intervals, on each side. Or, use a toothpick and poke all over. This makes sure that steam can escape easily and the potatoes do not burst.

Coat the potatoes in oil. Put salt in a place, and roll the potatoes lightly in the salt.

Wrap in aluminium foil and place in the oven
> Purists are against the idea of using foil for baked potatoes, but I like the moistness it brings. So skip it if you like your potatoes all flaky.

After 30 minutes of baking, rip the foil open with a knife, so that the steam escapes. Let it continue baking for another 15 minutes, totally 45 min.

While the potatoes are baking, steam the peas, corn, carrots and bell pepper for 10 minutes.

Heat milk and half the cheese together and boil until fairly thick. Mix in the vegetables and season with salt and herbs.

When the potatoes are done, slice them in half and scoop out a bit of the flesh from each half.

Mix the scooped out flesh with the vegetables, and place the vegetables on top of the potatoes.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top and place a little piece of butter on top of each potato.

Bake for another 10 minutes.

All Posts, Breakfast

Mango Milkshake

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mango milkshake

Most people will tell you that if you eat too many ripe mangoes during the summer, you will get sick. Not so many people will tell you, that if you drink a glass of milk after the mangoes, you will be juuussstt fine. Now, I haven’t verified this fact myself as I usually believe in moderation, but it does come from a trusted source.

And what better way to pair milk and mangoes, than mango milkshake? I remember drinking this almost every day, every summer. And it is so, so simple to make.

Time taken: 5 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 mango ( I prefer alfonso or badami, but take your pick)
2 glasses of cold milk
2 tsp sugar
couple pinches of cardamom (optional)
a few mint leaves (optional)

Method

Blend everything together. Serve.

All Posts, Salads

Baby spinach and Apple Salad

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Spinach leaves are usually better consumed cooked, as fresh spinach contains oxalic acid, which prevents the absorption of certain nutrients. Baby spinach, on the other hand, has very little oxalic acid and if you ever get to lay your hands on them, grab a bunch and make this beautiful salad!

Time taken: 10 min
Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 apple
2 cups baby spinach leaves
½ pomegranate
¼ cup chopped almonds and walnuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper

Method

Core the apple and slice it thinly. Deseed the pomegranate.

Mix the lemon juice, honey and olive oil, whisk until it becomes a thick and homogeneous. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place the spinach leaves at the bottom of a bowl, and add the apples, pomegranate seeds and nuts. Pour the dressing on top and toss the salad.

Serve immediate or after chilling for a while.

All Posts, Breakfast

Yogurt Pancakes

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Yogurt Pancakes
Yogurt Pancakes

The first time I learned that yogurt pancakes existed, was in Sweden, when a loving family friend make them for  breakfast to celebrate her son’s graduation. They were just so yummy, I copied down the recipe from her book.

Yogurt pancakes are special. They have a beautiful fluffiness which is impossible to achieve with traditional milk pancakes. You can make them healthier by substituting the refined flour with whole wheat flour and a dash of milk. The result will be a wee bit less soft, but you barely notice.

Makes about 4

Ingredients:

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
150gm Greek Yogurt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda or 1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Orange or Lemon rind, or 1 tsp vanilla essence (Optional)

Method:

Mix the yogurt, sugar and egg together.

Sift the flour and baking soda together and slowly fold it into the batter, along with the rind or vanilla essence.

Pour spoonfuls of the batter onto a skillet and flip when bubbles appear. Cook until golden brown on both sides

Serve with jam, whipped cream, or fresh fruit compote.