Moorish Crunch Salad - Moroccan

This is recipe is from Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Kitchen. cookbook. This salad is so crunchy , sweet, we loved this salad.

Ingredients
2 Carrots, peeled
2 Radishes peeled

2 Apples
1 Tablespoon raisins or sultanas
1 Tablespoon coriander - roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh Mint -  roughly chopped
1 Tablespoons Sherry
1 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 Tablespoon Tahini
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly roasted

Method

Finely slice your carrots into matchsticks. Finely slice your radishes into roundels. Quarter your apples, remove the cores and finely slice. Add all these to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, apart from the sesame seeds. Toss together, carefully checking the seasoning, and serve with the sesame seeds sprinkled over the top. Eat straight away.

Linking this to Valli's 'Cooking from Cookbook Challenge: May -- Week 1.

Labels :  Salads, Apple, Carrot, Radish, CCChallenge, Healthy, Vegan, Moroccan, Continental Cuisine

Baked Golden Beads Layered Pudding - Eggless and Butterless

Last day of our  April BM  Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye....

We had our Sunday trekking breakfast on hill and was left with lots of leftover sweet boondies.  Carried a few home,  had to rack my brains what to do with them, since  hubby does not like boondies.  Googled and found many recipes but after looking at them, created my own recipe.   This was a gamble, but end result was awesome as well as eyesome.   The top was crusty, the bottom layer soft, moist and super delicious.   This is a warm dessert, so if you have any leftovers re-heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds only.  So let's make it together ... come on lets go to my kitchen.

Ingredients
4 bread pieces
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk- homemade
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Cup Sweet boondi
1/2 Cup Milk
4 Pieces Round Kaju Katli
2 Tablespoons  Almonds meal 

15 pieces Cashewnuts

Method
Trim the edges of the break and cut into triangles. Bake the bread for 8 minutes on one side and 8 minutes on the other side till golden brown See Pic

Grease a baking dish , now take a baking dish and arrange the bread pieces in a single layer.

Then add a layer of boondies. 

Sprinkle cashewnut pieces, add a layer of milk mixture and top of these sprinkle almond meal.  

Then again add a layer of bread, boondies , cashewnuts, milk mixture, almond meal. And lastly a layer of boondies and cashewnuts.

Then bake this dish for 30 mins at 180 degree.

 Serve it warm.  Enjoy!!

To make evaporated milk. 

 Take 2 litters of milk in a heavy bottom vessel and let is boil on slow flame till it reduces to 750ml to a liter.  The color will change to but no worries, just keep stirring after every 7 to 10 minutes so that it does  not touch the bottom of the vessel and burn.   I made a this  and stored in the deep freezer, by freezing a cup of evaporated milk at a time, so that when you require there is not need to deforst the whole container (see pic).  Between each layer place a plastic sheet.

Whenever you require just lift the plastic sheet and keep aside.  Slice according the quantity required and keep the remaining in the deep freezer.  This will remain good for 4 to 6 months.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 51

Labels : Sweets & Desserts, Blogging Marathon, Homemade  

An InLinkz Link-up

Chicken Pizza

Crisp crusts and stringy cheese is what pizza is all about . To make pizza at home is very easy. Make a batch of pizza base and bowl of sauce, you can make pizza anytime you feel like. You add whatever topping you wish.  

The other day my daughter told me Ma I feel like eating pizza, so I made this  after a few days for her, she was so happy to see it.  When I seen her enjoying this pizza it made so happy, as a mother it gave me ultimate satisfaction.

Ingredients

For the dough

2 Teaspoons Dry instant yeast
1/2 to 3/4 Cups warm water
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
2 Cups All-purpose flour
1 Teaspoons  Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive oil

For the topping

1 Cup Pizza Sauce 

Grilled Chicken chunks

Capsicum slices

Sliced Olives
1/2 Teaspoon Pizza Seasonings
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 Cup mozzarella - grated

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the oil.  Mix this together by adding water to form a soft dough and knead for 5-10 minutes.  Shape the dough into a ball and lightly coat with oil. Put it in a large bowl, top the bowl with plastic wrap and set it at room temperature to rise.Grease a  baking tray and keep aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, cut it in half.  Take one half of the dough and cut it again in half. Working with one piece at a time, flatten into a thin circle . Place this in a grease pizza pan.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, bake it for 10 to 12 minutes. 

 Take the baked pizza, spread 1/4 cup of the pizza sauce over the dough, arrange pizza chunks, capsicum rings. Spread one-fourth of the cheese over the pizza, olives and drizzle with a tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper and slide the pizza into the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.  Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.

Labels : Pizzas, Blogging Marathon, Sandwiches , Breads

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 51

An InLinkz Link-up

Pizza Sauce and Seasoning - How to make pizza sauce and pizza seasoning at home

Pizza Sauce
Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Onion - finely chopped
3 Capsicums - chopped finely
4 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
6 Tomatoes - skinned and pureed
3 Tomatoes - skinned and finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Basil leaves - finely chopped
1 Teaspoon Pizza seasonings

Method

Heat oil add the chopped onion till translucent, then add the garlic and saute again for a minute.  Add bell pepper and saute for few minutes.  Add chopped tomato, tomato puree, salt, pinch of sugar and cook till soft and it thickens (till all juices evaporate).  Add pepper powder and pizza seasoning and let it continue to cook for a few minutes till the aroma emits.  Cool and store in refrigerator.

Pizza Seasoning

Ingredients 
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Black pepper - freshly crushed
1 Teaspoons Dried Basil leaves
1 Teaspoons Dried oregano
2 Teaspoons Garlic powder
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
¼ Teaspoon Chilly flakes

Method

Mix and crush everything in a motar and pestal and  the seasoning is ready.  Store it in the  bottle and use as required.

This is a copy cat domino's  pizza seasoning that you get in sachets.

Labels :  Pizzas, Jams & Sauces, Masalas

Coconut Pound Cake

My daughter's friends visited us over the weekend and they wanted me to bake a cake for them.  I made this cake for evening tea.   

It is so hot in Mumbai, I was hesitant to use the electric oven.  Made this cake in a mud vessel on the gas and it turned out perfect.  I remember, my mother used this method to bake  cakes and biscuits for us.  This particular cake mud pot the East Indians call it "Forum".  The bottom pan is placed on firewood chula with sand in the inner side (see Pic) and on the lid again fire wood used to be lit.  Living in an apartment this facility is not possible. But, still the cake got nicely browned on top.  This method of baking can be used with an aluminum vessel or cooker, one can bake cake or biscuits.    This cake got baked in 45 to 50 minutes.  

Sending this to the month  Blogging Marathon. Our host Srivalli,  suggested that we can show different techniques / method  of baking.   

For the cake the coconut used is also homemade.  I had made coconut juice and the residue dried in the sun for 2 days.  On the third day just microwave on high for a minute.  Viola desiccated coconut ready.

Thank God I took pics before serving, this cake vanished in minutes.

Ingredients

150 Grams Self raising flour
150 Grams Sugar 
150 Grams Unsalted Butter 
2 Large Eggs or 3 Small
1 Teaspoon Vanilla essence
1/2 Teaspoon Baking powder
A pinch of Salt
3 Tablespoons Milk
2 Tablespoons heaped Desiccated coconut - Homemade
A pinch Yellow food color

Method

Grease and paper lined baking pan.

Sieve together self raising flour and baking powder, mix in desiccated coconut and keep aside.

In a bowl separate the eggs,  yolks and whites.  Beat the whites till stiff.  Keep aside.

Mix the yellow color and milk, keep aside

In another beat the butter and sugar, till light and fluffy, add the yolks, essence and beat well again , then add the sieved flour and little milk,  continue to whisk till both the  flour and milk is incorporated, then add the eggs white and with a spatula fold it in gently, pour the batter  into  the lined  pan bake for 35 to 45 minutes. 

As explained above I, used a mud pot to bake.   Heat the pot with sand in it for 15 minutes on high flame, then place the cake pan, cover it again with a mud lid.  On high flame for 10  minutes, then reduced the flame to medium low and bake till done .

These are my priceless possessions / collection.  I have a collection of sizes and shapes in mud vessels, some my friend Reena, my beta's mother brought all the way from Kerala for me.  Simply love these pots.

 If baking on an electric oven at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Labels : Blogging Marathon, Cakes, East Indian, Homemade

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 51/a>

An InLinkz Link-up