Tepsi Baytinjan#EattheWorld

Tepsi Baytinjan, a very popular Iraqi casserole dish, usually served with rice. The main ingredient of the dish is aubergine/brinjal/eggplant (baytinjan translated means aubergine/brinjal/eggplant). Similar to moussaka, the dish consists of layers of vegetables and meat, covered in a sauce and baked.
Join us in Eat the World..as we celebrate Christmas - Secret Santa party, wherein we are asked to make a recipe of that blog of any recipe post with #EattheWorld. 

I am given Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm and I have chosen Tepsi Baytinjan. 

Check the above link for the original recipe.  I have made just two minor changes in the recipe- added curry powder to the meatballs and other is that I rolled the meatballs in the eggplant slice. I took a small size dish -6" square dish it was small for the quantity, while baking the sauce spilled over so take a 7" dish for baking for this much quantity. You can used lamb or mutton mince to make this dish.

Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients
1 Medium Eggplant- sliced into thin slices
1 Medium Onion - sliced
2 Medium Tomatoes - sliced
3 + 3 Cloves Garlic - minced
250 Grams Beef mince
1/2 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Medium Potato - sliced into roundles
Olive oil as required
Salt & Black pepper - to taste
250 Ml Tomato Sauce 
Method

Grease a 7 inch deep baking dish and set aside. 

Heat about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over med high heat. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides in the skillet.
Season the potato slices with salt and pepper and brown in the same skillet on each side until golden but not necessarily cooked through.
Place the onion into the skillet and cook until softened and browned. Layer over the potatoes. Layer the tomato slices over the top.
Mix the remaining garlic, curry powder, salt and pepper into the minced beef. Form into meatballs 1-2" oval shaped. Add more oil to the same skillet and brown the meatballs all over.

Lay a eggplant slice and place a meatball in it. 

Roll it until the meatball is covered.

Combine half of the garlic with the tomato sauce and pour over the casserole.

Pour the sauce over it and garnish with parsley.

Baked it in a preheated at 180°C, for about 35-45 minutes.

Serve over steamed rice.

Labels: Casserole, Meatball, Eggplant, Potato, Baked, Eat the World, Iraq, International Cuisine 


Each month a group of us join Evelyne of CulturEatz as she travels to different countries to Eat the World.  This month it's secret Santa wherein we can choose any dish by the blog assigned to us.

Check out all the wonderful recipe exchanges as we celebrate the Holidays. Everybody picked a fellow Eat the World member in secret and was asked to make a recipe from any past ETW posts. Share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Pandemonium Noshery: Ottolenghi’s Burnt Eggplant Salad 

Evelyne at Cultureatz: Gromperekichelcher: Potato Fritters from Luxembourg 

Sneha’s Recipe: Baytinjan 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Hadgi Badah iraqi cardamom cookies 

Culinary Adventures with Cam: Iraqi Lamb Stew

Caramel Bread Surprise - No Bake#Improve

An Easy Caramel Bread Surprise makes the perfect dessert. You have to prepare this a day in advance if you want to serve it for a party. It has to set/chill in the refrigerator, then only, you will be able serve it in slices, as this a not bake dessert.

Ingredients

For The Caramel

190 Grams Homemade Dulce De Leche
1/3 Cup Milk
4 Large Bread Slices - trim off the sides 
For The Cashew Caramel Crunch
½ Cup Cashew Nuts
¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Teaspoon Butter
For The Caramel Cream
2 Cups Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoons Homemade Dulce De Leche

Method
Dry roast the cashew lightly.
For The Cashew Caramel Crunch

Take a nonstick pan add the sugar and on low flame let is melt do not stir, when the sugar completely melts and starts to 

caramel then stir till it turn light golden, add the butter and switch off the flame

add the cashew and give it quick mix.

Pour this on a greased plate and let it cool. Then break this into pieces and place it in a zip lock bag, crush it with a rolling pin till coarsely powdered.

Keep aside our caramel crunch is ready.
For The Caramel Cream

Whip the cream till it forms soft peaks, add the Dulce De Leche and whip it for a minute or till well blended, if your want a dark color then add more Dulce De Leche. Keep aside
For The Caramel

To make the Dulce De Leche spreadable. Add the Dulce De Leche with the milk and cooked it on low flame till it becomes a little thick but spreadable caramel consistency. Switch off the flame and let it cool.

For Assembling The Bread Surprise
Lightly butter a 6" Pyrex dish.

Pour little thin caramel on the base, arrange bread slice

with a spoon spread the caramel on it then sprinkle the crunch.

Then whipped caramel cream mixture
Again bread slice with a spoon spread the caramel on it then sprinkle the crunch. Again whipped caramel cream Mixture. Drizzle a caramel , sprinkle the crunch on top. 

Cling wrap it and let it chill in the refrigerator over night so that is sets well.

Serve this chilled. 

It's super delicious, enjoy!!
Labels: Improv Cooking Challenge, Caramel, Cashewnuts,No Bake Desserts, Whipping Cream, Dulce De Leche, Bread Slices, Eggless, No Gelatin

 Improv Cooking Challenge

Caramel & Cashew

• Vietnamese Caramel Chicken by Pandemonium Noshery
• Cashew Caramel Cookies by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Caramel Falooda by Magical Ingredients
• Caramel Bread Surprise - No Bake by Sneha's Recipes
• Vietnamese Caramel Beef an Cashews by Making Miracles

Cashew Cherry Cookies#SundayFunday

These are mouth melting cookies. I made them for Christmas. They so easy and quick to make. Try them and I assure you that you can't stop eating at one.

Ingredients
50 Grams Butter
50 Grams Vegetable Shortening
100 Grams Powdered Sugar
150 Grams All Purpose flour
100 Grams Cashewnuts - finely chopped
A Few Chopped Cherries
1 Egg - yolk & white separated
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Method

Cream butter and sugar well till light and fluffy, add the egg yolk, essence and flour, form into soft dough. Cling warp and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Then pinch small piece of the dough, roll them into balls.

Beat the egg white lightly dip the cookie balls in it and roll in chopped cashews. Pierce a chopped cherry in the center. Place them on a greased tray. 

Bake at 180°C for 12 - 15 minutes.
My Notes

If you do not want to use vegetable shortening then make them with all butter.
Labels: Cookies, Cashewnuts, Christmas Sweet, Baked, Sunday Funday, Cherry 

For our event called Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. Our host for this week's event for the month of December 2021, is Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm and the theme is "Christmas Cookies Around The World".
Here are some of the Recipes made by us.

• Food Lust People Love shares Candy Cane Meringue Kisses 
• Sneha’s Recipe presents Cashew Cherry Cookies 
• Palatable Pastime serves up Chinese Almond Cookies 
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla gives us Hojarascas (Mexican Shortbread Cookies) 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni shares Karachi Biscuits 
• A Good Life plates Mexican Tea Cookies 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm discovers South African Double Crunchers 
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures has Stained Glass Ornament Cookies with Orange & Cinnamon 
• Making Miracles presents Swedish Snowball Cookies 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories gives us Zimsterne - German Christmas Cookies

Coconut Filled Tartlets - East Indian#Foodieextravaganza

These tartlets are must in our Christmas Sweets Platter. To fill these tartlets my hubby helped me, since we must be quick while filling, the filling hardens quickly.

For our event this month for Foodie Extravaganza Party, we are giving a Virtual Baby Shower for Lauren, the author/founder of our group. These tartlets are prefect for the event which have the color pink and blue.

Ingredients
200 Grams All Purpose Flour
75 Grams Clarified Butter
60 Grams Powdered Sugar
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
3 -4 Tablespoons Chilled Water or as required
Method

Rub clarified butter into flour till it resembles bread crumbs. Add the powdered sugar and essence mix it well into the flour. Now add chilled water just enough bring it into a dough. Do not knead the dough. The dough will be soft and crumbly. Cling wrap it and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  

Then take the dough and lightly knead it. Pinch a small ball and press it into tart moulds. Prick the tartlets with a fork. Make a handles of the remaining and bake these for just 4 -5 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 to 18 minutes or until the top start to turn slightly golden.

Remove and cool on a rack. Then un mold and keep it side to cool completely. These tartlets can me made well in advance they stay good for a month or more, if stored in an airtight container.

For The Coconut Filling

This process should be completed quickly as soon as the filling it ready or else it will harden and you will not be able to fill the tarts.
Ingredients
1 Cup Packed Freshly Grated Coconut
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
½ Cup Water
½ Teaspoon Rose Essence
Method

In 2 bowls add a pinch of gel color or liquid color and keep aside. Pink, blue and white, these are the colors.
Mix all ingredients in a non stick pan and cook stirring continuously till dry for 7 -8 minutes, the sugar should melt.
Divide the filling in the respective bowls and mix it well. Fill the tarts with the three colors. Press a handle in the center and let them dry.

Store them in container. The shelf life of the filled tarts is 5 - 6 days in our Mumbai temperature. If you live in a cold climate then these will last for 10 - 12 days.

Labels: Foodie Extravaganza Party, Coconut, Vegan,  Christmas Sweet, East Indian, Mini Tarts 

Foodie Extravaganza Party - December 2021 

• Classic Carol Chicken Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Cobb Dip from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Coconut Filled Tartlets - East Indian from Sneha's Recipe
• Melon Prosciutto Chevre Salad with Mint Dressing from Food Lust People Love
• Pink and Blue Sandwich Cake Cookies from Our Good Life 
• Red Velvet Cupcakes from Passion Kneaded
• Toasted Sesame Seed Crackers from Karen's Kitchen Stories 

Baked Potatoes With Butter & Goat Cheese Filling#SundayFunday

To produce baked potatoes with an even fluffy interior, the ideal doneness temperature: when a thermometer inserted in the center should be 205 degrees. To season the skin, I placed the potatoes in salty brine water solution before baking. Then the skin is crisped by brushing it with vegetable oil, once the potatoes are cooked through and then baking the potatoes for an additional 12 minutes. 

This method and the filling I seen On American Test Kitchen, loved the idea and followed this method, loved the final taste and texture of the potatoes. Fresh chopped parsley and extra light olive oil enhances the flavors of the goat cheese in this topping.
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 Large Potatoes - unpeeled, each lightly pricked with fork
2 Tablespoons Sea Salt
1 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
For The Filling
¾ Cup Grated Goat Cheese
¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper powder
1 Tablespoon Heaped Chopped Parsley
4 Small Cubes Frozen Salted Butter
2 Tablespoon Extra Light Olive Oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 210°C . Adjust oven rack to middle position.

Scrub the potatoes well and prick them with a fork.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons sea salt in a cup of water in large bowl. Place potatoes in bowl and let it sit in the brine for at least 30 minutes.
Transfer potatoes to wire rack set in a baking tray and bake for 50 minutes. Check the temperature when a thermometer inserted in the center should be 205 degrees, it's done.

Then brush the potatoes with oil on all sides and again place the tray in the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes so that the skin get crisp.
In the meanwhile let's prepare the filling

Mix all the filling ingredients together. Keep aside.

Remove potatoes from oven and immediately using paring knife, make a slit, in each potato. Using clean dish towel, hold ends and squeeze slightly to push flesh up and out. 

Place a cube of frozen butter and with a spoon 

place the filling into the slit, pushing it with a spoon to get as much as filling you can in it. 

Serve immediately in individual serving plates. 

Enjoy this buttery goat cheese filling baked potatoes, simply delicious and out of the world
Labels: Baked, Potato, Goat Cheese, Parsley, Butter, Stuffed Potato, Vegetarian, Appetizer, Sunday Funday, Gluten free

For our event called Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. Our host for this week's event is Stacy of Food Lust People Love.  

• Bacon-wrapped Loaded Baked Potatoes from Food Lust People Love
• Baked Potatoes With Butter & Goat Cheese Filling from Sneha’s Recipe
• Cheesy Shrimp-Stuffed Twice-Baked Potatoes from Making Miracles
• Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potatoes from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Leftover Turkey and Gravy Stuffed Potato from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Thanksgiving Dinner Twice Baked Potatoes from Amy’s Cooking Adventures