Za Recipes

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Monday, May 12, 2014

Bobbatlu Puran Poli – My 50th post

I can’t believe this is my 50^th post! Half century Hurray!!!! I am amazed!! Thank you to all my fellow bloggers, friends, readers for your sweet comments and thanks for reading my blog, And to my lovable hubby who is my food taster, encourages with his comments and helps me out in my cooking. And also to my sweet mom who suggests and guides me in my cooking.

I prepared Bobbatlu for 50^th post – Andhra Special sweet which is my and my hubby’s favorite (he has many LOL!!!!).

Bobbatlu is one of the traditional and delicious sweet prepared for festivals and occasions. In Andhra they call Bobbatlu and in Maharasta as Puran Poli. This sweet is very time consuming but it’s worth. I learnt this recipe from my mom.

Ingredients:

Maida – 1 cup

Channa Dal – 1 cup

Jaggery – 1 cup

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Oil/ghee

Preparation

In a bowl mix maida, salt , water and make smooth dough. Keep aside for 1 hour.
Wash channa dal and boil it in 3-4 cups of water until the dal becomes soft.
After it gets boiled, drain the water completely.
In the same vessel add jaggery and cardamom powder and mix well and make a smooth paste
Finally add ghee to it
Make this puran into round balls and keep aside
Grease your hands with oil and take a small portion of dough and spread it on a plastic cover and make a small round chapatti.

Place puran inside the little rounded chapatti and close it till the puram will not be visible
Using roll stick roll it like chapatti or we can use hand and spread it slowly by pressing it down until it forms a round like chapatti.
Now on pan put little ghee/oil and cook on low heat
Cook on both sides till it turns golden brown
Delicious Bobbatlu’s are ready. Serve these with ghee.

Sending this to Celebrate Sweets-Stuffed Sweets event hosted by Akila originally started by Nivedita and to MLA 35 started by Susan

Friday, May 9, 2014

Black Pepper Blackberry Slush – Relax Theres More Food Coming

Very early in my career, I remember being at a somewhat fancy banquet, and after the first course had been served, the waiters came to the table and placed down, what appeared to be a small bowl of sorbet.

I was told it was a "champagne intermezzo." Instead of being happy, I was more concerned that somehow they had forgotten about our main dish and skipped right to dessert. Not wanting to make a fuss, I ate, wondering what going to happen next.

What happened next was a very nice Veal Oscar. Relieved, I admitted to a tablemate the sorbet had caught me a bit off guard. After a few chuckles, it was explained that an intermezzo was a small, refreshing palate cleanser served in between courses.

So, while you are more than welcome to use this black pepper blackberry slush as a dessert, Im hoping you give it as try as an intermezzo at your next dinner party. Some of you may call this a "granita," and it is very similar, but its not quite as icy as that. This has a softer, slushier texture.

I made a very small batch, as I only had a half-pint of blackberries, but you can double or triple this easily for a bigger group. You can also make it the day before, "slush it," and keep it frozen until needed. I hope you give it a try soon, but do me a favor, and warn your guests, so theyre not worried the meal is over. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup blackberries

2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons water

pinch of black pepper

very small pinch of salt

View the complete recipe

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Fried Peanut Butter Jelly Pinchy Pies – One Chefs White Trash is Anothers White Treasure

I was doing some research on shrimp toast for an upcoming video, and I became obsessed with the thought of frying things on white bread, which led to being obsessed with the thought of frying things in white bread. These fried peanut butter and jelly pinchy pies are the result.

The technique was ridiculously easy, but naming these delicious discs was another thing altogether. They arent cakes, donuts, or fritters; so I was sort of stumped on what to call them. I decided to make up something completely new (or at least Google says so), and the pinchy pie was born.

As I mention in the video, the possibilities are endless as far as stuffings go, so I can see this really catching on. I think Im actually going to trademark the name, and maybe hit the state fair tour. These would totally fly out of any Ferris wheel-adjacent food stand.

Regarding the title: While frying stuffed Wonder Bread is about as stereotypically "white trash" as it gets, I dont like or condone the use of that term. I only used it here because I couldnt think of anything as clever. Enjoy!

View the complete recipe

Friday, May 2, 2014

Ex Beatle Makes Mashed Potatoes – Hey Paul don’t quit your day job!

First it was Christopher Walken trying to horn in on my act, now I’ve got Paul McCartney doing cooking videos online! It would be very easy to make fun of this mashed potato video Paul made…so I will. As I watched, I started writing down all the mistakes, wrong information, and bad techniques I was witnessing so I could rip him in this post. But, there were just too many, so I stopped, and just enjoyed it for what it was; A shameless plug for his wife’s cookbook. Wow, she should really have reconsidered her marketing strategy. Paul, while one of the most talented musicians ever, should never be allowed in a kitchen again.

So, instead of me recapping all the ridiculous moments, why don’t you just watch and post a comment as to what were your favorite bits. Here are a few moments I really enjoyed to get you started… the oven mitt puppet show, the “organic” salt reference (when did they start using pesticides on salt?), and the seven times he almost slices his fingers off trying to peel and chop that onion. Hey, Jude, get this guy some Band-Aids!

Just in case you actually want to see how to make perfect mashed potatoes, I’ve included my mashed potato video recipe below. Enjoy!

My Version of the Perfect Mashed Potato

Saturday, April 26, 2014

I Now Pronounce You Reader and Soup! – How to Make Italian Wedding Soup

I knew todays video recipe was called Italian Wedding Soup because its traditionally served at weddings, but I wanted to find out why this soup, with these ingredients in particular, was chosen.

I had a few theories. I figured the greens probably represented money, and symbolized hopes that the bride and groom would enjoy a prosperous union. The soups signature mini-meatballs were a tougher nut to crack.

How could taking large, virile, normal-size meatballs and shrinking them down to dainty little shriveled dumplings serve as a metaphor for marriage? I just dont see a connection. Well, come to find out (according to two reliable sources; Wikipedia, and my friend and fellow About.com Guide, Kyle) the name has nothing to do with people getting married.

Apparently, what we Italian-Americans from the northeast call Italian Wedding Soup is actually a misinterpretation of an Italian soup called, "minestra maritata," which basically means "married soup." The "married" refers to the delicious pairing of the greens and meat, and not the ritual of marriage.

So, the soup ended up being a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. What better choice for a first course at your Italian-American wedding reception than something called Italian Wedding Soup?

That should give you enough soup-related cocktail party conversation material for a while. Whether you fondly remember this from weddings past, or youve never had it or heard about it before, I really hope you give it a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 quart beef broth
1 quart chicken broth
Note: A little more or little less broth will not affect the recipe
1/3 cup pastina or other tiny pasta
1 bunch kale
salt and pepper to taste
For the meatballs:
1 1/4 pound beef
1 egg
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup cream
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Red Curry Butternut Squash – When it Comes to Side Dishes the Food Gods Hate a Coward

As you decide on what to include in your fabulous array of vegetable side dishes for the upcoming holiday feasts, keep one thing in mind. No guts, no glory. For some reason, normally adventurous cooks when faced with a house full of hungry relatives, play scared.

Its probably driven by the desire to want everyone to enjoy everything (you know thats impossible, right?). Serving something too exotic just doesnt seem prudent. I take a different approach. Since these holiday meals are one of the rare times we get to serve multiple side dishes, I think its the perfect occasion for springing a surprise or two.

This lovely red curry butternut squash certainly fits the bill. Sweet, spicy, and mysterious – this turkey-friendly side dish wont be everyones cup of tea, but for those at the table that let it work its magic, it promises to be one of their favorite parts of the meal.

Like I said, there are plenty of other side dishes on hand, so even if the worse case scenario happens and everyone from little Billy to Grandma Jean agrees this is the worst squash dish ever, so what? There are seven more sides to pick up the slack. Besides, after the third bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau whos really going to care?

If youve never worked with red curry before, be careful. Its really spicy, and you can always add more as it cooks. To be safe, you can even cut my measurements in half for the spices and then adjust. I hope you give this interesting butternut squash side dish a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3-4 pounds butternut squash, peeled cut in 1-inch cubes
1 bunch green onions
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp red curry powder (I used McCormick)
1 tsp red curry paste (I used Taste of Thai)
2 tbsps tomato paste
1 can coconut milk
1 rounded tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce (or sub to-taste with soy sauce or salt)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
*adjust for salt and heat before serving

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Broccoli Gratin – Why am I staring at you in the check out line

Some things just go great together; chips and beer, warm bread and butter, Britney and K-Fed, and of course, Broccoli and Cheddar cheese sauce. As you’ll hear in the video this clip was inspired by watching people in grocery store lines buying tiny, expensive, and poor quality, frozen packages of broccoli and cheese sauce.

I had some left-over Béchamel sauce, so in this clip I’ll show how easy it is to take that humble base sauce and create a wonderful vegetable gratin. In case I wasn’t clear in the clip, turn the heat off the Béchamel as soon as you add the cheese. By the way, if I haven’t already, I’ll add a béchamel demo to the blog in case you’re not familiar with that “mother” sauce.

As far as recommendations go, I’m a HUGE cheese head, not the Green Bay Packer variety, but the delicious English Farmhouse Cheddar kind.

I hope you have a nice cheese shop near you, but if not you can get just about anything you want online these days. Check out cooking.com, they’re a great resource. I suggest any nice sharp cheddar for this dish, but so many other cheeses would be delicious. And for the top, Parmigiano-Reggiano is great, or even a nice Pecorino Romano.

2 cups Béchamel sauce
24 oz. Broccoli florettes (about 4 heads trimmed)
8 oz Cheddar Cheese
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Thursday, March 6, 2014

“Roasted” Tomato and Balsamic Vinaigrette – We really need to concentrate on this one!

I worked with a Chef, way back when, who made this amazingly delicious roasted tomato vinaigrette. He would slice a whole pan of Roma tomatoes lengthwise and slowly roast them in a very low oven until the sugars and acids in the fruit would condense and caramelize and concentrate into a delicious mass. This took about 5-6 hours. Then, these roasted tomatoes were cooled, pureed, and with the addition of some oil and vinegar, turned into a wonderfully complex vinaigrette. It was so good next to any grilled fish, meat, veggies, etc. The only thing I didn’t like was the extended cooking time.

Now, the whole reason for the long, slow roasting was to concentrate the flavors. So, I thought I could duplicate it by using a really good, double-concentrate tomato paste and nicely aged balsamic vinegar. It worked. Is it as good? Who knows? Yet another “subjective mater of taste” argument. Do I always use the shortcut method? No, I do (when I have time) love a nice pan of slow roasted, caramelized Roma tomatoes. They are great served whole on burgers, and as a side dish with many main dishes. In fact, now I have to demo the original method! Anyway, here is a 5 minute version that will pair wonderfully with so many things, and you’re only a few minutes away. I used this on my Pan Seared Perch with Fried Capers recipe, so if you haven’t seen that one, check it out. By the way, this is also very nice with I touch of fresh garlic, which I didn’t use this time…hey, I can’t use garlic in every recipe! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 tbl tomato paste (double-concentrate)
1 tbl aged Balsamic vinegar
1 tbl rice vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
6 tbl olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Monday, March 3, 2014

Broiled Herb Crusted Salmon – Stop Staring at the Seafood Case You’re Making the Fishmonger Nervous

I don’t generally talk to strangers – heck, I barely speak to my friends – but once in a while I’ll see someone staring so cluelessly at the fish case in the grocery store, that I just have to jump in and offer them some unsolicited advice – usually suggesting a recipe like this broiled herb-crusted salmon.

This method of broiling salmon, with its simple to make mayonnaise-based crust, produces a magnificently moist and flavorful piece of fish. It can be varied a thousand ways, and other than the actual mayonnaise, literally every other ingredient is optional.

I love the combination of tarragon and Italian parsley, but I’ve used herbs like basil and thyme, which worked wonderfully as well. As far as the fish goes, a center-cut salmon filet is a perfect thickness for this, but other similarly shaped seafood will work.

So, if you happen to be one of those people who get that deer in the headlights look when choosing seafood at the store, I hope you give this great recipe a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Servings:

2 (8-oz) center-cut salmon filets

salt and pepper to taste

1 garlic clove, sliced

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp chopped tarragon

1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp mayonnaise

pinch of cayenne

1 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Southern Style Green Beans – Slow Beans for Fast Times

One of the sadder side effects of the American culinary renaissance we’ve enjoyed over the last thirty or forty years, has been the chronic under-cooking of green vegetables. Sure, there was a time when we cooked everything too long, but now, if it’s not bright green and still crispy, it’s considered ruined.

That’s why every once and a while you have to enjoy something like these slow-cooked, southern-style green beans. These beans are cooked forever in a bacon-spiked, aromatic broth, and when they’re finally done, you’re almost shocked at how good they are. It seems so wrong, yet tastes so right.

I think two hours is perfect, but if your beans are fatter/thinner, you’ll have to adjust the time. What you’re looking for is something that literally melts in your mouth. Vibrant, quickly blanched green beans are many things, but “melt in your mouth” isn’t one of them. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 handful sliced bacon (6 oz)

1 sliced onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup tomato sauce

3 cups chicken broth

salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

View the complete recipe

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Badhusha – My 100th post Diwali Special

Hooray for my 100^th post!! Wow what a journey it has been. I am so excited about this little milestone!!

I really never thought I can make these many kinds of recipes, but over the last 6 months, I have exposed a love to baking, tried many new recipes first time, organized some foodie events, and met so many inspirational and lovely bloggers of whom some have already became friends!! I love reading all your comments and you all inspire me to carry on.

I wanted to say a heartfelt thankyou to all my friends, followers, bloggers and readers. And I am very grateful to my sweet hubby who supports and helps in my cooking.

To celebrate this small milestone, I prepared badhusha. I learnt this recipe from Raks kitchen.

Badhusha is an Indian festive Sweet made easily with available ingredients of flour and sugar. First time I made these Badhusha’s and I enjoyed making those shapes. They came out so soft and I and my hubby enjoyed them a lot.

Initially I taught it is very difficult to make, but when I decided to prepare I felt it is very easy and infact I made it on weekday after coming from work within 1 hour, enjoyed making them :)

Source : Raks Kitchen

Ingredients:

All purpose flour/Maida – 1 ½ cups

Butter – ¼ cup

Ghee – 8 tsps

Curd – 1 ½ tsp

Baking Soda – 2 pinches

Sugar – ½ tsp

Water – ¼ cup

Oil for deep Frying

For Syrup:

Sugar – ½ cup

Water – little

Elachi powder – ¼ tsp

Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Preparation

Melt butter in microwave and keep aside.
In a wide bowl, add ghee,sugar,baking soda,curd and whisk it to mix well.
Later add flour and mix well without lumps.

Add water slowly and mix well to make a smooth dough.
Keep the dough aside and covered it with wet cloth for 15 mins.
Boil water with sugar and elachi to make thick syrup. Remove from heat and keep aside.
Divide the dough into small lemon sized balls.
Take a ball, flatten slightly and twist the sides using fingertips decoratively and shape the edges.
Prepare all the balls and keep aside by covering them.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Add some badhushas into oil. Remove from heat and let it cooked for 5 mins.
Later the badushas float on top, again switch on the heat and cook on medium flame for another 5 mins or till they turn golden color.

Drain them in paper towel and immediately put them into the sugar syrup for about 5 mins and serve in a plate.
Sprinkle nuts or dry coconut and serve !!

Sending this to Serve It - Festival Potluck hosted by Krithi & Denny, Diwali Special - Sweets & Savories hosted by Radhika, Diwali- Festival of LIGHTS hosted by Anu,My Diwali MyWay hosted by Khusi, Bookmarked Recipes hosted by Priya, and to my event CC-Festive Food, Only Sweets and Desserts hosted by Gayathri originally started by Pari