Recipes: November 2012

Rabu, 28 November 2012

Ratatouille - Mission Toscano

I am crazy about movies.....I can watch an entire movie just for one particular scene I love....for example....Gladiator...I can watch the movie for that one single dialogue that I am just crazy about...the part where Ruselle Crowe turns around and faces the king and says "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. and I will have my vegeance , in this life or the next".....That is one hell of a dialogue....well similarly....I can watch the movie 'Ratatouille' for that one single scene where Remy the rat makes ratatouille for the infamous brutal critic Anton Ego.....just one bite and he is taken back to his childhood....to the kitchen where his mother makes ratatouille for him.

I have never thought of making ratatouille until I went for the French cuisine demo at Toscano....everyone has their own version of Ratatouille.....in Toscano they showed us the pan roasted method...I was not for it coz whenever I close my eyes and think of ratatouille all I can see is Remy the rat layering those delicate slices of zucchini, yellow squash and aubergines on a bed of fresh tomato puree....and I knew my Ratatouille should look something like that.

This dish is nothing fancy...very simple comfort food.....a good accompaniment with pasta.

Ingredients
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1/2 Zucchini
1/2 Yellow Squash
2 small Aubergines
1/2 Red pepper
5 to 6 fresh Basil Leaves
2 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 Onion,chopped
3 to 4 cloves Garlic, crushed
Salt to taste
freshly ground Pepper to taste

For tomato puree

4 medium size Tomatoes
3 cups water

Method

Make tomato puree - -Boil 3 cups of water, while the water is coming to boil, make a small 'X' on the tomatoes. Drop all the tomatoes into boiling water for few seconds(blanching). Remove from hot water as soon as the skin around the 'X' curls up or loosens. Dip the hot tomatoes into cold water to stop the tomatoes from cooking further. Peel the skin of all the tomatoes and keep aside.You can remove the seed and pulp, but I used the whole tomatoes to make puree.Keep this aside.
Preheat oven to 200 degree C.
Slightly grease a round or oval oven safe dish, pour the freshly prepared tomato puree into it,add in the chopped onion,basil leaves and crushed garlic.Season well with salt and pepper,add 1 tbsp olive oil and mix.
Thinly slice the zucchini,yellow squash,aubergines and red pepper.
Place one layer of red pepper on the tomato puree(you can layer it along with other veggies,but I preferred this method)
Now lay the zucchini,yellow squash and aubergines on the red peppers in a circle.
Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil on top of the veggies,sprinkle some salt and pepper.Cover with butter paper (as shown below)
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Serve hot with pasta or cous cous.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Spinach Mushroom Quiche- Mission Toscano

This was something that I had already tried long back and I make Spinach and mushroom quiche pretty often......and it sells like crazy at home.....Freshly baked quiche at home....then I guarantee it will vanish within few minutes.

The difference between the quiche I make and the one I learnt at Toscano was the base.....the one I make is very light and crispy...the Toscano one is little thick and soft.Roasted bell pepper quiche is a must try......and Spinach and mushroom is an amazing combination for quiche.

Okay ...I have tried 3 out of 4 'Mission Toscano' recipes....I am dreading the last one....

Ingredients
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For Quiche Crust

130grams Flour
30 grams Butter,softened
1 egg
7grams Salt
Cold water as required

For Cream Sauce

4 eggs
400 ml Cream
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tsp chilli flakes
200 grams cheese (grated)

For Roasted bell pepper filling

3 Bell peppers(green,red and yellow)
1 small Onion ,chopped
5 cloves Garlic ,crushed
1tsp Chilli flakes,optional
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 tbsp Butter

For Spinach Mushroom filling

300 grams Spinach
200 grams Mushroom(chopped)
1 small Onion,chopped
5 cloves Garlic, crushed
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 tsp Chilli flakes
2 tbsp Butter

Method for Crust

In a bowl combine flour, egg,salt and butter. Add enough cold water to make a soft dough.
Wrap with clingfilm and let it rest in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.
After resting the dough,roll out the dough to fit a pie dish or loose bottom pie dish. I used one 7 inch and two 5 inch loose bottom pie dish.Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides and cut off the excess dough that's hanging out.
Preheat oven at 180 degree C.
Place a baking paper or aluminium foil on the pie crust and place any kind of dried beans on the baking paper to avoid the crust from puffing up. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes
Now get the crust out of the oven, remove the dried beans and baking paper and prick the crust with a fork and bake again for10 minutes or till the crust turns golden brown. This is called 'Baking Blind' --Baking the pie crust completely before pouring in the filling.

Method for cream sauce

In a bowl combine cream,eggs,salt, pepper ,chilli flakes and 100grams cheese.Keep aside.

Method for Bell pepper filling

Roast the bell pepper in an oven or on gas top till the skins of the peppers are charred.Place the bell peppers in a bowl and cover with clingfilm and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Remove the charred skin (do not wash with water),you won't be able to remove all the skin, leave the bits of charred skin as it is. Cut the tips of the bell pepper and discard the seed.Slice the bell peppers lengthwise.
Place a pan on medium flame, melt butter,add onion and saute for few minutes and add garlic and saute for a minute ,now add the roasted bell pepper,season with salt pepper and chilli flakes and saute for two minutes.Take off the flame and let it cool completely.

Method for spinach mushroom filling

1.Wash and cook spinach in 1/4 cup water for few minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water and chop the spinach leaves. Keep this aside.
2. Place a pan on medium flame, melt 2tbsp butter and fry onion till they turn golden brown and crisp ,add chopped garlic and fry for a minute.
3. Add the chopped mushroom and cook till the mushroom turns light golden brown. Add the chopped spinach, salt(add little salt )and chilli flakes and stir for few minutes till the moisture evaporates.Take off the flame.Let it cool completely.

Assemble the Quiche

Place the filling inside the baked pie crust and fill with cream sauce.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake in preheated oven 180 degree C for 45 minutes or till the quiche is set and the top has browned slightly.
Remove from oven and let it rest for few minutes.Serve warm.

Roasted Bell Pepper Pizza - From scratch

I have this list of recipes to try out........Pizza was not one of them......I never thought I would be able to get the same restaurant flavor into my pizzas.....But.......my sister Neets has this notion that she has the right to add her own personal favorites into my list.....Pizza being one of them....and she does challenge me a lot.......and I gave it a shot......have to tell you......I am quite proud with the outcome....Neets I know ....next on list is Pavlova........please keep you nose out of 'my list'.

Ingredients
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For base

3 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Instant yeast
1 cup lukewarm Water

For pizza sauce

6 medium size Tomatoes
10 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
1 small Onion (finely chopped)
2 tsp chilii flakes
100grams Tomato puree
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
Pepper to taste
1tbsp Olive oil

For topping

3 Bell Peppers (green,yellow and red) charred,skin and seeds removed and chopped
15 to 20 fresh Basil leaves
Grated Mozzarella
Or any topping of your choice - Mushroom, onion,chicken,babycorn ,olives,pineapple......

Method for Pizza base

In a bowl mix sugar ,one cup lukewarm water and yeast. Keep aside for five minutes till it becomes frothy.
In a big bowl add remaining ingredients - Flour,oil and salt, now add the frothy yeast water and sugar mixture into the flour and knead on a clean surface into a smooth dough.
Transfer the dough into a vessel,cover with wet cloth and keep in a warm place and let the dough rise to double its original size- about one hour.
Meanwhile prepare the sauce.

Method for Sauce.

Make 'X' on bottom of each tomatoes and plunge it into boiling water,remove from the hot water when the skin around the 'X' wrinkles up, this will take little more than a minute.Place the tomatoes under running water to stop them from cooking further.
Peel the skins of the tomatoes,cut roughly and make puree.Keep aside.
Place a saucepan on medium heat add oil,when hot add the garlic and onion and fry till the onion turns translucent, now add the chilli flakes and fresh pureed tomatoes, tomato puree and 1/2 cup water. Add sugar,salt and pepper and simmer on low flame for 20 to 25 minutes till the sauce thickens.

Method for Roasted peppers

1.Roast the bell pepper in an oven or on gas top till the skins of the peppers are charred.Place the bell peppers in a bowl and cover with clingfilm and let it rest for 20 minutes.

2.Remove the charred skin (do not wash with water),you won't be able to remove all the skin, leave the bits of charred skin as it is. Cut the tips of the bell pepper and discard the seed.Chop the bell peppers into cubes.

Assemble the Pizza

Preheat the oven to 180 Degree C.
Divide the dough into two equal parts, Roll the dough into a 10inch circle,place on a 10 inch pizza tray or plate.Poke the base with a fork, add little more than 1/2 cup pizza sauce on the pizza base and spread evenly. Sprinkle the charred bell peppers evenly over the pizza sauce and toss into hot oven on the bottom rack and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or till the sides turns golden brown.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes till the cheese melts.Top it with fresh Basil.
Slice the pizza using a pizza cutter or sharp knife and serve hot.

Brown Rice Salad with Beet and Herbs & Roasted Beet Chips

It’s a shame that many people (my husband included) are averse to this appealingly rich purple bulb, that has been considered beneficial to the digestive system, as a cancer preventative, and a tonic of blood. It is a nutritious vegetable with many health-giving and healing properties. Aside from bringing immeasurable good to human health, the sweet, earthy and velvety beet makes attractive, colourful and delicious dishes.

Sweet, spicy and satisfyingly crunchy...could those chips convince your husband to eat beets who passionately dislikes them?

Brown Rice Salad with Beetroot and Herbs

Salad	Dressing
250 g Brown rice 350 g Roasted beetroot, chopped into chunks 2 tbsp Spring onions, finely sliced 1 tbsp Fresh tarragon, finely chopped 2-3 tbsp Fresh dill, roughly chopped	3 tbsp Freshly squeezed orange juice 1-2 tbsp White balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the brown rice according to the packet instructions. It takes about minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain really well and tip into a large bowl.
Stir the spring onions, chopped tarragon, dill and beetroot though the rice. Mix together the dressing ingredients and taste to check the seasoning. Stir the dressing through the salad. Pile the rice salad on a large serving dish and garnish with some roughly chopped dill. Serve immediately.

Oven Roasted Beetroot Chips

3 Medium beetroots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp Olive oil
Pinch of chilli powder
Sea salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 170C/340F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Clean, dry and peel the beetroots. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice them into wafer-thin crisps.
Toss in a bowl with olive oil, chilli powder and salt. Arrange on the baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour, turning halfway through, until crisp. Check often to make sure they don't burn. Spread out on paper towel until cool and crisp. Sprinkle with additional chilli powder and salt if necessary.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic, Honey, and Walnuts

Roasting is an easy cooking method that enhances the flavour of this hearty winter vegetables. Browned and crisp, those Brussels sprouts are roasted with a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey, then tossed with chopped walnuts and pomegranate pearls. While this humble and versatile side dish easy enough for weeknight meals, it's also good for the dinner parties.

700 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 Shallots, sliced
2 tbsp Olive oil
2-3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp Honey
2-3 sprig Thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp Walnuts, roasted and chopped
1 tbsp Pomegranate pearls

Preheat oven to 200C400F. Remove the outer leaves from Brussels sprouts and trim the stems. Cut the sprouts in half. Slice the shallots and place them in a roasting pan together with Brussels sprout halves.
Combine olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and honey in a small bowl. Toss the Brussels with Balsamic mixture and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and black pepper.
Roast, tossing twice during cooking, until the Brussels sprouts are tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Add in chopped roasted walnuts and pomegranate pearls. Serve immediately.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic, Honey, and Walnuts

700 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 Shallots, sliced
2 tbsp Olive oil
2-3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp Honey
2-3 sprig Thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp Walnuts, roasted and chopped
1 tbsp Pomegranate pearls

Preheat oven to 200C400F. Remove the outer leaves from Brussels sprouts and trim the stems. Cut the sprouts in half. Slice the shallots and place them in a roasting pan together with Brussels sprout halves.
Combine olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and honey in a small bowl. Toss the Brussels with Balsamic mixture and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and black pepper.
Roast, tossing twice during cooking, until the Brussels sprouts are tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven. Add in chopped roasted walnuts and pomegranate pearls. Serve immediately.

Fennel Potato Soup with Saffron

Once the winter chill comes in, many of us long for some comfort food. Soups are a healthy and satisfying choice of the season.
Today I am sharing with you an easy broth-based soup filled with fennel, potato, soya cream (optional) and flavoured with saffron. If you prefer a lighter version, just leave out the soya cream at the final step.
Fennel bulb is an excellent source of vitamin C, which is the body's primary antioxidant and a necessity for the proper function of the immune system. In addition to its vitamin C, fennel is a very good source of fiber and potassium.

300 g Fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
100 g Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Small shallots, finely diced
2 tbsp Olive oil
350 ml Vegetable stock
1/8 tsp Saffron threads
1 Bay leaf
60 ml Soya cream (or heavy cream)
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim the fennel by removing the thin stalks and the thick base. Cut the bulb into 1cm pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1cm pieces too. Finely dice the shallots.
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and add in the diced shallots. Cook until aromatic and softened. Add in prepared fennel and potatoes. Sautee for 3 minutes. Add in vegetable stock, saffron, and bay leaf. Bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Remove the bay leaf and puree the soup with an immersion blender. Stir in the cream and season. Serve in hot bowls with some chopped fennel fronds on top.

Asparagus Baton Bread with Sesame Seeds

Crisp crust with a moist and soft interior, this is an interesting and a perfect spring bread recipe, especially with asparagus season in full swing. This Baton is based on a bread recipe from daheim und unterwegs.

Starter	Dough
175 g Bread flour 3 g Salt 3 g Fresh yeast 115 ml Water, at room temperature	200 g Green asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces 188 ml Water, at room temperature 325 g Bread flour 50 g Sesame seeds, lightly roasted 10 g Sugar 7 g Salt 12 g Fresh yeast

In a mixing bowl, stir all the starter ingredients until you get a rough dough ball. Cover with a plastic film and leave it at the room temperature for an hour. Transfer the starter, still covered, to the fridge and leave it for 15-24 hours.
Trim, rinse and dry the green asparagus. Cut them into 2cm pieces. Dissolve the starter with water in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Add in bread flour, sesame seeds, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir at low speed for 3 minutes, then increase the speed to medium and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable. Turn the dough on a lightly floured work surface, gently knead green asparagus pieces into the dough until evenly distributed.
Cover the dough and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into two portions. Shape each into a round. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.
Shape each dough into a baton on a floured work surface and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and allow them to rise for 45 minutes.
Place a roasting pan at the bottom shelf and preheat the oven to 230C450F. Just before putting the bread into the hot oven, slash the tops in an asterisk with a sharp knife or with a floured scissor snip 1/2-inch-deep V into top of each roll.
Place the bread in the oven and throw a handful of ice cubes into the roasting pan. Close the oven door and bake for 35-40 minutes until nicely golden brown and crusty. Remove the bread and allow them to cool on a wire rack to room temperature before cutting.

I am sending this to the "Bake Your Own Bread-April" at Girlichef.

Spinach Spelt Galette with Mushrooms and Beetroot

You can call this ‘crostata’ if you like. They are basically the same thing, a rustic tart crust folded over the filling, sweet or savoury, baked flat rather than in a tart pan, just French and Italian, respectively. Recently I have come across aspinach galette and a mushroom galette, both of which looked very interesting and delicious. So I purposely made lots of red wine spinach, baked mushrooms, so I would have leftovers just for this recipe. Bring this to potlucks or picnics as it tastes FANTASTIC cold.

Crust	Filling
180 g Wholegrain spelt flour Pinch of sea salt 70 g Cold unsalted butter 6 tbsp Ice water	40 g Parmesan, grated 40 g Gorgonzola, sliced 350 g Red wine spinach, drained 200 g Parmesan roasted mushrooms 1 Roasted beet, sliced Garden cress 1/2 Egg, lightly beaten for glaze

Place wholegrain spelt flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Cut in the cold butter and mix with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle ice water into the bowl and continue to mix ingredients with your fingertips. Turn out the dough onto your work surface and gather the dough into a ball. Wrap the ball with a plastic film and flatten the dough into a thick round. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour, or up to two days.
Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to form a 15-inch circle. Sprinkle half of Parmesan and Gorgonzola in the center, leaving 2-3 inches border all around. Then mound the red wine spinach, roasted mushrooms, and beet on the top of cheeses.
Fold the border up and over the filling to form a rim, pleating as necessary. Now sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and Gorgonzola over the vegetables. Brush egg glaze over the rim.
Bake the galette until the crust is nicely golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Slide onto a serving platter and sprinkle some garden cress over. Serve hot or at room temperature.

White Asparagus Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

White asparagus is the same species as the green but is grown entirely surrounded by earth which protects the slender stalk from sunlight exposure and thereby keeps it from turning green.
White asparagus has long been considered a delicacy in Europe and is especially popular in Germany. It has a beautiful delicate flavour and tender texture. A white asparagus dinner (very often with Holloandaise or just melted butter) during the "Spargelzeit"- Asparagus Season will make most German jump with joy.
When buying asparagus, make sure the stems are crisp and plump, and the tips are intact and firm, a slight violet tinge is normal, though considered a flaw in Germany. If you don’t intend to cook them right away, wrap them in a damp kitchen towel and store in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.

Salad	Vinaigrette
500 g White asparagus 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Sugar 1 tsp Butter	200 g Strawberries 4 tbsp Blood orange juice 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar 4 tbsp Sunflower oil Salt 1 tsp Green peppercorns, drained and chopped 1 tbsp Fresh coriander leaves, thinly sliced

Peel white asparagus with a sharp vegetable peeler. Trim off touch ends and discard.
Fill a large pan with water halfway. Add the salt, sugar and butter and bring the water to a gentle boil. Place the peeled asparagus lying down in the pan. Turn down heat so that water is just simmering. Cover with the lid. Blanch the white asparagus 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente and drain. Dip them into a large bowl of cold water to stop further cooking.
Rinse and dry the strawberries. Dice half of the strawberries. Blend together the rest of the strawberries, blood orange juice, red wine vinegar, sunflower oil and salt. Mix in diced strawberries, chopped green peppercorns and coriander leaves.
Drain the white asparagus and divide them into two serving plates. Drizzle the strawberry vinaigrette over and let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Recipes

Rabu, 28 November 2012

Ratatouille - Mission Toscano

Roasted Bell Pepper and Spinach Mushroom Quiche- Mission Toscano

Roasted Bell Pepper Pizza - From scratch

Brown Rice Salad with Beet and Herbs & Roasted Beet Chips

Brown Rice Salad with Beetroot and Herbs

Oven Roasted Beetroot Chips

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic, Honey, and Walnuts

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic, Honey, and Walnuts

Fennel Potato Soup with Saffron

Asparagus Baton Bread with Sesame Seeds

Spinach Spelt Galette with Mushrooms and Beetroot

White Asparagus Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

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