Continental Combo Meal: Perfect light Dinner

Me and my kiddo just love continental food! Light , lightly flavoured and Cheesy! And when it comes to desserts, we droll at the thought of anything with chocolates! Thanks God, atleast me and my kiddos food choices match!
We both have fun making some nice baked goodies,and desserts( with my kiddo playing the role of a time keeper..he stands right in front of my oven , from the moment the cake goes in.)So this weekend,when we both were alone, we decided to have a small meal party! My kiddo loves the Dominos garlic breadsticks...So with a mothers instinct to feed her toddler some veggies too , i stuffed up some brocoli and capsicum, with olives along with cheese,in my bread stick.
A quick potato,lettuce salad was a perfect pairing. And chocolate coffee trifle was a royal finish to our light but nutritious and healthy meal!

Main Course:Stuffed Garlic Bread Sticks:

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 Cup Maida/all pourpose flour
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Mixed Italian Herbs
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Dry Yeast
1/4 Cup warm water with a pinch of sugar
water to knead the dough

For the stuffing:
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese:I used a mix of cheddar,herbed gouda and Morzarella
1 Pickled Jalepeno,sliced
3-5 Black Olives,sliced
1/2 Cup Blanched Brocolli florets and Sweet Corn
2 tsp Mixed herbs

2 tbsp Garlic Butter: 2tbsp Butter mixed with 1 tsp finely chopped Garlic


Preheat oven at 200 degC.
Mix the dry yeast in the warm water and sugar mixture and keep aside covered for 10 mins, till it gets nice and frothy.

Sift flour with salt and add herbs to it.
Add the yeast mixture and mix. Add sufficient water to knead a soft dough.
Add olive oil and knead.

Keep covered with a damp muslin cloth for 45 mins till it doubles in size.
Punch back the dough and roll out a round roti .
Brush with garlic butter.

Mix all the ingredients for stuffing and place over the half semicircular portion of the rolled dough .

Fold the rolled dough over the stuffing and seal the sides. Make cuts over the bread. Brush with garlic butter.

Place in a greased baking tray and bake in a preheated oven 200 deg C for 15 to 20 mins, or until the crust is nice and brown.

Side Dish:Potato Egg and Lettuce Mayo Salad:

3-4 baby Potatoes,boiled and peeled.
1 Cup Iceberg Lettuce
1 Small Sliced red Onion
2 tsp Chopped Coriander

For the dressing:
2 tbsp Mayonaise
1 tbsp whisked Yogurt
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Mixed herbs and Chilly flakes
1/2 tsp Vinegar
1 tsp Cream (optional)

In a salad bowl , mix together boiled potatoes,onion, and torn lettuce leaves and coriander and toss.
Whisk all the ingredients for dressing and pour.
Toss the salad and serve cold.


Dessert: Chocolate Coffee Trifle:

Ingredients:

2-3 slices Chocolate cake
1 Cup Whipped Cream ( Substitute with vanilla icecream , for immediate consumption)
1/4 Cup Water mixed with 1 tsp Instant Coffee and 1 tsp Sugar
1/2 Cup Chocolate Ganache or chocolate sauce
Chocolate curls for decoration (Run potato peeler over chocolate block at room temperature for nice and round curls)

Line the base of a serving glass or bowl with a slice of chocolate cake and moisten it with a drizzle of black coffee.
Pour some ganache or chocolate sauce over it and layer with a dollop of whipped cream.
Place another slice of cake over it and again drizle with coffee, followed by ganache and cream.
Pour ganache to cover the top of the dessert and decorate with chocolate curls.
Refrigerate atleast for 10 mins. before serving.

 

Parmesan and Herb Grilled Basa Fillets

Just another innovation ,when two foodie sisters meet....But just a simple,no frill one!!
Our weekend together , and we were more than happy to be getting a chance to cook together!!
With an extraordinary achievement,of getting a frozen basa fish fillet here , I was happy and proud of my sister!
So a quick treat for her and my sweet nephew ,who successfully kept my toddler occupied, till the time me and my sister indulged in cooking and some soul sharing!

Ingredients:

2-5 Skinless,boneless Basa Fish Fillets (Any white fish fillets will do)
4 tsp Mixed Italian Herbs
2 tsp Chilli Flakes
2-3 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Cracked Pepper
1 tsp Namak Shamak
2-4 tbsp Cornflour
1 Egg
2 tbsp Oil
Chopped Spring Onion and Orange slices for garnish

Method:

Wash and pat dry the fish fillets on a plate.
Sprinkle,salt,pepper,chilli flakes,italian herbs and cheese over the fillets on both sides.

Spread cornflour over a plate.Lightly wisk the egg in a bowl,adding a pinch of salt to it.
Dip the fillets in the egg ,and then dip them in the cornflour.

Dust the excess cornflour and place the fillets on a hot grill pan with 1 tbsp oil drizzled over it.
Repeat for the remaining fillets.

Fry the fillets on low flame till brown and crisp on both the sides.
Transfer in a serving plate and garnish with spring onions and orange slices.

Indian Spicy Chicken Tikka Wrap

Weekend's here again , and so  we are back with yet another fiery friday fever recipe!!

This weekend , lets dump traditional curry and roti style and bring in some street food or a small portion snack style....

Naah i am not implying chaat...... lets do it in style....

Lets begin with a Spicy chicken frankie ...... .followed by some more crispy chicken and sausage based snacks tomorrw.

Ingredients:

250 gms Boneless Chicken

1 Egg

1 Cup Maida

1/4 Cup Wheat Flour

2 tbsp Ghee

Namak Shamak

1 Medium Onion Sliced

2 tbsp Mayonaise

1 Cup beaten Dahi with 1/2 tsp sugar ,namak ,1/4 tsp red chilly and cumin powder 

2 tsp Oil + 3-4 tsp to Roast

1/2 cupp chopped coriander leaves

For Marinating the chicken:

2 tsp Dahi

2 tsp Ginger garlic paste

3 tsp Red chilly powder

1 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tsp garam Masala

Namak Shamak

3 tsp Cashewnut powder

Method:

Marinate the boneless chicken , cubed into bite sized pieces , with the marination ingredients and keep aside , covered in fridge for atleast an hour.

Knead a stiff dough , with maida , wheat flour , ghee and namak , and keep aside covered for 1/2 hr

Heat 2tsp oil in a kadhai and add the marinated chicken , along with the marination and fry till well seared.

 Cover and cook on a low flame for 5 mins.

Open the lid and cook the chicken till dry.Add chopped coriander.

Heat a non stick tawa  and roast a medium thin roti rolled out of the dough. flip immediately and apply beaten egg on the half roasted side

Now roast both the sides with oil till brown , but the roti should remain soft enough

Transfer the roti with the egg side up  on a plate and apply some mayonaise  Put some of the chicken tikka over it and top it with sliced onion and coriander.

Drizzle some beaten dahi and wrap the roti with a foil as shown

Serve with ketchup and chopped onions

 

 

This is our entry for Mission street food contest hosted at

http://cookcookandcook.wordpress.com/2012/10/04/mission-street-food-event-announcement/

 

 

Cheesy Mushroom Spinach Quiche

Quiche has a pastry crust and a filling of eggs and milk or cream which, when baked, become a custard. Though the crust base is similar in tarts,pies and Quiches, the Quiche is a savory, open-faced pastry crust dish with a savory filling.

I wanted to try quiche for quite some time now but was never sure how it would turn out to be.
So one fine day just out of whim I decided now was the time and just went for it. And believe me it is  piece of cake!!!!! 

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 bunch     Spinach
5 to 6        Mushrooms
4 to 5        Garlic Cloves
2               Eggs
1/4 cup      Milk (can also use cream)
1 cup        Grated cheese (cheddar or the good old cheese cubes)
a pinch      Nutmeg
a pinch      Pepper Powder
1/4 tsp       Namak Shamak
1 tsp         Oil

For the Crust:

1              Egg
1 1/2cup   Maida
1/2 cup     Butter
a pinch     Namak Shamak

Method:

For the crust:

Add the butter and salt to the maida and mix till they resemble breadcrumbs. Make a well in the center and add the egg. Knead the dough adding a little chilled water if required. Roll the dough in a cling wrap and keep in the fridge for atleast an hour. This dough can be prepared in advance and kept. It will keep for 8 to 10 days.

Remove from fridge and roll the dough into a roti but thicker.  Gently transfer the rolled dough into a pie dish and press it into the dish just ensure that the whole area is covered. Remove the excess dough by trimming the edges. Now prick the pie with the fork so that it does not rise. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 mins. Just half bake it so that it does not turn soggy when we add the filling. Again the pie pastry can be baked in advance and kept ready so you can just make the filling and viola your quiche is ready in minutes.

 

For the filling:

Finely chop the garlic and the spinach. Also chop the mushrooms.

In a pan. Add the oil and saute the garlic and the mushrooms now add the spinach, salt, pepper powder and saute till all the water evaporates. Keep aside to cool. Generally the quiche is not spicy at all but if you need more spice just add finely chopped green chillies and increase the quantity of pepper powder. Also add just a little salt because spinach has salt moreover we will be adding cheese later.

In a bowl, take the eggs and whisk. Add the spinach mushrooms mixture, grated cheese, milk or cream and the nutmeg powder and mix.

Fill the pie crust with the custard filling. Bake at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 mins till the custard becomes firm and the toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm.

You can make a variety of filling like chicken and spinach combo, or fried golden onions and mushrooms combo. The possibilities are endless and it totally depends on your palette. So go ahead and make your own quiche.....

This is our entry for


hosted at
http://uk-rasoi.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/cook-n-bake-with-spinach.html

Sweet and Spicy Fish with Orange Sauce/Basa Fish with Orange Sauce

This is what happens when two foodie sisters meet!! It was the weekend ,when my sister ,whos also the co-author to Namak Shamak , visited us at Nasik with her family. And it was extraordinary ,as usual..Be it the outings,eat outs or our cooking !! Its never a guest host relation between us when we are together! The last time I had been to visit her , our blog came into existence.....
So ,its kinda special!!
It was month ending,hectic as usual for my husband, who was working late , so it was more than a delight to have my sis and family at home!! Ofcourse my kiddo was delighted too to have his patronizing and indulging big bro come for a visit! So my toddler had a company too!!
Back to the foodie aspect... my sis and her equally foodie husband,wanted a special treat,and I really wanted to indulge them in one...but unfortunately ,my home wasnt stocked with the necessary party stuff....My poor guests had to step out to fetch something for themselves...
And here comes my elder sis with a pack of fish fillets!! Wow I m proud of her....I normally dont get such fancy stuff here!!

So thats how the recipes happened...and my poor husband missed it!!

Ingredients:

3-4 Boneless,skinless Basa Fish Fillets (Can use any boneless ,skinless fish fillets)
Sweet and Spicy Seafood Sauce ( I got it from my fancy grocery shoppings,but you can use a mix of chilly sauce,sugar,and vinegar)
Zest of half an Orange
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cracked Pepper
1 tsp red Chilly powder
2 -5 tbsp Corn flour
1 Egg
2-3 tbsp Oil for frying
Juice of 1 Orange
2 tsp Chilli Flakes
Spring Onion greens and Orange slices for garnish

Method: 

Marinate the fish fillets in salt,pepper,red chilly powder,oranger zest,and the seafood sauce for 1/2 hour.

Drizzle 1 tbsp oil over hot grilling pan .

Spread the cornflour on a plate . Crack and lightly beat egg in a bowl and add a pinch of salt to it.

Dip the marinated fillets in cornflour,on both sides.

 Now dip it egg and further dip it in cornflour again.

Now place the fillet on the grill pan and fry on medium heat till browned on both sides.

Repeat for the rest of the fillets.

Once the fillets are done , add the orange juice and chilli flakes to the grill pan and let it simmer till it thickens.

Pour the hot sauce over the fillets.

Serve garnished with Orange slices and Spring Onion Greens.

This is our entry for

Seafood Feast – Event Announcement

Hosted by My Spicy Kitchen