Recipes - Best Places of Interest

January 28, 2017 Recipes

Recipes – Roasting

Recipes- roasting

It is a continuation to my earlier post on ‘Roast and boast‘. Following are 2 roasting recipes

Roast leg of lamb with onions and potatoes in white wine

leg of lamb-roasting — leg of lamb
Image credit -Pinterest

Ingredients–

1 kg of mutton,

6 cloves garlic cut into slivers,

2 tbsp. olive oil,

1 tsp each salt and pepper,

1 tbsp. tenderon powder + 2 tbsp. tabasco sauce if you like it spicy.

3 each large potatoes and onions, peeled, halved and cut into thin slices rubbed with ½ tsp each salt, pepper, and thyme.

1 cup white wine, juice of 1 lemon and a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary.

Method:

Make a few cuts on the leg of mutton and insert a sliver of garlic into each slit reserving the remaining. Make a paste with salt, pepper and tenderon and olive oil and rub all over the leg. Cover and leave overnight. In a large, non-stick pan, brown the piece of leg on both sides to have a nice browned crust. Preheat the oven to 250c/ gas mark 9. Grease a large oval baking dish and line with the potatoes and remaining garlic slivers on the bottom of the dish too. Place the leg of mutton over this, arrange a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary around the meat and drizzle 1/ 2 the wine and lemon as well as some freshly cracked pepper all over and cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes. (If you like a little heat and spice, sprinkle some chilly flakes or add some tabasco to the initial paste.)

Reduce the heat to 200c/gas mark 6, pour the remaining wine and lemon juice and cook covered for the first hour and then uncovered for 45 minutes until well browned and done to your liking. Baste with the pan juices every 20 minutes during the cooking process to keep the meat moist. After you remove from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Whole roast chicken with rosemary, garlic and lemon

Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (1.5- 1.8 kg),

2 tbsp. butter,

1 tbsp. garlic paste,

1 tsp each salt, pepper,

2 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves chopped,

Rind of 2 lemons,

½ cup of whole garlic pods,

2 lemons,

Few sprigs of rosemary,

olive oil,

salt and pepper as required,

juice of 1 lemon.

Method:

Preheat oven to 200c/ gas mark 6. Wash and clean chicken and pat dry. Make a paste with the butter, garlic paste, salt, pepper, chopped rosemary and lemon rind. Loosen the skin and rub this mixture evenly all over.

Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the garlic pods, 2 lemons cut in half and a few sprigs of rosemary. Seal with tooth picks or metal skewers. Rub the chicken all over with some olive oil, salt and pepper and tie the chicken, folding the wings, behind. Grease an oven proof dish; sprinkle the remaining garlic pods and rosemary around the chicken, drizzle with juice of 1 lemon, cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 180c/ gas mark 4. Baste with some more lemon juice or with the pan juices and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until done. Test by inserting a sharp knife into the thigh area and if the juices run clear, it is done.

Serve with mashed potatoes or roast potatoes.

Recipes- roasting

December 21, 2016 Recipes

4 Delicious Recipes for Smorgasbord

4 DELICIOUS RECIPES WITH #SMORGASBORD #FOODIE

This post is in continuation to an earlier post on smorging. Here is a list of recipes for the smorgasbord.

Piri Piri Prawns with Feta

Piri Piri prawns with feta cheese, smorgasbord — Piri Piri prawns with feta cheese

Ingredients: 6 cloves garlic, 2 fresh red chillies, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp dried oregano, 1 dozen tiger prawns, Olive oil, few sprigs of mint and rocket leaves chopped, 2 lemons, 1 tbsp honey, 50 gms soft feta cheese crumbled, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Method: Peel and finely chop the garlic and deseed the chillies and finely chop too. Place in a bowl along with the paprika, oregano, prawns and season with salt and pepper as needed. Drizzle with about 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil, mix well, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Place the griddle over high heat. Cut the lemon in half. Place the lemons cut-side down in the griddle. Place the prawns on the griddle and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side until opaque and cooked through. Serve the prawns drizzled with honey. Crumble over the feta and scatter the chopped mint and rocket. Squeeze the charred lemon juice all over and serve immediately with either peach chutney or some spiced marmalade.

Recipes for Smorgasbord

Festive couscous

Ingredients: 2 ½ cups couscous, 4 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock, ½ tsp. chilli flakes, 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, finely grated rind, 1 ½ cup frozen peas cooked until tender, 1 small onion finely chopped, 75 gms pomegranate arils, 2 tbsp dried cranberry, ¼ cup chopped pistachios, ½ tbsp. dried tarragon, 2 tbsp small mint leaves chopped.

Method: Place the couscous in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the hot stock, chilli flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and fluff the couscous using a fork. Toss the peas, onion, pomegranate, cranberry, pistachios, tarragon, mint and the lemon rind. Toss well and serve with toast.

Classic Prawn Cocktail

Classic Prawn Cocktail- recipes for Smorgasbord — Classic Prawn Cocktail
Image credit- Pinterest

Ingredients: Few martini or wine glasses, 1 small iceberg lettuce, finely chopped, 15-20 large prawns, boiled with tails, ½ tsp freshly ground pepper, 1 tsp tobacco bottled seafood sauce or Thousand Island Dressing Capers as needed, Olives and lemon slices for garnishing.

Method: Line the glasses and fill them with half the lettuce. In a bowl combine remaining lettuce and the prawns, (reserve 1 prawn for each glass and keep aside) capers, pepper, thousand island and tabasco. Gently fold and pour with 2 prawns per glass. Hang the reserved prawn over the edge of the glass and garnish with a lemon slice and an olive. Serve chilled.

Chutneywale Aloo or Potatoes with Chutney

Ingredients: 3 tbsp. vegetable oil. 1 kg baby potatoes peeled, 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar, 1 medium onion, thinly sliced, 2 tbsp. thick yoghurt, 1 tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp. garam masala. Salt as needed.

Green Chutney: 50 gms cashew nuts, 50 gms mint leaves, 50 gms coriander leaves with stalks, 25 gms ginger chopped, 1 small green chilli pinch of sugar.

Method: Whizz the chutney ingredients with 100 ml water in a blender and set aside. Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in a heavy based non-stick pan over a medium flame, add the potatoes. Fry for 20-25 minutes stirring often as they begin to brown. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and fry the cumin seeds for about 5-6 seconds until they sizzle. Add the onion and fry for 8-10 minutes until browned. Then stir in the chutney and fry stirring for a few minutes until slightly dry. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the yoghurt a spoonful at a time, stirring in the ground coriander and chilli powder and return the pan to a low heat and simmer for a minute. Stir in the garam masala and season with salt. Return the potatoes and stir to coat well.

BON APPETIT

4 DELICIOUS RECIPES WITH #SMORGASBORD #FOODIE

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December 12, 2016 Recipes

Masterclass with Chef Gil Hovav

#Israeli Delicacies with Chef Gil Hovav #food #foodie

Israel’s culinary traditions have been shaped by influences from Asia, Africa and Europe. Thus, becoming a culinary melting pot. The food of the Israelites has ‘seven species’ – olives, figs, dates, pomegranates, wheat, barley and grapes that play an important role in Israeli cuisine.

Some of the popular Israeli food are borekas (fresh vegetables, eggs and cheeses), Shakshouka (eggs in the morning) , Baba Ganoush– a tangy eggplant spread, falafel-deep fried chickpea balls with pita bread, Hummus– a mashed chickpea spread,( Hummus is a staple in Israeli households), Pita bread-national bread of Israel, Schnitzel -chicken cutlets in bread and fried, Shawarma-grilled lamb or other meat that is then sliced or ‘shaved’ and is enjoyed with pita bread and Tahini-a delicious spread made from sesame seeds. For lovers of desserts, baklava– a sweet layered enjoyed in Israel and its surrounding countries – Mediterranean and the middle east, crepes– fresh crepes with different fillings.

Lighted hallway outside Palladium

So, when Israel’s Chef Gil Hovav was in town, I attended his Masterclass. Chef Gil Hovav is a leading culinary journalists and television personality who comes from one of the respected families in the Jewish world. He is the great-grandson of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the reviver of the Hebrew language; the grandson of Itamar Ben-Avi who began modern Hebrew journalism; and the son of Moshe & Drora Hovav, “founding members” of Israel’s modern-day public radio.

Mr Hovav himself, with his illustrious career in journalism, in television and as an author, has played a major role in changing Israeli cuisine from one of the basic traditional foods to one of enviable gourmet dining. He began his career as a restaurant critic, moved on to become a newspaper editor, and was involved in creating, producing and presenting some of Israel’s most viewed and loved television food shows. These include the classic “Pepper, Garlic and Olive Oil”, “Captain Cook” (which reviewed the world’s best restaurants), and “Going to the Market”. These series later turned into best-selling cookbooks.

As an author, Chef Gil Hovav has published three best-selling novels all related to his family’s colourful history, exposing with humour and emotion the Jerusalem of his childhood that no longer exists. He has lectured around the world about Wartime Cooking in Jerusalem, My Great (and short) Grandfather Eliezer Ben Yehuda and Being Gay in Israel Today and has led cooking demonstrations and seminars focusing on Israeli cuisine, combined with his unique personal stories. Source

#Israeli delicacies by Chef Gil Hovav #Food #Recipes

Hummus

Hummus is as common in Israeli cuisine just as peanut butter is for America. Hummus is usually had with pita bread.

Hummus with pita bread

Serves: 25 portions

Ingredients: 400 gms small dry chickpeas,

4 peeled garlic cloves,

½ hot green pepper,

½ cup parsley,

1 cup good raw tahini,

(tahini is a sesame seed paste. A staple of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cooking. It is essential ingredient in Hummus)

Juice of 1 lemon,

½ tsp cumin,

1 tbsp. salt

Directions:

Soak chickpeas for at least 6 hours.
Drain and wash. Cook in fresh water until soft not mushy (this takes about 3 hours). While cooking, discard any foam on top of the water.
When soft, take off the stove, let cool and drain but save about 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Put garlic, fresh hot pepper and parsley in the food processor, and puree.
Add chickpeas, and process. Add as much cooking liquid as needed to form a rather smooth paste. Do not over-process.
Add tahini, lemon juice, cumin and salt and process again.
Do not refrigerate. Serve at once, topped with olive oil and garnished with hot paprika, cumin and chopped parsley.

Tabbouleh

(Couscous Vegetable salad)

Tabbouleh is a Levantine vegetarian dish or a salad that is made from tomatoes, chopped parsley, mint, bulgur and onion and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. At times, it is made with pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients: 1 bag instant couscous, (couscous is a dish made from granules of wheat flour usually prepared by steaming until they are light and fluffy).

4 tomatoes,

4 cucumbers,

4 scallions,

2 lemons,

6 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. coarse salt,

2 tbsp. ground black pepper,

½ cup pine nuts (lightly toasted),

1 cup pomegranate seeds,

½ cup chopped coriander,

½ cup chopped parsley,

½ cup chopped dill.

Directions:

-Prepare instant couscous.

– Prepare salad from tomatoes, cucumbers and scallions. Dice well.

-Grind the peel of one lemon and squeeze the juice from both. Add to the salad.

– Add the rest of the ingredients (including couscous) and mix well.

– The salad keeps well in the fridge up to 24 hours.

Zehoug

(Hot Yemenite Salsa)

This hot salsa is eaten with everything by Yemenite Jews.

Zehoug

Ingredients:

2 bunches fresh cilantro, (A Spanish word for coriander, also derived from Coriandrum).

15 hot green peppers,

1 bulb garlic,

1 tbsp. ground black pepper,

1 tbsp. ground cardamom,

1 tbsp. ground cumin,

1 tbsp. salt.

Directions:

-Peel garlic cloves. Discard stems of green peppers. Put in food processor and make a rough paste.

– Roughly chop cilantro and add to the food processor together with the rest of the ingredients.

– Process until you get a shiny green paste.

– Put in jars and store in the fridge.

It was a wonderful evening, where we tasted all the above made by Gil Hovav. It was simply awesome.

#Israeli Delicacies with Chef Gil Hovav #food #foodie — Israeli Delicacies with Chef Gil Hovav
Img courtesy- @FoodhallIndia

December 7, 2016 Recipes

Recipes with Pumpkin

pumpkin recipes

In my earlier post on ‘Pumpkin‘, I mentioned about nutritional benefits of Pumpkin. The following are recipes with Pumpkin…

Pumpkin Soup with A Savory Granola Topping

creamy vegan pumpkin soup with spiced savory granola pumpkin soup #Pumpkin #Soup

Ingredients:

3 ham/prosciutto slices, excess fat trimmed (chicken ham can be substituted)

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped.

4 cups (1 litre,) chicken stock

Savoury Granola Topping

1 egg white, lightly whisked

45 gms rolled oats

100 gms pumpkin seeds

75 gms sunflower seeds

40 gms flaked almonds

50 gms white or coloured quinoa rinsed, drained

1 tbsp. black chia seeds

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

1 tbsp. honey

2 tsp cumin seeds

Salt and pepper as needed

Cream for garnish

Method: To make the savoury granola topping preheat the oven to 180c. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the egg white, oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, quinoa, chia seeds, sesame seeds, honey and cumin seeds in a medium-sized bowl and toss to combine. Spoon the mixture in a thin layer over the lined tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place the prosciutto on a baking tray and bake for 5-7 minutes until crisp and chop coarsely. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium flame and add the onion and cook, stirring, until it softens. Add the pumpkin, carrot and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes until the pumpkin and carrots are very tender. Cool and place half the pumpkin mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a clean saucepan. Repeat with the remaining pumpkin mixture. Heat on a low flame, season with salt and pepper as needed.

Divide the soup into serving bowls. Top with a dollop of cream and sprinkle with prosciutto and granola.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

pumpkin bread

Ingredients:

400 gms butternut pumpkin, seeded and coarsely chopped

300 gms self-rising flour

250 gms castor sugar

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon powder

2 large eggs

125 ml vegetable oil

125 ml milk

1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp. flaked almonds

Butter and honey to serve

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c. Grease and line the base and sides of a 10cm x 21 cm loaf tin with baking powder, allowing the sides to overhang.

Steam the pumpkin for 10 mins or until tender. Set aside and cool slightly, transfer to a small bowl and mash until smooth. You need about 1 cup of mashed pumpkin for this recipe.

Meanwhile combine the flour, sugar, ginger and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs, oil and milk in a jug and pour into the flour mixture and add the pumpkin puree. Use a wooden spoon and stir until combined, pour into the lined tin and smooth the surface. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds and almonds on the top.

Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. To serve, cut into slices, toast under a grill and serve with butter and honey.

pumpkin recipes

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