Caramalised garlic

There is so much you can do with garlic. Roast it, pickle it or caramelise it. Here, I use balsamic vinegar to caramelise and preserve the garlic cloves. Garlic cooked this way is a fusion of sweet (sugar), sour (vinegar) and spicy (pepper), and complements so many soups, salads, breads and other bakes. I always use some extra olive oil, which tends to float on top of the caramel and is loaded with bags of flavour from the garlic. I use this oil to brush the crusts of oven fresh bread or as a dressing for salads. Its simply so so good.

Ingredients

1-3 large garlic pods
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons water
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vingegar
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tsp salt
Some black pepper
Fresh/dried rosemary

Method

Shred the garlic pod apart and place the garlic cloves in a bowl. Pour boiling water over the cloves and allow to rest for 2 minutes. Now, drain the hot water and place them in cold water for a few minutes. Peel the garlic cloves and saute them mildly in a non-stick pan with some olive oil and rosemary. Then, add the sugar, water, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to simmer for 6-10 minutes or until the sugar is completely caramelised and forms a sticky liquid. Place it in an airtight bowl and use as required.

Stores in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Bread rolls with tomato, basil, feta and caramelised garlic

Greek salad is one of my favourite salads and this bread is inspired truly and completely from this salad. Cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, fresh basil and garlic, all common and signature ingredients of a classic Greek salad. The good bit about these rolls is the absence of any fat to soften the dough; the only fat content is the small amount of olive oil and its hardly anything. The show stopper ingredient in these simple, earthy rolls is the caramelised garlic. I have a separate blog entry for this recipe and strongly recommend that you try it at least once. For garlic devourers, this is a must-have.

The bread speaks for itself: soft, moist and high on the flavour quotient. Enjoy baking it and eating it!

Portions: Makes 18-20 rolls
Ingredients
Dough
1.5 tsp of instant dry yeast
1.5 to 2 cups of lukewarm water
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups flour
1/4 tsp dried oregano
15 g freshly grated cheddar cheese
 
Filling
125 g  cherry tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes, cubed
1 pod garlic (caramelised); for recipe and details see here
100 g feta cheese, cubed
bundle of fresh basil leaves

Method

First rise

Place the flour, oil, salt, grated cheese, dried oregano and yeast in a bowl. Add lukewarm water and knead till you get a soft dough. Place it in a bowl, covered with a wet cloth such that the cloth does not touch the surface of the dough. Place in a warm place for one hour and allow the dough to double in size. 

Filling and second rise

Now the dough is raised and ready to be rolled. Roll the dough into a flat rectangle about 5 mm thick. Place the tomatoes along with the feta and caramelised garlic cloves, on the flattened dough. Now, place the fresh basil leaves on top of the tomatoes. Fold the dough, placing one short side inside till midway. Now fold the other short side slightly beyond midway such that there is a small overlap between the two folds. Make sure the filling is secure within the roll, without any cracks or tear. Cut thick slices from the roll, about 2.5 cm thick. Place them on a greased baking tray and cover with a clean, wet kitchen towel; allow them to rise for about 30-45 minutes. Place in a preheated oven at 225 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Once they are out of the over, brush them with some olive oil (use the oil floating on top of the caramelised garlic sauce).

Serve warm with coffee or a soup and salad. 

Mushroom and Pasta Quiche

If you have never made a quiche before, it’s time you try! I’m sure that by now you have mastered the art of making the perfect puff pastry. Now all you got to do is fill it with whatever you like, top it with cheese and bake it!

Mushrooms go beautifully with spinach and ricotta cheese, but that is a very common combination of ingredients. So mine is a bit different in that, it also has some cooked pasta in it, making it a whole meal. I have used whole wheat pasta, but use whatever you have at home. I use white wine to flavour many of my recipes, including this one, but spare it if you would prefer to. For non-mushroom lovers, try aubergine and olives with mozzarella cheese or mashed potatoes and tarragon/sage with cheddar.

Serves: 6 pieces

Preparation time: 30min

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 min

Ingredients

For the puff pastry

1 cup flour

25 g salted butter

¼ tsp salt

Sour cream/fresh cream as per requirement (about ¼ cup)

Others: Baking tin, parchment paper, blind weights (kidney beans or any other)

For the filling

Mushrooms, chopped medium

1 red onion, halved and sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped medium

1 garlic pod, roasted as described in the bench notes below

½ cup white wine

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1tbsp salted butter

½ tsp red chilli flakes

Ground black pepper

A pinch of nutmeg powder

Any pasta cooked as per instructions on the pack

1 cup grated cheese (any cheese will do)

1 egg, whisked

¼ cup fresh cream/ full cream milk

A pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

Method

Make the puff pastry as mentioned in the recipe that I have already posted. After blind baking, remove the puff pastry from the oven and allow to stand on the platform till you make the filling.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Heat butter in a wide non-stick saucepan. Add the roasted garlic. Add a sprig of rosemary. Allow the garlic to brown. Add 1 tsp olive oil. To this add the chopped onions and sauté till they caramelize. Add the chopped mushrooms. Add salt to taste. Stir well. Deglaze the saucepan with white wine, and simmer for 2 min. Now add the chopped yellow bell pepper, ground black pepper, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of nutmeg, red chilli flakes, and salt to taste (if necessary). Remove from flame. Let cool for 5 min. Now add the cooked pasta, half the grated cheese, one whisked egg and cream. Stir till all ingredients are well combined. Ladle the filling into the puff pastry shell and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30min, making sure the cheese has melted and browned.

Allow to cool for 5 min. Remove the quiche from the baking tray, slice and serve warm.

Bench notes

For recipe on how to make puff pastry see here.

Roasted garlic: Take a whole garlic pod (do not peel); smear it with a mixture of olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, and some fresh thyme. Roast in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15-20 or until browned and soft from within. Remove peel and crush with the back of a spoon to make a rough paste.

Tagine Veggies with Couscous and Babaganoush

Moroccon food is very similar to Indian food in terms of its intense and complex flavours, its use of fresh seasonal produce and its sweet-sour-spicy quotient. One bite gives you a little of everything- the strong aromas, the creative blend of flavours, the mix of ground and whole spices, and the use of unusual vegetables for curries. Somehow the whole experience of making it and eating it is colourful, dramatic and luxurious.

A tagine is a dish from North Africa, which is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A traditional tagine pot is formed entirely of heavy clay, consisting of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular, and a large cone shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The conical top is designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom, retaining all the flavours within. Tagines, in Moroccan cooking are slow-cooked stews braised at low temperatures for long periods, resulting in meat that is tender with aromatic vegetables and a curry sauce.

Although, I didn’t use a tagine to make my vegetables, I tried to replicate the mechanism by simmering the vegetables on a very low flame for 40-60 min in a non-stick saucepan covered with a lid. Meat lovers may alter the recipe and add any meat they favour along with the veggies.

The ‘Couscous’ is something of a culinary delight. It is a semolina-based pasta dish, and is usually served with a meat or vegetable stew spooned over it. It provides a beautiful main course supplement to the tagine veggies; accounting for the carbs that we love so much. It is light, tasty and so quick to make. In fact, I love eating it with just about anything!

Babaganoush is a slightly twisted version of the Indian ‘baigan ka bharta’. The taste however is quite different and requires some getting used to. The main ingredient in babaganoush is the ‘tahini’ which is basically roasted sesame seed paste. You can buy this readymade or make some at home.





Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 min
Cooking time: 60 min
Cooking pot: Tagine (or any non-stick wide saucepan)

Ingredients
Tagine Veggies
1 cup cooked chick peas (keep the stock)
1 onion cut into slices
1 carrot cut into round slices
1 sweet potato cut into round slices
1 potato cut into round slices
1 parsnip (can use radish instead) cut into round slices
¼ cauliflower cut into medium pieces
½ raw banana cut into round slices
2 tomatoes halved and sliced
Fresh coriander
Fresh flat leaf parsley
Fresh mint leaves
4-5 dried apricots, de-seeded and chopped fine
3 strings saffron, heated in ¼ cup milk to release flavour
½ pickled lemon
5-6 fennel seeds (Sauf)
2-3 tsp olive oil
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
Tagine spices:
Cumin seeds
Coriander seeds
1 inch cinamon stick
Red chilli powder
Dry ginger powder
Turmeric powder

Couscous
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Mint leaves
Couscous
Juice of half a lemon
1tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Babaganoush
1 big aubergine roasted, de-skinned and chopped fine
1 tbsp tahini
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
Juice of half a lemon
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp ground black pepper
Fresh coriander or fresh parsley finely chopped
½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Method

Tagine Veggies
For making the tagine spice mix, dry roast some cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cinnamon in a pan. Grind into a powder. Keep aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the sliced onions, and sauté till they brown. Now add the rest of the veggies (except tomatoes). Season with salt and the tagine spice mix. Add red chilli powder, dry ginger powder and turmeric powder. Mix well, cover and cook for 3-4 min. Now add the cooked chick peas, along with its stock. Add some fresh coriander, mint and parsley leaves. Add the dried apricots, saffron strings and fennel seeds. Cover and let simmer for about 20-25min checking once or twice in between. Now add the tomatoes, pickled lemon and season with a pinch of sugar. Cover and cook for another 5 min; garnish with some fresh coriander.

Couscous
Put the couscous into a bowl and add hot water to it (can add vegetable stock) according to the instructions on the box. Season with salt and add some extra virgin olive oil. Cover and set aside for 5-7 min. Once the couscous absorbs all the stock it will become soft and fluffy. Use a fork to loosen the couscous. Now add the cherry tomatoes, some lime juice, and garnish with mint. Serve hot along with the veggie tagine.

Babaganoush
Mix all the ingredients together and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Serve as a dip or a side dish along with the couscous.

Tortilla wraps with Mexican beans, tomato salsa, and jalapeño cream

This is something I love not just to make, but to gorge on as well. It’s healthy, tasty and easy to make. Although the recipe might look cumbersome at first sight, (considering it has so many small elements) the final product is worth all the effort! On a boring weekend when your taste buds tingle for something tangy, spicy and fun, these homemade tortillas are your nirvana.

The tortilla wraps can be easily bought in any grocery store, but I like to make them at home. The homemade ones can be as humble as simple whole wheat tortillas or as elaborate as the ones made with puff pastry dough. If you have a dinner party, go for the elaborate ones; they are tastier and crispier with gorgeously browned grill marks. However, for a more healthy meal, use whole wheat flour.

The recipe for the perfect puff pastry involves ‘practice’ as one basic ingredient. Working with the pastry dough can be tricky, leaving you with a sense of frustration. But I strongly recommend that you at least give it a shot. Refer to my post on the perfect puff pastry for its complete recipe, methodology, and presumptive issues you might face. I have tried to include all my experience in making and perfecting them. I hope you find success with your first attempt!

For the Mexican bean mix, I have used a preserved hot sauce available in gourmet stores called the Zulu sauce. It’s available in a variety of spicy flavours and comes in low heat, medium heat, hot and very hot versions! If you can’t find this sauce, replace it with some lemon juice and pureed jalapeños.



Serves: 6 wraps
Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 30-40 min
Cooking pan: Grilled pan (Indian labels include Nirlep, and Prestige)

Ingredients
Tomato salsa
4 medium tomatoes- blanched, peeled and chopped fine
1 large onion chopped fine
Fresh coriander chopped fine
Fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped fine
1 green chilly chopped fine
1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
Zest of half a lemon
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 pods of garlic finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste

Jalapeño cream
4-5 tbsp Fresh cream
3 tbsp pickled jalapeños chopped fine
½ tsp ground black pepper
3-4 drops Tabasco sauce
Salt to taste

Mexican bean mix
2 cups of cooked kidney beans (add salt while cooking)
½ tsp Ground black pepper
½ tsp Red chilli powder
Fresh coriander chopped fine
Zulu sauce

Stir fried veggies
1 onion chopped finely
Bell peppers chopped finely (red, yellow and green)
3-4 drops Tabasco sauce
½ tsp Ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Pomace or extra virgin olive oil

For the final assembly
Butter
Cheese slices
Lettuce- whole leaves

Method
Salsa sauce: In a bowl, mix the blanched and chopped tomatoes with all other ingredients mentioned above for the salsa sauce. Keep aside.

Jalapeño cream: In a bowl, mix the chopped jalapeños with all the other ingredients mentioned above for the Jalapeño cream. Keep aside.

Mexican bean mix: Mildly mash the cooked kidney beans, and add all the ingredients mentioned above for the mix. Keep aside.

Stir fried veggies: Place a non-stick saucepan on a medium flame and add some pomace olive oil (use extra virgin if you can’t find pomace). Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions. Fry till golden brown. Add the chopped bell peppers. Stir for a minute. Add ground black pepper, some Tabasco sauce and salt to taste. Do not overcook the vegetables. Remove from heat and keep aside.

The final assembly: Keep your tortilla wraps (round in shape) cooked 3/4ths and ready for assembly at dinner time because this is something that needs to be served hot. If you are using ready-made ones, get them of out of the refrigerator well before dinner time and let them thaw, so they don’t break or crumble while assembling the wrap.

Use a grilled pan instead of a normal one to get the grill marks on the tortillas. Butter the outer side of the tortilla (the side that goes on to the grill) and place it on the grilled pan. On one half of the tortilla, place a whole lettuce leaf. Next, spoon some of the Mexican bean mix on the lettuce leaf. Top it with the stir fry veggies, tomato salsa and jalapeño cream. Place a slice of cheese over the filling and fold the tortilla in half. Once the surface of the tortilla attains golden brown grill marks, remove from heat. It should resemble half a pizza. Cut into 3 triangular pieces, each like you would cut a pizza slice. Serve hot with tortilla chips and some more tomato salsa (for the spice and tang lovers!)



Bench notes
If you can’t find balsamic vinegar, it can easily be omitted from the tomato salsa. For those who can handle some quirkiness, add a dash of red wine (instead of the balsamic vinegar) or some beer to the tomato salsa. Add kitsch to kitchen! Make sure that the salsa is not too runny, as you don’t want it to make the tortilla wet and soggy.

The Mexican kidney beans should be well cooked and soft, such that you can easily mash it with your hands.

The lettuce leaf is used to create a ‘plastic effect’ in the tortilla. This ensures that your tortilla is not soft and soggy before it reaches your guests.

If you don’t have a grill pan, don’t bother too much. This is not going to change the taste of your wrap.

I don’t necessarily preach ‘healthy’, but if you make the tortillas at home with puff pastry dough, you can get away with baking them too. A lot of ovens come with a grilling tray, so you get your grill marks and you get baked tortillas! Win-win! Your guests will be thrilled that you thought about how hard they work to keep in shape!