Green Peppercorn and Capers Bread

I enjoy all four seasons – but Winter most of all, especially when it’s snowing. Winter has its own special charm and fun. There are so many things one can do and of course, it is also the time we can eat a lot and still hide the results under layers of clothes . Unfortunately, it's just when the winter is about to get over, I start worrying about the extra weight and the calories.

Of course, there are a lot of activities which certainly help in keeping the balance – we went tobogganing and it was great fun, and very very tiring. We certainly selected a very good day for it, it was not too cold but snowing and fresh snow is not too bad at all. The scenic beauty was breathtaking, the fresh snow and the sledding, it was a great day.

By the end of the day, we were all kaput and really enjoyed a generous helping of a cake and hot cocoa on the way back.

Today's recipe Green Peppercorn and Capers Bread was baked a week ago - we had it with the Pineapple Soup. The idea came spontaneously, especially as I had not baked fresh bread for quite some time, and was also an attempt to use some leftover green peppercorns and capers. I also used a new kind of flour- grapeseed flour. It's supposed to be really healthy and it gave a very nice nutty texture to the bread. I am planning to experiment a bit with this flour in future. The pepper and capers flavours went very well with the  Hot and Spicy Pineapple Soup…hope you enjoy it as well!

Ingredients

210 grams - whole wheat flour + to dust the work top

15 grams - grapeseed flour

1/2 tsp - salt

1/2 tsp - baking powder

1 tsp - bicarbonate of soda

4 tbsp - olive oil

25 grams - capers

5 grams - green peppercorns (more or less)

1 1/2 tsp - dried italian herbs

100 ml - low fat yogurt

200 ml - water at room temperature

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl mix together the flours, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, dried italian herbs, capers and green peppercorns.
3. In another bowl, mix together the olive oil, yogurt and water.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in the liquid mixture and mix lightly with a wooden spatula so that everything just comes together.
5. Generously dust the work top with some whole wheat flour.
6. Gather the dough into a ball on the floured work top and with floured hand flatten the ball and try and give a round shape. 
7. Using a sharp and floured knife slit the dough. Don't push down into the dough. 
8. Transfer the dough to the lined baking tray and place the tray in the centre of the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 30 - 35 minutes.
9. Serve with Hot and Spicy Pineapple Soup or with any other soup of your choice.

Enjoy!

Back to snowclad and freezing Munich - with a hot and spicy pineapple soup.

I am back from my lovely India trip.This trip was beautiful and a most memorable one for me, wIth my little sister getting married and entering a new phase of her life. I also managed to travel to Rajasthan (my birth place), which is always really special to me. Visited the beautiful temples and also went to Ranthambore and did the adventurous Safari.

And then...back to Munich which is absolutely freezing with temperatures around -18 and looks life a beautiful snow-clad fairy land. I took my time to get used to the sudden temperature change, from no woolens in Kolkata to only woolens here in Munich, from all the hustle bustle of Kolkata and so many people to quiet Munich and comparitively less people :-) On one side, I do miss my home for so many years - Kolkata, but on the other side I am glad to be back to my current home.

I am a winter person and actually enjoying the winters here now, the snow, and suddenly entering in a cafe to have a cup of hot cocoa to beat the chill. It's fun!

I made this Pineapple soup which I thought is apt for this time of the year. Hot, sweet and spicy Soup and had with caper-pepper bread, recipe follows next.

view from my kitchen window...

Ingredients

9 pieces - pineapple from the can, pureed

1 1/2 cup - water

2 tbsp - sugar

1/2 tsp - cumin powder

1/4 tsp - black salt

salt to taste

3 tbsp - lemon juice, adjust according to your taste

little garam masala optional

1/2 of a fresh red chilli cut into rounds

coriander leaves to garnish

For tempering

1/4 tsp - sunflower oil

1/4 tsp - cumin seeds

a pinch of asafoetida (hing)

For the paste

2 inch - ginger, peeled and chopped

1 - green chilli

Method

1. Add the pureed pineapple along with the water to a pan and cook with the sugar, cumin powder, black salt, salt and lemon juice for 5 minutes on a medium heat.
2. In another pan, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and hing and let it splutter, add the ginger and chilli paste and saute for a minute. 
3. Add the tempering to the cooked pineapple mixture. Add the chilli rounds to the soup and cook further for a couple of minutes. 
4. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Aloo Dum - Spicy potatoes and away for a month

Aloo dum is one of my favourite starters /snacks. In my hometown, Kolkata, it's also a favourite street food, and, of course, I happen to be a big fan of street food.

Normally I do not eat too much chilli. This is, however, one of the few recipes which I love in spite of it's high chilli content. The dish is spicy and tangy and simply mouthwatering. But a word of warning - whenever I eat this, I always keep a bottle of water and some Kleenex handy. The eating ritual is a classic - I take one bite and then a sip of water, and then another bite, then a quick nose wipe with the kleenex, then another bite, and another sip of water - you get the picture, I guess. My face soon turns red and eyes watery, but still I enjoy this as much as anything else. My sis and bro always pull my leg afterward, but it's worth it! My love for this dish overpowers my lack of tolerance for spicy food.

Of course, the original recipe would have one fry the potatoes - but I generally do a baked version.

I love this one, and I hope you like it too!

Ingredients

500 grams - baby potatoes (or if you don't get them, really small potatoes), boiled and peeled
6 tbsp - sunflower oil + to grease the baking tray
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
4 bay leaves
2 tbsp - coriander powder
2 tbsp - tamarind pulp (adjust according to your taste)
2 tsp - salt (or according to taste)

To be coarsely ground together using little water:
60 grams - garlic, peeled and chopped
6 pieces - whole red chillies
2-3 inches of ginger
1 tbsp - cumin seeds

To garnish: rock salt, lemon juice according to taste and loads of finely chopped coriander leaves 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Grease the baking tray with a little oil. Place the potatoes and mix lightly so that the oil coats the potatoes. 
2. Place the tray in the center of the preheated oven and bake until slightly golden (alternately you can also fry the potatoes). 
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves and the coarsely ground paste. Be careful as the paste splutters a lot. 
4. Saute the paste on a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the coriander powder and salt and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. 
5. Add the baked potatoes. Mix lightly, cover the bowl and let it cook for 10 mins, stirring occassionaly. 
6. Add the tamarind pulp. cover and let cook for another couple of minutes. 
7. Remove from the heat, but leave the pan covered. To enhance the taste and the flavours, prepare afew hours in advance (previous evening for today, or in the morning for the evening. 
8. Serve at room temperature, after garnishing with the rock salt, lemon juice and coriander leaves (garnish just before eating!). 

Enjoy the potatoes - while I enjoy a prolonged India trip. Will be away for a month, will be in touch with you again in February.

Welcome 2012- Coffee Chocolate Chequered Cake (eggless)

Wishing all of you a very happy and successful New Year! I hope this year bring loads of love, joy and happiness to your lives.

I welcomed the new year by making this chequered cake. Normally, when I bake a cake for just the 2 of us, I avoid using rich icing, but since this cake was meant not just for us, I took the liberty and used a very (calorie) rich icing.

The cake turned out quite well, in fact, my hubby especially wished for this cake on his birthday. The combination of both the cakes and the espresso-butter icing complemented each other really well. Now that definitely is a good way to start a new year :-)

Ingredients

Coffee Cake

1 cup - whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp - baking powder

1/4 tsp - soda bicarbonate

3 tbsp - sugar

a pinch of salt

100 ml - condensed milk, sweetened

5 tbsp - buttermilk 

5 tbsp - sunflower oil

1 - nespresso chocolate espresso (approx 50 ml), cooled

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease generously a 21 cm / 8 inch round cake pan.
2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, soda bicarbonate, baking powder and sugar.
3. In another bowl, mix well the condensed milk, oil, buttermilk and espresso.
4. Make a hole in the center of the flour mix and tip in the liquid ingredients and mix lightly.
5. Pour the batter in the greased cake pan and place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for approx 25 mins or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Let the cake rest in the pan for a couple of minutes.
7. Invert the cake and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate Cake

1 cup - whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp - baking powder

1/4 tsp - soda bicarbonate

3 tbsp - sugar

4 tbsp - cadburys cocoa powder

a pinch of salt

100 ml - condensed milk, sweetened

5 1/2 tbsp - sunflower oil

7 tbsp - buttermilk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease generously a 21 cm / 8 inch round cake pan.
2. In a bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, soda bicarbonate, baking powder and sugar.
3. In another bowl, mix well the condensed milk, oil and buttermilk.
4. Make a hole in the center of the flour mix and tip in the liquid ingredients and mix lightly.
5. Pour the batter in the greased cake pan and place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for appx 25 mins or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Let the cake rest in the pan for a couple of minutes.
7. Invert the cake and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Espresso Butter Icing

250 grams - unsalted butter at room temperature

1 3/4 cup - sugar

1 tsp - vanilla extract

2 - nespresso chocolate espresso, cooled

Add the butter and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Cream the butter using an electric mixer. Add the sugar and espresso, a little at a time and beat well on medium speed until creamy and light.

Assembling the Cake

1. Cut out two small circles from each cake. I used a 5 inch and a 2 inch cookie cutter to cut out the circles. So now you have, for each cake, an 8 inch ring, a 5 inch ring and a 2 inch circle.
2. Brush the sides of the cut out circles and the insides of the cakes with the espresso-butter icing. 
3. Reassemble the cakes with the cut-out pieces, replacing the middle ring with the piece of the alternate colour - you will now have two cakes with alternate coloured rings. 
4. Apply the icing on the top of one cake and carefully place the other cake on top.
5. Cover the sides and the top of the cake with the rest of the icing.
6. I decorated the cake with some chocolate ganache and dusted the cake with cocoa powder.

Notes

1. If you have just 1 cake tin then let it cool completely after the first cake before baking the second in it.
2. Let the cake cool completely before cutting out the circles.
3. Brushing both the sides and the insides of the circles helps in keeping the pieces together, and more icing is not necessarily bad either.
4. For leveling the icing on the cake: Dip the knife in hot water for a minute, wipe the knife and carefully use the hot- dried knife to level the icing on the cake. This will enable you to give the icing a smooth and even look. Repeat if required, but always use a hot dry knife.
5. Both the cakes are supposed to be less risen than normal.

Enjoy!

Exotic Veggi Burger

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas! For those who do celebrate it - hope you had a wonderful and happy time with your families and loved ones.

My husband is a die hard burger fan - and is ready to eat one anytime, anywhere. So- especially for him - I made these burgers today for lunch. It did take quite a bit of time making and assembling these, presenting them in a nice way and finally clicking the photos and the rest of the work. After finishing lunch, I happened to talk to both my mom and MIL. As usual, they asked what we had had for lunch, and I told them about the burgers.

My mom was quiet for a second and then she said, "You have a lot of passion and patience - that must have taken a lot of time and effort!" and believe me, that one small sentence meant a lot and covered so many unsaid emotions. It's normally not very easy to impress my mom, but she definitely made my day with that one small sentence. Then, I called up my in laws and had a chat with my MIL. It was the same conversation all over again. She was a little more expressive in letting out her thoughts - but with the same basic content - "that must have taken a lot of time and patience!", and she took down the recipe as well. After talking to both of them, I was basking in a small pool of sunshine and happiness despite the cold gray outside, and enjoying my Christmas thoroughly.

And of course the official taster (my dear hubby) had a big smile on his face throughout the lunch, and for half the day after that!

Well, the moral of the story is - sometimes, when I am in a hurry or in a bad mood or simply run out of patience, I do try and take a short cut. Now, as I am writing this, I am saying to myself - it IS worth the time and effort and sweat, not to take shortcuts, to keep the passion flowing, to go on creating new recipes.

So hold on...this is a long one!

Ingredients

Guacamole

1 - ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped

1 - onion, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp - lemon juice

1 - green chilli (or according to taste)

3 tbsp - olive oil

salt and pepper according to taste

garlic (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp - coriander leaves

Put the avocado pulp, oil, onions, green chilli, garlic, lemon juice, coriander leaves, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixer and grind coarsely. Keep aside.

Tomato Gooseberry Relish

2 medium size - tomatoes, chopped

2 - gooseberries (amla), pitted and chopped

1/2 cup - red bell pepper, chopped

2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

2 - 3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 - green chilli (or according to taste)

1 tbsp - sunflower oil

1 1/2 tbsp - coriander leaves, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Heat the oil in a non stick pan. Add the pepper, ginger, chilli and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes on medium heat.
2. Add the gooseberries and cook until they are slightly tender. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients and cook until the tomatoes are soft.
3. Remove from the heat and let it cool. Grind in a mixer. Keep aside.

Zucchini Patties

1 - zucchini, grated

1 - onion small size, peeled and grated

1 - green chilli - finely chopped

2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1 - potato medium size, boiled, peeled and grated

2 tbsp - chives, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

sunflower oil to pan fry the patties

1. Squeeze the excessive water out of the grated zucchini and onion. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
2. Make 6 round patties and pan fry them on medium flame until both the sides are evenly golden.

Beetroot  Patties

1 - beetroot, peeled and grated

1 - carrot, peeled and grated

1 - potato medium size, boiled, peeled and grated

2 -3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1 - green chilli (or according to taste), finely chopped

2 tbsp - parsley, finely chopped

1/4 tsp - garam masala powder

1/2 tsp - dried mango powder (amchur)

salt and pepper to taste

sunflower oil to pan fry the patties

 

1. Squeeze the excessive water out of the grated beetroot and carrot. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
2. Make 6 round patties and pan fry them on low flame till both the sides are evenly golden.

 

Onion Rings

1 - onion, peeled and cut into rounds

oil to pan fry

salt and pepper to taste

Pan fry the onion on a medium flame until slightly burnt. Sprinkle the salt and pepper.Turn carefully and fry until the other side is slightly burnt as well.

 I made the baguette following the recipe from the "Artisan Bread in five minutes a Day".

Butter to toast the diagonally sliced baguettes and I used some dried basil to give a little flavour to the baguettes.

Cheddar slices

green salad of your choice

Vinegar onions (I used one with balsamico)

1. Apply the guacamole to one side of a baguette slice. Put some greens on top of it (I used lambs' lettuce, aka corn salad). Put the zucchini patty and then the cheese slice onto it. Coat the 2nd piece of baguette with the guacamole and put the coated side on the top of the cheese. Apply the tomato-gooseberry relish on the top of the 2nd piece of baguette, put some greens, put the beetroot patty and cheese slice. Coat the 3rd piece of the baguette with the relish and put the coated side on the top of the cheese.
2. Insert a skewer into the burger and top it up with the balsamico vinegar onion.

 

Serve the burger hot and fresh with the salad, pan fried onions, guacamole dip and tomato gooseberry relish. Enjoy the happy faces.