Pass the Pasta

A very unlikely friend taught me this recipe. Unlikely, because he didn’t really look like he knew his way around a kitchen, let alone Italian cuisine. But clearly he did, and his recipe has become one of my favourite ‘healthy’ comfort foods.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes:  1 kilo chopped small

Garlic: 1 pod chopped fine (or more if you’re a fan)

Fresh cream: 2 tbsp

Salt: To taste

Pepper

Fusilli/penne/fettuccine/farfalle

Olive oil: 1 tbsp

(Optional)

Mushrooms, babycorn

Prawn

Bacon/bacon bits

Basil

Preparation:

Start the sauce first.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Before the oil gets too hot, put in the chopped garlic. (I love garlic so I always use a lot.)

Don’t let the garlic get brown. When you see a hint of gold on the garlic, throw in the tomatoes.

Mix the tomatoes and the garlic well and then seal the pan with a lid.

Now put the gas on low and wait.

Pour yourself some wine and listen to some music.

Whatever you do, don’t open that lid.

Distract yourself from wanting to sneak a peak, by getting the pasta going.

Boil water and salt.

Add the pasta.

Cook to al dente or soft (basically the way you like your pasta).

Drain, add a few drops of olive oil, mix well and leave aside to cool.

Back to the sauce.

If you’re adding veggies or prawns (or any other extras) to the sauce, boil or cook them ahead. Cook them simply with just salt, so that the extras can take on the flavour of the sauce. The sauce is quite delicious by itself, but the extras do make the meal heartier.

The sauce needs to cook under a closed lid for at least 30 mins .

When you lift the lid, the tomatoes should be nicely cooked through. When you stir the sauce, the tomatoes should mix into a chunky wholesome consistency.

Turn off the gas.

Add the fresh cream. It adds a great kick to the flavour and enhances the texture of the sauce.

Add salt to taste. Add in the extras.

Mix half the sauce into the cooked pasta.

Add the remaining sauce, just before serving.

Serve with love and a fresh salad. Yum yum.

Buon appetito J

Image courtesy Shutterstock.com

Title courtesy Uma Nair on a very memorable party night :) 

Kuku Paka - Going healthy East African style

One of my most prized possessions is a Time&Talent's Club cookbook I inherited from my mother when I moved out of my parent's home. In the section under International Dishes one of the first ones that popped out at me was Kuku Paka, not just for its fun sounding name but also because of how simple it is to make. And healthy. 

Kuku Paka - 

Kenyan Chicken & Coconut milk Curry

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1/2 kilo (I prefer chicken on the bone as it makes the curry heartier. The chicken can be stripped later and the bones discarded)

Turmeric - 1 teaspoon

Coconut milk - 2 cups

Salt to taste

Lime - 1

Grind together to a paste:

Coriander leaves - small bunch

Green chillies - 4 or 5

Ginger - Small piece

Garlic - 1 pod (half if you prefer)

Onion - 1 medium sized

Preparation:

In a pan, add a tiny bit of oil. Put in the chicken pieces and toss lightly to seal the meat. 

Add the ground masala paste to the chicken. Coat the chicken well and add some water. 

Let the chicken cook till almost done.

In a separate pan, pour in the coconut milk, add the turmeric and salt and bring to a boil. Then simmer for about 10 mins stirring frequently. 

When the chicken is almost cooked, add the coconut milk mixture.

Let it cook till the chicken is completely cooked through.

Add the juice of 1 lime and serve hot.

Tastes great with Garlic bread or a little bit or rice or noodles.

Why's it so good:

Chicken will give you your protein fix. Coconut milk is nutritious and rich in vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. There's no added oil or powdered masalas. It's light but filling. And you can also health it up by adding corn on the cob, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes :)

Curious about Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is quite the super food. Deservedly so.

It has one of the highest nutrition values of any food. It has more fibre than most other grains. It’s gluten free. It has been known to improve the body’s metabolism. It’s high on iron, minerals and antioxidants. And it’s a weight loss friendly food because it has a low glycemic index (which is linked to lower calorie intake). Its fibre content keeps you full, longer. And it’s high in protein which also keeps you feeling sated for longer.

Now we know it’s good for us… but what the hell do we do with Quinoa.

Quinoa is essentially a grain and cooks like one. It’s tasty and can be easily incorporated into your existing diet. It has a nutty flavour and looks a bit like couscous. 

Here’s a basic guide to cooking Quinoa. I’ve also added some links to some simple and tasty Quinoa recipes at the end J

How to cook Quinoa (basic) 

1.     Wash the Quinoa thoroughly or it will taste bitter when cooked. Rinse the grains till the water runs clear.

2.     Soak in cold water for 5 minutes and rinse again.

3.     Put the Quinoa in a pot and add water. Quinoa works on a 1:2 ratio (1 part Quinoa : 2 parts water)(Substitute water with chicken or vegetable stock for a tasty alternative)

4.     Cook for 15-20 minutes or till water is absorbed.

5.     Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

6.     Fluff with a fork. Season, toss, mix as desired.

7.     Quinoa ready J

Quinoa recipes you might want to try:

Grecian Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Curried Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Vegetable Salad

Lemony Quinoa

Cheesy Boccoli Quinoa

Spanish Style Quinoa

Chicken and Veg Quinoa

*Recipes courtesy AllRecipes.com and MyRecipes.com

Getting creative with oats

I love eating oats. They’re one of the best breakfast foods you can put into your body. Oats are loaded with fibre. They make energy quickly available to the body and are easily digested. And they’re a great pre-workout snack.

But oats with milk/honey/nuts gets a bit monotonous.

So, I’ve experimented a bit and found a couple of easy deviations. Savoury oats is now one of my favourite breakie options. And it takes just a few precious morning minutes to whip up.

Ingredients:

Any other brand of oats you like

Onions/celery/spring onions chopped fine

Vegetables diced small (carrots, mushrooms, beans, peas, cherry tomatoes)

Curry leaves (optional)

Chicken/vegetable stock or cube (optional)

Chilli powder and haldi (optional)

Water                              

Salt to taste

Coriander to garnish (optional)

Preparation:

You’ll notice that a lot of the ingredients are optional. That’s because there are different permutations and combinations that work really well.

Using just a tiny bit of oil, sauté the onions until they lose their raw taste. If you’re using the curry leaves, fry them just before sautéing the onions.

Throw in the veggies and stir fry lightly for 5 mins.

Add the dry oats and mix well with the veggies.

For the next step, here are three tried and tasted versions:

1.     Keep it simple: You could just add enough water to cook the oats and season with salt. Garnish with coriander.

2.     Soup it up: Use a soup cube or chicken or vegetable stock for flavour. You probably won’t need to add salt. This gives the oats a delicious and wholesome flavour. Leave out the curry leaves if you’re doing it this way. Works really well with all kinds of veggies, but best with mushrooms. You can opt to keep it a little gluggy if you like, or dry it out to a flaky finish.

3.     Go Indian: While sautéing the onions, add a dash of chilli powder and haldi, then the veggies and finally the oats. This makes it a little like poha. Option to add some roasted groundnuts. 

     

    You can work any flavour or ingredient and create your own fun version of oats. They're so versatile that way. Bon Apetit :)

Quiche me please

I fell in love with the idea of ‘quiche’ the first time I tried one. First of all, it’s got a quirky sounding name. And it’s a symphony of eggs, cheese and any filling your heart desires in a delicious piecrust. What’s not to love?

Here’s one of my favourite quiche recipes. Mushroom and Spinach quiche. Makes one 9 inch quiche.

For the pie crust:

1 cup Maida

1/3 -1/2 cup cold Butter cut into small cubes

1 pinch Salt

Cold water

Cling film

For the filling:

2-3 Eggs

Cheese (how much depends on how cheesy you want it)

1 packet Mushrooms 

Onion (optional)

Half bunch Spinach 

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Chilli flakes (optional)

Oven setting: About 170 degrees centigrade. Preheat please. 

The Pie Crust

This took me a little practice to get right but is quite easy once you get the hang of it.

Place the maida in a big bowl. Add the salt.

Cut the butter into smallish cubes and drop it into the maida.

Using your fingers mix the maida and butter together till the dough resembles crumbs. You should feel tiny lumps of butter in your mixture. 

To this, add cold water one tablespoon at a time, mixing the maida and water till the dough just about holds together in a rough ball. You don’t want a smooth mixture like chappati or puri dough. Let it remain a rough, but held together.

Wrap your mixture in the cling film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This is important and is the difference between a hard crust and a flaky delicious crust. I learnt this the hard way :/

Roll the (rested) dough flat (I like using the marble counter of my kitchen). Use flour to ensure your dough doesn’t stick to the counter. Roll out to about a 4 mm thickness and a little bigger than your pie dish.

Place the rolled piecrust dough into the pie dish. Line the pie with butter paper and weigh it down with rajma or channa. 

First blind bake the pie crust. This is basically baking the crust a bit before adding the filling, so that the filling won’t make it soggy later. The rajma/channa will ensure that the pie doesn’t puff up in the centre.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Then remove the butter paper and rajma/channa and bake for another 5 minutes to ensure that the bottom is cooked.

Weigh the crust down for blind baking

After blind baking

The Filling

Sauté the mushrooms with butter and onions, or just boil them with salt if you like. When done, let the mushrooms cool.

Lightly sauté the spinach with garlic and add a tiny bit of salt to taste. Let this cool.

In a large bowl, beat 2-3 eggs, depending on the size of your pie dish. Add salt and pepper. Chilli flakes for some extra punch. If you're feeling really wild, add some fresh cream :)

Grate some cheese and keep it ready.

Into the pre baked piecrust, spoon in the spinach and mushrooms. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the veggies. Finally pour the beaten egg into the pie, letting it settle between the veggies. Careful not to overfill.

Bake this in the oven till the egg is firm and starting to get golden on the top, The edges of the piecrust should be golden brown.

Allow the quiche to cool, before cutting and serving.  Tastes great with a fresh leafy salad.

Enjoy J

*Blind baking pictures courtesy http://www.thekitchn.com/