Whole Wheat Paneer Capsicum Galette

A pie is homey. A tart is fancy. And a Galette splits the difference, but is easier than either one.

I didn’t even know what a Galette was until this past year or so and now I’m kind of obsessed with them. Galette is a term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat round or free form crusty cakes. They are pretty simple once you get the habit of making the crust, and you can pretty much bake any fruit or veggie in one of these free spirited pies.

            Galette which is also called a crostata if you’ve got an Italian connection is a free-form pastry, baked without the stability of a pie pan or tart ring. The dough is rolled out flat, then folded around the filling. The appeal of a galette lies in its rusticity. Its juices can leak, the pastry can tear, the filling can sink at the top; it doesn’t matter. As long as you’ve used good fruit or vegetables for the filling and real butter for the dough, it will bake up into something golden brown and utterly gorgeous, the kind of pastry you’re happy to whip up anytime, not just on special occasions.

 

  If you are trying your hand at baking , mastering a galette before trying pies and tarts will give you confidence. For the baking expert, galettes offer ample opportunity for personal expression. Once you have the basic formula for making the galette, you can change it up to suit your tastes, the fruit in season, the leftover vegetables in your fridge.

 

   

          

A savory galette is the easier and more streamlined cousin of a classic quiche. Quiche is a savoury, open-faced pastry crust with a filling of savoury custard with cheese, meat, seafood and vegetables. Quiche can be served hot or cold. It has a buttery pastry filled with any combination of vegetables, cheeses and meats, but without the need to make a custard to anchor it all. In this galette recipe, roasted paneer and green capsicum are combined with tomatoes and fresh herbs for a ratatouille-like mix with a bite, all nestled into a hearty whole-grain crust. Feel free to use any combination of cooked vegetables instead, even leftovers from the fridge.  Serve it as you would  with a salad for lunch or a light dinner. The outcome was delicious. Crusty, crispy and yummy, filling tasting like grilled paneer. Even typing it is creating a desire to eat it again :-)

Ingredients:

For the PASTRY Base

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 ½ cup
• Chilled Butter – ¾ cup
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Ice cold water - 1/4 cup water

For the Filling:

• Paneer - 250 gms ( cubed)
• Green Capsicum- 1 (Cubed )
• Onion- 1 ( Cubed)
• Tomato-2 cut into circles
• Tomato puree- 2 to 3 tbsp 
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• I tbsp coarsely ground pepper
• 1 tsp red chilli flakes
• Salt
• Oil-1 tsp
• Melted  Butter - 2 tbsp and 
• Mixed Herbs-1tsp for brushing 

METHOD:

• Mix together flour and salt  Mix in the butter chunks and combine till the flour looks like bread crumbs. Sprinkle ice water little at a time to bring the dough together. Don’t knead. Add a more ice water little by little if you prefer pliable dough without cracks.

• Cover this dough with cling foil and keep it in fridge for an hour.

• Cut the paneer , onion and capsicum into cubes and keep aside.

• Rub the paneer with salt, pepper, chilli flakes and Italian seasoning and keep aside.

• In a pan put, 1 tsp of oil. Once hot, add the onion, capsicum and toss for 1 minute on high flame so that the capsicum becomes tender.

• Add the tomato puree, salt,coarse pepper powder and cook for a minute or so.

• Stir in the Paneer and toss well so that the masalas are well coated with the paneer.  Do not over cook.

• Check the seasoning and take off from the stove.

    

• Preheat the oven at 180C. Take out the dough. Divide into 4 equal portions and make round balls , roll each into a rough circle and place the filling in the centre for Galette.

• Line a baking tray with butter paper. Place the rolled out galette on the tray. Scoop out the capsicum paneer mixture and spread on each disk, leaving 1 and a quarter inches on the sides for folding.

 

• Place a slice of tomato covering the paneer .sprinkle salt and Italian seasoning over it and start to fold the side overlapping one fold over the other.

• Bake them at 180 degrees for approximately 30 to 35 minutes or till the pastry is crispy and golden . 

          

  

• Transfer to a cooling rack , leave for 10 minutes . Brush the Galette with warm butter and mixed herb. Serve warm along with a dip of your choice.

This recipe has been adopted from http://masterchefmom.blogspot.in/ which has some great collection of recipes from Traditional to Modern, Street food to Home Cooked, Tiffin Box to Party recipes, Breads, Cakes and many more. With step by step pictures for every recipe MASTERCHEFMOM will excite you to try!!!

Happy Cooking..........

Sending this Whole Wheat Paneer Capsicum Galette dish  to " FOODIE MONDAY BLOG HOP" event

Expresso choco chips Ice cream

A few months back, if anyone would tell me to make ice cream without a ice cream maker , I would have laughed ,but not now......Ice cream has been a weakness for me...I do not need an occasion  and time to have it....but the thought of making it at home with so many flavours seems always a daunting task to me.....so I would buy my bucketful of flavors from the store and keep it the freeze....for relishing whenever I have a mood.  A few days back , while raiding the refrigerator, I found my stock of ice cream have been exhausted......and the nest day I was expecting guest at home.  So what to do.....Luckily I have a can of condensed milk and whipping cream which I had brought from a baking workshop I had attended a few days back in town. 

That day I realized making Ice cream is so much fun.....I would like to share my favorite magic trick in the kitchen: creamy ice cream made with just two ingredient. Yes, that's right — just two  ingredient, and no ice cream maker needed.                                                           

 To make a no churn ice-cream, all you need is a few cups of heavy cream and a can of condensed milk .Whip the cream, fold it into the condensed milk, freeze for a few hours, and you got to eat your sweet ice cream. Condensed milk is a magic ingredient when making no-churn ice cream - the end result will be creamy, smooth and not at all icy.

 

 With traditional ice cream, you have to make a sweetened base of a cooked mixture of heavy cream and sugar with eggs or corn-starch to help thicken it into a rich custard – which needs to be cooled, then churned in an ice cream maker before freezing. Churning incorporates air and breaks up ice crystals as they form, making the finished ice cream creamy and smooth rather than one icy block.

 

 Pic courtesty: http://www.icecream.com/

With no-churn ice cream, a can of sweetened condensed milk takes the place of the base and  the whipped cream brings the airy, creamy texture. Fold the two together until they’re just barely combined and you get the exact flavor and texture of ice cream after freezing. It’s creamy, it’s scoopable, it melts on your mouth. I love the combo of chocolate and coffee.

                                                                                 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 1  can condensed milk

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

• 3 tablespoons instant coffee

•  1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Let's learn how to make no churn Expresso choco chips  Ice cream:

• Pour the  condensed milk into a large bowl.Mix the vanilla extract into the condensed milk.

• Whip the heavy cream using a hand mixer until it holds stiff  peaks.

•  Fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk. Continue to fold, till the mixture is smooth , soft and silky. Stop when you see just a few small lumps here and there — be careful not to deflate the mixture too much or over-mix.

• Stir in the instant coffee powder and the chocolate chips.

• Spoon the ice cream into a freezer-safe container  using a spatula to scrape all the ice cream base into your freezer container. Smooth the top, then press a piece of wax paper against the surface to prevent ice crystals from forming.

• Freeze for 4 hours or  preferably overnight to experience rich and creamy ice cream.

Sending this to “Fiesta Friday” ......at http://fiestafriday.net/2015/08/14/fiesta-friday-81/

Malabar Prawn Curry

Malabar Prawn Curry is a recipe from the coastal regions of South India, KERALA, which is aptly called “God’s Own country”. Because of the abundance of coconut trees in Kerala, it finds it's exclusive presence in Malabar Cuisine. Malabari Cuisine is from the Southern Part of Konkan Coast, which is quite different from the Northern Konkan cuisine namely Malvani and Gonmantak. Usage of Tamarind and Curry leaves is the signature of Malabari Cuisine. This recipe has a burst of flavor with the tanginess of tamarind, great flavours of curry leaves and the sweet taste of coconut milk.

Coconut is the newest super food and the go to ingredient for nutritionists and healthy eating individuals. Why is coconut good for you? There’s good reason for the hype. It’s said to boost your metabolism and helps to protect your immune system, releasing energy slowly so you can avoid those highs and lows that lead to cravings. Coconut water is the fastest-growing soft drink, much loved for its super hydrating qualities and nutritional benefits. Coconut cream and coconut yoghurt join coconut milk as a delicious dairy free alternative to dairy products, which make great substitute if you are vegan or trying to go dairy free or cut back on dairy.

Ingredients:

Prawns- 250gms

Coconut milk-1 cup

Tamarind paste-1 tsp

Curry leaves- a sprig

Mustard seeds-1/2tsp

Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp

Whole Red Chillies-2 to 3 nos

Baby onions- 3 to 4

Turmeric powder-1tsp

Kashmiri red Chilli Powder-1 tsp

Salt to taste

Juice of ½ lemon

Mustard Oil- 3 to 4 tsp

For the Paste:

Grated coconut-3/4cup

Chopped Ginger-1 tsp

Chopped Garlic-2tsp

Green Chillies-2 nos

Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Cumin powder-1/2tsp

Coriander powder-1tsp

• Wash and clean the prawn. Marinate the prawn with 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder , 1 tsp salt and a juice of half a lemon for 30 minutes.

• Take 1 cup of grated coconut and pour over 1 cup of boiling water and extract the coconut milk through a sieve.

• Grind all the ingredients marked under Paste with some water and keep aside.

• In a pan, fry the prawns on both sides in mustard oil for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

• In the same pan, add ,a little more oil, when it is hot, add the mustard and fenugreek seeds, once they start to splutter, add the curry leaves, dry red chillies, and the onions. Fry till the onions turns a little brown and then add the ground masala. Saute for 5 to 6 minutes or till oil comes out from it on medium heat. Add salt and tamarind paste and cook for further 3 to 4 minutes.

• Now add the prawns and cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then add the coconut milk. Let it comes to a boil and then lower the heat and let the curry cook for 2 to 3 mts more. Switch off the gas and keep it covered to trap the aroma of the curry inside.

• Serve hot with hot steamed rice and raita.

Sabudana Vada Slider- A Maharastrian Delight

Indian streets are well famous for its  tasty food items, Every Indian city has its own specialty of all time favorite snacks. Delhi is famous for its tasty street foods either Indian or Chinese with Indian flavor, North East Indian cuisines are also considered to one of the best food such as Naga cuisines, Assam Laksa, bamboo shot, momos, they are cheap and taste really good. 

During my travel outside, I always makes it a point to taste these street food delicacies and whenever I have the opportunity to try these at home, I try to replicate the dish , giving a little healthy twist to these delicacies. Some of my favorite street food are the Chole Bhature of Delhi, Poha-Jalebi of Indore, Litti Choka of Patna, Aloo Tikki of Lucknow, Vada Pao of Mumbai, Kachori of  Bikaner, Egg Rolls of  Kolkatta, Idli Sambhar of Chennai & Jodhpuri Mirch Bade. I will try to present before you all these favorite street food of mine in their new healthier version.

                                      

                                                          

India finds expression in it's streets-be it culture or be it cuisine. This is truer than ever when said in the context of Mumbai,where street food is relished even by millionaires. The snacks are prepared right in front of everybody and the enticement of the aromas is never missed. 

Sabudana vada is a favourite amongst Maharashtrian. It lends itself to such lovely recipes, such as these vadas. The crunchy peanuts that punctuate every bite are something I look forward to in the vada. You can serve these vadas on fasting days like Janmastami , Maha Sivaratri or as Starters / Snacks for entertaining.

Tapioca is popularly known as  sabu or sabudana in India. Tapioca is a starch extracted from cassava . It is used worldwide as a thickening agent. It is gluten-free and low protein. sabudana are widely used on Ekadasi and other days of fasting . It’s a special snack made during fast / vrat / upvaas especially during navratri vrats. It’s a great snack to be made in monsoon which is crunchy on the exterior and soft, fluffy from within. 

INGREDIENTS:

200gms Sabudana  soaked for 2 to 3 hours 

Potato, cooked and mashed- 2nos

Raw Plantain, cooked and mashed-2 nos

Peanuts/ Ground nut (with or without shell)- 4tbsp

Green chillies, chopped- 2-3 nos

Coriander leaves, chopped- 2 tbsp

Chat Masala- 1 tsp

Salt- to taste

Oil

To assemble the Sabudana Slider, you will need:

Burger/ Pav Bun

Cucumber-1no

Tomato-1no

Green Chutney

Tomato sauce

Mayonnaise

lettuce leaf(Optional)

PROCEDURE:

• Wash and soak the sago seeds in water for 2 to 3 hours . Drain the water using a sieve or with hand and set aside.

• Pressure cook  the potato and plantain for three whistles on medium flame till soft. When the steam releases allow the potato and the plantain to cool. Peel  and mash well using hand or masher.

• Roast the peanuts till crunchy; allow to slightly cool. Pulse the peanuts twice or thrice in a blender as a coarse pieces; set aside.

• In a bowl add the mashed potato, plantain,drained sago seeds, crushed peanuts, green chillies,  coriander leaves, salt and chat masala.

• Mix well and apply oil in your palms to make small balls out of it. If you feel its soggy add a teaspoon of corn flour or rice flour to get the correct consistency.

• Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan and shallow fry the vadas till crispy texture with golden colour on both sides. Take out and keep on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil. 

    

• Take a Burger /Pav Bun and cut into half. On one part of the bun, apply green chutney and on the other apply tomato ketchup.                                                           

                                    

• Put a spoon of mayonnaise over the green chutney,  place slices of cucumber and tomato on it.Place the Sabudana Vada on it. 

• Secure the Sabudana Vada by placing the top of the Burger/ Pav bun with a toothpick inserted with a cherry to have a look and feel of desi burger or Sabudana Vada slider.

• Enjoy this with your family, or simply pack in the tiffin of your child...

This recipe is an entry to Monsoon Snack Challenge for The Hub @ Archana’s Kitchen challenges

Sweet Apple Dumplings-

This monumental dessert called Apple Dumpling where sweet red apples are wrapped in a rich pastry ,baked and served with an even richer sauce. This recipe, originally from the Amish people of Pennsylvania, is definitely not diet food. The Amish are famous for their hard work. If you’ve been building barns or ploughing the fields all day, you won’t feel guilty returning home to these deliciously saucy, individually packaged apple pies.Amish food tends to be heavy in carbohydrates and fats. But such a diet is okay for physically active farmers.

   

       

An apple dumpling is a pastry filled with apple, cinnamon and occasionally raisins. Apples are peeled and cored, placed on a portion of dough, then filled with cinnamon, butter and sugar. Then the dough is folded over the apples and the dumplings are baked until tender.

Apple dumplings are a native food in the northeastern United States, around Pennsylvania. A very common recipe among the Pennsylvania Dutch, it is often eaten as a breakfast item, but they are also a very common dessert item after meals. It's also popular to eat them with ice cream or in milk.

The apples:

3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon  salt
1 ¼ cups  cold butter
2 tablespoons  buttermilk
2 tablespoons  cold water
1 tablespoons  lemon juice
12 sweet red apples

1/1 cup powdered sugar for dusting

The sauce:

½ cup  butter
1 cup  brown sugar
4 tablespoons  water

Sprinkle the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine the buttermilk, water and lemon juice, and stir it into the flour mixture to form a soft pastry. Knead the dough briefly, then set aside for a few minutes.

Peel the apples and keep in salt water to avoid oxidization.

Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll into round shape. Place the apple on it and wrap it with the dough so that it completely fits around the apple and seal the apple in the top. Repeat for all the apples.

Place a Parchment paper on a baking tray and place the apples on it. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C and bake the apples for 30 to 40 minutes or till the outer coverings are lightly brown and the apples yield easily to a knife.

Combine butter, sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over moderate heat until it becomes thick and saucy. Dust it with Powdered sugar and pour the sauce over the dumplings just before serving.

The recipes is inspired from 'Cooking with Kurma', Australian vegetarian guru, Kurma Dasa.  Kurma is one of the world's leading  proponents of pure & natural vegetarian cuisine. 

                                                                                 

 

 Simple and made with the freshest ingredients, country cooking always satisfies a hungry family—and nothing says country cooking more than traditional Amish recipes do. Simple and made with the freshest ingredients, country cooking always satisfies a hungry family—and nothing says country cooking more than traditional Amish recipes do.    

From the sweet aroma of freshly baked apples ,there is something for everyone when it comes to home-style cooking and Amish recipes.