Banana Bread

All of us at some point in time, have had a bunch of bananas lying around the kitchen, going brown. You keep telling yourself, I better finish those, before they go smushy... then, another day goes by...and now they just plain gross... not only are they an unappetizing brown to look at, but they are also simply PERFECT to bake with! Adapted from the original Martha Stewart Banana bread recipe, this cake-like bread, is great as a weekend (or mid week!) breakfast treat, and works great when paired with a steaming cup of tea or coffee.
So, stop feeling bad about letting the bananas go brown, and bake with them instead! :)

Ingredients: (Makes 1, 9"x4" loaf)
Dry mix:
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Soda Bicarb
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon

Wet mix:
- 1/2 cup Butter, softened @ room temperature
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs @ room temp
- 1/4 cup plain Yoghurt+ 1/4 cup Water (buttermilk)
- 1 cup mashed Bananas + 1 tsp Vanilla

Optional additions: Chopped or slivered Almonds & Golden raisins


Method:
1.)  Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Grease and dust a 9x5" loaf pan. Sift the ingredients of the dry mix together and set aside.

2.)  Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat lightly after each addition.

3.)  Add the mashed Bananas+ Vanilla extract. Add the Buttermilk and dry mix to the bowl, alternating each addition.... i.e. little of the dry mix, followed by some of the buttermilk... repeat.

4.)  Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about 55-60 mins or till a cake tester comes out clean.

5.)  Allow the Banana bread to cool in the pan. Run a butter knife along the edges and loosen. Turn out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, in case the weather is warm.

Slice up and enjoy with a generous slather of Cream cheese & a cup of coffee! 

Home-made Whole-Wheat, Thin crust Veggie Pizza with Roast-Garlic & Onion Sauce

Vineet and I were in a mood to celebrate my blogs first birthday. Pimm's & Lemonade was on the menu, but we were wondering what one-dish meal it could be paired with, that would allow us to enjoy some much needed downtime at the end of a long week.

It's been a while since I had done any Bread-related baking, and I have been itching to make thin-crust Pizza at home, since there are few places (all very expensive) that make this just like I like it.... crisp crust, smokey flavours and not drowning in a pool of melted cheese... So the decision was made...

Home made Pizza sure might sound like a lot of work... But if I told you, that my active time in the Kitchen was about 40 mins TOTAL - which included making the pizza base and sauce - you will probably find that hard to believe.

Before I get on with the actual recipe... the total time for this pizza is about 2-1/2 hours... of which 1 hour 20 mins is spent watching TV or playing Poker... I promise :) Here's how;


Ingredients | Pizza Base:
- 1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour (atta)
- 1/3 cup All-purpose flour (maida)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp Warm water (not hot!)
- 1/4 tsp white Sugar
- 1 tsp Active Dried Yeast
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
   
Ingredients | Pizza Sauce:
- 5-6 large large cloves, Garlic (with peel)
- 2 medium Onions, cut in half and thickly sliced
- 2 tsp extra-virgin Olive oil
- 1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes in oil
- Salt, if needed, as per taste

Ingredients | Pizza Toppings:
- 1 medium Red Capsicum, sliced
- 1 medium Yellow Capsicum, sliced
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata Olives, sliced into rounds
- 10-12 Basil leaves, chopped
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE THE PIZZA

1.) Measure out the Flours in a clean dry Glass bowl/ non-metallic bowl. Stir in the Salt and set aside...(Yeast reacts badly with metal surfaces...so, no metal spoons for measuring either!)

2.) Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Add the yeast into the water and set aside for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 mins, the yeast will have expanded and look frothy... at this point. Add the olive oil into the yeasted water. *PREHEAT OVEN TO 180 deg C at this point*. ( BTW.. If the water is too hot it will 'kill' the yeast.. so make sure its temperature is something you can easily dip a finger into)

3.) Make a well in the flour, and slowly pour the yeast-water-oil mixture into it. Start mixing gently using your hands. The dough begins to pull-away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly floured, non-metallic surface and knead for about 8-10 mins till a soft pliable dough forms.


4.) Place the kneaded dough back in the bowl and cover with a clean cotton cloth. Set aside in a warm place for the next 45 mins. Get on with the prep for the Sauce.

5.) Chop off the ends of the garlic, leave on the peels. Arrange the garlic cloves and sliced onions on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil. Put baking sheet in the pre-heated Oven, and bake for 45 minutes, till nicely charred --- as shown in the photo :)

Now go watch TV for the next 45 mins :)


6.) Uncover the rested dough. By this time, it will appear to have doubled in size as it is filled with air. Do not deflate it, but gently divide the dough into 2 parts. Cover and rest again for about 30 mins.

7.) While "dough-rising" Stage-2 is on - Peel the roasted garlic and place in a mixer/food processor along with the roasted onions. Add the sun-dried tomatoes along with their oil and pulse in short bursts till a thick paste is formed. Set aside.
Take a break for the next 25 minutes, till the dough finishes its 30 mins.
(See! I told you this needs very little active kitchen time!)

8.) Once again, Pre-heat the Oven to 180 deg C. While the oven heats, gently pick up one of the 2 dough balls, and roll lightly in your hands.  Place on a floured surface and Roll out into a 1/4" thick circle. (This dough is sticky, so keep dusting it with flour as you roll it out)
Place on a baking tray and bake in pre-heated oven for about 7 mins.

While the base is baking, slice up the veggies for your toppings. Baking the base prior to toppings ensures that it cooks evenly and prevents it from becoming soggy with the toppings. 

9.) Cool the pre-baked pizza base slightly. Spread half of the pizza sauce (this is a thick paste-like sauce) on the base. Arrange half the quantity of the sliced red and Yellow capsicums, radially, to cover the entire pizza. Dot the pizza with half of the chopped olives and sprinkle chopped Basil leaves.
Cover the entire pizza with the grated mozzarella and crumble half of the Feta cheese over the pizza.

Bake @ 180 deg C for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven on baking and repeat steps 8 & 9 for second pizza.


Rest the fully baked pizza on a wire rack for a few minutes after removing it from the oven to cool slightly... One shall exercise patience and keep oneself from pouncing on the hot pizza, else one shall experience a stinging mouth burn from melted mozzarella if one is being greedy :(

Cut up into slices and Eat up! :)

 

Feta, Sun-dried Tomato & Herb Mini-Muffins

A friend from work had made savoury muffins a few months ago as a mid-morning treat for us. I had never tried savoury muffins before, and needless to say they were something I just simply had to try out on my own... After a couple of not-so-sucessful attempts (disasters), I finally got them right today... Made two batches, just to be doubly sure :) And now I have lots of little muffins to pack up and take to work!

* Note: These tend to be on the saltier side, as cheddar and feta both are very salty cheeses. So check the batter before you add any...

This recipe makes about 24 mini-muffins.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup plain Flour (maida)
- 1 tbsp Baking powder
- 1 tbsp Black pepper, cracked
- 1/4 tsp Salt (optional)
- 1 tbsp Dried herbs (thyme+oregano etc)
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes in oil
- 1 long red Chilli, chopped
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin Olive oil 
- 1 egg, beaten with + 1/4 cup water

Method:
1.) Pre-heat the Oven to 200 deg C.

2.) Sift together the flour and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, cracked black pepper, dried herbs, crumbled feta, grated cheddar, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chopped chilli. Mix gently with a rubber spatula and set aside.

3.) Beat the egg with a fork till light and fluffy. Add the water and oil and stir-in to integrate. Make a 'well' in the flour and pour the egg mixture into the flour gently and stir in with the spatula / wooden spoon to form a thick batter.

4.) Line a muffin tray with paper cups. Spoon the batter into the paper cups till 3/4th full and bake @ 200 deg C for about 16-17 mins, till the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean.

5.) Cool the muffins on a wire rack. Eat up!

What I loved about these is that the outside of the muffins are crusty/ crumbly and soft- and bread-like on the inside. The little bits of feta and sun-dried tomato make them just irresistable! :) I think these would be great as appetizers for a dinner party or even as a mid-day snack :)

Mutton curry & Naan

I started work this week. Needless to say spending 9 hours at work post a 3 month sabbatical was not exactly easy. Long story-short, Vineet graciously offered to make dinner, and I played sous-chef this time around...This is Vineet's version of Mutton curry, a loose adaption of the receipe that we use to make Chana masala.
I decided to stay out of his way and let him do his thing, and got on with experimenting with home made naan instead.... needless to say, we had a fun evening and a VERY satisfying meal!

Ingredient list:
Mutton - 500gm boneless
5 tbsp Oil 
2 Onions (finely chopped)
2 largish Tomatoes (pureed)
1 large Potato (chopped into cubes)
3 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
6-8 Curry leaves (kadipatta)
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
2 tbsp Coriander powder (dhania) 
 
Dry whole spices:
1-1/2" Cinnamon stick + 5-6 Cloves + 2 Bay leaves + 1 tbsp Fennel seeds (saunf) + 5-6 Whole black peppercorns + 1 Black Cardamom (kali elaichi)

Method:
1.  Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Saute the whole dry spices till they begin to sizzle and are aromatic. Add the chopped onions & ginger-garlic paste and sautee till nice and browned. Add the Potato and sautee till slightly soft and golden brown.

2.  Add the Curry leaves, tomato puree and turmeric powder, red chilli powder & coriander powder. Let the gravy bubble away till the tomato is cooked through.

3.  Add the mutton pieces and stir gently to ensure that each piece is coated nicely in the thick gravy. Add a cup of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Switch off the heat.

4.  Open the lid of the pressure cooker and open cook the gravy till it thickens to your liking. Add a little water if if thickens too much. Add Salt as per taste.

5.  Garnish with chopped fresh Coriander and Dig in!!

HOME MADE NAAN

( Makes 3-4 naans)

Ingredients:

250g Plain flour (maida)
1 tsp Dried yeast
125 ml Milk (room temperature)
3/4 tsp Salt + 1/2 tsp sugar
1-1/2 tbsp Plain Dahi
15g ghee / unsalted butter


Kitchen Essentials:
Glass bowl / Wooden spoon &
Oven with Grill - preheated to highest temperature setting




Method:
1.  Sprinkle the yeast into 50ml of milk and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Stir it in to dissolve an make into a paste.

2.  Mix the flour + salt + sugar in a glass/plastic bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeasted milk + dahi + butter/ghee and gently stir with a wooden spoon to make a sticky soft dough using the remaining milk if needed.

3. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. The stickiness of the dough will gradually reduce and it will be easier to knead as you go along. Knead for about 8-10 minutes to ensure that the ingredients are mixed well throughout the dough.

4.  Put into a clean glass/plastic* bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Leave it to rise for about 3-4 hours till it doubles in size.

5.  When the dough rises it appears to be puffed as it is filled with gases. Gently punch the risen dough to deflate it and let it rest for another 5-6 minutes.

6.  Divide into 3-4 pieces and roll out till its about 3-5 mm thick. Put onto a baking tray and Grill in a preheated oven-grill for about 4-5 minutes** on one side and about 2 minutes on the second side. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Dab a little butter onto the cooked naan and heat hot, straight outta the grill!


*Yeast reacts with mettalic bowls and the metal will impart a strange and unpleasant flavour to the dough. So ensure you use a plastic/glass bowl/ and wooden spoons to mix the dough.

**The first naan takes the longest (4-5 mins) to cook. Progressive naans need lesser time as the baking sheet is also hot and accelerates the cooking. I'd advise you to stand by and watch, and time the cooking duration depending on how your oven behaves. 

The only disadvantage that making naan using a small oven is that it makes 1 naan at a time... but they turned out so soft and delicious, that they seemed well worth the wait!

Bon appetit!!

Home made Bread & French Style Roast Lamb!

Now, I'm not exactly the kind of person who follows a given recipe religiously, but when it comes to baking, I am careful. Its always a good idea to go over the details of a recipe a couple of times, to accustom oneself with the process and not miss out a key ingredient.
My fascination with food, has resulted in my being hooked to Food Network Asia, a channel that has been sent from the gods above for people like me. A show on the history & technique of bread making, encouraged me give it a shot! I also have a book on French family cooking , bought at a book sale in Gurgaon, that I was yet to use.

So, armed with the books and the determination, we spent the better part of our afternoon in baking some bread to go with the French style Roast lamb for dinner, as a treat for Vineet, who has been working very hard these past few weeks! I have done my best in trying to simplify the explanation and keep it as concise as possible... Its my attempt to encourage you to try this at home! :) Bon appetit! 

HOME MADE BREAD 

(Pain Ordinaire, makes 1, 16" long loaf)

Ingredients:
250g Whole wheat flour
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Dried yeast (rehydrated with 50ml water) 
125 ml Water


Kitchen essentials:
Glass bowl
Wooden Spoon
Oven @ 200 deg. C
Clean hands!


The Process: 
Making one loaf took me about 3-1/2 hours - of which the actual work was just 20-25 minutes. The main chunk of time is spent in letting the dough rise - So don't let the time frame worry you :)

01. Dissolve the yeast in 50ml of water and let it rest till it foams and rises (about 5-7 mins).

02. Put the flour & salt into a bowl and make a 'well' in the centre. Pour the frothy yeast into the well and gently mix a little of the flour into it till it makes a soft paste. Leave to rest for about 15 mins. The frothy mixture will rise.

03. Slowly, start pouring in about 100 ml of the water, and stir gently to form into a soft-sticky dough.



04. Gently mix the flour into a dough- at this point it will start pulling away from the surface of the bowl and become very sticky.

05. Knead the dough gently on a floured surface and keep turning it as you go, to ensure that you apply even pressure throughout and mix the yeast evenly throughout the dough.

06. Knead for about 10 mins, till the dough is soft and silky to touch.

 
 07. Transfer the kneaded dough into a clean glass bowl (large) and leave it to rise and double in size for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. If your kitchen is warm like mine, the dough will rise in about 1 hr 15 mins. Cover it with a cotton towel/napkin.

08. The dough will double in size and be full of air. Gently deflate the risen dough with a clean fist, and let it rest for another 5-10 minutes. (This process is called 'Knocking')

 09. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and flatten it into a thick circular shape. Fold one half of the circle towards the centre and then the other, till it looks like shown in the picture. Seal the joint line with a little pressure using your fingers.
10. Cover with a napkin and let it rise to double its size-for about 30-40 mins.

 11. Transfer the shaped & risen dough upside down onto a floured baking tray. The bread will rise a little during baking as well, so ensure your tray is large enough

12. Use a sharp knife and score diagonal lines on the surface

12. Bake for about 40-45 minutes at 220 deg C, or till the crust is golden brown in colour.

13. To check if it is completely baked, pick up the loaf and tap the underside with your knuckles - it should sound 'hollow'.

14. Cut 1/2" thick slices and
eat Greedily!
                          

FRENCH ROAST LAMB

(Feeds 2 relatively hungry tummies)

Ingredients:

450g Boneless leg/shoulder of lamb

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

Salt + Pepper (for seasoning)

1/4 cup White Wine 

5-6 nos baby Potatoes (peeled)

5-6 nos baby Onions (peeled)

For stuffing:

2 tbsp Butter (saltless)

1 medium Onion - chopped

1 tbsp chopped garlic                                                                          

1/4 cup long grained rice ( I used Basmati)                              

1 bunch baby Spinach leaves                                                                 

1 pkt Button Mushrooms ( 4-5 thickly sliced, leave the rest whole)                                                 

2 tbsp concentrated chicken stock

1/2 tsp dried thyme + 1/2 tsp dried basil 

Kitchen equipment:

Oven preheated to 220 deg C | Wooden Skewers | Saucepans | Mallet / rolling pin | Baking tray | Aluminum foil

Method:

01. Preheat the oven to 220 deg C.

02. Flatten the lamb meat using a mallet or rolling pin till its about 1/2" thick. Season with salt, pepper and thyme and set aside.

03. Heat the butter in a Saucepan till it starts frothing. Saute the chopped onions and garlic till the onions appear slightly translucent.

04. Add the rice and chicken stock along with 1/2 cup of water. Season with the thyme and basil and simmer on a gentle flame till the rice is tender and almost cooked. Cover with a lid. Set aside.

05. Saute the sliced mushrooms, baby potatoes & baby onions separately.Brown well. Set aside. (ensure you saute the mushrooms separately as they release water and will make the potatoes and onions soggy)

06. Saute the baby spinach leaves till they're wilted.Get rid of any extra liquid that might be released during cooking and ensure that the leaves are moist but not drippy.

07. Lay the lamb seasoned lamb meat flat on your the work surface. Lay the layer of sauteed spinach, followed by the rice and lastly with the sauteed mushrooms. Fold the meat around the stuffing and secure the shape with wooden/metal skewers.

08. Arrange in a baking tray lined with aluminum foil (to collect the juices). Arrange the sauteed baby potatoes and onions and remaining whole button mushrooms around the lamb.

09. Roast in a preheated oven @ 220 deg C for 45-60 mins, depending on how 'well done' you'd prefer the meat to be.

10. Carve and serve with freshly grilled garlic bread. 

(For garlic butter, mix 1 crushed garlic clove+ 2 tbsp soft salted butter+pinch of salt)

11. Enjoy with a glass of chilled wine of your choice. 

Feel free to add more sauteed veggies to the baking pan along with the baby onions&potatoes... Capsicum, tomatoes (cut in half), sweet potatoes (cut into chunks) should work really well!