Rum Soaked Cranberry, Banana and Walnut cake

An interesting trivia about cranberries is that they are also called bounceberries because a good ripe cranberry bounces. They also have medicinal qualities but we are not interested in that fact now.

Five or six hours prior to preparing the batter, soak about 2 heaped tbsp dried cranberries in half a cup of dark rum. Mash 2 ripe bananas well. Chop half a cup of walnuts. 

In a mixing bowl, throw in 200g butter and whisk 140g castor sugar, 1 tbsp honey amd 1 tsp vanilla essence well with the butter with an electric whisk. Once soft and creamy, add 3 eggs, but one at a time giving it a nice whisk each time so that the eggs softly blend in. The mix will look light yellow and creamy.

In a separate bowl mix 300g flour with 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt. Sieve once. Add half of this to the butter mix and with a spatula mix well. Now add the banana mash and fold in completely. Next add the rest of the flour mix and once again blend thoroughly again with a spatula. It is time to pick out the cranberries from the rum cup and add them to the batter along with the chopped walnut. One more good round of gentle folding and the batter is ready to go!

Pour into the waiting prepared baking tin and set it into the pre-heated oven. It takes about 30 mins at 150 degrees centigrade. Have fun!

Coffee Cake

Who doesn't  enjoy the romantic whiff of dark coffee brew? Coffee shops have become an universal phenomenon. Working, chatting, catching up, meeting, being alone, thinking, doing nothing...all of these qualify for a shortie or a longie at a coffee shop.

At a tea at Kavery's we had this lovely coffee cake. I am anyway a black coffee fan, It was love at first taste.

Take 150g each of castor sugar, butter, flour, 3 eggs, 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp of coffee and 1 tbsp of hot water to dissolve coffee. Use a whisker and cream the butter till it is soft. Once creamy, add the castor sugar and mix well. Separate the eggs and beat them separately for 4 mins each, if you are using an electric whisker. In another bowl fold in the baking powder with the flour. With a flexi spatula add the flour mix to the creamed sugary butter. Smoothly mix the batter till the flour folds in completely with the butter-sugar mix. Now, dissolve the coffee in the hot water and once done add this to the batter. Pour into your prepared baking tin. Bake at 160 degrees centigrade for 30 mins. Your itchen will be filled with a sexy subtle aroma, enjoy!

To make the icing you will need 225g icing sugar, 100g butter, 1tbsp coffee and hot water. Again cream the butter which was kept at room temperature. Once soft, fold in the icing sugar and finally add the coffee which you need to again dissolve in the hot water. 

Once the cake is at room temperature, with an icing knife gently coat the cake with the coffee icing. Sprinkle some choco chips or chocolate shavings. Keep in the fridge. Whenever you are serving, take it out for a bit from the cold, slice out a delicious wedge and sway the lucky one off his or her feet!

Egg Cabbage Salad

I call this salad "The Indian Khimchi". It is unique in the way it is dressed. Tamarind and roasted cumin gives the salad an interesting zing. Potatoes, an all time fave and eggs, loved by many create magic with fresh green cabbage.

Take 4 hard boiled eggs, 2 potatoes. 4-5 and cabbage leaves which are fresh and green, 2 de-seeded green chillies, 1 large onion and 2 tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves or cilantro. Cut the cabbage leaves into rough chunks or squares. Finely chop the onion and the green chilly.

For the dressing, you need 11/2 tbsp of tamarind pulp(use a fun foods jar if you have), 4 tbsp of tomato ketchup, ½ teaspoon of chilly powder. ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper and ½ teaspoon of cumin powder.    

Boil eggs for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and put the eggs in tap water immediately. Peel and cut the boiled eggs into 4 long or round pieces. Boil potatoes, peel and cut into ¼ inch thick round slices. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet/pan and allow the oil to spread all over. Warm the oil well and slowly place the potatoes all over without creating a double layer. The potatoes need to be fried to a light crispy state on both sides. Set the potatoes aside and add a wee bit of olive oil onto the same pan and golden fry the chopped onions. Once the onions turns transparent pink, please add the green chilies and 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro. It is now time to add the pretty green cabbage leaves. Stir fry in low heat for about 3 mins.

For the dressing, spoon all the elements of the dressing int a bowl. Gently mix with a spoon. Add a tbsp of water for the right consistency. Mix 2 tbsp of the dressing with the salad elements. 

Now plate the salad and randomly position the boiled eggs. Dot the eggs with the dressing. Sprinkle some cilantro and serve warm (as in the temperature it is at).

Spinach & Corn On Crackers

We often find ourselves struggling to put together a sumptuous vegetarian snack, something off the beaten track yet mainstream. Something not terribly high on calories and yet very delicious. Something pretty that even the carnivores will be eyeing, maybe sideways, but eyeing with some greed alright.

I had read this recipe a while back, but since I had forgotten it, the final outcome here is a bit far from the original. My guests however quite liked this version. 

Use a cup of fresh American corn, wash and steam for about 3 mins or so till soft and whole. Drain and set aside. In a tsp of olive oil, saute one finely chopped onion and one pod of finely chopped garlic. Take one green chilly and de-seed it. Once the onion turns pink, throw in the chopped chilly, stir for a min and throw in the golden corn. Sprinkle one squeeze of lime, salt and pepper for flavour and a tbsp of finely chopped coriander leaves. Your corn is done, set it aside.

I used about 2 cups of chopped freshly cleaned spinach. In a warm wok, melt a tbsp of butter. Add one finely chopped onion. Do the same thing with a green chilly as above.Now it is time to add the chopped spinach. Cook for 3/4 mins. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of milk and 3/4th tbsp of corn flour.  Add this to the spinach mix and cook till the mix is thick. Add salt to taste. For more flavour you may add some grated cheese, about a tbsp full but this is optional.

To serve, pour out the corn filling on a cracker or a canape or a toastie. Then pile on some of the spinach puree. If you have not added the cheese in the spinach mix, you can sprinkle some cheddar cheese. Grill for 1/2 mins at semi-high heat. Serve hot. 

Mediterranean Quinoa salad

The grain Quinoa has taken the world by storm and hence a must-consume in today's day of being healthy and wise. Quinoa is a pseudocereal with high iron content and super low fat content. The Incas who held crops as sacred referred to quinoa as the ‘mother of all grains’. Still celebrated and respected, 2013 had been declared as the International year of Quinoa by the United Nations.

To make this beautiful salad you need 3-4 cups water or vegetable broth, 1 1/2 cups quinoa, uncooked, 1/2 cup olives or grapes, 1/3 cup fresh parsley, 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, 1 red onion, 1 cup cherry tomatoes or one large tomato, 1/2 cup broccoli florets, salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese.  

You will also need for the dressing ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 lemon, 2 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp water

For the dressing, mince the garlic and squeeze out juice from the lemon. Mix together with the vinegar and the oil.

For the salad, slice the olives or the grapes and chop the parsley and cilantro. Next dice the red onion. Now take some gorgeous red cheery tomatoes and cut them into halves. In case you are using a large tomato instead, scoop out the soggy part and gently cut the crunchy part into long strips. The broccoli needs to be steamed. Parellely the quinoa needs to be boiled in the cooker using one whistle and a one : two water ratio. The grain is cooked and it absorbs the water. Set aside the grain until it is at room temperature. Gently toss the quinoa with the other salad ingredients except the feta. Now pour the dressing into the salad and mix gently. In the end add the feta and salt and pepper to taste.

You are good to go, teenagers and adults absolutely love this salad as the feta lends a lovely kick and the grain a generous body!

Pasta and mince in sun-dried and roasted tomato sauce

In 1950 Ischian jetsetter Sandro Petti, co-owner of a famed restaurant and nightspot was asked one evening by some friends to cook them some food. In his pantry he found only four tomatoes, some capers and olives. He used them up to make some sauce with spaghetti. and called it spaghetti alla putttanesca, the famous pasta dish.

Pretty much on the same lines, I set out to make some penne with a few tomatoes and sundried tomatoes in my pantry and some chicken mince in my freezer. Dinner was cooked in a jiffy and the consumers went all ga and ga!

Take 4 tomatoes and roast them in an open flame till the skin is charred and black. Then set them aside till they are cool. Now skin them and put them in a blender. To this add about 8 strips of sun dried tomatoes. Blend the two to a coarse consistency.

You now need a lovely large aubergine. Slice them up into 2 mm thick slices. Marinate with salt, olive oil and oregano. After about 8 mins, set them to grill at medium heat.

Now warm 2 tbsp of olive oil, add 1 large finely chopped red onion and 6 cloves of finely chopped garlic pods. To this add the washed mince, salt to taste and 1 tsp dried basel. Fresh chopped basel could be even better. Now cook this in low heat. 

On the side boil a packet of pasta in some salted water. Once cooked, strain, wash with cold water and fold in with some olive oil to keep the penne pieces individual. 

Back to your sauce, after cooking in low heat for 5 mins or so, add in the tomato puree. Stir well. Add 1 tsp chilly flakes. Stir for 5 more mins. Your sauce is ready.

It is time to layer your pasta. At first spoon out some pasta, on this place a layer of the grilled aubergine and then gently layer on the meat sauce. Repeat a few times. sprinkle some dried basel and devour!

Chilly Yogurt Dip

A dipping sauce commonly nomenclatured as  a dip often ushers in the success quotient in a party. The name was attached simply because food items were dipped into the sauce which is thicker than a spread and then eaten. In a recent home party I was toying with some ingredients and making different dips and tasting them myself, and having a lot of fun, mind you!

I must say I hit gold with this little concoction I came up with quite by chance. The guests were actually having the dip with spoons and I had to hide some away for the late comers. 

You need a tbsp of coconut slivers, 2 tbsp green chilly pickle (you can use Mother's recipe or  Nilon) and 4 tbsp yogurt. Blend the coconut and the pickle in a small jar in a blender. Now add in the yogurt and whisk till smooth with a smooth.Serve chilled with side accompaniments. 

PS-In the picture, this is the slightly lime coloured one.