Announcing -Flavors Of Cuisines & Inviting Hosts :)

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As you all know EP series-Herbs & Spices had been a major event in the last year at my space & had been successful with all the enthusiastic participants & the dedicated hosts.Its getting over by this month.Am happy that we could cover all the major herbs & spices without any duplication.I would also like to thank each one of you for all your contributions to enlighten the related recipes with each of the herb & spice.I would also like to share the roundup page posted here of all the months so that you can view them all at one place for all your future references.Click on the respective herb or spice to go the round up page of the respective herbs & spice.
Starting from Feb'13,I would like to start up a new series-"Flavors Of Cuisines".This series would mainly cover the important cuisines of the world.Cuisines as u all know is a set of cooking traditions & practices often associated with a specific culture.How about that? Each month,I would like to cover a cuisine to bring about all the famous recipes in that particular cuisine.Starting next month,I would like to invite hosts to take over the series.Hope you all liked the healthy & challenging idea behind the theme.

For Feb'13,Jannet(love to experiment) @ My Food Treasures has happily consented and is guest hosting the event at her space with the theme "MEXICAN CUISINE".Please drop in her space for the event rules,links & logos.Also,Looking forward to all the interesting,yummy recipes that you can bring out to make the event a huge success.You can link two old or archived entries too.Wish you all good luck,Friends !!




FOR THOSE INTERESTED  IN GUEST HOSTING-
(Do drop me a line at julstreat(at)gmail(dot)com if you are interested to host for a month and specifying the cuisine too so that we can know at the earliest & confirm the months)
Please check the link here to find out the free months and available cuisines.

-Guest hosts will be awarded  a hosting award for guest hosting that particular month and also I would select the Best host award which will be selected by the end of the series for their consistence,time keeping,word spreading & round up posting during their hosting month.-The event runs for one full month starting from the 1st -last day of the month.-Hosts can choose your interested "cuisine" at your own discretion,just make sure that its not already taken or booked.The famous ones that I could think are Thai Cuisine,Indian Cuisine, Italian Cuisine,French Cuisine,Indian Cuisine,Arab cuisine, American Cuisine.you can chose from these or bring out a new one.-The hosts who can accept both vegetarian & non vegetarian posts in their space are invited.Just wished to make sure both veg & non veg recipes are linked & nothing is missed.-Announce the event at your space a day before the starting date and add in the logo.It would be nice if you leave a note to link my event announcement page as well along with your event announcement page.-The link to the round up of event should be sent to me so that I can publish it in the round up page calender at my space too.-The awards can be your given at the host's own discretion.
-Hosts can combine any give away's to with the event if planning.
Over to My Food Treasures   .......  :)

Mutta Aviyal | Egg & Vegetables in Coconut Sauce

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Mutta avial is a traditional kerala side dish with all the richness of avial (mix of vegetables in coconut sauce)and eggs.It best pairs with appam /Idiyappam and also serves a great side dish for rice too.This is a mildly spicy dish which even kids can enjoy too and a very healthy one too.I have used only potatoes in this dish but you can add drumsticks,carrots,egg plants too.Do check this out !!


Ingredients
eggs hard boiled 6
potato 2 medium sized
chilly powder 1 tsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
green chillies 4-5 slit vertically
tomato 2 small chopped
onion 1/2 sliced
curry leaves
coconut oil 2 tsp

to grind 
coconut grated 1 cup
cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
garlic clove 1-2
shallots 4-5


Method

• Boil the eggs and place in ice cold water for 10 mins. De shell the eggs,and cut into halves and then quarters.(Don't crumble the egg yolks)
• Peel the potatoes and cut thick long slices.Place it in a bowl of water,leave aside.
• Bring one cup of water to a boil,add the potato slices,sliced onions,slit green chillies, turmeric powder,chilly powder & adequate salt.Let it cook for seven mins,until half done.Add in the tomatoes and cover,cook till tomatoes are mashed and potatoes are done,water is almost evaporated.
• In the meantime,grind the coconut,cumin seeds,garlic clove and shallots to a smooth paste.Add this paste in the cooked vegetables and mix well.Adjust salt now,add if required.Let it cook for 2-3 mins,add the quartered eggs.(Don't mix too much,gently fold in )Put off flame after a minute.
• Add in the fresh curry leaves and coconut oil.Leave covered for 5 mins and then mix,Serve with rice/ Appam / Idiyyappam !!

Servings~ 2-3 adults
NOTES* You can add drumsticks too in this curry or any other vegetables of your choice.

Guacamole (Easy & Tasty Dip)

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The first recipe that comes to my mind when talking about mexican recipes and a favorite to many is the guacamole.Its a very good dip served with tortilla chips/mexican bowl rice made out of ripe avocados.The homemade guacamole is very simple to make and is very relishing too.Avocados have known to have cholesterol lowering properties.And thus its a very healthy dip too.We enjoyed this with tortilla triangles.Do try this creamy delicious dip !!

PS: The new series with Flavors of Cuisines is started off @ My Food Treasures with the theme "Mexican".Link up your entries soon.Also,a word of thanks to all my enthusiastic bloggers who signed up for guest hosting the series,friends.I was overwhelmed with joy to see the guest hosting response,dearies.Thank you all,Hope this will be interesting with the trying & learning the flavors across the world.


Ingredients
avocado 2 pitted & mashed
onion 1/2 medium chopped
tomato 1 fine chopped
garlic clove 1 finely minced
cilantro 3-4 sprigs
jalapeno pepper 1
lime 1
salt & pepper to taste



Method
-Wash the avocado,slit half way.Pitted and scoop out the pulp.Mash it smooth with a fork or spoon.
-Add in all the chopped veggies.Squeeze out the lime and add salt & pepper.
-Keep chilled for a few hours so that the flavors are blended well if you have time or else serve.
-Serve with tortilla chips,tortilla triangles or as topping for mexican rice !!


Servings ~ a small bowl

NOTES
* Avocados tend to brown very fast so prepare and chill immediately.
* If u don't like the strong smell of onion,then use scallions /green onion.
* Remove the  pulp from tomato if you want your guacamole to be creamy.


Linking this recipe to Flavors of Cuisines-Mexican hosted by Jannet (love to experiment)@ My Food Treasures

Pizza Pull Apart Bread

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Baking Pizza from scratch is a lengthy process but how about getting the same authentic flavors in a pull apart style.This is an easy recipe,where even a beginner can try and get the authentic flavors of pizza too.What more do you want,an evening quick fix where in you can dump everything and stay cool.The recipe is adapted from here and modified as per our tastes.The original recipe uses southern style biscuits instead of pizza dough but I prepared the dough using wheat flour and all purpose flour.This is a filling evening snack that can be served with some dipping sauce !!!


Ingredients
for dough
wheat flour 1 cup
all purpose flour 1 cup
active dry yeast 1 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
olive oil 1 tbsp
sugar 1tsp

to cook chicken
chicken boneless 1 cup cubed
pepper powder 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

for toppings
parmesan cheese 1/2 cup
cheddar cheese 1 cup
olives sliced 1/2 cup
bell pepper 1/2 sliced
onion 1/2 sliced
pizza sauce 3/4 cup (7 oz)(refer notes)
Italian seasoning 1 tbsp


Method

• Make the dough- Sift the flours,add in salt.Mix the yeast ,warm water and sugar.keep aside for 10 mins till frothy.Combine in the dough ,add yeast mixture and olive oil.Make a dough,leave aside to rise for 1 hour covered.After one hour,punch down the air from the dough.Make a long log of dough and cut small pieces out of it.
• Cook Chicken-Heat a pan and add the cut chicken pieces,pepper powder and salt.Add 1/4 cup water and cook till half done.Put off flame.drain stock
• Add the pizza sauce in the bowl and add the cut out pieces of dough.Mix to combine.
• Add in all the cheese(reserve a small amount of cheddar for final topping),olives,bell pepper,onion, chicken.

(Before & After bake)

• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.Pour this in a greased 9"round pan ,top with Italian seasoning and leave for 25-30 minutes covered until the dough rises again.
• Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
• Top it with remaining cheddar or mozarrella if using and wait till it melts,serve hot  with some dipping sauce !!

Servings~ 9"round pan(serves 4 adults)

NOTES
* You can use southern style biscuits too instead of the flours and preparing dough.Cut in bite size pieces.That serves instant and quick.
* You can double the ingredients and make it in a bundt pan(the oven timing should be increased to 45-50 minutes) but here I have used a 9" round pan.
* I referred this site to prepare the homemade pizza sauce,the link is here.As I ran out of store brought pizza sauce(went bad),so as I used fresh tomatoes it didn't add much color but the store brought one adds more color.
* You can use mozarella cheese instead of cheddar cheese and top it up with mozarrella.
* You can use paneer instead of chicken and make a vegan style one!!

How to make Mascarpone Cheese at home??

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Mascarpone cheese is an important cheese in making Italian desserts but the cheese is very costly when you buy from stores.A 8 oz can of mascarpone cheese costs 9$ and that's quite a big number when you have options to prepare that in less than half the cost.And you have a satisfaction too making the fresh mascarpone cheese.Now,you might think its a tedious effort to make it at home but unlike cottage cheese(paneer) this requires much lesser efforts.The milk doesn't curdle unlike in paneer making ,it rather thickens.There is no much whey that comes out of this cheese but the only concern with mascarpone cheese is that it requires a long waiting period of 12 hours or more to get the correct texture of mascarpone cheese.Do check this out & try your own recipes associated with mascarpone cheese at home !!!


Ingredients
heavy cream 1 pint(473 ml)
lemon juice 1 tbsp


Method

• Take the cream in a heavy bottomed pan.
• I prefer using the double boiler method.Boil water in a large pan and place the other pan with cream on the boiling water.Keep stirring the cream and keep the flame on medium heat.
• At one point,about 10 minutes  you may see bubbles start appearing on the sides of the cream.(180 degrees F)Add the lemon juice then and mix gently.The cream coats the sides of the pan and the spoon at this stage.
• Put off flame and remove from heat.Leave aside for 30 minutes to cool.

• Line a strainer lined with several layers of cheese cloth or a clean thin kitchen towel and place it on a bowl ,pour the cream in it .Leave covered for about an hour at room temperature.
• Refrigerate covered  for 12 hours to get the final product of mascarpone cheese.Creamy mascarpone  cheese is ready to use once mixed.Discard the very little whey collected.

Yields ~ 340 gms(12 oz)



NOTES* Please follow the steps strictly word to word.
* You can even use cream of tartar(1 tsp) or Tartaric acid (1 1/2 tsp) instead of lemon juice.
* Coffee filters also works good to strain the cream.


Sending this to Flavors of Italy-hosted by Divya @ Divya's Culinary Journey

Penne with Sausage and Peppers

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Penne with Sausage and Peppers

This gluten free versionof Penne with Sausage and Peppers is my go-to dish when I come home from anItalian street festival and the sausage and pepper sandwiches are everywherebut in my hands.  Oh the feelings ofdeprivation that often come flooding when everyone else seems to be enjoyingthis classic.  I miss the days of sinkingmy teeth into that crusty bread as the flavors of the sandwich come togetherlike a symphony.  This is the pasta dishthat quells those feelings of isolation first bite.


 

Pennewith Sausage and PeppersPreptime: 10 min
Cooktime: 20 min

Ingredients

• 8 oz gluten free penne
• 1 lb of Italian sausage
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp of Olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• ¼ cup red wine
• ¼ cup cream, optional
• 1 tsp thyme or Italian seasoning
• salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

VideoTutorial:

  
Instructions

1. Put a pot of water on to boil so that it’s ready to cook the macaroni when it’s time.
2. Slice the sausage into 1 inch lengths then add it to a large pan over a medium high heat, with a tbsp. of olive oil. 
3. Sauté the sausage for 5 or 6 minutes tossing them around until they’re browned on all sides. 
4. Add the peppers and onions to the pan and sauté for another 3-4 minutes before using your stirring utensil, to clear a small space in the pan then add the other tablespoon of olive oil along with the sliced garlic and sauté for another minute or two of until the garlic softens then stir it in with the rest of the ingredients.
5. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine, and spices and stir to combine then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. 
6. Drop your penne into the salted water to cook until it’s one minute shy of the package instructions.
7. Once the pasta is done stir it into the sausage and peppers but be sure to reserve a little pasta cooking liquid to loosen up the dish if it looks too dry. 
8. Add the cream if you’re using it and stir to get all the pasta nicely coated and this dish is ready to serve.

Mocha Yogurt Cheesecake

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Hello 2013- You sure opened the door to the new year with a bang! First, this delicious cheesecake and second, the flu hitting our house starting with my little 2 year old son. I made this last week to celebrate the new year and then...I kinda forgot about it. Life goes on pause while you nurse the sickness and try to get back to normal again (I will have to write another post about some of the cold/flu remedies we survived with another time).

But really, just the lack of sleep alone knocks you out for a few days. The good news is that this cheesecake still tasted good after being found again a few days later. And some would say that cheesecakes only gets better the more chilled it stays. I had to quick snap a photo and share before it was all finished up. Perfectly chilled, slightly honey sweetened and rich and delectable with each bite!
Like I said in my last post, this baby likes it's desserts. And because I have been occasionally eating some organic dairy while pregnant I had some plain yogurt to use up as well. This idea came to me when I thought about how plain organic yogurt, strained, makes a really great yogurt-cheese. Add some leftover coffee and chocolate from the holidays and a magical cheesecake comes into play. This was a new experiment for me, and I am very happy with how it turned out and will be trying this again in the future for sure.
You could easily make this recipe grain-free by omitting the GF oat flour in the crust and subbing it for almond or another favorite nut-flour. Not coconut flour though, it would be to fibrous, but if you like almond flour or meal that would be a great sub there. I was surprised at how the yogurt and eggs really do the trick to make this cake creamy and thick and rich. You won't even miss the traditionally cheesecake made with lots of cream cheese. This is a great healthy cheesecake alternative that I am not ashamed to eat or share.

Mocha Yogurt Cheesecake Recipe
{gluten-free, grain-free option}

Crust:
1 cup of freshly ground gluten-free oat flour
1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup of raw cocoa powder
dash-1/4 ts. of sea salt
1/2 cup of soft organic coconut oil
2-3 TB of local honey or maple syrup
2-3 TB of strongly brewed leftover coffee

First grind some gluten-free rolled oats in a high powered blender to make your own flour. And then mix all of the above ingredients in mixing bowl together well with a spatula or your hands. Then sprinkle into a 10 inch spring form pan, or a 9x13 Pyrex glass pan and press down firmly, and evenly with a spoon or your hands. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Let cool down for at least 15 minutes and then pour the cheesecake on top and continue to bake.

Cheesecake Filling
1 quart organic plain yogurt- strained to equal about 2 cups after whey is removed
6 farm fresh eggs
1 TB of pure vanilla
2-3 TB of strongly brewed leftover coffee
1 cup (4 ounces) of melted chocolate chips or bar pieces
1/2 cup of local honey

First, even before making the crust, you need to pour a quart-sized container of organic plain yogurt (I used Stonyfield Organic Low Fat Yogurt) into a strainer that is covered with cheesecloth (or even a paper towel works too) that has a bowl underneath. Stick back in the fridge for 2-4 hours and let it reduce by half and pour out the whey collecting in the bowl underneath the strainer. Then use the "yogurt cheese" in the cheesecake filling mix.

Mix the yogurt cheese and eggs together then add the rest of the ingredients. You can melt the chocolate over a double-boiler or in 30 second intervals in the microwave. Pour in the melted chocolate last and then whisk well for a minute by hand and then pour over the already baked crust. Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes until the middle of the cake is firm and not liquid. 

Let cool on the counter for an hour and then put in the fridge with a plastic wrap or fitted cover top. Chill for 8-24 hours before serving and then sprinkle with decaffeinated ground coffee beans, grated chocolate or fresh fruit of choice. A simple berry compote could be made as well for topping and serving if you desire. Or if you have a favorite chocolate sauce or glaze for serving that would just put it over the edge!

I hope you enjoy this one or save it in your back pocket for a special occasion.

Until then, much love to you!