Bruschetta

Bruschetta is a charming food from Italy. I love it for its fresh, wholesome taste and simplicity. It’s also one of the easiest things to make. The only caveat is that use the freshest ingredients possible. Fresh bread, fresh cilantro, freshly ground pepper, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes… Really, FRESH is the mantra here. And it tastes good whether you call it Bru-she-tah or  Broo-skeh-tta.  In its most basic form it  is toasted bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil but it can be topped with a variety of herbs and veggies. For a big party which lasts late into the day or night, bruschetta is great as an appetizer.

This recipe keeps it simple yet very tasty. Prego.

Ingredients:
8-10 slices of french bread or any sourdough bread
1/4 tea spoon crushed garlic (more will be too overwhelming I think)
3 table spoon extra virgin olive oil
8-10 slices of fresh Mozzarella cheese (There are many different types available. Buy one that looks fresh, soft and moist. I love the one at costco.)
For the topping:
4 medium size ripe yet firm tomatoes chopped into medium size pieces
Juice from 2 lemons
3/4 cup fresh basil chopped
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Approx. 1/3 tea spoon salt.

Preparation:
1. Cut 1/4 inch thick slices of cheese. Keep aside.
2. Mix 3 table spoon of olive oil and crushed garlic in a cup. Keep aside.
3. Cut bread slice into two if it’s more than 4-5 inches long.
Note: Basically you need to cut it such that it’s convenient for people to eat. Not too big, not too small.
3. Brush each bread slice with olive oil-garlic mix on both sides and arrange on a baking sheet. Keep aside.

To make the topping:
In a large bowl, mix the topping ingredients listed above. Taste and add adjust spices if required.

To make bruschetta:
1. About 10 minutes before serving,  preheat oven to 300 F.
2. Put the tray with bread slices and bake for 4 minutes. The bread shouldn’t get too hard on top. Flip the slices and bake on the other side for 2-3 minutes.
3. Take each bread slice, put a slice of mozzarella cheese. Top with 2 table spoon of the tomato-basil mix and Serve.

Cheese-Coriander Parantha

Do you know anyone who doesn’t like garm-a-garam parantha? There is something about it that stimulates even the dullest appetite. It’s so wholesome too, especially when made with different grated vegetables and spices. Parantha, a cup of fresh yogurt and pickle is  a very popular meal all over India. When I can’t think of what to make, it’s the first thing I think of.  Today, as I was wrapping up work on my computer, I came across this newsletter email from Sanjeev Kapoor which caught my eye. Marked under Chef’s choice was this cheese parantha recipe which seemed like a must try.  I made them this evening and DELICIOUS! is all I have to say. Adding chat masala to the filling was new to me but I loved the taste. Also, it would seem you can use the same cheese mixture as a base and add many different types of vegetables to it.

BTW, there’s a place in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi called “Paranthe Wali Gali”. Have you heard about it? Have you been there? It’s a narrow street lined with stalls and shops offering amazing variety of vegetarian paranthas. I have heard many stories about it. I would love to go there someday and get more ideas on making different types of paranthas.

Here’s is the recipe just slightly modified from the original one. Makes about 8-10 paranthas.

For the dough:
2 cups wheat flour
1/2 tea spoon salt
1/2 cup coriander leaves/cilantro chopped
1/2 cup milk
2 tea spoons oil
1/2 cup water
Just a dash of hing if you like.

For the cheese filling, mix the following and keep ready:
1 + 1/4 cup grated cheese (I used combination of jack and cheddar but any kind that you like should be fine)
1 + 1/2 tea spoon chat masala powder (I used Everest brand)
2 green chilies, chopped
1/2 tea spoon grated ginger
1/4 tea spoon red chili powder

2-3 table spoons of ghee/oil/butter to spread on the parantha (I used ghee)

To make the dough, take wheat flour in a large bowl and mix in oil, salt and chopped cilantro.
Add milk and 1/4 cup of water and knead into a smooth dough. If at this point, the dough does not feel smooth, add some more water.
The dough should feel like you can easily roll into rotis with it.
Keep it aside at least for 30 minutes.

To make paranthas:
1. Divide the dough into 8-10 balls (Depending on how big/small you want the paranthas to be)
2. Dust a ball with some wheat flour and roll it into a small roti (about 4 inch in diameter). Dust roti with more wheat flour as you roll it further.
3. Spread 2 heaped table spoon of the cheese mix on the roti. If your roti is big, add more.
4. Fold roti from four ends such that the roti is now a thick squre.
5. Roll it carefully into a bigger square. (about 5×5)
6. Heat the roti on a tava/griddle set on medium heat. After 30 seconds or so, flip it and apply half a tea spoon of ghee/oil/butter all over the roti, flip again and cook for about a minute. Flip it again, applying ghee on the other side.
7. When both sides have golden brown spots, parantha is done.

Enjoy with yoghurt and any Indian pickle. Tomato soup also goes very well with this.

Sweet Pongal

I love Pongal. Not just the sweet and salty rice dishes named after the festival, but the festival itself. It is a festival that heralds vitality, shine, food from mother earth and growth. Having spent my childhood in the villages and countryside of Gujarat, Sankranti  holds a special place in my heart. I remember stuffing the pockets of my skirt with Sakkare Acchu,(figurines made out of sugar) and Yellu and running across farms and fields, jumping across little puddles of water to meet my friends.  And no one knew how to eat a sugarcane better than me. After we moved to Ahmedabad, Sankranti was no less colorful. Kite-flying would bring the city’s entire population on their terraces and transform this friendly city into a playground of endless joy. And yes, for some of us who lived in flats,  there was endless supply of Dhani (popcorn), jalebi, khajoor (dates), and  Undhiyu!

Today’s meal is Sweet pongal, tamarind rice, rasam, roti, mixed vegetable curry, and Yoghurt.

Have you had sweet pongal before? It’s very delicious. Try this simple sweet Pongal recipe at home.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice (Any variety is fine)
1/4 cup Moong dal
1 cup milk
1 cup water
3/4 cup good quality jaggery pieces (use 1 cup of you have a very sweet tooth)
1/4 cup ghee or butter
1/4 cup cashews
2 table spoon cashews
2 table spoon raisins
4-5 cloves
1/4 tea spoon cardamom powder
A few strands of saffron

Steps:
1. Roast moong dal on low heat for about 3 minutes.
2. Rinse rice a couple of times.
3. In a medium size pot, mix moong daal, rice, milk and water.
4. Cook on low heat covered until milk/water has completely evaporated. Rice and moong will be nice and soft now.
5. In a separate pan, mix jaggery with 1 cup of water and cook for about 5 minutes to get a medium thick jaggery syrup.
6. Add the syrup to cooked rice and moong dal. Add ground cardamom and saffron. Mix well.
7. In a small pan heat ghee/butter. Fry cashews, raisins and  cloves on very low heat until cashews are light golden in color.
8. Add cashews, raisins and coloves to Pongal along with all the ghee.
9. Mix well. Remove from stove.
10. Sing my favorite Pongal poem (below)

Milk Rice the Golden child came – granting
immeasurable ecstacy in her cooking
Farmers with the beauty of lion dream
a picturesque memory this new year gleam.

Elevated threshing floor courtyard the face-where
month of January gave love’s kiss with rice share
abundance in red rice and charity – sweet
to the tongue January child glad to meet.

With the plough he tills the land – the ploughman
is the old man ladder of progress of all human.
Dark clouds and sun our life – milk rice
is dream field’s harvested crop of rice.

Red sugar cane and saffron aplenty – flood
of happiness to sweep our country.
Rise, rise milk rice – bring smile
to the face of the poor, so rise milk rice.