Monthly Archives: May 2017

Vegetarian Sausage Rolls

Entrees

 Spinach, chickpeas and sweet potato sausage rolls Ingredients

  • 1             can chickpeas(400) gms
  • 1/2         lb yam(orange sweet potato)
  • 4             ozs frozen chopped spinach
  • 2             oz feta cheese
  • 1/2         red onion
  • 2             cloves garlic
  • 1             tbsp fresh ginger
  • 1             tsp freshly ground cumin
  • 1             tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4         tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2         tsp salt
  • 2             tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1             tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1             pkt frozen Puff pastry, defrosted
  • 1             egg
  • 1             tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Drain the chick peas, in a food processor pulse the chickpeas to a rough puree.  Put this in a medium size bowl.
  2. Grate the sweet potato and add this to the bowl.
  3. Defrost the spinach and add this to the bowl.
  4. Crumble the cheese and add this to the mix.
  5. Finely chop the onion and add it to the mix.
  6. Finely grate or chop garlic and ginger, add this to the mix.
  7. Add the rest of the ingredients except egg and sesame seeds and mix well.
  8. Lightly beat the egg and brush it all over the pastry sheets.
  9. Cut the pastry about 3″ wide.
  10. Place the vegetable mixture in the centre 1″ pastry, using your hands form it into a sausage shape the lenght of the pastry.  roll the pastry around the filling, as firmly as possible without stretching the pastry, until you have a roll shape with about 1/2″ overlap.
  11. Egg wash each roll and sprinkle with sesane seeds.
  12. Transfer the rolls to the freezer for about 30 minutes to set a little which will make it easier to cut.
  13. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a baking tray with butter or pam or line it with parchment or greaseproof paper.
  14. Remove the rolls from the freezer, using a sharp knife, cut the rolls to your desired lenght.  Place the cut rolls onto a greased baking tray seam side down, and bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden.
  15. Note.  If the rolls collapse a bit during baking and the filling spills out, once the pastry is golden and they are out of the oven, using two desert spoons – one of either sides of the sausage roll – to gently push the filling into the pastry into a roll shape.

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Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Entrees, vegetarian

Indian Kashmiri Dum Aloo is a mildly spiced potato curry, tomato based,cooked with spices and yoghurt.
It is not as spicy as it looks.  The curry has the Indian spices, yoghurt  and gorgeous lush red colour from tomato paste.
 In Indian homes, a curry is for dinner, no matter how hot the tempreture.
According to the elders, spices in a curry help fight stress, calm you down, and make you feel good even on a hot summer day.  Some spices are cooling and are preferred on summer days.
Cooling spices are:  cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, green cardamom.  So in summer we have cardamom tea, yoghurt based curries li ke dum aloo, or cumin(jeera) lassi or fennel ice cream.
Warming spices are:  Cinnamon, black cardamom, mustard seeds, cloves, star anise, bay leaves, curry leaves, mace etc.

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Ingredients

  • 10-12            small potatoes peeled and cut in half
  • 1                   cup yoghurt (if using Greek yoghurt add 1/4 cup water)
  • 3-4                tbsp cilantro(to garnish)
  • 1/4                cup tomato paste
  • 1-2                white onion(about 1 cup finely chopped)
  • 1                   tsp chopped garlic
  • 1                   tsp chopped ginger
  • 4                   tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2                tsp salt
  • 1                   tsp mild paprika or
  • 1/4                tsp cayenne
  • 1/3                cup cashews(10-12 soaked in mild and blended)
  • 1/4                cup milk

Spice Blend

  • 1                  tsp fennel seeds
  • 1                  tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2               tsp cardamon seeds
  • 4-5               black pepper
  1. Wash the potatoes.  Peel off skin and cut then in half.  Prick each potato with fork 2-3 times (this makes potatoes tender faster when frying and also help absorb flavour in the curry later)
  2. Heat a large saucepan.  Add all the spices except chili powder and roast for 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Remove in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder and grind to a powder.
  3. Soak cashew in milk and set it aside.
  4. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom large saucepan.  Add potatoes and cook until crispy almost brown from all sides,
  5. Remove potatoes on a plate lined with paper towel.  Test if done – pierce a knife through one potato, the knife  should slide in smoothly.
  6. Add onions, garlic and ginger and saute until onions are soft.
  7. While onions cook, grind cashew to a paste with soaking milk.  In onion, mixture add ground toasted spices and cook for 1 minute.  Add Cashew paste and cook for 3-4 minutes until oil separates.
  8. Reduce heat to low, add yoghurt and mix well.  Increase the heat and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until oil separates.
  9. Add the potatoes with 1/2 cup of water, mix well and cook for 5 minutes.
  10. Remove from the heat, garnish with cilantro and serve with naan and/or rice.

Pistachio Stuffed Coconut Ladoo

Sweets
Coconut Ladoo with Pistachio
Coconut Ladoo with Pistachio
Coconut Ladoo with Pistachio
Coconut Ladoo with Pistachio centre

Makes 4 doz

Ingredients 

  • 8                  oz butter
  • 3/4              cup half and half cream
  • 2                  cups sugar
  • 1/2              cup powder milk
  •                      few drops of pink food colour
  • 1/2              tsp elechi seeds crushed(cardamon seeds)
  • 1/4              tsp nutmeg powder
  • 1                  lb unsweetened coconut

For Stuffing

  • 1/2              cup pistachio

For Rolling

  • 1/4               cup coconut

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan heat butter, half and half cream and sugar, bring it to a boil and let it boil for 5 minutes, stiring a few times.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook till the mixture is thick and starts forming a ball.
  3. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
  4. Take small amount of the mixture and roll into a 1″ ball, then roll the ball in the extra coconut.
  5. Flatten this ball on a piece of plastic, put 1/2 a teasp pistachio in the centre, pick up the plastic with the four corners and make a tight bundle, making a ball again.
  6. Roll the ball in coconut.

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Cheese Cookies

Snacks & Appetizers

Ingredients

  • 1            lb all purpose flour
  • 1/2         lb butter
  • 1            cup water
  • 4            oz cheddar cheese grated medium fine
  • 1/4         tsp celery seeds(optional)
  • 1/4         tsp red chilli powder
  • 1            beaten egg
  • 2            oz parmigiano cheese grated medium fine

Instructions

  1. Add the flour in a medium size bowl.
  2. Divide the butter in four.
  3. Cut one portion into small pea size pieces.  Rub this into the flour.  Place the rest of the butter in a cool place until required. (You can grate the butter if you want).
  4. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the water, mix to a fairly stiff dough, using a fork.
  5. Sprinkle board, rolling pin and your hands with flour. turn out dough on to the board and sprinkle with flour again.
  6. Knead dough briskly at least 5 minutes until smooth and silky.
  7. Sprinkle the dough with flour, cover with a damp cloth, and leave to rest on the board for about 10 minutes.
  8. First rolling:  Roll out the dough to an oblong strip about 10” to 12”.
  9. Dab the top 2/3 of the dough with 1/2 x 1/4 inch pieces of butter, keeping the pieces in rows and leaving a  1/2” margin all around.
  10. Fold the uncovered 1/3 of the dough upwards and the top 1/3 downwards and over the bottom fold.
  11. With the rolling pin, lightly press the 3 open edges together to seal.
  12. Second rolling: Brush of any surplus flour.  Turn the dough so that the longer sealed edge is on the left.
  13. Roll out the dough to a 10 x 12 inch strip.
  14. Dab on third portion of the butter, as for the second portion.  Fold and seal edges as before.  Plastic wrap the dough or put the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerator for 20 minutes.
  15. Third rolling:  as for the second rolling using the last portion of the butter.  Rest as before.
  16. Fourth rolling, as for the 2nd rolling, sprinkle grated cheese, celery seeds and red chilli powder on the top 2/3 of the dough and fold it in 1/3 as before.  Let it rest as before.
  17. Fifth Rolling: Roll out to 1/4 “ thick, brush the pastry with a beaten egg, sprinkle with parmigiano cheese. With a pastry wheel or a sharp knife cut into strips or square to the desired size.  Space 1/2 inch apart on a baking sheet. refrigerate for 30 min.
  18. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes till the cookies are golden brown and cooked through.
Flaky Pastry
Flaky Pastry
 
 
 
 
 

FLAKY PASTRY

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note:
If you do not want to make the pastry, you can buy the frozen puff pastry from the grocery store.
do Step 16 and 17.
 
Variation:
Khara Biscuit:  Roll the pastry 5 times, cut it into desired shape and bake.
 
Sweet Cookies:
Mix 2 oz brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon powder.
 
Cheese Straws:
Using a pastry wheel or a sharp knife cut dough into 1/2 x 12 inch strips; twist into spirals.
Space 1/2 inch apart on a baking sheet.
Press ends onto the sheets to prevent straws from straightening.  Refrigerate for 30 mins.
Bake as above.
 

 

Gulab Jambu

Sweets

Ingredients Jambu 

  • 1              lb pacific powder milk
  • 6              oz all purpose flour
  • 1              heaped tsp baking powder
  • 2             cup whipping cream(500Ml)
  • 4              cups oil for frying

Syrup

  • 4               cups sugar
  • 1/4            tsp nutmeg powder
  • 1/4            tsp freshly ground cardomom seeds
  • 1/4            tsp saffron

Instructions

  1. Put the milk powder in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add the all purpose flour and baking powder.
  3. Make a stiff dough with the whipping cream.
  4. Make small balls about 1 inch round.
  5. Heat the oil in a wok at 350 degrees.
  6. Deep fry the balls a few at a time (The balls will double in size) turning every few minutes to get an even colour.  Fry till they are light brown in colour and doubled in size.

Syrup:

  1. Make a light syrup with sugar and 3 cups water.
  2. Add the spices and the colour.
  3. Add the warm balls in the warm syrup.  Let it soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  4. Sprinkle it with almonds and Pistachio before serving.

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