Vegetarian Archives - Page 13 of 13

Grilled Pumpkin, Red Onion, Feta and Pine Nut Salad

6|06|2013

Perhaps its the cold winter air. Perhaps its the beautiful leaves desperately clinging on to half barren trees. Perhaps its the familiar aromas of childhood that greet me on the way. Perhaps its the multitude of women racing past, freshly painted lips & high-heeled shoes that take me back to my days at work. Or perhaps its my new-found happiness, in a vibrant store. I love my long walk home.

After dropping my kids at the Care each time, I choose to walk. The road is a long one and I would be lying if I say that it doesn’t wear me out. But the prospect of building up little experiences on the way are far too exciting to overlook. The magic of this journey lies in its contrasting visuals. Starts on a busy street filled with shops, restaurants & cafes and ends up through winding lanes that are buried under mounds of dry fallen leaves. You can almost hear the universe whispering in your ears ‘Slow down’. Between the two different worlds lies a restaurant. Too early for it to open at that time of the morning but the smell of cardamom & ginger hangs heavy in the air. I am instantly transported to my place of birth.

But the highlight of the walk is a grocery store that specialises in fruits and vegetables. As soon as I step into the store, I am mesmerised by the colourful array of fresh produce. I hop from one to the next filling up my basket, my head brimming with ideas. We are already quite lucky to have access to great local produce anywhere in this country, but this market particularly takes my breath away for its wide selection of local & gourmet fruits & vegetables. The other day, I spotted herb pots and I could have clapped my hands loudly as the thought of growing my own rosemary and thyme struck me. And what do you think…I bought them all! So I have a little herb garden to take care of now. My aromatic little garden!

I am not a huge fan of pumpkin but I am beginning to like it lately. Pumpkin desserts were always welcome. Sugar has the power to transform everything..literally. What do you think? I know you have been missing Sugar on my site for a while now…as much as I have. Someone wrote to me recently. ‘Where are the DESSERTS?’. Do bear with me. Sugar is very much present in my life & coming back on the blog. With a vengeance!

Grilling gives pumpkin a nice flavour & look. This salad has Middle Eastern flavours and is vegetarian. For those unfamiliar with Tahini, it is a paste made out of ground sesame seeds, used extensively in Middle Eastern and Greek cuisine. It is available in most supermarkets these days. Non-vegetarians can add your favourite meat..grilled chicken, shrimps or prosciutto. I love both Feta and Pine nuts so they go into all my Middle Eastern dishes.

So that is my long walk home, shortened by the personal connection I make with the world, sharpened by the all the beauty I take in, enlivened by the little bag I bring back with joyful anticipation of what I might achieve today…on the other side…

Of the long road home..

Grilled Pumpkin, Red Onion and Feta Salad with a Tahini Dressing

1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced
2 red onion, cut into thin wedges
A handful of baby spinach and rocket leaves
3 tablespoons of Feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Tahini Dressing

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Tahini
1 teaspoon castor sugar
salt and pepper.

Brush the pumpkin slices with olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat a grilling pan (or a non sick frying pan) over medium heat. Place the pumpkin on the pan and grill for 1-2 mins on each side (the time will depend on the thickness of the slices) till tender (but not too soft to handle). Transfer to a plate. Grill the red onions in the same way till soft. Remove from heat.

Place the pumpkin, onions and leafy greens in a large serving bowl. Add the crumbled Feta and pine nuts. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together except salt and pepper. Season to taste.

White chocolate and Macadamia Caramel Cookies.

8|04|2013

Caramel cookies with the addition of macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. Eggless, delicious, nutty, crunchy with a chewy center.

Among the many things that I baked during the Easter weekend, cookies were a surplus in my house. There were people around to eat and there was more time in my hands than I normally have. Cookie baking I always find is the most convenient. The ingredients are mostly there at home, shelf life is not a major concern, everything is mixed together in a single bowl and therefore less washing up and once you get a hang of things, results are more or less consistent.

caramel cookies with white chocolate and macadamia

I made these cookies before Easter and photographed them along with the Melting Moments. More than half the job was done. But along came a few more desserts and I almost forgot about these. I realise as I write that I have a huge backlog of posts.

Fridays are mostly ‘cookie days’ for me. I love to bake two or three varieties all at once. On weekends, I enjoy bringing a platter on the table with tea or coffee. That way everybody has a choice and it’s exciting. Who doesn’t like options?

These cookies have 3 of my favourite things in the world- caramel, white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Almost sounds like dessert! They taste fancy too. There is no egg in the recipe and therefore a rich buttery base. But that doesn’t stop me from indulging because these caramel cookies are too too good. Even if you do not make them often its worth making it for special occasions or as a little gift for someone. I have made quite a few flavour variations over time of this recipe. Do check out the variations at the end of the post.

When speaking about cookies, I cannot help but mention this to you. If you are familiar with ‘Sesame Street’, I have not one but two little ‘cookie monster’-s at home.

‘Me want cookies!’ ‘Me eat cookies’

‘C is for cookie and cookie is for me’- Cookie Monster

Now, that is some reason to bake!! What say…?

White Chocolate Macadamia Caramel Cookies

Yields 24

125g unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (about 100g) brown sugar

1 tbsp treacle or golden syrup (I used treacle)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk (more if the mixture is too dry to bring it together)

2 cups (300g) self raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup macadamia nuts (or any nut of your choice), coarsely chopped. (This time I had blitzed the macadamia nuts in the food processor in a hurry..resulted in finer crumbs and more crunchy cookies. Both ways it works fine.)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Add the treacle, vanilla and milk and beat until combined.

Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.. Add the white chocolate chips and macadamias and stir to combine.

Roll a heaped tablespoon of mixture into a ball and place on a lined tray. Use the palm of your hands to gently press the mixture. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven. Allow cookie to cool on the trays.

Variations

You can experiment with any nut of your choice. I have tried hazelnuts, cashew nuts, almonds and peanuts.

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips work equally well.

Add 1/2 tsp orange zest for a tangy orange flavour.

Strawberry Melting Moments. Not a moment too soon!

27|03|2013

I am so looking forward to the weekend. 4 days off…a much needed break. We have been longing for some family time. And it has been long due. First it was the boy’s health, one following the other and then my husband travelling on work. Now all we want is to slow down and huddle together in a few peaceful corners of the world and do nothing of substance.

I have a few things planned but most of it is going to be driven by how adventurous we feel every morning. If we are not too late to catch the Autumnal red gold trees , I may be able to get a few scenic pictures for you. A few guests who I love having over are also on the agenda. And plenty of food, of course. I hope to keep my pantry well stocked with sweet treats.

My little men love Melting moments. And I love watching them grab the cookies hard that crumble under the slightest pressure. It melts my heart to see them despair over the broken cookies. These are a joy to make too. They are egg less and ready in minutes. With or without frosting they always taste great!

The Easter bunnies are on their way, their baskets loaded with treasure. I am basking in the excitement of letting them uncover.

Bounty is in the air! Not a moment too soon.

Strawberry Melting Moments (adapted with variation from Taste.com)

Yields 10

125g unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup flour
2 tbsp custard powder
icing sugar to serve

For filling
60g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp strawberry essence
3/4 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
2 drops pink food colouring

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Using a electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Sift flour and custard powder over butter mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined and a soft dough forms.
Using 1 heaped tbsp of dough per ball, make balls. Place on prepared trays leaving room for spreading. Using a fork dipped in flour, lightly flatten each biscuit until 1 cm thick.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden. Cool on tray for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile make strawberry filling: Using a whisk, beat butter in a bowl till light and creamy. Add strawberry essence. Whisk to combine. Add icing sugar. Whisk until well combined. Tint the frosting with food colour.
Spread or pipe the filling on the flat side of a cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Kaffir Lime Panna Cotta

11|03|2013

I wanted to let you in on a little secret.
I have this ridiculous urge to look at everything with pastry eyes! What I mean by that is quite often when I come across a food item or ingredient..herbs, spices, vegetables, fruits..anything. I start to imagine how it would turn out mixed with sugar, whisked with eggs, added to cream, baked, frozen, torched, candied and so on. Until lately I thought this was weird. And people around me thought I was ‘stressed out’ and ‘needed a break’.

A Thai lunch and I was all about Kaffir Lime. Not that this was the first time Kaffir Lime had caught my attention. Before this I was probably paying more attention to something else..Lemongrass I think. I enjoyed the dish I was eating but I enjoyed thinking about the little experiments that I was going to carry out more.

‘This is so good’ one of my friends remarked between mouthfuls of Thai curry.

Oh yes, it is..imagine pairing it with mango…I smiled at myself.

‘I had something similar in ABC restaurant but this one is better’ another one spoke out.

It will be great in a Panna Cotta. And blackberries..lovely…white, yellow, black…i was already planning.

I looked at the watch. 1.10 pm…just enough time to go back home, get the kids to nap and run to the Asian Market to get hold of Kaffir Lime leaves and create something.

That is exactly what I did. Kaffir lime…I had to get some…I NEED Kaffir lime, I told myself. This word ‘NEED’ is more than familiar to me at the moment. Apparently, it has assumed a place of great significance in my little boy’s life and vocabulary (the older twin..to be precise 38 seconds older). He does not ‘like’ or ‘want’ things. He NEEDS them. How well I can trace it back to his genes.

I spent the afternoon at the market and later in my kitchen. The Panna Cotta was exactly the way I had imagined it to be. Light, refreshing, fragrant with a distinct taste of Kaffir Lime. While they were setting up, i made the candied lime leaves.

All this while I have questioned my sanity, my thrill at spending hours at a fruit market, the ability to bake a cake at 2 am after a tiring day with two preschoolers, my obsession with food. But not anymore. I am not alone. Ever since I started this little blog, I am coming across people every day who eat, sleep and breathe ingredients..who live flavours..rejoice and celebrate food. This is my place…this is my world. This is where I belong…where I have always belonged. I no longer do things that I have to do..but things that bring me joy. It is all making perfect sense to me now..I feel liberated. Every day is exciting…every moment is beautiful.

This is my world…bright, brilliant, beautiful…of Sugar…et al..

Kaffir Lime Panna Cotta with Mango and Blackberries
Yields 4-5

11/2 cups Single cream
11/2 Cups Milk
1/2 cup castor sugar
6 kaffir lime leaves finely shredded
2 tsp powdered gelatine
2 tablespoon warm water.
1 mango, sliced
1/2 cup blackberries

Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine. Set aside till it blooms i.e absorbed all the water. Heat the cream over medium heat in a saucepan and add the lime leaves. Bring it to a boil and then remove from heat. Let infuse for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture to remove the leaves. Put the infused cream, milk and sugar back in the saucepan and heat gently. Add the gelatine and stir to dissolve.

Remove from heat once the mixture begins to boil and let cool to room temperature. Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate till set. About 4-5 hours. Before serving top with sliced mangoes and blackberries. I mascerated the sliced mangoes in 1 tsp sugar to release its juices.

Candied Kaffir Lime leaves
1 egg white
1/2 cup castor sugar
5-6 Kaffir lime leaves

Whisk the egg white till frothy. Place the sugar on a plate. Line a baking tray or plate with baking paper. Dip each leaf into the egg white and hold it by the tip till the excess falls out. Dip it again into the sugar till it is evenly coated. Dust off excess sugar. Place the leaves on the parchment paper to dry. About 2 hours later turn the leaves around for the other side (the one which was not exposed)to dry. They become hard when dried.