Don't we all miss those memorable moments of our past? Those tiny incidents that warm our hearts and bring a smile on our faces even today. Well, my short stint in Bangalore sure had many moments to cherish. Eating in Iyengar bakeries was just one of them especially when the weather is slightly cooler than normal. Today's recipe Iyengar Bakery Style Vegetable Masala Bread Toast was made to reminisce & celebrate the time spent in the beautiful city of Bangalore. The intention is also to break the dry spell of no-posts happening on this blog since May and be more regular with my updates. Enjoy...
It’s 22nd of the month again and that means, it is time for another edition of Recipe Redux and time to share a new recipe that fits the theme. Don't these bread tartlets look super cute? It doesn't take much time to make. Go on, bring out those day old bread slices and jazz them into such pretty savory bites. The variations for filling are countless and it just depends on the ingredients available plus your imagination.
Of all the countless reasons why I absolutely love food blogging, one good reason is that it gives me an opportunity to meet & greet people whose work is their passion, who strive day & night to share their love for food and spread the joy around with their earnestness and enthusiasm. Couple of days ago, I was back at Escapades Culinary Studio yet again to shoot Arundati's Bread Baking Class. I had super fun photographing her Christmas Baking Workshop last December and this one was no less lively and jolly. I met a bunch of gorgeous ladies and made a few friends by the end of the day.
Scroll along to view more photographs about what happened during the workshop, the bread we baked and for few other candid shots. There is also short clip at the end of the post where the participants are rolling the bread with such gusto. :-)
If you are in Hyderabad, don't forget to check out the list of upcoming workshops for May. Signup today and be guaranteed to learn tons of recipes which are sure to impress your friends, family and yourself!
A sweet welcoming message. You guys ready for some fresh bread?
Oh boy! What a wonderful feeling it is to celebrate 6 years of non-stop food blogging. I really didn't have a clue what I was getting myself into when I started this blog on a hot Sunday afternoon way back in 2007. I was neither a good cook nor good photographer then. I was nothing. Just someone who was tired of waiting, someone who was hoping something nice would happen in her life.
“The kitchen, reasonably enough, was the scene of my first gastronomic adventure. I was on all fours. I crawled into the vegetable bin, settled on a giant onion and ate it, skin and all. It must have marked me for life, for I have never ceased to love the hearty flavor of raw onions.” ~ James Beard (1903-1985)
With a cup of tea, there are very few things I usually crave for. Little sandwiches top the list any day. The best part is that they are so easy to put together. All I need to make sure is that the filling is readily made.
Not just with tea, there might be days when you will not have time to make a leisurely sit down breakfast or a sumptuous lunch. These work very well for such busy times too. The boiled egg and mayonniase are the star ingredients in today's recipe - Curried Egg Tea Sandwiches. Orange zest + juice add the required zing and the slight note of heat is from spice powder. Oh-So-Delicious!
Adapted from Food and Wine Preparation Time: 20 mins Time to Assemble: 15 mins
Ingredients:
10 slices of sandwich bread (I used white)
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/4 tsp finely grated orange zest (optional)
1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 tsp curry powder (or instead use cumin/coriander powder)
few sprigs of cilantro
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Fool-proof method for perfectly boiled eggs in minutes - Put the eggs in a saucepan filled 3/4th with water and little salt. Bring to a vigorous boil. Cover and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Drain the eggs and cool under running water. Lightly crack the shells and peel. Transfer them into a bowl and cool a bit.
2. Finely chop the eggs and add the orange zest + orange juice + cilantro along with the curry powder (or cumin/coriander powder if using) and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper and mash with a fork.
3. Trim off the brown crusts from bread (if you like the edges, let them be) and spread egg filling on one side. Top with the another slice of bread and cut each sandwich in half. Transfer to a platter and Serve. You really don't need any accompaniment for these sandwiches and taste best with a hot piping cuppa of tea.
Aren't they tempting enough to be made some right away..
Is it weird to say, to me kneading soft dough is very therapeutic? This bread-based-therapy is a magical de-stress technique which helps to unwind those daily petty anxieties in my routine, sometimes boring life.
..and moreover there is nothing like the taste of simple, home-made bake bread or a roti.:-)
Sending this black and white photograph to Black and White Wednesday # 57, guest hosted by Anusha of Tomato Blues, currently being managed by CindyStar. In an attempt to bring my mojo back, to keep this blog updated and also inspired by many bloggers throughout the world, I have taken up the NaBloPoMo 2012 challenge - to post everyday of the month of November. Please wish me all luck and hope you will come back to check on what I post, everyday!
The deadline to sign up for the challenge is November 5th 2012 11pm EST. Join the fun ride, if you wish to.
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.”
Mr.Pooh is so very right. I think everybody should regularly ask that question to ourselves instead of just skipping the breakfast. It sets the mood for rest of the day to follow and eating a proper one is the secret of a healthy living. For me, breakfast is eggs as they are readily available & easy to prepare. Even a simple boiled egg + salt + pepper with a glass of milk is filling and a good source of essential nutrients..
Today's recipe is a twist to a very classic - "Egg in a hole". I am sure these are a childhood favorite for many out there. May be you call it a different name: Eggs in a pocket, One-eyed jack, Baby in the hole, Bird in a nest, Egyptian eggs, just to list a few. The classic breakfast version has an egg fried within a crispy ring of bread. To make it more sumptuous and filling, I roasted a bunch of beautiful vegetables with olive, salt and pepper and placed them around the ring & then crack an egg. Also how well the eggs must be cooked is a personal choice. Some like over easy, sunnyside up or completely cooked through. No matter how you make it, this will remain a favorite breakfast option passed on for many generations to come. :-)
Try to cut these veggies equal sized so that they are evenly roasted.
{Recipe} Egg in a hole with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients:
Serves 1
1 slice of bread (of any kind)
2-3 tbsp of butter or olive oil
1 egg
few tbsp of roasted veggies (recipe below)
Preparation:
1. Wash and pat dry any kind of firm vegetables. I had one of each - zucchini, red & yellow bell peppers, onions, tomatoes (no juice), green chilli and coriander on hand. Cut them into long, equal sized strips. Preheat oven to 190 C or 375 F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, place veggies and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Arrange them on evenly on a baking sheet and roast them for 30-40 minutes, until crisp and tender. Cool and store in an air tight container if not using immediately. Refrigerate for a longer shelf life.
3. Using a small, sharp jar top, cut a hole out of the center of the slice of bread. Heat a bit of butter in a skillet and pan roast the bread with its cutout on one side. Turn it over and place a layer of roasted vegetable around the hole. Melt a small nugget of butter inside the hole and crack an egg in the middle. Cook over low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes or more depending on how well you want the egg to be cooked.
If you want to cook it through, carefully flip it over and cook for 2 minutes. To use up the left over veggies, the next day for dinner I topped this with one more piece of bread and made it into a sandwich. Two of these with a glass of fruit juice we were stuffed. Yum!
Am making this, or a variant of this now for snacks... :) Will link back :)
Congratulations on this milestone! :)
..and for $50 Amazon gift card, the lucky winner is - Nags of Edible Garden. Looks like lady luck wanted her to have this giveaway. Nags, you should really thank TH to pick your number. ;-)
Congrats Siri! It's been wonderful going on this food blogging journey with you, meeting you in MV, having that long chat in Sakshi's car as we dropped you.. and many more :) Your pics are amazing these days, you seem happy to be back home in India and that fund drive you did really made me move my behind and do something to give back.
Kudos and here's to many more years!
PS: I am totally angliing for the giveaways. I like you already, follow you already, subscribed already on Reader, and I just tweeted too. I am in it to win it ;) HUGS!
Hearty Congratulations to the winners and Thanks all for participating in my 5th year blog-anniversary giveaways. Have a great weekend ahead.
Just pinch me Will ya? I can't believe its been 5 years since I started this little blog of mine. 5? Are you kidding me? that is like half-a-decade!. Every single moment, every single recipe and every single thought I put in here is so worthwhile and so exhilarating & relaxing at the same time. How can such feelings co-exist? Well, I am still figuring that out. :-)
Right now as I look back, its not the numbers that matter to me but the evolution and the experience itself. I got to know an amazing bunch of people through blogging. They inspire me. teach me and be there during my happy times and also at the times of despair. Some live in various parts of the world, many whom I never met but they are just a phone call or an email away!. Wow, can such virtual relationships sustain over time? Apparently yes. I am eternally grateful to God for sending them to me. You know who you are and Thank you for your love and for just being a part of my life.
A birthday is never complete without a cake. Isn't it? But, for today I made few quickJalapeno Corn Bread Muffins served with Vegetarian Chilli. It is a combination I very much miss since we moved back to India, so I thought what better occasion do I need to feature these two recipes on the blog. As a way to say Thank you for your affection and support over all these years, I planned a few exciting giveaways for you all. Enjoy!
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup tightly packed herbs - mint & coriander/cilantro
2 tbsp chopped jalapeno peppers
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
Preparation:
Step 1: Pulse cornmeal until smooth texture. In a mixing bowl, add cornmeal, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix.
Step 2: Add herbs and jalapenos to it.
Step 3: In an another bowl, beat together - egg, olive oil and milk.
Step 4: Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and gently mix everything.
Step 5: Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F. Grease ramekins with olive oil and pour 3/4ths with batter. Top with some chopped jalapenos if desired. Bake for 18-20 mins until a toothpick or skewer when inserted in the center comes out clean. Rest for 10 mins.
Step 6: Run a knife around the edges and carefully unmold. Serve as a side accompaniment with soups, stew or chilli (recipe below). Wrap the rest of the muffins in a plastic cling to prevent from drying out. Microwave for few seconds and they are as good as fresh.
I won this set of ramekins as a giveaway from Divya's blog. :-)
{Recipe} Easy Vegetarian Bean Chilli
Ingredients:
3 cups boiled beans - I used chickpeas, black eyed peas, pinto beans and soya beans.
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups water
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
grated cheese, for topping
Preparation:
1. In a big pot, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic for few minutes. Add carrot and peppers. Cook until soft.
2. Stir tomatoes and beans. On a low heat, cook for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, chilli and cumin powder and pepper. Add water and continue cooking by stirring once or twice in the middle for 30-40 minutes.
3. Top with grated cheese and Serve hot with cornbread. Save left overs in refrigerator or freeze.
Now for the fun part. To celebrate the blog-o-anniversary, I have some goodies for you all. Just like before, there are two giveaways. One for Indian readers and other for rest of the world.
“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. Forsoupcan do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.” ~ Louis P. De Gouy, ‘The Soup Book’ (1949)
Moong Dal ka Shorba (Yellow Mung Dal Soup), drizzled with olive oil & topped with garlic-basil croutons
Growing up, my mother never considered "soup" as a real meal, never did she make some at home. And ironically every time we are out for dinner, we always ordered "tomato soup" as our first course. I never tasted any other kind.
Moong Dal ka Shorba (Yellow Mung Dal Soup) topped with puffed bajra & red chilli flakes
..things have changed a lot since then. Now, for me personally soup is a beautiful thing, especially during rainy & winter seasons. I make it a meal-in-itself by adding bread on the side or just some papads would do too.
Certain ingredients like lentils give soup a body and a silky texture which appeals to me the most. There is no need to add any kind of dairy products like cream or milk and by replacing the little butter used in the recipe with (olive) oil, this is a lovely vegan alternative when paired with a sandwich.
The croutons are a great way to make use of day-old left over bread lurking around in the kitchen. I have used dried basil for my croutons, but any kind of herb like rosemary, thyme, sage - fresh or dried will totally work. Enjoy!
“To feel safe and warm on a cold wet night, all you really need is soup.” ~ Laurie Colwin
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Such is the case with photography too. You see the same vegetable, do the same chore, visit the same place, but every single time you will find something new, something unique to photograph - the same notion with which I did Project 365 last year. Though, I find little time these days to pick up my camera and click random shots, I do miss Project 365 terribly. That's when, I secretly admire all the lovely shots by fellow 2012 Project 365-ers - Sharmi, Smitha, Lubna, Nithya, Usha and many others. They are doing a splendid job by posting something new everyday. All the very best to all of them and Hope to see you till the very end. :-)
Hyderabadi Double Ka Meetha
Milk Bread from our nearby bakery
There is a certain charm in revisiting the classics. Isn't it. Especially today's recipe is quite old made new, history scrubbed of loads of nostalgia. Ask any Hyderabadi about their favorite dessert and guaranteed most of them will say - Double Ka Meetha. Such is its legacy and a gastronomic delight devoured by all, forgetting about counting calories for a moment. Even today, no Hyderabadi dawat is complete without a generous serving of meetha at the very end.
When in US, atleast in places where I stayed fresh khoya is a rarity, hence my previous version makes use of heavy cream. But, now that we are in India and almost every nook & corner has a doodhwala, my mom's version is rich, creamy and sinfully indulgent.
Bread slices, shallow fried in ghee
the Ensemble - bread, milk, fried dry fruits, sugar syrup and milk with khoya
{ Recipe} Hyderabadi Double ka Meetha ( Bread Pudding with Nuts and Raisins)
Ingredients:
1 loaf milk bread
ghee - for shallow frying
3 cups milk
1/2 cup khoya
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
a pinch of cardamom powder
saffron strands or orange food color (as I was out of saffron)
1/2 cup or more dry fruits and raisins - I used cashews, raisins and almonds
Preparation:
1. Slice bread into thick pieces.
2. Heat ghee in a wide pan and shallow fry bread pieces until slight golden brown. Drain them on paper towels. In rest of ghee (add more if needed), fry the dry fruits.
3. In a sauce pan, boil milk and add khoya. On a low heat, reduce it to half. Add saffron (or food color) and cardamom powder.
4. In another sauce pan, add water and sugar. Boil for 12-15 mins to make sugar syrup.
5. In a wide bowl, arrange the bread slices, sprinkle dry fruits, pour sugar syrup and reduced milk. With hand gently break the bread into small pieces while mixing everything. Make sure its not too mushy.
Serve warm or chilled with vanilla ice cream.
Note: Refrigerate if any leftovers. On the next day, heat up some milk, add the meetha and then serve.
"The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight." ~ M.F.K. Fisher
Until few years ago, the term "homemade-freshly-baked-bread" was non-existent in my food dictionary. I never knew bread can me made at home. Well, that does sound silly today, but at that time that's what I thought. Over and above, I suffered from what I call "yeast-o-phobia". All you bread-bakers know what I mean. At first, bread making may sound like a daunting task, quite intimidating too. It seems difficult just for the fact that - at any step one could go wrong and end up with a chewy, inedible bread. Trust me, it happened to me too!. After couple of batches of bread dough ending up in the trash can, I conquered my fear almost four years ago. It was an exhilarating experience and there is no looking back since then! :-).
nothing beats the taste of freshly baked bread - house smells divine. that's for sure!
One of my all time favorite bread recipes with yeast is - No Knead Pizza by Jim Lahey. From New York Times to Huffington Post, almost everybody featured it. My personal experience with recipe gave awesome results and it works for its sheer simplicity. If you are a novice bread baker, then I would go for Jim's recipe and fall instantly in love making bread at home!
Let the magic of yeast begin..
....and if ever you want for a bread which rarely fails and very forgiving, perfect to dip in olive oil sprinkled with salt or balsamic vinegar, then this is it: Focaccia. I tried my hand for the first time with Roasted Sweet Pepper Focaccia Bread in a cast iron skillet. Oh my, the taste still lingers in my mouth. It was that good to be one of popular posts on this blog and got featured on food52 as well.
bread dough...after two hours, doubled in size
Today's recipe - Focaccia with cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and hint of garlic is an ultimate classic combination. One could easily take this idea and come up with other topping such as - rosemary, roasted garlic, mixed herbs, caramelized onions, olives etc. In any form or shape, I promise you will end up with an absolutely delicious piece of bread.
cherry tomatoes with basil..
The trick here in this recipe is to let the tomatoes, basil and garlic sit in olive oil as long as possible to get an excellent infused oil, which works best as a topping for focaccia. If fresh herbs are not available, use dried ones. It is important to use olive oil (extra virgin, if possible) and please note that such flavored oils mostly depend on personal taste and involves some trial and error to get the right amount of zing that suits one's palate.
cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and garlic induced in extra virgin olive oil
