http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SpanishRecipesinpictures/~3/6njF0jXrZwk/vegetal-sandwich-with-egg-and-salmon.html

Would you join me for a picnic? I prepared these wonderful cold sandwiches... let's grab some beers...

Get the rest in my blog! See you there!

AMMINI KOZHUKATTAI / SPICY RICE BALLS

I was searching for a low fat , steamed snack . I got this recipe from a blog . I did some changes and tried it.It was very soft & tasty.

 

 INGREDIENTS :

• Rice flour - 1 cup
• Water -  2 cups
• Oil - 1 drop
• Salt - As needed

TO  TEMPER

• Cooking Oil -  1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal -1 tsp
• Channa dal - 1 tsp
• Green chilly - 2 nos ( slitted)
• Ginger - 1 inch piece ( chopped finely)
• Curry leaves - a sprig
• Asafetida - 1 pinch
• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

METHOD :

• Take the water in a kadai and allow it to boil by adding the salt & a drop of oil.
• As soon as it starts to roll boil add the measured rice flour and stir well without forming lumps.
• It will become a soft, non sticky dough.
• Let it cool. Then knead it well and make very small balls out of the warm dough by greasing ur hands with little gingely oil.
• Steam cook the balls by arranging them in idly plate.
• It takes nearly 10 mins to cook.
• Now remove the balls carefully and set aside.
• In a kadai heat the oil and temper the items given above in the same order.
• Add the balls at the end and toss well.
• Check for salt and mix the grated coconut.

Serve hot !!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sBff/~3/qGCW48UBJo0/perfect-time-for-pumpkin-pancakes.html

A friend sent me a nice note recently that his wife had made these pumpkin pancakes for dinner, and that they were thoroughly enjoyed by all. I always appreciate those kinds of messages, especially since they often serve as a reminder for doing seasonally appropriate recipe re-posts.

This was the week pumpkin made its yearly appearance into my life. On restaurant menus, on television, in store windows, on neighbors' steps, and all over our living room…and dining room…and kitchen…and, well, you get the idea. So, to celebrate the beloved American gourd, I decided to rerun this tasty winter treat. Enjoy!

Click here to read the original post, and to get the ingredient amounts.

Bread Baking Babes - Cuban Bread

Cuban Bread by Bernard Clayton from New Complete Book of Breads.

Delicious. Scrumptious. Amazing.

The bread so nice I made it twice.

Easy.

Want to be a Buddy? Bake the bread, recipe here, then send a link to Ilva at luculliandelights AT gmail DOT com by January 28. Use the subject 'Bread Baking Buddy' in your email.

You will LOVE this bread.

The Frugal Cook is away

No credit crunch drinking recs this week or next I'm afraid as I'm away on a work trip to Australia. (Yes, jammy, I know) Normal service will be resumed after December 11th.

Six wines for under £6 at Waitrose

Waitrose has one of those increasingly popular 25% across the board discounts if you buy six bottles offer (12 if you buy online) which lasts until next Tuesday. Trawling through my tasting notes I must admit I struggled to reach my self-appointed target of six bottles to recommend under £6 which shows how much prices have crept up lately but here's a half dozen I think you'll enjoy:

Cuvée Chasseur 2010 (down from £4.35 to £3.26)
This warm southern blend of carignan, grenache and merlot is a reliable standby at its full price but well worth snapping up at this reduction if you're planning to mull wine for Hallowe'en, Bonfire Night or even Christmas. Fine with robust pasta dishes and stews too.

Castillo la Paz Tempranillo/Shiraz 2010 La Mancha (down from £6.99 to £5.24)
Something of a poor man's rioja though to be honest there's a lot of cheap rioja around the £5-6 mark at the moment. Has that appealing gentle soft cooked strawberry fruit that's typical of Tempranillo - with a generous lick of vanilla. A good wine for roast lamb or a cheeseboard.

Chapel Hill Pinot Noir 2009 Hungary (down from £6.99 to £5.24)
It's hard to find a good sub £10 Pinot Noir but this is a real steal. Quite light and delicate it could easily pass for a red burgundy twice the price. If you're lucky enough to be able to source cheap pheasant or rabbit this is the bottle to serve with it. (And if you miss the 25% off deal it will be on special offer at £5.24 until November 8th)

Inycon Grower's Selection Fiano 2010 Sicily (down from £6.69 to £5.02)
If you like chardonnay you'll love this rich, full-bodied Sicilian white which would go well with creamy chicken or pasta dishes or recipes with butternut squash. Good party drinking too.

Excelsior Heritage Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Robertson, South Africa (down from £7.29 to £5.47)
A slightly different style from New Zealand sauvignon blanc - less gooseberryish, more citrussy with a lovely streak of lemon peel - this would go well with all kinds of seafod especially dishes flavoured with chilli and coriander. A lot of wine for the money. (Also available on offer at £5.79 from the 19th to November 8th if you miss this offer.)

Tabali Encantado Late Harvest Muscat 2010 Limari Valley, Chile (£7.79 down to £5.84)
You might find this slightly less useful given that it's a) only available in half bottles and b) only in 173 branches but if you can lay your hands on one as part of your cut-price haul it's a real treat. Exotic, honeyed with a fresh lemony finish - and just a touch of orange - it would be delicious with a whole range of desserts from apple crumble to Christmas pud.

New Italian Cookbooks 2011

I'm not sure any other cuisine can top Italian, when it comes to comfort food. While Italian cookbooks are a dime a dozen, three really stood out for me this year and are nice enough variations to warrant adding to your collection if you're an Italian food fiend like me or give them as gifts.


Cucina Povera Tuscan Peasant Cooking was sure to strike a chord with me, because I lived in Florence for 6 months. It is written by ex-pat Pamela Sheldon Johns and it shares a way of life, of not wasting anything and eating frugally. In the book you'll meet all kinds of people from Italy who cook and garden and make things from scratch. The recipes are for some things you may already know about like Ribollita and Pappa al Pomodoro (and if you don't, then by all means you need this book) but also more obscure recipes that you are unlikely to encounter in a restaurant.

Recipes you'll want to try include Tuscan Cornmeal, Kale and Bean Soup, Stewed Peppery Beef Cheeks, Farmyard Crostini (finally a use for giblets!) Plum Jam Tart and Ricotta Cake.







The family I lived with in Italy ate very formal meals, I don't remember a single one course meal. But they do exist and that is what Piatto Unico is all about. The book shares hearty, comforting dishes many that are particularly perfect as we head into Winter. Recipes are divided into chapters like Prime-Time Pastas, Minestrone and Other Big, Bountiful Soups and Braises and Stews.

Recipes you'll want to try include: Asparagus Spinach Crepes with Taleggio, Thick Chickpea and Porcini Soup, Escarole, Anchovy and Cheese Salad.












Another noteworthy book is Rustic Italian Food. This is satisfying and lusty food, not fussy food although many of the recipes do take effort and are not just weeknight jobs. It's filled with homemade breads, pastas, salumi, pickles and preserves. They all demand the use of top quality ingredients. It's written by a restaurant chef, but designed for home cooks.

Recipes you'll want to try include: Spaghetti in Parchment with Clams and Scallions, Eggplant Lasagnette Alla Parmigiana, Veal Breast 'al Latte' with Fried Sage, Cold Farro Salad with Crunchy Vegetables

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION! ©2011 Cooking with Amy. All rights reserved. This material may NOT be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission. If you are reading this post somewhere other than Cooking with Amy, the Oyster Local blog or Gather.com, then the site where you found this post is illegally publishing copyrighted material.

SORAKKAI SWEET KOOTU & PAAL KOOTU/ BOTTLE GOURD GRAVY- TWO VERSIONS

I learnt this from my MIL.. We are not find of this vegetable. So i buy bottle gourd very rarely. But whenever i buy , i make only this kootu. With vathakuzhambu , it tastes divine… I've given a spicy version too. But my vote goes to the sweet version Love it a lot..!!

INGREDIENTS

Bottle gourd – 1 no (small size) or half if it is big Green chilly – 1 no (chopped finely) Salt & water – As needed Powdered Jaggery – 1/4 cup (adjust ) To grind Coconut – 1/4 cup or less Rice flour – 1 tsp Water – as needed To temper Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Red chilly – 1 no ( full , no need to pinch) Curry leaves – a few Milk (optional) at the end ..

METHOD

Wash and peel off the outer skin of bottle gourd . Cut into two halves.Now remove the center portion which has seeds. Finely chop it and add the green chilly pieces, salt and water. Pressure cook up to one whistle.Meanwhile , grind the grated coconut with rice flour adding little water or milk. Now open the cooker and add the powdered jaggery . Mix well. Let it boil for few minutes.Finally add the ground coconut mixture and allow it to thicken .. Add milk at the end if necessary .. Temper all the ingredients given above in the same order. Add to kootu ..

Enjoy with Vathakulambu rice and papad !!

SORAKKAI PAAL KOOTU

Bottle gourd – 1 no (small size) or half if it is big Sambhar powder – 1 tsp Salt & water – As needed To grind Coconut – 1/4 cup or less Rice flour – 1 tsp Water – as needed To temper Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Red chilly – 1 no ( full , no need to pinch) Curry leaves – a few MILK – LITTLE AT THE END

 METHOD

Wash and peel off the outer skin of bottle gourd . Cut into two halves.Now remove the center portion which has seeds. Finely chop it and add the sambhar powder, salt and water. Pressure cook up to one whistle.Meanwhile , grind the grated coconut with rice flour adding little water or milk. Now open the cooker and add the ground coconut mixture and allow it to boil .. Add milk at the end if necessary .. Temper all the items given above and add to kootu.. Enjoy with rice and papad !

 KITCHEN CLINIC

Bottle gourd The bottlegourd belongs to the cucumber family and originated in Africa, and is now available in most parts of the world. Also known as calabash, cucuzza, sorakaya, lauki, doodhi, and ghiya in various languages, this vegetable comes in different  shapes, the most common being the bottle-shaped (hence the name) and round. The sizes vary from six inches in length to more than six feet.In the US, bottlegourds are available in farmer's markets, Asian grocery stores, as well as mainstream markets. This is a popular vegetable in Indian cooking. When cooked, bottlegourd can be slightly sweet or bland, and lends itself to a variety of dishes. Dried bottlegourds are used to make water bottles, bowls, musical instruments, and decorative ornaments. HEALTH BENEFITS Bottlegourd contains a lot of water - almost 96 percent is water, and as such is light and easy to digest. Bottlegourd is commonly used for treating indigestion, constipation, and diarrhea. Bottlegourd juice with a pinch of salt is also used to treat dehydration caused by diarrhea. The water content in bottlegourd along with the high fiber content helps with constipation as well. Low in calories (100gms has 12 calories) and low in fat, bottlegourd is a wonderful vegetable to include in any weight-loss diet. Regular use of cooked bottlegourd is considered an effective remedy for tuberculosis, and for boosting immunity. Bottlegourd juice mixed with sesame oil in a 50:50 ratio and applied over the scalp every night is recommended as a natural remedy for insomnia. Cooked leaves of the bottlegourd plant are also considered to be effective. Bottlegourd has a calming influence and is effective in treating hysteria; fresh bottlegourd pulp should be applied on the forehead of the patient. Cooking Tips Select small, tender, and firm bottlegourds (light green and fresh-looking); prick the skin, and if it's thin, it's tender. You can use tender bottlegourds with the peel and tender seeds. To use mature bottlegourd, remove the peel and seeds. Taste the bottlegourds before cooking, as they can sometimes be bitter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate to keep the bottlegourds fresh. Use them for curries, soups, salads, chutneys, jams or desserts. Their neutral taste lends itself to a variety of dishes, both savory and sweet..

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