Pesto and Olive Whole Wheat Bread Wreath

Pesto and Olive Whole Wheat Bread Wreath
This bread is made with home made Pesto sauce,sliced red pickled chillies and olives...it is then garnish with thyme.

Pesto sauce
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup peeled almonds and walnut mix
3 garlic cloves minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
Put the basil leaves and  nuts into the grinder and grind. Add the garlic and Parmesan cheese and grind few more times. While the grinder is running, slowly add the olive oil in the grinder. Occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the grinder. Add some salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pesto and Olive Whole Wheat Bread Wreath
Ingredients
31/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Pesto sauce
2 tsp Dry Yeast
1/2 cup Lukewarm water
2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Pickled Red Chilli  sliced
Few Green and Black Olives sliced
Few Thyme Leaves

Method
Add yeast and sugar in the Lukewarm Water and stir.  Keep it aside to rise. In a bowl add flour and salt. Mix it. Add the yeast water and 1 cup or more water little at a time to get a soft dough. Add 1 tbsp oil and knead it for 10 minutes. Cover and keep it aside to rise double in size. Once the dough is risen, knock it back then roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a big  rectangle shape.    Spread the pesto evenly all over the dough. Starting at the long edge closest to you, roll the dough up tightly but gently, like a swiss roll, into a log. Grease the  baking sheet,  transfer the roll of dough to the baking sheet and, using a sharp knife,  cut the roll in half lengthwise. Turn the two halves so that the cut side is facing up then lay one over the other so that they make an X shape, twist them together by laying one side over the other, keeping the cut side up, until all of the dough is twisted and you are left with a braid. Loop the braid round into a wreath shape and pinch the ends together. Leave to rise for about 20 minutes. Add olives and pickled chilli on the dough.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Once baked transfer to a wire rack to cool. Garnish with thyme..

Veg Thin Curst Whole Wheat Pizza

Veg Thin Curst Whole Wheat Pizza
With Corn, Capsicum, Onion, Tomato, Black Olives, Pickled Red Chillies and Cottage Cheese

Pizza Dough
Ingredients
500 grams Whole Wheat Flour
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Dry Yeast
1 tbsp Sugar
1/4 cup Lukewarm Water
2 tbsp Olive oil

Method
Take a mixing bowl. Mix Flour and Salt. Take Lukewarm water. Add sugar and yeast. Let it rise. Add the yeast water and extra water little at a time to make a dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Add 1 tbsp oil and stretch the dough while kneading. Apply oil on the dough and let it rise double in size. Punch the dough and make 2 equal portion of the dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

For A Quick Garliky Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
6 Ripe Tomatoes cut in to big cubes and seeds removed
1 Garlic pod minced
1 Onion minced
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
1/2 tsp Dry Orageno
1 cup Tomato purée
1 tbsp Olive oil

Method
Take tomato purée, tomatoes, salt and sugar. Coarsely grind the tomatoes into purée. Take a pan. Add the oil, Add the garlic minced and the onion minced, saute it for 3 minutes, add the tomato puree,let it simmer on low flame till the sauce reduces a bit and becomes thick and all the ingredients has incorporated well. Add the dry Orageno. Mix it. Switch of the flame and keep it aside.

For the Pizza Filling
Ingredients
Pizza dough
2 Onion finely sliced
3 Tomatoes finely sliced
1/2 of each Green, Yellow and Red Capsicum finely sliced
1/2 cup Boiled Corns
1/2 cup grated Cottage cheese
Pizza Sauce
2 tbsp Black Olives chopped
2 tbsp Picked Red chilli chopped
2 Cup or more grated Mozzarella and Cheddar. Equal portion of Mozzarella, Cheddar to be taken.

Method
Grease the baking tray. Take one portion of the dough and with the help of the fingers, start spreading the dough on the baking tray. Cover the baking tray with the dough, the dough should be 1/4 inch or less in thickness. With a help of a fork prick few time on the dough. Add and spread the pizza sauce on the dough. Then add the grated  cheese. Then add the vegetables, cottage cheese, olives and pickled chilli one by one. Add the cheese again and bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes till the cheese has melted and the pizza bread has cooked in an preheated oven. Serve hot with chilli flakes and dry oregano (Optional)

Piragi (Latvian Buns)

Piragi (Latvian Buns)
A pīrāgs -  plural - pīrāgi is an oblong or crescent-shaped baked Latvian bread roll or pastry, often containing a filling of finely chopped bacon cubes and onion. Pīrāgi range from 5 centimetres in length to 13 centimetres, depending on if they are intended as a snack or a more substantial meal. Smaller pīrāgi are often prized for their daintiness and are considered the work of a skilled cook. As with many national dishes, Latvian families often have their own unique recipe for the dish, resulting in many variations of pīrāgi. Due to the amount of work involved to make pīrāgi, they are usually made only for special occasions.
Other common pīrāgs fillings include fatty bacon, fatback (speķis), mixtures of ground or finely chopped meats (ground beef, ham and chicken with or without bacon), fish, cabbage and pressed cottage cheese. Pīrāgi come in two main varieties: plain bread pīrāgi and brothor soup pīrāgi (zupas or buljona pīrāgi). Bread pīrāgi come with a larger variety of fillings and are made using a yeast dough. Broth pīrāgi are made from a flaky pastry butter dough, often a sour cream dough, and are usually filled with boiled beef or sometimes cooked fish. These are intended to be eaten with a cup or bowl of good broth.
Information source Net

My version of Pīrāgi
Suffing
1 cup Cottage chesse finely minced
1 cup Red Cabbage finely minced
2 Onions, finely minced
1 tsp Garlic finely minced
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1 tsp Oil

Method
In a heavy non stick pan, add the oil. Sauté the onions, garlic, red cabbage and cottage cheese until the onions are translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Keep the stuffing aside to cool completely.

Pīrāgi
Ingredients
3 and 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 tbsp dry Yeast
1/4 cup Warm Water
2 tbsp Sugar
3/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup Butter
Salt to taste
Stuffing
2 tbsp Milk + 2 tbsp butter

Method
Place yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl, put aside for the yeast to activate atleast 10 minutes. In a small saucepan add butter, milk, salt. Warm over a low heat until butter has melted. When milk mixture has cooled to lukewarm stir in the yeast. Place two cups of the flour in a large bowl, pour liquid over and stir to combine. Once combined add the remaining flour. Mix until all ingredients have come together, then leave to rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. Once rested turn dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and soft, about 5 – 10 minutes. Place dough back in to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Leave dough to raise, around 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. Once dough is ready, divide the dough into  lime size portions. Take a portion and roll the dough in to a ball and stretch it to a circle. Place a tablespoon of stuffing, and bring the edges of the dough together. Seal the bun in a oval shape and pull the 2 points outwards. Place formed buns on a baking tray that has been greased. The seal edge has to be facing down.  Mix the milk and melted butter to make wash. Brush it on the buns.  Place buns in a preheated oven of 180 degrees celcius  and bake for approximately 25 minutes,brushing the milk and butter in between 2 times, bake until golden brown.

Oats and Dry Fruits Samosa Kolkatta Style

Oats and Dry Fruits Singara / Samosa Kolkatta Style
Eat healthy and live healthy... Enjoy food guilt free. This is a healthy snack made with oats and nuts. Oats and nuts are rich in minerals and vitamins. One must eat them regularly. This recipe is baked the use of oil is very less.....

Ingredients for the stuffing
1 big Potatoe cut into small cubes without peeling the potato
2 Green chillies Chopped
1/2 tsp grated Ginger
6 to 7 black Raisins chopped
6 to 8 Almonds chopped
4 Walnuts chopped
1 cup Oats
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Bhaja Masala (Roast 1 tsp of Cumin seeds, 1 tsp Coriander seeds and 2 dry Red Chillies and grind it into powder)
Rock Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Ghee

Method
Take a pot, add a glass of water and potatoes and boil it, when done keeping 1/4 cup water remove the excess water out. If the water is less then add water till 1/4 cup water is there. Add the oats and stir fast. It will soak in all the water. It oats should not over cook. It should be moist. If oats looks dry then  sprinkle water while stirring, add salt, garam masala powder, ginger, chillies, almond, raisins and walnut. Stir it till all the things combine well. Take it off the gas. Add the Bhaja masala and stir.

For the Dough
Ingredients
2 cup Wheat flour
1/4 cup Oat flour
Rock Salt to taste
2 tsp oil

Method
Combine salt and the flours together. Add 1  1/2 tsp oil. Mix it well, add water little at a time to make a semi soft dough. Knead it well for 5 minutes. Add the remaining oil and knead it. Cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes.

For the Samosa
Ingredients
Stuffing
Dough
1/2 tsp oil + 1/2 tsp Ghee mix

Method
Divide the dough into equal portions. Brush oil on the dough balls. Roll out a dough and cut into half. Take one half and take two corner ends of the dough. Get it in the centre, one side overlapping over the other side by 1/2 inch. Press the edge. It will become a triangle pocket. Fill in the stuffing and seal the edges. Repeat till all the samosas are made. Take a baking tray. Brush oil on the tray. Brush oil on the samosas too. Grill it for 15 minutes at 200 degrees in a preheated oven.  If required brush little more oil on the samosas. Turn and grill again for 15 minutes. If required turn and grill for 5 minutes more until crispy and brown. Serve hot...

Pissaladière is a classic dish in Provence

Pissaladière is a classic dish in Provence ( South east France). Its thin pizza-like crust is piled high with caramelized onions, then topped with anchovies ( Optional), olives, and fresh herbs.

Ingredients

Topping
1/4 cup butter
3 big  onions thinly sliced
6 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

For the base
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
3cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
20 drained anchovy fillets ( optional)
20  black olives pitted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Method

For topping:
Preheat oven to 180 degress. Place butter on heavy large  baking sheet; place in oven until butter melts, about 5 minutes. Spread half of onions on baking sheet; top with 3 thyme sprigs, 2 rosemary sprigs and 1 bay leaf. Sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil. Top with remaining onions, 3 thyme sprigs, 2 rosemary sprigs, and 1 bay leaf. Sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons oil (onion layer will be thick but will settle during baking). Bake until onions are very tender and golden, stirring and turning every 30 minutes, about 2 hours total. Cool. Discard herb sprigs and bay leaves. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

For base:
Pour 1 cup warm water into small bowl; sprinkle yeast and sugar over. Stir to blend. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Blend 2 3/4 cups flour and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons oil; process until dough clumps together, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky. Process until shiny ball forms, about 1 minute. Turn dough out onto floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Coat large bowl with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add dough to bowl; turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let rise in warm area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough; cover and let rise until puffed and almost doubled, about 1 hour.

Grease the baking sheet with oil. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface  rectangle shape and to the size of the tray. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; press edges of dough up along sides and corners of sheet. Cover with dry kitchen towel; let rise until slightly puffed, 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spread onions over top of dough. Arrange anchovies ( optional ) and olives on top. Bake until the base
is golden, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme. Cut into 3-inch squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Garlicky Hasselback Eggplant with Tomato and Basil

Garlicky Hasselback Eggplant with  Tomato and Basil
Ingredients
1 big Eggplant
6 Garlic cloves minced
1 Tomato chopped
6 Basil leaves thinly sliced
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper Crushed
1/2 tsp Chilli flakes
1 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp Cheddar cheese grated
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Method
Preheat the grill pan to medium heat. Slice the eggplant 3/4 the way through ,leaving the bottom in tact. Add salt, pepper, chilli flakes and garlic to the eggplant. Rub the spices well in the cut section. Keep the eggplant on a sheet of aluminum foil and fold the eggplant tightly in the foil.Grill for 45 minutes, at 180 degrees Celsius or until the eggplant  is tender. When it is done, open the foil, add the tomato, sprinkle the chopped  basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and cheese. Grill for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Recipe source Parry's Plate. 

Radish leaves roll

Radish leaves roll
2 cups radish leaves chopped
1 green chilli chopped
1 tsp garlic chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 pepper powder
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup cheese cut in to small cubes
12 samosa strips

Method
Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Take a pan and add oil. Add garlic, onion and green chilli sauté till the onions have changed its colour. Add the leaves, salt and pepper powder. Cook the leaves till the water has evaporated and the vegetable has become dry. Switch of the gas and add the cheese cubes. Take the samosa strips and add the vegetable and roll the strips. Add water at one end and stick the end. Repeat the process with other  samosa strips. Grease the baking tray and place the rolls. Spray the rolls with oil and bake it for 20 minutes at 160 degrees. Take the rolls and keep it for sometime before having it.

Cheesy Herb Bread

Cheesy Herb Bread
Ingredients
1 Fresh Ciabatta
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Oilve oil
2 tbsp grated Cheddar cheese
2 tbsp Grated Mozzarella
2 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup Mix chopped Fresh herbs ( Coriander leaves, Rose Mary, Thyme, Chives )
1/2 tbsp Chilli flakes
1/4 tbsp Pepper powder
Salt to taste

Method
Take a mixing bowl. Add the butter, olive oil, Mix herbs, garlic, cheddar cheese, mozzarella, chilli flakes, Pepper powder and salt. Mix it well. Take the ciabatta and slice the ciabatta half way through into thick slices, (don't slice it completely so that the whole ciabatta remains together). Spread the cheesy herb butter in between bread slices.  Wrap ciabatta in foil and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees in a pre heated oven or until butter is melted. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

White Cheese Sauce Pasta

White Cheese Sauce Pasta

Ingredients:
Penni Pasta/Macroni: 1 cup
Water: 2 1/2 cup
Refined Oil: 1/2 teaspoon
Salt: 1 teaspoon

For preparing white sauce:
Butter: 2 tablespoon
Flour: 2 table spoon
Milk: 2 3/4 cup
Salt: to taste
Pepper: 1/2 tea spoon
Cream: 1/4 cup
Cheese: 50 grams

For garnishing
Red chilly flakes: 1/2 tea spoon
Oregano: 1 teaspoon
Cheese : 50 grams
Black Olives optional

If you want to add vegetables saute the vegetables in little butter and add it with the pasta.
(Mushrooms, capsicum, onions, baby corn are optional )

Preparation:
For boiling pasta:
- Add water, oil and salt in a container.
- Heat it for 1 minute on high flame.
- Add pasta to it and heat it for additional 10 minutes on medium flame. Make sure that the pasta is boiled properly as sometime it may take some extra time.
- After boiling, drain out the pasta from the water

For preparing white sauce:
-Take butter in a sauce pan and add
maida to the butter and keep mixing it for few seconds.
- Add salt and  pepper, and now gradually add milk and keep stirring so that there are no  lumps. Cook it on slow flame for 5 mins. Add the cream and cheese and cook it for a minute or so.
- Add boiled pasta to the sauce and heat it for 2 minutes.
- Garnish it with cheese , red chilli flakes, Orogano and black olives  and grill it for 5 minutes in a microwave.
- Hot white cheese pasta is ready to serve.

Veg Shortcrust pastry

Veg Shortcrust pastry
Ingredients
250 g wheat flour
2 pinches of Salt
110 g butter cubed
Cold water as per required to make a dough.

Method
Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cubes of butter.
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that is like coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps.
Stir in just enough of the cold water to bind the dough together. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 10-15 minutes before using.

Vegetarian filling for the pie
Ingredients
1 medium  potato diced
1 big onion diced
1 capsicum diced
2 carrot diced
1/2 cup French beans chopped
1/2 cup spinach chopped
2 tbsp garlic chopped
1/2 tbsp green chillies chopped
1/2 tsp ginger chopped
1/2 tsp pepper powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

For White sauce
3 tbsp wheat flour
2 tbsp butter
1 big cup milk
Salt to sprinkle

1/2 cup grated cheese

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Take a pan add oil. After the oil heats up add garlic and onions. Saute it for some time. Add rest of the chopped vegetables, salt and pepper powder. Cover the pan and on a slow heat, stir the vegetables occasionally till cooked. Keep it aside.
Now take another pan to make the white sauce. Take butter and add in the flour. Keep on stirring the flour on a low heat so that the flour does not stick to the pan and burn. As the flour changes it's colour, slowly add in the milk little at a time and keep whisking so that the lumps don't form. When the sauce begins to thicken then sprinkle some salt and mix it well. Now add the sauce to the vegetable mixture. Mix the two together. Now take a medium size non stick  pie pan. Take the dough and roll the dough out in to a round sheet. Place the sheet into the pie pan covering the full pie pan. Flatten it out by pressing it with your finger tips. Rest it for 5 minutes. Now add the vegetable mixture and spread it and add the grated cheese on top. Roll out another dough sheet and cover the vegetable mixture from top. Now press the sizes of the dough with your finger tips or fork. Cut of the excess dough from the sides. Brush in with milk and butter on top and bake it for 25 minutes at 180 degrees. After the pie is done then cool it for 5 minutes before cutting the pie and serving.

Instant Baked Dhokla

Instant Baked Dhokla

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup Chickpeas flour / Gram flour / Besan

1/2 tsp Ginger paste

1/ 2 tsp Green Chilli paste

Few Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Red chilli powder

1 cup or more Butter Milk to make the batter

Salt to taste

1/2 tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida / Hing

1/2 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Eno

OR

1/2 Cup Soda ( Adjust the butter milk quantity accordingly) 

1 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp chopped coriander

Method

Take mixing bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder, turmeric powder and mix the flour. Add the butter milk, ginger paste and green chilli paste. Whisk the flour into a smooth thick batter. Add Eno or Soda. Mix the batter. Grease the baking tray and pour the batter. In a pre heated oven bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 200 degrees. Take it out.  Let it cool a bit. Cut in to pieces. In a small pan the heat oil, add mustard seeds, let it crackle. Add the curry leaves , asafoetida and chilli powder. Quickly add 1/4 cup water and sugar. Mix the seasoning and slowly pour over the dhokla. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.

Veg Lasagna

Veg Lasagna

For the sauce
Ingredients
1/2 cup ripe tomatoes blanched, peel of the skin and chopped finely
1/2 cup tomato purée
1 tbsp garlic chopped finely
1 small onion chopped finely
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp chopped Basil leave
1 tsp olive oil

Method
Take olive oil and heat it. Add galic and onion and sauté it well. As the onion changes it colour then add the tomatoes and the purée and cook on a low heat till the tomato and the purée blends well and the juice from the tomato has reduce. Add salt to taste, pepper powder and  sugar and boil it for few minutes more. Add chopped Basil leaves and keep it aside. ( This sauce also serves for pizza and red sauce pasta)

Vegetables required for Lasagna
Ingredients
1/2 cup red capsicum
1/2 cup yellow capsicum
1/2 cup brinjal
1/2 cup mashrooms
1 onion
1 tomato
(All the vegetables cut in to medium size cubes)
1/2 cup spinach chopped
1/2 tsp garlic chopped
Salt to taste
1/2 pepper powder
2 tsp olive oil

Method
Take olive oil heat it and fry the brinjal cubes and keep it aside. Then add garlic. Sauté for few minutes and add the rest of the vegetables and cook on a medium flame till all the vegetables combines well. Add salt and pepper to taste and the sauce prepared earlier. Mix it well.

Lasagna sheets

Ingredients
2 cups of wheat flour
1/2 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Method
Take wheat flour add salt and oil. Mix the flour. Add water to make a soft dough. Keep it aside while assembling the lasagna.

Assembling the lasagna
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese grated
Dough
Vegetables prepared for the lasagna

Method
Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees.
Take a baking dish. Make two portions of the dough take one portion and roll it out in to the shape of the baking dish. Blanch the sheet into hot water. Spead the sheet out on the baking dish. Spread out the vegetables on the sheet add the fried brinjal. Sprinkle 1/2 of the grated mozzarella cheese. Roll out the remaining portion of the dough. Blanch the sheet in hot water and spread it out on the vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining grated mozzarella cheese. Bake it at 200 degrees for 20 minutes till all the cheese has melted and the top has become brown in colour. Serve it hot.