Upside-down mixed berries cake

Serves 6

1 stick of salted butter

3/4 cup of sugar

pinch of salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup milk - I used 1% lactose free milk

1/2 cup frozen mixed berried - do NOT defrost before use

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.
2. In a small bowl mix flour, salt and baking powder.
3. In a larger bowl, beat sugar and butter at medium speed until it forms a granular mix. Add one egg at a time and beat it in until mixed.
4. Add 1/3 cup of the flour mix and beat it a low speed, enough to incorporate it completely.
5. Add cream and continue beating. Next add flour mix, beat it, followed by milk. Add the rest of the flour. With every ingredient added make sure you beat it to incorporate it completely.
6. Fold in the frozen berries.
7. Transfer to a buttered baking dish (8"x8") and sprinkle some sugar on the top. Bake for 45 mins until its brown on the top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Roasted ratatouille pasta

Another one of my weeknight creations reeking of impatience :) I love that I can chop up a bunch of veggies, stick them into the oven with salt and pepper and dinner's ready!

Serves 3

1 large eggplant, cubed into 1/2" pieces

1 large red onion, cubed into 1/2" pieces

1 can of diced tomatoes strained - save atleast 1/3 cup of juice

Crushed red pepper

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tsps of fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsps of olive oil

1 1/2 cups of pasta

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg.
2. Mix all the ingredients except the pasta in a 9x13" baking dish.
3. Bake for 45 mins until veggies are completely cooked.
4. 5 mins before done - cook the pasta in 2 cups of salted water and reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water.
5. Mix the pasta into the eggplant mix and add the pasta water if more sauce is required. Stir to combine.
6. Garnish with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Shepherds pie

This is a quick one pot dish. Great for cooking on a week night with fresh winter produce - potatoes, onions and carrots.

Serves 4

1 lb ground meat - I used mutton

3 large pototoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2" pieces

1 large yellow onion, cubed into 1/2" pieces

1 cup string beans, chopped in 1 inch pieces

1 cup of carrots chopped into 1/4" pieces

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 tsp crushed red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsps of butter

2 tsps fresh thyme

1 tbsp of fresh cream

1. Steam cubed potatoes until they are cooked through. Mash them with cream, salt, pepper and thyme . I used my food processor.
2. Preheat oven to 375 deg.
3. Heat some oil in an oven safe pot. Saute onions and garlic with salt until they are slightly browned and translucent.
4. Add carrots and beans and cook for 5 more mins.
5. Add the meat, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook until the meat is brown. Add 2 tbsps of water if the meat mix is completely dry.
6. Turn off the heat and layer the mashed potatoes over the meat and onions. Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until the top layer is golden-brown.
7. Garnish with fresh thyme. I served this with a side of sauteed chard.

Note: Consider adding peas to this recipe as well. I didn't have any on hand.

Chicken soup

I have a mild ear ache, nagging headache and I feel like I am breathing in through only one of my nostrils. sigh..and its cold and gray outside. Chicken soup makes it all a little better.

Serves 6

6 chicken drumsticks, skinned

5 cups of water

Bouquet garni - small bunch of parsley, 5-6 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

8-9 shallots sliced

3 bay leaves

5-6 whole peppercorns

1 tbsp of flour

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper. Heat a couple of tbsps of oil in a soup pot and add the chicken. Let the chicken brown until it comes off the pot easily and let it brown on the other side as well. Set aside.
2. Add shallots to the oil and cook until wilted and translucent. Add some salt to help with the wilting.
3. Add garlic cloves and flour. Stir quickly for less than a minute and add 1/2 of water. Scrape the bottom the pot with a wooden spoon to remove brown bits.
4. Now add the rest of the water, bouquet garni, bayleaves and peppercorns.
5. Allow the water to come to a quick simmer. Add chicken legs. Bring to a boil, add salt, lower the heat, cover and cook for 35 mins until the chicken is done.
6. When done, remove the bouquet garni and bay leaves. Squeeze some lemon juice into it before serving.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Adapted from H's mom's recipe

Ingredients:
2 green bell peppers
3 medium-sized potatoes
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper pwdr
1/2 tsp cumin pwdr
1/2 green chilli, chopped fine
salt

Boil the potatoes to cook them thoroughly. Peel the skin off, and mash them well. Add the turmeric, cayenne, cumin powders, chopped green chilli and salt to season.

Now, take the whole bell peppers and slice off the top with the stem. Empty out the inside contents to create a hollow which can be stuffed with the potato filling. Scoop the potato filling inside. Arrange the filled bell peppers on a greased baking tray and bake for 20-25 mins at 375F. I turned the gas mark to broil for the last 5 mins of baking to allow the outer skin of the pepper to roast.

Cabbage-peas poriyal

Source: Vegetarian cuisine from South India by Chandra Padmanabhan

Serves 4

2 tsps olive oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black gram dal (urad dal)
1 tsp bengal gram dal (chana dal)
1 dried red chilli crushed
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
4-5 curry leaves
500g of chopped cabbage
1 cup of peas

1. Heat oil in a saucepan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram dal, bengal gram dal, red chilli, asafoetida powder and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds begin to sputter, add chopped cabbage, peas and salt to taste.
2. Stir to mix well. Cover, lower heat and let cook until cabbage is tender and cooked through.
3. Serve hot. If you prefer, garnish it with dessicated coconut right before removing it off the heat.

Andhra Mutton Curry

Source: Once again, Ms. Punjabi's 50 Great Curries of India

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwdr
1/2 tsp cayenne pwdr
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
a few sprigs cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lb stewing lamb
1 1/2 large onions, chopped fine
4 green cardamoms
4 cloves
2 tomatoes, chopped fine
10-12 curry leaves
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (i skipped this because I didn't have it)

Whisk the yogurt, turmeric, ginger-garlic pastes, chilli and cayenne pwdrs and the cilantro leaves together to make a thick marinade. Coat the meat with this mixture, and marinate for 1-2 hours.

In a deep pan, add oil and when heated add the cardamoms and cloves. After 1 minute, add the chopped onion and let it brown for 5-7 minutes. When onions are browned, add the meat mixture. Let the meat cook on medium/ low heat for 15 minutes, until the marinade is absorbed. Make sure you are stirring continuously so that the marinade does not burn. I noticed that at the end of 15 mins, the water from the yogurt had evaporated and the gravy had taken on a slightly brownish color. Now, add the tomatoes and cook again for 5 mins till the water is absorbed. Add the curry leaves, caraway seeds and salt. Cook for 2 minutes.

At this point, I transferred the contents of the pan into a slow cooker, added 3 cups water, and let the meat cook for 2-3 hours. Alternatively, you can add 2-3 cups water to the pan on the stove and cook the meat covered on slow heat until it is tender.

This recipe was DELICIOUS and is a MUST TRY! I thought it would turn out too spicy, but the yogurt tempers the chilli powders. ENJOY!