Clementine Cake - my Christmas tradition

You can't read this Nigella Lawson recipe without falling in love with it! What's not to love about clementine puree and almonds?! I made this last December when clementines were aplenty in the market, now have decided to make this an annual Christmas tradition!

This is my modified version of Nigella's recipe

4-5 clementines (any other small orange like satsuma, tangerine should also do)

1 1/2 cups ground almonds (I used almond meal)

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)*

Put the clementines into a pot of cold water, bring to a boil and cook on medium heat for 2 hours. When cooked, the clementines will be soft. Cut open and check to make sure there are no seeds. Put the cooked clementines into a blender, with pith and outside skin, and puree to a smooth paste.

In a bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients. Add the clementine puree and stir to make a smooth batter. Now grease a 9" baking tin well (make sure it is really greased well to avoid sticking) and pour in the cake batter. Cook at 375F for 30-35 mins.

The cake was moist and had the texture of chewy brownies.

* I prefer to put in some essence into cake to remove some of the "eggy" smell.

Simple Breakfast Sooji Utthapam

This is a traditional Konkani breakfast specialty. It's easy to make, and reminds me so much of home!

Serves 2 people

Sooji (semolina), 2 cups

1 onion, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped roughly

cilantro, 8 strands chopped

yogurt, 3 tbsp

water, as needed

In a bowl, combine sooji, onion, chilli, cilantro and yogurt. Add 1/4 cup of water and mix to form a smooth batter. Add more water as needed. The batter should be thicker than dosa consistency, but not too runny. Add salt and cover and keep for 1/2 hour. In this time, sooji will fluf a little. Check consistency and add some more water if needed. Grease a flat pan and spread batter to make a thickish dosa. Cover with a round lid while cooking. Utthapam takes about 3-4 minutes to cook on both sides.

Cabbage, turnip, carrot soup

Winter veggies normally include root vegetables and lots of winter squash. This time we got a large, white cabbage - woohoo! I whipped up this soup last night to celebrate the snow showers that seems to be blanketting Chicago faster than I expected. It was a treat after a day of slipping and sliding.

Serves 4

1/2 head of cabbage, cut into thin strips and chopping those strips into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 small turnips, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 small potato, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tsp of lemon juice

3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup of cubed pancetta

1 tbsp of butter

Salt and pepper

1. Add pancetta to a tsp of hot olive oil in a soup pot. Cook until the fat renders and pancetta pieces are browned and crisp.
2. Add onions and garlic with salt. Cook until onions are translucent.
3. Add rest of the vegetables and stir for a minute. Add stock, adjust for salt and add ground pepper. Bring to a simmer.
4. Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender.
5. Add lemon juice and stir in butter.
6. Serve hot.

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.