Spreading Christmas Cheer - Chocolate Cake!

I always bake for Christmas and since I was travelling this year, I picked an easy & never-fail Smitten Kitchen recipe - Everyday Chocolate Cake that I could recreate with minimal ingredients in my friend's kitchen.

I used Scharffen Berger Chocolate and it turned out fantastic. The only thing I added was the Chocolate frosting on top that was melted chocolate - Half & Half - Dark rum + Grand Marnier. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the cake with the frosting, but I can confirm it was a hit! How can you go wrong with chocolate and alcohol! ;)

I wish all of you Happy Holidays and a very happy New Year!  Cheers!

Lauki (Bottle guard) sabzi

This is my friend's Sudha's recipe - she is an amazing cook who reintroduces me to traditional Indian vegetables and cooking each time I visit her. This recipe is so simple and tasty - I went from not cooking with bottle guard at all to making this atleast once a month! :)

Serves 2 (with leftovers for lunch!)

1 bottle guard (Lauki) - peeled, de-seeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes
Green chillies - 4 or 5 slit
Milk - 1/2 cup
Ground peanuts (pwd)- 2 tablespoons
Cilantro - chopped for garnish
Water - 1 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
EVOO - 1 swirl of the pan

Combine the following powders in a cup -
Chilli pwd - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric pwd (haldi) - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander pwd (dhania) - 1 teaspoon
Cumin pwd (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Hing - a pinch
Salt - to taste

In a pan, heat the oil and add mustard seeds. Once the mustard splutters, add the cumin seeds & slot green chillies. As the cumin browns, add the powders you have already combined in a cup while also stirring the mixture. Don't let the powders burn, but let them cook for a min or so while constantly stirring. After a min, add milk, water, ground peanuts(pwd), water and the chopped bottle guard. Cook covered for about 20 minutes - when cooked the bottle guard pieces should be still al-dente and not too mushy!

Garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve hot with rice/roti !

Mushroom Pepper Fry

Growing up in India, cooking with mushrooms was very uncommon. Fortunately for us, we were a part of this mushroom cooperative and would have fresh grown mushrooms of different varieties delivered to our doorstep every other week. Their earthy flavor combined with mom's ability to make them lip smacking made them my favorite! Here's one of her recipes - Mushroom Pepper Fry. Mushrooms & Black pepper go really well together! :)

Serves 2

1 pound oyster/button/baby bella mushrooms - cleaned and chopped. Mushrooms are extremely porous and soak up water like a sponge. Because they are mostly water, never soak fresh mushrooms. Brush off any dirt or wipe them with a damp paper towel.

Onion - 1 chopped finely
Curry leaves - 1 stalk (5-6 leaves)
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon or use fresh minced ginger & garlic
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Coriander pwd/dhania - 2 teaspoons
Turmeric pwd/Haldi - 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh ground black pepper - 2 tablespoon (adjust to taste if you don't like your dish too peppery)
Salt - to taste
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon, or 1 swirl of the pan using a pourer

Heat oil in a wok, and add cumin seeds. When cumin browns, add chopped onions and curry leaves and fry until the onions are translucent/light brown(5-8 minutes). Now add ginger & garlic paste, coriander pwd and turmeric pwd and cook until the mixture doesn't smell raw anymore (about 2 minutes). Then add the mushrooms and cook uncovered for 10 minutes until they shrink and soften. Then take the wok off the stove and add salt, pepper and lemon juice.

DO NOT add any of these during the cooking process because -
- Adding salt to mushrooms causes them to let out water. This will cause your dish to become too watery
- Adding pepper during the cooking process takes away from the bite/flavor
- Lemon juice turns bitter when cooked

Serve with hot rice/roti! Enjoy!!

Rajma

I love the simplicity of this dish. This is the most perfect Punjabi rajma recipe I have tried. Its from Vikram Vij's wonderful book "Vij's At Home".

Ingredients:
Onion,1 large chopped
Ginger-garlic paste, 2 tbsp
Tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups chopped
red chilli powder, 1 1/2 tbsp
turmeric, 1 tsp
ground cumin, 1 tbsp
ground coriander, 1 tbsp
black pepper, 1 tsp
2 cups rajma beans, soaked overnight
water, 4-5 cups

In a pressure cooker, saute the onions in hot oil till they brown, 6 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste and the tomatoes. Saute for a few minutes, and then add the masala powders to the mixture. Saute for 6-8 minutes till the tomatoes cook and oil glistens on the surface. Add water, stir and bring to a boil on high heat. Add the soaked and drained kidney beans and pressure cook as per your cooker's instructions. Mine cooked in about 12 minutes. Serve with rice and a small salad.

Penne in Vodka Sauce

From Rachel Ray's recipe

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped fine
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces; I used a combination of fresh and can tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
16 ounces penne pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream; I used half and half
5-10 basil leaves

In a large pan, swirl the olive oil and add butter, garlic, and onion. Saute onions for 3 to 5 minutes, don't brown. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream. Cook till the vodka reduces by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken/ vegetable stock, and the tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. When the oil starts to glisten on the tomatoes, stir in the cream and remove from heat. Cut up half the basil leaves and stir into the sauce.

In the meantime, cook the penne pasta in boiling water al dente. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and remainder chopped basil leaves.

Cauliflower Gratin

Adapted with some changes from Deb's Smitten Kitchen recipe

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cup hot milk
1 tsp fresh black pepper
2 tbsp dijon mustard (my own variation)
1/2-3/4 cup parmesan cheese (this depends on how much you want to put in it)
1/2 cup bread crumbs

To cook the cauliflower, the original recipe asks to boil it in water til done. I steamed them instead to retain more nutrition. Steam for about 7-8 minutes till done but with a bite. Don't overcook.

In a wok, melt 2 tbsp of the butter and add the flour. Stir constantly till the raw smell of the flour disappears, about 2 mins. Make sure to stir so that flour does not brown. Now add the hot milk and stir till the mixture begins to boil. I use a whisk to stir to avoid getting any lumps. Boil till the mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan, dijon mustard and salt/ pepper.

Add the cauliflowers to the white sauce to coat evenly. Put the mixture into a baking dish, and top with a mix of the remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Dot the dish with butter if desired, and bake at 375F for 30 minutes till golden.

Indianizing the Tomatillo

My mom makes this killer baaji/curry with green or early tomatoes. These tomatoes are very tart, and are usually left to ripen. When available, in some homes these are used as souring agents in Dals. I have been on the lookout for green tomatoes in many a farmers market. That's when I chanced on the idea of using Tomatillos instead. Granted they are not the same, but the end result is very similar - a tangy tasting dish that hits all the flavor spots! Since then I have used tomatillos in many chutneys and dals in the place of green tomatoes.



Serves 2

Tomatillos (firm and bright green) - about 10 - dehusked, cleaned and chopped into 1 inch cubes
Onion - 1 chopped into 1 inch cubes
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tablespoons
Curry Leaves - 4 or 5
Coconut - frozen shredded - 1 tablespoon
Green Chillies - 4 or 5 - slit
Cilantro - 1/2 cup - chopped
Turmeric/Haldi - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tablespoon

In a wok, heat some oil and add mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters, add curry leaves, green chillies, ginger-garlic paster and onions. Saute until the onions are translucent(about 5 minutes). Now add tomatillos, salt and haldi. Cover and cook until the tomatillos are fully cooked through and soft (about 5-10 minutes). Add coconut and mix just as you turn off the stove. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with rotis/rice - Enjoy!

Note - this dish is very tangy owing to the tartness of the tomatillo. Please be warned if you are not a fan of tangy-ness! :)