Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Lockdown Chef's Pasta Arrabiata

Pasta Arrabiata

Ingredients:
For the eggless homemade pasta:
- Whole purpose flour (maida)
- Salt
- 2 tsp Oil
- Pinch of sugar
- Water
- Cling wrap

For the Arrabiata Sauce:
- 2 Big Tomatoes
- 1 Onion
- Few cloves of Garlic
- Salt to taste
- Half tsp sugar
- Mixed italian fried herbs
- Black pepper
- Red chilli flakes
- 2 Tbsp Tomato ketchup

Preparation:
- Make the dough with all the ingredients of homemade pasta.

- Grease the prepared dough with one tsp of oil.

- Cover with cling wrap and keep aside.

- Finely chop the tomatoes, onion, garlic.

- In a pan, add the tomatoes and onion and saute them for a minute. Add the salt and sugar to it and saute again.

- Add black pepper and red chilli flakes and half a cup of water.

- Add the tomato ketchup, some more water and let it cook.

- Keep stirring at regular intervals.

- Add the garlic and herbs and mix.

- Let it cook till the sauce is chunky and vegetables are well cooked. Keep aside.

- Pasta dough should be well rested for at least an hour now.

- Make three portions of the pasta dough.

- In a deep pan pour water half tsp oil and half tsp salt and bring to boil.

- Roll them through the pasta maker.

- Fold and roll again. Repeat this process three to four times with the final roll achieving the consistency that you are looking for.

- Now take this final rolled out sheet through the cutter blade - it's your choice if you want fettuccine or spaghetti. I have made fettuccine.

- Sprinkle some dry whole purpose flour on the pasta and keep aside.
Once you have finished making your pasta, pour it in boiling hot water and let it boil for 3-5 mins.

- Strain and pour some cold water on it to stop the pasta from cooking, as it will continue to cook while it's hot. Do not throw away the pasta water.

- In a pan take the Arrabiata Sauce add half a cup of the pasta water and cook it for a while.

- Add the boiled pasta. Let it cook on low flame for a few mins.

- Toss and serve.


Lockdown Chef's French Fries

French Fries

Ingredients:
- 4 Big Potatoes
- 1 Tbsp Corn Flour
- 1 Tbsp Whole Purpose Flour
- Salt to Taste
- Red Chilli Flakes to Taste
- Mixed Italian Herbs
- 1 Tsp Oil


Preparation:
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Keep the skin aside if you want to fry some crispy potato skins as well.

- Cut the potatoes into half length wise and then into medium strips.

- Soak them in water after taking it out of water a few times.

- Prepare your dry mix of corn flour, all purpose flour (maida), salt, chilli flakes, herbs and oil. Keep aside.

- Strain the water of the potatoes and let them dry for a while.

- Pour the dry mix over the the potatoes to make sure it is well covered with it.

- Deep fry .

Your French Fries are Ready to Serve!

PS:
1) If you want the french fries to be crisp like wedges, cover the potatoes generously with the corn flour and maida dry mix.
2) Similarly, you can make the crispy skins of potatoes, carrots or any other veggies.


Lockdown Chef's Veg Tetrazzini

Veg Tetrazzini


Ingredients:
- 2 Carrots
- Some Beans
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- Some Sweet Corn
- 1 onion
- A Few Cloves of Garlic
(You can also add any other veggies you want)
- White Sauce


Preparation:
- Cut the veggies in medium pieces, the onion in thin strips, and the garlic finely. Par boil and keep aside.

- Make your white sauce with some salt, half tea spoon of sugar, some black pepper and herbs.

- Saute your veggies in herbs, salt and black pepper.

- Mix with the white sauce. Grate cheese and bake in the oven.

Your Veg Tetrazzini is Ready to Serve!

PS :
1) Please note that no butter or oil has been used to cook this dish by me. You are free to add as per your choice.
2) I have used dried mixed Italian herbs for seasoning.

Monday, 27 April 2020

Lockdown Chef's - Chocolate Cake

Okay! So today my chocolate cake refused to cook from inside .. top being nicely roasted!

Desperate measures called for covering it with foil and placing it in the lower most slot of the oven with only the lower element heating...

And voila it was done in 10 minutes!!

I am sure we all have had such kitchen mishaps ... anyone would like to share theirs? Only helps learning new tricks after all!

Thursday, 16 April 2020

When life throw's lemons at you ....

When life throw's lemons at you ....


My view .... Not always does life throw usable lemons at you ...


..... continued ....


... regardless ..... make lemonade and serve it to whomever you think deserves it at that moment!  😉🙃😉🙃😉🙃



Lockdown Chef's - Pressure Cooker Risotto

Don't feel like cooking? Here's a quick and simple Pressure Cooker Risotto recipe for you!!


Preparation time : 10 minutes

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serves : 4 people



Ingredients:

2 cups of Arborio Rice (you can take brown rice or any other rice of your choice)

1 medium Carrot

1 medium red bell pepper

1 medium Potato

1 Onion

4- 5 Beans

2 tbsp Tomato puree

1 tbsp mixed Italian herbs (I took the dried one)

2 Cheese slice

Dash of Milk

1 tbsp Butter or Cooking Oil

Salt to taste

4-5 cups of Water



Preparation:

Wash and soak the rice while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Chop medium sized vegetables.

Wash and strain the rice and vegetables.

In a pressure cooker, add the butter/oil and rice.

Saute the rice for 2 mins .

Add the tomato puree and salt. Saute for 2 more minutes. If you want, you can add some tomato ketchup as well.

Add the medium chopped vegetables and saute for a min.

Add the mixed Italian herbs.

Add water as required to boil the rice and vegetables.

Cut the cheese slice into small pieces and add to the rice and vegetables.

Mix it well so that it dissolves.

Add a dash of milk to it. Stir it and close the lid of the cooker.

Cook on high flame.

After one whistle, cook it on low flame for about 5 mins.

Switch off and let it rest in the cooker for about ten minutes.

Your Risotto is ready to be served!!!



Lockdown Chef's - Chocolate Butter Cookies


Chocolate Butter Cookies



100 gms butter

1 cup Milkmaid (condensed milk)

2 cups Maida (flour)

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1 tsp Baking powder

As needed Chilled milk

2 tbsp chocolate/cocoa powder (you can add more if you like it bitter)



Preparation:


Mix milkmaid and butter with hand beater. Keep
it aside.

Now mix maida, baking powder and baking soda with butter milkmaid mixture.

Slowly add milk to make a smooth dough.

Now make small balls from the dough and make criss cross on top.

Place all the unbaked cookies on an ovenproof tray.

Preheat oven to a temperature of 180*C for about 10 mins and then bake the cookies for 20 mins.

And your cookies are ready



P.S. : I mixed everything together and they turned out just fine !!!




Monday, 6 April 2020

Sinful !!

Questions, often asked by one and all ... to which I want answers too!!


To crave something that is not yours to begin with, is it a sin?

Something that broke you down, yet you don't regret and still want, is it a sin?


How can something that makes you so happy and content be so wrong and a SIN?


It is all about Attitude!

A lesson learnt some 10 years ago ...


"To know HOW to wait is to put time on your side!"


~~~~ Attitude Matters ~~~~~

Biryani ......

An interesting conversation with a friend led me to play this game ... Biryani ... !!!



What ingredient of biryani are you for that someone special??? ...


Let's get the ball rolling ....


.... Caramelized Onion


This should be fun ... pls do post you comments below!!!


Saturday, 4 April 2020

Lockdown trauma

Who wants to talk about and reach out regarding their mental and emotional experiences past and present due to this horrendous situation called Covid19 Lockdown and Social Distancing?

I will give it a head start ...

For me this life is pretty much normal as I am not much of a social person. Mostly  "Have To's"  are the only times when I socialize.  However even that one hour of evening walk which has been taken away from me, husband home for half the day (half day he is working from office due to essentials sector), school going teenage son home since like forever now has taken a toll on me not once but many a times in the mere 10 days of the Lockdown. There have been phases of depression, lethargy, frustration... name and I have it negative emotion!

What does one do in such times? I was totally at a loss...tried working out twice a day - overworked as a result! Tried watching movies - head and eyes hurt like someone hammered and punched them! Played some online games like bingo and 2048 - same end result as movies! Music - totally don't want to hear a single song for maybe months to come! And many more like cooking, now have taken to smile (today) ...

It is crazy but I guess we have to keep trying and maybe resort to things that is not ones forte- like blogging also!!! 😂🤣

Thank you for bearing with me!

#covid19 #lockdown effect !!

Life is a boardgame .... covid19


Which Board game is life seeming like right now?
A) Ludo
B) Snakes and ladders
C) Chess
D) Chinese checkers ( Pun not intended )
E ) Other. Please specify.

Covid19

In these trying times of lockdowns and social distancing let us challenge our undiscovered, undercover skills and interests . 
Post and share something you have never tried before but would like to breaking all inhibitions and "I am being judged" issues ...
I am going to start with posting a smile recording ...
Let's get going everyone ... hope to see a whole lot of participation !

Here is mine ....

Listen to me sing "mana ki hum yaar nahi (Short)" on Smule: https://www.smule.com/p/1411078061_3477086766