puff pastry pizzas

This is a lovely after school snack or a starter for a dinner party but I noticed that they go soggy and soft if you pack them for a picnic etc...so good to serve just out of the oven and they wont last long anyway:)

Ingredients:
2 puff pastry sheets
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green OR red capsicum
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
3/4 cup pasta sauce(tomato based )
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella OR tasty cheese

Directions:
Thaw pastry sheet at room temperature 30 min. Preheat oven to 220C
Unfold pastry on lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle and place on greased baking sheet. Fold over edge about 1/2" to form rim. Prick center of pastry rectangle thoroughly with fork. Bake 10 min.
Heat oil in in a pan add garlic ,mushrooms, capsicum and onion and cook until tender.( I personally like to add some chilli flakes to this mixture)
Spread pasta sauce over crust to rim. Top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 min. or until cheese melts. Cut into 8 pieces per sheet
TIP: *For appetizers, cut into 16 pieces.

YUM ! :)

A taste of Italy...

Italian food rates quite high on our family menu , simple to whip up and a surefire hit with the boys , I cook Italian just about once a week usually on days when I'm fairly short on ideas and time.
When we think italian , we think pizzas and garlic or herb bread or spaghetti bolognaise , but there is so much more to Italian food .

Below is a recipe for penne arrabiatta , its not as complicated as it sounds and an all time favourite , some good old garlic bread.

Penne Arrabiatta (serves 4)

300 gms of penne pasta shells
300 ml bottle of italian napoletana sauce
1 head broccoli
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
about 15 medium sized button mushrooms thickly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 small fresh red chillies ( or green ) julienned
3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
parmesan cheese
salt


Boil penne according packet instructions with about a teaspoon of salt and drain in a colander , set aside. (tip: a good way of checking if pasta is cooked is by throwing a piece o your kitchen bench tile or splashback , if it sticks , means its ready )

In a separate pot , bring 2-3 glasses of water to the boil , add broccoli cut into florets , corn and peas , leave in for about 5-6 mins and drain.

When you are more confident with boiling the pasta process , you can add the veggies just 5 minutes before you think the pasta will be ready and drain the two together.

In preferably a non stick pot , add olive oil , to this add julienned chillies and chopped garlic , this will release the garlic and chilli flavours into the oil , add the sliced mushrooms and fry until their moisture dries up , add the napoletana sauce , bring to the boil , add salt only after tasting the sauce . To this sauce , add pasta and veggies , mix well taking care not to break the pasta shells.Remove from heat

Serve heaped on a plate sprinkled with parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper with a side of garlic bread

Variation : this pasta can be prepared with or without the veggies , I like to add the veggies for their nutritious value. You can also add prawns to give it a different twist , prawns should be added just before you add the pasta and cooked in the sauce for about 2-3 minutes just until they curl as prawns do not take very long to cook. Also olives can be added for a mediterranean touch .

Garlic Bread( serves 4)

1 long french stick ( any other left over bread rolls can also be used )
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
sprinkle chillies ( optional )
sprinkle salt
4-5 cloves garlic grated

Mix together all ingredients except the bread. Cut the bread into 2-3cm thick slices and spread the garlic butter generously.If you want a soft garlic bread , wrap the roll in foil and ovenbake for 10 minutes on 220 degrees until butter melts.

For a crisper garlic bread ( a personal favourite ) lay the bread slices on a slightly greased baking tray and bake for 10 minutes until the butter melts , just before removing , keep under a heated grill until you get a slightly toasted look. Enjoy !

Potato Cauliflower and Peas bhujia

1 medium sized cauliflower ( remove stems and cut into 2 cm florets)
3-4 medium sized potatoes ( cut into cubes and soaked in cold water)
3/4 cup peas
2 tomatoes roughly chopped
2 medium onions finely diced
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic paste
6-8 curry leaves
salt per taste
1 tsp powdered cumin
1 tsp powdered coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup oil
1/2 bunch coriander chopped

Heat the oil ,add curry leaves and then fry onions until just transparent , drain water from potatoes and add to the onions and fry together . add cauliflower florets and peas when potatoes are half cooked , cover and cook on medium heat until the vegetables are tender.add garlic paste ,chopped tomatoes ,salt and all the powdered spices . Mix well and let it all fry until it releases oil , garnish with chopped green chillies and coriander.Serve with bread and lentil rice.

To finish off...

A traditional eastern meal must end with a traditional meethaa (dessert) The following is the recipe for "kulfi" which is a very popular icecream tinged with flavours of pistachioes , almonds and cardamoms. These additions give it a distinct flavour.Kulfi moulds made of steel are widely available but if not , it can just as easily be frozen in any clean freezable container and served in a bowl like icecream.

Kulfi (serves 4-6)

300 ml thickened cream
300 ml evaporated milk (unsweetened)
300 ml condensed milk( use more if extra sweet required )

The following can all be ground together in a larger quantity and kept in a container for future use.
1/4 tsp ground pistachioes
1/4 tsp ground almonds
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Whip the thickened cream with a manual or electric whisk until the cream becomes light ad fluffy , add evaporated milk and fold it in , then fold in condensed milk taking care not to disturb the light texture of the cream. Add ground nuts as per your taste . Pour this mixture in a freezer safe container or steel kulfi moulds and freeze until set like icecream( If preparing for a dinner party , its better to make this a day before ). Sprinkle with dessicated coconut and ground nuts and serve.

and more....

Garlic Fried Rice
This is a variation from the typical chinese fried rice and is little more subtle , a perfect combination to go with chilli eggplant .

2 cups rice (washed and soaked in cold water)
1/2 a pod of fresh garlic (finely chopped or grated )
dash light soy sauce
1 head broccoli ( cut into florets)
1/4 cup of green peas
1/4 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup carrots
1/4 cup olive oil , dash of sesame oil
2-3 red chillies juilienned
1 onion sliced into thick wedges
100 gms mushrooms thinly sliced

Bring the rice to a boil with salt until nearly done , add all the veggies except onion and mushrooms to the boiling rice and boil for about 5 mins(this will ensure that veggies retain their color).Drain in a colander and run cold water all over the rice , this will remove any remaining starch.Let the water drain out totally.

In a pot , add olive oil and a few drops of sesame oil , chopped chillies, soy sauce, onions and muhrooms.Let the water from mushrooms and onion dry up , add chopped garlic and let it fry for a minute or so.add drained rice and veggies and miz thoroughly , leave on slow heat until the rice releases some steam.Garish with tomato wedges and serve.
variation :
add xo sauce available in most asian stores for a more authentic chinese flavour. Egg , chicken , prawns can also be added to suit your taste.Recipe above has been deliberately kept light to suit a dish like chilli eggplant and bring out the flavour of garlic.




Chicken Jalfrezi

1 kg bonesless chicken
4 medium onions chopped
4 tomatoes chopped
2 onions cut into thin slices
2 tomatoes cut into broad slices
1 capsicum cut into slices
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1/4 tsp ground garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
salt as per taste
3-4 tbsp oil

Saute the chopped onions in the oil until transparent, add garlic ,ginger, turmeric, coriander powder and chopped tomatoes.Cover and simmer , allow tomatoes to soften.Add chicken and allow to cook until chicken is slightly tender. Add salt.

In a separate pan , take a little bit of oil ( from the chicken gravy if possible ).Heat and add the sliced onions , capsicums ,tomatoes and garam masala.Add this to the cooked chicken , allow to remain on heat for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with juilienned green chillies and chopped coriander,Serve with plain rice or naan.

continued...

Spiced Potato Rolls (Serves 4-6)

4 medium potatoes boiled and mashed
2 long green chillies finely chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt ( adjust as per taste )
juice of half a lemon
dash of red chillies
1/2 bunch coriander roughly chopped
1 loaf sliced white bread ( sides removed )
(cold water in a small bowl)

Make a mixture of all the above ingredients except bread and water. After removing sides from the sliced bread , roll each slice with a rolling pin to a thin and long shape. Place about a tablespoon of potato mixture at the far end of the bread and form into a flattish roll. Seal roll edges with wet fingers dipped in cold water.Deep fry and drain on paper towels. Garnish with tomato and onion rings . Serve hot with tomato sauce and tamarind chutney.


Chilli Eggplant (serves 4)

This has to be one of the simplest and most delicious dishes ever !

2 medium eggplants halved cut into medium slices

few drops sesame oil

less than 1/2 cup olive oil

sauce for eggplant

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp chilli garlic in oil ( usually in a paste form available from most asian tores)

dash of vinegar

dash of soy sauce

dash of sesame oil

salt as per taste

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 4 tbsp cold water

Make a sauce with all the above ingredients and set aside .

Method :

Preferably in a non stick pan or wok , add olive oil and a few drops of sesame oil , add chopped eggplant slices when oil reaches smoking point , fry eggplant until it becomes tender .Add sauce prepared above and leave on medium heat for 2-3 minutes and remove.Garnish with coriander and serve with garlic rice.

grandeur in detail !

Talk about beautiful food !All my lovely dishes from the other night and their recipes :)

Garden Salad (serves 4-6)

1/2 Iceberg lettuce roughly chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 cucumbers chopped (leave skin on or off as preferred)
1 stick celery chopped
1 medium tomato sliced into wedges

dressing
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp brown sugar
juice of half a medium lemon
salt as per taste
sprinkle of oregano
dash of white pepper

Combine all these to make a dressing

Mix all the vegetables in a serving bowl and drizzle with dressing.

variation : This salad can have numerous variations like adding pitted olives , avacadoes or cubes of fetta cheese to give it a greek flavour .

grandeur

Now this is what I call grand. I made chilli eggplant , chicken jalfrezi and vegetarian garlic rice. Also made bread rolls with potato stuffing as an entree. Now lets hope my guests enjoy the lovely meal tonight... pictures and recipes coming soon !! :)

Recipes Recipes and more Recipes !

That's the idea behind this blog !
My gorgeous son takes after me , devouring a yummy piece of chocolate cake in the wee hours of the night at Masoom's in Lahore yummmmm!