Roasted Vegetable Soup

I generally cook on Sundays as thats when am free and up in the morning last Sunday I had made Soup. All those who know me will tell you Sunday and no chicken...SURPRISE...!!! Well thats a funny little story.

Fudgy Chocolate Brownie

I decided to make something sweet, a sweet way to say sorry to my blog - BUON APPETITO.

Bruleed Lauki Halwa

Cooking can be great fun when we get to enhance our knowledge. Last few weeks thats what I did, I experimented with a lot of ingredients and cusines. I even recreated a few famous dishes from all around the world.Surprisingly the experiments were no failure and I had loads of fun creating all those new dishes.

Black Chicken

Today, I am not sharing anything I tried in Shillong but its a dish I saw in a cookery show called Poh's Kitchen. Well in the show they used some ingredients that I didn't get here and they used beef which I don't eat....so why did I still try out the dish. The answer is in what attracted me....well I was attracted with the name Nasi Kandar aka Black Beef, I mean a black looking dish and appealing...hmmmm.... didn't seem to be very possible at the first shot and I just had to give it a try.

Creamy Egg and Potato Curry

As it has been planned for me, again I am alone with the same routine life and the only real fun time is when I am blogging. As I was alone and not in a very good mood, so I didn't feel like shopping or cooking anything special. So last Sunday was perfect for a easy , simple curry and the Creamy Egg and Potato Curry was part of the menu.

Celebration with Fish in Spinach and Mustard Gravy

The news of my leave being approved is something worth celebrating and today I partied with Fish in Spinach and Mustard Gravy. I consider it to be a very festive dish as its part of my families party food and is created during very special occasions. The last time I had it was when I went to my ancestral home for my aunt's wedding and that was some 10 years back approximately.

Paneer and Pepper Quiche

We all read about food and try to learn new dish for any place avaliable, some recipes sound so interesting that it just gets us thinking....the same happened with me when I read about quiche some years back. My love for eggs is no secret and this dish has eggs as the main ingredient so exciting right . But I didn't know of any place in Bangalore where I could get them and I didn't have oven at that time so I didn't try making it.

Murgh Musallam with Padina Pulav

Since the last 2 weeks the feeling is so intense that I just wanna eat only dishes that remind me of home.. :) . Last weekend I made Bhapa Dim again and this weekend Murgh Musallam. I know that's not a typical Bengali dish but as I have told my mom is a great cook and she makes several types of dishes and this dish is also from her list of creations.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

My liking for broccoli is very recent, in most of the movies they show that no one likes them ; this had an affect on me, I never bought them fearing that I wont like it and it would be a waste.

Florentine Mac and Cheese

My love for pasta is no secret but off late I have been trying out the lighter versions without cheese so today I was up for some indulgence. I baked the dish as I love those crunchy bites of cheese, then it looked very pale and I wanted some color in my plate thats when Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach came into picture.

Orange Cake with Orange Icing

Mangoes mark the start of Summer and Oranges mark the onset of Winter. Shillong has abandace of Oranges, every house has at least 2 orange trees. And in the chill weather, having oranges after lunch is a different feeling all together.

1st BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION WITH 'SALAD RICE WITH SWEET AND SPICY CHICKEN'

It’s been more than a month that I wrote anything. Did I lose the excitement......No way; rather I was caught in the hands of faith. I met with an accident and was in bed-rest all this time. Sadly I missed a lot of important and fun occasions in the process --- I missed to celebrate my blog's birthday, SORRY BUON APPETITO :( , I missed the new year celebration and I even spent my birthday lying in bed. Well no use crying over spilt milk, today I started cooking and I decided to making something that celebrates my cooking experiments and it’s my way of saying sorry to my blog for missing out on her birthday :)

DHANIA CHICKEN / CHICKEN IN CILANTRO SAUCE

Every dish that we make always have a story associated. Some kindles those childhood memories that gets hidden over years and others are those we picked up over the life from some books or resturants or even television... :) . Restaurants and television are the major places from where I collect my inspirations. The recipe I am sharing today has several stories to it as well.

GAJAR HALWA KA PATISHAPTA / SWEET EGGLESS CREPES STUFFED WITH CARROT PUDDING

Diwali is very special for me - I get to be a kid for a day . It’s been 7-8 years that I celebrate Diwali away from my family and with my friends. Although I miss my family but I always enjoy this festival. I start planning from morning, there is shopping for lights to be done and the last minute cracker to purchase. I love decorating my house with diyas and lighting and this is something I do every year, these small diyas always bring a lot of smile.

NUTTY MUTTON AND CRISPY FRIED GREEN TOMATOES WITH RICE

Anyways let get back to the dish , for my final course I decided to make a lamb dish. Every family has some tradition going on for ever and so do we. Since my childhood I have heard that on the Dashmi day , we should not have chicken and we have to make meat(lamb/mutton) only. Although my dad cannot eat meat(lamb/mutton) due to his health condition this tradition is still followed , and so I thought of sticking to it.

CILANTRO RICE WITH TANGY GRAVY AND SPICY FRIED FISH

People say Bengali cuisine is generally related to fish and sweet---actually they are not wrong :D . Being from a Bengali Family, we ate fish everyday. Infact my Baba(daddy) cannot enjoy his food without it even if there are 5-6 courses still he would need a fish dish :) .

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP WITH TOASTED BREAD AND PEA PESTO

OCTOBER.....this is the most festive month of the year. There are endless number for festival from all around the world and I have decided to celebrate them all-----HOW??? With food for sure. :) .

VANILLA SOAKED FRENCH TOAST WITH POACHED PLUMS

All my life the one meal I have skipped is Breakfast....I know it the most important meal of the day and all, but somehow I rarely feel like eating in the morning. One glass of milk is more than enough for me. I have been advised against this by so many people but somehow I just could not .

SPAGHETTI IN SOYABALL SAUCE

Pasta is an ingredient which is always available in my kitchen. Although I have quite recently (4 years now) started making pasta , I immensely enjoy it. A little effort that can bring total satisfaction :) .

CHEESY CAKE

Has it ever happened to you that even after a good dinner your sleep is disturbed late night due to the huge craving for something sweet.....hehehe.....this happened to me last Sunday..... :D

Thursday, February 23, 2012

CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP


The very first thing that comes to my head when I hear SOUP is warmth and comfort... :) . After a long hectic day I always have a huge craving for some warm soup and I do end up with a large bowl of the warm wonderful, however they are just perfect for any time and any day.

Soups are considered to be healthy food but I am not a healthy eater, I just love to try various types of food. My liking for soups started during the last year of my School Days.....I would be busy running from one tuition to another. My mom would never allow me to leave the house without eating anything and I had no time to sit and eat so Mom created a vegetable soup so that I am set for the whole day....,till date that vegetable soup is my favourite --- super yummy and so healthy ... :) .


Having said all that, the story behind this soup is totally different. Last week I learnt that Nupur is hosting an event called Soup it Up !! and as the name suggested we are suppose to create or recreate any soup dish of our choice....I decided to join the gang so as to say :) . Now the next big question.....what kind of soup should I make. I spent the next 3 days pondering about what type of soup I would like. I do cook for my blog but end of the day I have to eat it all by myself so it had to be something to my liking... :) .

Unable to decided on anything, Saturday I went for ingredient hunt and hoped that on seeing the ingredients I could decided on the type of soup, surprisingly my plan worked.... I saw broccoli siting on the counter shelf and WALA !!! . My liking for broccoli is very recent, in most of the movies they show that no one likes them ; this had an affect on me, I never bought them fearing that I wont like it and it would be a waste.


Around 4-5 months back I just happened to try broccoli(unknowingly of course)in a restaurant and I just loved it. Since then I always make it a point to have broccoli in my freeze and they are perfect for any simple vegetarian dish, however this time I wanted to make it into a soup. I opted for a creamy soup without the cream element :) , so the Creamy Broccoli Soup was created.

Sharing the recipe in Soup it Up !! :: Kitchen Chronicles and Kitchen Chronicles - Host Lineup


Print Page
FOR SOUP
Potato, big 1 number
Broccoli 250 gms
Onion, big 1 number
Garlic2 cloves
Green Chilly1 number
Milk2 cups
Dried Thyme2 teaspoons
Cheddar cheese1 cup
Butter2 tablespoons
SaltAs per taste
Black Pepper1 teaspoon


    Creamy Broccoli Soup:-
  1. Cut the Potatoes and Broccoli into large chunks and parboil them. 
  2. Chop the onion is large chunks , slit the green chilly in half (remove the seeds if you don't like heat) and grate the garlic separately
  3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat so that the butter doesn't burn.
  4. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the saucepan and cook till the onion soften.
  5. Then add the green chilly and dried thyme and cook for 2-3 min more.
  6. Finally add the vegetables and milk. Also add about 2 cups of warm water.
  7. Add in the seasoning - salt and pepper to the saucepan.
  8. Cover the pot  and let it cook for 30 - 35 min over medium heat or till the vegetables are soften and can be pureed, see that all the liquid is not evaporated.
  9. Using a hand held blender or a mixer , puree the mixture into a creamy soup.
  10. Garnish the soup with parboiled , grated carrots or cheese -- choice is yours.

This creamy & warm soup was perfect for my Sunday dinner. I could relax the night while getting ready for the week ahead-- this week :) .








Priyanka

Saturday, February 11, 2012

FLORENTINE MAC & CHEESE



Finally the weekend is here...yahoo!!! , I have been waiting for it so eagerly. Last 2 weeks were super hectic , double shifts in office are a serious NO NO but at times we are so helpless. I missed out a lot of things due to this -- cooking , post on my blog , checking out my favorite blogs , watching TV even missed out on Supernaturals and above all SLEEP :) . I have a huge list of tasks to be done in the weekend -- get all the electrical fixings done , shopping , cooking , blogging and catching up with all of my fav. TV shows. Lets see how many can be checked off by Sunday night :) .


All I wanted today was relaxation , and I wanted some type of "comfort food" -- heard a lot about comfort food not sure what it means as I find every food to be very comforting. So I did a bit of research and found of long list of food in that category or as explained by Wikipedia - easy-to-eat, easy-to-digest meal rich in calories, nutrients or both. However my eyes twinkled when I saw Mac & Cheese....who needs an excuse for that :) .


My love for pasta is no secret but off late I have been trying out the lighter versions without cheese so today I was up for some indulgence. I baked the dish as I love those crunchy bites of cheese, then it looked very pale and I wanted some color in my plate thats when Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach came into picture. So I call my variation -- Florentine Mac & Cheese.

Print Page


FOR MAC & CHEESE
Conchiglie pasta 2 cups
Milk 1 cup
Fresh Cream 1 cup
Flour2 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce3-4 drops
Nutmeg (grated)1 teaspoons
Mozzarella Cheese1 cup
Cheddar cheese1 cup
Butter1 tablespoon
SaltAs per taste
Black Pepper1/4 teaspoon


FOR GARLIC SPINACH
Garlic cloves(grated) 2 numbers
Spinach 2 bunches
Butter1 teaspoon
SaltAs per taste


FOR TOMATO
Cherry Tomatoes 12 numbers
Butter 2 teaspoons
SaltAs per taste


    Mac & Cheese:-
  1. Preheat oven to 180° for 10 min.
  2. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add flour to the melted butter ; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
  3. Add milk to the pan and whisk so that no lumps are formed.
  4. Add cream & worcestershire to the milk mixture and keep whisking till the sauce slightly thickens.
  5. To the cooking sauce , add 1/2 cup of cheddar and mozzarella cheese each. Whisk till the cheeses melt.
  6. Add grated nutmeg , salt and black pepper to the sauce. Remove from flame and set aside.
  7. Boil water in a large pan and add the pasta with salt and a bit of oil. And let it cook till the pasta soften. 
  8. Drain out the pasta and let it run under cold water for a min. 
  9. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Pour the prepared pasta on a baking dish.
  10. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the pasta dish and bake for 30-35 min or till the top is browned and cheese is bubbling.

    GARLIC SPINACH & CHERRY TOMATOES:-
  1. Heat butter in a pan , add grated garlic and fry.
  2. Add the spinach to the pan , sprinkle salt and let it cook in low flame.
  3. Fry till the water is evaporated and the spinach is done. Remove and set aside.
  4. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves.
  5. Melt butter in a pan , add the tomatoes to the pan skin side down.
  6. Sprinkle the salt on the top side. Cook for 5-6 min only and done.


A comfortable meal after all the hectic work was totally refreshing :) .

Priyanka

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