Food - Travels for Taste

Wine Pairing made easy by Waitrose Cellar

May 22, 2014 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

On a fine evening last week when the sun suddenly decided to shine upon us Londoner’s I happened to be invited to a blogger bash to celebrate the launch of Waitrose Cellar – the new online wine service by Waitrose ,at the London Canal Museum.

With over 1200 interesting & exclusive wines,Champagnes & spirits to choose from at Waitrose Cellar online you can order any 6 wines with free delivery.The best part is the Waitrose Cellar experts hand pick mixed cases and they are just a phone call away to address any queries you may have related to their wines ,but if you’d rather do the food and wine pairing yourself ,there’s a wealth of knowledge on the Waitrose Cellar website where you can browse through 40 articles, watch over 150 tasting videos and read ratings on product pages,you can even learn how to expertly pop open a bottle of champagne!

Our wine experts for the evening – Stèphane and Xenia set the mood for the evening by popping some champagne.Stèphane started with a level 3 award in wines and spirits from WSET and perfected his wine knowledge to become a wine waiter, then head sommelier before he became part of the Waitrose Cellar team. Xenia a Master of wine (2003) came to Waitrose last December ,with 24 years experience in the wine trade, she has worked as an independent wine consultant,a buyer for a large brewery,retailer and wine importer. After a spot of introductions over some champagne and starters I chatted with some very familiar friendly faces. It’s then that I noticed my name badge had a little picture of a glass of red and some others had picture of white wine on their badges ,the red wine gang set sail with Stèphane and the white wine badges went off with Xenia.We were taken onto a traditional canal boat to sail along the Regent’s Canal ,sample some of the brilliant Waitrose wines while Stèphane, took us through the story behind each wine and got us to think how best we could pair our wine with various mains.

If like me you’ve never sailed before on a traditional canal boat these beauties come equipped with a cute compact kitchen, ‘leisure’ accommodation and a nice little seating area for socialising which we promptly abandoned for a place on the deck, after all who can resist the soft evening sunlight and the light cooling breeze while sipping some fine wine and dreaming of delicious food to pair it with! While sipping on Prosecco, Stèphane shared a naughty little trick to amp up your sweet bakes,he adds just a tiny pinch of pepper along with some salt ,takes the tooth-grinding sweet edge off the bake and gives just the right hint of flavour,am definitely going to give this fab idea a try soon!

We started with tasting the white wines ,of the white wines we tried I loved the Cave de Lugny Sparkling Burgundy Blanc de Blancs NV the most ,perfect for summer parties and nibbles.This Chardonnay from Burgundy has a fresh, crisp, apple and citrusy flavour makes it really easy sparkling wine to drink. Also quite liked the Vasse Felix Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon,which is a very dry,fresh western Australian Sauvignon which would go really well with fresh seafood,steamed greens by the side or a sinful portion of gnocchi with toasted pine nut and fresh green basil pesto. This white,I daresay is even better than the other Antipodean varieties like Chardonnay. Moving on to red’s, by which time we had passed through the Reagent’s Canal and am sure managed to gulp some stray drops of water falling off the musty old bridge as well, but am sure we were either honestly engrossed in conversation or blissfully unaware of anything expect how much fun we were having by then , which I shall safely blame on the progressive climb towards feeling pleasantly buzzed – no , not shamelessly tipsy.Am eagerly waiting to once again savour the Waitrose Chianti Classico Barone Ricasoli. This full-bodied Tuscan red is a delight on the palate with its woody notes and velvety texture,perfect for grilled meats and roasted peppers- think juicy kebabs with minty chutney. Made in partnership with Ricasoli family who were the first producers of Chianti , no wonder then this wine has won the Decanter Bronze Medal for classic Chianti. Before we knew it, we had worked our way through 16 different ,fabulously delicious Waitrose wines and by the time we got back to the Canal Museum we had worked up quite an appetite and speedily devoured the fab spread laid out for us.

Stèphane and Xenia continued to reveal one secret after another of how best to choose a wine just right for you and how to go about pairing food & wine.Then it was time for some speed wining – yes you heard that right Speed Wining! I’ve never been speed dating but enough hours of watching crime and romantic dramas on the telly have left me no stranger to what its all about ,only this was way more fun because we got to talk about our favourite food and wine and didn’t need to impress our very friendly bunch of fellow foodies. I think I managed to ask some rather interesting and fun questions along with some rather boring ones but the user-friendly Waitrose Cellar website made it really easy for us to look for wines that would best suit the personality and tastes in food of our speed wining partners.

Don’t we all look like we really had a great time ‘speed wining’? 🙂 And now a look at my favourites from the evening, the sparkling burgundy and classic Chianti both perfect matches for the sea food lover in me who also has a weakness for juicy kebabs,lamb curry and a major sweet tooth.

Am happy to say that as a result of our speed wining session my fellow red team mates Becky,Snigdha,Anne,Laura and May managed to almost accurately guess which type of wines I’d enjoy the most.So when the 6 wine case for each of us, sent by Waitrose Cellar online, reached me I couldn’t wait to get cooking and wine pairing!

First up of course I shall be popping some Champagne – Waitrose Blanc de Blancs Brut NV(picked for me by Laura for my love of sweet and a bit of fizz) – to celebrate becoming aunty to a bonny boy and my niece clearing her GCSE equivalent in India with flying colours!Definitely calling for some bubbly,loads of canapes and well some more bubbly 😉

For my Sunday lunch with my family I will be pairing lamb curry with Catena Malbec chosen for me by Anne .I know my dessert wine for this month will be the Limited Reserve Peachy wine from my wine case selected for me by May to appease my sweet tooth after a spicy meal. Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett will keep me company for familiar flavours of fresh seafood curries and fusion meals with scallops and soft shell crabs ,thanks to Snigdha’s choice.Waitrose Chablis picked for me by Becky who quizzed me and learnt of my love for ciders.This Chablis is so apt for a lazy summer afternoons with sea food starters.Last but certainly not the least the Sparkling Burgundy with a beautiful label that adorns the bottle ,which also is in my case,will be shared over lots of cake for a double birthday celebration with my family who are visiting us end of this month – exciting times ahead!

Feeling a bit of envious are we now? Don’t !For even you can win £1000 worth of wine specially chosen JUST for you by Waitrose Cellar Experts .Plus 5 runners-up will win a ready-made collection of Waitrose Wine Teams 30 favourite wines. Now I would certainly clink my glass to that! You can also tweet away – @waitrosewine and chat up the wine experts.

All the fabulous photos in this post are by Emma @emmakerf.

*With thanks to Waitrose Cellar for the invite.No monetary compensation was provided for this post.All views expressed are my own.

Bake Your Dreams Come True with Tate and Lyle

May 18, 2014 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

When I was invited to the campaign launch for the Bake Your Dreams Come True in East London , I had no idea I would walking into an installation of an edible bank! This art installation is the result of research which reveals that 40% of Brits dream of ditching their day jobs to start out on their own ,of which 20% of the dream of starting their own Baking Business!

While I ate the fabulous decadent cake that made the ATM , I also admired the sugar art world map and meringue art frame and a desk complete with edible paper bank slips and pens filled with sherbet powder.

But of course the Bank of Baking Vault with edible gold coin biscotti,edible bank notes in flavours of green tea, orange zest and cherry, chocolate cake ingots was most tempting, alas we couldn’t eat the vault or it notes and ingots but were free to munch on the shortbread gold coins 🙂

All these beautiful edible art creations were made by artists Bompas & Parr.

This beautiful desk with its rustic look and feel ,with the Tate and Lyle sugar filled money bags ,for one slight moment made me feel like I was in a Harry Potter movie at Gringotts bank…. sighh..if only daydreaming could materialize into sensible dreams….well this event was certainly about an opportunity that should be seized!

I spent almost an hour speaking to financial advisors who were at the event and they explained patiently the nitty-gritty associated with venturing out on your own, how to ensure your business idea is viable to financiers and why it’s never too late to take the plunge! It was a fruitful afternoon and I left feeling very inspired to formulate my own business idea , a money spinner I hope!

The Details

Launched to inspire budding bakers to fulfill their baking dreams this wonderful initiative by Tate and Lyle offers prizes in cash rewards up to £5000 for 5 lucky baking entrepreneurs .This initial financial support will go towards set up of dream baking ventures. In addition there are prizes worth £1 million to be won too.Bakers who have been dreaming of their own cafe, a cupcake or meringue supply business or simply any budding baker with baking dreams are eligible to apply by submitting the pack code of their ‘Bake Your Dreams Come True Tate and Lyle Baking Sugar’ or ‘Lyle’s Golden Syrup Baking Bottles’

So call you budding bakers what are you waiting for ?Pull out your aprons , put on your baking hats and head here to participate! Good Luck!

*With thanks to Tate and Lyle for inviting me to this fun and informative event.No monetary compensation was provided for this post.All views expressed are my own.

Gujarati Kadhi

May 12, 2014 by manjirichitnis 6 Comments

Having grown up in Mumbai and always having had very friendly Gujarati neighbours , I have a long love affair with Gujarati cuisine and especially love the Gujarati Kadhi which was quite the star attraction in traditional Gujarati wedding feasts, always a sweet and welcome addition to a plate full of steaming hot khichdi, the large red chillies added into for more the effect than the punch.

If you don’t have access to buttermilk then simply use curd/ yoghurt.

Serves:4 Preparation Time:10 minutes Cooking Time:15 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups buttermilk or 1 and 1/2 cup thick-set curd /yoghurt
2 tbsp besan or chickpea flour
1tsp freshly grated ginger and green chilli paste
Hing/ Asafoetioda – at iny pinch
Puree ghee/clarified butter – 1 tbsp
Few fresh green curry leaves
1/2 tsp Jeera/ cumin seeds
1/2 tsp rai/mustard seeds
2 large dry red chillies broken and de-seeded
Suhar 1 and 1/2 tbsp or Jaggery 1 heaped tbsp
a handful of fresh green coriander/cilantro chopped fine
Salt as per taste
Water

Method:

If using butter milk 3 cups this step is not required. Otherwise combine the yoghurt ,chickpea flour and 2 and 1/2 cup water till it becomes a smooth mixture. Use a fork or a whisk and if lumps are still visible just use your fingers to break the lumps.
Grate a small piece of fresh ginger and crush a green chilli into it.
On a medium flame heat the clarified butter in a large saucepan and add the asafoetida, mustard seeds , red chillies,cumin,ginger and green chilli and curry leaves.
When the mustard seeds begin to pop and cumin begins to change colour, reduce the flame to a minimum , tilt the saucepan with one hand and pour the yoghurt and chickpea mixture into this tempering/tadka mixture.
Add the sugar or jaggery now.
Cook with lid on a low flame for about 6-8 minutes , do not boil as the yoghurt will curdle.
Add salt and garnish with finely chopped coriander. Serve hot with khichdi or soft rotis.

Gujarati kadhi differs from Punjabi kadhi in that it is sweeter and does not include fried pakoras, I have a fusion recipe for Punjabi Kadi which I tried long ago, if you want something a little different why not try my Punjabi Kadhi with a twist.

LEARN HOW TO MAKE INDIAN FOOD FROM SCRATCH WITH MY EASY TO FOLLOW RECIPES

Parma Ham Event at the Underground Cookery School

May 7, 2014 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

Returning to the Underground Cookery School this time for an event to showcase Parma Ham, I felt very much at home in the school and saw some familiar faces amongst the other invitees too. As was expected I was greeted with a glass of Prosecco that never ran dry as the evening progressed.

While Head Chef, Carlos, freshly sliced Parma Ham we tucked into starters all made using Parma Ham.Parma Ham is 100% natural and the drying process it goes through gives Parma Ham a very low fat content, with many mineral salts, vitamins, antioxidants and easily digestible proteins.Prosciutto di Parma meaning Parma Ham in literal translation is produced in hills surrounding the Parma region of Italy where the dry gentle hilly air gives this meat its unmistakable sweetness and flavour.

Amongst the many delicious apretizers ,I most enjoyed the starter with thin slices of parma ham curled around sweet pan roasted juicy pears.

To cook along with the chefs at the Underground Cookery School we were divided in two groups. Our group started of with preparing the main course for the evening :Breast of Free Range Chicken wrapped with Parma Ham, stuffed with Tarragon and Cream Cheese on top of a bed of New Potatoes, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Spring Onion

After we all got some serious knife skill into play to cut a 1/2 ” deep pocket into the chicken breast , off they went into the oven to cook after a stuffing was added and generous layer of parma ham was wrapped around it.We then made our dessert for the evening : Meringue Roulade with Candid Parma Ham slices

The unique taste of Parma Ham is dependent on the traditional production process passed down from Roman times, carefully controlled by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma. Only hams that have passed stringent curing regulations approved by the EU can be awarded the stamp of the Ducal crown – a five pointed coronet logo with PARMA in the centre which is branded onto the ham’s skin. The Ducal Crown is now a certification trademark.

No wonder then that this versatile meat can be used even in desserts to create such varied flavours!Then up my favourite bit – the pasta machine! This time around I made Tagliatelle for our starter which was : Fresh Home-made Tagliatelle with White Truffle Dressing, topped with twirls of freshly sliced Parma Ham and Parmigiano Reggiano

The dark yellow colour is attributed to the use of eggs specially coming all the way from Italy with a dark yellow yolk attributed to the chickens been fed on carrots, the beta carotene doing their thing there.Working the pasta machine and watching the Tagliatelle come out so perfect was a very satisfying experience 🙂 After all the hard work 😉 we sat down and bonded over some wine while out Tagliatelle was being served and the chicken was being plated.First up the starter looked so heavenly! Parma Ham in this delicious recipe is such a perfect combination.

The mains looked too good to eat and too delicious to resist !The purple broccoli and potatoes in perfect balance with the cooked ham and the stuffing just envelopes your tongue as it gushes out from the folds of the chicken.

The candied ham in the dessert is a lovely crunchy companion to the eggy Meringue.

Inspite of the dreaded Tube strike the turnout was very good and since the Underground Cookery School is conveniently located a short walk from Old street tube station it makes life so much easier.Underground Cookery School offers a space fun events to conduct cookery events in a easy environment making team building corporate exercises something to look forward to. You can also book the venue for parties and small gatherings.

*With thanks to The Consorzio del Proscuito di Parma for the invite.No monetary compensation was provided for this post.All views expressed are my own.

All Image are Credit: The Consorzio del Proscuito di Parma except the ones with ”sliceoffme” watermark.

Greek Easter Feast with Tonia Buxton and Total Greek Yoghurt

May 1, 2014 by manjirichitnis 10 Comments

One of the things I enjoy most about being a food and travel writer is that I am able to experience various traditions from various cultures. Also, I think it is a privilege and also an incredible opportunity to to celebrate various festivals from across the world. As an added benefit I have had the good fortune of meeting the wonderful people on my journey into exploring various beautiful cuisines and destinations.

I have cooked alongside some very talented trained Michelin-starred Chefs, home cooks, and cookbook authors too.

I am so glad that I had a chance to cook with someone as passionate as Tonia Buxton who taught us how to make a 3-course Greek feast and took us through a journey of how Easter is celebrated back in Greece, relating in a very animated manner the rituals, prayer, and festivity surrounding the occasion. Total Yogurt the makers of the deliciously thick and creamy yogurt put together this cooking fest at a Cookery School called La Cucina Caldesi located in the heart of Central London.

Tonia Buxton a Greek Cypriot is the Total Greek Yogurt Brand Ambassador and a presenter of the award-winning T.V series on Discovery Channel called ‘My Greek Kitchen’ and has also authored a book titled ‘Tonia’s Greek Kitchen’. Soon to star in a new T.V series called ‘Pauls Family Feast’ a TV show by well, Paul Hollywood 🙂

After a quick ice breaker session, we got into groups and started preparing the main dish of the meal – Greek Lamb Pattie Tray Bake. I love cooking lamb and am delighted with the similarities in Greek and Indian cuisines. We too love our spices and cumin does add a very deep flavour to lamb. If I was to make it at home though I would tweak it and amp up the spices especially the cumin and just because I love heat crushed or paper-thin slices of green chillies with seeds ummm!

Here is the recipe:

Greek Lamb Pattie Tray Bake

Serves: 4

Ingredients

100g TOTAL Greek Yoghurt
100g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
400g lamb mince
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp ground cumin
4 red onions (2 finely chopped, 2 cut into wedges)
Large handful mint, chopped
4 waxy new potatoes, i.e. the Charlottes cut into wedges
4 courgettes, halved & quartered lengthways
250g pack juicy cherry tomatoes on the vine
2 unwaxed lemons cut into 6 wedges each
4 tbsp olive oil
100g feta cheese, crumbled

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / Gas Mark 6.
Put the breadcrumbs, the lamb mince, egg, plenty of seasoning, and cumin in a bowl.
Add the chopped onion and sprinkle in half the chopped mint. Give everything a good mix and shape into 8 patties.
Lightly oil a large, shallow roasting tray and add the patties.
Place the onion wedges on the tray around the lamb patties with the potatoes, courgettes, and tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Bake for around 40 minutes, turning & basting everything once halfway until the lamb is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the feta and remaining mint. (We used up most of the mint and our minty lamb patties were very juicy and yum)
Serve with a large dollop of Total Greek yoghurt and tahini sauce.

While our lamb patties were cooking we played a fun Greek easter egg game with eggs painted a cheerful bright red. We had to go about smashing our egg onto everyone else and in the end, I was up against Tonia- of course, she won! Years of experience laster she has mastered the technique 🙂

We then made a Greek dessert called Anarocrema using Anari Cheese, which I flavoured with orange blossom extract, fresh fruits, and generous bits of freshly made filo pastry crispy bits. This creamy dessert is made using goats cheese and marries well with fruits, pistachios, almonds, and honey too is very filling and moreish dessert.

While our desserts were sent for chilling we got cracking on with the starter a light and superbly flavoured starter – Greek Sea Bream fillets with olives, capers, lemon, and yoghurt Tahini Sauce.

Thanks to @satureyes for the brilliant photos.

It was a very well organised event and I got an opportunity to meet so many more bloggers.Cooking up in a team with Fiona (London Unattached) and Heidi was good fun and it great to be working with familiar faces. Many thanks to @TotalGreek yogurt for the lovely event & @ToniaBuxton for her lively, warm, and friendly way of conducting the cookery workshop and sharing so many beautiful experiences.

I hope all of you had a brilliant Easter Weekend and are looking forward to another long weekend coming up!

Disclaimer: With many thanks to Total Uk and Tonia Buxton.I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Spicy Chorizo Pasta with loads of veggie goodness!

April 29, 2014 by manjirichitnis 13 Comments

I often struggle to get the hubster to consume hero veggies like Broccoli and Mushrooms ,both which I quite frankly love .. always have ! So what started off as a veg pasta was met with a grunt and audible grumbling and had to be re-engineered to create something fabulous ! I am therefore grateful for the grumbling – totally depends on the end result right? 😉 Its also a very good recipe to use all the veggies lying around in your fridge and many some store cupboard excesses to start that spring clean you have been itching to do ( yes I love cleaning – am quite certain I have a mild OCD too)

Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time:40 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients:

500 gm Penne
300 gm Chorizo chopped bite size
Broccoli a handful
Button Mushrooms – half a small packet – std supermarket size-chopped bite size
200 gm Sweet Corn and Red Peppers canned
Grated parmesan Cheese – generous amount;)
1/2 of a large Red Onion
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 large tomatoes pureed
Sea salt
2 large tablespoons Olive Oil
Chilli flakes as per taste
2 large Spring onion finely chopped
1/4th cup low fat cream
Dried italian herb mix for pasta 2 teaspoons

Method:

For the creamy sauce

In a saucepan heat one and a half large tablespoon of oil and saute the finely chopped garlic and when it begins to brown add 2 cloves of garlic chopped spring onion and saute for about 1 min
Then added the finely chopped broccoli
Now add the chopped button mushrooms and the sweet corn and red pepper mixture.
Add the cream and cook on a low flame for 2 – 3 minutes,season with salt and then add generous amounts of cheese.
This sauce should have a balance between creamy and chewy with the mushrooms on the broccoli can retain a bit of its crunch so if you use a lid it may overcook

Before starting on the spicy sauce boil the past in a large saucepan and add sea salt and olive a generous splash I use flavoured oil – the bottle had a large sprig of rosemary some crushed garlic and chilli flakes tossed inside to give it a deep rich flavour- so , so good!

For the Spicy Sauce

In a saucepan heat half a tablespoon of oil and fry the red onion chopped lengthwise and 2 garlic cloves finely chopped.
Then add the bite sized pieces of Chorizo and reduce the flame to low.
Let the chorizo almost start to get crispy and then added the pureed tomatoes,dried herb mixture,chilli flakes and salt as per taste.

In a clean bowl add a generous portion of the creamy sauce, top it with cooked pasta and then add the spicy chorizo sauce.Sprinkle with as much cheese as you want and watch it melt into the steaming hot pasta.If you want just a bit of guilty pleasure drizzle some chilli olive oil on the pasta before mixing the whole thing together!

Harry Hopalot – Thornton’s Easter Bunny – a Review

April 20, 2014 by manjirichitnis 18 Comments

Have always walked past displays of fancy chocolate eggs in shiny crinkly wrapping paper before Easter and wanted to buy myself loads of different chocolate eggs in various flavours – blame it on a serious sweet tooth and an obsession with easter eggs. So when Harry Hopalot and his white chocolate avataar found their way to my house this year courtesy Thorntons Chocolates you can imagine my excitement. Armed with his magic bag and the support from his friends, he has hops faster than the wind to deliver us our perfect Easter.

But then I was in the grips of a rather strange predicament – how on earth was I to get myself to become so heartless and BITE poor adorable Harry’s ear off? Well, he is made of chocolate you know so I closed my eyes and chewed off a large bit of his ear! The first victim was milk chocolate Harry and then it was the turn of his white chocolate cousin. Have never much liked white chocolate but in the bunny form, it wasn’t too bad! Only regret – why are they hollow 😉

It wasn’t easy choosing one from the tempting array of various chocolate eggs and bunnies that Thorntons has on offer, like Thorntons’ range of Dessert Eggs – the new Raspberry Cheesecake Egg and the new Fudge Brownie Egg made from smooth dark chocolate and crammed with fudge, walnut & brownie biscuit pieces in the shell. There’s a quirky twist to the Easter eggs too with the new Squeggs – quite simply squashed eggs. There are two in the range; Cookies & Cream and Cinnamon & Waffle what’s more – they also come in a little treat lolly too!

Thorntons has treats for all ages and occasions and their pretty boxes are just the things when you want to make someone smile. Sometimes it is ok to just go get yourself a pamper box of chocolatey treats, hide them in a tin, and pop one when you feel the blues coming on – just make sure your stash is hidden away from prying eyes and little hands 😉

Am not sure it’s even ok to think this but if there are any strayt easter chocolate bunnies on display after Easter am going to go get myself a few and gobble them while watching some legal drama on the telly. Makes me feel more brave watching the smart lawyers in their designer suits argue their cases while I munch on illegal quantities of chocolate in my P.J’s …hummmm… On that note , Good Night and hope all of you had a brilliant Easter Sunday and a relaxed long weekend – no don’t panic you still have Bank Holiday Monday to get over the hangover that you are probably working on right now 😉

Disclaimer: With many thanks to Thornton’s for the samples sent to me to test and review. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Zingy Turkish Poached Eggs

April 2, 2014 by manjirichitnis 30 Comments

I am a fan of eggs in any form and when I chanced upon this delightful Turkish recipe for combining eggs with thick and fulfilling greek yoghurt I just had to go ahead and experiment! Total Greek Yogurt 0% is fat-free, gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians and pregnant women – all good, no nasties! Besides these virtues its consistency is great and I have in the past few days consumed one of the smaller pots per day part in smoothies and just a dollop with my rice and curry dinner. There are so many versatile combinations that are possible with this yoghurt. From smoothies and shakes to use in cooking as a marinade or cooling dip with chopped goodies like fresh chives, garlic, chilli flakes etc.The thick and creamy consistency is a bonus if you’re trying to watch your weight too!

I made these poached eggs for brunch and served them with wholemeal pitta toasted in the same pan where I made my chilli butter – fabulous!

Traditionally this dish is called Cilbir (pronounced as chillburrr, roll the r’s!) is a Turkish dish of poached eggs with yoghurt (often with garlic mixed in). There are records of Cilbir being eaten by Ottoman sultans as far back as the 15th century. It is now common to serve the dish topped with melted butter infused with Aleppo pepper, for which paprika can be substituted. (Source: Wiki)

Manjiri Chitnis

Zingy Turkish Poached Eggs

Print Recipe

Servings: 2 people

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Turkish

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

4 Large Eggs
5 – 6 cloves Garlic peeled and chopped fine
500 grams Greek Yogurt
50 grams Butter
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
A pinch of chilli powder – as per your tolerance levels
A handful of fresh Mint roughly chopped
Sea Salt as per taste
Plenty of freshly cracked Black Pepper

Method

Boil water in a large saucepan, then cover with the lid and allow to simmer on a medium flame for a while
When the water is absolutely boiling hot, take off the lid and reduce the flame to a very low simmer. Then, carefully crack the eggs into the water one by one. They seem to sort of go ' freeze frame’ once dropped into the boiling water. Give them about 30 seconds when it seems like they have been poached carefully remove them one by one using a slotted spoon. If you suspect that the yolk will just burst open it means it needs some more time inside. Don’t worry if this process isn’t perfect the first time around , it is a learning curve and you will get it right in a few tries – in case of disaster scoop out as much of the egg as you can and after you are done with all the eggs use a sieve to save the remaining egg
Use two bowls or plates to serve. First, scoop some yoghurt into each of the serving bowls. Season with sea salt, a generous sprinkling of cracked black pepper and a pinch of chilli powder. Mix well
Create a bit of shallow space in the middle of the yoghurt mix and place the poached eggs on top
Heat a non-stick pan on a medium flame, and reduce flame to a simmer. Melt the butter and before it starts to brown add the finely chopped garlic and smoked paprika. Then add some sea salt
Quickly pour this delicious golden spiced butter over the eggs and yoghurt
Garnish by sprinkling some fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped for a burst of fresh flavour
Toast the mini wholemeal pitta bread portions in the same pan that was used to melt and spice the butter and it will give your pitta that extra kick of flavour!
Scoop the flavoured poached egg and the cooling yoghurt with the pitta bread. It’s a beautiful sensation on your palate as the cold yoghurt and smoked paprika work their magic on your taste buds

Disclaimer: With many thanks to Total UK. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

WHY NOT TRY MY OTHER RECIPES WITH EGGS AS THE STAR INGREDIENT?

I VISISTED A BUSY EGG FARM WHERE HENS ROAM IN RURAL ENGLAND, HAVE A READ AND BROWSE THROUGH SOME PICTURES FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR

Behind the scenes at an Egg Farm

Banana Loaf – Mary Berry’s recipe

March 28, 2014 by manjirichitnis 11 Comments

Ever since I had my Carpal Tunnel Decompression operation on my left hand I have been trying to test how soon my wrist can take what kind of strain and one of the things I sorely missed was cooking what I wanted when I wanted and of course blogging too.

This week I finally managed to get back to cooking though I must admit that my wrist is still wobbly. So for such a wobbly wrist but determined to bake me ,Mary Berry’s easy recipe from her book Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, is a blessing. It’s a dead simple but fabulous recipe and even though I added a few tweaks it turned out so very perfect. My friend popped over tea and was so happy to see it baking in the oven, all her praise did good things to my ego as well, no doubt there 😉

So the thing is I have stopped buying regular butter and am big on low-fat options right now , trying hard to reduce the calorie count in my cooking while still getting the taste just right.

I am also pretty crazy on kitchen cleanliness and need to organise my thoughts before I press the start button in my head so I neatly gather all the ingredients and the vessels required for baking and my food photograph – which again is just about ok thanks to very ,very shaky hands! God , I need to use a tripod and how!

I do hope that all my friends who have been asking for the recipe ever since I posted the picture on FB will get baking and tell me how it turns out 🙂 After all, who doesn’t love a good ol’ recipe from Mary Berry?!

As you are aware you need very,very ripe soft bananas for this , perfect for a lazy bum like me who can totally forget that there are already bananas at home and go get some more . So this is a thrifty recipe too with a proper feel good factor post-baking, even for first-time bakers – just 7 ingredients and 2 minutes of whizzing with your whisk – so therapeutic I tell you! I love Mary Berry’s recipes , I simply follow them with eyes closed and the results are amazing each time!

So this is a thrifty recipe too with a proper feel good factor post-baking, even for first-time bakers – just 7 ingredients and 2 minutes of whizzing with your whisk – so therapeutic I tell you! Mary Berry makes baking and cooking look so simple and elegant, don’t you just love her?!

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
2 large eggs or 3 small will do – I used 3 small-sized ones
100 gm unsalted ,softened butter – I used a salted olive spread – still superb results!
225 gm self-raising flour
175 gm golden castor sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp milk – I use skimmed milk

Method:

In a large mixing bowl sift the flour through a sieve, I always do but if you don’t have a sieve handy just skip this doesn’t matter in this recipe at least.
Peel and break off pieces of the banana and drop them into the dough, add the sugar,crack the eggs into this and add the remaining ingredients.
Stir properly folding in the dry ingredients with the wet to get a squidy mixture. I like to do this before using my hand-held blender – prevents the flour from flying all over the place .
Meanwhile , preheat the oven to 180 °C / Fan 160 °C / Gas 4 and grease a 2 lb/900 gm loaf tin with the soft butter. I did not line the tin with a baking parchment but the loaf after it has cooled down totally came off so easy no mess whatsoever!
Blend the mixture for 2 minutes (I counted it in my head while I used the hand blender , primarily because it was quite an agony to do this with my poor sore wrist)
Spoon the mixture in the loaf tin and use a flat spatula to scrape off all the remaining mixture from the bowl into the tin – again a rather satisfying thing to do 🙂
Level the surface of the mixture in the tin.

Bake for one hour until it has risen and is a beautiful brown colour.
A few tips for fan oven users , I kept the tray on the level just off the base of the oven and kept a wire rack 2 slots above it before preheating and throughout the baking process. I just feel that somehow the wire rack placement above the tin distributes the heat more evenly if you please? Humm, just a mad theory but works for me. Another thing in the oven setting use the heat from top and bottom even heat setting if that makes sense.
After one hour turn off the heat in the oven and wait for 5-10 minutes before opening the door as a huge blast of heat will slap you in the face. If you want to sure that it has baked through insert a fine skewer or a fine knife , if it comes off clean you are there !
Remove the loaf tin onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before you cut off a piece . My friend and me had to literally stop ourselves from grabbing huge chunks from the hot bake , it looked so good ummmmm!

One beautiful thing about baking is that it’s an exact measurement game and if you get the measurements bang on the result is always really good.So invest in a decent weighing scale!

Starting to bake with easier simple recipes like the a Banana Loaf is a great way to boost your confidence until you graduate to the more complex bakes. Thank you Mary Berry !

Bon Appe’tit folks 🙂

French Glace Cherries – Baking Masterclass

March 14, 2014 by manjirichitnis 37 Comments

When someone says cherries all I can think of is one tempting cherry sitting majestically atop a very fancy portion of Black Forest gâteau for dessert and its only the dexterity of your hands that will guarantee you get to pop the tasty little treat, of course, cherries have very many applications in baking as I was to find out at the baking day for bloggers organised by French Glacé Cherries(FGC).

We baked delicious Valentine’s treats developed and demonstrated by French baker and blogger Cindy Robert from Petit Gâteau and Food for thoughts.

To get us settled in we had some rather innovative sweet and savoury nibbles – FGC chutney with blue cheese, FGC oatcakes, FGC & chocolate brownies, mini smoothies, mini cheesecakes and my new favorite party nibble idea – crispy bacon rolled around a cherry – it’s so so good!

Images above Courtesy French Glace Cherries

A few interesting facts about French Glacé cherries They retain their flavour, shape and texture throughout the baking process. As such, they offer unbeatable quality, and reliable results every time. Good To know that they are not just apt in a traditional fruit cake, but equally at home in savoury recipes.

A Slice of History

The love affair between French confectioners and the UK goes back as far as 1868.It was then that business man Mathieu Wood, who was travelling in Provence at the time, discovered candied fruits from the Apt region and decided to import and sell them in his shops. It didn’t take long for the quality reputation of Provence glacé fruits to spread to the UK and beyond.

Images Courtesy French Glace Cherries

Around the same time, the British love of the outdoors and the development of the picnic and camping trends encouraged a preference for food that was easy to carry around. The fruit cake became very popular as it was easier to carry than the traditional pudding and offered something a bit more original. Candied fruits and French glacé cherries in particular are fun, novel and allow for a great amount of creativity in recipes. No surprise they quickly became a perfect addition to the fruit cake, and thus an integral part of British baking culture.

We were to bake along with Cindy, who had created two exclusive treats: French Glacé Cherry (FGC) Jelly cakes (a cherry twist on the traditional Jaffa cake) and FGC and Pistachios financiers (also known over here as friands).

I must say baking in a group is really fun vis-a vis’ my usual solitary experiments and that too at the venue which was Central Street Cookery School, at St Luke’s Community Centre was an utterly enjoyable experience.The cookery school is exceptionally well equipped and is a perfect place for all sorts of lovely kitchen experiments ! That is a very happy me melting some chocolate chips -ummm

An attentive audience we were …

My French Glacé Cherry (FGC) Jelly cakes progressed quite well and we got to carry back our bakes home, such fun I say , I had a lovely tea session with my neighbour H and her 5 year old daughter she thoroughly enjoyed the taste of these Jaffa cakes !

But my heart was in the FGC and Pistachios financiers, their eggy aroma and perfect for valentines day shape ummm ,lucky us we got the cute moulds to take home in our rather generously stuffed goody bags with the most cheerful apron I’ve got so far in bright cherry red 🙂

1-French Glace Cherries Goody Bag Deconstructed on 8th Feb'14

Did you know that it takes about 10 days for a tray of fresh cherries to become glacé cherries

Image Credit: French Glace Cherries

Disclaimer: I was invited by French Glace Cherries to attend the event and bake with Cindy using recipes developed by her. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

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Disclaimer: With many thanks to Total UK. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

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