Food - Travels for Taste

Pomfret Fish Curry

August 18, 2013 by manjirichitnis 12 Comments

Flavours of Konkan

When anyone asks me what I would like as my LAST meal,I always say I’d like some fried pomfret so naturally, when I go Indian grocery shopping I always check for this fish. Though I must admit, nothing beats the flavours one gets from fresh fish. But well, just have to make do with frozen fish as the one I love is a Pomfret local to waters of the Indian Ocean.

This is a relatively simple recipe and does not require much effort but the marination is key as it can really give depth of flavour which is what we need.

I had 3 of these beauties to cook and couldn’t resist getting them to pose for my camera all dressed with the dangerously delicious spices that I rubbed into the fillets.

Pomfret with all the spices that are used in the curry.

Okay, it’s relatively easy making fillets after this fish has thawed thoroughly as it has very few bones, I like to remove the bit in the front with the eyes and the tail and also remove the fins then make fillets the size fit for a curry or fry.

Pompfret Fish Curry

5 from 1 vote

Heirloom recipe, a traditional CKP style fish curry

Print Recipe

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

3 medium-sized Silver Pomfret
2 tbsp Coriander and green chillipaste
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1.5 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tsp Turmeric
3 – 4 Cloves Garlic withskin on
2 tbsp Grated coconut
1 small pinch Asafoetida/Hing
2 tbsp Refined oil
1/4 Lime – juiced
Salt to taste

Method

Wash thoroughly and marinate with redchilli powder, turmeric,salt ,ginger- garlic paste,coriander-green chilli paste and set aside for at least 40 minutes.
After the marination is done,heat oilin a saucepan,add asafoetida just a tiny spritz and throw in the crushedgarlic cloves with their skins on. As soon as they start to brown add the marinatedfish n toss it around for about half a minute.
Add enough water to cover the fishand cook on a low flame.
As the water begins to boil add inthe finely grated fresh coconut and stir in well till the curry is nice andthick.
Simmer till the fish is cooked andsqueeze the lime into it.
Serve with steaming hot riceand allow yourself to enjoy this simple yet classic fish curry, an everydayfare in the houses along the coast of Konkan and a great treat in ours.

These beautiful flowers are on stalks of fresh spring onion!! Unexpected, I know right?!! My ma (in-law) very patiently chopped these stalks and created this cute little spring onion floral display and the whole idea of this photograph with books we are currently reading is hers.

Bengali Bhaja with spring onions and potatoes

I was so excited to see them and had to buy myself two bunches and look for a Bengali Bhaja or bhaji (Marathi) sabji/sabzee (Hindi). Found a lovely food blog called ‘Hamaree Rasoi’.

Needless to say, the meal was supremely satisfying and we all slept with gentle snoring now and then …TMI- oh yes, totally 😉

Pomfret curry with steamed rice and pejaykoli bhaja

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

Spicy Mexican Chicken Wings

August 16, 2013 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

I was sent this amazing new product from the Gran Luchito Kitchen – their new Salsa sauce and ever since I laid my eyes on it all I wanted to do was make some spicy chicken wings and enjoy them on a summer evening with some chilled beer.

What I most love about this new HOT sauce from Gran Luchito is that it makes life so easy so if you want to make a quick ,tasty and easy starter dish and really impress your guests or you suddenly decide to take home the entire hungry gang you went for drinks with on a Friday evening(Egad!) this bottle of goodness is a going to be your life saver. It’s very versatile because I can think of so many ways to use this sauce. It’s also a great dip for that bag of tortilla chips which can do the rounds with some chilled beer or wine for your guests, or a lazy brunch on Sunday just make lots of wings to gr around for the family!It’s definitely my new spicy ketchup and will be a perfect pairing with a zillion foods!

Ok, so here’s a quick recipe for the Spicy Mexican Chicken Wings:

Serves: 2 – 3

Cooking Time: 15 minutes marination, on pan 10 – 15 minutes,chopping time 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

Grand Luchito’s HOT Sauce – 5 heaped tbsp
8 chicken wings
1/2 medium sized red onion sliced lenghtwise
Half a lemon
Smoked sea salt
2 large tbsp oil (I used refined sunflower)
Smoked Sea salt
Cumin powder 1 tbsp
An entire garlic with all its pods sliced through.

Method:

If you ask me this is one for the barbecue but since I have no access to one and work off a tiny urban kitchen which is literally a single small platform I love using my pan with grids to get those grid lines on my meat and pretend am in the garden with a nice barbecue going,sighhh, oh yes and my smoked sea salt is my best ally , giving my food that wonderfully smokey aroma -oak smoked it is !

Wash the chicken wings and in a bowl and pour about 1/2 a tbsp oil on them,add the smoked sea salt,cumin powder and 2 tbsp of Gran Luchito HOT sauce.Rub well and cover and set aside for about 15 minutes

On a pan with grids add the oil and allow it to heat till it starts to bubble slightly, add the chopped red onion and saute till it just begins to change colour,carefull to not brown them too much.
Now saute two heaped tbsps of the Gran Luchito HOT sauce on the pan.Stir for about a minute and then add the marinated chicken.Place the garlic face down allowing it to turn a delicious brown and release it’s magic kick into the onion and sauce mix and boost the flavour of the chicken.
Use tongs to turn when one side is properly browned and juicy but stir the sauce and onion sautee mixture which the chicken is sitting on not allowing it to stick to the pan or burn!
It should take about 10 -15 minutes to get to the right crispy and juicy stage for the chicken wings on a medium flame with this pan.(In case you need to do a large batch of chicken wings, scale up the ingredients proportionately and blanch the chicken wings in hot water for 5 – 7 minutes before marinating so that they are semi cooked , this way you can get them in batches on the pan and ready to serve, keep them warm by placing in a baking tray covered in foil – you could even keep bigger batches warm in a pre-heated oven if need be!)

The unique smoky taste of Gran Luchito with the sweetness of pineapple

I hope this product hits the shelves soon!To do this as quickly as possible Gran Luchito has partnered with Crowd Funding Network We Are The Million to raise some investment and create jobs too.Help Spread the word by reading more about the campaign here.

*Thanks to Gran Luchito for sending me some of their test sauce as a sample to review. As usual, all opinions are my own. No monetary compensation was provided for this post and I was not expected to write a positive review.

Demystifying Tapas – ‘TAPAS REVOLUTION’ – Chef Omar Allibhoys new cookbook

August 9, 2013 by manjirichitnis 16 Comments

Excited that I would be meeting the young and talented Chef Omar Allibhoy at the Launch of his Book called Tapas Revolution at his Tapas bar by the same name I couldn’t wait to get myself to The Balcony at Westfield,Shepherd’s Bush. The district Line managed to live upto its reputation of being the most non trustworthy of all the tubes lines with delays and finally after 3 changes I managed to reach the venue! Gaah!

Any feelings of angst soon vanished when the I saw familiar faces at the Tapas Bar. A few of the food bloggers I met at FBC’5 were there and as the evening progressed I met some more interesting foodies. It’s the best part of being a foodies, talking food with like-minded people and feeling totally normal discussing spices,ingredients, chefs and cookbooks, never a dry spell in conversation I say.In all we were a group of about ten to fifteen food bloggers invited to Chef Omar’s book launch – TAPAS REVOLUTION – 120 simple CLASSIC Spanish dishes.

What followed was an evening of great food, lots of Sangria (for me), an insight into Spain’s rich culinary traditions and of course lots of picture-taking,posing for pictures and in my case eating some foods I have never dared to try until now!

If one thing is apparent as I watch Chef Omar effortlessly dishing out one plateful of flavour after another is his passion for food. All of 29 this young man has taken it upon himself , a mission of sorts to revolutionize the Spanish Tapas and put them firmly on the U.K Map and as Tom Parker Bowles of the Mail on Sunday has said ”….with this talent,passion and dedication the revolution’s in good hands” and mind you all this and his Charm and good looks is a perfect combination for success! Lucky for us especially knowing the humble beginnings of Tapas which literally meant ‘tapa’ or ‘to cover’ and according one of the theories of their origin they were served free to cover one’s drink and save it from flies!

Chef Omar and his cheerful team orchestrated the whole evening well ,after all not a mean task to serve 14 different dishes perfectly plated and all this while ensuring that our glasses never ran dry!

Some of the mouth-watering delights we tucked into :

Jamon (Ham) Ibe’rico – Ibe’rico ham gets its rich nutty flavour from the pigs that roam freely in the woodlands of Spain eating acorns and herbs.

Salmorejo – Bread served with Chilled and divine Tomato dip called Salmorejo – a chilled tomato dip traditionally from Seville. I am not ashamed to admit that I wiped off every last drop of the Salmorejo dip off my plate and all this with a very innocent face and while making polite conversation;)This dip is very similar to the cold cucumber soup or Gazpacho because it is served chilled.

BOQUERONES – Anchovies Marinated in black olives,red onion,paprika and cumin (Image on the top of collage)

Pimientos De Padron‘ – Fried Padron Peppers (Image on the bottom of collage)

Tortilla De Patatas – Spanish Omlette with Charlotte Potatoes served with a dip called ALIOLI or Mayonnaise made with – get this MILK!

tortilla, and with an aioli made with MILK

I was now feeling like a true Spaniard and was thanking the generous crew with my new favourite Spanish word ”Muchas Gracias” though instead of the quick and correct way in which they seem to gently throw this word, my tongue doesn’t oblige me and as a result I get a puzzled look to my strange-sounding word.I still firmly maintain that this is going to be my most loved word in Spanish after Jamon and Pimientos.I plan to land these words on unsuspecting subjects all of next week (shall have to refrain from doing that in public particularly on the tube for fear of getting whacked by shocked commuters who would assume I was saying naughty abusive words in a foreign tongue to make them squirm in their seats while I try to balance my errremmm not so slim self un-gainfully around the pole with 5 other people trying to get their paws on it for support) hummm

Pulpo a la Gallega – Steamed octopus with potatoes and Pimenton – This dish looked so tempting that I happily ate it and only when I was home and typing this up did I realise that it’s the first time ever I have dared eat an Octopus after a singularly scary episode of eating one years ago and breaking out in a rash before I could blink, I have since steered clear of this delicacy to avoid turning into a puffer fish and scaring fellow diners away.But no any more, Tapas Rule woohoo!

Calamares fritos – deep-fried baby squid (Image on the right)

Pollo en pepitoria – Moorish Chicken. Chicken in saffron, cumin and vegetable sauce, honestly not my favourite but still great depth of taste because of the saffron and cumin together some notes of taste would be similar to that of an Indian curry but with many other levels of flavour.

Chicken(Pollo) in a gracy with spices and almonds

By now our gastronomic journey had traversed from simple to exotic in about 3 platefulls and this juicy beef skewer was supremely satisfying on all counts, the sea slat hits the palate after your teeth has sunk into the meat and the spices have enveloped your mouth in an avalanche of taste – this is my clear favourite and only the Tortilla and Alioli with its surprise ingredient – Milk manage to scrape their way in as close second favorites.

Pinchos morunos con mojo picón – marinated beef skewers with a spicy dipping sauce.Everything about this dish including the dip was so perfect, I could eat this everyday and not get bored.

Breaking bread with fellow foodies today over Sangria and some Bubbly Cava ,it seemed natural to chew on a Pimento now and move onto more complex and vibrant flavours. Now am quite stuffed and happy and chatting with Li and Dee (nice ring there huh,almost musical !) and am secretly hoping no more food but they don’t seem to stop wanting to feed us!And its too good to resist anyway…

Image Below:

Papas Arrugadas Con Mojos – Wrinkled Potatoes with Mojo – This is the Chef’s hand me down family recipe and how they do potatoes in the Canary Islands, again another spectacular dip with coriander , very tasty and appealed a lot to my Indian taste buds a lot.

Croquetas de jamón – deeped-fried Iberico ham croquettes, these look innocent but are little parcles of delight as they go from cripsy to gooey soft full throttle taste machines as you bite into them,Advance Warning – Seriously addictive and I did try and steal more than my share from the sharing platter ….obviously Unsuccesfull and a bit let down, the crew wouldn’t have it, so they served me some Cava!!

The clear winner for me though was the Pinchos morunos con mojo picón which has rich, robust and full bodied taste. I am certainly going to try and cook that sometime very soon. I see a Tapas party at mine happening soon enough with a few good friends some time soon, all they need to do is bring the Cava 😉

Oh wait, just when I was about to put my camera away, we were served Crema Catalana – Catalonian Custard Pots and Churros con Chocolate.OMG! Those custard pots are bits of perfection with a crunchy caramelised top and a creamy smooth custard with hints of vanilla. And those Churros….oooooo, instantly transported me to sunny shores on a perfect summers day.It took all of me to resist not dipping my finger into the liquid chocolate.

Helen, thanks for patiently letting me attempt clicking a picture of the Churros dripping chocolate while Chef Omar urged us to give the churros a generous dunk into this brown liquid goodness.

Mind you I left the venue a convert,with Spanish Cuisine demystified and Tapas explained,many firsts for me here:

First Time I dared eat Octopus Yeah!
Best Calamari I ever ate
First ever Book Launch
3 glasses of Sangria and was able to walk in a straight line – all thanks to how stuffed those deceptively small platefulls can make one feel! Wow

Armed with a signed copy of Chef Omar Allibhoy’s wonderful new book – TAPAS REVOLUTION (with food pictures that give me weak knees) ,I am confident that even a novice like me can make a valiant attempt at dishing up some of the delightful tapas and learn some fun tricks along the way. The beauty of the book lies in the fact that one can source these ingredients very easily in their local supermarket or simply raid their kitchen cupboards to create something absolutely wonderful. No fuss ,no do-dah. Just pure and simple Food – for each one of us to create a Revolution.

Cheers!

Muchas Gracias to the organisers for inviting me to this wonderful evening of food, fun and tipples and watch the charming Chef Omar cook us Tapas!

Grated Carrot salad

August 6, 2013 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

This simple salad is a favourite at my mum’s .You can impress your guests with this simple and quick recipe that would look like you have really slaved to get it right. Nothing better I say 😉

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 15 minutes including the grating

You will need:

3 fresh medium-sized organic carrots
1 tsp small size black mustard seeds
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon oil
1 Large heaped tbsp Chobani Blood Orange yogurt

Method:

Peel and grate the carrots after beheading them – Ha! I wanted to write that just to reinforce the morbid tone here that the word ‘’Blood Orange’’ .Wonder why such a delicious fruit has such a murderous sounding name 😉
Heat 1 tsp oil in a saucepan and pop in the mustard seeds and the finely chopped green chilli
When the mustard seeds begin to explode like miniature heat bombs, add the grated carrot and stir lightly.
Add salt to taste and take off the heat. We don’t want to overcook the carrot here and need to ensure it stays nice and crunchy!
Serve in small portions with a large blob of the yogurt on top ensuring you use a spoon that goes to the BOTTOM of the pot of yogurt as the fruity bit and heavenly fruity yogurt likes at the BOTTOM of these pots, like a secret hidden treasure, ummm!

I hope you enjoy making these FAT free yogurt recipes and feel good about lowering the overall calorie count of these dishes.

Pomegranate Chicken Curry

August 5, 2013 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

For my next recipe using Chobani Yogurt, I made a spicy chicken curry main dish, the curry can be made less spicy as per taste by reducing the quantity of red chilli powder and garam masala used.

I have used Chobani Pomegranate Yogurt as it lends a subtle but noticeable tangy twist on the palate.

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 35 minutes including the chopping and slaving bit

You will need:

4 chicken breast fillets chopped into chunks which are curry pieces, yet not totally bite sized.
2 large tablespoons Chobani Pomegranate yogurt
1 large green chilli chopped into big pieces
1 large red spicy red chilli chopped into big pieces
Salt to Taste
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 heaped tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
A pinch of Pepper powder
2 tbsp tamarind paste
3 small red onions finely chopped
1 heaped tsp fresh ginger garlic paste

Method:

Heat a sauce on a medium flame and add 2 large tablespoons of sunflower oil
Sautee the chopped onions and the ginger garlic paste till the onion changes colour
Then add the chicken pieces and reduce the flame , when the chicken changes colour reduce the flame to the bare minimum and stir in the Pomegranate favoured Chobani yogurt. Do this before the chicken begins to cook to run juices as at that stage the yogurt will not be able to lend it flavours to the cooked meat.
Then add in this order the red chilli powder, the chopped red and green chillies, the garam masala and the pepper powder, mix well and stir ,then add enough water for the chicken to cook and to allow for some thick gravy . Add just enough or else much will dilute the whole curry and make it will become one big mess- just in case it does, take a deep breath and add 2 small completely boiled or 1 medium-sized potato mashed well into the curry ,it will soak up the excess water but then one needs to adjust the salt and red chilli proportion as well.
Now add the salt and mix well. Adding salt before the rest of the ingredients somehow alters taste to a large extent. Cook the chicken on a low flame with lid on checking occasionally and stirring as well. Yes one needs to fawn over the pot like one would over a pesky but adorable toddler. Humm, well now this should cook fairly quickly, check by jabbing a piece of chicken with a blunt knife.
I choose to serve this Pomegranate Chicken with boiled basmati rice cooked with garden fresh green peas.
Serve with some red onion by the side and freshly chopped coriander (cilantro) for that fresh and tasty garnish.
Serving suggestion – serve with boiled basmati peas pilaf/pulav/poolav lightly flavoured with cinnamon and bay leaves – again made with just a tiny drop of oil to sautee the bay leaf and cumin seeds.So good ummm

*Thanks to Chobani for sending me some flavoured yoghurt samples to review. As usual, all opinions are my own. No monetary compensation was provided for this post and I was not expected to write a positive review.

Strawberry flavoured Shrikhand

August 5, 2013 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

It was love at first bite for me with Chobani yogurts! Difficult to imagine that such deliciously thick and creamy yogurt can be TOTALLY FAT FREE, yes you heard that right – 0% fat!

Well then after gobbling several pots over the 3 days of Food Blogger Connect I had major withdrawal symptoms and needed a ‘’pot’’ of Chobani asap. When I wrote to them asking if I would like to experiment with some Indian Recipes with Chobani thick strained yogurt, they sent me a whole box! Golly!

So here I am with so many pots of deliciousness it took me a few days to gather my senses and get cooking 😉

I know a dessert recipe is like ‘’leave the best for the last’’ sort of a thing but darlings this one is such a traditional yet simple one that my fingers won’t let me type any of the others so here it is :

Strawberry Shrikhand

Ok So Shrikhand has cult status amongst us Maharashtrian so much so that it is a must-have in our wedding menus back home. Oh yes Shrikhand and Puri is a like a treat fit for a king…err and a queen – of course 😉

So the whole trick lies in making the best possible perfectly strained thick set yogurt, tied in muslin and left in a refrigerator overnight to get what is also known as ‘Chakka’. It is NOT easy. But with Chobani since it ALREADY is so THICK and Strained it is the best yogurt to just spoon out of a pot and start making this dessert with.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Chill Time: 1 hour for the mixture and then to be kept chilled before serving

You will Need:

1 whole pot of Chobani Strawberry yogurt 170gm, do not take all the juicy bit if you like Shrikhand very thick (but truly great Shrikhand is creamy and not too thick , it has got to be – well – perfect like Chobani!)
150gm sugar
1 heaped tsp cardamom powder
A tiny pinch of saffron
Toasted blanched almonds to garnish

Method:

Gently fold in sugar into the yogurt in a glass bowl, taking care not to ‘’beat’’ the mix
Leave to chill in the refrigerator for an hour, this way the sugar completely dissolves into the yogurt and does not affect the consistency of the mixture.
To this mixture now add the cardamom powder and saffron.
The shrikhand will now have a thick consistency and fall off a spoon in thick folds.
Serve chilled in a generous dollop of a portion with toasted almonds to garnish.

The traditional process involves passing the sugar and yogurt mix through a sieve to ensure any big bits of cream are removed to allow a smooth as silk feeling on the tongue. But again since Chobani has done all this for you there is no need, with the 3 biggest steps eliminated making this dish is a doddle!

(The 3 big steps we have eliminated are: making the set yogurt, straining it using a muslin cloth to remove all the water and the part where the sugar and yogurt chilled mix is strained)

Traditionally either plain Shrikhand which is a pale yellow colour due to saffron food colour being added or then Mango flavoured Shrikhand which contains mango pulp and bits of mango is served. But of course there’s nothing to beat the taste of homemade creamy Shrikhand.

Smoky spicy Lamb with Wild Rice and gravy

July 23, 2013 by manjirichitnis 7 Comments

What better way to celebrate the news of #Royalbaby than with a grand dinner at home? Aptly for a royal announcement, I got some ”Duchy Originals” Welsh Organic Lamb Loin Chops. I had some long grain wild rice with me and had been meaning to use it for a while now.

I must admit I did cheat on the gravy though but intend to make my own gravy and store it in the fridge to be used in batches soon. But that is a discussion for later.

So this Gran Luchito smoked chilli paste came as part of the Goody Bag at FBC5 and I couldn’t wait to use it as their Smoked Chilli Honey is absolutely to die for! One taste at the Street Party at FBC5 and I was hooked. So here’s a simple easy peasy recipe that needs only less than 10 minutes to put together and about 35 minutes in the oven for the lamb.

Ingredients:

4 lamb loin chops
salt to taste
2 tbsp smoked chilli paste Gran Luchito
1 measure (160 ml is the capacity of my rice measure which came with the rice cooker) long grain wild rice or enough for 2 people.
Oil for greasing the pan
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Method:

Wash the lamb loin chops under running cold tap water and season with salt rubbing it well on the meat, generously apply the Gran Luchito smoked chilli paste to the lamb.
Preheat the oven and while it’s heating up grease a baking tray with some oil.
Place the marinated lamb chops on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, since it’s only 4 chops and soft fresh lamb meat cooks very quickly give one check after 20 minutes. If you plan to add any small new baby potatoes with skin, parboil them first and slice in half and then throw them around the meat tray.
While the meat cooks, wash the wild rice and add 2 measures of water to 1 measure of rice. Salt to taste cover and cook till done.
Serve the succulent lamb chop on a bed of steaming hot wild rice, and surround the meat with a generous serving of gravy
If you also do the roast potatoes it just adds that much more crunch.

If you have time go the whole hog and add chopped carrots and red onions to the meat. Chop the carrots lengthwise and the onions too.2 carrots and one large red onion should be enough to bulk this meal for 2.

Gran Luchito chilli paste is a hit with the hubby now, so those Oaxacan smoked chillies they use certainly give a deep smokey and rich taste to the meat.

Lamb Chops being marinated in Gran Luchito smoked chilli paste and thyme

Wild Rice,Roast Lamb and roast potatoes with gravy

Notes from Food Blogger Connect -FBC’5

July 22, 2013 by manjirichitnis 20 Comments

I wanted to write this as soon as FBC’5 was done, didn’t want to wait a whole year to write a ”this week last year” piece like I did for last years blogger connect;) Well that’s one of the things that happens when you meet so many like minded foodies, they inspire you! Am going to try and add some snippets of each day here, hope they take you on a journey of sorts.

Day1 #FBC5:

High on excitement and anticipation we all meet What better way to kick start the foodie bloggy weekend than with a Food Photography Workshop with Penny De Los Santos, an award wining internationally photographer (to quote from her website) from across the pond. Pennys workshop really gave me insight on how to use light and I loved the way we could go clickety click and try our hand at different angels and all the while resist the temptation to eat the food beautifully styled by the gorgeous Emily Jonzen. I had a mini shock after the photography session was done as there was a large crowd of all the lovely bloggers who had assembled in the beautiful venue Battersea Arts Centre and were already well connecting. One thing that really came out strongly at this years Food Blogger Connect was the feeling of community , after all FOOD is a great conversation starter! Other highlights of the Day 1 were the panel discussions with David Lebovitz and Niam of food and travel blog Eat Like a Girl. Niamh took us through a virtual tour of Canada alongwith Nim from the Canadian Travel Commission, am certainly hoping I can go there someday soon just to have the beers which have some very shall we say ”creative” names,Sparkling Ice Wine and of course Poutine.

Aoife Cox of The Daily Spud gave a an entertaining insight into how to create a niche blog by thinking creative .
My Takeaway from the speakers of Day1 #FBC5
David Lebovitz – ”Explore your Flaws”
Karen Burns Booth on getting Published in magazines ” Develop a niche and make your recipes stand apart from the rest”

Ate sushi with a twist from Dorshi Sushi who use pearl barley , now my mum would love to hear that, she’s been big on the benefits of Pearl Barley for years now! love how they use unusual ingredients and create Asian flavours, the horseradish dip was packed a powerfull punch high on taste.

Absolutely drool worthy cheese counter from La Fromagerie had one exotic cheese called Picos de Europa (Valdeon) ,described by their team as: ”Cow’s milk blue cheese covered in vine leaves, with Goat’s milk added at times of year when it is more readily available. A rich and creamy cheese with well spread blue moulds and a tangy taste similar to Roquefort.”

(Penny De Los Santos at her Photography Workshop and Emily Jonzen of Leiths School of Food and Wine dressing up plates of food)

How to photograph Meat - food photography workshop

Good Angels for capturing food - food photography workshop

(In the pic above – Day 1 FBC 5 Street Food – Clockwise from Top Left -@LaFromagerieUK cheese to die for , @eatdorshi – Sushi made using pearl barley @Luchito_mexico loved their chilli honey,@pigahic Thai Street Food)

Day 2 #FBC5 :

Power-packed with great speakers, rooms charged with electricity as bloggers ”connect” and Bethany’s book launch – The Jewelled Kitchen Souk. Penny De Los Santos’s session about Food and culture was delight to begin Day 2 with. Listening to Penny speak it took me on a journey through all her many exciting and some dangerous adventure assignments. I loved her pictures with Madhur Jaffery the most. Emily Jonzen’s session on food styling gave us so many valuable useful tips for food styling and presentation.

David Lebovitz’S Speed Blog session created quite a stir! Kerstin @MrsMarmiteLover was a powerhouse speaker, she really has done it all – from Underground farmers market, to working at as a chef at an ”anarchist vegan restaurant” , successfully starting a supper club when it was unheard of and ofcourse writing a blog and a book!The most important she said was how we women need to empower ourselves by ensuring we make a living,she is such a fine example of entrepreneurial spirit ,hats off you ye gutsy lady!

Felt I was back in college with the session of recipe writing by @AlisonBolus, so much to learn! There was very sound advice on Gluten free recipes from Holly of @PureTastePopUp and Adriana of Gluten Free 4 kids.

Some of the food bloggers who have published their own books came forward to share their experiences, I especially loved watching the video created by Juls Kitchen it took me on a Food Journey through Toscana!

On the STReat Party front

The saviour from the hot hot sun was definitely the peppery ice cream by The Peppermongers , I went back for seconds at Luchito Mexico their Honey dip was irresistable! @eddiechillijam thank you for the cute sample bottle am waiting to use in some fresh fish recipe that’s stuck in my head.

@PetitGateau_UK had the most lovely pop up stall and generously shared their sweet treats with us hungry bloggers.

(In the pic above Clockwise from top left to right – @RenBehan put together her Polish Pop Up Stall called My Polish kitchen, Adriama Rabinovitch’s Book Gluten-free 4 kids is displayed with some gluten-free cookies – they were really tasty , the food bloggers mingle during break time, @TerraRossaUK had a pop-up stall for their exquisite Exquisite Arabian products)

(In the pic above Clockwise from top left to right -@PetitGateau_UK , @peppermongers regale us with their wares , @ lidgates Butchery Demo in progress , @eddiechillijam what a superb chillie jame umm! , @Chobani_uk kept us going even in the hot sun with their fat free delights)

The evening was a sparkling event with @Bethanykd and the launch of her first cook book – ” The Jewelled Kitchen”, mega feast with a massive barbecue and lots of wine, it set the mood for a relaxed evening where everyone mingled shared their life and the whole conference like feel of day 1 melted into this big happy college fest kind of gathering.

Superb Barbecue for Bethanys Book Launch

The mood on an upswing, swing in my step I walked to the station with my new found friends.

Tumbling into Day 3: Back to Battersea arts centre, I felt I was going to meet a bunch of pals for a Sunday brunch

Snippets:

Dana who sells Virgin Argan Oil has really helped fan the tiny flame of ideas that sits deep inside and looks for an open window where it can sit and feed it’s desire for oxygen, if I ever turn into an entrepreneur I will never forget all of Dana’s valuable advice!
Dana of @Arganic_UK ”Take a crazy holiday wid fellow foodies,put urself out there, research ur golden business idea”
Regula or @missfoodwise to the world walked us through her world of perfect branding and creating well researched identity
Regula speak: ”If an AD is UGLY, don’t put it on your blog!

On the STReat Party front

@Africanvolcano is the real deal with a tasty filling burger dripping with a mind blowing spicy sauce , I am glad I took bits of chicken and pork in mine!

@FunkyChickenVan loved the van, so vintage.

(David Lebovitz and Bethany share a laugh while they announce the lucky winners of the giveaways)

A blog post about Food Blogger connect would be incomplete with a mention of the bloggers I connected with. It was great catching up with Grace of ‘Alifeunhurried’ again this year, I am glad we are friends, just one day together at FBC last year, you are such a warm person. I have made some really cool buddies, sharing our experiences of creating our food blogs understanding what drew us to blogging and what is it that keeps us going.

Renne of ‘Kitchen Conundrum’ who flew in from NY
Sadia from ‘Baking Elements’ who is a techie geek,a baker , a mum and a part time GP- PHEW !
Morgan from Atlanta,Georgia who blogs at ‘Peaches Please’ (Morgan and her mum flew down from across the pond to be at FBC 5, cool!)
The very sweet Eleni of ‘On Top of Spaghetti’
The lovely blogger from Montreal Andree Ann who blogs at ‘lavoiealabouche’ and like me is a food and travel blogger – Ann you must do that post we talked about – husshh am not mentioning it here!
Petra who blogs at ‘Food Eat Love’
Kelly was another blogger who was very warm and was great meeting her again this year at FBC, I love her blog ‘Kellies Food To Glow’
Jackie Lee thank you so much for the brownies, hubby is still raving about them! Jackie is a Private Caterer and a Pastry Chef and blogs at ‘I am a feeder’. I loved how Jackie has used her logo as a sticker label for branding, good job girl!
Artemis Tsipi who blogs at ‘Wonder Food Land in English’
Carla who blogs at ‘Can be bribed with Food’
Marica it was great talking about Indian Cuisine with you, her blog Cooking with Marica is in Italian , I like her Instagram feed!
Elena the Greek Food Blogger shared her interesting foodie adventures with us, she blogs at ‘Elenas Cooking’
Janie who blogs at ‘Hedgecombers’ has also published her first e-book called Project Egg
It was great fun chatting with Karen who’s blog I’ve been reading for a long time, love her photographs and writing style, her blog if you don’t already know is called ‘Lavendar and Lovage’
Fiona who Blogs at ‘London Unattached’
Danni who blogs at ‘Hungry Healthy Happy’ has an incredible personal journey to share, I am so looking to her for inspiration for weight loss!
The lovely Bintu who blogs at ‘Recipes from a pantry’. She is a mum, works and blogs, how do you do it girl?!
Vanesther’s blog ‘Bangers and Mash’ has great pictures and even better recipes!
Helen who a baker since she was 10 blogs at ‘The Diary of a Cake Maker’
Nayna the veggie blogger who blogs at ‘Simply Food’
Jacqueline, the Scottish vegetarian as she’s called on her blog ‘Tinned Tomatoes’
Louisa who currently blogs at ‘Chez Foti’ soon to become ‘Eat your Veg’
Sylvia who blogs at ‘Happiness is homemade’
Tina’s blog is called The Spicy Pear, how cute a name!

3 whole days of meeting and chatting with food bloggers from all over the world, eating some really tasty food at the street stalls like all good things had to come to an end. Have new personal favourites on the food front – Chobani’s delicious thick strained yogurt which is TOTALLY fat free! Moose’s Maple butter which is super smooth , tasty and spreadable ummm

Some of us bloggers just happened to stroll into this beautiful pub on it’s very first day of business ,it’s just opposite the venue,go check it out someday folks, we were treated to some handmade pasta!

A special Thank you to @JaxCocoUK your coconut water kept me hydrated over the hot summery weekend , to @LavazzaUK for helping me kick start my days with much needed caffeine, I am so NOT a morning person , Grace and Sadia am sure will grin ear to ear when they read this bit ! Also @Tyrells crisps and @Joeandseph posh popcorn for providing munchies for all those in between main meal hunger times 😉 Ofcourse @Chobani_UK made all the sessions just that much more interesting!

Peach Melba with Vanilla Ice Cream

July 20, 2013 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

This recipe of Peach Melba is a favourite with my mum in law.On one of the days when I wasn’t feeling too bright she decided to set the mood right with one of her sweet fixes.She disappeared into the kitchen and 20 minutes later appeared with a tray with this gorgeous dessert topped with vanilla ice cream begging to be devoured!

A bit of history about how this dessert came into being should be shared here I guess as it makes me appreciate the recipe so much more.This is a brainchild of French Chef Auguste Escoffier who created this in honour of Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, known as the ”first Australian Diva” to quote from the website of a museum dedicated to her. When she was performing in London, The Duke of Ore’lans hosted a dinner party to celebrate Dame Nellie Melba‘s triumph and Chef Auguste Escoffier gave the world what we now know as the Peach Melba – peaches served on a bed of ice cream, he later created various versions of which the one topped with raspberry sauce is most popular now.

Serves:4 Prep Time :20 minutes + cooling for few hour in the refrigerator

Ingredients:

4 fresh juicy peaches
Plain everyday white sugar
The best vanilla ice cream you can lay your hands on
Toasted blanched almonds to garnish

Method:

Heat water in a pan,when it has boiled,gently lower the washed peaches into it and blanch them.When you remove them the skin should readily come off. Test for how ripe your fruits are before you blanch ,over ripe fruits will not take well to being dunked in hot water!
Remove the skin and remove the seed and halve, if you are unable to do that just get of as much of the fleshy bit from around the seed as you can.
In another saucepan add enough water to hold these peaches in a pool of sugary syrup approx 250ml .
Add 4 heaped tablespoons of sugar and stir continuously on a low flame til the sugar is totally dissolved and you have a proper sugar syrup,nice and thick and of course sweet!
Dunk the peaches into this syrup and on a very low flame let them soften , do not allow the sugar syrup to turn dark in colour and a maximum of 5-7 minutes should do the trick as the peaches will ”cook” quickly”
Thoroughly cool the fruit+syrup mix and decant into a bowl and place in the refrigerator.
Serve on a bed of your best vanilla ice cream and top off with the toasted almonds.
Smile when your guests praise you and regale them with the story of how this lovely dessert was created or how much you enjoyed reading this blog and creating the dessert, ok all right all right, won’t show off 😉

This dessert was something I had drafted quite some time back and thankfully as I made this yum dessert to finish off my Caribbean themed summer party menu, it will now finally appear on my blog!That’s why you must make the most of the summer days and have as many parties and barbecues and picnics as you can!Wooohooo!

Jerk Chicken and Coconut Rice

July 20, 2013 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

The first time I ate Jerk Chicken, was at a pop up Caribbean food stall near Haymarket Station, it was served with some tasty rice with red kidney beans and the most deliciously sweet plantain. Ever since I have been waiting to experiment and make this spicy chicken at home. Please resist the temptation of using a jerk sauce out of a bottle, it’s almost a crime because in the recipe I used from the BBC Good Food guide, it makes preparing the marinade a thing of joy. Not only will you learn how each ingredient lends its individual flavour but you can learn how to adjust the ”heat” in this amazing marinade. An advance warning, if you have sensitive skin PLEASE use gloves to marinate the chicken as Scotch Bonnet peppers are PACKED with heat. Ensure you THOROUGHLY wash your hands after you handle these ”hot babies” too! Humm now for the recipe, it’s essentially what was in the original but of course, I have added my own touches and I think they make quite an impact 🙂 So read on folks.

Manjiri Chitnis

Jerk Chicken

Caribbean Jerk chicken is an all-time favourite and tastes even better with a home-mademarinade

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For Jerk Chicken:

12 chicken thighs with bone
1 garlic sliced through the middle to go in the oven
2 lemons halved to go in the baking tray
1 pair of clean gloves if you have sensitive skin – to marinate the chicken

For the Jerk marinade:

4 Garlic Cloves de-skinned
1 small red onion
1 bunch fresh spring onion roughly chopped
1 portion ginger size that fits inside your closed fist washed, skinned and roughly chopped
1 tbsp thyme – I had none so I used 1 tbsp of Mixed Italian herb powder
3 scotch bonnet chillies de-seeded if you cannot handle very spicy
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oil – I used sunflower
4 heaped tbsp brown sugar – I used dark muscovado sugar
1 tbsp ground allspice powder
1 lime Juiced

Method

Blitz all the ingredients for the marinade in the mixer/food processor/blender and make a thick paste, do not add water as far as possible to ensure a thick puree like grainy paste
Wash and deskin the chicken thighs and make cuts using a knife
Then generously apply the marinade paste all over rubbing into the cuts made to ensure the flavour really seeps into the chicken
Marinate overnight in the fridge. Cover vessel with cling film
Keep about 2 tbsp marinade aside for adding in the baking tray
When you are ready to prepare the chicken pre-heat the oven to 180 – 200 degree Celsius, I have a fan oven
Prepare the baking tray by greasing with some oil, place the marinated chicken pieces and surround them with the lime slices and place the garlic halved
Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes or until juices run clear
When the chicken is in the oven start with the rice

Coconut Rice with Peas

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

200 g Basmati Rice
400 g Coconut Milk can
1 bunch fresh spring onion finely chopped
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme
2 large cloves of garlic skinned and chopped very fine
1 tbsp ground allspice
200 g green peas

Method

Wash the Basmati rice under cold running tap water
In a heavy-bottomed vessel, add the washed rice and coconut milk, chopped spring onions, thyme, garlic chopped and allspice
Add 300 ml water, mix and add salt to season
Cook with lid on a medium flame till water begins to boil
Stir with a wooden spatula and then add the green peas
Reduce flame and do not cover completely, leave a bit of space for the steam to pass
Cook until done

Although the recipe I followed, uses red kidney beans since I was already using them in my Caribbean Sweet Mini Pepper Salad, I choose green peas for my Coconut Rice. I made my own homemade replacement for allspice powder too, it’s very easy and I intend to make it fresh each time I need instead of the store-bought one, simply because it is so quick and easy to prepare! Actually allspice is a spice by itself but it tastes similar to a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and pepper.

Also Known as: Jamaican Pepper or New spice

Home made all-Spice Powder recipe

Manjiri Chitnis

Home made all-spice seasoning

Try myeasy to prepare and store home-made all-spice seasoning

Print Recipe

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 5

Total Time 7

Servings: 1 portions

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 tbsp Cinnamon powder or cinnamon stick – thumb-sized
1 small tbsp pepper powder
1 heaped tbsp of cloves
1 full nutmeg grated

Method

In a pestle and mortar mix the ingredients and grate the nutmeg into it
Then smash together to makes a grainy powder
Some bits of the clove you may not be able to grind fine, I wouldn’t worry about it unless you want a fine powder then the smallest attachment on your mixer. I have an Indian mixer which I use for my coconut chutneys and it has 3 jars I used the one with 3 blades. Or else just use the pestle and mortar it should work.
Store away the remaining homemade allspice replacement powder in a tiny airtight container

A note about the brown sugar vs. dark muscovado sugar

Dark Muscovado sugar is the unrefined form of brown sugar ,its stickier ,heavier,has a longer shelf life than refined sugars and adds a more intense flavour to marinades and since it is stable at high temperatures is great for baking.If you do not have brown sugar its ok to replace it with dark Muscovado sugar. Although as the water content dark muscovado holds is higher one should accordingly taper the use of water in the recipe.

Brown sugar is white sugar and molasses and hence the colour and soft texture. It has the light and dark brown sugar varieties and the lighter it is the milder the flavour.

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Ingredients

Method

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Notes from Food Blogger Connect -FBC’5

Day 2 #FBC5 :

On the STReat Party front

Tumbling into Day 3: Back to Battersea arts centre, I felt I was going to meet a bunch of pals for a Sunday brunch

Snippets:

On the STReat Party front

Peach Melba with Vanilla Ice Cream

Jerk Chicken and Coconut Rice

Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

Method

Coconut Rice with Peas

Ingredients

Method

Home made all-Spice Powder recipe

Home made all-spice seasoning

Ingredients

Method

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