Recipe Index - Travels for Taste

Christmas Pudding

December 31, 2012 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

Last year we had a supermarket pudding , the intense flavours, the dry fruits steeped in alcohol the soft delicious feeling of putting a spoon through a perfectly set pudding on christmas night ummmm… I decided that the next time I MUST make one at home !After sifting through a few recipes I knew it had to be Nigella’s Ultimate Christmas pudding.

I have now promised myself that I shall plan months ahead and soak the sultanas much in advance but well this year I soaked the sultanas and a nut mix for 2 nights in sherry. The variations in ingredients recommended by Nigella are my use of a regular apple, supermarket sherry and a currant and dry fruit mix off a shelf. But the resultant mixture and the process of slow steaming gave me a deep rich colour, a lovely texture and 2 yes two puddings instead of one and that is what was the MOST satisfying part of this process! Landing up with 2 awesome well set perfect puddings , one to eat at home and one to share with a special close pal made christmas special 🙂

Oh yes and a big thank you to Lakeland for making such an awesome product, my pudding steamer with a lid that fits so well and is really easy to clean. The pudding just slipped out after a gentle tap and sigh…. I couldn’t stop admiring the perfect shape, the dark colour …I almost burst into song !

Well now for the list of Ingredients:

150 grams prunes – mine were soaked in syrup and came from a cam but they served the purpose just the same, I squeezed the syrup out before adding them to the sultanas.If yours are out of a packet they need to be snipped into smaller bits.
150 grams sultanas
150 grams currants or a currants and nut mix for puddings available in all leading supermarkets.
175 ml sherry of your choice
100 grams plain flour
125 grams white breadcrumbs
150 grams suet – I used beef suet, if you are considering a vegetarian option I haven’t used vegetable suet , if anyone has tried it please share your experience.
1/4 ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon – I used a ready-made powder
3 medium eggs
150 grams dark muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 lemon large zest and juice
1 cooking apple (ideally) peeled and grated , I used 2 small red apples.
2 tablespoons honey
125 ml Vodka

Method:

This mixture gives 2 full-sized puddings , I have a 1 litre pudding steamer with lid from Lakeland and I had enough to make two full-sized puddings.
I must say our pudding is still sitting on a plate as I type this on the last day of 2012 , it’s asking to be microwaved and gobbled with some Remy Martin laced cream lying in fridge left over from Christmas, we had it Champagne cream on Christmas day and I assure you we had a feast and some very sleepy house guests after that …yes made me chuckle with satisfaction too.
Mix the sultanas,prunes and currants into a large bowl and let them steep in sherry overnight or upto a week. I let them soak for 2 nights.
When you are to start making the pudding mix take another large bowl and add all the ingredients in any order and then stir in the soaked sultana mix, scooping all of it off from the bowl.
Fill a large saucepan with enough water such that your pudding basin is soaked in it and use butter to grease the pudding bin and the lid as well.
Add the mixture into the basin and steam for 5 hours, checking ever so often and add some water to the saucepan. I must add that my pudding basin lid fits real well and after 5 hours were done it was quite easy to remove the basin from the saucepan and leave it aside to cool . No tying of strings , no foil and no danger of burning, besides like I mentioned cleaning is a breeze.
Keep aside your wonderful pudding which is done now, I peaked inside and it looked so good I had to really take a deep breath and stop myself from turning it onto a plate and start digging right it, but NO it’s meant for the Big Day!
Ok so now on D-day, steam the pud in its basin for 3 more hours, yes I trust Nigella’s recipes and hence the success for me a first time pudding maker 🙂
Well after it has had its steam and had cooled to an extent when you can open it and turn it on to a serving dish , it needs a gentle tap this basin and Viola! a rich dark well set pudding is there for you to admire and show off.
I did not add any charm before I started to steam it and I did not flambe’ it either but by all means use vodka and flambe’ to impress your guests !

Do leave your comments !

Baked Salmon and a crunchy vegetable salad

December 21, 2012 by manjirichitnis 1 Comment

This is probably my simplest ,fastest and yet very tasty AND healthy meal option. All you need is 2 slices of salmon some salad leaves and a hotch potch collection of any thing that can yumm up a salad! Few Minutes in the oven and hey Presto ! a healthy meal is ready to tuck in.

What I love about the after feel of this kind of a lunch or dinner is that it leaves me full and satiated and not feeling bloaty or heavy or drowsy for that matter!

So my ingredient list goes like this , but honestly for the salad just use any combination of leafy stuff and spices that you have in your fridge and cupboard and slam them together to make your own accompaniment!

2 slices of salmon fresh
2 thick slices of lime to wedge into the fish and a large slice to splash over the salad.
one spoon olive oil
Mixed italian herbs to season the fish – better if you have fresh herbs
crushed black pepper and rock salt to sprinkle
some capers for seasoning
Salad leaves of your liking I use the mix leaves packets from the supermarket – rocket,spinach,lettuce mixed with some peppers and red onion sliced for some colour, crunch and taste.
Cherry Tomatoes
A cheese slice – anything that you fancy
Some onion flakes to dust over the salad

This meal takes lesser time to cook than it took me to write this blog post 🙂

Method:

place the salom piece on a foil, lightly drizzle olive oil , wedge a slice of lime in between and sprinkle sea salt and crcaked black pepper and a generous sprinkle of italian herbs, mine came out of a bottle.
Give the Salmon just enough time in the oven to cook, fish cooks fairly fast and these 2 slices took less that 7 minutes in a pre heated oven.
Once done serve the salmon alongside a generous helping of salad leaves and juicy cherry tomatoes,toss a few capers , tear some cheese to season, give another drizzle of olive oil and a big squeeze of lime ,finally add some crispy fried onion bits, finish off with sea salt.
Dig in and feel full inside and light and skippity on a full stomach.

P.S: of the time you save when you choose this light, easy and quick dish , grab that novel you have been waiting to get done with enjoy a relaxed afternoon curled up on the sofa…I did…:)

Vintage Frittata recipe inspired by ”Angel”

October 23, 2012 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

Well as my previous blog post mentioned I am quite besotted with my latest cookbook – The Vintage Tea Party by Angel. She is such a talented lady and anyone with orange hair,a vivid imagination, a vast collection of Vintage odds and ends and a great cook to top is all is my kind of hero!

So I first ate a Frittata at my workplace where it was served during tea time,anything remotely associated with eggs and I simply must try it, I could live on fried eggs ,omelettes ,scrambled eggs and yes Frittatas!

I surfed up info about the origin of Frittata because that’s the beauty of food and recipes, they start from someplace and then suddenly are popular world cuisine and everyone’s making their own versions. Some food blogs have really well researched posts about the Frittata and I do recommend reading them:

http://www.delallo.com/articles/la-frittata-egg-dish-endless-possibilities

http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2008/12/i-have-change-and-treat-for-you-today.html

http://www.thefoodadvicecentre.co.uk/reference/recipes/frittata/

Wikipedia defines a Frittata as : The Italian word frittata derives from fritto, the past participle of “to fry” (friggere),^[1] and was originally a general term for cooking eggs in a skillet, anywhere on the spectrum from fried egg, through conventional omelette, to an Italian version of the Spanish tortilla de patatas, made with fried potato. Outside Italy, frittata was seen as equivalent to “omelette” until at least the mid-1950s.

Well,Angel’s recipe is an antithesis to this logic,why? well because it’s OVEN BAKED not fried and secondly is rather basic yet tasty,her recipe recommends using flower petals to decorate and also cutting it into shapes to make it more visually delightful and intriguing. Ofcourse what I’ve cooked isn’t a patch on the beautiful Angel’s creation but it’s a sort of a tribute to her, in a demi god,fan like behaviour sort of a way…!!

By all means if any one of you does create one anything close to Angel’s original, please do share your feedback and pictures !

I have scaled down the ingredients for 2 people and added a few twists here and there for experimental touches of my own!

Ingredient list to whip up a mean frittata- Vintage and all that 🙂 remember to roll up ur hair in a bun while making it and think Vintage :),Angel style !

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Half a white onion sliced
1 Courgette finely sliced into half-moon slice
5 large free range eggs
Salt
cracked black pepper
Goats cheese crumbled

Method

Pre Heat the oven to 220° C /Fan 200° C/ Gas mark 7. Line a baking tin with non-stick baking paper.
Heat oil in a small frying pan and fry the onions until soft for about 2 minutes, stir in the chopped courgette bits,fry on a higher flame for about 4 minutes till it’s goldenish. Angel advises not stirring or tossing this too much in her book and I do agree.
Beat eggs in a bowl,season with salt and add the onion and courgette mixture.

4. Crumble some goats cheese and then transfer above mixture to a baking tin of your choice, I simply used my small cake tin. Bake for about 15 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack and serve hot.Season with cracked black pepper sprinkled on top.

I think this makes for a really delicious and filling tea time snack and is really easy to make when time is a constraint,which is almost always in our busy lives.

Of course,Angel’s recipe differs and requires some more cooking as there is cheese and is seasoned with edible gerbera petals, I will try it once am able to lay my hands on those delicate beauties.

To check out Angel’s website click here

Trust if me if you already haven’t, her books are a MUST HAVE in everyone’s personal collection of recipe books, I for one am totally smitten!

Healthy Kale Smoothie

September 9, 2012 by manjirichitnis 3 Comments

Hearing of the contest for winning one of 2 free passes to the Food Blogger Connect UK 2012 sponsored by Vitamix UK, I had to think up of some unique tasty, and healthy smoothie recipe, Lucky for me that I have sampled this smoothie created by Brian the host of London Real TV!

Vitamix is helping two lucky winners get a free ticket to FBC12 + an opportunity to feature the recipe and participate in the Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre with Chef Bev Shaffer at the FBC12 Market.

This blender can create fresh smoothies, refreshing frozen desserts, and even hot soups – it is a kitchen essential that lets you perform more than 50 tasks quicker, easier, and faster. The entries will be judged by Vitamix Chef Bev Shaffer, and the two winners will get to make their recipes with her at the FBC12 Market! Also, all five Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre machines will be given away to #FBC12 attendees during the closing ceremonies.

This is his special recipe and he drinks it every single day and is FIT as a fiddle, I say! And guess what he USES VITAMIX to make this smoothie, cool I say!

Here are the ingredients, give them a whirr in your VITAMIX and drink up folks! Thank Brian in your mind and me for sharing it!

1 Apple
1 Pear
1 Carrot
Ginger
A lot of Kale
1 Beetroot
1 Cucumber
Natural apple juice

Am keeping my fingers crossed for winning a free Food Blogger Connect full weekend access ticket to FBC12!

Cheers!

Visit Food Blogger Connect, connect to the event via Twitter – @BloggerConnect, Post one of the cute badges from the site to promote the conference to fellow food bloggers. Like the VitamixUK & FBC Facebook pages, announce your submission on the official VitamixUK Facebook and Food Blogger Connect Facebook pages, follow @VitamixUK, and @BloggerConnect and your tweets include all the following: #FBC12, @VitamixUK, @BloggerConnect.

P.S: London Real TV hosted by Brian and Nick, is a weekly talk show dedicated to challenging the status quo, exploring the human experience, and exchanging ideas and perspectives with a full range of eclectic guests from Miss Universe to Members of Parliament. Check them out on YouTube, and add some zest to your week!

Simple Pasta with Homemade PESTO

September 5, 2012 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

This is again one of those recipes that has languished in my draft folder collecting virtual cobwebs for pete’s sake!

I even had a lot of positive response on Facebook when I uploaded a battered looking pic to my Facebook foodie album ”Food and how much I love it” 🙂

So here’s to finally sharing it on my blog,yay,cheers !Bring on the bubbly…err ok

Here’s what you will need:

Fusili enough for 2 people
Fresh basil one small bunch
Olive Oil 2 teaspoons
2-3 Garlic Cloves
Pine Nuts
Salt to taste
2 medium-sized potatoes skinned and sliced
French Beans about a handful

Method:

For the pesto – Mix the Fresh basil , olive oil,pine nuts ,fresh garlic cloves 2-3, salt and green chillies to taste,give them a spin in the mixie ,all done!
Boil the fusilli in water and salt to taste with the beans , when it’s almost done add the potatoes.
Mix the pesto once the pasta and veggie mix is boiled and excess water has been drained.
Grate some mozzarella and serve!
Top tip from readers of this recipe was to replace the mozzarella with parmesan for lesser calories 🙂

Cauliflower ani vatanyachi bhaji, Gobi Vatana Sabzi, Cauliflower side dish with green peas

September 5, 2012 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

Cauliflower green peas Sabzi

I love cauliflower as a vegetable for its taste and sheer possibilities in the kitchen, my fav everyday vegetable to be eaten with chapatis is a mix of cauliflower and green peas in a spicy, semi-dry sabzi form. I used biryani masala to add a twang to my usual taste and the result was worth sharing:)

फ्लॉवर वाटाणा मसाला भाजी

Skill level beginner, basic

Serves :2 with rotis and curd to make a light meal

Manjiri Chitnis

Cauliflower and Green peas Masala Sabzi

5 from 2 votes

Easy, delicious vegetarian sabzi, an everday dish in a Maharashtrian home

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

1 medium-sized Cauliflower
4 tbsp Green peas
1 pinch Asafoetida/hing
1-2 Red Onions very finely sliced
3 – 4 Curry leaves
2 Green chillies
2 tbsp Biryani masala
1/2 Red juicy tomato
1 tsp Ginger paste
2 cloves Garlic very finely sliced
2 tsp Oil for tadka
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp each of Turmeric n Red Chilli powders
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Jeera Powder
Few Sprigs Fresh Coriander leaves finely chopped to garnish
1 tsp Lime Juice

Equipment

Kadhai or Work or saucepan
Chopping Board
Sharp Knife
Spatula

Method

Heat cooking oil in a Kadhai/wok/ saucepan
When the oil is hot, add the asafoetida and mustard seed, when the seeds start to pop add cumin seeds and the finely chopped garlic bits
Ensure the cumin seeds turn a toasty brown and then swiftly move on to the next ingredients
Next, go in with the fresh green curry leaves and green chillies followed by the finely chopped onion
Add the coriander powder, ginger and garlic pastes and stir well and allow it to become a sticky sort of paste
Then add the biryani masala and feel the explosion in the aroma as it marries well with the onion and spice paste
Then go in with the cauliflower florets and the green peas
Turn off the heat for a bit, sprinkle turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder
Season with salt as per taste
Turn the heat back on, ideally a low flame on the hob and a really low setting on the electric cooker
Sprinkle some water enough to wet the veggies and allow for some steam to form, this will allow the cauliflower to cook
Stirring occasionally, cook with a lid for about under 5 minutes
Check after first 3 minutes to ensure the cauliflower does not overcook
To serve, garnish with fresh coriander leaves, chopped fine and a tiny squeeze of lime juice to add an extra twang
Best enjoyed served with hot puffy Polya (Marathi for Chapatis or Rotis ) off the hob!

Gobi Vatana Sabzi

I am linking my recipe, which happens to be my favourite fusion-Maharashtrian vegetarian recipe for Cauliflower and Green Peas Sabzi with In My Veg Box for May 2014 hosted by me for Nayna who Blogs at Simply. Food and Citrus Spice.

Angel Hair Pasta and Prawns in Thai Red Curry and white wine sauce

August 29, 2012 by manjirichitnis 6 Comments

I loved the name of this recipe by Chef Delia and hubby was also so excited about eating that we went to supermarket that she endorses and got us some really nice White Cooking wine and vermicelli pasta which I used as ”Angel Hair”. The other thing about this recipe that I found appealing was that it was easy to make, serves 2 as a main meal if prepared with suggested quantities and is a really satisfying dish to both cook and eat!

Why is it called Angel Hair ? Capellini Pasta literally means Angel Hair – because this pasta is the finest, thinnest… and when boiled it opens up and is so delicate , almost like how an Angel’s hair would be! Since it is a very light pasta it pairs well with sea food and is sold in nest like shapes that open up into silky strands on boiling …ummm perfect !

Ok my cheat sheet for this recipe , I used Thai red curry paste from a bottle but you can make your own too.As with other types of pasta, it is generally cooked until it is al dente, or firm to the teeth.

I love this angel hair pasta as it cooks really fast and the sauces are taken up so well by the strands.

Serves:2

Marination Time: 4 hours Preparation Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time:25 Minutes

Ingredients:

175gm Angel Hair Pasta.
2 packets of prawns.
2 tablespoons light olive oil.
4 large tablespoons Thai Red Curry Past.
4- 5 large garlic cloves skinned and very finely sliced.I love the skins so I kept them, they add a diferent twist and crackle that I cannot resist!,
2 large tomatoes skinned,de-seeded and chopped.This was the first time in my life I skinned tomatoes and must say it was fun 🙂
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
200ml dry white wine
For the garnish – 3 tablespoons fresh coriander finely chopped,fresh lime thinly sliced.

Method:

Marinate the deveined prawns in the Thai Red Curry Paste and set aside for as long as you can before cooking the meal, as suggested by Delia for 4 hours in a fridge is ideal.
To start with the sauce ,add oil in a pan and the chopped garlic, fry till i is a beautiful golden brown and the kitchen starts to give away a delicious aroma that tantalises your senses…ummm , then go in the pan the lime zest and juice , the tomatoes and wine and on a high heat cook and eventually reduce for about 8 minutes.
Now add the prawns and mix well on a high heat, then reduce to a low flame and let this bubble again for 3- 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat once prawns are well cooked and cover and keep warm till the pasta is done as we have to be ready to serve this immediately when the pasta is ready , being thin it does not stay very easy to scoop out and handle once boiled.
In a large vessel boil water with salt and cook the pasta , it is done in 3 minutes precisely.
In bowls ready for serving spoon out the pasta ,whatever water comes with it , wil be soaked up by the pasta and the sauce.
Serve the prawns in the Thai red curry paste and white wine sauce on top of the Angel Hair Pasta.
In one word – Perfect !

Finito;)

Now for some pics- hover over each pic for a description, pics are followed by credits to the sites which inspired this blog post,Cheers Folks and do drop me a line if you liked this recipe and made it for your family 🙂

And last but not the least my sweetheart, my patient hubby for buying me the ingredients and for being my time keeper for this dish, I am eternally in love with you …..

Spicy Chicken curry

August 20, 2012 by manjirichitnis 12 Comments

Sunday Special Lunch – A Family Tradition

What a Sunday Roast is to a traditional English Family Sunday Lunch is what the combination of Spicy Chicken Gravy and Jeera rice or layered Chicken Biryani is to my family. My sister and I, have been brought on such wholesome, hearty, home-made totally from scratch – delicious food.

All these divine yet easy to recreate dishes, which my parents have always cooked with great passion and a lot of effort are what fuel my desire to share them with all of you.

My Aai and Baba ( Mum and Dad in Marathi) who wake up early every Sunday morning and work as a team to produce this brilliantly tasty chicken curry. Saturday morning my Baba would take me with him to te butcher to buy fresh chicken curry pieces. After coming home he would very patiently explain to us how he marinates the bird using all the freshly ground pastes and purees that Aai used to prepare while he was out shopping. On Sunday morning they would again team up to cook us the most amazing lunch. My best memories of Sunday morning are of waking up to the aromas of food wafting through the house.

Keeping the tradition alive

Few years ago when my husband and I moved to London, I was determined to keep this Sunday family tradition alive. I cooked the chicken adding my own twists and trying my best to recreate the same flavour that my parents seem to get spot-on every single time! So, when they came to London to visit us shortly after we had moved here, I was super delighted that they would cook this special Sunday family meal for us. As promised they cooked us their Sunday special while hubby and I eagerly took notes, clicked pictures and took in the whole energy they bring to this whole process.

This recipe is a spicier version of our traditional Sunday Chicken curry. The bord is cooked in thick gravy bursting with flavour. My Baba loves serving this with Jeera Rice and a beautifully simple Maharahstian Kakdichi Koshimbir in Dahi – Cucumber yoghurt raita. I hope you will enjoy cooking up this dish and hopefully creating happy family memories of your own.

Spicy Chicken – Chitnis Family Sunday Special recipe

manjirichitnis

My family’s Sunday Special Chicken curry recipe

5 from 4 votes

A spicy and easy traditional Indian chicken curry recipe

Print Recipe

Cook Time 25

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method