Daily Archives: August 21, 2015

Home made pesto wheat veggie Katti roll

Preparation time : 20 minutes

Cooking time : 30 minutes

Serves : 2-3 members

Description

Katti rolls.. This word did really get me confused when I first got to see it in a menu card at a restaurant as a teenager. I knew what the dish was but didn’t know how to pronounce the word right. With a thousand doubts if it’s kaathi, kati, katti or some thing else, I remember how safely I just pointed it out to the person taking the orders and there he looked at me and told aloud “katti rolls”. Uff the relief I got with in me that no one got to know about this shame full flaw in me and made sure to repeat the word many times to register it in me before I forget and make a fool out of myself yet again. As a teenager (actually always) we all are in the desperate need to project our selves in a good manner always which is not possible at any stage of life with the reality of we getting to Learn with our every day life experiences. Those silly days of hope, dreams, joy and sorrow in little things… Coming to the dish, I was pushed into a situation where I had to come up with an innovative idea to serve chapathis for dinner at home as every alternative day it’s chapathis for dinner at home. Seeing all the sad faces at the table with their chapathis on their plates, I cheered them all up with this Italian twist to our Indian katti roll. Sure did bring a spark on the table with hubby dear raising his eye brows with his first bite which is the best sign rating a dish as passing out with flying colours. My job done, happy me about the dish and mainly getting another new recipe to share with you all.

Ingredients	Quantity
basil	2 cups (at times I substitute with 1 cup mint + 1 cup coriander leaves or equal amounts of all the three)
Parmesan cheese	1/2 cup grated
toasted walnuts or pine nuts	1/2 cup (I used pine nuts)
Salt	to taste
garlic	4 cloves
olive oil	3 tablespoons

Method For the Pesto Sauce

In a blender add all the ingredients and mix till a semi-fine paste is achieved.

Ingredients for the veggie filling

Ingredients	Quantity
Vegetables(carrots, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, mushrooms and green peas)	3 cups chopped
Olive oil	1 tablespoon
Garlic flakes	2 crushed
Dried herbs -(oregano, thyme, basil)	1/4 teaspoon each
Chilli flakes	to taste
Salt	to taste

Method for filling
Heat olive oil. Add crushed garlic, chopped vegetables, dried herbs, chilli flakes and salt to taste. Sauté until the vegetables are 3/4 cooked and crunchy.Other ingredients
Cooked Chapathis- 4 grilled to get Lines on them. (I grilled them to add more glamour to the dish, you can use normal chapathis as well)

How to proceed

Apply pesto over one side of the grilled chapathis.
Place the veggie filling in the middle to get a line. Fold tightly to get a roll.
Cut to equal halves or serve as it is warm.

kutha

Preparation time : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 35-40 minutes
Serves : 8 members

Description

Kutha… I know the word sounds wired as in Hindi it means dog. I felt the same way when I first got to know about this dish too. A recipe with few ingredients but time consuming one with Divine results. The technique of caramelizing the onions and the meat in low heat did let me learn the art of slow cooking. The surprise element being the tenderness of the meat as its slow cooked . No idea from where my mother- in- law learnt this dish as I have never seen this dish on the table else where at any other relative’s place. The colour of the dish might put you off as its in a very dark shade of brown but the taste sure will let you feel soothed with its sweet element popping in from the onions along with the caramelized flavour. This is served as a side dish for ghee rice (nei choru) but it goes well as a side for any thing and every thing possible. At times when I have left overs, I use it as a stuffing for any savoury snack too.

Ingredients	Quantity
Bone less mutton	1/2 kg
Big onions	1 kg sliced
Green chillies	20 ground coarsely
Coconut oil	1/4 cup

Method

Pressure cook the cleaned meat to done. Reduce the water to dry. Cool completely and shred the meat by pulsing in a food processor to get threads of meat.
Heat the coconut oil in a non-stick wide pan. add the sliced onions. Sauté to caramelise for 20 minutes in medium heat. Add salt to taste and green chillies. Mix well and sauté for another five minutes.
Add the shredded meat and sauté for 15 minutes to brown in very low heat. Remove from heat and serve hot as a lip snaking side dish.

Notes

This is a slow cooked dish, so you have to be patient while cooking.
I start cooking with this dish and remove it from heat only when I am done with the rest of cooking.
Always use a non-stick pan as it helps not to get burnt and in very low heat as well.

chocolate cups

Preparation time : 10 minutes + setting time about 15-20 minutes

Cooking time : 1 minute

Serves : 6 -8 members

Description

Getting to see all the foodie groups in face book with posts of these chocolate cups made. I had added this to my to do list. Finally made it when my parents and dads friend and his family dropped in for lunch. The recipe was so very easy with great results. I was not confident at all about pulling this of as my inner instincts kept telling me it’s not going to work out. The moment of truth was when I had to remove the silicon molds carefully out of the set chocolate cups. When done, I did do a dance jumping up in joy. Now chocolate has been added to my experimenting list for new and old recipes to be tried out. From then till date, it’s been a recipe I rely on when pressed for time to do desserts. The best part being, you can fill the cups with any thing possible letting you be more creative on every attempt. An apt recipe to be made with kids and beginners. The joy in eating the chocolate cups sure does bring a spark to elders, youngsters and kids with no difference at all.

Ingredients	Quantity
Morde dark chocolate compound chopped	1 cup
Morde white compound chocolate chopped	1 cup
Silicon molds	few

Method

Place the chopped dark and white chocolate compounds in separate clean microwave safe bowls.
Microwave for one minute each one at a time. Remove and mix well to with a dry spoon to get a gooey mass of chocolate with no lumps.
Pour one small ladle into silicone molds of choice. Turn and roll the chocolate all over by rotating the molds making sure the chocolate has coated all over well evenly.
Pour the excess out into the melted chocolate. Do the same until all the chocolate has been used up.
Place the silicon molds in the refrigerator for one hour to set.
Repeat the same with white chocolate. Remove the set molds just before serving. Carefully peel the silicon molds to get chocolate cups.
Fill the cups with any sweet treat of choice and surprise your loved ones with bliss.

Notes

Make sure there is no water in the chocolate, the vessels or spoon used. It’s very important as the chocolate does not set.
I have filled the cups with cake, mixed fruits, custard and nuts. Choice is yours with ice cream, any pudding etc..
You can de-mould the cups, fill and place in the refrigerator ahead. remove from refrigerator just before serving as these cups tend to melt due to humidity.
Get creative and make marble cups with a mix of both white and dark chocolate together.