Ravioli in pesto sauce

So if you have been following my posts then you would know that I have recently made and enjoyed home made noodles and pastas. My toddler was eagerly waiting for the dinner when I declared that I am making some kind of pasta.

Ravioli pasta is pasta dough stuffed with some veggie stuffing and cooked the same way as other pastas. It is usually mixed with light sauce.

The outcome was so delicious that hubby dear promptly purchased the pasta machine when he spotted it at the crawford market. 

About the toddler, he asked a funny question, Mom- you promised pasta, why have you made Modaks? 

Well, he did not eat it, which is ok, as for 2.5 years, I am expecting too much from his tiny palette. He will learn ,enjoy and some day encourage my culinary exploits

Ingredients
For Ravioli
2 cups All purpose flour
2 eggs
salt to taste
1 tbsp Olive oil
100 gm Cottage cheese/ paneer
1 bunch of spinach leaves blanched
1 tspn crushed black pepper
For Pesto sauce
2 tbsp roasted pine nuts/ almonds
5-6 fresh sprigs of basil leaves
3-4 garlic cloves
salt to taste
1 cup pasta starch (boiled water used to cook pasta)
Method
1) In a large bowl, take the flour, salt. Add the beaten eggs and make a rough crumbly mixture using a fork or pastry cutter. Do not use hands.
2) Stash the dough in refrigerator for 30 min or more. 
3) In a bowl, crumble the paneer and add chopped blanched spinach , salt and black pepper and mix well.
4) Knead the pasta dough using oil as required to make a soft pliable dough. Roll out sheets and cut in shapes that you prefer. I made all kinds of shapes. 
Roll out circular discs fill the mixture in the centre and top it with another disc and seal very close to the mixture. Ensure there are no air packets.
You can also cut large square and fill the mixture , seal the ends diagonally then bring the other two ends closer.

5) Boil 10 cups of water in a large pan with little salt in it. Start dropping the ready ravioli and pluck them out when they rise to the surface. Prepare all and set aside.

6) Blend all the ingredients for the pesto sauce (except for the pasta starch). 
7) In a sauce pan, add some oil and add the pesto sauce and thin it with the pasta starch. as per your liking.
8)Place the ravioli in individual serving bowls and pour the sauce on the top. Garnish with basil leaves if required.
I served papaya in the same sauce to cut in a sweet flavor which worked as a good combination

Sending this to 
- Kalyani's Global food festival

- Healing Foods - Vegetarian Thanksgiving  

- Julie's Christmas delicacy 

- Radhika's winter carnival 

Figs in yogurt pudding

Once Nigella had served Figs with sweetened yogurt during one of her summer sessions. But I associate figs with winter. Although they are available round the year, I see the better crop only now. They are also supposed to keep us warm and are very rich in dietary fibre. Considering I was making this for winter, I had to make it in the warm form. The result was awesome! I served it after a hearty malaysian meal.

Ingredients (for 3 -4 servings)
4-5 Fresh figs
2 cups hung curd/ yogurt
1/2 cup sweet condensed milk
1/2 cup icing sugar (optional)
Method
1) Wash and cut the figs in quarters and place in individual bowls.

2) In a bowl, mix the hung curd (drain it as much as possible) and condensed milk and make a homogeneous mixture. Taste and check for sweetness, if required add icing sugar 1 tspn at a time and check for appropriate sweetness.
3) Pour it to cover the the figs sufficiently

4) Bake in preheated oven placed in a baking pan filled with little water for 15 min. Or microwave for  min on high (keep a watch)

Let it stand for while in switched off oven/ microwave and then serve. Add chopped nuts if required.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10

Sending it to 

- Love lock and sweets 

- Vardhini's sinful delights

- Sameena's Microwave recipe's 

- Sravs' - CC - Holiday Baking 

- Julie's Christmas delicacy 

- Radhika's winter carnival 

- Amy's Midweek Fiesta

Malaysian Fried Noodles

 I made ravioli pasta few days back and had some of the dough still around. Considering that I never found the flat noodles whenever I wished to make the malaysian style noodles I thought of it as a good opportunity to use up the dough. This dish was a huge hit at the dinner table, perfectly emulating the taste of what we usually have at the Bandra joint - Sahibaan on turner road, which I think serves the best chinese street fares. 


Ingredients
For the noodles (to serve 2-3 people)
2 cups APF
2 eggs
salt to taste
For the stir fry
1 bunch of fresh spring onions
1 red capsicum
1 yellow capsicum
1 small brocolli
2 tbsp chopped and blanched spinach
1 medium tomato thinly sliced (deseeded)
any more veggies of your choice
1 tspn dark soya sauce
1 tspn light soya sauce (I used 2 tspn of regular soya sauce instead)
1 tspn tomato ketchup (optional if you wish to keep the taste authentic)
2-3 red chillies (soaked in hot water)
4-5 garlic cloves
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Method
1) Chop all the veggies as you like them to be in your noodle dish, I chopped them in julienne 

 2) Prepare the dough, by taking the flour in a large basin and mixing the beaten eggs into it using a fork. Put the crumbly mixture in the fridge for 30 min. Take it out and knead well till it forms a soft pliable dough. Use some olive oil if required. Roll out the dough as thin as possible and cut flat strips. The size will bloat in water so cut thinner than you want.

 3) In a large pot, boil enough water to hold the noodles. Add a pinch of salt and let it boil again. Add the fresh noodles and when they rise to the surface pick them out and put in a colander. When all are done, quickly hold them under tap water so that they do not stick.
4) Grind the red chillies and garlic to form a chilli paste and keep aside.
5) In a large wok, heat some oil. On high flame add all the veggies one after the other and stir on high flame. (Keep the spring onion greens and spinach for the end).
6) When the veggies are half done add the noodles and stir quickly, add the soya sauce, red chilli paste, tomato ketchup and stir again. Add salt and black pepper after tasting and adjusting the flavors.

Serve hot, you wont need a gravy for this one as the noodles are fresh and have enough moisture.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10

Sending it to 

- Kalyani's GFF event

- Kaveri's Herbs and Flowers- Spring Onions, brain child of PJ

- Healing Foods - Vegetarian Thanksgiving  

- Amy's midweek fiesta 

- Amy's Party foods 

- Julie's Christmas delicacy 

- Radhika's winter carnival 

Vegetable Chili & Eggless Corn Bread

No other dish took this long to get out of my kitchen as much as the corn bread. I made them couple of other ways and paired them with a whole of things. But I always wanted to make corn bread with vegetable chili. Infact I wanted to make them the Nigella way in which she baked the corn as a layer atop the chili. I attempted it mentally but backed off for the fear of spoilng 2 dishes over 1. The dish I was skeptical about was the corn bread. I wanted to make them eggless. Considering that the corn meal does ot bin very easily due to its coarse texture it was a task to bake them without eggs.

I made them and the result was awesome. The soft sponge like bread with a sweet herbal flavor was wonderful treat. We finished in off whilst it was still warm. I would like to check next time around how it stays over days.

Vegetable Chili (Indianized)

1 medium onion quartered

1 medium tomato finely sliced

2 medium tomato pureed

1 medium capsicum cubed

1 aubergine cubed

1/2 cup cauliflower florets

4-5 spinach roughly chopped

1/2 cup Split Red Lentils (Masoor dal)

salt to taste

1 tspn crushed ginger and garlic

1 tspn Olive oil

1 tbsp red chili sauce (Sweetened)

1 tspn garam masala (optional/ use spice of your choice)

Method

1) Pressure cook the red lentils with some salt and set aside

2) In a large pan, heat some oil and saute the ginger garlic crush. Add the onions and saute until they are soft

3)Next add all the vegetables one after the other and keep sauteeing. Season with salt as you go.

4)Add the tomator puree and the sauces and spices and bring together.

5) Mash the red lentils and stir in to the vegetable mixture.

6)Add the roughly chopped palak and let it cook until it is wilted.

7) Simmer for 5 more minutes. It is ready to be served

Corn Bread

Ingredients

1 cup Corn Meal

3/4 cup All Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Olive Oil

1 cup sour buttermilk

1 tspn salt

1 tspn sugar

1 tspn baking powder

1/4 tspn baking soda

1 tspn mixed Italian herbs

Method

1) In a large glass bowl, cream the oil and buttermilk till they are well blended.

2) In another bowl, mix the corn meal, APF, herbs, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda.

3)Mix the dry and wet ingredients and fold in well.

4) Grease a bread tin, or a 8 inch cake tin with oil and dust with flour.

5) Pour the corn mixture and bake at 180c for 15 min and at 160c for 5 min in a preheated oven.

Serve with the chili or a yogurt dip.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10

Sending it to 

- Kalyani's GFF event

- Sravs' - CC - Holiday Baking 

- Julie's Christmas delicacy 

- Radhika's winter carnival 

- Krithi's Breakfast club - bread & guest hosted for Helen 

Petha

Petha or winter melon sweet has been on my radar for some time now.It is not an easy thing to make at home or so was what I felt.

It has been a favorite take away or bring home sweet for my father. I do not think I was ever intrigued about what goes in to its making back then. This new found interest was developed when i tested the syrupy pethas from Haldiram's Nagpur.

Ingredients
1 Kg Ash gourd / Winter Melon/ Petha ( peeled and deseeded )
600 gm sugar (If you like sweeter then use 750 gm)
1 tbsp alum
1 tspn rose water
Method
1) Soak the alum in 1 litre water. Cut the melon in 1 inch pieces and put them in the alum water for 2 hours or so.
2) Remove the pieces and wash under tap water for 2-3 min thouroughly cleaning each and every piece
3) Boil the pieces in fresh water until the pieces are tender and transparent. For about 4-5 min with lid.
4) Drain the pieces from water and put in bowl containing the measured sugar.
5) Let the melons drip their water in the sugar.  Leave for about 3-45 min.
6) Remove the melon pieces and set aside. Heat the sugar syrup to make 2 string consistency syrup.
7)Add the melong pieces are reduce the heat and let it simmer till you get a 3 thread consistency. Add the rose water and let it simmer for 4-5 min.
8) Drain the pieces and put it in dish and let it cool. It is ready to eat after 12 hrs

Sprinkle with kesart flavored sugar syrup later and serve. Stays well for 2-3 weeks without refrigeration.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10

Sending this to Radhika's Winter Mela &- Love lock and sweets 

Lilva rice

It is difficult to make certain dishes when you know that DH strongly abhors it. He hates eating khichdi (or what he tells us) I think primarily because that was fed to him during his growing up years or the fussy eating years. The habit of refusing the offer to eat khichdi stayed but when it is actually dished out in front of him with the favorite accompaniments like papad, kadhi/ buttermilk he can polish off the dish with no fuss.
This winter special rice dish is made specially when you get the green beans(surti papadi) freshly available in market. 
People in Mumbai would know that we are currently only shown some trailers of the winter movie. Which means that the season is yet to blossom to its peak. Thus, I do not see the papadi or the saag easily available atleast in the vicinity. 
Not to be deterred by this, I went ahead and made this Lilva Rice (Wet rice) using whole moong dal. 
When you find the green beans though in market please use them.

Ingredients (For 2-3 people)
1 cup rice (Surti Kolam preferred)
1/2 cup Green beans (shelled)
2 inch cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves
1/2 tspn whole black pepper
1 tbsp Clarified Butter (Ghee)
salt to taste
For paste
1/2 cup coriander
3-4 green chillies
1 bunch of green garlic leaves and cloves
1 inch ginger
Method
1) In a pressure cooker heat some ghee (about 1 tspn) , add the cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.
2) Make the paste using the ingredients listed under the paste section.
3) Add this to the pan, and stir well. 
4) Add the rice and green beans and stir again. Add 4 cups of water and salt to taste
5) Add the remaining butter and cover the pan.
6) Pressure cook for 3 whistles.


Serve with Buttermilk and more ghee.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10

Sending this to Radhika's Winter Mela & Kavi's HCC 

Pitla Bhakri an Thecha

During my long travels away from home there were moments of home sickness which could not be pacified by any number of phone or video calls. The moments of high pressure work, unhealthy weather conditions, deserted streets and lack of good food were simply unbearable.

To new comers, I do not work for a coal or gold mining company, but the stress of IT life is no less. 
Cutting back the long story short, when you are under duress food can be most comforting and mood lifting options. 

Even now, when I miss the childhood comfort, I make this simple maharashtrian affair. 

Ofcourse, making bhakri is still a task for me, so I normally have pitla with steamed rice, ghee, mango pickle and roasted papad. Heaven!

Pitla is pronounced just the way it is spelt out as Pit-la no emphasis on making la sound as laa..drop me a note to figure out in detail. This is a staple maharashtrian dish found in all parts of the state. The popular cousin Zunka is literally the dried out version of this curry. It is known to be the most cost and health effective food. It was once popularized by the state government as the food for the poor. One could eat 1 serving of Zunka and 1 Bhakri for 1 Rupee flat at various outlets started by the same name – Zunka Bhakar Kendra. Well, like most projects, the outlets eventually focused on making, missal pavs, vada pavs and some other Chinese dishes and thus drowned the project.

I am giving you the more affluent version of the dish but you can make it very well without all the optional ingredients listed below.

Pitla

Ingredients (for 4 people)

1 ½ cup Chickpea flour

3 ½ cups of water

1 large onion finely chopped

1 tspn ginger-garlic paste (optional)

2 tspn red chilli powder/ 2 green chillies chopped finely

½ tspn turmeric

1 tspn crushed roasted peanuts (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil to cook (2 tbsp)

Method

1) In a large wok/ kadhai, heat some oil, add the mustard seeds and let it crackle. Add the asafetida to it.

2) Add the chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, and sauté until the onions are cooked and oil separates from them.

3) Add the turmeric , red chilli powder, crushed peanuts and sauté again.

4) Add the water to the mixture along with salt. Taste if you like to check for salt. The water should taste salty as the flour will absorb salt later.

5) Let the water boil until it is bubbling.

6) Now reduce the flame and start sprinkling the chickpea flour quickly stirring with the other hand to mix it well. Do not worry too much about the lumps

7) Now cover the lid and let it simmer for 10-15 min.

8) You can start stirring it constantly after this stage until the oil comes to the surface , about 10 more min. If there are too many lumps, or the texture is very thick then add ½ cup of plain water and cover the pan.The lumps will be dissolved.

9) Garnish with coriander/ grated coconut

Serve with bhakri (Jowar/ Bajri/ Rice roti) and thecha/ kharda

Bajra Bhakri

1 cup Bajra flour

salt to taste

hot/warm water

Method

1) In a large basin/ bowl, take the flour and salt.

2) Add the warm water little at a time to bring together all the flour till it forms a soft pliable dough.

3) On a flat surface, take a small ball of the dough and using the surface the palm start tapping the dough starting at the centre applying pressure towards the edges.

4) The surface of the dough should start growing, keep using the dry flour liberally,

5) Now lightly lift the bhakri and put it on a hot griddle. On the surface facing you apply some water.

6) Flip on the other side after 2 min.

7) Using a tong place the bhakri on open flame till it puffs up.

Thecha/ Kharda

2-3 green chillies

4-5 garlic cloves

salt to taste

Method

1) Pound all 3 in a mortar.

Serve with your choice of papads, I served with kurdya.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10

Sending this to Radhika's Winter Mela
Kavi's HCC 

Vegetable Lasagna

Warming on a cozy winter evening to have one pot meals that are wholesome, fulfilling and lip-smacking tasty is my idea of December fun. Dishes like Vegetable lasagna are best enjoyed during winters when you get fresh crops of aubergines, cauliflower, capsicum, carrots, green peas. There are no major rules to make this easy baked pasta. Ofcourse, there are popular recipes to make lasagna where you are expected to make particular sauces and use certain veggies, but those are best eaten are popular restaurants. At home, do what you feel like- isn’t it?

Let me tell you the recipe I made at home,

Ingredients (for 3- 4 people)

7-8 lasagna sheets (Roll out pasta dough 8x4 inch rectangular sheet)

2 medium onions finely chopped

4 medium tomatoes finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato ketchup/ sauce/ paste

4-5 fresh basil leaves + extra for topping

1 large capsicum finely chopped

4-5 garlic cloves finely chopped + extra for topping

1 tspn red chilly powder

1 tspn corn flour slurry

Salt to taste

1 tspn crushed black pepper

1 bunch of spinach blanched and finely chopped

1 large eggplant sliced in roundels (bharta baingan)

2 large tomatoes deseeded and cut in large vertical pieces

4 tbsp White sauce 

4 tbsp Cheese (Mixed cheeses of your choice- mozzarella , parmesan preferred)

Method

1)  Cook the lasagna sheets for 6 min in salted boiling water. If you are using fresh dough sheets then boil for 2-3 min or until they rise to the top of the pan. Drain and set aside on a grease plate separating each sheet.

2) In a sauce pan, heat some olive oil, add the chopped garlic, and sauté. Add the onions and sauté until they are cooked. Add the capsicum and sauté for 2-3 min

3) Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, red chilly, salt and some water. Let it simmer for 10 min.

4) Add the corns starch slurry and stir till it becomes sauce like. Add some hand crushed basil leaves. Let it simmer for 3-4 min more and set aside.

5) In a lined baking sheet, pour some olive oil and soak the brinjals in it and set them 1 piece at a place. In the gaps place the deseeded tomato pieces soaked in salt previously.

6) Put the baking sheet in pre-heated oven at 220c for 5 min. Then switch the oven to broil/ grill mode and leave for another 6-8 min. Flip the brinjals/ tomatoes during the switch. Remove them and set aside.

7) Switch the oven to bake and reduce the oven temperature to 180c.

8) In a deep baking dish, grease the base and lay the cooked pasta sheets until they cover the base.

9) Add the brinjals to form a uniform layer. Sprinkle some salt.

10) Pour the tomato sauce on top to cover it completely

11) Place more lasagna sheets and cover until the base is fully covered.

12) Place another layer of brinjals and fill the gaps with the roasted tomatoes. Sprinkle some hand crushed basil leaves. Also add chopped garlics if you like (I did not but it tastes very good)

13) Pour the white sauce to cover the brinjals and tomatoes.

14) Place another layer of lasagna sheets.

15) Put the chopped spinach to cover the sheets. Sprinkle some olive oil , salt and black pepper on top.

16) Cover the surface with mix of cheeses (Mozarella, cheddar, parmesan)

17) Bake the dish for 15 min.

Serve hot with a fresh baguette or salad. I served with roasted tomatoes and spinach salad.


Enjoy the step by step layering below,

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10

Also Sending this to
- Vardhini's Bake Fest
- Khusi's Bake with your Heart

Eggless Banana and chocolate muffin

I make this often as this is the easiest cake variety to make and is super healthy option for kids. You can vary the flavors by adding nuts or dried fruits.

Ingredients (for 30 small muffins)
2 cups (~175 gms) All purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter/ oil
3/4 cup condensed milk
1 big banana mashed
1 tbsp (20-25 gm) cocoa powder
1/4 cup castor sugar
1 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn baking soda
2-3 tbsp luke warm water


Method
1) Preheat the over at 180c and prepare the muffin tray by greasing and dusting it with flour. Alternatively used cup cake liners.
2) In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until it becomes smooth in texture.
3) Add a couple of spoonful of warm water to the condensed milk and beat it well. This will ease the mixing process better. If you are using ready made cans then this is important step
4) Add the mashed banana and condensed milk mixture to the butter and beat lightly.
5) In a seperate bowl, add the flour ,cocoa powder , baking soda and powder and lightly mix using a fork.
6) Pour this flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.If the consistency is sticky then add a couple of tbsp of warm water.
7) Pour it in muffin tray and bake for about 20-25 min or until the muffins are well cooked in the centre.
8) Serve hot.


You can also use chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder, but in eggless version the muffins do not have space to spread as much, so many times, the choco chips char at the spot.


Sending this to
- Vardhini's Bake Fest
- Christmas Delicacy at Julie's space
- Khusi's Bake with your Heart
 - Love lock and sweets 

- Sravs' - CC - Holiday Baking 
- Pari's Only Cakes and Cookies

- Kavi's Jingle All the Way

Cake toast aka Milk toast

I dont think this is the universal name for this dish but I know most bakeries in Mumbai and some other places call it by this name. Basically the rusk toast which is toasted bread (or so I think) is a popular tea time snack. 
On a rainy day, you will find many people standing by the tea stall dipping in the rusk toasts and sipping the cutting chai. Its time to move on from monsoon to chilly winters. And who says that toasts cannot be enjoyed in chilly weather.
I started with the plan of making chocolate and vanilla marbled cake. However, since I did not feel like using eggs, I was looking at the option of using condensed milk again. However, these days the humidity is playing its games pretty dirty. Lot of the baked goodies are drinking way too much of oil or butter. I was put off with the idea of using extra greasing. So I thought to myself that if the cake does not sponge up then I will think about something.
This is exactly what happened, so I simply ended up baking it again and making cake toast.

Ingredients (for 12-15 toasts)
2 cups of All purpose flour
20 gms (2 tbsp) Cocoa powder
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup butter/ oil( I used vegetable oil - do not use Olive as the toast needs to be sweet and not nutty)
1/2 cup sugar ( I used little less than 1/2 cup)
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn baking soda
2-3 tbsp warm milk
Method
1) Mix the flour and baking powder and soda and put in a large bowl.
2) Grease a bread loaf tin (small) or 8 inch round cake tin and keep ready.
3) In another bowl, cream the condensed milk , oil and sugar until it has formed a homogeneous mixture.
4) Add the flour, vanilla essence to the creamed mixture and mix well. If the batter is very sticky add some warm milk.
5) Pour half of the mixture in the prepared tin.
6) Mix the cocoa powder in 1 tbsp milk and pour it in the remaining batter. Mix well using a fork or spoon and pour on top of the vanilla mixture
7) Using a spoon create uneven swirls to create a pattern.
8) Bake in a preheated over for 15-20 min at 160c or until the cake is 80% done.
9) Remove the tin from the oven and let it cool.
10) Cut bread like pieces. If the centre appears to be wobbly ,do not worry.
11) Place the cut pieces again for 10-12 min at 180c spread on a lined baking tray.
Remove when done. It should become biscuit like. 
Yummy Milk toast or Cake toast is ready for its cup of tea


Sending it to 
- Vardhini's Bake Fest event
- Khusi's Bake with your Heart

- Love lock and sweets 

- Amy's midweek fiesta 

- Sravs' - CC - Holiday Baking 

- Healing Foods - Vegetarian Thanksgiving  

- Krithi's Breakfast club - bread & guest hosted for