sujatanz, Author at Homecooked Tales

26/09/201924/09/2019

STUFFED BUTTONS

I love mushrooms in whatever form. This makes a great vegetarian hors d’oeuvres.

INGREDIENTS

16 large white button mushrooms

1 large (50 grams) shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

50 grams butter

3-4 sprigs thyme

3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

Salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

75 grams gruyere cheese, grated

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Line a shallow baking tray with foil. Brush with oil.

Wipe the mushrooms clean. Carefully remove the stalk and finely chop the stalk.

Melt butter in the fry pan and add the shallots. Fry a couple of minutes. Add the thyme, garlic and the chopped stalks. Sauté for five minutes.

Add the panko crumbs to the pan along with salt and pepper. Fry for another three or four minutes. Remove from heat.

When the mix is cool enough to handle, stuff the mushrooms with a spoonful of the mixture. Top with a spoon of Gruyere.

Arrange the mushrooms on the prepared tray and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm.

25/09/201925/09/2019

Reminiscent of the 1920’s – it was the time that The Great Gatsby was set and there was prohibition in USA! It is believed that the side car was originally made at the Ritz in Paris. The drink was directly named for the motorcycle attachment.

INGREDIENTS

60ml VSOP Cognac

30ml Cointreau

22ml lemon juice

METHOD

Combine Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake well until chilled, about 10 seconds. Strain into prepared glass; garnish with a twist of orange or lemon peel.

Serves 1

25/09/201920/09/2019

AMRITSARI STYLE WAREHOU

This is a delicious way to prepare fish – traditionally prepared with singhara (giant river cat fish), I used local New Zealand fish but you could use any firm white fish. Don’t be put off by the unusual spices – all these are easily available in any Indian store. I assure you the end result is a very authentic dish that is moreish.

INGREDIENTS

600 grams warehou or trevally

5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 thumb sized ginger, peeled and chopped

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24/09/201930/09/2021

LEMON & GREEN MANGO RICE – MAMIDI, NIMMAKAYA PULIHORA

There are several rivers flowing through the southern states of India and the fertile deltas are excellent for growing rice. That is why rice is a staple and it is used not only as the carbohydrate source but also used in a variety of ways. Pulihora is made for festive occasions, although traditionally made with Ponni rice and tamarind, the lemon and mango version is popular in Andhra Pradesh. I find the long grain rice we get has too much starch and gets too sticky, so prefer Basmati rice.

You cannot make pulihora without using hing. There is a certain umami savouriness that hing brings to the dish. Hing or asafoetida is a resin of giant fennel plants that grow wild in Afghanistan and Iran. It was brought to India about the 16^th century. The resin can be kept pure, which is how I store mine. You mostly find it ground to a powder and mixed with wheat – in India L.G (not the Korean brand) is synonymous with hing powder.

INGREDIENTS

250 grams Basmati rice, rinsed several times until water runs clear

600 ml water from the tap

4 long green chillies, quartered lengthwise

5 sprigs of curry leaves

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23/09/201922/09/2019

RATATINE

Not a tagine, perhaps a Middle Eastern spiced Ratatouille, that is what my daughter said when I served this up for a weekend lunch. It is best eaten a couple of days after it is cooked, making it perfect as a make ahead meatless dinner. There are all sorts of spices and yes there are whole green chillies too!!

INGREDIENTS for the SAUCE

100 ml extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions finely diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or use a Microplane

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22/09/201922/09/2019

STICKY ORANGE AND RUM SYRUP LOAF

This recipe is from Dish, the magazine (Issue 85). I love that it is straight forward and doesn’t use too many bowls and pans. The loaf takes a long time to cook but it is absolutely scrumptious, so it seems worth the time The texture is nutty, yet the cake does not use any almond meal.

INGREDIENTS

3 large eggs, size 7

1 plus ¾ cup caster sugar

1 cup neutral oil (eg sunflower oil)

1 cup buttermilk (I used plain yoghurt)

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21/09/201920/09/2019

MADRID,SEVILLE & GRANADA

Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe and being from New Zealand we were warmly welcomed as Antipodeans. It is a country with a unique history and immense geographical diversity. We literally only had a taste of Spain and I definitely want more. The people are super friendly, very relaxed lifestyle, excellent cuisine with lots of folklore and festivities. It is definitely a “must visit again” country on my list.

Madrid is the capital and the largest city with a population of 6.5 million. The streets are narrow but street life is vibrant and very enjoyable. We visited a few weeks before Christmas, there was a carnival atmosphere with music, dance and street performers. We walked around the palace and the cathedral of Almudena. That evening we had tapas at the Elder King of the Wines (El Anciano Rey de los vinos), which is very close to the palace /cathedral precinct and has been at same location for over a hundred years. We also made a reservation to see a flamenco performance and what an outstanding performance that was.

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20/09/201921/09/2019