Lemon Mushroom Risotto with Scallops

It's been a record now! I have not contributed towards my blog for the past 4 months and I feel sorry about it. I do not have enough excuse for this blunder but yeah I was busy giving exams (Yes, I cleared my PMP certification - deserve a pat on the back), roaming with parents and in-laws and getting pampered :). But yes, how could I forget about my baby (my blog) just because I am going to have a baby!?! So here is my latest creation :)
My husband and I are fans of Hell's Kitchen and inspired by Gordon Ramsay's Risotto I wanted to make Risotto too. I had tried once before and loved it. I didn't blog about it then and so I thought why not try it once again so that I can give correct measurements.

Although I would like to warn you about couple of things before making risotto:
1. It takes a lot of time and patience to make Risotto. Even though many websites and cook books say 25-30 minutes as cooking time, it takes at least 45 minutes (stirring constantly)
2. It is fattening - so if you are a health freak like me, just workout 1-2 hours more in the week but please do not try to reduce the amount of butter from the recipe (as I have already done so. Any less than this wouldn't taste good - tried that too)

I found this recipe behind the rice packet that I bought and I added my own taste to it to make it lime n lemony.

Ingredients: 
Arborio rice - 1.5 cups
Vegetable/chicken broth - 6 cups
White wine - 1/4 cup (optional)
Mushrooms, sliced - 2 cups
Onions, chopped - 1 medium
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Parsley, chopped - 2 tspn
Parmesan Cheese - 3 tbspn
Butter - 4 tbspn
Lemon Juice - 3 tbspn


Procedure: 

1. Keep the broth on the stove on medium heat till it boils.
2. In the mean time, saute mushrooms in 1 tbspn till soft and keep it aside to cool. 
3. Now saute the onions and garlic in the rest of the butter till translucent. Then add the rice to the onion-garlic mixture. Mix it well for a minute or so.
4. On medium heat, add the white wine and stir it till the wine is absorbed by the rice. In similar fashion, start adding 1/2 cup broth at a time and cook till all the broth is absorbed by the rice, stirring occasionally so that the rice doesn't stick.to the bottom. 
5. Repeat the above step till the rice is cooked al dente. Personally, I like it cooked a little more than al dente.
6. Now, add the mushroom, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and parsley, mix well and serve with scallops.

Variations: 
You can modify this recipe in many ways - get rid of lemon, add herbs etc.

Conclusion:
The Mushroom Lemon Risotto with Cajun scallops turned out really yummy. Even the baby was dancing with happiness :)

Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye - The Announcement Time!!!

It was a ’Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaaye’ (‘Let’s have Dessert’) night and I invited a few of our close friends over. I had made Bread pudding, Rice kheer/pudding and Banana Walnut Cake Pops. We had also planned to play Taboo in which we had added a wild card which read ‘Yummy Yummy, Baby in SU’s Tummy’ (In case you don’t know, Su is my nick name and yes, I am expecting!!!) and the person who gets the card will enact it and the rest (of course excluding myself and my husband) will guess it.

 

No one had an idea that we were gonna break the big news to them as I was just two and half months through. They all came and enjoyed the bread pudding (In the meantime, I was decorating the cake pops with something related to the news) and then we started playing taboo. I wanted one of the girls to get the wild card so that it is easy for them to enact. But to my surprise, she did not get the message. First of all, she couldn’t digest the fact that there is a wild card in Taboo and secondly, she went to Syracuse University (SU) and hence read the ‘SU’ part as Syracuse University (even she knows it didn’t make sense but she was in the mood to win the game). So she tried to enact it and everyone could guess everything other than my name. Finally, it clicked to one of my friends and she hugged me screaming "She is pregnant, guys!" It was then clear to everyone that we are expecting and they connected the dots like I am not drinking any more, I didn't go to play paintball, etc. Everyone was shocked to hear the news (I think they never thought we would want to have kids :)). Then everyone wished us and I introduced the cake pops with Jr. Su / Jr. Ram written on them. All the girls were asking me questions and a friend's mom had come as well and she was very impressed with the way we broke the news. It was a night to remember!!! (for us and for the friend who thought SU was Syracuse University and not SUJATA)

Chocolate Walnut Torte

In mood for something healthy and yummy for dessert?? How perfect would the world be, if fried chicken became healthy and eating salad would count as the most unhealthy food. In search of that health+deliciousness, I thought of something similar to Almond Torte but used chocolate and walnuts instead. The Chocolate Walnut Torte is deliciously yummy and healthy. It tastes very much like Brownie but just that there is no butter and flour in it. This was made to suffice my husband's post dinner dessert cravings. I tried to follow the recipe from Elana's Pantry with the modifications as per my taste. I hope you enjoy this!!

Ingredients: 
Walnuts, coarsely ground - 1 cup
Sugar - 6 tbspns
Eggs, separated - 3
Salt - 1/2 pinch
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips - 1/2 cup

Procedure: 

1. Grease an 8 inch pan (I used a spring form pan) and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips stirring every 1 min (It will take only 2 minutes for the chocolate to melt). Mix it well and keep it aside.
3. Now whisk the egg yolks and 4 tbspns sugar for 2mins (till it is pale yellow in color).
4. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with salt till soft peaks form. Now add remaining sugar (1/2 tbspn at a time) and beat till stiff peaks form. 
5. Now mix the chocolate and walnuts in the egg yolks and then fold 1/3rd of the egg whites and mix well. Then again add another 1/3rd of the egg whites and mix well. Repeat it once again and mix the batter till it is just combined and white streaks are not seen.
6. Pour the batter in the greased pan and bake it for 20-25mins (or until the cake springs back when pressed gently).
7. Sprinkle some white powdered sugar to garnish and serve warm with some vanilla ice cream (come on, you can have one small bite of that ice cream once in a while) and / or chocolate syrup!!! 

Variations: 
You can try different sauces with it. I am planning to make a raspberry sauce which go perfectly with it.


Conclusion: 
Super delicious Chocolate Walnut Torte is done in less than an hour!  

Tiramisu - afoodiecancooktoo's First Anniversary Special

It was a foodie can cook too's first anniversary and I totally forgot about it - Yes, it was my biggest blunder ever! I posted my first blogpost on Jan 19th 2011 and I was super excited about it. I remember the first few days when I used to just think about the different things I could try and post on my blog, how I could enhance my photography skills so that the pics look more professional and so on. I even bought some nice plates and bowls and some other decorative stuff.
To make it up for the forgotten first anniversary of my blog, ,I decided to make Tiramisu and so I go and get all the ingredients and decide to make one and write the blogpost as well. But then I found some time to finally write the post and post it. Phew! It has been a very busy month.
Anyway, this Tiramisu was made sipping on some Chianti (2005) and definitely gave better results ;-). Try that some time.

Ingredients: 
Soft Lady Fingers - 24
Mascarpone Cheese - 8 oz
Whipped Cream - 1/3 cup
Vanilla essence - 1/4 tspn
Eggs, separated - 3
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Salt - a pinch
Chocolate Liquor - 2 tbspns (Optional)
Instant Coffee - 2 tbspns
Hot Water - 1.5 cups
Cocoa Powder/chocolate shavings - 2-3 tbspns
Marsala Wine - 3 tbspns (Optional)

Procedure:

1. In a big bowl, beat sugar, vanilla essence and egg yolks together for 2-3 mins or till it is pale yellow in color. Add mascarpone cheese to it and beat till it is well blended and fluffy (a min or so).
2. Mix the coffee powder in hot water till it dissolves and let it cool. You can use espresso instead.
3. Then, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a clean bowl with a clean beater (not even a drop of water) till stiff white peaks form. Also, in another big mixing bowl, beat the whipped cream till peaks  form.
4. Now mix the mascarpone-egg yellow mixture in whipped cream and then add 1/3rd of the beaten whites and mix well. Now fold in all the whites and just mix well.
5. Now mix the chocolate liquor and marsala wine in the coffee mixture and keep it aside,
6. In a martini glass or a bowl, place the lady fingers as a layer and sprinkle/brush the coffee+Marsala+liquor mixture and then spread an even layer of the whites+mascarpone+yellows mixture. Sprinkle cocoa powder or chocolate shavings. Repeat this once or twice more.
7. Store it in the refrigerator for at least 24hours and then DIG IN and RELISH!!!

Variations:
Feel free to make changes to this recipe and experiment with your Tiramisu. I am sure you would love the end result ;-)

Conclusion:
I invited a bunch of friends over to celebrate this occasion and Oh Boy, it got over in a few minutes ;-). It was the best Tiramisu I ever made (I have tried once before but wasn't the best attempt)

Butter Chicken/Murgh Makhani

I have been away from my blog for more than 3 months and here I am back to blogging again. I tried to find some time from the Diwali Celebrations, shopping for India, packing - unpacking from the visit to India and 3 not-so-long weeks in India and finally managed to write a post today!
So the visit to India was just 3 weeks long and I was going to my home country after 2 years. I really missed my family and friends in those 2 years and most of all, I missed my 2 year old nephew - Arnav! He is the cutest thing on earth and I had a grrrrreat time with him. I felt like I was back in my childhood where I played all day and there were no worries in life. Although Arnav has a big worry - his Dad's car. He loves cars and is very possessive about his Dad's car. His possession goes to the extent that he sleeps with the car keys in hand so that no one else can take it. I can go on and on about him. I love him and miss him a lot!

Anyways, I had butter chicken a couple of times in India and I desperately wanted to make it. I tried making butter chicken before but it never turned like the usual butter chicken because I didn't have fresh cream on hand or I had the cluster tomatoes which are a little sour in taste. This time I made sure I bought all the ingredients to make butter chicken and guess what, it was a success!!


Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts, cut into pieces - 3
Onions paste/finely chopped - 1 medium
Tomatoes, pureed - 4 medium
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tspn
Fresh Cream/Whip cream - 1/2 cup
Ginger - Garlic Paste - 1+1/2 Tbspn
Cashew nut Paste/Powder - 2 tbspn
Butter - 1.5 Tbspn

Garam Masala:
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 2-3
Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch
Coriander Seeds - 1 Tbspn
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Methi Seeds - 1/4 tspn

Procedure:

1. Marinate chicken with 1/2 Tbspn ginger-garlic paste and keep aside.
2. Roast the items listed under garam masala and grind it and keep it aside.
3. Sautee onion paste and remaining ginger-garlic paste in the butter till the paste becomes golden. Add tomato puree to it and cook it till oil starts to separate and it turns a little darker and thicker. Now add the garam masala  (I made it fresh but you can use ready made), red chilli powder and cashew nut powder and cook for another 5 mins.
4. Now add the chicken and keep the gas on medium till the chicken is cooked. 
5. Once the chicken is cooked, add fresh cream to it and mix well. Serve with Naan or Jeera rice.

Variations: 
You can use half & half if you don't have fresh cream at home. Also, you can use yogurt to marinate the chicken and while cooking to make it tender.

Conclusion:
The third attempt at Butter Chicken turned really good. Fresh cream makes a difference for sure!

Sausage Stuffed Mushroom

I wanted to use the sausages I had at home and so I thought of making stuffed mushrooms as I was really bored of eating hot dogs Hollywood and Highland style. However stuffed you are, you cannot miss the hot dog stand at Hollywood and Highland. The lady sells them on the streets for $4 with some grilled onions and peppers. I am a big fan of that and so I tried replicating it at home, it was good but it was missing the "grease" :-)
So when it's my husband's turn to cook (which comes once in 2 months), he takes the easy route and makes the HH Hot Dog (or Pasta). He really puts loads of efforts in making it (even if he can cook in half the time and effort :-P). Coming back to the topic of stuffed mushrooms, I really wanted to try them as I had seen a very similar recipe on foodnetwork.com (by Rachael Ray). I had seen the ingredients in it but when I really wanted to make it, I never found the recipe :(. So I just winged it and it turned out really yummy.

Ingredients: 
Mushrooms (normal sized) - 1 pack
Herb Flavor Sausage - 1
Onions, finely chopped - 1 (medium)
Bell Peppers, finely chopped - 1/2
Garlic, minced - 2 pods
Cream Cheese - 3tbspn
Basil - 7-8 leaves
Cheese for Garnish - 2tbspn
Egg yolk - 1

Procedure: 

1. Wash and clean the mushrooms and remove the stem and chop them fine.
2. Sautee the mushrooms (not the stems) with their heads up so that the water is drained out. Switch off the heat and let them be in the pan for 3-6 mins so that all water from mushrooms is drained.
3. Now sautee the finely chopped onions, mushroom stems, garlic and bell peppers till they are cooked (8-10mins)
4. In the mean time, pre-heat the oven at 325 degrees. Remove the casing off the sausage and separate the meat. Cook this meat with the onions for another 3-4 mins.
5. Let this mixture cool.
6. Now mix egg yolk and cream cheese and then add the cooked mixture and mix well. 
7. Fill the mushrooms with the mixture and bake for 12-15mins on 325 degrees.

Variations: 
For vegetarians, it can be converted into a vegetarian dish by adding paneer/cottage cheese with some Parmesan cheese instead of the sausage.


Conclusion:

I served this with Alfred-Pesto Pasta. Every single bite of it was delicious. It is very heavy and filling so this recipe would hold 3-4 servings as a side dish. This is a very good appetizer for potlucks and game nights.

Butter Paneer Naanizza / Indian Style Pizza

I usually try to make things out of what I have in the inventory and/or what is perishable. So I had half of store-bought Paneer Packet left and some Naans. I remembered the Butter Paneer Pizza I had in San Jose when I went for a very good friend's Birthday Party. We had surprised her by visiting her all the way from Los Angeles.
Her Fiancee had organized the Birthday Party for her and had ordered Butter Paneer Pizza. It was sooo good that it got over in a few minutes.
So I thought I would try to make something similar with the ingredients I had.

Ingredients (for 4 people):
Paneer, pea sized cubes - 2 cups
Green Bell Peppers, 2" sliced - 1
Onions, sliced - 1
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1tspn (Optional)
Tandoori masala - 2Tbspn
Chicken Curry Powder - 1Tbspn
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tspn
Kasuri Methi - 1tspn (Optional)
Butter - 2Tbspn
Ketchup - 6-7 tbspn
Naan - 6
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded - 3 cups

Procedure: 

1. Pre-heat oven on 350 degrees.
2. Add Butter to pan and saute onions, bell peppers and ginger garlic paste for 2mins (Do not cook it). Then add Paneer and other ingredients and sautee for another 2mins. 
3. Spread ketchup on the Naan and distribute the mixture on the Naan evenly and sprinkle cheese on top
4. Now place the Naans in the oven for 8-12mins or till cheese has melted.

Variations: 
You can add chicken instead of Paneer. In that case, use cooked chicken breasts for best results.

Conclusion:

I was astonished with the results. They were yummy and were made in 20mins only.