FLORENTINE MAC & CHEESE

Finally the weekend is here...yahoo!!! , I have been waiting for it so eagerly. Last 2 weeks were super hectic , double shifts in office are a serious NO NO but at times we are so helpless. I missed out a lot of things due to this -- cooking , post on my blog , checking out my favorite blogs , watching TV even missed out on Supernaturals and above all SLEEP :) . I have a huge list of tasks to be done in the weekend -- get all the electrical fixings done , shopping , cooking , blogging and catching up with all of my fav. TV shows. Lets see how many can be checked off by Sunday night :) . All I wanted today was relaxation , and I wanted some type of "comfort food" -- heard a lot about comfort food not sure what it means as I find every food to be very comforting. So I did a bit of research and found of long list of food in that category or as explained by Wikipedia - easy-to-eat, easy-to-digest meal rich in calories, nutrients or both. However my eyes twinkled when I saw Mac & Cheese....who needs an excuse for that :) . My love for pasta is no secret but off late I have been trying out the lighter versions without cheese so today I was up for some indulgence. I baked the dish as I love those crunchy bites of cheese, then it looked very pale and I wanted some color in my plate thats when Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach came into picture. So I call my variation -- Florentine Mac & Cheese.

FOR MAC & CHEESE
Conchiglie pasta	2 cups
Milk	1 cup
Fresh Cream	1 cup
Flour	2 tablespoon
Worcestershire sauce	3-4 drops
Nutmeg (grated)	1 teaspoons
Mozzarella Cheese	1 cup
Cheddar cheese	1 cup
Butter	1 tablespoon
Salt	As per taste
Black Pepper	1/4 teaspoon

FOR GARLIC SPINACH
Garlic cloves(grated)	2 numbers
Spinach	2 bunches
Butter	1 teaspoon
Salt	As per taste

FOR TOMATO
Cherry Tomatoes	12 numbers
Butter	2 teaspoons
Salt	As per taste

    Mac & Cheese:-

1. Preheat oven to 180° for 10 min.
2. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add flour to the melted butter ; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
3. Add milk to the pan and whisk so that no lumps are formed.
4. Add cream & worcestershire to the milk mixture and keep whisking till the sauce slightly thickens.
5. To the cooking sauce , add 1/2 cup of cheddar and mozzarella cheese each. Whisk till the cheeses melt.
6. Add grated nutmeg , salt and black pepper to the sauce. Remove from flame and set aside.
7. Boil water in a large pan and add the pasta with salt and a bit of oil. And let it cook till the pasta soften. 
8. Drain out the pasta and let it run under cold water for a min. 
9. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Pour the prepared pasta on a baking dish.
10. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the pasta dish and bake for 30-35 min or till the top is browned and cheese is bubbling.

    GARLIC SPINACH & CHERRY TOMATOES:-

1. Heat butter in a pan , add grated garlic and fry.
2. Add the spinach to the pan , sprinkle salt and let it cook in low flame.
3. Fry till the water is evaporated and the spinach is done. Remove and set aside.
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves.
5. Melt butter in a pan , add the tomatoes to the pan skin side down.
6. Sprinkle the salt on the top side. Cook for 5-6 min only and done.

A comfortable meal after all the hectic work was totally refreshing :) .

NUTTY MUTTON & CRISPY FRIED GREEN TOMATOES WITH RICE

If you have read the last 2 post, you would know that I am sharing the dishes I made to celebrate Dashmi--the last day of Durga Puja. For starter I had MULLIGATAWNY SOUP WITH TOASTED BREAD AND PEA PESTO, the first main course was CILANTRO RICE WITH TANGY GRAVY & SPICY FRIED FISH and now the final course. When I was in Shillong, the Dashmi day used to be totally busy and fun-filled. We had to get up early and go to the pandals to see 'Shidoor-Khela' -- its the final ritual before the immersion. The married ladies would apply vermilion on the feet , banglesand forhead of the goddess and then give her some sweets, the best part is when the ladies start applying vermilion on each other......in a way they look very beautiful :) . The student would go for 'Boi Chuwano' -- they would take all the books and place it on the goddess feet , to seek her blessing for the upcoming exams... :) . Anyways after that we would come home and all of us would sit down for the heavy lunch of atleast 7-8 items both savory and sweet. And all those dishes would be created by Mamoni(Mom) before she went for the 'Shidoor-Khela'....great right..!!!! . In the evening we would go to visit the relatives and stuff ourselves with more sweets. Finally at night we be enjoying some cultural meet....So much fun..!!!                According to me, being away from home during the festivals is very bad idea but at times things dont work in our favor and this year it worked against me. I was stuck here all alone :( however I decided to celebrate it with my best companion - food.  Anyways let get back to the dish , for my final course I decided to make a lamb dish. Every family has some tradition going on for ever and so do we. Since my childhood I have heard that on the Dashmi day , we should not have chicken and we have to make meat(lamb/mutton) only. Although my dad cannot eat meat(lamb/mutton) due to his health condition this tradition is still followed , and so I thought of sticking to it.  The very next question that came to my head was how do I make it,I mean I have made mutton earlier but as always wanted to try something new. I was tilted toward Mutton Rogan Josh , thats mainly cause I like it and also I have never tried making it at home. So I did some research and found out all the various version of the dish and I decided to try the Kashmiri Version--- I had noted down all the ingredients necessary and I even bought eveything. However when the cooking time came something happened in between and I dropped the plan of making Rogan Josh WHY??? I dont know....this just keeps happening to me, I would plan something and end up making something else.... :) . So I ended up making a new mutton dish. Also made some crispy fried tomatoes, had seen the dish in a cookery show called Chuck's Day Off sometime back and had been planning to try it. So what's the last course, well it is ---- Nutty Mutton & Crispy Fried Green Tomato with Rice...!!! Shared with These Chicks Cooked Link Party - Featuring Your Recipes from All Around Blogland #24

FOR NUTTY MUTTON
Mutton (medium sized)	500 gms
Onion	2 medium sized
Ginger-Garlic paste	1 tablespoon
Dried red chilly	5-6 number
Almond	5-6 number
Pistachio	7-8 number
Cashewnut	5-6 number
Raisin	9-10 number
Yogurt	2-3 tablespoon
Cumin Seed	1 teaspoon
Salt	As per taste
Oil	4-5 tablespoon

FOR CRISPY FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
Green Tomatoes	2-3 numbers
Flour	3 tablespoon
Egg	2 numbers
Breadcrumb	4 tablespoon
Red Chilly Flakes	1 teaspoon
Dried Basil	1 teaspoon
Salt	As per taste
Oil	1 teaspoon

    NUTTY MUTTON:-

1. Soak the dried red chilly in a bowl of warm water for at least 10 min.
2. Dry roast the nuts - almond, pistachio and cashewnut over low flame till the are done.
3. Blend together the roasted nuts, raisins and the soaked dried red chilly with little water  till it forms a smooth paste.
4. Separately blend the onion and ginger-garlic paste to form a smooth paste.
5. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seed. Then add the onion paste and cook till it done.
6. Add the mutton pieces to the pan; add salt and cover the pan for 10 min.
7. Whisk the yogurt to the spicy nut paste till it gets smooth.
8. Pour the yogurt-nut paste to the cooking mutton and let it cook for 20 min.
9. Add some water and salt to the cooking mutton, cover the pot and let it simmer in low heat for at least 1 & half hour.
10. When the mutton is soften, remove the cover and let it cook till the sauce thickens and is no longer running.

   CRISPY FRIED GREEN TOMATOES:-

1. Cut unpeeled tomatoes in cross-section into 1/2 inch slices. 
2. Beat the egg in a bowl with a pinch of salt. And spread out the flour in a plate.
3. Place the breadcrumbs in a different plate. Add salt,chilly flakes and dried parsley to the crumbs and mix them properly.
4. Coat the tomato pieces with flour. then dip it in the egg and coat it.
5. Finally coat the egg dipped tomato pieces in the breadcrumb mixture and press slightly so that the crumbs stick to the tomatoes.
6. Heat oil in a pan, and fry the tomato pieces till the pieces are properly done and crunchy.

It was a great ending to the festivity.. :) . I didn't make any sweet dish coz that was my Diwali plan.. 

SPAGHETTI IN SOYABALL SAUCE

Pasta is an ingredient which is always available in my kitchen. Although I have quite recently (4 years now) started making pasta , I immensely enjoy it. A little effort that can bring total satisfaction :)  .  In the beginning I could never imagine pasta without cheese.....my pasta would be hidden under the blanket of cheese...but since a year I have moved out to different lighter alternatives. Every time a new variation that brings a smile and now I feel cheese is not so important after all :)                                                                                         pic from NYDailyNews The first time I had seen the dish "Spaghetti in Meatball sauce" was some 5-6 years back in a Disney movie---remember 'Lady and the Tramp'.....so cute ..... :D .  Of course at that time I didn't know anything about the dish, I learned about it from some cookery show a few years back and have been thinking of trying it but I was a bit hesitant cause I was not sure of the Pasta and tomato sauce combination.....was doubtful about my liking , and I am strictly against waste food :) . However 2 weeks earlier all the cookery show I saw made the various versions of "Spaghetti in Meatball sauce" and you can say that brought back all the hidden desires, finally this Monday I decided to create my own version of the same dish.  Monday is the only day that I become a total vegetarian......no not even eggs. I know its very weird that I decided to make this pasta dish on my veggie day :) .....but cooking comes to me like a craze... the moment I decide to make something I have to make it instantly else I get so restless....hehehe...!!!!! :) . Anyhow, I had to try this pasta dish on Monday itself, so I substituted meat for soya chunks....Although I still don't know how "Spaghetti in Meatball sauce" tastes I can assure you "Spaghetti in Soyaball sauce" did taste good too :D .

FOR SPAGHETTI
Spaghetti pasta	1/4 a packet
Chopped garlic clove	2 number
Salt	As per taste
Oil	1 tablespoon

FOR SOYABALLS
Soya chunks	2 cups
Breadcrumbs	1 cup
Dried Parsley	1 tablespoon
Chilly Flakes	1 tablespoon
Milk	1/4 cup (max)
Salt	As per taste
Oil	2-3 tablespoons

FOR SAUCE
Red Onion	1 number
Garlic cloves	3 numbers
Tomatoes	1 number
Tomato puree	1/2 packet
Dried Basil	1 tablespoon
Cayenne Powder	1/2 tablespoon
Sugar	A pinch
Salt	As per taste
Oil	1 tablespoons

  SOYABALLS:-

1. Soak the soya chunks in cold water for about 15 or till they soften.
2. Squeeze the water out off the soften soya chunks and place it in a big bowl. No water should be left in the chunks
3. Add the breadcrumbs,dried parsley, chilly flakes and salt to the soya chunk and mix it. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time till the mixture can hold its shape.
4. Heat oil in a pan and fry the soyaballs till they turn golden brown on all sides.
5. Remove the balls from the pan and keep it warm so that it maintains its crunchiness. 

  SAUCE:-

1. Chop the onion and tomatoes very finely and mince the garlic cloves. 
2. Heat oil in the same pan used for frying the soyaballs, add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Fry the onion till it turns translucent. 
3. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and fry it for 3 min. Add salt and sugar to it and let it cook.
4. When the tomatoes are partially cooked, add  cayenne pepper powder and dried basil stir in and let it cook for 2 min.
5. Then add the tomato puree and water and let the sauce cook for a while. 
6. Finally add the fried soyaballs to the pan. Let the simmer for 15 min in low heat.

      SPAGHETTI & ASSEMBLING:-

1. Start the spaghetti preparation when the sauce in simmering so that everything is ready in time. 
2. Boil water in a large pan and add the spaghetti pasta with salt and a bit of oil. And let it cook till the pasta soften. 
3. Drain out the pasta and let it run under cold water for a min.
4. Heat oil in a wok ,add the garlic cloves and fry the cloves till it turns golden brown.
5. Add the spaghetti to the wok and stir slightly and salt and stir again for 1 min.
6. Remove the spaghetti in a plate and top it with the soyaball sauce.

                   

The hint of the golden garlic adds to the taste...It turned out to be a good veggie dinner idea :)       

FISH KALIA

Time is a very big factor for me........I just dont get time to get everything done.And most of the time the only thing that suffers is my blog. I feel so sad about it but its like helpless :).  Anyways since today I have some time so decided to share a very simple fish dish that I made this weekend. Every two to three weeks I like to eat fish. The sad story is since I go very late for shopping most of the time I get only Rohu, not sure about its English's name but some forums said that to be known as "Greas Crap Fish" .  There are several different ways we can cook this fish. This recipe is generally very common in all bengali houses. Its called "Fish Kalia" , but why is it called so or what it symbolizes again no idea all I know is I like this dish :D

Fish	4 pieces
Turmeric Powder	1and half tablespoon
Red Chilli Powder	2 tablespoon
Cumin Powder	Half tablespoon
Green Chilly	2 numbers
Onion	1 medium sized
Ginger Paste	Half teaspoon
Garlic Paste	3-4 cloves
Tomato	2 medium sized
Lemon	1 piece
Yogurt	50 grams
Whole Red chilli	2 numbers
Cumin Seeds	Half tablespoon
Mustard Oil	Half cup
Salt	As per taste

1. Marinate the fish pieces with half spoon turmeric powder , 1 tablespoon red chilli powder, lemon juice , salt and 1 tablespoon oil. Leave it for 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, grind together the onion , garlic , ginger and green chilli.
3. Heat oil in a pan , and fry the marinated fish pieces till it turn brown on both sides. Then remove it in a plate.
4. Heat oil in the pan again, add the cumin seeds , whole red chilli and bay leaf wait till the cumin seeds splutter.
5. Add the wet paste and salt to the oil and cook till the oil separates out.
6. In the meanwhile , boil water in a bowl and blanch the 2 tomatoes in it. Then remove the skin of the tomatoes and whisk it into a puree.
7. Add the tomato puree to the onion paste in the pan and mix it well. To this add the tumeric powder , cumin powder , red chilli powder and cook till the oil again separates out. 
8. Whisk the yogurt till smooth and add this to the pan again. And cook for 5 min more.
9. Add the fried fish pieces to the pan and add 1 cup of warm water and cook till the extra water evaporates and the fish seems softer.
10. The Fish Kalia is ready to serve.

The dish goes very well with steamed white rice.

EGG FLORENTINE

Well its Sunday and I was thinking what special should I eat today. Guess what popped in my head........yes its EGGS.. Now that am thinking I realize I have been eating eggs every weekend....... hehehe :D  Well as for the story behind this recipe,I had already told that my fav restaurant is "The Egg Factory" they had a recipe called Egg Florentine.....frankly I didnt like their version but it gave me an idea for my version for of this recipe :) . Then I was watching disney channel and saw Wizards of Waverly Place and they were showing an episode where they had brunch for dinner and the father had made it. I somehow liked the idea but my dad is not here :(  so I had to make the dish for myself.... I have also added the recipe to Lets Do Brunch hosted by Chaya.

Spinach	1 bunch
Eggs	2 numbers
Tomato	2 numbers
Onion	1 medium sized
Red Chilli Powder	1 teaspoons
Black Pepper Powder	2 teaspoons
Flour	2 teapoon
Butter	3 tablespoons
Garlic cloves	4 numbers
Cream	1 cup
Milk	Half cup
Black Pepper	1 tablespoon
Salt	As per taste

1. Slice the tomatoes into circular rings keeping them slightly thick.
2. Heat little butter in a pan and add the tomatoes , sprinkle little salt and black pepper and toss it over and fry for 30 sec. 
3. Sprinkle little salt and black pepper on the other side of the tomatoes and toss it over and fry for 30 sec and place it in a baking bowl.
4. Cut the onion into julienne and set aside.
5. Heat little butter again in a pan , add a pinch of salt and little sugar and add the onion julienne.
6. Fry the onions till it caramelize then add a few drops of vinegar and fry again for 2 min more. 
7. When the onions are done place them on top of the tomatoes in the baking bowl.
8. Chop the spinach roughly. Grate the garlic cloves.
9. Heat little butter again in a pan , add a pinch of salt and grated garlic.
10. When the garlic turn light brown , add the spinach and cook it over medium heat. This would take some time around 20 min.
11. When the spinach's water is dried up , add 1 tablespoon of cream and cook it for 3-4 min more.
12. Place the cooked spinach on top of the caramelized onions in the baking bowl.
13. Poach 2 eggs. There are 2 ways of doing so you can use any one of that (click here to know more).                           
    

    > Set a saucepan to boil that is about two-thirds full of water.
    > Add a dash of white vinegar.
    > Spin the boiling water to cool down the water before you drop in the egg.
    > Carefully crack an egg and lower or drop it into the center of the whirlpool.
    > Wait 3-4 minutes until cooked.
    > Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer each egg onto the plate, letting excess water drip back into the saucepan.
    ***********************************************************************************************
    > Heat oil in a pan.
    > Carefully crack an egg and lower or drop it into the center of the pan.
    > Add a pinch of salt and black pepper.
    > Turn over the egg and fry the other side as well.
    
    
14. Place the poached eggs on top of the creamy spinach in the baking bowl.
15. Heat butter in a pan , add the flour and stir. 
16. Stirring constantly add the milk and cook till the sauce slightly thickens. Then add the cream and cook again till the sauce gets proper creamy.
17. To the creamy sauce add the salt and red chilli powder and cook for 2-3 min.
18. Pour the sauce on top of the poached egg.
19. Add grated cheese on top of the creamy sauce and bake for 2 min. And done :) .                            

                                          I had it with garlic bread.......... :) 

PANEER PASANDA

Paneer is a fresh cheese common in South Asian cuisine. It is of Indian origin. In eastern parts of India, it is generally called Chhena.(wikipedia) I just love to eat Paneer. But somehow didnt have it for the past so many months.Last week when I went for my household shopping I saw panner and was so tempted. I left chicken and bought paneer. :). The dish I made was a total experiment so had to christine it. Since I really enjoyed the dish , the word "PASAND" (mean like) poped up in my head and as its made of paneer so "PANEER PASANDA" .

Paneer	200 gms
Cashewnuts	7-8 numbers
Rasins	20 numbers
Cornflour	2 teaspoons
Red Chilli Powder	2 teaspoons
Turmeric Powder	Half teaspoons
Jeera Powder	1 teaspoon
Flour	2 teaspoons
Onion paste	Paste of 1 medium
Ginger paste	1 teaspoon
Garlic paste	1 teaspoon
Tomato	3 medium size
Green chilly	2-3 pieces
Garam Masala	Half teaspoon
Oil	2 tablespoons
Ghee	Half teaspoon
Salt	As per taste

PANNER PIECES:-

1. Cut the paneer into square shapes neither too big nor too small.
2. Roughly cut the raisins into very small pieces , also coarse grind the cashewnuts.
3. Mix together the cashewnut and raisins with ghee and salt and set aside.
4. Take 2 pieces of paneer, place some amount of the cashew mixture on one slice of paneer and place the other slice on top of it and press the slices together softly. Repeat the same with rest of the pieces.
5. Whisk flour,cornflour,salt,one teaspoon red chilli powder with water making a semi-liquid paste.
6. Heat a pan and drizzle a bit of oil not much as we dont need to deep fry the paneers.
7. Coat each pair of paneer with the semi-liquid paste and fry the same on the pan in medium heat.
8. When the paneer pieces turn brown on both the sides , remove on a tissue paper.

GRAVY:-

1. Heat oil in a kadhai and add ginger and the garlic pastes.
2. Add onion and green chilli paste and salt, cook till oil separates out.
3. Boil water separately , and add the tomatoes to the boiling water. When the tomato's skin wrinkles remove it . Mash the tomatoes till it forms a puree.
4. Pour the tomato puree in th kadhai and cook till the oil separates out. Add some red chilly powder,turmeric powder and jeera powder to the same and cook it for 10 min.

ASSEMBLING:-

1. In a baking dish, coat its bottom with the tomato sauce , place half of the paneer pieces on the sauce.
2. Then add half the sauce on top of the pieces.
3. Place the other half of the pieces now and then add the sauce again. 
4. Sprinkle the garam masala on top and bake the dish.            

NOTE : I have added the garam masala at last coz I have made the masala at home after roasting the ingredients. In other case add it in the before itself.
I have baked after assembling coz in that case the paneer will not split.