Lemon Cream and Saffron Petits Fours

As a child, I often wondered why the queen of hearts spent the summer’s day making tarts and why the knave of hearts stole them and got beaten for that. “Are they like little pies? Are they that good? Are they sweet or sour or somewhere in between?” I would adore these little colorful fruit tarts lined up like little cups filled with jewels, at the bakery in the grocery store. The bright red strawberries, the juicy and plump blueberries and those little pieces of kiwi fruit that would peek from beneath trying to get up on top and compete with the reds and blues, and not to miss the peaches and oranges. “How pretty! Do they even eat it?” I would think to myself. Continue reading...

Dutch Crunch Bread

If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.
- Robert Browning

You know, when at times, how you get super excited about stuff and sign up for things you believe you can do? That’s when that little voice inside feels stronger and tells you to believe in yourself and resonates with enthusiasm! Well, that’s exactly what happened to me when I read about the Daring Bakers blog and community, for the first time. Read More @ Wandering Ladle....

Quinoa Chickpea Pilaf

I’d always wanted to try a recipe using Quinoa, but wasn’t quite sure where to begin. Honestly, it took me a while to even get the pronunciation right. I never tasted or used Quinoa previously but had always read so much about how quick and easy it is to cook. I knew I wanted to start somewhere and decided to experiment cooking to taste it just itself and see if this was something I and my family would enjoy. 

My journey to cook Quinoa started out at a local store that carries organic products and produce from the farmers market. The reason I chose this store in specific is because they have individual bins for nuts, dried fruits, millets, grains and different kinds of flours giving me the flexibility to buy just the quantity I needed. My thoughts at the time - “What if I hate the taste or even the sight of the cooked stuff?” 

Once home, I looked up methods to cook quinoa and meticulously followed every word of anything that read “the best way to cook quinoa”. What I found is that most recipes that use this ingredient more or less call for the same method – “Bring the water to a boil and stir in the quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.” 

 I didn’t have to do anything much different. I was thrilled! 

With the cooking process completed, the real test was that of the taste. Both the texture and flavor was nuttier than I expected it to be. It was difficult to eat without any salt, though. So, I added a teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a dash of salt. Now, that tasted a lot better and it was surely a lot more appetizing. 

So, my first experiment with quinoa was much less disastrous than I expected it to be. In fact, it motivated me to try out different recipes using it as a key ingredient. 

 I am big fan of bulgur and love all the Greek and Indian recipes that use bulgur. I was keen to see how a recipe that calls for bulgur would turn out with quinoa instead, so tried a few – loved some and completely detested the others. Some recipes test better with bulgur and I have learnt to keep it that ways. That said, of the list of things I‘ve experimented with thus far there’s certainly one that stands out for me. Quinoa blends in so well with the other ingredients that I have begun to completely replace bulgur with quinoa in the recipe, more often now. 

Quinoa and Chick Pea Pilaf 

¼ cup quinoa seeds 

1 cup water for cooking quinoa

½ cup cooked chick peas or ½ cup canned chick peas, rinsed and drained 

1 bay leaf 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

 ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley 

Salt to taste 

Strained juice of half a lemon 

Method 

Soak quinoa in cold water for 5-7 minutes. Stir using hand and drain off water using a strainer. 

Place quinoa and bay leaf in a pot, add 1 cup of water and bring to boil. Make sure the pot has a tight fitting lid. Turn the heat down to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes with the lid on.  Fluff gently with a fork and set aside. ** 

In a bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, chick-peas, garlic, red pepper flakes and parsley. Add the olive oil. Season to taste using salt and lemon juice. 

Serve either warm or at room temperature.

Serves : 3 

(This recipe is an adaptation of 'Pligouropilafo me Revithia' from The Greek Vegetarian by Diane Kochilas ) 

** You can also cook quinoa according to directions on the package.

Goat Cheese Spread (Dip) with Spinach-Basil Pesto

I realized there haven’t been so many recipes that I have tried using pesto. I like the traditional recipe, but find it a little too strong for my taste. I have been looking at different ingredients to blend in for balancing the flavors of basil. My trials, however, haven’t been that very pleasing, expect for one.

 I customized this recipe for pesto by playing with the key ingredients. I use fresh basil and spinach leaves in a 1:1 ratio and this sort of avoids the intensity that you would get by just adding basil or replacing it entirely with spinach. Another twist is instead of pine nuts I use walnuts and blanched almonds in equal amounts- again, because I like these over pine nuts.

 To make a dip and a spread using this pesto recipe I added in goat cheese. Unlike cheeses made form cow’s milk, Goat cheese has a natural tart that blends in and adds a more creamy and acidic flavor to the pesto. The good part about Goat cheese is that it complements the pesto rather than neutralizing it completely.



  I’ve tried this recipe quite a few times and find this to be one of the simplest and easiest appetizers to put together both as a dip and a spread with some water crackers.

 For the Pesto – 
       Ingredients 
       2 cups fresh basil leaves
       2 cups fresh spinach leaves
       1 cup pitted green olives
       ¼ cup walnuts
       ¼ cup almonds (blanched)
       2 garlic cloves
       1 tablespoon lemon juice

       Method:
       Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined.
       Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve.
       ( I avoid adding salt to the pesto, as the Goat cheese in the dip has the added salt.)




For the Spread -
        Ingredients
        ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
        ¼ cup pesto ( using recipe above)
        ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
        ½ cup cooked, shredded/minced chicken (optional)

      

       Method
       In a bowl, beat the goat cheese, pesto until smooth.
      Add in chicken and mix well Serve warm or chilled.

 I like to warm the goat cheese a little and then combine the pesto by adding a teaspoon at a time, that way its easier control the amount of the goat cheese and pesto that goes into the dip.

 For the Dip -
          Ingredients
         ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
         ¼ cup pesto ( using recipe above)
         ½ cup greek style yogurt
         ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
         ½ cup cooked, shredded/minced chicken (optional)
       

         Method
        Whisk yogurt separately, until smooth and set aside.
         In a bowl, beat the goat cheese, pesto until smooth.
         Add the yogurt, chicken and mix well. Serve warm.


I like serving this with grape tomatoes, grapes or fresh cut figs and of course a glass of good red wine. This recipe also works well as a topping for pasta, pizza or couscous. The preparation time is under 30 minutes for the pesto and  the dip (or the spread). The recipe yields about 2 cups (dip /spread).