Spanish Tortilla

Classic Spanish tortilla, better known as a potato omelet, has the double benefits of eggs and breakfast potatoes in one dish. I like it with a tomato cucumber salad and with a dash of ketchup. You can also serve these at room temperature.


4 medium red potatoes- thinly sliced

6 eggs

Salt, black pepper, paprika

Olive oil

1. Take some olive oil in an ovenproof pan. Add a layer of potatoes. When tender, turn. You do not want them golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan. I do this in batches. Keep the potatoes aside and reduce the flame to low. You may season the slices when cooking.

2. Mix the eggs and the spices.

3. Layer the potatoes over the pan. Add the eggs. Keep on the flame for 2 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for around 20 minutes or when the eggs look done.

Chicken Potpie

Saturday dinner was a promising menu.


- Chicken Potpie

- Celeriac Mash

- Strawberry Panacotta

How did it turn out? The panacotta was rubbery, like milk Jell-O. Celeriac root mash is no substitute for mashed potatoes. The chicken pot pie, although had a delicious filling, could improve with a higher filling to pie ratio.

Panacotta! After reading numerous claims that it was the easiest dessert to make- boil milk and cream, add unflavored gelatin and that you would have a fool proof Italian dessert – I wanted to try my hand at it. I had some fresh strawberries, which I bought from the farmer’s market in the morning, thinking that this might be a great vehicle to highlight the berries. In my quest, I trudged to the supermarket looking for unflavored gelatin where I searched high and low until I saw little sachets of Knox unflavored gelatin winking at me from the corner of the Jell-O rack. After I got back at home, I boiled 2 cups of milk and cream, added ¼ cup of sugar, heated it all, and finally added the vanilla essence. It was supposed to be simple- add the gelatin, pour in little ramekins, refrigerate for a few hours, and then unmold perfect lovely mounds of creaminess accentuated by macerated strawberries. It all seemed great; I could unmold the panacotta very easily, almost pulling it out with my fingers that seemed eerily easy to me. When I dug my fork eagerly in anticipation, I was so disappointed. The texture of the panacotta was rubbery, almost like a milk Jell-O and even the fresh beautiful strawberries could not rescue the mess. It was time to Google and check proportions. Hah! I had used 2 and half sachets of gelatin for 2 cups of milk and cream; that is actually accurate for 4 cups. I should have used half the amount of gelatin!

Next, celeriac mash. I saw celeriac mash at the farmer’s market. I boiled celeriac mash and potatoes, pepped it with buttermilk and butter. It just did not taste good! I guess, I did not care for the flavor. Nevertheless, I am staying true to my promise to work with seasonal vegetables- if I do not like some; it is not because I did not try.

Chicken pot pie actually turned out well. I recued it from blandness by roasting the chicken and the vegetables, adding mustard, garlic and paprika to the sauce, and using thicken thighs. I do not use chicken stock, which you could instead of water. I just find the flavor of stock too overpowering.

So here goes the recipe.

5-6 chicken thigh pieces boneless
1 cup of mixed vegetables (corn, beans, carrots) – You may increase the proportion
4 tbsp. flour
1 ½ tspn mustard
2 tspn paprika
1 medium white or yellow onion – finely chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
2 cups water
Salt and black pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 pie crusts ( store bought dough)

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the chicken with kosher salt. Roast chicken and vegetables for around 20 minutes.

2. Tear the chicken to bite size pieces when cool. Mix with vegetables and keep aside.

3. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add garlic.

4. Add flour and sauté for a few minutes.

5. Add paprika and sauté to get a more intense flavor.

6. Add milk bit by bit. Add mustard. Keep sautéing.

7. Add the cream. Add water bit by bit. You can add more liquid if you want to.

8. Add some salt and black pepper. Taste seasoning but wait for final seasoning until you add vegetables and chicken.

9. Keep simmering on low heat until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add chicken and vegetables. Taste for seasoning and adjust.

10. Take a 9” pie dish. Spread a layer of the pie dough on the pan. Add the filling while trying to heap it in the center. Cover with second layer of the dough and crimp the edges. Make some vents on the top for air to escape.

11. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Cover the sides with aluminum foil after 20 minutes of baking so it does not overcook.

12. Let the pie rest for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.

Chicken Chettinad

Chicken


Chicken – 6 drumsticks or 4 breasts sliced. Use breasts if you wish to serve with rice and cut into pieces.

The Paste

Dry roast -
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
¼ cup Grated coconut (I used frozen coconut)
1 tsp. each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, and black pepper
½ “ piece of Cinnamon
1 clove

Now add ½ lime size of tamarind pulp. I microwave the tamarind pulp with some water for 40 seconds.

Add 2 cloves and 1” piece of ginger and blend to a paste.


Chop the following

1 large onion
1 medium tomato
1 bunch of cilantro

Steps

1. Take 2 tbsp. oil in a pan. Sauté the chicken until light golden.
2. Add the onion and fry until dark brown.
3. Add tomatoes. Fry till pulpy.
4. Add the paste. Sauté until brown.
5. Add the chicken. Coat all pieces.
6. Add water and salt.
7. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Spring Pasta- Broccolini, Green Onions, Peas, Fennel

1 pound of small farfalle

2 cloves garlic
1 cup of green peas
1 small pack of broccolini
1 fennel bulb
1 bunch of spring onions
Juice of ½ lemon
Asiago Cheese
Salt, black pepper, pepper flakes

• Chop the fennel and the green onion. Mince garlic.

• Boil the pasta al dente in salted water. The water should be salted until it tastes like the sea. Cook the pasta for less than a minute as indicated in the pack. Put aside some of the pasta water.

• I boil the peas with pasta.

• For 1 minute of boiling time is left, add the broccolini to the water. Pull the broccolini out with tongs, shock with cold water and chop it.

• Take some olive oil in a pan. Add the spring, onion, fennel, and garlic- sauté until fennel is soft.

• Add the pasta. Season the pasta with black pepper and pepper flakes. Check for salt. Add broccolini.

• Adjust with pasta water. Cook for 3 minutes.

• Add lemon juice. You can add more if you like. Grate Asiago cheese on top and serve immediately.

Jicama Orange Salad

Mix

1 Jicama cut into matchsticks

1 orange cut into segments

1 Grapefruit cut into segments

Cilantro leaves

Black pepper

Chicken Calvados

I had this bottle of calvados sitting on my kitchen counter forever. I use it in my apple bread pudding, which I have made multiple times. http://indianfoodathome.blogspot.com/2011/01/apple-bread-pudding.html


What else could I do with calvados? My dad had a few shots of it, when he was around. Apart from that, there did not seem to be much else. I turned to Dr. Google and discovered Chicken Calvados. A French dish from Normandy, characterized by cooked apples, further reinforced by the apple brandy, and cream. You may use mushrooms. I used bacon, which is not part of the recipe to make it more familiar for the person this was meant to please.

I made the dish on a Saturday, slicing, chopping, sautéing as I sip on my wine. I sautéed the chicken breasts, crisped the bacon and kept it aside. I made the sauce and put the whole dish together just 30 minutes before dinner. I tasted the sauce – it was good. He tasted the sauce – he loved it. It looked decadent: the chicken in the pan, covered by a golden brown creamy sauce and it smelt like bacon, brandy, butter, and creamy.

Just before dinner, I tuned on the burner to warm the dish, and then I went to gather the laundry. I was back in 3 minutes. By then, a catastrophe was awaiting me. The white cream had disappeared; it just evaporated away. The apples were burnt to a cinder. The chicken still looked edible if overly grilled. However, these were chicken breasts, which I am sure would have meant very tough overcooked meat. I was mortified. That was work, ingredients, planning all brought to a naught by minutes of distraction. Lesson learned – stand, watch, do not let chicken calvados out of your sight.



2 chicken beasts - season with salt and pepper
1 granny smith apple peeled, cored and cubed
1 cup of cream
1 clove of garlic- minced
1 strip of bacon (optional)
½  onion
Salt
Black Pepper
¼ cup calvados
1 tbsp. butter

1. Take some oil on a heavy pan and brown the seasoned chicken breasts. I like a darker color because the drippings in the pan will flavor the sauce. Remove the chicken. I like to make gashes in the chicken for the sauce to stick.
2. At this stage crisp the bacon, if you are using any, and set aside.
3. Add the onions, saute till brown and  add the apple. Add the garlic.
4. Sauté until apples are slightly golden.
5. Add the calvados. I cook this down till thick and this should take around 4 minutes.
6. Add cream and seasoning. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
7. Add chicken. Cover and simmer gently for a few minutes.
8. Garnish with parsley and add bacon.

Spicy Roasted Potatoes

I read this article today and it reminded me of the myriad ways in which I can spoil roasted potatoes.


http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/how-to-ruin-roasted-potatoes-and-other-spuds

The text from the article, which is germane here –

1. Roasting raw potatoes. “Simply tossing raw potatoes into the pan before roasting will guarantee tough results because the high water content will steam out over the course of a long cooking time. “You feel more like you’re eating the skin, because the structure just collapses inside,” says Hanson. “It also gets too hard. There’s crispy, and then there’s tooth-shattering.” To achieve that perfectly crispy exterior and creamy interior, parboil potatoes until 3/4 cooked, when a knife tip can pierce the potato, but it will not slip off when picked up. Drain before roasting for about 20 to 30 minutes at 425 degrees.”

I was guilty of throwing a perfect batch of small red potatoes right in the oven at 400 degrees. They were cooked in 30 minutes but they were dry as hell. Parboil! Parboil! Parboil!

2. Starting with a cold pan. Putting potatoes in a cold roasting pan increases the likelihood that they’ll stick. Hanson and Nasr suggest heating a pan in the oven then adding oil. Let that heat to just before smoking before dropping in the potatoes.

I roast potatoes on a tin foil on the baking sheet. Preheat!

3. Crowding the pan. Leaving space between the potatoes helps them cook evenly, so it is best to keep them in a single layer.

4. Micromanaging. It’s important to let potatoes brown completely on one side before turning them over. “As with most food,” explains Hanson, “potatoes are just not as good if they’ve been handled over and over.”

5. Adding tons of oil. Only use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan; otherwise, they’ll have a fried quality. “I prefer using duck fat, but I understand that can be hard to obtain for most folks, so olive oil or clarified butter works well too,” says Hanson. For an extra layer of flavor, the duo likes to add a few sprigs of rosemary or sage to the oil.

I oil the potatoes beforehand with some spice.

6. Using the wrong variety. Don’t try to roast a waxy potato like red bliss. It’s better to stick to Yukon golds. Otherwise, the chefs like German butterballs or even fingerlings.



20 small red potatoes ( Which you must parboil and cut in half)

1 tsp. coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, dried mango powder each

Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

2 tbsp. olive oil



Mix all ingredients and heat in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes. Garnish with coriander powder. I also added a dash of hot and sweet maggi sauce.