An Italian Meal
The night of India's world cup win, I cooked an Italian meal to celebrate :) The food turned out to be quite good & I shall now on records - be able to produce a 3 course Italian dinner with confidence in future :)
Here is a quick recap of my recipes and pictures of the food. I took pictures of food during various stages of preparation as well, but I guess that would make the post too long!
Starters - Garlic Butter Bruschetta with Salsa and Mint
Ingredients -
1 stick of bread
50gm butter
1 tea spoon garlic paste
Sprinkle of dried herbs
Optional - cheese
For Salsa:
1 Fresh tomato
1/2 Red Onion
2 table spoons Sweet Corn
1 table spoon vinegar
1 table spoon chopped mint (fresh or dried)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Recipe -
1.Slice the bread diagonally into 1 inch thick slices
2. Soften the butter in microwave, mix the garlic paste and dried herbs into the butter until well combined
3. Spread a layer of the garlic butter on the slices, keep aside
4. Chop Onion and Tomato, add sweet corn, vinegar, chopped mint, salt and pepper
5. 15 min before due to serve, put the sliced bread in oven at 180 for approx 15 min (until golden and edges are crispy)
6. Cover slices with the salsa (top with some cheese for variation)
Mains - Roasted Veggie Lasagna
Ingredients -
For the pasta:
6-9 Lasagna sheets
5 Closed Cup Mushrooms
1-2 Courgettes
1 Pepper
1/2 White Onion
2-3 table spoons Sweet Corn
For the White Sauce:
75gm Butter
75gm Plain Flour
500ml Milk
Salt & Pepper
For the Tomato Sauce (It is readily available in super markets, you might want to save yourself the trouble)
1 can of Chopped Tomatoes
2 White onions - diced
2-3 cloves of Garlic - crushed
1 table spoon dried mix herbs (Thyme/Oregano/Basil)
2-3 tea spoons Vegetable Oil (go for Olive if you have!)
Recipe -
(Note: The sauces can be made well in advance and stored in the fridge)
White Sauce -
1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, as the butter starts bubbling, add the flour
2. Stir continuously till the flour and butter comes together and leaves the sides of the pan
3. Add the milk, a little at a time and keep whisking, gradually the milk and flour will come together to make a paste, add more milk if needed
4. Keep whisking till the mixture is smooth and the consistency of ketch up and the milk has boiled, add salt and pepper
5. Keep aside to cool
Tomato sauce -
1. In a heated pan, add oil, garlic and onion, cook until golden and soft
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the mixture starts to bubble (15-20 minutes on low heat)
3. Add salt and pepper (you could also add some vinegar & sugar at this point to make it slightly sweet and sour)
4. Let the mixture cool, then whiz it in a blender (not needed if you have an ill equipped kitchen like mine or to put a posh label - would prefer rustic chunky sauce ;))
5. Mix in the dried herbs, taste, add more salt/pepper if needed.
6. Keep aside
Roasted Veggies -
1. Thinly slice the courgette, mushrooms and onion
2. Cut the peppers into cubes
3. Put all the veggies (including sweet corn) in a baking tin with 2 table spoons of vegetable oil, salt, pepper and sprinkle of paprika powder
4. Give everything a good mix (with your hand - it feels great! Sorry for the diversion, but when I see all the TV chefs going gaga over getting your hands into the food I used to wonder what kind of pleasure are they hinting at ;) but really, it is soothing)
5. Put in the oven for 25 min at 180-200
Pasta and the assembly -
1. In a broad pan heat water with a pinch of salt
2. Place one sheet of lasagna at a time and cook until the pasta is soft and semi cooked - usually 4-5 min a sheet (You can place more than 1 sheet at a time but they shouldn't overlap - otherwise they just stick to each other and difficult to get them apart without tearing)
3. Oil the lasagna dish (any oven proof square dish)
4. Spoon in the roasted veggies, top up with a generous layer of tomato sauce
5. Cover completely with a layer of pasta sheets (can overlap now)
6. Spread a layer of white sauce (don't be stingy, I was!)
7. Repeat the layers of veggies, sauces and pasta until you finish (remember the pasta has to be topped with white sauce in the end)
8. Cover the top layer of pasta with white sauce
9. Sprinkle with your choice of cheese (opportunity to be creative)
10. Bake at 200 for 45 min until the cheese is bubbly and coloured
Dessert - Mixed Fruit Flan
This was a last minute change from a more Italian coffee based dessert, as I felt I had enough to do already! Some day I will post the recipe for my original choice too.
(I cheated here - didn't bake my own flan base, but if you have the time at hand and appropriate baking equipment, and don't mind using raw eggs, please do :P)
Ingredients -
2 bananas
1 Melon
100gm grapes
100gm cherries
1 Mango
1 Flan case
300ml Whipping cream
1 tea spoon Vanilla essence
5 tea spoons Sugar
Recipe -
1. Prepare all your fruits by cutting them into equal size cubes (or get a bag of frozen fruits ;))
2. Add vanilla essence and sugar to cream and whisk until fluffy and doesn't drop from an upside down spoon (took me half an hour by hand!)
3. Spread a thin layer of cream on the flan case, sprinkle the fruits over
4. Spread over another layer of cream in the centre and top it up with some decorative fruits
5. Cool until to be served!
1 satisfied cook, 2 satisfied guests, 3 satisfying courses :) :) :)
Here is a quick recap of my recipes and pictures of the food. I took pictures of food during various stages of preparation as well, but I guess that would make the post too long!
Starters - Garlic Butter Bruschetta with Salsa and Mint
Ingredients -
1 stick of bread
50gm butter
1 tea spoon garlic paste
Sprinkle of dried herbs
Optional - cheese
For Salsa:
1 Fresh tomato
1/2 Red Onion
2 table spoons Sweet Corn
1 table spoon vinegar
1 table spoon chopped mint (fresh or dried)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Recipe -
1.Slice the bread diagonally into 1 inch thick slices
2. Soften the butter in microwave, mix the garlic paste and dried herbs into the butter until well combined
3. Spread a layer of the garlic butter on the slices, keep aside
4. Chop Onion and Tomato, add sweet corn, vinegar, chopped mint, salt and pepper
5. 15 min before due to serve, put the sliced bread in oven at 180 for approx 15 min (until golden and edges are crispy)
6. Cover slices with the salsa (top with some cheese for variation)
Mains - Roasted Veggie Lasagna
Ingredients -
For the pasta:
6-9 Lasagna sheets
5 Closed Cup Mushrooms
1-2 Courgettes
1 Pepper
1/2 White Onion
2-3 table spoons Sweet Corn
For the White Sauce:
75gm Butter
75gm Plain Flour
500ml Milk
Salt & Pepper
For the Tomato Sauce (It is readily available in super markets, you might want to save yourself the trouble)
1 can of Chopped Tomatoes
2 White onions - diced
2-3 cloves of Garlic - crushed
1 table spoon dried mix herbs (Thyme/Oregano/Basil)
2-3 tea spoons Vegetable Oil (go for Olive if you have!)
Recipe -
(Note: The sauces can be made well in advance and stored in the fridge)
White Sauce -
1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, as the butter starts bubbling, add the flour
2. Stir continuously till the flour and butter comes together and leaves the sides of the pan
3. Add the milk, a little at a time and keep whisking, gradually the milk and flour will come together to make a paste, add more milk if needed
4. Keep whisking till the mixture is smooth and the consistency of ketch up and the milk has boiled, add salt and pepper
5. Keep aside to cool
Tomato sauce -
1. In a heated pan, add oil, garlic and onion, cook until golden and soft
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the mixture starts to bubble (15-20 minutes on low heat)
3. Add salt and pepper (you could also add some vinegar & sugar at this point to make it slightly sweet and sour)
4. Let the mixture cool, then whiz it in a blender (not needed if you have an ill equipped kitchen like mine or to put a posh label - would prefer rustic chunky sauce ;))
5. Mix in the dried herbs, taste, add more salt/pepper if needed.
6. Keep aside
Roasted Veggies -
1. Thinly slice the courgette, mushrooms and onion
2. Cut the peppers into cubes
3. Put all the veggies (including sweet corn) in a baking tin with 2 table spoons of vegetable oil, salt, pepper and sprinkle of paprika powder
4. Give everything a good mix (with your hand - it feels great! Sorry for the diversion, but when I see all the TV chefs going gaga over getting your hands into the food I used to wonder what kind of pleasure are they hinting at ;) but really, it is soothing)
5. Put in the oven for 25 min at 180-200
Pasta and the assembly -
1. In a broad pan heat water with a pinch of salt
2. Place one sheet of lasagna at a time and cook until the pasta is soft and semi cooked - usually 4-5 min a sheet (You can place more than 1 sheet at a time but they shouldn't overlap - otherwise they just stick to each other and difficult to get them apart without tearing)
3. Oil the lasagna dish (any oven proof square dish)
4. Spoon in the roasted veggies, top up with a generous layer of tomato sauce
5. Cover completely with a layer of pasta sheets (can overlap now)
6. Spread a layer of white sauce (don't be stingy, I was!)
7. Repeat the layers of veggies, sauces and pasta until you finish (remember the pasta has to be topped with white sauce in the end)
8. Cover the top layer of pasta with white sauce
9. Sprinkle with your choice of cheese (opportunity to be creative)
10. Bake at 200 for 45 min until the cheese is bubbly and coloured
Dessert - Mixed Fruit Flan
This was a last minute change from a more Italian coffee based dessert, as I felt I had enough to do already! Some day I will post the recipe for my original choice too.
(I cheated here - didn't bake my own flan base, but if you have the time at hand and appropriate baking equipment, and don't mind using raw eggs, please do :P)
Ingredients -
2 bananas
1 Melon
100gm grapes
100gm cherries
1 Mango
1 Flan case
300ml Whipping cream
1 tea spoon Vanilla essence
5 tea spoons Sugar
Recipe -
1. Prepare all your fruits by cutting them into equal size cubes (or get a bag of frozen fruits ;))
2. Add vanilla essence and sugar to cream and whisk until fluffy and doesn't drop from an upside down spoon (took me half an hour by hand!)
3. Spread a thin layer of cream on the flan case, sprinkle the fruits over
4. Spread over another layer of cream in the centre and top it up with some decorative fruits
5. Cool until to be served!
1 satisfied cook, 2 satisfied guests, 3 satisfying courses :) :) :)
2 comments:
man, you're an awesome cook. a three course meal (and i'm guessing all the dishes prepared for the first time?)and such a fab job! wish we could get a chance to taste ... :)
Thanks!! Indeed first try at Italian :) Would love to cook for the 3 of us!! Insha-allah :)
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