खाना खजाना Khana Khajana

Deviled Eggs Recipe

2013-04-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

1 dozen eggs

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp minced onion or shallot

1/4 teaspoon tabasco

Salt and pepper

Paprika

METHOD

1 First hard boil the eggs. Fill up a large saucepan half-way with water and gently add the eggs. Cover the eggs with at least an inch of water. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water (this will help contain egg whites from leaking out if any of the shells crack while cooking). Add a pinch of salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil. Cover, and remove from heat. Let sit covered for 12-15 minutes. Drain hot water from pan and run cold water over the eggs. (At this point if you crack the egg shells while the eggs are cooling, it will make it easier to peel the shells.) Let sit in the cool water a few minutes, changing the water if necessary to keep it cool.

2 Peel the eggs. Using a sharp knife, slice each egg in half, lengthwise. Gently remove the yolk halves and place in a small mixing bowl. Arrange the egg white halves on a serving platter.

3 Using a fork, mash up the yolks and add mustard, mayonnaise, onion, tabasco, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Spoon egg yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika

Grilled Halibut Salad Niçoise

2013-04-04T01:44:00.001-07:00

INGREDIENTS

VINAIGRETTE

1 medium clove garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons fresh orange juice, plus more to taste

1/4 cup white-wine vinegar or red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

SALAD

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes (5-6 medium), scrubbed and halved

1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed

Juice of 1 large lemon

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 pound Pacific halibut or striped bass (see Note)

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper, plus more to taste

1 large head Boston lettuce

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes

3 hard-boiled eggs (see Tip), peeled and cut into wedges

1/4 cup sliced pitted black Niçoise or Kalamata olives

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION

To prepare vinaigrette: Peel the garlic and smash with the side of a chef’s knife. Using a fork, mash the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl to form a coarse paste. Whisk in 5 tablespoons oil. Add 6 tablespoons orange juice, vinegar and mustard; whisk until well blended. Taste and whisk in up to 4 tablespoons more juice to mellow the flavor; season with more salt, if desired. Set aside at room temperature.

To prepare salad: Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add potatoes; cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slice and place in a shallow bowl. Drizzle with 1/3 cup vinaigrette; set aside.

Add beans to the steamer basket; cook until bright green and just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Rinse in a colander with cold water until cool. Drain well. Place in a medium bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette.

Combine lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a sturdy sealable plastic bag; shake until the salt dissolves. Add fish and marinate for up to 20 minutes while you ready the grill.

Preheat grill to medium-high for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium. (For a charcoal grill, wait until the flames subside and only coals and some ash remain—flames will cause the oil on the fish to burn.)

Drain the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the fish, turning once, until browned and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side for halibut; 3 to 4 minutes per side for bass.

Arrange lettuce leaves on a large serving platter. Arrange the fish (whole or flaked into large chunks), potatoes, green beans and tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Garnish with eggs, olives, parsley and pepper to taste.

Cooking Tips...

2013-03-13T20:29:00.001-07:00

10 Bad Cooking Habits You Should Break

Learn more about 10 cooking habits you should break.

Some habits can be tough to break. When it comes to cooking, you may have some bad habits that you’re not even aware of. Some may be keeping your meal just short of reaching perfection while others may actually be hazardous to your health. Below are 10 common bad cooking habits that you should break:

1. Heating Oil Until It Smokes

3. Overfilling Your Pan

4. You Don’t Let Your Meat Rest

5. You Rinse Meat Before Cooking

6. Using Nonstick Pans on High Heat

7. Using Metal Utensils on Nonstick Pans

8. Blending Hot Liquids (Without Removing the Stopper

9. Put Pyrex Dishes Under the Broiler

10. Overmixing Batter

5 Foods You Shouldn't Keep in Your Fridge

1. Tomatoes

OK, a tomato is technically a fruit, but taste-wise, it’s closer to a vegetable. If you’ve ever grown tomatoes, then you know that they love the heat and hate the cold. Turns out even after they’re plucked from the vine, they still hold their aversion to cold. The fridge is not the ideal place to store tomatoes. Store them there and your perfect tomatoes turn into a mealy disappointment. They’ll still be good for cooking, but not the best for eating fresh. Instead store them on your counter (not in direct sunlight) and enjoy them when they’re ripe.

2. Basil

Tomatoes and basil go well together on your plate and it turns out they have similar needs in the storage department too. Like tomatoes, basil loves the heat, so extended periods of time in a cold environment like a refrigerator causes it to wilt prematurely. Basil will do best if it’s stored on your counter and treated as you would fresh cut-flowers. A fresh bunch of basil can be stored for in a cup of water (change it every day or two) away from direct sunlight. Covering it loosely with a plastic bag will help keep it moist (but make sure the bag has an opening to allow for some fresh air to seep in).

3. Potatoes

Potatoes like cool, not cold temperatures. They do best at around 45 degrees F, which is about 10 degrees warmer than the average refrigerator. Most of us don’t have a root cellar (a cool, dark place to store root vegetables like potatoes), so keeping them in a paper bag in a coolish spot (like a pantry) is best. Why paper? It’s more breathable then plastic so potatoes won’t succumb to rot as easily. And why not the fridge? Storing potatoes at cold temperatures converts their starch to sugar more quickly, which can affect the flavor, texture and the way they cook.

4. Potatoes

5. Avocados

Avocados don’t start to ripen until after they’re picked from the tree. If you’re buying a rock-hard avocado, don’t store it in your refrigerator, as it slows the ripening process. On the other hand, if you have a perfectly ripe avocado that you’re not ready to use, storing it in the refrigerator may work to your advantage by prolonging your window of opportunity to use it before it becomes overripe. So the bottom line on storing avocados is store hard, unripe avocados on your counter and store ripe avocados in your refrigerator if you’re not going to eat them right away.

Top 10 Cooking Tips

Preserve the nutrients and colors in veggies. Cook them quickly by steaming or stir-frying.
Use herbs, vinegar, tomatoes, onions and/or fat-free or low-fat sauces or salad dressings for better health, especially if you have high blood pressureor high cholesterol.
Use your time and your freezer wisely. When you cook once, make it last longer by preparing enough for several other meals. Freeze it and have a ready-made healthy treat for the next time you are simply too tired to bother.
A smoothie can cover a multitude of needs. Throw a banana (you can keep them in the freezer for weeks) into your blender along with frozen berries, kiwi or whatever fruit is around, some orange or other 100% juice, some fat-free or low-fat yogurt. You can get 4–5 servings of fruit in one glass of yummy shake. Try getting your loved one to sip on a smoothie. It’s easy, cool, refreshing and healthy.
Prepared seasonings can have high salt content and increase your risk for high blood pressure. Replace salt with herbs and spices or some of the salt-free seasoning mixes. Use lemon juice, citrus zest or hot chilies to add flavor.
Canned, processed and preserved vegetables often have very high sodium content. Look for “low-sodium” veggies or try the frozen varieties. Compare the sodium content on the Nutrition Facts label of similar products (for example, different brands of tomato sauce) and choose the products with less sodium. If you buy canned, rinse veggies under cold water to reduce the level of sodium.
Prepare muffins and quick breads with less saturated fat and fewer calories. Use three ripe, very well-mashed bananas, instead of 1/2 cup butter, lard, shortening or oil or substitute one cup of applesauce per one cup of these fats.
Choose whole grain for part of your ingredients instead of highly refined products. Use whole-wheat flour, oatmeal and whole cornmeal. Whole-wheat flour can be substituted for up to half of all-purpose flour. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, try 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour.
In baking, use plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt or fat-free or low-fat sour cream.
Another way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is to use fat-free milk or 1% milk instead of whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk. For extra richness, try fat-free half-and-half or evaporated skim milk.

मूंग पोहा...

2013-02-26T18:39:00.001-08:00

क्या चाहिए :

१ कटोरी भीगा पोहा और उबले मूंग,१/२ कटोरी बारिक कता टमाटर,प्याज,ओबले आलू और तेल,१ चमच राय,जीरा,बारिक कटी हरी मिर्च,१/२ चम्मच हल्दी पाउडर ,२ चमम्च निम्बू का रस और स्वादानुसार नमक|

ऐसे बनाएँ :

इन्हें भी आजमाइए...

2013-02-26T18:23:00.000-08:00

दहीं बड़े तलने के मिश्रण में थोडा दूध डालकर फेंट लें |इससे बड़े ज्यादा स्पंजी बनेगे |
सुखी हरी मिर्च को फेंके नहीं,बल्कि उसमे नमक,जीरा,लहसुन,अम्चुर डालकर कूट लें |स्वादिष्ट चटनी बनेगी |
मठरी,पापरी तलने से पहले आधा घंटा पहले बेलकर रख लें |इससे तलने में समय कम लगेगा और ये ज्यादा कुरकुरी भी बनेगी |
खड़ी डालें बनाते समय कम से कम दो घंटे पहले धोकर भिगो दें |पकाने में समय और गैस दोनों कि बचत होगी |
सब्जी कि ग्रेवी बनाते समय उसमे जरा सा गर्म पानी डालें |इससे स्वाद में इजाफा होगा|
दूध का पनीर बनाने के बाद पनीर के बचे पानी से आटा गूंध लें |इससे मुलायम और स्वादिष्ट रोटी.पूरी या परांठा बना सकते हैं |इसके इलावा सब्जी बनाते समय भी पनीर का बच हुआ पानी सब्जी में डाला जा सकता है |

Boeuf Bourguignon

2013-01-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

Americans have come to love this French classic. It originated in the Burgundy region, which is renowned for the wonderful wine that is the basis for this robust stew. Serve with boiled potatoes or chunks of crusty French bread

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon, chopped

2 pounds lean boneless beef chuck,trimmed and cut into 11⁄2-inch pieces

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 large onion (12 ounces), chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

1⁄2 bay leaf

1 teaspoon plus pinch salt

1⁄4 teaspoon plus pinch ground black pepper

1 pound small white onions, peeled

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup water

1 pound mushrooms, trimmed and cut into quarters if large

Method:

1. In nonreactive 5-quart Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until just beginning to brown.With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to medium bowl.

2. Pat beef dry with paper towels. Add 1 teaspoon oil to Dutch oven and increase heat to medium-high. Add beef, in batches, to bacon drippings and cook until well browned, using slotted spoon to transfer beef as it is browned to bowl with bacon. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil if necessary.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onion, carrots, and garlic to Dutch oven; cook until onion and carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add wine,bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, stirring until browned bits are loosened. Return beef and bacon to Dutch oven; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until beef is very tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Skim and discard fat

4. Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, combine small white onions, 1 tablespoon butter, sugar, and water. Heat to boiling; cover and simmer until onions are just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove cover and cook over medium-high heat, swirling pan occasionally, until water has evaporated and onions are golden. Transfer to bowl; keep warm.

5. In same skillet,melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and remaining pinch each salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and liquid has evaporated. Stir onions and mushrooms into stew.

Homemade Chicken Broth

2013-01-18T18:31:00.001-08:00

Rich in chicken flavor, this traditional broth is lightly seasoned with herbs. Besides making wonderful chicken soups, it can be used in casseroles, rice dishes and other recipes that call for chicken broth

ingredients:

In 6-quart saucepot, combine 1 chicken (3 to 31⁄2 pounds), including neck (giblets reserved for another use), 2 carrots, peeled and cut into

2-inch pieces, 1 stalk celery, cut into 2-inch pieces, 1 medium onion, cut into quarters, 5 parsley sprigs,

1 garlic clove, 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme,

1⁄2 bay leaf, and enough water to cover (about 3 quarts);

method

heat to boiling over high heat. Skim foam from surface. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, turning chicken once and skimming. Remove from heat; transfer chicken to large bowl. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones from chicken. (Reserve chicken for another use.) Return skin and bones to sauce pot and heat to boiling. Skim foam; reduce heat and simmer 3 hours. Strain broth through colander into large bowl; discard solids. Strain again through sieve into containers; cool. Cover and refrigerate to use within 3 days, or freeze up to 4 months.To use, skim and discard fat from surface of broth

Beef and Barley Soup

2013-01-18T00:30:00.000-08:00

Prep:45 minutes C O O K 2 hours 30 minutes ,Makes about 16 cups or 8 main-dish servings

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 4 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 medium stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, diced

11⁄2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 cans (133⁄4 to 141⁄2 ounces each) beef broth

1 can (141⁄2 ounces) diced tomatoes

6 cups water

1 cup pearl barley

5 medium carrots (12 ounces),

peeled and cut crosswise into

1⁄4-inch-thick slices

5 medium parsnips (12 ounces),

peeled and cut crosswise into

1⁄4-inch-thick slices

2 medium turnips (8 ounces), peeled and diced

3 strips (3" by 1" each) orange peel pinch ground cloves

Method:

1. In 8-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over mediumhigh heat until hot. Add celery and onion and cook until tender and golden, about 10minutes, stirring occasionally; transfer vegetables to bowl.

2. Pat beef dry with paper towels. In same Dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons oil over high heat until hot. Add half of beef and cook until browned on all sides. Remove to plate. Repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the beef.

3. Return beef to Dutch oven. Stir in salt, celery mixture, beef broth, tomatoes with their juice, and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 1 hour.

4. Add barley, carrots, parsnips, turnips, orange peel, and cloves; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 50 to 60 minutes, until beef, barley, and vegetables are tender

Green Soup

2013-01-17T18:31:00.001-08:00

Makes 8 servings, about 17.; cups each

Total Time: about 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

2 yellow onions, chopped

1 tsp. salt, divided

1/4 cup arborio rice

1 lb. greens: green chard, kale,mustard greens, or beet greens

14 cups gently packed spinach (about 12 oz.)

4 cups vegetable broth

Big pinch cayenne pepper

1 tbs.lemon juice, or more to taste

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onions and Y. tsp. salt; cook, stirring, until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add 2 tbs.water, and cover. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are greatly reduced and have a caramel color, 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine 3 cups water, remaining 3/4tsp. salt, and rice in soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes. Trim ribs and tough stems from the greens and spinach; discard. Coarsely chop greens and spinach.

3. When rice has cooked 15 minutes, stir in greens. Return to a simmer; cover and cook 10 minutes. When onions are caramelized, stir a little greens' simmering liquid into them; immediately add them to rice along with spinach, broth, and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook until spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.

4. Puree soup in pot with immersion blender until perfectly smooth, or in regular blender in batches. Stir in lemon juice and garnish with olive oil.

Pasta Salad

2013-01-17T00:33:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (boneless)

1/2 lb. rotini

2 lg. carrots, diced

diced celery

1 lg. red pepper

1 med. sliced white onion

20 sliced black olives

1 lg. cucumber,

1 lg. tomato

black pepper, dill

basil

1/2 bottle low fat Italian dressing

Directions:

Season the chicken breasts; bake at 350 degrees until slightly brown and put on the side. Cook pasta and keep on the side to cool. Dice all the vegetables and mix together.

Add dill, black pepper, and basil to taste. Add cooled chicken and pasta; add Italian dressing and toss together. Serve cold as a main dish.

Eat in LunchBox

2012-12-31T02:21:00.000-08:00

Sprouted moong crunch

Serves100g sprouted green lentils (moong). Sprinkle a little water to soften them. Add salt, remove from the flame and add 1 boiled potato, chopped, a Carry a taste of home in your lunchbox with these easy recipes sprinkling of coriander leaves and chopped green chilli, a squeeze of lime, roasted peanuts and 1/4 green mango and tomato, chopped finely. Mix in a little sweet chutney. Serve with a little sev and crushed puris.

Veggie khichdi

Soak 100g rice and 50g split green lentils (moong) for 30 minutes. Meanwhile stir fry 100g mixed, chopped veggies along with a dash of turmeric, coriander, cumin andgaram masala. Add a small grated tomato and keep stirring till dry. Fry 2 onions, add 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste, add the rice and lentils and fry for approximately 2 minutes. Add the veggies and mix well. Pour in double the quantity of water as the dal-rice mixture combined, add salt to taste and 1 tbsp ghee. Once the water starts boiling, keep simmering till cooked.

Cauliflower parathas

200g cauliflower. Sprinkle a little coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Let it cool. Make chapatis with a dough made of 100g atta, a little water and a splash of oil. Stuff the cauliflower mixture on one chapati, spread evenly and place another chapati on top, sealing the edges tightly. Roast on a tawa with a little oil. Serve with boondi raita.

Spicy potato cakes with chilli and coriander

2012-12-31T02:08:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

potatoes 400g, peeled and cut into chunks egg yolk 1 coriander a handful, chopped spring onions 5, slicedsalt and pepper to taste lemon 1, zested Cheddar cheese 75g, grated red chilli 1, seeded and choppedbreadcrumbs 75gvegetable oil for shallow frying

Method:

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Drain and leave to dry for 5 minutes. Mash the potatoes and add the egg yolk, coriander, spring onions, some salt and pepper, the lemon zest, Cheddar cheese and chilli. Mix well and shape into 6 medium cakes.n Put the breadcrumbs on a plate. Roll the cakes firmly in the breadcrumbs. Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan and brown the cakes on both sides. Serve with mango chutney and a green salad.

भरपूर पोषण व ऊर्जा ...सलाद

2012-09-27T01:58:00.000-07:00

पका हुआ भोजन काफी नरम होता है,जिसे चबाने के लिए दांतों को ज्यादा मेहनत नहीं करनी पड़ती |भोजन के साथ सलाद जरूर खाएं |इससे दांत तेज होंगे,मुंह का व्यायाम होगा साथ ही आपको भरपूर उर्जा व पोषण मिलेगा |

भोजन के साथ सलाद खाना बेहद जरूरी है|भरपूर पोषण देने के साथ इसके कई अन्य फायदे भी है |जैसे-

सलाद में विटामिन्स,फोलिक एसिड,केल्शियम,मेग्नेशियम,आयरन और पोटाशियम जैसे पोष्टिक तत्व होते हैं|ये शरीर के प्रतिरक्षा तंत्र को मजबूत बनाने के साथ बीमारियों से बचाते हैं |
सलाद से प्रचुर मात्र में फाइबर मिलता है,जो भोजन के पचाने को गति देता है और शरीर के वजन को नियंत्रित करता है |
सलाद के रूप में हम कचची सब्जियां,अंकुरित अनाज और फल ले सकते हैं |इनसे शरीर को भरपूर उर्जा मिलती है |
गहरे रंग के फल और सब्जियां सेहत के लिए बहुत फायदेमंद होती है |इनमे कैल्शियम और मेग्मिशियम प्रचुर मात्र में पाया जाने वाला फोलिक एसिड गर्भवती महिलायों के लिए विशेष रूप से लाभदायक होता है |
सलाद में भरपूर मात्र में पानी होता है,जो थकावट कम करता है |अंतरीयों को स्वस्थ रखता है है और कब्ज दूर करने में मददगार होता है |

रंग बदल दें रोज :

रोज एक ही तरह का सलाद खायेंगे,तोकुछ दिनों में तयशुदा स्वाद से ऊब होगी ही |रोज अलग-अलग स्वाद पाने के लिए आप तरह-तरह सब्जियों के मेल से सलाद बना सकते है |टमाटर,खीरा,शलजम,चुकंदर,गोभी,शिमला मिर्च,मूली,पत्ता गोभी,प्याज आदि का इस्तेमाल कर सकते है |ऐसे ही कोर्न के दानों को उबालकर,अंकुरित अनाज(खड़ी मुंग,चने आदि)पनीर डालने से भी सलाद का स्वाद बदल जाएगा और इसकी पौष्टिकता भी बढ़ जायेगी |सीधे सब्जी खाने का मन न करे,तो दही में निम्बू,सिरका या हरी चटनी डालने से स्वाद बढ़ जाएगा |इसके अलावा फ्रूट सलाद भी एक अच्छा विकल्प रहेगा |

सब्जियां देती पोषण:

सलाद में अंकुरित अनाज को शामिल करने से प्रोटीन कि मात्र बढ़ जाती है |
खीरे में पोटाशियम पाया जाता है |यह ब्लडप्रेशर और अल्सर के इलाज़ में प्रभावी होता है |
चुकन्दर खून को बढाने का काम करता है|इसमें प्रचुर मात्र में फोलिक एसिड,आयरन.और कैल्शियम पाया जाता है |वहीं पत्ता गोभी भी हिमोग्लोबिन का सबसे अच्छा स्रोत है |
टमाटर में विटामिन सी और लाइकोपीन पाया जाता है |लाइकोपीन कैंसर के खतरे को कम करने में मदद करता है |
मूली में विटामिन सी,सोडियम और कैल्शियम पाया जाता है |यह पीलिया और लीवर कि बिमारी से पीड़ित लोगों के लिए फायदेमंद होता है |
प्याज और लहसुन शर्करा स्तर को कम करने और सूजन से लड़ने का काम करते हैं |इसके एंटीबायोटिक गुण कोलेस्ट्रोल और रक्तचाप नियंत्रित करने में सहायक होते हैं |
शिमला मिर्च में आयरन,पोटाशियम प्रचुर मात्र में होता है |

Apricot butter cake

2012-09-25T01:56:00.002-07:00

Ingredients:

150ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

300g caster sugar

3 eggs

350g self-raising flour

200g butter, melted

350g ripe apricots

FOR THE TOPPING

25g butter, melted

3 tbsp light muscovado sugar

3 rounded tbsp toasted flaked almonds

Method:

1 Heat oven to 160C/140C fan. Butter a23cm-deep cake tin (preferably not loose-based, ) and line the base with silicone or baking parchment.

Mix the topping ingredients and spread over the base of the tin.

2 Mix the milk and vanilla together. Put the sugar and eggs into a large bowl andwhisk with a tabletop or hand electric mixer until the mixture is thick, pale andincreased in volume, about 5 mins.Check if it is ready by lifting the whisk blades – if the mixture briefly leaves atrail, you are ready to proceed.

3 Add one-third of the flour and whisk slowly to incorporate, then one-third ofthe milk and mix again. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk is added.Slowly whisk in the melted butter.

4 Halve and stone the apricots. Place,cut-side down, in the base of the tin.Pour the cake batter over the top and slide into the oven. Bake for 1-1¼ hrsuntil the cake is firm to the touch andsprings back when lightly pressed.

5 Cool the cake in the tin for 20 mins,then carefully remove from the tin,peel off the lining paper and serve warm or cold

Apricot and almond pastries

2012-09-25T01:43:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

250g puff pastry

Plain flour for dusting

50g reduced sugar apricot jam, warmed

4 apricots, halved, stoned and sliced

10g flaked almonds

2 tsp icing sugar

6 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche, to serve

Method:

Heat the oven to 200C/fan oven 180C. Rollthe pastry about 3mm thick. Cut 6 rectangles,approx 13 x 8cm.
Put the rectangles on a large baking traylined with baking parchment. Brush apricotjam in the centre of each one, leaving a 1cmgap around the edge. Arrange 6-7 slices ofapricot on each rectangle.Brush the apricotswith jam. Sprinkle with flaked almonds.
Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the pastry ispuffed, golden brown. Dust with icing sugarand serve warm with the crème fraîche.

बादशाही मोदक...

2012-09-19T00:49:00.001-07:00

क्या चाहिए:

२०० ग्राम चने कि दाल,२०० ग्राम मैदा,१ बड़ा चम्मच सूजी,१०० ग्राम मावा,५० ग्राम शुद्ध घी,५०० ग्राम शक्कर,८ इलाइची पाउडर ,थोडा सा नारियल बुरा,१ छोटा चम्मच चिरोंजी,१०-२० किशमिश,स्वादानुसार नमक और तलने के लिए घी या तेल |

ऐसे बनाएँ :

चने कि दाल को ७-८ घंटे के लिए भिगोकर रखें,फिर पानी निथार कर थोडा दरदरा-गाढा पिस लें |अब कढाही में शुद्ध घी डालकर गर्म करें |इसमें पीसी दाल डालकर सुनहरी होने तक भून लें |इसमें मावा और १५० ग्राम शक्कर डालकर अच्छी तरह भूनें |मिश्रण गधा होने पर आंच से उतार लें |ठंडा कर इसमें इलाइची पेड्र नारियल बुरा,किशमिश और चिरौंजी डालकर अच्छी तरह मिला लें |तैयार भरावन में सूजी और मैदा डालकर मिलाएं |इसमें थोडा नमक और एक बड़ा चम्मच घी का मोयन डालकर सख्त गूंध लें |तैयार मिश्रण के २० भाग करें |प्रत्येक को बेलकर चने कि दाल का भरावन भरकर मोड़न बना लें |अब मोदकों को गर्म घी या तेल में सुनहरा होने तक ताल लें |शेष बची शक्कर कि दो तार कि चाशनी बनाकर मोदक इसमें दाल दीजिए |फिर मोदक को चाशनी में बनाकर मोदक इसमें दाल दीजिए,फिर मोदक को चाशनी में से निकालें और चांदी का वर्क लगाकर सर्व करें |

Tuna Rice Salad

2012-09-13T00:39:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Approx 900g cold cooked rice (about
400g uncooked rice)
2 x 200g cans tuna in springwater
200g frozen petits pois, defrosted
under the hot tap
2 red peppers, peeled with a potato
peeler (see tip), deseeded and diced
3 tomatoes, chopped into small chunks
5 spring onions, finely sliced
Bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Large handful stoned green olives,
roughly chopped (optional)
4 tbsp mayonnaise
Juice 1 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1 The cooked rice will have probably clumped together, so break it up in a large mixing bowl. Flake in the tuna, then mix in the peas, peppers, tomatoes, spring onions, parsley and olives, if you’re using them.

2 Stir through the mayonnaise, lemon juice and olive oil and season to taste. Cover the bowl with cling film or place in a large plastic container and let your everyone serve themselves whenever they are hungry.

Vegetable soup

2012-09-13T00:23:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

200 g potatoes

100 g onion

120 g carrots

100 g celery

800 ml beef stock

300 ml marinara sauce

Salt

Pepper

Method:

1 Peel and cut the potatoes and carrots into cubes. Slice the celery. Peel and chop the onions.

2 Put some of the potatoes (60 g), carrots (40 g),onions (30 g) and celery (30 g), and all of the marinara sauce into the Soup & Co. Season lightly.

3 Insert the cooking basket and add the remainder of the potatoes (140 g), carrots (80 g), onions (70 g) and celery (70 g). Pour in the beef stock.

4 Press the P button to select programme. Increase the cooking time to 35 minutes. Confirm the programme by pressing the OK button.

5 Leave to cook for 35 minutes. When the soup is ready, the appliance beeps three times. Serve hot.

Sheer Kurma

2012-09-13T00:13:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 pinch saffron
2 cardamom pods, 1 whole and 1 crushed
½ cinnamon stick
½ cup dry vermicelli (broken into smaller
bits)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp slivered pistachios, plus additional
for optional garnish
1 tbsp cashews, chopped
1 tbsp almonds, sliced (plus additional for
optional garnish)
2 tbsp dry coconut, shredded
2 tsp golden sultana raisins (plus additional
for optional garnish)
3 dry dates, soaked and plumped ahead of
time, pits removed, chopped
1/2 cup water

Method:

1 In a medium saucepan, combine the milk with the saffron and 1 cardamom pod. Bring to a boil slowly at medium-high temperature. Make sure it does not burn. Set aside and keep warm.
2 Melt the butter at a medium temperature in a separate small sauté pan with the crushed cardamom and cinnamon stick. Next, lower the temperature to a mediumlow heat and add the dry vermicelli noodles to brown slightly, until the aromas have released into the air and the noodles are cooked through.
3 Once the noodles have toasted, add water, raise the temperature to a medium high and cook until the water has evaporated.
4 Transfer the noodles to the warm milk; add the sweetened condensed milk, raisins, dates, and nuts. Now bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low temperature, cover with the lid, allowing the steam to escape and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5 Once the milk has reduced and the noodles have absorbed some of the liquid, remove from heat. Add the cardamom and nutmeg powder, stir, and cool. Refrigerate.
6 Transfer to serving dish and garnish with nuts and raisins.

Lentil Soup

2012-09-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

"Lentil soup is a very old Iraqi tradition, cooked in most homes during Ramadan. Many Iraqis only eat this soup when breaking their fast because it is very filling and can be considered a complete meal, after a day

of fasting"

Ingredients:

300g red lentil

50g vermicelli

5 cups water

1 cube of chicken stock

2 medium sized onions, chopped

2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp turmeric

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

Method:

1 Rinse the lentil thoroughly to remove the extra starch and set aside for 5 minutes.

2 In a medium sized pot, add the lentils with 4 cups of water and let it boil. Remove when it starts to foam up and then keep it boiling on medium heat for up to 20 minutes or until the water lessens to at least half.

3 Remove from heat and whisk. Return back to a medium heat and add the stock cube and salt. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a pan and add the diced onions, continue stirring until it turns light golden. Remove half of it and place it in a bowl, add the curry to the remaining half in the pan and stir for another minute, then add to the lentils.

4 Place 2 tbsp of olive oil in the pan and add the vermicelli to it (it should become light gold in colour). Add the turmeric and stir for 1 minute. Place all this in the lentil pot (notice that the vermicelli absorbs a lot of water hence you need to regularly check the water and add if necessary), add another cup of water and let it boil on low heat until all ingredients are combined.

5 Stir thoroughly to avoid lentil from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add salt to taste and divide the soup between 4 bowls, place the remaining onions on a pan and let it fry until almost burned, remove from fire and use as garnish for the soup.

CAKE

2012-09-12T01:44:00.002-07:00

Ingredients:

1 pound butter

3'h cups sugar

4 cups sifted flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 eggs, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond flavoring

Method:

Heat oven to 3250 F.

Beat butter, gradually adding sugar; cream together until light and fluffy.

Combine flour and baking powder; add3 tablespoons flour mixture to creamed ingredients, and beat well. Add 2 eggs and beat well.

Add remaining flourandremaining eggs alternately until all have been incorporated.

Add flavorings and combine.

Pour batter into 2, greased 10-inch tube cake pans, and bakefor 1 hour. Yields 40 servings.

CANNED FISH

2012-09-12T01:10:00.000-07:00

Clean fresh fish, removing head, tail, fins and
scales,and remove entrails. Rinse well.Cut fish into
sections up to 4 inches long. If fish is small
enough,do not remove spineand ribs as they will
soften during processing.
Fill clean, hot jars to bottom of band rings,
or approximately I -inch headspace. Place skin
side next to glass.Do not add water. Wipe rims
with clean, damp paper towel; place previously
boiled lids on and tighten bands fully,Use only
wide-mouth pint jars.
Process in dial-gauge pressure canner at 12
pounds for 100 minutes.

MULBERRY JAM

2012-09-12T00:59:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

7 cups white, granulated sugar

5 cups crushed mulberries, do not drain

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 box Sure-Jell

1/2 teaspoon butter

Method:

Measure sugar into large bowl.
In large pot (at least 6 quarts), combine
crushed berries, lemon juice and Sure-Jell.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar all
at once, then add butter (this helps to reduce
(Foaming); stirring constantly, bring back to a full
boil. Boil 1 minute, remove from heat.
let sit for about 3 minutes, then with regular
spoon, skim off foam.
ladle into jars (sterilized if using a waterbath
canner), leaving '/4.I-inch headspace, wipe
rims with clean, damp paper towel and cover
with boiled lid and band. Tightenfully.
Process in pressure canner at 7 pounds of
pressure for 8 minutes for pints and half-pints,
or process in water-bath canner for 10 minutes.
.Remove the jars from the boiling water and let stand, undisturbed, overnight. The jars will begin to seal after a few hours.

उडद दाल के मोदक...

2012-09-11T01:06:00.000-07:00

क्या चाहिए:

२ कप उडद की धुली दाल,१ छोटा कप देसी घी,२ छोटे चम्मच सूजी,१/२ कप खोया,सजाने के लिए बादाम पिसते और १/२ छोटा चम्मच इलाइची पाउडर |

ऐसे बनाएँ :

पहले उडद दाल को धोकर साफ़ कर लें और दो-तीन घंटे के लिए भीगने दें |फिर इसका पानी निथारकर दाल को मिक्सी में महीन पिस लें |अब मोटे तले वाली ल्दाही में घी गर्म करें |सूजी को हल्का गुलाबी होने तक भूनें |फिर दाल की पीठी डालकर लगातार हाथ चलाते हुए पकाएं |जब मिश्रण की रंगत हलकी सुनहरी होने लगे और खुशबू आने लगे,तों इसमें पीसी शक्कर,इलाइची व खोया डालकर अच्छी तरह मिलाएं व गैस बंद क्र दें |उडद दाल के मोदक तैयार है |

बेसन लड्डू...

2012-09-11T00:41:00.001-07:00

क्या चाहिए:

२.१/२ कप बेसन,१/३ कप देसी घी और १/३ कप बूरा |

ऐसे बनाएँ :

मोटे तले वाली कढाही में देसी घी व बेसन डालकर धीमी आंच पर भून लें |हाथ लगातार चलाती रहें |जब बेसन हलके सुनहरे रंग का होने लगे साथ ही खुशबू भी आने लगे तों कढाही को गैस से उतार लें |५-७ मिनट रुक कर इसमें बूरा (पीसी छिनी )डालकर अच्छी तरह मिलाएं |तैयार मिश्रण से मध्यम आकार के लडू बनाएँ |भोग के लिए लडू तैयार हैं |