Bruschetta

Bruschetta pronounced as Brus – ketta is a light, delicious and healthy snack. It is supposed to be an appetizer (antipasto in Italian) but besides making it a pre-pasta meal I also make it for breakfast at times!

Wheat bread – 4 slices (you can use the bread of your choice)
Tomato – 3 nos (nice and firm ones)
Garlic – few flakes
Oregano – 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons
Fresh Basil leaves – 5-6 nos
Olives – for garnish (optional)
Mozarella / Cheddar cheese – 3- 4 tbsp

1. Chop the tomatoes into small cubes
2. Add to tomatoes oil, cheese, salt, basil and oregano. Mix well, cover with shrink wrap and refrigerate for ½ hr or put it in the freezer for 10 minutes
3. Apply few drops of oil to bread slices and toast them at 150 degree C for about 10 minutes. It should be fairly crisp
4. Rub garlic on all slices
5. Place the tomato topping over each slice and garnish with olives
6. Serve immediately (else the juice of tomatoes will make the bread soggy)

You can also  thin slices of meat like prosciutto (pronounced as pro-shutto)  or salamis etc as topping

till next time…happy cooking!

Egg Snack Pic credit: Priya Q

My mom is always upto some culinary experiment and when I visited her last time I found Egg snack being served albeit as a side dish. Me thinks you can serve this as your cocktail snack and it will be a sure hit with your friends and relatives!

Hard boiled eggs – 3-4 nos
Potato – 3 big nos (boiled and mashed)
Coriander / Cilantro – 4 tbsp (finely chopped)
Bread crumbs – 5 tbsp
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Dry mango powder / Chat Masala – 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

1.    To the mashed potato add all ingredients and mix well
2.    Cover the hard boiled egg with the  prepared potato mixture
3.    Press the mixture nicely with your hands so that it doesn’t crumble while frying
4.    Rest for sometime
5.    Heat oil for frying in a deep thick bottom pan
6.    Fry in batches the prepared eggs
7.    Drain extra oil on an absorbent kitchen tissue
8.    Cut into half each fried egg with a sharp knife to get an even two halves
9.    Sprinkle chat masala and chilli powder as garnish
10.    Serve hot with your favorite sauce

till next time….happy cooking!

Homemade baby food recipes

Corn and Peas with cottage cheese

You can have two variations – one for a toddler or year old baby….

Sweet corn – ¼ cup
Green peas – ¼ cup
Cottage cheese – ¼ cup
Onion – 1 Tbsp (finely chopped)
Garlic – 1 clove (finely chopped)
Mixed herbs – ¼ tsp
Butter – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

1. Heat butter in a pan and sauté onion and garlic till you get an aroma
2. Tip in corn, peas and little water and cook on low heat till the vegetables are done
3. Add cottage cheese, herbs, salt and mix well
4. Mash it well with a fork and serve it to your toddler

1. In case the baby is slightly older you can add 1 boiled potato (mashed) and 1 Tbsp of bread crumbs and combine it all.
2. Shape it in the form of cutlets. Use fancy shaped cookie cutters to make it interesting
3. Fry on a non stick pan with about a dash of oil.
4. Serve it with your kid’s favorite sauce

Coming up next… few dessert recipes for your baby’s sweet tooth

happy cooking!

image: Priya Q

Dhokla reminds me of the days of college. On my way back home was this snack shop who made excellent dhoklas. And I always ended up packing few to take back for family evening snack time. Dhoklas can be made very easily and are tasty too. Next time you are looking for ideas for snacks for your family…try this out!

Gram flour (Besan) – 350gms
Green Chilies – 1 tsp (paste)
Ginger – 1 tsp (paste)
Salt to taste
Soda bicarbonate – 1 tsp
Lemon – 1 no
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Curd (Yogurt) – 1 cup
Oil – 1 tbsp
Water – 1 cup (approx)

For Tempering
Oil – 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds (sarson) – 1tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves – 4 Tbsp (chopped)
Green chilies – 2-3 nos. (slit vertically)

• Combine gram flour,Curd and water. Add water in batches so that you get the right consistency for the batter.
• Mix well. The batter should be smooth and of thick consistency.
• Add salt and set aside for 4 hours covered with a lid.
• Now add ginger and green chili paste to the batter.
• Also add turmeric powder and mix well.
• Keep the steamer or cooker ready on gas stove.
• Grease a baking dish (it should fit in the steamer or cooker).
• Now in small bowl take a tsp. of soda bi-carbonate , 1 tsp oil and lemon juice and mix well.
• Add this to the batter and mix well.
• Pour the batter into the greased pan and steam for 10-12 minutes or till done.
• Cool for sometime and cut into big cubes.
• Heat oil for tempereing in a small pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves allow to splutter. Remove and pour it over dhoklas.
• Garnish the besan dhokla with coriander and slited green chilies.
• Serve as is or with green chutney.

* Eno fruit salt can be used in place of soda bicarbonate

Till next time…. happy cooking !

This is quite an old trick and quick one too. One of the evenings at Scotland, Derek added to my newly found love for cheese. check out the crackers in the picture topped with cheese, fresh herbs (like cilantro, parsley,basil etc), tomatoes and cottage cheese*.

Use you creativity by using olives, jalapenos, hummus etc

*churn cottage cheese along with some milk and dried herbs, salt and pepper in a mixer

….Derek McMillan for you!