Rosemary Garlic Sesame Millet Crackers with Lovilovi and Bird’s Eye Sweet Chili Pickle … earthy beautiful pairing





"There is a lot of food culture that goes on in the home and in the community in non-traditional ways. Food is a lot more than restaurants."
Eddie Huang


Rosemary Garlic Sesame Millet Crackers with Lovilovi and Bird's Eye Sweet Chili Pickle. These turned out to be crackers with a bite. Paired with the sweet chili pickle, they got just the right kick as well, some smoked Gouda on the side to balance the heat from the pickle. Both the crackers and the the pickle have much in common, other than the long name of course! Both earthy and rustic, both from local produce, they have a combination of flavours that compliment each other. The taste undertones are complex but subtle, individual ingredients in each that compliment the preparation. The good thing is that they pair together beautifully too!


Say millets to me and a part of me shudders with fear, while the other part of thinks happily this might be the time for me to 'step out' and be millet confident. I've had a LONG unsteady relationship with millets, more hate than love. In the past I have found them uninspiring, sandy, gritty and rather unrewarding to work with. Yet a recent contest on Commeat which focused on millets made me sit up and take notice. Couldn't figure out why it had everyone so excited.Thus began a small journey. Though only a few weeks old, I am fast covering ground. Picked Madhuli's brains as she does a load of creative food with millet. I pestered her SO MUCH that she just mailed me many bags of different varieties.Then I shifted gears and pestered Ruchira, my other millet inspiration. She put me onto making the yummiest millet khichadi ever. So I bravely ventured further on my own, and here is my first experiment, millet crackers. Flavoured with my fave ingredients, garlic and rosemary, I threw in some sesame seeds too!Much reading online tells me that roasting the flour before using it reduces a characteristic mustiness the flour has. Did just that. Looked and felt like sand, or rather EARTH! Which gave me an idea. I decided to pair these earthy rustic millet crackers with this Lovilovi and Bird's Eye Sweet Chili Pickle from Place of Origin.On the onset, might I warn you that the flavours just explode in your mouth. Not for the faint-hearted, this intriguing pickle tempts you to dig in. The heart wants more yet the mouth is on fire! Smoked or herb cheese on the side balances it off!Made from the Lovolovi plums and the bird’s eye chilies that grow wild in the coffee estates of Coorg, The Earth Reserve's Sweet pickle is a must-have for all who love combination between sweet and spicy. One of the most piquant chilies and tartness of the berries combine to bring you a flavor that has a spicy kick but not mouth burning and you can still taste all the individual flavours. This pickle looks good, tastes good and provides you a versatile usage. Liven up a burger, serve with a cheese board or cold meats, spice up sausages, mix in to mayo…






Based in Scotland of India - Coorg, The Earth Reserve brings to you homemade products with a passion for bringing wholesome food to the table without any added colours, flavours, synthetic preservatives, taste enhancers or pectin. Free from harmful pesticides or any other chemical sprays, the ingredients are instead sprayed with the nourishing rains and mists that the hills of Coorg are blessed with. With its natural heritage and colourful history, India is the birthplace and home of a number of cuisines. The environment, soil, climate and history contribute to unique recipes made with locally sourced produce. Accordingly, every town in India is famous for select foods or food producers. As human beings, it is natural for us to have a strong emotional connect with the food we eat. There will always be some food products which trigger fond memories of familiar hometown flavours and gastronomical experiences – it could be the sweetshop from across the street from where you grew up or a confectionery in that hill station that you went to one summer. This pickle hits 'thta' spot and more! So if you make crackers like these, to set your world on fire with this fabulous pickle, PlaceofOrigin.in is the answer!!


 
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Rosemary Garlic Sesame Millet Crackers

Crisp, earthy, flavourful and gentle, these Rosemary Garlic Sesame Millet Crackers are a great wholegrain savoury bake. They are good on their own, and really good when paired with a dip , maybe cheese as well. Paired with Lovilovi and Bird’s Eye Sweet Chili Pickle, they got just the right kick, with some smoked Gouda on the side.
Course Snack
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup millet flour {ragi}
  • 1/2 cup wholewheat flour {aata}
  • 3 tsp white sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp black sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp clarified butter {ghee}
  • 1/2 tsp rock salt
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2-3 sprigs rosemary finely chopped
  • 50-60 ml water

Instructions

  • Gently roast the ragi with sesame seeds over low heat until lightly coloured. Cool.
  • Preheat oven to 180C.
  • Place all ingredients except water in bowl of stand mixer.
  • Mix on low speed, then add 50 ml water to make a soft firm dough. Add a little more water as required. Knead the dough until smooth for 2 minutes.
  • Roll out as thin as possible between two sheets of baking parchment, cut into desired shapes, then transfer to baking sheet.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes until they turn brown on the edges and feel firm.
  • Cool completely, then transfer t an airtight container.

Baking | Brownie Butterscotch Wholegrain Cookies … and some gorgeous table linen from IDAM


“I love linen in soothing colors for any room in the house.”
Nate Berkus

Brownie Butterscotch Wholegrain Cookies are possibly the easiest cookies to make ever. This is my favourite recipe as it is as simple as the end is delicious. Healthy too. For one the cookies are double chocolate {almost everyone’s favourite}, and they are also a 100% wholegrain. To make them better, I halved the butter! Guess I couldn’t ask for more! They turned out pretty effortlessly in the KitchenAidIndia stand mixer, which turned out a perfect cookie dough in a matter of minutes. Absolutely delicious comfort food!

With so little effort I turned my attention to some beautiful table linen from a concept store called IDAM. The beauty of this shot and the few others that I attempted to capture, IMHO, of course comes from their aesthetic and impressive range of linen. The more I shoot their linen, the happier I get. Do check out their work. It is so inspiring, so real. Importantly their statement of beliefs hit the right chord with me.

“Taking a step closer to sustainable and responsible design, we have pledged to use 100% organic fabrics for all our products. We use 100% fair trade certified fabrics. We carry over the great work done in the farms to our manufacturing factories, which always follow ethical fair labour practices. We take pride in our work ethics where we do not encourage child labour, gender discrimination or low wages.”

IDAM was born out of numerous car ride discussions to and from college between a duo of dreamers, Nayanika & Gazal. From an idea, it has now evolved to a full fledged print and surface design studio that translates its aesthetics onto contemporary home and lifestyle products. Each product is unique as it has a story behind it. Be it a doodle in a diary or the fallen leaves outside their studio, or how folk art adorns the streets of India, it’s all brought to you in an array of prints, almost like a glimpse into the dreamers daily escapades.

The  fabric is gorgeous, the attention to detail has me fascinated. It’s the small ideas that translate into print that makes me love them. Every piece is so me – the whites and blacks, the beige and slate grey, the blue and white, the understated Ikat print. This is just one small peep into their beautiful world. 

And of course, do bake up a batch of Brownie Butterscotch Wholegrain Cookies! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

 

 

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Brownie Butterscotch Wholegrain Cookies

A new baking recipe. An easy baking recipe. The Brownie Butterscotch Wholegrain Cookies are chippers gone healthy, yet still deeply satisfying. This is not your everyday quintessential chocolate chip cookie. This one is better and is also 100% wholegrain. Deep dark chocolatey + chewy + fudgy = comfort food! Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

  • 125 g dark couverture chocolate {I used 72%}
  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • 30 g good quality cocoa powder
  • 1 egg
  • 100 g brown vanilla sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 15 ml yogurt {1tbsp}
  • 80 g oats {I used breakfast oats}
  • 75 g wholewheat flour {aata}
  • 50 g buttercotch chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C. Line 2 cookie trays with baking parchment.
  • Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl {in the microwave or over a double boiler}, whisk until smooth, then stir in the cocoa powder.
  • Place egg, yogurt and brown sugar in bowl of stand mixer, and whisk at high speed for 1 minute. Beat in vanilla extract, salt and baking soda, followed by the melted chocolate mix.
  • Fold in oats, whole wheat flour and butterscotch chips on the lowest speed until just combined.
  • Allow to stand for 5 minutes for oats to absorb moisture. {If the dough feels a little 'loose', add an extra spoon or two of oats.}
  • Scoop out dough with cookie scoop or drop spoonfuls on a tray, shaping as you go, at least an inch apart. Flatten with the tines of a fork.
  • Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the top feels set for a soft fudgy cookie, {I use the KitchenAid cookie tray for baking chocolate chip cookies, and the lower element only in my oven}
  • Leave to cool on tray for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Store in a cool place.

Dhungaar-e-Keema or Smoked Lamb Mince #comfortfood #Indiancuisine

“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.”
Ruth Reichl

Dhungaar-e-Keema  or Smoked Indian Lamb Mince is a quintessential recipe from the Indian subcontinent, one that is as simple as it is flavourful. The recipe is quite basic, the underlining key words characteristically ‘andaaz‘ and ‘bhuno‘, terms very familiar to how we cook in this region. Andaaz referring to eyeballing ingredients, and bhuno, ‘the quintessential stirring and roasting’ that gives Indian cuisine its essential character. Be it kebabs, kormas, bhuna gosht or then keema like this, the spice mixes are generally region specific. This Dhungaar-e-Keema or Smoked Lamb Mince is minimally adapted from an old one from @ My Tamarind Kitchen, a blog written by Scotland based Sumayya.It’s an old familiar recipe, one that has roots across this region, North India and Pakistan. It’s strange how similar the culinary vocabulary and cooking methods are. My mother and her friends, who I owe a lot of my initial recipe repertoire to, always had the same two favourite words, ‘andaaz’ and ‘bhuno’. The  story was the same with my aunts who I used to pursue relentlessly in an attempt hone my abysmal cooking skills. These words were firmly rooted in the North Indian cooking lingo of the past, a reflection of how recipes have evolved down the ages. We’re down to measures now – teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, grams, ounces in cookbooks, yet ‘andaaz ‘or eyeballing in Indian cooking still rules the kitchen!For recipes other than baking I still pretty much eyeball what goes in, merrily tasting and tossing as I stir. Andaaz is my way to go too. No better way to cook I’d say, though maybe not the ideal ‘cookbook’ for newcomers on the scene, or for people alien to a particular cuisine. The good thing is that I am an obsessive ‘picture taker’ for steps of cooking, and especially when cooking with spices as they keep me fascinated. As a result of that, I usually know how the recipe has progressed and what went it.

This time was of course no different even though I followed Sumayyas recipe pretty much. The steps were familiar since most of our curries follow the same pattern. The only thing different about her recipe was that no powdered spices were included, something that I found quite interesting. I don’t think I’ve cooked often with only a smattering of whole spices and not even a single teaspoon of coriander powder or turmeric.

I did add a few whole spices of my own though. Star anise for one. A new found love for a spice I barely cared for. Shooting for our Masala Dabba series I fell in love with it because of the way it looked. So I included it in a sangria, then in a panna cotta. Then one trip into the heart of South India to Karaikudi,and I was sold on it. It’s quite an integral part of Chettinad cuisine, often thrown in in wild abandon, the aromas filling the air the minute star anise hits hot oil.

Also in went bay leaves, a gift from the garden of my mother’s friend who lives in the UK, but grew up here in India. She carried a bag for us, for me especially, since she knows how fond we are of her recipes, a lot of them inspired from Pakistan. She influenced a lot of my recipe and cooking processes when I had just got married, gingerly stepping into the kitchen for the first time. The rest of course is history …  the recipe follows!

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Cooking | Dhungaar-e-Keema or Smoked Lamb Mince

Dhungaar-e-Keema or Smoked Indian Lamb Mince is a quintessential recipe from the Indian subcontinent, one that is as simple as it is flavourful. The recipe is quite basic, the underlining key words characteristically ‘andaaz‘ and ‘bhuno‘, terms very familiar to how we cook in this region. Andaaz referring to eyeballing ingredients, and bhuno, the quintessential 'stirring and roasting’ that gives Indian cuisine its essential character.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Keema

  • 500 g lamb mince
  • 1 cup homemade full fat yoghurt whisked smooth
  • 3 medium tomatoes finely chopped
  • 2 medium onions finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp garlic paste

Whole garam masala

  • 1 cinnamon stick {dalchini}
  • 3-4 cloves {long}
  • 3-4 small green cardamom {elaichi}
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds {saunf}
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds {zeera}
  • 1 tbsp whole coriander seeds {dhania}
  • 2 star anise
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2-3 green chilies
  • 1 big bunch fresh coriander chopped
  • 1 lime
  • 3 tbsp Ghee/ clarified butter or oil
  • 1 piece of coal

Instructions

  • Heat some ghee/clarified butter in a heavy bottom and add the khara masala/whole spices and saute until fragrant. Throw in the chopped onions and stir fry until light golden brown on the edges. Add the ginger garlic and saute for a further 2-3 minutes, until the raw smell has disappeared.
  • Now add all the chopped tomatoes and roast well until almost dry, then add the mince. Stir in well to mix, then roast over high heat until the meat is no longer pink. Season with salt.
  • Then add the yogurt, stirring constantly to roast/bhuno until the yogurt has been absorbed and is no longer white. Cover the wok/pan with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat to lowest, allowing the mince to slow cook in it's own juices.
  • Check once in a while to make sure it isn't catching the bottom, giving it a quick stir. A heavy bottom good quality pan really works well here. cook until the liquid has evaporated and the colour is nice and reddish brown. As Sumayya says, 'bhuno-ing the keema is key!'
  • Add loads of fresh chopped coriander and green chilies. Cover and allow to dam for a about 5 minutes, then turn off heat and let it stand. I f you wish to smoke the mince, please see instructions below.
  • Smoking the Keema: Light up a piece of coal over the gas fire. Make a tiny bowl with an aluminium foil. Place the hot burning coal in it and quickly drizzle a few drops of melted ghee/clarified butter over it. The coal will begin smoking immediately. Tightly shut the lid and leave for about 15-30 minutes.

Baking | Simple Straightforward Delicious 100% Wholewheat Pizza … #cleaneating

“I want to live in a world where the need for pizza belittles that of war.”
Jason Barnett

100% Wholewheat Pizza … nothing else. Simple, clean, quick, delicious and versatile. As I mentioned recently, I have a few good to go recipes that I hold in my head. Most involve eye balling, throwing into the KitchenAid stand mixer rather rapidly, mixing in all at once, and then leaving the yeast to rise to the occasion. Life gets tiring at times with so much going on. For times like those, simple is best. If it can go wholegrain, even better.

There’s nothing to this recipe. In line with my recent experiments, I use cultured buttermilk {available as plain chaach in the local market} to knead the dough as a substitute to water. Chemistry falls flat with me, schooling largely forgotten, but possibly yeast with the added culture does work in there to allow for a quick rise. You could add a spice blend, minced garlic or herbs to the dough as well. I added a dash of Genoa to perk up the grilled vegetables for the topping, the topping inspired from Epicurious. I’m giving away a set of spice blends away here, so you can try and enter if you like. The spice blend paired well with the vegetables and herbs. Worked a charm. Bland vegetables like eggplant and mushrooms take really well to added flavours. Just herbs, garlic and lime also work really well.

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100% Wholewheat Pizza

Simple, quick, fuss free, this 'loaded with goodness' 100% Wholewheat Pizza will keep the young and old all happy. Base done, fix the toppings as you like, else there is a recipe below. Recipe can be easily doubled.
Course Appetiser, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients

100% Wholewheat Pizza

  • 1 cup wholewheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp yeast
  • pinch sugar
  • 125-150 ml cultured buttermilk tepid
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink rock salt

Topping

  • 3-4 long eggplants sliced
  • 10-15 button mushrooms quartered
  • 3-4 cloves garlic sliced
  • 2 tsp fresh herbs
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 tbsp Sprig Genoa spice blend
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tomato chopped into 1/2" bits
  • 1/2 cup sweet corn
  • 4 tbsp jalapeno cream cheese
  • 4 tbsp pizza sauce
  • 200 g mozzarella

Instructions

100% Wholewheat Pizza

  • Place everything except buttermilk in bowl of stand mixer. Stir on low speed for 3 seconds, with knead hook attached. Begin pouring in the buttermilk, a little at a time, till you get a soft dough that begins to comes together.
  • Increase the speed and knead for 7-8 minutes on speed 5 until you get a smooth elastic dough. Add a little more buttermilk f the dough is dry, or some more flour if the dough is too wet. {Every brand of four has a different absorption capacity. I usually eyeball the amount.}
  • Transfer to an oiled bowl {or leave in in the KA bowl like I do}, cover with cling-wrap and leave in a draft free place to rise for an hour, until doubled. {You can also leave it in the fridge overnight for a slow rise}

Topping

  • Toss the eggplant slices with 1/2 tsp salt, and leave in colander for 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess water, then toss with mushrooms, spice blend, garlic, lime, olive oil and fresh herbs.
  • Grill in hot oven for 10 minutes then leave to cool.
  • Toss tomatoes with freshly chopped mint and basil and some salt, Place over a colander to allow excess water to drain out. Mix into the grilled vegetables.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C.
  • Divide the dough into 2 or 4 as desired.
  • Roll out quite thin {we like thin crust pizzas}, or as thick as you like. Brush with extra virgin olive oil, and lightly sprinkle with Himalayan rock salt.
  • Place of a parchment lined baking tray and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool a little.
  • Assemble
  • Give the base a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then a smear of cheese spread, followed by one of pizza sauce.
  • Top with the grilled mixed vegetables and sweet corn, grate over mozzarella.
  • Bake for 10 minutes in a hot oven just until the cheese melts and the vegetables get warmed through.
  • Garnish with chili flakes, fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

FoodTalk | Wholegrain Cinnamon Oat Waffles with Clove Ice Cream… get spicy these monsoons! #ICloveIt

“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.”
Don Kardong

Wholegrain Cinnamon Oat Waffles with Clove Ice Cream. It’s no secret that I have a deep love for spices, for styling them, experimenting with them and of course including them in my dishes. While I don’t like over spicing my food, it is fascinating to discover how far you can go with them. My favourite spices of course are cinnamon, star anise and clove especially since they work so well with desserts and bakes. The spice infused Gur Panna Cotta With Candied Walnuts that I developed for askme with cinnamon, star anise and cloves was a runaway winner.
… as was this Sangria Mocktail.

While I use the three together often, the last was just 2 days ago in this finger licking good Gosht Do Piaza or Mutton Stew, it’s rare for me to go solo with clove. I love the flavour, but find it difficult to capture the essence stand alone. Things I love clove in – mulled wine, spice infused sangria, spice shortbread, infused orange juice, preserves. Cloves are also packed with goodness they say.
So when I heard of the Baskin Robbins Clove Candy Crunch Ice-cream from a friend, I just had to go and experience it for myself. Cloves in ice cream? Never heard of that before, and am so glad I tried some. Cloves have a deep lingering flavour, something I struggle to recreate at home. One icy bite down and I just knew it was magic! Intriguing, exciting, different, in fact so unique! The cloves shining through, I knew this would pair beautifully with Wholegrain Cinnamon Oat Waffles that I make so often when it rains.
Kill two birds with one stone they say. Romance the monsoons with the best of both worlds I’d say – clove and cinnamon, ice cream and waffles, indulgent and healthy. Doesn’t get much better than this. And of course if you have ‘ouch’ super sensitive ice cream teeth like I do, then makes sense to reach out for this new clove toothpaste. Yes, you heard me right. Clove there too! Colgate Sensitive Clove helps you enjoy your favourite ice cream without worrying about sensitivity. Reminds me of the ‘laung ka tel‘ {clove oil} that my aunt used to recommend using years ago!So here you go. Hope you enjoy this magical combination as much as we did. We even had some in Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, then a Cookie Ice Cream Cake. Simple and fun. Line a baking tin with cling wrap. Crumble cookies, press into a baking pan to make a layer, top with softened ice cream, followed by another crumbled cookie layer. Freeze for 6-8 hours, better overnight. Spread over with unsweetened mascarpone cream, a dusting of cocoa powder, and chocolate shavings! Enjoy!These Wholegrain Cinnamon Oat Waffles {GF} with Clove Ice Cream turned out to be the perfect pairing while it rained a few days ago. Hot crisp waffles and delicately flavoured clove ice cream, try them now. You can thank me later!

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Wholegrain Cinnamon Oat Waffles {GF}

Wholegrain Cinnamon Oat Waffles are the best treat for breakfast and for a snack, even doubling up as a quick delicious dessert. Pair them with clove ice cream and watch the flavours come alive on your palette! I keep a jar of ground oats on hand in the pantry. These waffles are the best ever!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup oat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 90 ml buttermilk {or 2% milk}
  • 1 egg
  • 30 g clarified buttre/hee
  • 15 g honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions

  • Place buttermilk, cinnamon powder and clarified butter in a measuring jug and microwave for 30-45 seconds until butter melts. Whisk in the egg and honey.
  • In a large bowl stir together oat flour and baking powder. Pour wet mix into dry and stir until just mixed. Leave to stand for 10 minutes while you turn on the waffle maker to preheat it.
  • Pour half the batter in and cook according to manufacturer instructions, 5-8 minutes, until golden brown and firm to touch.
  • Serve with topping of clove ice cream.

Genoa Fougasse with spiced yogurt, hummus & foxnuts … for the love of bread

“Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all it’s flavour.”
William Cowper

Genoa Fougasse turned out to be the best bread I’ve baked in a while. Sometimes you just need ‘bread luxury’, and this became that and much more. The difference here was the new level of deliciousness brought on by the addition of a gourmet spice blend, Genoa, from Sprig. It brought the flavours alive, went beautifully with the cheese and walnuts within, making it our new favourite bread at home. French Fougasse has always been on top of my list of fave breads. The Genoa Fougasse just knocked it off!

Spices have always fascinated me since I entered the kitchen. My love affair with them getting more intense when I joined Dolphia and Simi on the spice journey with The Masala Dabba. The colours, the flavours, the versatility never cease to amaze. I am rather light handed with spices in the kitchen, using them only to enhance flavours rather than overpower the dish. The fougasse I planned to make was just a cheese and walnut bread.It’s a dough I’ve been working with, an experiment which goes on substituting grains on the go. I wanted a light bread, so I decided to stay half whole wheat and half plain flour. Also instead of water, I like kneading my dough with cultured buttermilk. Kills two birds with one stone, no make it four! Adds some calcium, makes the dough buttery light, reacts faster with the yeast, and of course lends beautiful flavour too! I recently did pitas with a similar dough, playing around with the quantities a little. Seems to work its charm each time!The  charm however turned to absolute joy with this gourmet spice blend from Sprig. The spice blends arrived as the dough was proofing. On a whim I decided to add some to the bread. The fresh flavours please you as you undo the foil, the aromas very enticing. The packaging is quite eye catching, the quality excellent. If you look closely, you can pick out the ingredients as listed on the box. It’s quite a generous portion in the box, will see me for a while. It added colour, flavour and real happiness to the fougasse which was quite aptly renamed Sprig’s Genoa Fougasse. I can see a Syracuse Fougasse, maybe a Tangier Fougasse in the future perhaps. That’s the really nice thing about spice blends. They are so versatile to use – as a rub, marinade, glaze, paste, crumb, sprinkle or dressing! Or like me, with my imagination on about everything. You can see just what happened!!I made a Genoa Dipping Oil to serve alongside the bread. Just when you think the bead can’t get any better, one dip into the oil and you reach another exciting new level. Ideas popped into my head. You can do Malacca Naans or Tangier Pita Breads! Imagine a themed meal with the spice blend running through the meal? Really had me happy. Tangier Pitas with Tangier marinated grilled chicken, a hearty salad within paired with a mild Tangier laced salad dressing. Just the idea makes me happy!As I see spices, new ideas constantly develop in my head. How about a spice blend spiked yogurt, like a raita. I gently tried sprinkling some Malacca and melon seeds over home made yogurt. I can’t even begin to tell you how addictive that was. It was actually bowl scraping good. Next time it’s going to be either grated radish, a spice blend, chopped walnuts, maybe a dash of garlic and fresh mint or coriander as a side. The possibilities bring a smile to my face, somewhat like these fox nuts {or makhanas below}.

As the days pass by, there is always something interesting happening in the kitchen. These days falafal seems to rule, hummus much in demand. While attempting to make hummus the other day, I added the Tangier Spice Blend on a whim since it seemed to tie in with the region. What an amazing result. It lifted the hummus to a new delicious level. The daughter dug in asking where it was from. ‘You made it? Really? This is much better than store bought hummus‘.So chuffed, I added some into the falafal mix as well. This turned out to be fun! Pitas, falafal, garlicky dip, salad all happening in tandem!This gourmet spice blend from Sprig is available at Nature’s Basket, Foodhall and many stores across India. Locate a store here, else shop at the online store.

Sprig has offered to giveaway a set of the Gourmet Spice Blend to a reader of Passionate About Baking.

To enter all you need to so is like Sprig on FB and tell me what dish you would make with any {or all of the spice blends} should you win. I’ll pick a winner on the 25th of July. You must be a resident of India to enter.

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Genoa Fougasse

Genoa Fougasse turned out to be the best bread I've baked in a while. Sometimes you just need 'bread luxury', and this became that and much more. The difference here was the new level of deliciousness brought on by the addition of a gourmet spice blend, Genoa, from Sprig. It brought the flavours alive, went beautifully with the cheese and walnuts within, making it our new favourite bread at home.
Course Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Bread dough

  • 130 g aata
  • 130 g maida
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp yeast
  • 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 200 ml buttermilk

Filling

  • 1 1/2 tbsp Sprig Genoa spice blend
  • 100 g mozzarella grated
  • 50 g walnuts, toasted, chopped

Topping

  • 20 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Sprig Genoa spice blend
  • 2-3 Few sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink rock salt

Instructions

  • Bread dough
  • Place all ingredients in bowl of stand mixer. Mix gently first at speed 2 for a couple of minutes, then at speed 4 for 4-5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  • Add a spoon or two of buttermilk if the dough is a bit hard, or a spoon or two of flour if it is still sticky.
  • Cover the bowl with clingwrap and leave in a warm place for an hour until doubled. {Alternatively, leave in the fridge overnight for a slow rise}
  • Preheat oven to 225C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Knock back dough, and flatten to a rough rectangle of 8" X 4" on a floured surface. Drizzle a little olive oil, then sprinkle over with Sprig Genoa Spice Blend. Top with grated cheese and walnuts. Fold into thirds, flatten again, and fold into thirds again.
  • Place on prepared cookies tray, and shape into large oval, about an inch high. Cut slits through the dough to resemble leaf like cuts. Drizzle over with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle over with more spice blend, rosemary sprigs and Himalayan rock salt. Leave to rise while you preheat the oven to 20 minutes.
  • Bake for 20 minutes in a hot oven, middle shelf, both upper and lower elements, until puffy and golden brown. Serve with a spice blend infused extra virgin olive oil for dipping.
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