{Product Review & Recipe} Cottage Cheese & Bell Pepper Quesadillas, Pickled Peppers and Gulab Jamuns – Strange Bedfellows? Maybe …

“Life is the sum of all your choices”
Albert Camus
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Given the choice, I would cook and bake all day with olive oil as my happy cooking medium … SIGH if only I didn’t find the price a little prohibitive. My dream came true when Sharon brought me a selection of the recently launched Borges Olive Oil product range {more here}. The bottles staring down from the shelf in the living room tempt me {yes, the kitchen is still ‘work in progress’}, and of particular interest is the Extra Light Virgin Olive Oil that Borges has developed specially for the Indian market. It’s a blend of refined and virgin olive oils, making it ideal for Indian cooking.

I was skeptical as to whether it would withstand the high heat for deep frying but decided to give it a shot since another product was awaiting review … a gulab jamun mix from GITS! The marriage of 2 reviews together inspired me, so I set off to ‘knead the dough’ to make Gulab Jamuns, also known as ‘waffle balls’!

There are many things I stay away from. Top of the list is deep frying, unless of course it is  Beignets & Donuts, or maybe Churros; ready to eat packaged foods is also not quite me. My mantra is very much ‘Do It From Scratch‘, and I rarely deviate from my path. Some time back I received an interesting foodie parcel from GITS, a company at the forefront of the instant foods revolution in India. It had a selection of ready to cook, as well as ready to eat foodstuff. A quick check of the fine print read no preservatives; I was happy to live with this for once. The gift bag had ready-to-eat Dal Makhani and Palak Paneer which were very impressive, and then yesterday I needed to make a quick dessert and the Gulab Jamun mix caught my glad eye! I wasn’t too convinced about how it would turn out but thought I would give it a shot, as it offered me a chance to deep fry in Extra Virgin Light Olive Oil!

Gulab jamun is one of Indias most popular desserts and is traditionally made out of evaporated milk blended with wheat flour, fried and soaked in sugar syrup. It jamun gets its brownish red color because of the sugar content in the milk powder or khoya. Gulab jamun originates from an Arabic dessert, Luqmat Al-Qadi {Arabic for “the judge’s bite”}, that became popular in the Indian Subcontinent during the Mughal era. Rosewater syrup is often used; however saffron syrup and honey are also common. The dessert also became popular in Turkish-speaking areas, spreading to the Ottoman Empire.

The result was most unexpected and made me eat humble pie. I have never eaten such delicious ‘dough balls deep fried and soaked in syrup, as Allesio said on twitter; we have discussed jalebis and ras malai in the sweet past! The gulab jamuns were outstanding, with a generous addition of finely chopped dry fruits. that formed a part of the mix. They were excellent served chilled too. The box had instructions to make 25 little balls, but I made 16 and they were just right when ready. This is one product that I will certainly use in the future. My SIL asked me if the olive oil imparted any unnecessary flavour etc to this dessert. Surprisingly not! It is a clean, light olive oil and seems quite ideal for Indian cooking.

Going backwards, for lunch I made these cottage cheese quesadillas, the cottage cheese marinated in an extra virgin olive oil marinade which I got from my sis. It’s a staple I use, and good quality EVOO really makes a difference. These quesadillas are a great hit with the kids, and can easily be made into non vegetarian ones too. They taste wonderful stuffed to the gills with pickled jalapeños. Were especially good crisp and warm as it was pouring cats and dogs. Recipe follows, as does the recipe for the pickled peppers, which are last, and certainly not the least!

Pickled jalapeños is something I have been making for the last 2-3 years, but couldn’t  recall  the name of the blog I found the recipe at. Then saw it at David Lebovitzs while googling, and decided it’s a great  recipe to share. Tangy and sharp, pickled peppers are part of our foodie existence and at any given time I have one jar ready in the fridge, and the next undergoing pickling. We can’t live without them. The kids love them to bits, especially the daughter, and the peppers are an inherent part of their every meal! In India, it is during the monsoons {or the rainy season} that these bright green peppers flood the market. Now is the best time to bottle them!

 

Cottage Cheese & Roasted Bell Pepper Quesadillas
Makes 12 wraps
500gms cottage cheese, cut into 2″ strips
5-6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil {I used Borges from here}
1 tbsp dried oregano
Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
12 small whole wheat tortillas {I used 5″ chapatis/Indian flatbread/rotis}
1 each roasted red and yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 green capsicum, julienned
Pickled jalapeños {recipe follows}
Cheddar cheese, or cheese slices
Method:
In a large bowl whisk the olive oil with the minced garlic, oregano, lime juice, red chili flakes and salt. It should be slightly extra salty and very tangy as cottage cheese is very bland.
Leave it marinate for 30 minutes. {I often leave this in the fridge overnight, for both the cottage cheese and chicken variations. Cuts down the work the next day}

Turn into a large wok and stir fry gently on high heat until all the liquid evaporates. Let cool slightly.
Lay a flour tortilla flat. Grate some cheese over it, or place a cheese slice across. Scatter a few juliennes of green capsicum, followed by a scattering of pickled jalapeños. Top with a 2-3 tbsp of the cottage cheese filling, followed by the roasted bell peppers. Gently fold into half, and place on a hot griddle with a few drops of olive oil. Decrease heat to minimum, press the wraps down with a flat spoon for the cheese to seal the sides together. Turn and repeat for the other side, cooking each side for 2-3 minutes till slightly crisp.

Serve hot or warm.
Note: You can substitute the cottage cheese for boneless chicken strips for a non vegetarian version. This makes for nice lunch box fillers too.

Pickled Jalapeños
Adapted from David Lebovitz, who adapted it from Michael Symon’s Live to Cook by Michael Symon and Michael Ruhlman
300gms jalapeño peppers, sliced {I snip them with kitchen scissors}
1 cup apple cider vinegar {I’ve used white vinegar in the past & it works well}
1 cup water
1 tbsp peppercorns
2 tbsp whole coriander seeds {I forgot to add these}
2 bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic, lightly bruised
2 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 tbsp sugar

Method:
Place the chopped jalapeños in a glass preserving jar.
In a non reactive saucepan, add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
Remove from heat and pour the brine over the peppers. Place the lid on the jar and let cool. Once cool, refrigerate for at least a week before using, if possible. {You can use them sooner, but Michael says they’re worth the wait... I agree totally}
Note: I store them in the fridge, but like anything preserved it’s always better to take your own precautions. Can according to jar manufacturers instructions.
Also, I like to add 2-3 whole slit sharp green chillies to the jar to increase the heat as the jalapeños we get here aren’t very hot.

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{Baking} CHOCOLATE ALMOND BISCOTTI … the fuss about Valrhona

“There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE!”
Linda Grayson, “The Pickwick Papers”
Sometimes life springs wonderful surprises, and I sit back reminiscing about how far I’ve come in the past couple of years, and more often than never, the connections boil down to twitter. I have met so many great folk here, all like minded, food at the centre of our universe, and vibes that make everyday HAPPY! Amazing!!
One such tweep is the fun and very talented girl Shayma who blogs at The Spice Spoon. Have you met her? She writes evocatively, a food blog with plenty of connect, inspired by her heritage. We share a sense of infectious enthusiasm, and enjoy endless banter, often in direct messages. She sweetly sent me a bag of her favourite cocoa a few days ago, Valrhona. I’ve heard plenty about it but never figured out what the fuss and hoo-haa was all about. Googling for recipes led me to one of my fave food blogs, David Lebovitz.  David recommends the use of superior cocoa in his biscotti recipe, and Valrhona was the one he used. I didn’t have to Google any more!
While I was Googling and deep in Valrhona type thoughts, Mr PAB gave me strangely quizzed looks. … so much excitement over cocoa. I had some proving to do, to me and to him as well. Just mixing the dry ingredients of the biscotti into the wet were enough to make me eat my words. Gosh, the depth, the colour and the flavour of adding superior quality cocoa were already stepping out of the bowl. The first bake and slicing later, it was impossible not to grab a few crumbs. DELICIOUS and oh-so-chocolatey! I couldn’t slice them as thin and neatly as David did his. I think it may be the variety of flour, the temperature, the  slight deviation from his recipe etc, but the chunky cookie makes for a fab mouthful. Love how rustic and delicious the sliced biscotti looks.
… Eating my words now, with some delicious crumbs from the first round of baking the biscotti with the cocoa powder in question – Valrhona! Gosh … the biscotti is awesome, and I am pretty sure it had a lot to do with the quality of cocoa. I did add some olive oil to the dough since the eggs I used were small. I could have added another egg, but a sweet lady from the Spanish major Borges was coming over to visit me. I thought she might enjoy the use of olive oil  this way, especially since I have been using Borges for a short while.

Sharon visited on behalf of Borges who recently announced it’s entry in the Indian market with the launch of its flagship product Olive Oil. It launched 3 variants – Extra Virgin, Extra Light and Pure Olive Oil. I missed the launch since I was out of town, and the lovely lady came by so see me with a bag of the different variants. Olive oil has seen an upsurge in the Indian market of late, and  there have been hectic promotions on many fronts, including this one at the European Art of Taste. {I was mildly surprised to hear exclamations at EAT when I said I use olive oil in desserts and baking.} A lot of folk here don’t associate olive oil with desserts / sweet stuff, but I’ve made Cocoa Cherry Dessert Brownies, Pistachio Olive Oil Brownies, Orange and Olive Oil Cake, Chocolate Buckwheat Lime Tart among other things. 

I have been using Borges Olive Oil for a short while now, mainly the extra virgin and extra light varieties. The Extra Light variety has been developed keeping in mind Indian cooking, and has a higher heating point to allow sautéing on high heat, deep frying etc. It has a mild flavour that doesn’t overpower the flavour of the food, but compliments the dish lending it the health benefits associated with olive oil. I am looking forward to using the extra virgin and the balsamic soon. You should see more olive oil recipes popping here now & then as I love using it!

Chocolate Almond Biscotti
Adapted minimally from David Lebovitz
30-35 cookies
Use a good-quality cocoa powder. You can use natural or Dutch-process for these, whichever one you like. Just remember that the chocolate flavor of the finished cookies is dependent on the quality of cocoa powder you use…. read more
2 cups flour
3/4 cups top-quality cocoa powder {I used Valrhona}
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 small eggs, at room temperature
1/8cup olive oil {I used Borges}
1 cup vanilla sugar, or plain granulated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped {optional}
1 cup almonds, toasted and very coarsely-chopped
3/4 cups chocolate chips {I used dark}
For the glaze
1 egg white
1 sachet vanilla sugar

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake a cookie sheet with baking parchment.
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, olive oil, vanilla beans, vanilla extract and almond essence if using.
Fold the dry ingredients, chopped almonds and chocolate chips in the wet mix till well incorporated, and the cookie dough comes together.
Divide the dough into half, and form into logs using slightly damp hands. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with vanilla sugar. bake for 25 minutes or until the dough feels firm. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes.

Slice and place sides down on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet midway during baking, until the cookies feel mostly firm. Cool completely and store in an airtight box.
Davids’ notes : Once baked, cool the cookies completely then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. If you wish, the cookies can be half-dipped in melted chocolate, then cooled until the chocolate hardens.

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OLIVE OIL BROWNIES with ROASTED ALMONDS…Mmmmm delicious!

“Chocolate is the only aroma-therapy I need.”
Jasmine Heiler
There was nothing for the kids school snack box, so I thought I’d do a batch of sandwiches. Of course, the teen vetoed my idea & looked decidedly deadpan at the very suggestion. Why do I bother asking? That set me thinking. Rummaging through my blog, I decided to make a batch of these olive oil brownies for them the next morning. Lined everything up on the counter, roasted the almonds, & wound up for the night. Was up early the next morning, as sleep abandoned me for some insane reason, & hit the kitchen. These brownies are a breeze to make, though they took longer than I estimated to cool down, thanks to an extended summer with high temperatures here. They did crumble a bit at the corners as I portioned them up too soon since it was time for the kids to leave. The slices would have looked neater if I had chilled them before cutting them up. They were delicious nevertheless, & are a fabulous healthy way to satisfy that chocolate craving.
If you are looking for butter laden, rich, dense brownies then these are not for you. But, if indulgence & counting calories are your kind of conflicting inclination, then these are right up your alley!! A long time ago I found these inviting Olive Oil Brownies by Sabra @ Cookbook Catchall. The recipe that comes from Faith Heller Willinger’s cookbook, Adventures of an Italian Food Lover is a twist on the traditional brownie in butter terms. The first time I made them, they were an entry for Equal Opportunity Kitchen who were doing their second round of their very successful first event Tried, Tested & True. I won a prize for these ♥ blush ♥, and am truly happy to be posting these again. I’ve used roasted almonds instead of pistachios this time around, & have stuck to my addition of some oats. The other change this time around is the addition of a teaspoon of baking powder. Take a look … they’ve got a beautiful crust, & are slightly, yet delightfully chewy within.
OLIVE OIL BROWNIES with ROASTED ALMONDS
Ingredients:
Dark / bitter chocolate – 100gms (melted; I melt it in the m/w)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 1/3 cup
Flour – 1/2 cup
Rolled Oats – 1/4 cup
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Sea salt – 1/4 teaspoon
Eggs – 2; at room temperature
Castor sugar – 2/3 cup (I used granulated)
Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
Roasted almonds – 2/3 cup; chopped (save some to sprinkle on top if you like)

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 175C. Line a 7 X 11″ (or 8 X 8″) baking pan with lightly oiled and floured parchment paper that overhangs the pan on two sides (this aids in removal later).
    Whisk the oil into the melted chocolate. Leave to cool.
  • Whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt and nuts together in a bowl.
  • In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale, thickened and billowy, about five minutes. Fold in the vanilla and the cooled chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour & nut mixture, stirring just until everything is combined. Pour into the prepared pan and distribute evenly.
  • Bake for 22-26 minutes (note from the Traveler’s Lunchbox: I would recommend checking earlier to avoid over-baking – mine were just on the verge after 22 minutes). The top will be dry and crackly, though a toothpick inserted in the center should emerge still a little wet.
  • Cool completely, then cut into squares with a sharp knife held firmly, because of the almonds. Serve plain, or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for extra indulgence.

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ROASTED GARLIC ‘n’ CHILI BREAD & OLIVE OIL MUSHROOM BRUSCHETTA – 3rd World Bread day

“We have learned to see in bread an instrument of community between men – the flavor of bread shared has no equal. “
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

&

It’s time to bake & talk about bread again…& this couldn’t be a better bread baking opportunity for me. Zorra @ Kochtopf is hosting the 3rd World Bread Day today, on October 16th. This is for Zorra…The original World Bread Day – an event created by UIB International Union of Bakers and Bakers-Confectioners – wants to provide an opportunity to talk about bread and bakers, to find out about their history, their importance as well as their future.

Saw this great sounding Chili Loaf at My Food Blog & just had to make it SOON! Here’s my adaptation of Arundhati’s Chili Bread – A Roasted Garlic Chili Bread. The few changes I made were to substitute a cup of all-purpose for a cup for whole-wheat flour, reduce the chili, & add roasted garlic paste.It was everything she said it would be … simple to make, great smelling & addictive. A well behaved loaf that sliced beautifully. Great great loaf, & the yeast cooperated as well!The bread also made this absolutely delectable ‘Olive Oil Mushroom Bruschetta. The recipe for this great tasting, crisp bruschetta was passed to me from my friend in Kiev while we were chatting the other night. That’s what I love about foodies & blogging…the free flowing exchange of creative ideas. Never a dearth of what to cook! It’s easily now…what not to cook!!

Roasted Garlic Chili Bread

As copied (& adapted) from My Food Blog
3 cups All-Purpose Flour + extra for dusting
1 cup Whole-wheat Flour
1 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp – Roasted Garlic Paste
1/2 tsp Roasted Red Chili Flakes
1/2 cup shredded Cheese (I used grated cheddar)
1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
400 ml Water (I used a little less)

Method:

Combine all the ingredients, except the water, in a large bowl. Gradually add the water, bringing the mixture together to form a ball.

  • Turn the ball out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough will begin to feel smooth and springy to touch. Put the ball into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a muslin cloth/cling wrap.
  • Let it rise to double its size (approximately 1 hour).
  • Turn the dough out again and press to slowly release air bubbles that may have formed. Gently knead for about 2 minutes.
  • Form the dough into any desired shape. I made 2 long french loaves (& they rose more than I thought they ever would!!).
  • Cover again with the muslin and leave it to rest until it rises again to about 1 1/2 times its size (approximately 45 mts – 1 hour).
  • Preheat oven to 225 deg C.
  • Make slits with a sharp knife on the surface of the dough to release steam. The slits should be of about 1″ depth.
  • Transfer the dough into the oven in the middle rack. On the bottom rack, put a tray filled with 1 cup water. Close and leave alone for 10 minutes. Now take out the water tray. Close again and leave for 30-35 minutes. The bread is done when it sounds hollow if you tap on the bottom of the loaf.
  • Bruschetta is a food whose origin dates to at least the 15th century from central Italy. It consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, and/or cheese; the most popular American recipe involves basil, fresh mozzarella, and tomato. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer.

    Olive Oil Mushroom Bruschetta
    Mushrooms – 200gms; finely chopped
    Juice of 1 lime
    Garlic – 3-4 cloves; finely minced (I used the microplaner)
    Oregano – 1 tbsp
    Sea salt & pepper to taste
    Olive Oil – 1/2 cup (or as required)

    Method:

    • Place the mushrooms in a deep (not too wide) glass/steel bowl.
    • Whisk all the other ingredients together. Check seasoning.
    • Pour over the uncooked, chopped mushrooms, mix in well. The olive oil should ideally cover the mushrooms. (Mine just soaked them, but the next morning I found the mushrooms had shrunk & they were all well soaked.)
    • Leave to marinate in the fridge, preferably overnight.
    • Slice the loaf thin, top with mushrooms, drizzling the olive oil marinade generously over the loaf, & grill in pre-heated hot oven at 300 degrees C on rack for 10 minutes until brown on the edges & crisp.
    • Note: For fussy kids, you can add some cheese on top to cover the mushrooms.
    • I think this might taste quite nice with roasted bell peppers added to the marinade as well, or maybe sun dried tomatoes, red chili flakes etc. The seasoned olive oil lends wonderful flavour to the bruschetta. A keeper of a recipe!

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    ORANGE & OLIVE OIL CAKE…Drawing Inspiration!

    “Anytime the perfume of orange and lemon groves wafts in the window;
    the human body has to feel suffused with a languorous well-being.”
    Frances Mayes, Bella Tuscany

    ‘ORANGE & OLIVE OIL CAKE’

    This is the ‘Orange & Olive Oil Cake’ I made, inspired by the Cenk’s recipe. He made his ‘Clementine and Olive Oil Cake’ inspired by the “Olive Oil and Sherry Pound Cake” recipe from Alice Medrich’s book “Pure Dessert”. Inspirations galore resulted in a lovely, moist cake, with a crumb as light as ever…& no butter! There is a very Mediterranean feel to the recipe…& the taste is even better 2 days later. My friend from the land of the babushkas got me some poppy seeds, & I was wondering what use to put them to? This did seem the perfect place to bung them in. The kids love the cake & the addition of poppy seeds has given it a nice crunch. The other alteration to the recipe is substituting a bit of flour with whole-wheat flour. That is one thing I always try to do whenever possible! It’s a feel-good factor thing for me!! It didn’t make the cake crumb any heavier, or the cake rise any less…very satisfying indeed!

    Thank you Cenk…

    The idea of mixing the zest about with the sugar is novel indeed. It flavours the sugar really nicely, & makes it look pretty too. Flavour…that’s the good thing about Alice Medrich’s book “Pure Dessert”. I have to lay my hands on it soon. Until then, its off to Cenk’s, or then to Meeta’s at WFLH, who, coincidentally, was baking a dessert from the very same book, while blogging a comment on the ‘Coffee Walnut Cookies’ I made!!

    “Omit and substitute! That’s how recipes should be written. Please don’t ever get so hung up on published recipes that you forget that you can omit and substitute.” Jeff SmithThe recipe then…

    (Inspired by Cenk who was inspired by the “Olive Oil and Sherry Pound Cake” recipe from Alice Medrich’s book “Pure Dessert”)

    Ingredients:

    Flour – 1 1/2 cup
    Wholewheat flour – 1/2 cup
    Baking powder – 1 1/2 tsp
    Salt – 1 pinch
    Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 1/2 cup
    Sugar – 1 cup
    Zest of 3 oranges
    Eggs – 3
    Orange Extract – 1 tsp
    Fresh Orange Juice – 1 cup
    Poppy seeds – 2 tbsp + some for sprinkling on top

    Method :

    • Sift the flours + baking powder + salt together.
    • Mix the sugar & zest so as to flavour the sugar.

    Working with the magical microplaner (zester)…

    • Grease & flour a 12 X 4 loaf tin. (I lined the bottom as well).
    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
    • Beat the olive oil & sugar well.
    • Beat in the eggs one by one, followed by the orange extract.
    • Beat in 1/3 of the flour mix, followed by 1/3 juice…repeat 2 times,finishing with the juice.
    • Mix in the poppy seeds.
    • Turn batter into prepared tin & sprinkle some poppy seeds on top.
    • Bake for 50-60 minutes until done, till the tester comes out dry.
    • Rest in tin on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from tin & cool on rack.
    A lovely, moist & light crumb!

    Have just found this interesting blog event…coincidence has it that this months’ ‘fresh produce’ is Oranges!! How nice…this is my entry to Marta’s blog ‘An Italian in the US’ which is dedicated this month to this delicious citrus fruit.

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