“Forks and spoons have probably done more to reconcile people who cannot agree than guns and bombs ever did”
Theodore Zeldin
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‘Red&White‘… Lasagna – Pasta with Freedom!
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A few weeks ago, I got a mail each from 2 very sweet Indonesian bloggers settled in Canada, Pepy @ Indonesia Eats & Dwiana @ The Adventure of My Cooking Diary announcing a food event celebrating ‘Red& White’, the colours of the Indonesian flag, in honour of the Indonesian Independence Day in August. How surprising that Dwiana & Pepy are ‘foodie fellows’ as they call themselves, & I have known the 2 of them separately through blogging in my search for the ever elusive sambal chili sauce. Little did I know that our paths would cross in such a manner & was delighted to be thought of & invited to contribute in my little way.
Anything red and white, visual or concept wise, taste wise… anything!
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At that time, I was clearing the larder… I have boxes of lasagna waiting to be used. Also had 6 tubes of cannelloni to use up. 6 were certainly not enough for a meal…‘can-u-loan-me’ some? Cannelloni couldn’t be made into lasagna…but thankfully, lasagna works well as a cannelloni roll up.
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How much more freedom can you get out of pasta…
…Lasagna willing to be rolled into cannelloni!
All the pieces fell into place withRED, WHITE &FREEDOM.
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SIL mentioned a nice veggie pasta cannelloni she had the other day with potatoes, cottage cheese & sweetcorn within. Enough to set my mind ticking. I love veggie versions of pasta; gives me a nice break from chicken. Contact was made with the ‘Pasta Bible’ which had a roll up version I had seen some time back. Set to work & this is how it came out….
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Canneloni with Potatoes, Cottage-cheese & Sweetcorn…by me
Ingredients:
Lasagna sheets – 12-16 / cooked aldente & spread out on a clean kitchen towel
(or cannelloni – 12-16 tubes)
Potatoes -2-3 / boiled & grated Cottage -cheese – 400gms , grated (I use Le Bon) Cheddar – 50 gms , grated Sweetcorn – from 2 cobs ( I like to boil mine fresh) Fresh coriander leaves – chopped fine (optional; or any other herbs of your choice) Marinara Sauce – 2 cups (approximately) Mozzarella for topping Fresh basil leaves Method:
Mix the potatoes + cottage cheese + cheddar + sweetcorn + herbs +salt + pepper well. Season well with salt & pepper. Reserve.
Put 1-2 tbsps of the mixture at one end of the lasagna sheet & roll up. Place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the sheets. If using cannelloni, pipe this filling into each shell & place in baking dish.
Pour over the marinara sauce & top generously with grated mozzarella. ( Can assemble till this point & refrigerate. Bring to room temperature later, bake & serve).
Cover with foil & bake for 25-30 minutes at 180 degrees C. Allow to stand for 15-20 minutes before serving.
This made for a nice, light summer main course dish. If you make it in winter, try it with a mushroom cream sauce over the marinara, maybe a bechamel, & then top it off with mozzarella. Would have been even yummier had I put in more cheese…but the calorie meter was a-counting!!
Thanks for flying the flag Dwi & Pepy. Thus runs the Spirit of Freedom, over nations far apart, yet bloggers narrowing borders like never before. I LOVE IT!!
Of Spaghetti & Vegetables… this one’s acombination full-of-flavour!
Bursting with flavour…an incredibly delicious focaccia!
Ever since I read that CasaBencomo has a huge jar of organic garlic waiting to be used up, my minds hit the garlic trail. Am sure the jar at Amy’s end is history, but my pursuit in never ending…garlic is one of my favourite ingredients. I was at a loose end for a meal one day…rummaged in the fridge & found bell peppers. Had a couple of heads of garlic & spaghetti. The Pasta Bible has place of honour on my bedside these days…a recipe I had read a couple of nights back came to my mind…Spaghettiniall’AglioArrostio (Spaghettini with Roasted Garlic). The garlic was duly put to roast, & the poor bell peppers tortured to grill again!
I decided to use most of my roasted garlic & chargrilled peppers in the spaghetti & the remainder in a focaccia! Yummy meal that was & have to say that the focaccia was unbelievable; the flavours were heady & fulfilling. Have read that garlic becomes sweet on roasting…couldn’t believe it. Spot on!
Prior preparation:
Grill 2 bell peppers, a red & a yellow one till charred. I do it over the flame. Seal them immediately in a ziploc till they cool. Remove the charred skin & wash. Chop fine.
Take 2 bulbs of garlic wrapped in foil. Bake in oven at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes. Allow to cool & then gently squeeze the insides into a bowl. Mash well with a fork (mashes very easily & becomes smooth), add about 1/2 cup of olive oil & freshly ground black pepper. Mix well.
Both these can be done in advance to save time.
Roasted Garlic & Grilled Peppers Focaccia
Ingredients:
Yeast – 1 tbsp Sugar – 1 1/2 tsps Warm water 1 3/4 cups Flour – 3 cups (+ a little extra if required) Wholewheat flour – 1 cup Salt – 1 tsp Olive oil – 3 tbsps Roasted garlic paste – 1 tbsp Mixed Italian herbs – 1tbsp Roasted chili flakes – 1/2 tsp Chargrilled red & yellow peppers – 1 heaped tbsp each Handful of fresh basil leaves Garlic – 3-4 cloves / sliced Sea salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Method:
In a bowl, stir together yeast, sugar and 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water and proof yeast for 10-15 minutes, or until foamy. Mix in the salt (not sea salt) + roasted garlic paste + herbs + chili flakes.
Stir in 3 cups of flour + 1 cup of wheat flour + 1 tbsp of olive oil adding as much more flour as necessary to form a soft and slightly sticky dough. Mix in the bell peppers.
Transfer to a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, and let rise, covered, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until double in size.
Knead dough down and press with lightly-oiled hands into 2 well-oiled 8″ round sandwich loaf pans & one slightly smaller one. Let them rise, covered loosely, for 30 minutes.
Dimple dough with your fingers in places, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over and spread over dough; sprinkle with onions, basil, garlic, a few bits of bell pepper and sea salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until pale golden.
Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.
My twist on Spaghetti all’AglioArrostito…Spaghetti with Roasted Garlic & Chargrilled Peppers as adapted from ‘The Pasta Bible’ by Jeni Wright, pg 164
Ingredients: Spaghetti – 400-500 gms Roasted garlic paste – all the remaining paste Chargrilled peppers – of 1 1/2 – 2 peppers / chopped fine Handful of basil leaves / chopped Parmesan to serve Roasted red chili flakes (optional)
Method:
Cook & drain pasta.
Toss in the roasted garlic paste + chopped grilled peppers + basil leaves.
Serve immediately with Parmesan shavings handed separately, focaccia & a salad.
Talking of my dear friend Amy, from FamiliaBencomo, ahem, it seems kinda apt to add in this post, that I’ve been given this precious award from the dear girl….blush! It’s the Arte y Pico Award, awarded to bloggers ‘for their creativity, design, interesting material, and who also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language’.Iam really really touched; thank you Amy…this means more to me than you can imagine! This is indeed an inspiring award & I’m proud to have got it. I will pass it on to 5 blogs soon.
“The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a star.”
AnthelmeBrillat–Savarin
A Vegetarian challenge…
Wonder how many of you have heard of the BBC daytime show ‘Ready Steady Cook’? I used to watch it often while visiting the UK years ago. Two members of the public, or occasionally sporting or other celebrities, provide two celebrity chefs with a bag of ingredients they have bought, usually to a set budget of £5 The chefs proceed to make several dishes out of the said ingredients (and a generously stocked kitchen containing basic ingredients and spices), in 20 minutes, with the help of the contestants and the programme host (things have changed a bit now, but the show goes on!). Ainsley Harriott was the presenter then…charismatic, larger-than-life & flamboyant. I googled about the show, & was absolutely delighted to find he’s still on this addictive food show, “My aim is to make cooking fun,” he says!
A medley of flavours…Healthy, wholesome & exciting!
These days my philosophy of cooking is vaguely based on ‘Ready Steady Cook’…without the 20 minutes clause of course! There was a time I used to shop with the end product in mind. Of late, I walk into the supermarket or local vendors shop, & pick up whatever catches my fancy. Then proceed back home to make a meal out of it with no specific plan. Makes cooking fun, & pushes my own creativity to different levels. I enjoy this a lot as it breaks the everyday monotony…& I find it encourages the kids to eat as they look forward now to different stuff showing up on the table!
So here’s what I picked up at the bazaar…baby potatoes (which seldom show up), bell peppers, sweetcorn on the cob & cottage cheese. I had some portion of multigrain elbow pasta which I wanted to use up…& then of course plenty of garlic, basil & mint! Here’s what my home show created on the go…
Baby Potato Sweetcorn Salad
Ingredients: Baby potatoes – 500 gms / boiled, peeled & halved Sweetcorn – 1 cup ( I used 2 fresh cobs; you can use frozen/canned) Hung yogurt/Greek yogurt – 1 cup Cream – 1 tbsp (optional) Ranch Buttermilk dressing powder- 2 tsps / heaped (optional) Juice of 1 lime Fresh mint leaves – 1 handful/ chopped Red Onion – 1/ finely chopped Salt Method:
Whisk the yogurt + cream + lime juice + salt + buttermilk dressing till smooth.
Put the baby potatoes + onion + sweetcorn+ mint in a bowl. Toss well.
Pour in the dressing, toss well. Serve either at room temperature immediately or chill until required.
Grilled Cottage-cheese Slices
Ingredients: Cottage cheese – 500 gms / cut into 8 slices Oil – 2 tbsp Oregano or crushed dried mint – 1 tsp Juice of 1 lime Sea salt or rock salt Freshly ground pepper Paprika – 1/2 tsp Method:
Whisk the oil with oregano + lime juice + sea salt + paprika + pepper.
Marinate the cottage cheese slices in this for at least an hour.
Just prior to serving, pick out a slice gently from the marinade & put onto a hot grill pan. Turn once, & pour a little marinade over the second side.
Multi-grain Elbow Pasta with a basil-walnut Pesto Dressing
Ingredients: Elbow pasta – 250gms Red bell pepper – 1 Yellow bell pepper – 1 Garlic – 2 cloves Salt to taste Fresh basil leaves – 5-10 / chopped
For the dressing: Walnut-basil pesto – 2 tsps (I’ve made my own & keep a jar in the fridge) Olive Oil – 4 tbsps Juice of 1 lime Salt to taste Roasted red chili flakes
Method:
Char grill the bell peppers & garlic cloves & seal in a ziploc until cool.
Put the pasta onto boil.
Whisk the olive oil + pesto + red chili flakes + lime juice + salt to make the dressing.
Drain the cooked pasta & mix into the dressing. Keep aside.
Clean & chop the grilled peppers. Chop the grilled garlic cloves with basil leaves. Toss both these into the pasta & mix in well. Adjust seasoning.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be served chilled as a nice cold salad!
ENJOY!!
This one had a fairytale ending…let’s see what happens when I set out next!!
“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”
Mark Twain
PENNE & ROASTED VEGETABLES IN A PASTA PIE
This is my entry for 3 great blog events…
‘Enter a Great Recipe Featuring Vegetables and Herbs From Monday October 8 until Sunday October 14’… Here is my entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging Two Year Anniversary.
Andrea’s GYO(Grow Your Own) that invites you to make a dish that uses at least one item from your very own garden, anything edible, and post about it. I have used sweet basil for this, which grows beautifully in our front yard.
Coffee & Vanilla’s‘Vegetarian AwarenessMonth’ which is a fun way to help others learn about the benefits of vegetarianism. Do visit the VAM homepage for more information. I try and include as many veggies in the kids diet as I possibly can, one way or another, letting them know about the health benefits, nutrition etc. As they say…’Teach ’em young!’
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I put this together with many inputs from here and there. As always, am forever looking for avenues to get more veggies into the kids, one way or another…the happier the way, the better for me!! My sister suggested roasting a bunch of seasonal veggies and tossing them into cooked pasta with a dressing. I thought…why not!! Once I started roasting the veggies, I had a brainwave. Toss them into a pasta sauce first…that’ll disguise ’em. One thing led to another, and everything finally found its way into a pie dish, basil & all……LOOKED GOOD, TASTED GREAT!!
Sweet Basil is an annual or perennial of tropical Asia with spikes of small white flowers and aromatic leave; one of the most important culinary herbs; used in salads, casseroles, sauces and some liqueurs.
Boccaccio’s story of Isabella and the Pot of Basil, immortalized by Keats, keeps the plant in our memory . It was formerly grown in English herb gardens. Tusser includes it among the Strewing herbs and Drayton places it first in his poem Polyolbion.
‘With Basil then I will begin Whose scent is wondrous pleasing.’
ROASTED VEGETABLES Ingredients: Pasta – 350-400gms (penne,fusili…or any short pasta of choice), cooked Red bell pepper – 1 / chopped Yellow bell pepper – 1/ chopped Aubergines – 3 long ones/ chopped Spring onions – 4 / chopped including stems Olive Oil – 2 tbsps Mixed dry herbs – 2 tsps (I used Italian grill seasoning)
Method:
Put all the chopped veggies in a big bowl. Toss well with the oil and seasoning.
Turn out onto a foil lined baking tray .
Grill on high for 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes to ensure both sides of veggies roasted.
PASTA SAUCE Ingredients: Tomatoes – 6-7/peeled and chopped Tomato puree – 100ml Garlic – 5-6 cloves / finely chopped Onion – 1 / finely chopped Red chili flakes – ½ tsp Oregano – 1 tsp Salt & pepper to taste Olive Oil – 2 tbsps
Method:
Put the garlic and onions into a pan with the olive oil. Add the oregano and red chili flakes. Now sauté on low flame for approx 5 minutes till the onions and garlic are soft, and the flavours mature. Make sure the garlic doesn’t brown.
Add the tomatoes + puree + seasoning. Simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes, until done, and the oil is visible on the sides.
Cool a bit, and then run the hand blender through it for a slightly smoother sauce. (Works better with kids this way).
WHITE SAUCE: Ingredients: Butter – 2 tbsps Flour – ¼ cup Milk – 2 ¼ cups (keep an extra ¼ cup on hand) Cheddar Cheese – 4-5 tbsps /grated (increase or decrease) Salt to taste
Method:
Melt the butter in a heavy bottom pan.
Add the flour and mix in well with a whisk, and cook for 2-3 minutes whisking constantly.
Add the milk bit by bit, mixing in with the whisk.
It will thicken once it boils for a while.
Now add the grated cheese and salt.
Take off heat and set aside. It will continue to thicken as it stands.
TO FINISH: Fresh basil – 12-14 leaves/ chopped Breadcrumbs – ½ cup
Preheat oven to 180 deg C .
Take a 9 X 13 glass pie dish.
Put a layer of ½ the cooked pasta. Top with ½ the pasta sauce. Sprinkle with ½ the chopped basil leaves.
Put a second layer of the remaining cooked pasta, then the rest of the pasta sauce and remaining basil leaves.
Spread the white sauce over the top, making holes with a skewer in a few places for the white sauce to seep in.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the dish, and bake for 15-20 minutes till the top in lightly browned.
Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes in oven, and then serve with a green salad if you like.
Note: This can be put together till the white sauce stage on the day before. Cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate. Microwave for 3-4 minutes the next day, sprinkle the breadcrumbs, and bake as above.
Baked with a wonderful golden crust…just waiting to be served!
“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”
Julia Child
A recipe I put together when the kids were ravenous, and the cupboard was bare!! I felt like ‘Old Mother Hubbard’, but this is now a regular feature with stir fried veggies, pan fried chicken, and a salad. A refreshingly different change, and a hit with the kids….
Ingredients:
Fusilli – 300gms Cream – 200ml(25% fat) Onion – 1 / chopped fine Garlic – 4 cloves/ Chopped fine Olive Oil- 2 Tbsp Cheese – 3 Tbsp (I use whatever I have-Gouda,Cheddar…) Coriander – 1 BIG bunch (leaves chopped up fine) Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Put the fusilli onto boil in plenty of salted water.
On the other stove, put the oil in a pan with the garlic and onions.
Allow to sweat for 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the cream and simmer gently till it bubbles.
Stir in the grated cheese, salt and pepper.
Now, put in ALL the coriander laves. They might appear to be too much, but these wilt in 2-3 minutes.
Keep stirring till the leaves wilt and impart a lovely green colour to the sauce. The flavours intensify as the sauce stands.
If required, add a little milk to get the correct consistency
ZATS IT!! Take it off the fire and wait for the pasta to be cooked till aldante.
Drain the pasta, pour the sauce over, mix in well..Voila! Its ready!!
“The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you’re hungry again.”
George Miller
PENNE IN A CREAM MUSHROOM SAUCE
Here’s my entry for Presto Pasta Nights hosted by a great blog ‘Once Upon a Feast’ which I enjoy reading tremendously. You will find some great meal ideas here.
A versatile, simple recipe. I like to make this with penne because the sauce holds on better, though find it works well with even spaghetti. I have got great reviews on this, and always get a recipe request whenever I serve it. This is the vegetarian version. For a non-vegetarian version, toss in grilled/ chopped chicken when the pasta is mixed in with the sauce.
Ingredients:
Olive oil – 2 tsp Garlic – 4-6 cloves / chopped Onion – 1 / chopped Button Mushrooms – 200gms / sliced Red Chilly flakes – 1/4 tsp Oregano – 1 tsp Green chilly – 1 / chopped ( optional; however, it brings out a nice flavour) Milk – 1/2 cup / cold Cornflour – 1 tsp (dissolved in the milk) Light Cream/Half n half – 100ml Gouda Cheese – 2tbs/grated ( any cheddar does as well too) Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Heat the oil in a pan with the onion and garlic put in. Simmer for a while till the flavours get released.
Add the mushrooms, chilly flakes, oregano and green chilly. Sauté till the mushrooms release their liquid.
Add in the cold milk, stirring continuously to avoid forming lumps. Once thickened, put on low heat.
Add the cream and grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.Simmer till the cheese melts through. Once warm, blend the sauce to get required consistency. Don’t blend it too much. The sauce tastes better with a slightly chunkier,fullish consistency. Set aside.
Penne – 250gms (can use any short pasta; or even spaghetti)
Cook pasta on in plenty of salted,boiling water till aldente.
Drain and mix into the sauce. Serve immediately as the pasta continues to absorb the sauce the longer it sits.
Note: Leftovers can be reheated and served later, though most of the sauce would have been absorbed. Still tastes as nice though the sauce isn’t visible.
Serve with sauted vegetables, salad and garlic bread.
