“Wine is just a conversation waiting to happen.”
Jessica Altieri
Smoky Baked Mushroom Cheese Dip is a definite crowd pleaser, and a great addition to the holiday table. Smoky Gouda, wine simmered mushrooms, garlic and fresh thyme make one of the best cheesy dips ever. Baked briefly under a hot grill until the cheese melts into gooey goodnes. Serve immediately with simple crusty artisan bread to soak up the wine juices and deliciously flavoured cheese.Think of cooking with wine and the mind often wanders into the sweet tooth territory. As much as I love working with wine in bakes and desserts, my taste buds are definitely savoury. Begin to explore savoury options with wine and suddenly new avenues open up. The list seems endless. Here’s one super quick, simple and absolutely delicious recipe to stir up with wine. I used a really nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc from Big Banyan Wines, and baked a rustic garlic and thyme bread to serve with it. You can pretty much use a store bought crusty artisan bread. They are great to mop up the juices with!The mushrooms and bell pepper browned in clarified butter, with a dash of Worcestershire sauce simmered in wine add earthy rustic flavour to the dish. With generous smoky cheese added to it, you can expect magic to happen. Make sure you use quality ingredients including a good quality wine. That is the secret of any good recipe!To begin with, the Sauvignon Blanc itself is really nice, one of the better Indian white wines I have to say. Crisp, delicately flavoured and very fresh! The whiff of green bell pepper undertones complimented the Smoky Baked Mushroom Cheese Dip really nicely. The dip is like a fondue; quite popular during winter. Try and bake it in a cast iron pan since the pan retains heat for longer, keeping the cheese nice and gooey. The other good thing about cast iron pans is that they can be popped back into the oven to reheat if the dip gets cold.In the unlikely event that you have some Smoky Baked Mushroom Cheese Dip leftovers, make a grilled panini sandwich with it, layering it with fillings you enjoy. Then sit back and enjoy the deep moorish flavours that tease the palate. It’s really that addictive, like a pizza in a sandwich!The wine would work well in a creamy pasta sauce, also as a marinade for chicken. Another great option is to make a Queso Fundido using wine instead of vodka. Then a step further a Queso Flameado, a dish of hot melted cheese and spicy chorizo that is often served flambé. Often compared to cheese fondue, this is a party dish and a popular appetizer.
Smoky Gouda, wine simmered mushrooms, garlic and fresh thyme make one of the best cheesy dips ever. Baked briefly under a hot grill until the cheese melts into gooey goodness, serve immeditaley with home baked bread or a crusty bread to soak up the wine juices and deliciously flavoured cheese.
Course Appetiser, Snack
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 3people
Ingredients
1tbspclarified butter/ghee
1tbspextra virgin olive oil
2clovesgarlicchopped
1tspfresh thyme leaves {or dried}
100gbutton mushroomssliced
1/2red bell pepperfinely chopped
1tspworcestershire sauce
2sprigs of fresh thyme {plus extra for garnish}
1/2cupBig Banyan Wines Sauvignon Blanc
250gsmoked Gouda cheese
100gmozzarella
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Crusty bread
Instructions
Preheat the oven, top element only to 180C.
In a heavy bottomed pan, melt the clarified butter with olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and thyme. Saute until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and finely chopped bell peppers. Saute until the mushrooms are brown and add a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
Add the wine and sprigs of fresh thyme. Increase the heat and allow the wine to reduce by half. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Now add the grated cheese and stir to allow it to melt slightly, allowing the wine and cheese to somewhat combine.
Once done, transfer into a cast iron pan and place in oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is nice and bubbly.
Gently remove from oven, and serve immediately with crusty bread and Sauvignon Blanc from Big Banyan Wines.
“You don’t have to eat less, You just have to eat right.” Unknown
Green Goddess Apple Cucumber Coconut Water Smoothie, quite nice actually! Packed with nutrition too. You might have heard about Spirulina. Well if you haven’t, it is one of the most potent sources of easily digestible vegetarian protein available, a powerhouse of nutrients available in nature. It is harvested form blue green algae present in water bodies, and has been used in food for centuries.The primary challenge is making sure the water that hosts the algae is non contaminated, and this brand is certified organic, cultivated in an environment free from pollution, ground water contamination, pesticides and herbicides.I used Spirulina powder for the first time with much apprehension. Not because I doubted the source or the nutritional value, but because I had been warned a plenty that it was an acquired taste. Since this dark green powder, almost jade like in colour, is harvested from algae from water, the first impression is of a very fishy, concentrated seaweed like aroma. Anything fishy doesn’t work with me, you can promise me it’s a 100% vegetarian never mind. The challenge is to use this superfood in ways that tease the palette to enjoy it everyday in a form that is easy and fun.
The positives are plenty, enough to make me reach out for a daily health boost. Spirulina is largely made up of protein and essential amino acids, and is typically recommended to vegetarians due to its high natural iron content. This unassuming supplement is a natural source of essential phytonutrients, omega 6 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, said to be the most effective and safest way to compensate for your incomplete daily dietary intake. It’s classified as the most nutrient dense food on the planet. Algae here I come!!
Time to make each drink a SuperDrink. Adding Spirulina is a nice way to include a highly nutrient rich Superfood in our daily diets which with only minimal effort. Spirulina is said to work towards improving immunity levels, energy levels and boosting metabolism. With hectic and busy schedules coupled with the use of chemicals in fresh produce, it’s not easy to reach our daily nutrition and protein levels. Spirulina aims to fill this gap helping you use Spirulina shakes or smoothies to renergise any time of the day.I took it on gently, very unsure of what to expect, my initial ‘meeting’ face to face with the powder not very promising. Best to keep it natural and in season, as also too consume this in raw form, or if cooked, below 70Degrees C to gain maximum advantage. Seemed quite natural to begin the morning with a nutritional boost, so I thought smoothie. Green smoothie obviously!! With winter here, there are the juiciest apples from Kinnaur lining the bazaar shelves these days. Thought I’d keep it simple. So in went cucumber, honey, some coconut water since I had some on hand. The electrolytes in coconut water as a great substitute for plain water, so why ever not. Gingerly added 1 tsp of Spirulina and braced myself. I was pleasantly surprised!! The green jade came to life in seconds, an intense smooothie that looked like it meant business. A teeny taste later, and I threw in another teaspoon of Spirulina. No bad offsetting flavour, quite pleasant, naturally sweet too. Who would have thought?Spurred on, I experimented a little more. This Currypatta Buttermilk Lassi below is now a daily routine!
Spirulina added in your daily diet gives you a number of benefits:
Working out?? Grab it! It Increases Muscle Strength and Endurance
It is a powerhouse of easily digestible protein
It is a natural detoxifier
It’s rich in vitamins, antioxidants and other essential daily nutrients
It’s filled with calcium, phosphorus and magnesium content found in milk
It keeps your heart healthy
It promotes Liver health
Parrys Organic Spirulina is NOT a drug, but a 100% vegetarian and safe nutritional supplement also available in a tablet form for your convenience.
Happy with the success, I marched on to try yet another savoury version. It turned out quite pretty. Quite delicious as well! Here take a look. A Beetroot Buttermilk Spirulina Lassi as delicious as it was pretty! The recipe is simple. blend the following until smooth. 1 medium beetroot, microwaved for 3 minutes, or boiled, cooled, grated + 2 cloves garlic, grated + 250ml cultured buttermilk +1/2 tsp black rock salt + 1tsp roasted cumin powder + 2tsp spirulina.
Green Goddess Apple Cucumber Coconut Water Smoothie
The Green Goddess Apple Cucumber Coconut Water Smoothie comes together in seconds, an intense drink that means business. Quite pleasant; naturally sweet too!
Course Drinks
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Total Time 5 minutesminutes
Servings 2people
Ingredients
1applecored, diced
1cucumberchopped
200mlcoconut waterchilled
2-3tspshoney
2tspSpirulina
Instructions
Place all ingredients in blender and whiz until smooth.
Taste and adjust sweetness if required. Serve immediately.
“In fine, the truffle is the very diamond of gastronomy.” Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Smoked Eggplant Walnut Truffle Dip … earthy, rustic, nutty, slightly tangy, creamy, smoky delicious. Some things come together with small beginnings, and for strange reasons. This dip was no different and found it’s origins in a wizened old forgotten pomegranate that I discovered while cleaning out the fridge. Also popped out a bowl that held an eggplant I had roasted 2 days ago, a small carton of Greek yogurt, and the plan was made.
It was going to be a Smoked Eggplant Walnut Truffle Dip which would use up all the goodness that lay forgotten in the fridge. AND a chance to use some fabulous Black Truffle Sea Salt from Olive Tree Trading, a special product that really shines when used. It might be an expensive product, but a little goes a long way. On pasta, on toast, over dips, on artisan bread, in pasta sauce, over popcorn, on salads; really steps up the flavours!
With it of course some really really good quality extra virgin olive oil from the same company, a product that speaks for itself. As always, a dish is only as good as it’s ingredients and this Smoked Eggplant Walnut Truffle Dip was just that. You could always use sea salt but a black truffle sea salt is a noticeably charming addition, quite different. The rest of this Persian inspired dip has humble origins, almost staple pantry ingredients. How can you go wrong with eggplant {or baingan as locally called}, walnuts, garlic, yogurt and olive oil? Not possible right?
And the good thing is that if you blend it smooth, picky eaters can’t figure out what’s in this pâté like dip. It’s a win win; a delicious one at that too. Serve with wholegrain crackers, crudites etc. Great as a sandwich spread, with crusty wholegrain bread, etc.
A simple recipe with humble origins, this Smoked Eggplant Walnut Truffle Dip is a great addition to the party table. Serve with wholegrain crackers, crudites etc. Great as a sandwich spread, with rustic wholegrain bread, etc.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 50 minutesminutes
Servings 3minutes
Ingredients
1medium eggplant
6clovesgarlicunpeeled
1/2cupevoo
2clovesgarlc
Sea salt
1/4cupwalnuts
2tbspGreek yogurt
Juice of 1 lime
1/2tspBlack truffle sea salt
Instructions
Wash and pat dry the eggplant. Make 4-6 slits around and tuck in unpeeled garlic cloves.
Roast over a low open gas flame, or in oven until charred all over and soft.
Place in a bowl covered, until cool enough to handle. gently peel the charred skin off, squeeze out the garlic from pods. {This can be done a couple of days in advance and refrigerated}.
Place all ingredients in bowl of processor or blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Transfer to a bowl, drizzle generously with good quality extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle over some black truffle salt, garnish with pomegranate pearls. Serve with wholegrain crackers, crudites etc. Great as a sandwich spread, with rustic wholegrain bread, etc.
“Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.”
Dorothy Day
Chicken Jalfrezi is a fiery as you like it, and a very popular stir fry curry in the UK, a recipe thought to have originated during the British Raj to use up left over meats. As time went by, there was a shift from mild curries to spicy hot ones on the continent, and the jalfrezi gained popularity. We visited the UK often in the late 1990’s. Next to the chicken tikka masala, this Indo Chinese dish was possibly the most popular.
You can basically ‘build it as you like’, throwing in left over meats to stir fry or do it from scratch. Either which ways, it’s a really quick stir fry to get going, one that comes together in under 30 minutes. Having the meat/chicken marinated ahead is great if you have time. Marinate with a little ginger-garlic paste, maybe a dash of lime juice and salt. As with any good dish, use good quality ingredients and you know you have a winner.
My version of Chicken Jalfrezi has a slight southern or rather coastal touch with some coconut milk added to offset the fiery hot chilies. Like any good curry, this one too is entirely customisable to taste. I used star anise in the first tempering, a spice I have increasingly grown to love while shooting spices for the Masala Dabba. Post the trip it into the heart of South India to Karaikudi, the love for simple spices like these just became stronger.
This Chicken Jalfrezi made essentially with peppers, green chilies, onions and tomatoes gets a delicious twist of taste with coconut milk. If you like a thick hearty curry which is a quick and easy stir fry, gives you a dose of vegetables, then look no further. This just might be what you were looking for!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Ingredients
400gthigh boneless
2tspghee
2gundu chilies
2star anise
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1tbspDabur ginger garlic paste
1oniondiced into 1" pieces
1/2red bell pepper1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced into 1" pieces
1capsicumdiced into 1" pieces
200mlDabur tomato puree
100mlDabur coconut milk
50mlGreek yogurt
1/2cupfresh corianderfinely chopped
2-3green chilies {optional}
2-3green chilies {optional}
Instructions
Heat clarified butter/ghee in a heavy bottom large pan/wok.
Add the red chilies and star anise and sauté briefly until fragrant.
Add chicken pieces in one flat lot, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until golden brown over high heat, turn and repeat.
Remove chicken pieces from pan, and keep warm in a covered bowl.
Add a teaspoon of clarified butter if required. Add the diced onions and ginger garlic paste. Sauté until fragrant.
Add turmeric powder/haldi, coriander powder/dhania and red chili powder if desired. Sauté for 30 seconds.
Now add the bell peppers and capsicum. Sauté again for 3-4 minutes, then add the reserved chicken. Mix briefly, then add the tomato puree and coconut milk.
Stir and simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the green chilies and fresh coriander, then simmer further for 5 minutes Serve hot with rice or naan.
“The preparation of good food is merely another expression of art, one of the joys of civilized living…”
Dione Lucas
Terra Chips might well have been the answer to my savoury cravings. Might also be the answer to fun and exciting snacking options especially for kids! As the weather cools down, as I travel a bit, there is always need to leave something nice, fun, different for the kids at home. They constantly feel peckish and there is only so much I can bake / cook! Last week I was in Bangalore for a shoot. Was quite happy to leave these beauties from Terra Chips as a treat for the hungry monsters that live at home!
Yes I’ve bought a microwave gadget that allows me to make dehydrated chips at home from scratch. Yes I can and have made beet, sweet potato, apple chips at home. That was when I was a supermom and could do everything and more. Sadly, time flies and and energy doesn’t last forever. For times like these how wonderful to have on hand chips made from real whole vegetables! That’s Terra Chips for you, made up of all the fun and most colourful root vegetables you can think of. Each chip quite literally handcrafted with a unique character of it’s own.Think the humble beet, exotic purple potato, much loved sweet potato, batata, bright carrot, earthy parsnip, kabucha, coconut, plantain and then think of all the great crisp taste you get in every bite. Our absolute favourites were the blue potato and sweet potato chips. I paired these colourful, almost fascinating beauties with a tomato & black truffle salt dip, and a garlicky quark & green onion dip. The quark dip is simple. Smooth whisked quark, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic and salt. The other recipe is below. So much yumminess and such a great hit.When you have vegetables this crisp, rustic and earthy with flavours that explode in your mouth, you know they’ve got it right. The kids had a brilliant time crunching through each, guessing which veggie it might have originated from, figuring out the spice mix. We had sea salt & Mediterranean in our lot, both equally good.The colours have me fascinated, the camera working overtime, It’s hard to put either the camera or the bowl of chips down. I’ve always enjoyed dehydrated fruits and vegetables. These made with exciting roots that go beyond the humble potato have me smitten! Try these with either of these two dip, else with another favourite, the Persian Roasted Eggplant Walnut Dip on the blog.
Tell me what your favourite dip to pair with these #TERRAadventures might be!
Tangy and deeply flavourful, this dip keeps for long and goes well with chips. Use as a sandwich spread or pizza sauce too.
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 2people
Ingredients
3-4tomatoeschopped fine
1/2stalk celerychopped fine
1green onionchopped fine
2clovesgarlicchopped fine
2tbspextra virgin olive oil
1/2tspBlack truffle sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Fresh herbs finely chopped
Instructions
Heat oil in pan. Add green onion, celery and garlic. Saute until soft.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer gently until tomatoes are soft, pushing gently with back of spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning if required. an add a small dash of lime juice if desired.
‘Hard & dry, a chickpea is inedible. Hard & dry, a heart is unlovable. Presoak it in dance, music & art.’
Khang Kijarro Nguyen
CholeMasala / Curried Spicy Chickpeas the way my Mum makes them. Try as I might, my cholemasalaflavours are always different, the taste not quite not same. Must be a thing of the hand, the way she cooks them, but it’s a simple dish which makes me hungry for more. So now I let her make them for me which she gladly does. Chole Masala / Curried Spicy Chickpeas is a quintessential recipe from the Indian sub continent, one of the most popular perhaps. Every house has it’s own recipe, and you can keep them as spicy or light as you like. The Chole Masala / Curried Spicy Chickpeas are a meal in themselves, a treat for someone like me who would rather just enjoy them like a one bowl meal. Sliced onions to top them, finely sliced green chilies, a squeeze of lime juice, sometimes some crispies sneaked in! You get the drift!!
My mother often calls me in a hurry to pick them up as she makes them, wanting us to enjoy them warm. Often as things go, I am out or in the middle of something. The good thing about her cholas are that she makes them in large quantities, and they taste even better after an overnight rest. All you need to do is reheat them and dig in! That’s just where this the latest addition to my kitchen is quite handy.The Milton MicroWoW Casserole is microwaveable {dishwasher proof too} with stainless steel inside which makes it absolutely unique. It allows you to microwave your food and also retain heat of the food in the same casserole for 4 hours. Such an innovative concept; one we loved the minute we heard of it.
Like me, if you set curd/yogurt at home everyday, this casserole doubles up as a curd maker. With winter around the corner, when I am constantly looking for warm spots for the curd to set, I think my search ends here! Until then, this is a great way to store ice cream for a short while. Seems to pack quite a punch, quite like the Chole Masala / Curried Spicy Chickpeas !My mum’s recipe is simple, and a little different from how I cook them. Most of her recipes, like this one, are based on andaaz, or eyeballing of ingredients. A little of this, a pinch of that, toss something in. Oh did I forget that? Never mind, maybe next time. I’m sure it’ll taste fine, a little different perhaps. As all mothers cook, recipes are generally ‘taste as you go‘, and that’s the best way to cook really!
Chole Masala / Curried Spicy Chickpeas is a quintessential recipe from the Indian sub continent, one of the most popular perhaps. Every house has it's own recipe, and you can keep them as spicy or light as you like. This is my mums. Most of her recipes, like this one, are based on andaaz, or eyeballing of ingredients. A little of this, a pinch of that, toss something in.
Drain the overnight soaked chickpeas, wash well, and place in pressure cooker with enough water to cover them, about an inch over.
Cook under pressure on simmer for a 45 minutes to an hour until soft and almost double in size.
Meanwhile, add 1 tbsp mustard oil to a heavy bottom wok/kadhai.
Add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Make sure they don't get dark brown or the flavour gets bitter.
Add the ginger, green chilies or red chili powder if using, or both, chana masala and tomatoes.
Saute over low heat until the tomatoes are mushy soft and leave oil.
Add the cooked soft chickpeas and toss well to mix in masala, reserving the liquid for later. Add as much of the liquid as you like, stir well, adjust seasoning, turn the whole prep back into the cooker and give the chickpeas one more pressure. This will allow the spices/masalas to be absorbed by the chickpeas.
Serve with naaan or rice. Or like me, serve in a bowl with a squeeze of lime juice, sliced onions, ginger, fresh coriander and some sneaked in crispies!
