Monday, August 23, 2010

Beautiful Brownies

Unbleached Flour : 11/4 cup
Salt : 1/2 tsp
Butter: 1/2 cup
Organic Unsweetened Chocolate Chip : 3 tbsp
Organic Baking Cocoa : 1/2 cup
Organic Sugar : 11/2 cup or as needed
Vanilla Extract : 2 tsps
Large Eggs Lightly Beaten : 3
Baking Powder : 1/4 tsp

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Direction:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13 by 9 inch baking pan.
  2. Gently mix all the dry ingredients together. Lightly beat eggs and set aside. Melt butter in a pan, add sugar and vanilla essence to it. Add lightly beaten eggs into the wet ingredients.
  3. Now add the dry ingredients and gently blend the mixture by hand till everything is evenly blended. Avoid over beating to prevent  a cakey texture.

Dosa/Iddly

Iddly  rice: 2 cups
Urad dal : 1/4 cup
Chana Dal : 2 tbsp
fenugreek Seeds: 1/2 tsp
Aval or Poha : 2 tbsp

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Direction:

  1. Soak all ingredients overnight except aval because it only needs an hour to soak. Grind in the order of rice first, then dal along with fenugreek seeds, chana dal, and aval together.
  2. Keep it overnight. Add salt after fermentation. If needed add water little by little to get a consistency of a nice batter that is not too thick or runny.
  3. Heat and grease an iron griddle , and pour a spoonful of batter on it till is cooked on one side  and gently  toss it over for few seconds or till it is done.
  4. To make masala dosa, spread the batter nicely around the griddle into a thin layer. Fill in with the cooked vegetable and fold from both sides like a crape.

 Potato Filling

  1. Boil one large peeled potato. Add 1/2 tsp of salt into it. Cut into small cubes. Slice an onion into thin layers, few green chilies slit, curry leaves, small piece of ginger finely chopped and one thinly sliced garlic pieces.
  2. Heat and add a table spoon of oil into a pan, crack some mustard seeds and a half teaspoon of  urad dal into it, add onion first  for few minutes till translucent. Afterwards add all the other ingredients till nicely cooked till it looks caramelized. Now add a 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, and a pinch of red chili powder and stir well.  Add potato cubes and mix well. Check for salt. For a slightly loose consistency add a bit of water.
  3. Place a spoon full into the dosa and fold from both sides. Enjoy it along with sambar and coconut chutney.

Notes:

To get a softer dosa, add more dal. For a crispier one, add more rice.

Sangria Blanca

Dry Red Wine : 26oz
Sugar : 1 tbsp
Large Lemon : 1
Orange Sliced Thinly Crosswise : 1
Lemon Sliced Thinly Crosswise : 1
Medium size peaches peeled, pitted and cut into chunks: 2
Sparkling water : 8 oz.

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Combine all and refrigerate immediately before serving. Mix in club soda, and add ice cubes just before serving.

Spanish Potato Omelet

Large Potato : 2
Onion : 1
Olive Oil : 3 tbsp
Garlic Crushed : 2
Dried Oregano : 1 tbsp
Bay Leaf : 1
Large Eggs : 6
Tobasco Sauce : Few drops
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh Parsley

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Direction:

  1. Heat oil in a pan, stir fry potatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, and bay leaf over high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Whisk together egg, tobasco, and seasonings.
  3. Transfer the potato mixture into a skillet and remove bay leaf from it. Pour in beaten eggs over low heat and stirring the set egg from the edge of the pan inward. Cook the mixture down well and continue to cook for 5 mins or till it is ready.

 Notes:

This recipe is taken from a Spanish cook book.