Goat Cheese Pizza with Arugula and Mushrooms

It had been a merry evening so far inside The Venetian, Las Vegas. We had walked through the gigantic casino and hotel at the pace of a tortoise, a pace we fail to appreciate during our routine workdays. We peeped inside every shop and read the menu at all restaurants. We strolled everywhere and eventually came to St. Marks Square. There were people singing, dancing, eating and laughing. It was perfect!!!

However, it became a little confusing when we had to pick one of two fascinating restaurants for dinner. The choice was between one headed by Mario Batali and the other by Wolfgang Puck. We checked the menu on both and picked Wolfgang Puck’s. A few minutes later, we watched this lovely goat cheese pizza vanish from the platter, bite by bite. I couldn't wait to get home and try it out. So here you go.....

Oh, and one more thing! Eli Manning, I love you! That was an amazing victory… Kudos!

Ingredients:

1 packet Betty Crocker's Pizza Crust
1 1/2 cups crumbled goat cheese
Handful of arugula leaves
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
Salt, pepper & Olive oil

Method:

1. Prepare the pizza dough as per the instructions on the packet.
2. Brush the top of the prepared pizza base with some olive oil.
3. Spread the arugula, mushrooms and the goat cheese on the top.
4. Drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper.
5. Bake in the oven as per the instructions on the packet.

Serving:

As you wish!

Vegetable Pasta Nests with Garlic Cream Sauce

Given the frequency that this blog has been updated the past few days, you pals should be able to guess whats cooking in my kitchen. We have been sticking to the basics and most of the times having some quick fix meals. Blame it on my workload or just the “n” things I get involved in at a time, there’s always something or the other going on.

So the theme “Comfort Foods” for Meeta’s Monthly Mingle comes around at a perfect time for me. Burgers, Mac and Cheese, Pasta or Plain Dal and Rice are the only options on the menu these days. So when our friend Sydney decided to visit us last Friday, I just simply decked up my comfort food for the day and Vegetable Pasta Nests with Garlic Cream Sauce were set on the table! The dinner was loved by all. Here you go….

Ingredients:

For the Pasta

4 Angel Hair Pasta Nests
Some butter to brush the tops of the pasta nests
2 tbs bread crumbs
2 tbs Parmesan cheese, shredded
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the Vegetables

1 large red bell pepper, cut in strips
4 portobello mushroom caps, sliced
1 large zucchini
1 large garlic cloves, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the Garlic Cream Sauce

1 tbs butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 pint half and half
1/2 cup milk
4 tbs Parmesan cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper

Method:

Vegetables

1. Mix all the ingredients for the vegetables and broil on a cookie sheet at 350 deg C.
2. Add the salt only after all the vegetables cook.

Sauce

1. Melt some butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for about a minute.
2. Then add half and half and milk and bring to a slow simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer until the mixture starts to get thick.
3. Add the cheese, salt and pepper. Stir the sauce well and remove from the heat.

Pasta

1. Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the box. (I add some salt and olive oil to the water before cooking the pasta.)
2. Place pasta nests on a baking tray. Brush the tops with some butter. Sprinkle some bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on the top. Place under the broiler at 350 deg C. Keep a close eye on the pasta. Remove from the broiler as soon as the tops turn golden brown.

Serving:

On a dinner plate, place a big spoonful of the garlic cream sauce. Place the pasta nests on the sauce. Top the nests with the vegetables. Pour some more sauce on the top. Top with some parsley or cilantro.

Mango Panna Cotta

There was never a moment while I was away when I didn’t think about you friends, and of course food!! So instead of ranting of how busy I was lately, I just welcome you all to enjoy this oh-so-lovely mango panna cotta, which I have topped with pistachios, almonds and mango pulp!

Needless to say, this is the latest creation out of my kitchen, something that we have been indulging in over the weekend. It was also about time I peeped in to say hi to my friends and fellow bloggers. And what better way than this creamy Italian delicacy?


Ingredients:

1 cup low fat buttermilk,
1 cup half and half
1 cup whipping cream
1 tbs vanilla essence
1/3 cup + 3 tbs sugar
2 tsp gelatin powder
2 tbs cold water
4 tbs mango pulp
A few slivered almonds & pistachios

Method:

1. Grease 8 ramekins and set aside.
2. Soak the gelatin in cold water.
3. In a sauce pan, heat the buttermilk, half and half, whipping cream, sugar, mango pulp and vanilla essence. Bring it to a slow simmer.
3. Remove from the stove and mix the gelatin while whisking this mixture slowly.
4. Pour into individual ramekins and chill for at least 4-5 hours.

Serving:

Carefully run a sharp knife to loosen the edges of the panna cotta. Keep your serving plate on the ramekin and turn it upside down. Tap on the top of the plate. Panna cotta will slip onto your dessert plate. Top with almonds, pistachios and some more mango pulp, if desired.

Thanks, Sorry and a Pasta!

For all you dear friends, let me begin this post by saying a big “thank you” and “sorry”.

Well, sorry for not being able to respond to your comments and read all the lovely posts that you have published over the last few days. Although I did manage to take a sneak peek on the blogroll, I have been completely unaware of any details.

And, thank you for taking the time to stop by and sharing your thoughts on my different take on Ratatouille.

The past few days have been flooded with things at work and of course home! With the gorgeous summer almost coming to an end here, I spent the past couple of days wrapping up field work associated with several projects at work. I was working crazy hours and one night had to go watch the installation of a road traffic messaging system from 9pm to 3am. At home, I attempted to make a cheesecake on Friday night which turned into a complete fiasco and I was torn to bits with the humiliation. After my cheesecake disaster, we were left with no dessert for Friday night!

So there I was in the kitchen with no dessert and moreover, nothing cooked for dinner and in no mood to eat out or carry out!!

I was lucky to find some pasta, cherry tomatoes and home made basil pesto sauce. Yeah, you got it! I am going to be talking about my latest pasta recipe here. It got my mood back after pouring gallons of tears on the lost cheesecake! It also best compliments my current busy schedule, although I hope I am not cooking pasta forever!

Ingredients
Pasta (of your own choice)
3 tbs Basil Pesto Sauce (as I had described here)
10 Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
Salt (as per taste)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method
1. Cook pasta until al dente stage (or as per instructions on the packet)
2. Drain most of the water from the pasta, leaving about a big spoonful in the pot.
3. Heat some olive oil in a pan.
4. Add the cherry tomatoes and sautee for about 4-5 min.
5. Add the salt and mix well.
6. Mix the pasta, sauteed tomatoes and the basil pesto sauce together.

Serving
Serve the pasta with some bread and a light wine.

I am sending this entry to the my friend, Ruth, who hosts the weekly Presto Pasta Nights event.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille….when I had this very Provencal product for the first time, it left a much bigger impression on my mind than I had thought it would. I had heard about it, seen pictures online but every time I kept saying to myself---this is just any other mixed vegetable stew, so what’s the big deal? Well, it definitely is a big deal and I was convinced when I ate Ratatouille for lunch at our French friends, Fab and So’s place more than a year back. They are originally from Provence in France. So I will leave it to your imagination to guess how good this lunch must have been! As for me, I was literally dancing after eating this ratatouille. All of my favorite vegetables, cooked together with olive oil, garlic and the world famous “Herb de Provence”……I almost wanted to lick the pot!

Unfortunately it was not until recently that I had a chance to cook Ratatouille at home. Yes, I know that you are going to think that I just talked of being so utterly obsessed with it, but then why hadn’t I tried making it at home for such a long time. May be I was waiting for the long spell to break with a very special gift that I got from the same friends when we visited them in Marseilles. Yes, Herb de Provence! That was my gift directly from its birthplace. Could anything go wrong with my Ratatouille now?

Given the experimental bug in me that refuses to give up, anything and everything could have still gone wrong. That’s because I wanted to make a broiled version of Ratatouille. And so I did! I managed to retain its authentic flavors while taking the liberty to tweak the recipe. It was definitely a hit with my friends on a recent Friday night dinner!

Ingredients:

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbs Herb de Provence
1 onion, diced
1 large eggplant, cubed
1 large green bell peppers, diced
1 large red bell peppers, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 large zucchinis, cubed
1/3 cup cheese (Optional)
Salt and pepper as per your taste

Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof dish under the broiler.
2. Add garlic and onions and broil them until they start to turn slightly brown.
3. Add all the vegetables except the tomatoes and broil the mixture until it is almost cooked, mixing after every 7-8 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes until all the vegetables are completely cooked.
5. Finally add Herb de Provence, salt and pepper and mix well.
6. Top with cheese and broil for another 5 minutes.

Serving:
Serve the ratatouille hot as a side or main dish. Eat it plain or serve with a side of French bread or couscous.

Chunky Monkey-Reinvented

Happy Valley can be a strange place. Among the many things it can get one addicted to, for me, ice-cream ranks right up there along with Penn State football. After spending some time in State College, PA, the other name for Happy Valley, I seriously considered using “ice-cream” instead of “apple” in “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Think about it. Just that one scoop or even one spoonful of ice cream straight from the container and into your mouth brings a smile to your face. No more stress. No more headaches. No more complaints. Who needs a doctor then?

Happy Valley takes pride in being home to one and sort of home to a second famous ice-cream establishment. The first is the University Creamery located on the Penn State campus. This is the largest creamery on any university campus in the US and they offer a wide variety of ice-cream, sorbet and milkshake selections. Not only are they well known for their ice-creams but most Penn Staters would agree that they make some pretty good yogurts and cheeses too! Take a peek at their website and if you decide to order online, I can guarantee you that every penny you spend in the shipping cost would be worth it.

The second brand was founded by two individuals, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. These guys met in 7th grade, stuck together as friends, completed an ice cream making program from Penn State and founded their world famous ice cream company, Ben and Jerry’s. Famous not only for their innovative flavor combinations, but also for those captivating and amusing names given to those scrumptious flavors, Ben and Jerry’s definitely make us smile with their scoops!

Now with such a rich ice-cream history, is it a wonder that Happy Valley is called Happy Valley?

Amongst all the good stuff Ben and Jerry’s has to offer, I think their Chunky Monkey ice-cream has to be my absolute favorite. So I decided to try it out at home and put my own spin on it. Turns out, the recipe is really easy and moreover, does not require an ice cream maker. So just sit back, relax and enjoy and more so, smile.

Ingredients:

1 pint heavy cream
1⁄2 cup 2% (reduced fat) milk
3⁄4 cup of sugar
1 tbs light brown sugar
1 ripe banana
1⁄2 cup dark chocolate chunks
1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

1. Slice the banana lengthwise and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake it in the oven at 250 deg F until the sugar caramelizes.
2. Once it is done, remove it from the oven and mash it completely.
3. In a big bowl, whip the heavy cream and milk with an electric hand mixer at medium speed.
4. Add the sugar, mashed banana, walnuts and chocolate chunks and continue to whip until the mixture becomes thick and frothy.
5. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream container for 2 hours.
6. Later, remove it from the freezer and whip it again for 5-7 minutes.
7. Repeat this procedure at least 2-3 times to get a soft and creamy ice cream.

Serving:

Remove the ice-cream from the freezer 2-3 minutes before serving. Scoop out some into individual dishes. Top with more walnuts, sliced banana, chocolate syrup or just serve it plain without any toppings.

Veggie Sushi - Really?

Ever since I ate Sushi for the first time at Benihana, I fell in love with this fabulous creation!

Sushi, a part of Japanese cuisine, is prepared with white, short grained Japanese rice flavored with rice vinegar and rolled with layers of raw fish and vegetables (typically uncooked). Sushi rice becomes sticky when cooked which makes it easy to roll and bind with the layers inside. Well cooked and finely dressed rice are the essential qualities that make a good sushi!

Making sushi is an art. It is challenging and requires a lot of skill in its preparation. There are special sushi chefs whose expertise is concentrated on preparing just that. The type of sushi depends on the stuffing and how it is rolled. This is not only challenging but also requires a lot of creativity. Especially here in the US, you will find several different sushi stuffings, some of which might have never existed at any sushi bar in Japan. You can read more here.

My first experience of eating sushi at Benihana was incredible. My second time was at Raku –an Asian Dining and Sushi bar in Bethesda, Md. It was here that I ate a complete vegetarian sushi entrée. I was completely bowled over by it's taste, quality, selection of ingredients and presentation. While that taste was still lingering on my tongue, Sharmi of Neivedyam announced the Jivha for August-Rice. With that, my long planned adventure of making vegetarian sushi kicked in. As always I have experimented with my ideas and played with different ingredients. It was an absolutely fabulous experience. I hope you enjoy making some in your kitchen.

One verdict though- It takes quite some time to prepare the rice, spread it evenly on the nori sheet, layer the vegetables and then to roll and cut it! Make sure you don't don it in a jiffy!

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of Japanese sushi rice
3 cups of water
½ avocado
2 slices of pineapple
½ cucumber
¼ cup tofu, minced or sliced ( I had the tofu grilled and marinated in sauce)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
4 nori sheets
Wasabi sauce
Sushi Mat

Method:
I really recommend that you watch this video to get a better picture of the rolling process….

1. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Once cooked completely, fluff it with fork on a plate. All it to cool completely.
2. Once cooled, add the rice vinegar and mix well. Let it sit for 5 minutes to let the flavors combine.
3. Open up the sushi mat completely away from you.
4. Line the longest edge of the nori sheet with the side of the mat closest to you.
5. Place approximately a handful of the cooked rice at the center of the nori sheet.
6. Wet you hands and press the rice evenly to coat the nori sheet with a 1 cm thick layer of rice.
7. Spread a very small amount of wasabi sauce in the middle of the rice layer horizontally.
8. Line the fillings (avocado, cucumber, pineapple and/or tofu) on the side closest to you. You can stick to one filling or do different combinations.
9. Hold the fillings with your fingers and lift up the layer and start rolling the nori sheet along with the mat.
10. Keep pressing under the layer such that the roll is a perfect cylinder. Avoid pressing on the top.
11. Once the roll is completely pressed and cylindrical, cut it into ¾ inch thick rolls such that they are bite sized.

Serving:
Serve 4-5 different rolls in a serving on individual plates. Enjoy with wasabi and soy sauce on the side.

So that is my entry for JFI-August!