Chocolate Shortbread cookies

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - optional
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/3 cup of cocoa powder - unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon baking soda - optional (for fluffy cookies)
A pinch of salt

Mix the butter. egg and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix into a dough. Roll into a log, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 350F
Line a baking tray with parchment paper of spray with oil

Remove the log from the fridge and cut into slices (1/4 inch)
Place the cookie slices on the tray with space between them (typically 12 per tray)

Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Note: The cookies must not change color, they will just look matted (not shiny).

Store in an airtight container.


Note: For vanilla cookies, use 1/3 cup sugar and remove the cocoa powder, add 1 tbsp vanilla extract.
Note 2: You can sprinkle colored sugar or confetti on the cookies to make them fancy

Thanks giving menu - 2010

- Roasted stuffed cornish hen
- Paneer / soya chunk penne alfredo
- Tomato - veggie soup
- Spinach, mango, cucumber salad with raspberry viniagrette
- garlic herb bread
- Baked mushroom paneer
- Apple pie
- Pineapple grape cake
- Bread pudding
- Sugar cookies

Pistachio brittle

Ingredients:
Pistachio 3/4 cup chopped
Sugar 3/4 cup
Ghee or butter 2 tbsp

Process:
On a non-stick tray or aluminum foil, lay out the chopped pistachio.
In a thick bottomed pan, on low heat, heat the sugar and ghee/butter.
Stir the sugar to ensure it does not get burnt.
Once the sugar starts boiling, check on it every minute by dropping a tiny drop of the boiling sugar in water. If the drop hardens like a candy, take the pan out of the stove. This process will not take more than 5 minutes. Note that it is very easy to burn sugar so be very careful.

Pour this sugar melt on top of the pistachio in the tray (be careful, this is really hot!)
Let this cool down - it will harden like a candy.
Break into pieces and enjoy.

Kheer - from the 'Makhani' locker

Ingredients:
Milk - 1/2 gallon
Uncooked Rice - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Sugar (to taste - next time i will remember to measure it)
Elaichi/Cardomom - 1 tsp or 10 pods
Almond + Cashew nuts chopped - 1/4 cup or less
Saffron - few strands - optional

Process:Grind the uncooked dry rice in a food processor (with no water) till most of the grains are broken. Soak the broken rice for 30 mins.
Heat milk in a thick - bottomed pan in medium heat. Add the chopped nuts, saffron, cardomom and sugar to the milk. (Add sugar in increments till you are comfortable with the taste - when the taste is just right, add 2 more tbsp of sugar).
When the milk has reached boiling point, drain the soaked rice and add it to the milk.
Continue to cook on low heat for 20-30 mins until the milk is reduced and the rice is soft and cooked. (Note: if you can identify rice grains floating in milk, you need to cook it some more).

Serve cold or hot.

Chocolate bourbon pecan pie

I love cooking with alcohol, mainly because it requires a fine tuning of alcohol and other ingredients to ensure that the bitterness of the liquor does not hijack the dish. Chocolate and bourbon synergize very well in a pecan pie and I am hoping to start a tradition with this thanksgiving recipe.

Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie shell (you can make this yourself by looking up a recipe in any food book/blog)
1 cup pecans (i prefer glazed)
3 tbsp Ghirardelli cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup light corn syrup (1/2 bottle)
2 tsp corn starch
3 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
75 ml bourbon  or whisky

Heat the oven to 350F
Beat the eggs with the brown sugar, add in corn syrup and mix it in
Add corn starch and cocoa powder and mix them into the mixture
Add the bourbon and mix it in
Arrange the pecans on the pie shell
Pour the mixture over the pecans (pecans will rise)
Bake for 50-55 mins until the top cracks and the shell is brown

Serve with whipped cream (if you like)

Khichdi na bhajiya

Khichdi is a traditional gujju dish made with rice and split moong in 3:1 ratio boiled in water and salt. It is generally topped off with pure ghee and served with curd and roasted papad.
While, really yummy when hot and fresh, it is not a very interesting left over dish. So what mamma used to do was make bhajiyas with it the next day at tea time. And unless you knew that it was made from left overs, you would never guess.

Ingredients
1 cup khichdi - cold
1 small onion - finely chopped
Coriander - chopped
2 tbsp gram flour (besan atta)
1 slice bread (preferably old)
Masala - chilli powder, turmeric, dhanya powder, garam masala, salt to taste
Dash of lemon juice

Pre heat oven to 400F
Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and spray with oil.
Mush the khichdi with your hand, add in all the ingredients and mix well.
Make small balls of the mix and flatten it in the palm of your hands.
Place it on the prepared baking tray and spray oil over the patties
Bake for about 20  minutes, turning them mid way, until golden brown

Serve with ketchup, green chutney and hot chai!

Smiles :)

Brinjal based extra terrestrial looking curry

So here I go again...doing exactly what I said I would not, which is posting stuff that is not related to the idea I said I was about to post, never mind.
I made a really ugly looking, but sort of tasty vegetable curry made of random veggies at home and I wanted to capture the recipe so that I can repeat the atrocity again and again ... muahahahahhah (evil laughter!)

Ingredients
1 capsicum - orange or red
1 onion - chopped
Frozen veggies - a handful, any kind will do
Egg plant / brinjal - big one (warning - multiple little ones wont work)
Mushrooms - whatever kind you like
EVOO, salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, green chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, hing, and any other masala that you may have stocked in your pantry and want to get rid of !

Recipe
Pre heat oven to 350F
Spread a little oil over the egg plant, make a few cuts on it and roast in the oven for about 35 minutes or until soft
Heat the oil in a pan.
Add curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing and saute until the seeds crackle
Add green chillies and fry for a bit
Add the chopped onion and saute until golden brown
Add chopped capsicum and saute until cooked
Add the frozen veggies and saute until cooked
Add mushrooms and saute for a bit
Scoop out the soft part or the insides of the roasted egg plant and mash it
Add the mashed egg plant insides to the pan and saute, until cooked
Add salt, and all the masala to this mixture, cook for 10 minutes
Add a dash of lemon juice and top with coriander leaves.


There you go! Enjoy!