Roasted Combination Soup

How about some festive winter soup....
Very easy to make, healthy and tasty too.. An experiment for my kitchen.....

Roasted Combination Soup
Ingredients
1/2 cup Pumpkin cubes
1/4 cup Ripe Papaya
1/2 Yellow Capsicum
1/2 cup Red Cabbage cubes
1/2 Red Capsicum
1/4 cup Strawberries
1 Tomato cut into half
1 Garlic pod cleaned
1 Star Anise
1 stick Cinnamon
2 Cloves
6 Pepper corn
3 Bay leaves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Olive oil
Coconut milk

Method
In a baking tray, spread all the above ingredients but keep the same colour vegetables and fruit together on the same side. Garlic and spice can be spread allover. Sprinkle salt and drizzle olive oil. Roast it in a pre heated oven at 250 degrees celcius for 20 minutes. Take out the bay leaves and star anise.  Blend the same colour vegetables and fruit together and pour it in a pot. Similarly repeat the same for the other colour vegetables and fruit, pour  it in another pot. Add water to liquidise the pulp in both the pots. Add salt to taste. Simmer it for 5  to 10 minutes. While serving, take a soup  bowl... Pour red colour soup and fill up 1/4 of the soup bowl... Next pour in yellow colour soup and fill up more 1/4 of the bowl.. Repeat till the bowl is fillied up.  Garnish with coconut milk.... And create an art work with both the colour soups to pep up your creativity and serve it hot...

Pesto and Olive Whole Wheat Bread Wreath

Pesto and Olive Whole Wheat Bread Wreath
This bread is made with home made Pesto sauce,sliced red pickled chillies and olives...it is then garnish with thyme.

Pesto sauce
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup peeled almonds and walnut mix
3 garlic cloves minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
Put the basil leaves and  nuts into the grinder and grind. Add the garlic and Parmesan cheese and grind few more times. While the grinder is running, slowly add the olive oil in the grinder. Occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the grinder. Add some salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pesto and Olive Whole Wheat Bread Wreath
Ingredients
31/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Pesto sauce
2 tsp Dry Yeast
1/2 cup Lukewarm water
2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Pickled Red Chilli  sliced
Few Green and Black Olives sliced
Few Thyme Leaves

Method
Add yeast and sugar in the Lukewarm Water and stir.  Keep it aside to rise. In a bowl add flour and salt. Mix it. Add the yeast water and 1 cup or more water little at a time to get a soft dough. Add 1 tbsp oil and knead it for 10 minutes. Cover and keep it aside to rise double in size. Once the dough is risen, knock it back then roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a big  rectangle shape.    Spread the pesto evenly all over the dough. Starting at the long edge closest to you, roll the dough up tightly but gently, like a swiss roll, into a log. Grease the  baking sheet,  transfer the roll of dough to the baking sheet and, using a sharp knife,  cut the roll in half lengthwise. Turn the two halves so that the cut side is facing up then lay one over the other so that they make an X shape, twist them together by laying one side over the other, keeping the cut side up, until all of the dough is twisted and you are left with a braid. Loop the braid round into a wreath shape and pinch the ends together. Leave to rise for about 20 minutes. Add olives and pickled chilli on the dough.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Once baked transfer to a wire rack to cool. Garnish with thyme..

Sourdough Bread Cone stuffed with Pizza Veggie Sauce

Sourdough Bread Cone stuffed with Pizza Veggie Sauce 

For the  Dough

3 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour 

1 cup Sourdough Starter 

1 cup LukeWarm Milk 

1 tbsp Dry Yeast 

Salt to taste 

2 tbsp Olive oil 

1 tbsp Butter + 1 tbsp Milk + 1/2 tsp Honey for Brushing 

1 tbsp Black Sesame seeds 

1 tbsp Poppy seeds 

Method 

In a large bowl, add flour. Make a well in the centre. Pour the sour dough, dry yeast and 1/2 cup milk in the centre. Wait for the yeast to react. Mix the dough and sprinkle salt. Start to knead, slowly add the remaining milk while kneading. Add oil and knead for 10 minutes. Let it rest for 1 hour covered till it rises double in size. Punch the dough down and on a floured surface divide into 8 equal portions. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Roll one portion of the dough into an about 30 inch rope. Roll the dough rope around the aluminum cones. Repeat the process with the remaining portions.  Place it on a greased tray and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Brush the cones with butter, milk and honey mix and sprinkle sesame and poppy seeds on top.Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

P.S. To make the cones, take 2 sheets of paper and make a cone and cover with aluminum foil completely so that the paper should not be visible at all. 

Any type of stuffing can be added into the cone... 

For the Stuffing 

Ingredients 

3 Tomatoes chopped

2 Onions chopped 

3 tbsp Garlic minced 

1 tbsp Picked Red Chilli sliced

Or Green chillies chopped 

1 Carrot chopped finely

1 Capsicum chopped finely

6 French Beans chopped finely

1 cup Cauliflower chopped 

2 tbsp sliced Black Olives 

2 tbsp Basil Leaves chopped 

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Pepper powder

1 tbsp Pizza mix (Dry Oregano + Chilli Flakes + Dry Basil) 

1 tbsp Olive Oil 

2 cups of Cheddar and Mozzarella grated 

Method 

Take a pan, add oil. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the onions, saute till translucent. Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar and pepper powder. Cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots, capsicum, French beans, cauliflower, chillies and basil leaves. Stir and cook till the water contained in the vegetables dry up. Take it off the flame. Add the olives, pizza mix and 1 cup mix cheese. Mix it. Let it cool a bit. 

For Assembling 

Add the stuffing in the cone. Top it up with cheese. Repeat the process. Bake it at 200 degrees celcius for 10 minutes or till the cheese has melted.

Sri Lankan Egg Curry with Raw Papaya

Sri Lankan Egg Curry with Raw Papaya

For the Curry
Ingredients
6 Eggs Hard Boil
1 Raw Papaya cut into cubes
2 Onions paste
1 big Tomato paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Ginger paste
Few Curry Leaves
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Sri Lankan Curry Powder
1 cup Coconut Milk
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil
Few Coriander leaves for Garnishing

Method
Heat oil in a wok and add mustard seed. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add onion paste and saute for 2 minutes.  Add ginger and garlic paste and mix all together till brown in color.Add the tomato paste and stir. Now add the red chili powder, turmeric, Sri Lankan Curry powder and salt. Stir it and fry the masala till the oil starts leaving the sides. Add the papaya and stir. Add 2 cups of water, cook it till the papayas are tender. Add coconut milk and stir. Let the curry cook for few more minutes on low flame. Close the lid.Once the curry thickens,add hard boiled eggs and cook for another 1 or 2 mins.

For Sri Lankan Curry Powder
Ingredients
5 Whole Red Chilies
2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
6 Cloves
6 Pepper Corns
2 Cardamom
1 stick Cinnamon
1 tbsp Rice
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Handful of Curry Leaves

Method
Dry roast the curry leaves in a pan and keep aside to cool. In the same pan, dry roast all the whole spices and allow it to cool.In a grinder, add all the roasted ingredients including curry leaves and grind to make a powder.Store it in an air tight jar.

Begun Pora Roasted Mash Brinjal... A Bengali Dish

Begun Pora
Roasted Mash Brinjal... A Bengali Dish
Ingredients
1 big size Brinjal
1 Tomato chopped
1 Onion chopped
2 Green chillies chopped
1/4 tsp Ginger grated
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Mustard oil
Few Coriander leaves chopped
Method
Give 2 slits on the brinjal. Rub salt on the brinjal and roast it on the gas or chula. Let it cool, peel of the skin. In  bowl add chillies, onion, tomato,ginger, mustard oil, salt and  brinjal, mash it well. Garnish it coriander leaves. Serve it with hot roti.