Chocolate, Fruit and Nut Biscotti

If I adore something, I would definitely be making different flavours and varieties of them. Biscotti are one among them. I have been making these jewelled cookies on and off whenever I feel like baking something that uses no butter and something that could be stored for a while. Biscotti are great to snack or for an evening tea and easy to make so I tend to load them with whatever fruits and nuts I have in hand. 

Talking about Biscotti, these are Italian biscuits that are baked twice until dry, crisp and crunchy. They are studded with dry fruits, nuts and chocolates. We normally have it by dunking in tea/coffee. These are fantastically versatile and we can use our own favourite combination of dry fruits, nuts or chocolates. I found this recipe on Good Housekeeping Magazine but added apricots, and more nuts. As my husband dislike chocolate, I added chocolate just to half the dough and they were just delicious, with or without chocolate.

Chocolate, Fruit and Nut Biscotti

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: About 45 minutes

Makes: About 40 mins

Ingredients:

90g shelled pistachios

70g lightly roasted hazelnuts

70g apricots, chopped

1 cup (200g) caster sugar

3 (~190g) medium eggs, lightly beaten

75g milk/dark chocolates, chopped into small chunks

1 tsp vanilla essence

275g all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Line a large baking sheet with baking or parchment paper. 

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.

3. Add in eggs and stir until clumps form, then bring together with your hands, kneading until smooth.

4. Add nuts and chocolate and knead until evenly distributed (dough will be a stiff and a bit sticky) sprinkle little flour to make it less sticky and manageable, but don’t add too much.

5. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC (160 ºC Fan), gas mark 4.

6. Now, on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in half and roll each dough into two 15 inch sausage shapes. Place them on lined sheets, spacing much apart. Bake them for 25 minutes or until the dough is slightly golden and has spread, then cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Turn down the oven to 140 ºC (120 ºC Fan), gas mark 1.

7. Using a serrated bread knife, cut rolls diagonally into 1cm thick slices. Lay flat on baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes until dry and lightly golden – They will harden on cooling.

8. Cool completely on wire rack and once completely cooled store in an airtight container.

200th post; A recipe and a glimpse through Kerala's serene Beauty!

Hi friends,

Hope you all had a great Ramadan, Eid and Onam. After a long gap of more than 2 decades, I was lucky enough to celebrate Eid and spend Holy Ramadan in India with my relatives. This post is going to be my 200^th recipe post; a long awaited one, yet had to come late as I was confused on what and how to post and sheer laziness. I always get the so called bloggers block anytime I get a long break or holiday. Posting becomes fewer than before. I have been getting lot of messages and mails asking me to start blogging and to post new recipes. Thanks to all for checking on me and th elovely messages you send me. They mean alot to me. Thanks to all for the continuous support and encouragement. Here, I came back from India with lots of good memories to keep and some pictures and stories to share with you.

It was Monsoon in India then with lots of rain and less heat to bear, nice weather to sit cosy at home with a cup of tea or coffee and a newspaper in hand to watch the downpour.  Probably not a good weather to go on a house boat as the rain and currants can get precarious, but we did that too and that’s what I am going to share with  you today.

We had planned a family trip to Kumarakom and Kochi couple of days after our arrival to Kerala. Even before we could overcome the jetlag and fatigue, we set off to Kumarakom, a popular tourist destination located 16 kms from the city of Kottayam. It is famous for its beautiful backwaters, houseboats, natural beauty, wide variety of flora and fauna and is set in the backdrop of the great Vembanad kaayal /Lake which is the largest lake in Kerala and the longest one in India.  It was a two day tour package which included a day in the  house boat, resort and the third day we spent roaming in the outskirts of Kochi and Alappuzha. Easiest means of transport from Kannur to Kumarakom was by train. It took us 7 hours overnight journey to Kottayam from where we freshened up ourselves in a small hotel and then left for houseboat .

Houseboat was one great experience, a heart throbbing one to cherish and treasure forever. It is unable to convey through words, but the pictures may speak a little if not all. The first day we spent cruising on the houseboat which took us in and around the serene beauty of the famous backwaters, paddy fields, and the mighty Vembanad Lake. Our houseboat was a massive one, with 4 air conditioned bedrooms, each with attached baths, a long walkway, a hall and a kitchen to top it all. It had a deck upstairs with some chairs and settees arranged to breathe in the freshness of nature.  Scrumptious meals were prepared by the crews in the boat for breakfast lunch and dinner. As the boat moved slowly, I went on clicking anything that came my way and fascinated me. The lake, other  houseboats that ornamented the backwater, the moss that were floating in the lake, paddy fields, small boats/thoni, the rain etc.  In between, our boat stopped at a place where there were small shops selling  daily essentials and seafood from where we bought Tender coconuts and huge prawns that was cooked as part of our meal that night.

By evening our house boat was disembarked near a vast paddy field, in the back waters. We spent our evening cracking jokes, watching telly and of course running behind kids. Had a fabulous dinner which included the lobsters that were bought from the shop that afternoon. They were prepared by the crews on board again and the next day we set off to our resort. It was based in Kumarakom and  was overlooking the Vembanad lake, a resort that could make a dream holiday destination. The resort was built in the traditional Kerala fashion and was well equipped with Gym, pool, water sports centre, cycling facilities, sunset cruise, multi cuisine restaurants etc. The resort also had indoor games like chess, table tennis, caroms etc to keep you busy in case the weather goes bad.  After spending some time there we set out to Aleppy on a small boat across the backwaters and Vembanad Lake. The weather then started getting real bad with wind that the boat started wavering much to freak all of us out. We then returned back halfway through without making it to Aleppy. We were told that Aleppy is the prime destination for houseboats with over 800 houseboats where as Kumarakom has only as few as 50 houseboats. It is in Aleppy that the major event Vallam kali (Boat race) takes place. We spent the night playing caroms and table tennis.

On our third day, we roamed in and around the city of Cochin, visited the Marine Drive, Dutch palace and Oberon Mall. But by then I was already down with viral fever and I was just dragging myself along with gang as I dint want to miss anything and to let them have their fun time. Much photoes were not taken on the third day as all what I wanted to was to lie down and have some rest. I really missed taking pictures that day as there were great things that could be shot and I couldnt. But I have already taken more than 800 pictures in two days, so my camera too would have yearned for a break.

*********************************************************

IL diplomatico

Okay, For today’s recipe, here is a dessert that I tried a while ago, and have been lying in my drafts for months now. The name of this dessert is a new one and I found it in one of my cake books. The picture always left me drooling and I was just waiting for an occasion to make it.  I think it is basically a chocolate Tiramisu, with a diplomatic name! A pretty straight forward recipe with an awesome result. Actually, the recipe in the book doesnt have eggs added to it and may be even an easier one to make. But sometimes I have the habit of making simple things complicated just like this one. So please bear with me . If anyone wants the egg-free recipe of Diplomatico as in the book, please feel free to ask, I can type it out for you. I havent tried that method though, so cant guarantee the outcome. But it looks reliable.

Il Diplomatico

Serves 10

Ingredients:

2 large eggs, separated

200gm dark chocolate – 50% cocoa mass (use 100 g milk chocolate and 100g dark chocolate if you dont like the bitter taste of dark chocolate, but reduce sugar by half).

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional)

250g mascarpone cheese

1 cup, 250 ml double cream/whipping cream

8-10 tablespoons Icing sugar or depending on one’s preference

2-3 tablespoons caster sugar

1 cup boiling water

1 tablespoon coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

200g saviordi biscuits, around 30 of them. (If you don’t get them, just use regular sponge cakes or Madeira cakes)

Cocoa powder – to garnish

250 mls whipping cream (optional) to garnish.

03/01/2013 : The method of preparation is slightly modified to make it easier.
 
Preparation:

1. Melt chocolate plus 1 teaspoon coffee powder in a double boiler. Let it cool completely.

2. Mix 1 tablespoon of coffee and 1 tablespoon of caster sugar to boiling water and mix well. Set aside to cool.

3. Add  caster sugar to egg yolks in another heat proof bowl and and beat well using an electric beater for about 5-8 minutes by placing it on a double boiler. Beat until the mixture is pale and slightly warm. Make sure the water beneath the bowl is simmering, and doesnt touch the bowl on top else the yolks will get cooked and scramble. It is not necessary to place on the double boiler, you may beat the yolks and sugar without placing on double boiler too.

3. In a squeaky clean bowl, beat egg whites till it forms soft peaks. Add 4 tablespoon of icing sugar, and beat till stiff.

4. In a large bowl, lightly whip cream to soft peaks. Add vanilla essence, 4-6 tablespoon of icing sugar and beat for few seconds until combined.

5. To this add mascarpone and beat to incorporate.

6. Add melted chocolate and mix well. Add egg yolk mixture and mix well until well incorporated.

7. Mix  1/3 of whipped egg whites to this cream and chocolate mixture to loosen it slightly and then fold rest of the egg whites in.

To assemble:

1. Spray a 1 Kilo loaf tin with non stick spray or just brush it with oil and line it with clingfilm and let them hang them on all sides so that you can pull it out.

2. Dip sponge fingers lightly in the coffee and line the base of the tin.

3. Pour half of chocolate-mascarpone mixture in and level with spatula.

4. Layer another layer of coffee dipped saviordi and pour in rest of the chocolate-mascarpone mixture.

5. Then cover the chocolate-mascarpone mixture with another layer of coffee dipped saviordi.

6. Chill for about 4 hours or overnight to set.

7.  To serve: Invert the loaf pan on to serving plate and slide the loaf pan out.  Take off the cling film and dust generously with cocoa powder or ice completely with whipped cream. Serve thick slices with coffee.

N.B: Please add sugar as per your taste. Mine is usually on the higher side, so I tend to add more sugar. You may add less, if you like your dessert less sweet.

Prawn and Pesto Pasta Salad

I and salad don’t go well together most of the time unless they are sinfully dressed up. I love dressed salads, just like this one. Pesto and mayonnaise is a varied combination and we absolutely loved it. This is a fresh salad that is fragrant, mild, creamy and bursting with flavour. The nutty tasting pesto with fragrant basil and mayonnaise pairs well with this pasta salad. It is a meal in itself and very filling hence this salad found its way to one of my hubby’s lunch box menu as well. I came across this simple recipe on the pack of frozen prawns and so the recipe definitely has prawns in it. For vegetarian option, Just opt out Prawns. I can see myself making different salads with same pesto - mayo drssing. How about new potatoes added to these pastas?And chicken instead of prawns?Adding some cooked pulses like cannellini, Garbanzo etc.?Many options and I am sure they will taste as good as this one.

Prawn and Pesto Pasta Salad

Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as side.

Ingredients:

200g, 1 ¼ cup Cooked prawns

125 g any pasta shapes, I used my favorite - Penne.

100g, 6 cherry tomatoes quartered

½ cup, 100g canned sweet corn

2 spring onions, chopped into rings

3 Tbsp Mayonnaise

3 Tbsp shop bought pesto

Preparations:

1. Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and let it cool.

2. In a bowl, add cooked pasta, cooked prawns, corn, tomatoes, spring onions and stir well.

3. Add mayonnaise and pesto sauce and mix well. Adjust salt and add pepper powder if desired.

Notes:

 

1. You can adjust the pesto depending on how strong you like the flavour. I love the flavor of basil and hence added much. You can reduce it to 1 or 2 tablespoons instead of 3.

Garlic-Basil Bread/ Garlic-Basil Ciabatta

Here is something so easy and yummy to munch on! I grabbed a ciabatta loaf the other day from a nearby store and thought of making some garlic bread which we really love. But I ended up making these as I had loads of basil lying around. So easy to make, and takes minimum effort and time.

Ingredients:

1 Medium ciabatta loaf, 160g
2 Tbsp butter at room temperature
1 Heaped Tbsp Mayonnaise (I used lighter than light mayonnaise here)
½ Tbsp light Olive oil
3 garlic cloves chopped very finely
2 Tbsp chopped basil
½ cup grated mild cheddar (reduce as per wish)
Salt – if needed
Pepper - to taste (I haven’t added any)

Preparation:

1. Slice ciabatta into 1 inch thickness at an angle. I got 8 pieces.

2. Mix together soft butter, mayo, minced garlic, olive oil and chopped basil. Spread this mixture on the ciabatta slices.

3. Place these Ciabattas on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper. Sprinkle grated cheddar on each slice and bake for about 8-10 minutes at 180 degrees until the cheese on top melts and starts taking golden patches here and there. Serve along with any soup or just have it as a starter. I served it alongside Moussakka.

N.B: You can use cheese of choice like Parmesan, Mozzarella. If you are using parmesan, you might need to reduce teh amount as the flavour is quite strong.

Rosemary and Sundried Tomato Focaccia

Ever since I moved into the present flat of ours I have become kind of a plant aficionado. Most of the things around look edible in my eyes. I pluck few leaves and sniff them to see if they give out any scent, pluck berries, fruits etc and research on their details with some vague information. It wasn’t a waste of time at all. Among quite a few other stuffs, I also discovered that the outrageously growing bush all around our estate is Rosemary! Wow. I was quite exited and have been looking out for recipes that use rosemary. Talking about rosemary, it is a herb with quite hard and spiky leaves and that has a mint-like smell.

Among the entire set of recipes that I came across, focaccia was something that really fascinated me. I have also come across some lamb shank recipes that use rosemary for flavouring. Rosemary grows wildly like any grass or bush you see anywhere. I thought I have to use into something before I shift from here and decided to give a go with focassia. I referred James Martin’s recipe for the basic dough but tweaked it much by adding Sundried tomatoes in olive oil

Focaccia is an Italian staple which is enjoyed by old world bakers as a snack between laborious efforts of bread baking. Focassia has ever since made a name for itself as a premier sandwich loaf. This rustic recipe with rosemary and sundried tomatoes through out can be made into 2 smaller loaves or one large loaf and used in sandwiches ~ Sandwiches Panini and Wraps by Dwayne Ridgeway.

I made a swiss oatmeal soup to go along with it and it tasted great. I read focassia is something like a pizza base, but I thought it had its own difference. The bread was slightly chewy and crumbly rather than soft and tear-apart kind of texture. You can try your own variations of it like adding black olives, cheese, tomatoes, different herbs etc. Here is the one that I baked last week and this goes to 5th World Bread Day.

Ingredients:

500g Bread flour (3 cups plus 6 Tablespoons)

1 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tsp salt
1 teaspoon castor sugar

2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary leaves

300 mls tepid (Lukewarm) water

3 Tablespoon olive oil (I used flavoured oil from the sundried tomato Jar)

75g (1/2 cup) chopped sundried tomato in flavoured olive oil

Few extra twigs of rosemary

Preparations:

1. In a large bowl sift flour, salt, sugar, yeast, chopped rosemary and mix well.

2. Add 2 Tablespoon of oil and rub well. Gradually mix in the water and knead for about 8-10 minutes until a soft, smooth and elastic dough forms. When the dough is smooth, smear the dough with the remaining tablespoon of oil. The dough should be elastic but not sticky at all.

3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it loosely with oiled cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours or until the dough has risen well and has doubled in size.

4. Knock back the dough by punching it down with fist. Add chopped sundried tomatoes and knead for couple of minutes to incorporate them well into the dough.

5. Lightly flour a work area and roll the dough into ¾ inch thick and 9” round. You can also divide the dough into 2 smaller loaves instead of a making a single massive loaf. You can also make it in rectangle. Place it on a greased baking tray and leave it to rise for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. If the weather is dry, like in the UK, cover it loosely with oiled cling film (If the cling film is not oiled, dough will stick to it and make a mess).

6. Meanwhile heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Take off the cling film and make several indentations with your fingers all over the surface of the dough. Lightly brush with olive oil (I used oil in the sundried tomato jar) and lightly insert few rosemary twigs into the indentations.

7. Bake for around 20 minutes or until golden brown all over. If you tap the underside of the bread at this point, I should sound hollow if it is well cooked. Cool on a wire rack and slice into wedges if made in circles or squares if made into large rectangles. Serve alongside your favourite soup or use it in sandwiches.

Notes:

1.I used plain flour instead of bread flour.

2. It is important to oil the cling film as the dough sticks to it otherwise.

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Cannellonis were something that I had been looking forward to prepare and taste! And finally I did it. I don’t exactly remember how I came across this pasta, probably from food network channel or any TV shows or an internet recipe. Even though the recipe list may scare you, I bet these are not at all difficult to prepare. It is simple and the taste is guaranteed. Preparation takes a bit of time though but not so much as you really would think it would because everything gets cooked so fast apart from the baking time and there is minimal chopping up. Actually I prepared this probably an year ago and prepared again last week, was simply craving for some.

Cannellonis are tube shaped pasta shelled which are filled with any filling of your choice, may it be vegetarian or a pure meataholics delight of saucy minced meat. Here I chose a ricotta and spinach filling which is quite a common combination to go for the filling. I also used a low fat ricotta since I was using quite a lot of it. You can reduce the amount as much as you just wish to have. I just made it twice until now. The first time I made it I made it with mush lesser amount of spinach and ricotta. But the filling was quite less and we got more of lasagne sheets than the filling, but the taste was real good. So the second time I made it, I just increased the amount of cheese and spinach. You may reduce both if you don’t have enough of it or if you wish to have less amount of filling, like to have less spinach or want to use less ricotta, it wont alter the taste much.

Here I have used the lasagne pasta sheets instead of the cannelloni pasta. They are more economical and something that I always used. Unlike other pasta, these pasta comes in layers. The bottom layer consists of the filled shells, followed by tomato sauce on top and white sauce to go over that. I sprinkled with some cheese for that strong flavour. For preparation, I placed the filling on one end of the cooked pasta and rolled it into tube shape by keeping the filling in. I then arranged the rolled pasta into a large baking dish. If your pasta dish doesn’t accommodate in one dish, you can split them into 2 dishes. I then poured the tomato sauce and then poured the white sauce over. Sprinkled with cheese and viola! It’s ready to go.

I m not quite sure how it works with the tube shaped cannelloni though. I don’t know if it has to be pre-cooked before filling. But I have seen uncooked cannelloni sheets being filled with the stuffing and then cooked by pouring the sauce over. The tubes get soft and cooked with the juices from the sauces. Here as you see I have rolled the pasta to form a cannelloni. Instead of that you can make a spinach and ricotta lasagne just by layering the pasta, filling and sauces one after the other. It’s much easier and takes even lesser time. You can check out my lasagne recipe for reference.


Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
Serves 4 Adults
Preparation time: 40-50 minutes
Cooking time: 45– 50 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Filling:

Appx. 500g Chopped Spinach (I used the frozen chopped spinach.)
2 ½ cups ricotta (650g) (You may reduce the amount anywhere from 300g-600g)
150g sliced closed cup mushrooms (2 cups)
1 medium size onion sliced (100g,3/4 cup)
2-3 large flake of garlic,sliced
½ tsp dried basil
¼ of a nutmeg grated
½ tsp dried oregano
Salt – to taste
Crushed Black pepper – to taste
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil

Napolitana Sauce (Tomato sauce):
5 large tomatoes, chopped (500g)
2 large flakes of garlic sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium size onion, chopped (100g, ¾ cup)
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
¾ -1 cup water (Enough to make a thick sauce.)
1 tsp paprika/Kashmiri Chilli powder (Optional - Add only if you want it slightly hot.)
Salt – as required

Bechamel sauce (White sauce):
2 ½ cups- 3 cups (625mls-750mls)- semi skimmed milk or whole milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp Olive oil/vegetable oil
2 tbsp plain flour
1 maggi vegetable/chicken bouillon cube (Stock cube)
1 tsp English mustard paste
Salt – as required
1/8 th of a nutmeg grated
Crushed white/black pepper (Optional).

Others:
14 – 16 Lasagne sheets
1/3 – ½ cup grated cheddar (optional)
2-4 Tbsp grated Parmesan

Preparation:


Tomato sauce:
Tomato sauce actually needs slow cooking, so the filling can be made while the sauce is cooking. For the sauce,

1.Heat oil in a saucepan and add chopped onion and garlic. Sauté till onion is really soft and translucent.

2. Add in the chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook on medium heat until the tomato has gone all soft and mushy.

3. Add in the herbs and paprika if using it. Add the required amount of water and cook on low for about 25-30 minutes.

4. Add the sugar and adjust salt.

5. Once the sauce is completely cooled, pour it in a food processor and whizz for few seconds until you get a chunky puree. You may do it in you blender as well; but make sure the sauce has cooled enough before you puree it. While the sauce is cooking, prepare the spinach and ricotta filling.

For the filling:
1. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil. Add in the sliced onions and sauté until soft. Add in the sliced garlic and sauté till soft.

2. Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes. Add in the chopped spinach, oregano, basil and crushed pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until the spinach is all well cooked.

3. Grate in the nutmeg and stir well.

4. Turn the heat off and add the ricotta and stir well. Adjust the seasoning and add salt as necessary. Keep the filling aside.

After the filing and the sauce is ready, prepare the béchamel sauce:

1.Heat another saucepan on medium and add oil + butter.

2. Reduce the heat to low, add in flour. Stir continuously for a minute.

3. Take the pan off the heat and milk. Stir continuously using a wire whisk to break up any lumps.

4. Keep the pan back on heat, add the mustard paste and crumbled chicken stock cube. Keep stirring on low-medium heat until the mixture turns thick.

5. Grate in nutmeg and add crushed pepper if using. Stir well.

While the béchamel is cooking you can prepare the pasta.

Cook the lasagne sheets according to the packet instructions and drain the pasta on a clean kitchen towel.

To cook pasta, in a very large saucepan of boiling salted water, add a tablespoon of oil. Add 4-6 sheets of lasagne sheets and stir carefully and continuously, but not vigorously. This will prevent the sheets from sticking to each other. If you find it difficult to handle, you may add 2 sheets at a time and cook. Pick each sheet from the water using tongs and leave to drain on a kitchen towel.

Assembling:




1.Place a cooked lasagne sheet on a clean plate and add 2 heaped tablespoons of filling at the end of shorter side. Roll the pasta carefully keeping the filling in.

2. Place the rolled pasta on an oiled baking dish or a clear pyrex dish or gratin dish.

3. Roll all the pasta in the same manner until all the filling is used up.

4. Keep it in a single layer.

5. Pour the tomato sauce over and spread using a spatula.

6. Pour the white sauce over and lightly spread using spoon. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake @ 180 degrees Celsius for about 45 – 50 minutes or you see golden brown patches all around.

Notes:
1. The pasta can be prepared 24 hours ahead, covered with cling film and refrigerated before baking. Then bake directly from the fridge until you see golden patches all around.

2. For the ease of preparation you may try shop bought nepolitana sauce and white sauce. I have never tried both anyways, since I find it easy to prepare the home made ones.

This is my entry for 'Healing foods-Spinach' hosted by divya of Dilse which was started by Siri of siri-corner.

Spaghetti and Meatballs.

I always like to experiment on dishes that looks tempting, complicated and very challenging. I really have to put lot of courage in to doing some experiments like that. While doing such experiments, I always make sure that there is something (some food) for the backup if at all the new dish turns out uneatable:). Not always does the experiments come out successful. But this is something that came out really good so I thought I would share with you all.. I think after cooking this spaghetti and meatballs I became overconfident. I tried two new dishes after this, one was a total disaster and other one had some flavour here and there but I am just not happy with the result.....ha!But I am not going to give up, after all that's how you learn cooking.



Here is a simple and healthy way of cooking meatballs and Spaghetti. Normally the meatballs are deep fried in oil, but here, I baked them, and they gave me perfect results with juicy meatball. I had kept two meatballs aside to try frying them, but forgot to fry them!!. So I will let you know if these meatballs can be fried next time I make them. And surely I will make them soon. I have added more paprika or kashmiri Chilli powder to suit my family's taste, but you can totally avoid them and use black pepper powder instead or reduce the amount of paprika than mentioned in the recipe.

Ingredients:
For the Meatballs:
1/2 kilo minced Beef/lamb
1/2 cup freshly ground bread (Bread crumbs), I used two slices of bread, crust removed and processed it in processor to get crumbs.
1/4 cup grated parmesan (parmigiano Reggiano)
4 tbs (1/4 cup) milk
2 tbs chopped parsley
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/3 cup firmly packed)
3 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp paprika depending upon the taste
1 large egg
3/4tsp - 1 tsp salt
For the sauce:
2 large tomatoes chopped (400 gms, 2 cups)
70 g tomato paste/puree ( I used a small 70g tin of tomato paste)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic,chopped
1-2 tbs chopped parsley
1/2 tsp Paprika powder
1 stock cube (I used maggi chicken stock cube)
2 - 21/4 cups (450mls-500mls) water
1 tsp Dried basil leaves
2 tsp sugar
1-2 tbs olive oil/vegetable oil
salt- as required
300g-350g Spaghetti to serve
Preparation:
For the sauce:1. Heat a saucepan to medium and add oil. Add the chopped onions and cook for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the chopped garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, paprika powder, stock cube and water and cook on medium heat for about 35-40 minutes until the tomatoes are well cooked, soft and mushy.
3. Add these to a blender and give a quick whiz for a couple of seconds until you get a thick chunky puree, not a smooth sauce.
4. Put it back to the pan and add the cooked meatballs to it and cook on low heat for about 25-30 minutes until the meatballs are completely cooked and juicy.
For the meatballs:
1. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs thoroughly using hand to distribute all ingredients uniformly. Make about 28 golf ball sized/lime sized balls and place in on a greased baking sheet.
2. Place it in a oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for about 25 minutes or until the meat balls turn slightly brown all over. Add this meatballs to the tomato sauce prepared earlier along with the juices in the sheet. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 25-30 minutes; stirring from time to time. If you find it too thick, you can add some water accordingly. But for me the above amount was perfect. Again it depends on the heat and vessel used for preparing the sauce.
For serving:
1. Prepare the spaghetti according to the packet instructions;drain.
2. Serve spaghetti topped with meatballs in sauce; sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve warm. Serves 4.


Notes:
1. The tomato sauce really keeps well. You can freeze them in jars and then use for later use,making the work easier.
2. Similarly, You can make make meatballs,place them in a tray, and freeze them until hard, then transfer them to freezer bags and freeze until needed. Cook directly from freezer as mentioned above, but it will take longer,once frozen. Cook until lightly browned all over. Enjoy this classic Italian Dinner with your loved ones.....

Italian Bean and Pasta Soup

I made this soup to go with garlic bread for dinner last night and we loved it so much that I thought I would share with you all. The soup was light and quite filling. And do you want to know where I got the recipe from? The wrap of willow Butter!!Yeah, I have the habit of collecting the recipes from anywhere and everywhere. I always take the grocery booklets from the groceries everytime because they contain many recipes and I thought they were nice. Now my collection has become so big, and I really dont know what to do! My husband sometimes comment that I'm like a mouse bringing all the mess and waste to home......Aaaah....but I am sure there are many ladies out there like me, crazy about collecting recipes, and keep flipping them over again and again and still never get bored of it, isn't it?!!!

Ingredients:
1 tbs butter
2 medium carrots thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 medium onion sliced thin (1/2 cup)
2 large cloves garlic,chopped
1/2 large tomato (1/3 cup)
1 tsp tomato puree
400 can Red Kidney Beans drained and washed (1 1/3 cup)
3/4 cup frozen green peas
2 chicken Stock cube (I used Maggi)
1500 mls water
75 gms pasta shapes, I used fusilli (1 cup)
salt and pepper to season (I dint add salt, since stock cube is quite salty)

Preparation:
1. Heat a sauce pan, melt butter and add onions, garlic and carrots. Stir and cook gently for about 5 minutes and add tomato and tomato puree and saute until tomato is soft.
2. Add beans, peas and stock cube and boiled water and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add the pasta shapes and cook for another 7 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.