Mini Falafels

1 cup garbanzo beans that have been soaked overnight drained

1 tbsp garbanzo bean flour

3 tbsp water

1 sprig mint chopped

1 sprig parsley chopped

1 pod garlic

2 tbsp onion chopped

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tsp salt

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Oil for shallow frying or pan frying.

Grind the beans, flour, water, onion, garlic, parsley, mint,lime juice and salt.

Try not to add anymore water or your batter will get really loose and will not adhere.

Also you need a coarse not fine batter at the end.

So if needed use a spatula to scrape the sides of the blender jar to incorporate the beans better.

Keep the batter aside in a bowl.

Pour around 1/4 cup oil to a cast iron skillet.

Heat to medium high.

Divide your bean batter into 24 portions.

Using slight damp hands form tiny burger shapes with the batter .

Fry 5 of them at a time .

Make sure they are flat in the oil and turn them as soon as they brown and crisp on one side.

Cook on two sides and drain on paper towels.

Continue the same with the rest.

Serve hot with your favourite dipping sauce.

Thai flavoured Rice Pudding

1/2 cup rice , jasmine or basmati

1 cup coconut water

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 can coconut milk

1/2 tsp cardamom pdr

2 tbsp almonds toasted slightly or 2 tbsp roasted sweetened shredded coconut.

Any fruit to serve on side...

In a saucepan heat the oil for a few seconds on medium heat.

Pour the rice in and sauté, coating the grains.

Now add the coconut water and let it come to a boil

Turn the heat to low, cover and cook the rice for 20 mins or until the rice absorbs all the liquid and plumps up.

Keep aside.

In another skillet heat the coconut milk on a gentle medium heat.

Add another three tbsp water.

Whisk in the sugar.

Add 1/2 the cardamom

Let it heat till the mixture gets slightly thick and sweet like a sauce.

Keep stirring it.

Once done pour it on the cooked rice and combine it well.

Add the remaining cardamom, mix.

Then serve warm garnished with the almonds or the coconut or both.

You can serve any tart fruit like berries or peaches cut up over this smooth pudding.

Escalibada De Verdura

Escalibada De Verdura ( roasted veggies served with toasted baguette)

1 large eggplant

1 large red bell pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

10 slices baguette 

1 sprig parsley

On a gas range top place the eggplant.

Turn it on and roast the vegetable thoroughly.

Using tongs carefully turn the eggplant and make sure it scorches almost burns off the skin on all sides.

Once done put the vegetable in a big bowl and cover with a plate.

Repeat the same with the red pepper.

You have to literally make the skin black or blistered.

Once this is done too put it in the same bowl as the eggplant.

Cover and let the steam loosen the skin.

If you don't have a gas range you can do the same thing on the broiler in the oven.

Make sure u change the sides of the veggies while cooking.

You can put both veggies in the same baking tray.

In case you are barbecuing you can roast these on the grill too.

Once the veggies cool, use your hands to remove the skin to reveal the soft vegetable.

If needed you can moisten ur hands with water to remove the skin easily.

For the eggplant you will need to cut off the end that has the stem on it.

For the pepper you have to remove the stem top and the seeds inside.

Using you hands mash up the eggplant.

And then cut the pepper into strips.

Place both these decoratively on a plate.

Garnish with parsley and drizzle two tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

On a griddle use the leftover oil and toast the baguette slices on both sides.

Serve these with the veggies , build a sort of pizza.

And then dig in.

Tortilla Espanola

5 eggs

1 big potato boiled, peeled and diced.

1 red onion chopped

Two pods garlic diced

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp thyme

Salt to taste

4 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp butter for greasing the pan.

Whisk together the eggs and milk.

In a small pan put the butter and heat on medium flame.

Add the garlic and onion and sauté till the onions are translucent.

Swirl the pan so the onions from a layer on the pan.

Add the potatoes on the onions in a single layer.

Sprinkle the paprika and the thyme and the salt.

Pour the eggs over the potatoes like u would for an omlette.

Use a spatula to scrape the edges to let the eggs set.

You can shake the pan a bit to help the setting further.

On a low flame let the eggs cook on the bottom.

Now use the spatula and cut the omlette into four quarters.

And then flip one quarter at a time and cook the other side of the eggs.

Once done remove to a plate.

Let it cool just a bit.

Then cut up into wedges and serve immediatly.

Almond Raisins and Olive Oil Cake

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking pdr

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive a Oil

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup raisins.

1 tbsp Orange Juice freshly squeezed.

1/2 tsp orange zest

Powdered sugar for dusting on top.

Preheat your oven to 350 deg F.

Spray an 8 inch round cake pan, or as I did use an oval pan the same size.

In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking pdr and salt.

Take your stand mixer bowl or another mixing bowl and whisk together the sugar, eggs, zest until the mixture gets nice, fluffy and pale yellow.

Follow with slowly adding the olive oil whilst still whisking.

Fold this egg mixture into the flour mixture carefully with a spatula, putting away the whisk.

Then add the raisins, chocolate and the almonds.

Mix the batter well until combine.

Pour carefully into the prepped cake pan.

Spread it with your spatula.

Tap sides carefully to ensure the batter settles well.

Bake this for 35 minutes. Check if it's ready by inserting a toothpick in the center.

If it doesn't come out clean bake for another 5 mins.

Then remove from oven and cool it for 25 mins before sprinkling with powdered sugar on top.

Serve sliced into wedges with tea or as a dessert.

Toasted Shahi Tukde

    Usually a dish that involves deep fried slices of bread drizzled with a thick, creamy milky sauce. This is a lightened version using similar ingredients, a twist to the deep frying with the pan toasting and the sauce a little thinner.

I featured this dessert at the first class of my Young Chefs cooking school this late spring.

6 thick slices of any eggy bread like brioche, challah, shirmal or any home made sweet bread.

4 tbsp butter or ghee

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup packed tight light brown sugar

2 tsp rose water

1/2 tsp cardamom pdr

3 strands saffron

2 tbsp toasted coconut

In a wide skillet, heat 2 tbsp of butter on a medium flame.

Toast 3 slices of bread in this butter on medium-high heat till they are golden brown on each side.

Repeat the process with the other 2 tbsp butter and 3 slices of bread.

Set the bread aside and prepare the sauce.

In a glass mixing bowl whisk together the cream and sugar till the sugar crystals dissolve.

Heat this mixture in the microwave till it's slightly hot but not boiled.

Infuse this cream with the flavours of the rose water, saffron and cardamom for 6 minutes.

To assemble the Tukde..

Cut each of the toasted bread slices into four pieces, either squares or triangles.

Arrange them on a shallow bowl anyway you want it.

Drizzle the cream&sugar sauce over the top of the bread enough to soak the pieces.

Then top with the coconut.

Serve this cold or at room temperature.

Variation..

For a chocolatey twist you can add 3 tbsp of Nutella into the cream sauce after u heat the cream and infuse it with the aromatics. And you have a Nutella Shahi Tukda.

Another variation....

Just fry the bread in butter till both sides are golden and crispy...serve with a sweet sauce made from 1 can condensed milk mixed with 1/3 cup full cream. Warm the milk and steep 5 saffron strands in it along with 1 tsp rose water. If you don't have saffron just used 1/2 tsp cardamom powder.

Potato Curry with Peas/ Corn

A North Indian flavoured dish that pleases the palate and is really easy to make. By mimicking techniques found in many Indian kitchens, using simple ingredients and familiar flavours I came up with this recipe for a version of a typical 'Aloo ki sabzi'. It was part if a compilation of home cooked recipes for my older sons's preschool family cookbook 4 yrs ago.

15 fingerling potatoes, peeled,diced into thick 1-inch pieces kept in water to keep from oxidizing.

1 cup frozen peas/ frozen yellow corn

1 big size onion, sliced

1/2 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt for the onions.

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 1/4 cup tomato purée made by blanching two large tomatoes.

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste or 1 tsp chopped ginger, 1 tsp chopped garlic

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 tsp Garam Masala 

1 tsp paprika 

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

water for cooking

oil for cooking

1 tbsp cilantro chopped for garnish.

Prepare the Nut Paste. Soak Macadamia Nuts in 1/4 cup warm milk for 25 minutes.

Now Blend them with the soaking water into a fine paste. 

Add more water if necessary to make the paste fine.

Keep aside to be used in the final stage of the curry.

To blanch tomatoes, cut them in quarters, put in glass bowl, fill with 1/2 cup water and heat in a microwave for 6 minutes on high.

Once they cook with a spoon add each tomato quarter one by one into another bowl filled with 2 cups of ice cubes and 1 cup water. Remove the skins of the tomatoes. Strain the water out and purée the tomatoes in a blender.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan.

Saute the potatoes till all the sides turn slightly brown. Don't cook them through. keep aside.

In a skillet heat 1 tbsp oil, add the sliced onions. 

Add the sugar and the salt.

Cover and cook for 8 minutes.

Caramelize them till golden on a medium heat if needed for a further 8 mins.

Cool, Blend with 1/4 cup water. 

Add more water if needed to make a smooth purée.

In the same skillet add another tbsp of oil, heat on medium then add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.

Now Add the Onion puree, cook for 5 minutes.

To this the Ginger-Garlic to this and cook further for 3 min.

Now add the garam masala and sauté further for 5 minutes.

Now add the Tomato Puree along with 1 cup of water.

Then season with salt and the paprika.

Stir and cook this on medium high heat for 5 mins.

Now reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 min.

Stir a few times during this process to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom. Add the potatoes and the peas/ corn.

Cook this with 3/4 cup water on low heat or until the potatoes are cooked fork tender approx 20 min.

Now combine the macadamia nut paste with the curry. Stir well. Bring this to heat on medium flame for 5 min.

Once hot take it off the flame.

Transfer to a serving bowl. 

Garnish with cilantro and serve with Naan bread or Flavoured rice.