Celebrating Spring with Bubbly Cocktails

Weekend was brilliant with the weather being so generous to us...loads of sun and not windy at all..which meant it was definitely time for the outdoors. Central London was bustling with people and i declared out loud that Summer was definitely around the corner and the tourist season was catching up. We tried out this brilliant Malaysian fine dining restaurant called Awana in the posh area of South Kensington and it was one of the best ever..shall review it later.

But for now....here are a few cocktails i tried, to celebrate spring. Had them with a biryani lunch on Sunday and it was perfect. I'm really enjoying the bar tending bit..even if its at home and I'm so kicked that i finally learned how to open a bottle of bubbly on my own..without running to the next room when Ro tries to do so.

Manning Mimosa (makes 1 cocktail)

This is a bubbly cocktail made with Prosecco- an Italian sparkling wine- and is good for all occasions, but best for brunch.

Orange juice- 6 tbsp (freshly squeezed is way better)

Lemon juice- 2 tbsp

Orange liqueur like Cointreau or Grand Mariner- 2 tbsp

Chilled Prosecco- to top

Fresh mint leaf- for garnish

Mix together the orange juice, lemon juice, liqueur in a Champagne flute. Top with Prosecco, garnish with mint leaf and serve immediately.

Strawberry Smash (makes 1 cocktail)

This is more like a Mojito, but with a bubbly. You can basically put in any herb of your choice and adjust the amounts as per your taste.

Fresh strawberries hulled and sliced- 3

Fresh herb- 6 leaves ( I used mint leaves)

Gin or white rum- 1 oz ( I used Gordon's Gin)

Lime Cordial- 1 oz

Prosecco- 2 oz

Lightly muddle the strawberry and mint leaves in a 'rocks glass' until the strawberries become pulp-like and the herby smell of the mint leaves are strong. Add the gin and lime sour and give it a stir. Fill about 3/4th with ice and top with Prosecco.

Notes: Lime cordial can be substituted with a Lime sour or even lime juice for that matter.

I avoided ice cubes in my drink

You can use cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme etc., but don't overdo, as it can be a bit over powering.

If you want a mocktail, use sparkling water instead of Prosecco.

I would also like to raise a glass to Meeta of What's For Lunch Honey? for completing 4 awesome years of blogging. I am sending these Bubbly Prosecco cocktails to the Monthly Mingle event hosted by her where the theme is to prepare anything with Champagne, Processo or sparkling wine. These cocktails are an awesome way to celebrate. Kudos to you Meeta.

Square Pizza ... cheated a lot on this one ;)

I had no clue making a pizza was this easy... especially with the pizza base mix from Sainsbury's. Like i mentioned before, Friday's are Pizza days for us and we gorge on Dominos usually. Tried Pizza Hut once and we were thoroughly disappointed with them. We make an order online and Dominos deliver to the dot...literally. Pizza Hut was 45 minutes late and the two times we called to find out what was happening, the Manager had no clue where the delivery guy was and told us he left half an hour from the store...weird? yes i thought so too...we had a major argument with the delivery guy who again had no clue what was going on and it was a whole big mess. We swore never to order from PH ever..i even wrote a stinker to them regarding this and they wrote back saying sorry and we could have a free pizza next time...ya right!..like there ever will be a next time!

So coming back to the post...there were two sachets of the base mix, one of which i used for the calzone and the other i made this pizza. Since pizza was anyway junk food, i went all out and made it as unhealthy as possible...with absolutely no veggies. Next time i shall include bell pepper, mushrooms etc....if there is a next time, that is. Like most of the recipes here, very few have returned to our kitchen.

Sainsbury's/ Asda Pizza base mix- 1 sachet

Pizza Topping sauce- half a bottle. I used this (told ya i cheated).

Chicken sausages- 1/2 cup (diced)

Shredded chicken- 1/2 cup (cook chicken with any spice of your choice or just salt and pepper and once cool, shred them or dice them into small pieces. I used some Mexican seasoning for this)

Grated Parmesan cheese- 1/4 cup

Grated Cheddar cheese- 1/2 cup + more to sprinkle on top

Follow instructions and prepare the dough. Roll out the flour on to the pizza tray and leave it in a warm place to rise. I didn't have a pizza tray, and so had to use the square cookie tray. Anythings fine.

While that's taken care of, prepare your toppings..get the chicken and sausage ready.

Assembling: spread the pizza sauce on to the base..generously, if you want a strong tomato taste, (I went a lil light on this) leaving about an inch gap around the base..just so you get a crispy edge.

Layer with some parmesan and cheddar first. Then add the sausage, chicken and the rest of the cheddar and parmesan.

Cook in a preheated oven (200C) for 20 minutes or until the base is crispy.

Notes: I screwed up on the rolling out bit..again! and so it tore a bit in the centre which i tried to fix and again screwed it up, so the centre didn't come out crisp..although i didn't mind the fact that it was incredibly soft either.

You can put any topping of your choice..including the cheese. Mozzarella is a must actually, but since i realised i didn't have any, only when i started cooking, I went ahead with the mature cheddar and i love love cheddar cheese,so i didn't care much.

The lazy me decided to use store-bought pizza sauce which was good enough. But if you are particular about making your own..there are loads of recipe online. Same goes for the base too.

Eating healthy gone down the drain

Oh well...i knew it better than anyone else that i couldn't stick to all that gyan i gave about eating healthy. I have however reduced my cake/cookie/ brownie baking to once a week and have started eating fruits instead. Have also made it a point to have more veggies along with meals...even if its just blanched and seasoned and maybe a dash of salad dressing too. I would like to say low fat dressing, but sorry, its not..so there goes the eating healthy bit.

Anyhoo...i was watching the latest episode of Desperate Housewives and in between the lesbian-ic tensions between Katherine and stripper Robin, I managed to catch the name of the French toast Katherine was making. She made it with this bread called Brioche and i had to find out what it was. Google came to my rescue and i learned that it was this super high calorie bread with a high egg and butter content. Opened Sainsbury's website and searched for the same, and as luck might have it, they did have the Brioche bread. Off i went to S (after DH of course) and after hunting around in the bakery/ fresh bread section for a while i came across different varieties of the Brioche bread. There was the loaf, the long buns and the ones with chocolate chips etc. I opted for the long buns. Came back home and couldn't wait to try it. It is incredibly soft and mildly sweet and i loved gorging on it just like that..no topping, no filling nothing. Sunday brunch was the Brioche French Toast with caramelised bananas, I had already decided. See Ro was wrong...mindless drama like DH did inspire me after all :P

Brioche buns- 4

Eggs- 2, beaten well

Milk- 1/2 cup (I used whole milk)

Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Sugar- 2 tbsp (optional)

Cinnamon powder- a pinch

For the caramelised bananas:

Ripe bananas- 2, sliced lengthwise

Brown sugar- 3 tbsp

Butter- 1 tbsp

Orange juice- 1 tsp (optional)

Beat together eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon powder till nice and frothy.

In a casserole dish, place the four brioche buns and pour the egg/ milk mixture over it. make sure they are all well soaked.

Heat a non stick frying pan and toast on either side, till light brown.

In a sauce pan melt the butter and brown sugar till it forms a caramel like consistency. Add the banana slices to the pan and coat them with the same for about two to three minutes. Don't over do it though.

Arrange the toast on a serving plate, place the caramelised bananas on top and drizzle the left over caramel syrup.

Notes: You need not pour the egg mixture over the brioche, you can also dip and toast all of them like how you do a french toast.

If you are not eating them immediately, keep them warm in an oven. I could toast all four of them at one go in my frying pan.

You can add a dab of butter to the pan before toasting, if its not non-stick

I am yet to master the art of caramelising without burning it and so mine looks a bit watery...

PS: The pic doesn't do justice, but trust me this was delicious.

Kerala Beef Fry (Beef ularthiyathu)

I still haven't gotten over my pressure cooker phobia after this episode and so prefer to use it only when Ro or someones around. In spite of that, each time the whistle sounds, i jump out of my skin and everyone has a good laugh except my husband who thinks its high time i grew out of it. Easy for him to say hmpffff!

One of the first blogs i started following on a regular basis was that of Sig's and if at all there was a wee bit of inspiration, it was because of her. The first recipe i tried of hers was the Kerala Beef fry and it was alright, not perfect like hers. I just couldn't get the colour right and I'm sure taste-wise it wasn't anywhere near hers as well. I went on and learned how to make it my mom-in-law way and have stuck to that always. But then, I came across the Blog Bites event hosted by One Hot Stove and noticed that the first edition was on Cookers. Also, one of the rules mentioned I should try a recipe from another food blog and I thought I should give Sig's recipe another go. And this time it was way better than my first trial. I almost managed the colour and taste was also brilliant.

Here are some of the details:

I followed Sig's recipe to the dot and used my Hawkins Contura Anodized Pressure Cooker which we got as a wedding gift..about 4 years old now:). One thing i added were the curry leaves which as Sig mentioned is not really an option but since there was a ban on curry leaves in the US at that time, she had to do without it. I added tonnes of it like she mentioned and it sure did make a difference. Thanks to Sig for all those mouth watering dishes that have inspired me to lift a finger.

Some of the other pressure cooker recipes i have tried are:

Spinach Dal, Beef Curry inspired by mariasmenu, Dal Fry and the Chicken Curry from yours truly :)

I almost forgot, I would love to thank the duo of Adukala Vishesham for passing on this award. I must add, that my husband gets way more excited than me when he sees awards on my blog and i really didn't know he subscribed to my blog till a few days back..i was incredibly touched :)

I think i have already been scandalous and mentioned things about me. You can read it here. And I would like to pass this award to two of my good friends Miri of In Vogue at Home and Swar of Whats Cooking Today in particular..all others, like i have mentioned before, are awesome cooks and are incredibly creative, so feel free to grab the award, brag about it, display it on you blog and link it back to whoever awarded it, share 10 things about yourself and pass on the award to anyone you like.

Grilled Herring with Roasted Herb Potatoes

On Saturdays we wake up just in time to catch Saturday Kitchen Live on BBC1 and most of the time it evokes so much of interest in Ro that he has to go out and buy something immediately. Last week we had guests, and Roast Beef was on the menu. Unfortunately it was a bit of a flop because some of us wanted medium rare and others well-done and finally it ended up being over-cooked. The gravy was brilliant though...

This week Herring was on the charts and so Ro immediately went out to Sainsbury's and picked up fresh Herring fillets. Now i must warn you, if you despise fish like me, this is not the dish for you. It is incredibly smelly and fishy and has loads of tiny bones. But my husband loves it and so he did the entire prep. and ate it all on his own with great interest. He of course tried to force it down my throat and i politely (you must be freaking kidding me!polite i mean) declined and stuck to my spicy Buffalo Wings instead.

Grilled Herring

Herring- 6 fillets (approx 45 gms each)

Olive oil- 3 tsp

Salt & pepper- to season

Lemon- 1 tsp

Pre-heat oven grill to 170C.

Place the clean herring fillets on a baking tray, drizzle the Olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Turn over and repeat the process

Grill for maximum of 6 minutes on each side.

Squeeze a lime over it and serve.

Roasted Herb Potatoes

White baby Potatoes- 8 to 10

Fresh Parsley- a handful, roughly chopped

Thyme- 1 tsp (i used dried thyme)

Pepper- 1 tsp

Garlic- 1 pod, roughly chopped

Salt- to taste

Olive oil- 2 tsp

Boil water in a saucepan and throw in the potatoes and cook till a fork goes through easily (about 25 to 30 minutes)

While that's taken care of, crush together the parsley, thyme, pepper powder, garlic, salt and 1 tsp olive oil in a pestle and mortar.

Wash the potatoes in cold water and cut them into half. Pour the herb marinade over and toss well. Make sure all the potato halves are well coated.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a frying pan and roast the potatoes for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium flame. They should not be mushy, but just about crisp on the outsides.

Notes: This is the unhealthy way of doing it, you can do the roasting bit in an oven for about 20 minutes to get a crispy potato.

You can use any herb of your choice like dill, basil etc.

Brunch Specials

I have decided to go a little light on the cooking bit and do some healthy stuff for a while, because all the baking and the fancy food is beginning to show on me, especially around the hips. As it is i am lazy to cook and click and type it out, so imagine how its gonna be now? Worse? I am not going to abscond, but I'm gonna limit my baking to once a week and include loads of veggies and fruits to our diet. I am opening the blog out to anyone who wants to chip in a few recipes of their own, so the blog doesn't come to a stand still. So please do send me a recipe with a pic and il put it up, and its just not the bloggers I'm talking about..I know so many friends of mine who are awesome cooks and i might have to push them a bit to send in stuff, but i am gonna do that. For now here's a brunch special which is almost a week old. I whipped it up last Saturday when we had a friend staying over and Ro and W agreed to help me with it and so it wasn't really a big deal at all. I completely bossed over them and got most of the work done...cheeky me huh?

Wholemeal Buttermilk Pancakes with a Berry Compote

For the pancake:

Wholemeal flour- 1 cup

Brown Sugar- 1/4 cup

Baking Powder- 3/4 tsp

Baking Soda- /4 tsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp

Buttermilk- 1 cup

Egg- 1

Vegetable oil- 1 tbsp

Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Mix together all the dry ingredients (first 5) in a bowl.

In another bowl whisk the eggs and mix the buttermilk, vanilla and oil till well incorporated.

Add this to the dry ingredients and stir well. Its ok if the pancake batter is a bit lumpy. Keep aside for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and pour in a ladle full and cook till you see bubbles appearing on top. Carefully flip over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Berry Compote (adapted from the Low Gi-Diet Cookbook):

Mixed berries- 200 gms (i used blueberries and raspberries)

Brown sugar- 1 tbsp

Honey/ maple syrup- enough to drizzle

Put the berries in a saucepan and gently heat until they are warm and have softened. Add the brown sugar and give it on for a little longer, just to get the sugar melted.

Stack the pancakes and serve topped with the warm berries and a few drizzles of honey or maple syrup or even whipped cream :)

Notes: Pancakes are horrible once cold. So try serving them as and when its done.

The berry compote may be a bit tangy, but since you are serving with honey or syrup over pancake, it should be fine.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes on the vine- 250gms

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)- 2 tsp

Salt and pepper- for seasoning

Balsamic vinegar- 1 tsp (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180C and place the tomatoes on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Drizzle with vingar (if using) and EVOO generously and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or till the tomatoes are soft.

Sausage Veggie Bake

Onion- 1, thinly sliced

Garlic- 3 pods, mashed

Broccoli- 1/2 cup

Cauliflower- 1/2 cup

Carrots- 1/4 cup

Spinach- 1 cup

Sausages- 1 cup, chopped into in inch pieces

Salt and pepper- to season

Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese- 1/2 cup (grated)

Oil- 1 tbsp

Colman's Cheddar Cheese Sauce- 1 sachet

Milk- 350ml

Blanch the cauliflower and broccoli florets. Keep aside.

Clean the spinach leaves, drain and transfer them to a bowl and close with a lid. Cook in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes. Drain off the water and keep aside.

Cook the sausages in some oil. Drain on kitchen towels. Keep aside

Heat the oil in a frying pan and throw in the onions and garlic. Cook till transparent and fragrant. Add the broc, cauli, carrot and spinach, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook till done. Just before you take it off the fire, add the cooked sausages and give a final stir.

Transfer into an oven proof casserole dish.

Make the Colman's cheese sauce as per instructions. Boil the milk and add the contents of the sachet and stir till you get a lump-free mix. I went ahead and added some cheddar cheese as well.

Pour the cheese mix over the veggies in the casserole dish, sprinkle the rest of the Cheddar cheese and bake in a pre-heated oven (170C) for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with garlic bread or on its own. It is very creamy and i wouldn't say its healthy healthy, but i feel a whole lot better at having all these veggies :)

Here are a few bakes i have tried: Wonders with leftovers, Fish Bake' Pie, Tuna and Pasta Bake, Fennel and Spinach Gratin

Notes: You can basically add any veggie of your choice...beans, mushrooms, potatoes, leek etc and go fully vegetarian or add chicken, mince meat, bacon etc. and make a whole non-veg meal out of it too. If you add pasta to the above recipe, it can be a whole meal on its own.

You can make your own cheese sauce/ white sauce. The recipe can be found here.

Easy Peacy Chicken Curry

I suck at making Indian food. I have taken this liking towards conti cooking and baking and the sauces and filling options available here make it even better. When it comes to making Indian dishes, I'm a big flop. I cant even make a normal chicken curry taste good, and I have no clue where i go wrong. This is the recipe i stick to when i have a craving for chicken curry. Whatever new recipes i try, it all ends up looking and tasting the same to me. I didn't bother posting this till now, because i keep forgetting what to add or how much to add and end up with pathetic results. The last time i made this curry, it turned out good and i decided i had to note it down somewhere, and hence this post (curry) in a hurry :)

Chicken- 1 kg, with bone (I used thighs)

To marinate:

Kashmiri chilli powder- 3tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Dark Soy Sauce- 1 tbsp

Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tbsp

Cinnamon- 1, 1" piece

Cloves-5

Cardamom- 4

Coriander leaves- a handful

Ginger garlic paste- 2 tbsp

Pepper powder- 1 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Onions- 1 large, roughly chopped

Tomato- 1, roughly sliced

Curry leaves- a sprig

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

Grind all the above mentioned ingredients together and marinate the cleaned chicken pieces for a minimum of 2 hours. Make slashes on the chicken pieces so that the marinade seeps through and the flavours are absorbed.

In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds.

Throw in the curry leaves and onions and sautee till soft.

Add the tomato and sautee well on medium fire till the oil starts separating.

Add the marinated chicken and stir fry on high heat for a couple of minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the left over marinade, if any, mix well and pour about 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook till the third whistle.

Remove from fire and wait for the pressure to release on its own. Open the lid and check salt, spice etc. and add if required. If the gravy is not thick, you can put it back on the hob top and boil till u get a thick gravy. I usually avoid this.

If you need a roast-like prep, in a frying pan heat some more oil and sautee the chicken slices with the gravy till they become semi-gravy like, and coated with the masala.

Serve with rice, roti or even bread.

This is another chicken-roast recipe, a favourite of mine.

Notes: The cooking time was half an hour and i love the pressure cooker for making this easy. You can also do the same in a Kadai, just that cooking time will be more. I'm sure it yields the same result.