Cheesy Mascarpone and Mozzarella meatball bake

 

I'm clearly in Italy mode still and have been whipping up some Tuscan dishes. The only dish we were quite glad to give a miss for a while were pizzas, but otherwise still enjoying a good pasta and bruschetta. This meatball bake ended up being so darn good, I finished almost half of it on my own. The sauce is really thick and dunking a good slice of bread into it and letting it soak for a while before savouring it, gosh, the thought is making me hungry again.

Serves 4 as a main dish

Ground beef- 500 gms

Onion-  1 small, finely chopped

Italian seasoning- 1 tbsp

Oregano- 1 tsp

Garlic powder- 1 1/2 tsp

Worcestershire sauce- 1 tsp

Pepper- to taste

Salt- to taste

Oil- 3 tbsp, or enough, to fry the meatballs

Onion- 1 large

Baby spinach- 3 cups

Chilli flakes- 1 tsp

Tomato based Pasta sauce- 1 cup

Mascarpone cheese- 100 + 100 to scatter

Garlic- 3 pods, grated

Salt- to taste

Mozzarella cheese- 100 gms, grated

Mix together the ground beef, onion, Italian seasoning, oregano, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl. Either using your hands or a wooden spoon, but over work it or the beef turns brown. Bring together until just mixed.

Make small balls out of the mix, around the size of a small lime, and keep ready. I got 25 meatballs out of the mix.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the meatballs in batched, till just done. If the oil temperature is right, it would take you around 2  minutes per side for a batch of meatballs. Of course this is dependent on how big the meatballs are.

Drain on paper towels and continue frying all the meatballs.

Into the same pan, add more oil if needed, add the onions and baby spinach and cook till the spinach is wilted and all the water has evaporated.

Stir in the chilli flakes and pasta sauce. 

Spoon 100gms of the mascarpone cheese into the sauce and mix well.

Add the grated garlic and salt to taste and bring the whole sauce to a gentle boil. If you feel the sauce is too thick, add water to loosen it a bit.

Add the meatballs into the sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes and take the pot off heat.

Preheat oven to 180C and transfer the meatball mix into an oven safe casserole/baking dish.

Scatter around scoops of the remaining mascarpone cheese and grated mozzarella cheese. Try to spread it around evenly.

Place in the oven for about 20 minutes or till the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling.

Remove from the oven and keep aside for 10 minutes before dunking your crusty bread into it.

Notes: You can do the entire cooking and baking in a single pot if you use an oven safe container to do the frying, sauce and baking. I used my cast iron pan.

You can use any store bought pasta sauce or make your own and even omit the mascarpone if you dont want it to be creamy.

The bake freezes well.

Italy in pictures

We spent a week in Italy last week of July and i absolutely flipping loved it. Last year we joined friends of ours from the Netherlands on a Spain trip and ended up having so much fun, we decided to kind of make it a tradition and do our annual holidays together. Tuscany it was and we went about making our bookings beginning of the year.

 

We are not the big city, touristy traveller but since it was cheaper to travel into Rome, hire a car from there and then drive on to Tuscany, I convinced the husband that it was a MUST to spend 2 days in Rome and then drive on. He wasnt too enthusiastic, but still agreed to it. Booked an AirBnb right off Piazza Navona which was a brilliant location with restaurants, bars, and all major attractions close by and we started our 2 days in sweltering 36 degree Rome.

 

I'd read reviews saying everything was 20 minutes walk from the Piazza Navona area we decided to hire a bicycle and bike around Rome, which i think was one of the best decisions we took. I was a bit worried about riding on main roads, but Rome is like India, no one really obeys traffic rules and people are used to honking and the like. We managed to cover all the main attractions on day one and with a small hiccup (bad planning Ro would insist), I booked The Vatican city tour and The Colosseum tour on the same day. They make a fuss on the website with a given time, but we took our chances and went ahead of time thinking we could try our luck only to realise no one really checks the time or anything on the ticket, you just have to stand in long queues (even after opting for the skip the line queues).

 

Colosseum was a let down for me, and Vatican a let down for Ro. Well he actually didnt want to do the Vatican tour at all but I insisted and we agreed to do it. Not ones for museums, we skipped almost all the rooms at the Vatican Museum and went straight to The Sistine Chapel which i must say was simply amazing. Spent a good 15 minutes taking in all the art and listening to what each of it meant (We did an audio tour). Just that room made my visit to the Vatican worth it. Hung around St Peters Square for a while (it is truly magnificent) and headed back home to get ready for an Italian Opera performance, which was our first, and i ended up enjoying it quite a bit.

Off we drove to spend the remaining 5 days in Tuscany, a part of the trip we were both absolutely looking forward to. Radicofani is a small picturesque (well, every little town in the Tuscan region was simply gorgeous) town about 2 1/2 hrs from Rome and we stayed in an Agritourismo called La Selvella run by the exuberant Marina.  

The stay there was lovely and most of the evenings were spent at the farm enjoying the amazing view, some house wine and Pecorino cheese (which Pienza is know for). Dinner on 2 days was at La Selvella, where we got to enjoy some amazing Tuscan food, all sourced from the farm and organic of course. We also checked out some local restaurants and i had the most tastiest lasagna in a small restaurant called La Grotto in Radicofani.

Pienza was a day trip i loved. Small little cobbled streets all pretty with plants and flowers and coloured doors. I went a bit crazy with pictures here and also shopped for some Tuscan favourites like Truffle honey, Truffle salk and Italian seasoning (have been using this for almost every dish i make now).

The highlight of Tuscany was the discovery of the hot springs in Tuscany. Ended up spending two lazy days in the warm springs of Bagni San Filippo, a 10 minute drive from La Selvella. Go in the afternoon if you want the best spots, as the crowd seem to thin out by then. If you get a place in the shade its the best. Use good footwear as you need to trek down a bit to the pools.

Roasted aubergine and yoghurt sauce

 

I am a big Ottoleghi fan and though not much of a vegetarian food fan (only because i really am rubbish at cooking anything vegetable based, and making them taste good), whenever i go to his restaurant I always opt for the salad selection as they are seriously good. It was during one of those visits that i came across this aubergine and yoghurt combination which i absolutely loved and have been making at home ever since. A grilled chicken slice and this aubergine and yoghurt side is like the perfect summer lunch combo.

The yoghurt i used for this recipe is the Natural Yoghurt from Lactofree which is equally creamy and as flavourful as any other yoghurt. You wouldnt realise its Lactose-free and I've used it quite a few ways- as a dip, salad dressing, marinade,and my favourite, baking my French yoghurt cake. Results have been great so far and ive already suggested it to a friend whose daughter is lactose intolerant. Its great that brands like Lactofree are introducing more and more products for those with food intolerances and it makes life so much more nicer, they get to eat yoghurt! 

Recipe is super duper easy, and the use of Za'atar makes it just even more delectable. Just sprinkling some of this glorious Middle Eastern spice on to yoghurt and serving as a side to anything can do the trick. 

Recipe adapted from here, originally from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi (serves 4 as a side)

 

Aubergine/ Egg plant- 2 large

Good quality olive oil- 1/4 cup

Thyme leaves- 1 tsp (I used dried ones)

Za'atar spice- 1 tsp

Salt and pepper- to season

Yoghurt- 1/2 cup

Olive oil- 1 tbsp plus enough to drizzle

Garlic- 1 small clove, finely grated

Za'atar- 1/4 tsp

Salt- to taste

Pomegranate seeds- 4 tbsp

Preheat oven to 200C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Slice the aubergines in half, lengthwise, and using a sharp knife make incisions on the cut side, without going through the skin. 

Place on the baking tray and generously brush in the olive oil.

Sprinkle the thyme leaves, za'atar spice, salt and pepper and chuck into the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or till the flesh is soft, roasted and completely cooked.

While the aubergines are in the oven, get the yoghurt sauce ready.

Just whisk together the yoghurt, olive oil, za'atar and salt in a bowl and keep refrigerated till ready to use.

Take the aubergines out of the oven, transfer to a serving plate and scoop generous amounts of yoghurt on top of them. 

Finish off with the pomegranate seeds and serve as a side to cous cous or grilled meat or fish.

With thanks to Lactofree for the yoghurt.

South Indian coconut rice

On days I make rice, I make a bit extra and use it for variety rice, which is what we refer to rice that has been flavoured with various ingredients- lemon, tamarind, curd, tomato, coriander- to name a few. These are perfect when made with rice that is a day or two old and cold out of the refrigerator. Its also a one pot meal which pairs well with just a pickle, poppadom and maybe some yoghurt if needed,

This coconut rice recipe is an absolute favourite and it makes its way into my kitchen at least twice a month. Its perfect for summer (or whatever they call this ridiculous weather we've been having), light, not too spicy but with brilliant flavours and if you are feeling a bit indulgent you can of course pair it with a chicken curry and serve at a party.

Serves 2 as part of main meal

Cooked basmati rice- 2 1/2 cups

Ghee- 1 tsp

Vegetable oil- 1/2 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Dried red chillies- 3, crushed or torn

Curry leaves- a sprig

Cashew nuts- 2 tbsp

Asafoetida- a generous pinch

Urad dal- 2 tbsp

Grated coconut- 1/2 cup

Salt- to taste

In a large wok, heat together the ghee and vegetable oil.

Add the mustard seeds and once they begin to pop, add the dried red chillies and curry leaves. Stir until they become almost crisp.

Add the urad dal, cashew nuts and asafoetida and continue stirring, making sure the dal and cashew nuts get ricely roasted and turn a light golden brown in colour. Make sure they do not burn, as this may change the flavour to a slightly smoky one.

Add the dessicated coconut and keep stirring on medium heat till the wetness from the coconut disappears and it becomes fragrant and lightly toasted- it should turn a reddish brown. This should take 7 to 8 minutes. keep a close eye as coconut can burn pretty quickly.

Add the rice, breaking it down carefully.

Add salt, mix them all together and take off the heat.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot with pickle and poppadoms.

Beef rogan josh in a Staub Cocotte

 

Ever since we moved into our new house we've been talking of banishing our non stick Teflon pans and going all cast iron or stainless steel. We have been eliminating them bit by bit and the transition has been a bit of a challenge but i think its working and I'm slowly getting used to it.

My first cast iron cooking experience was with this gorgeous Staub 24cm Cocotte, the lovely people over at Zwilling UK sent over. I have been thoroughly enjoying my time with it, or rather getting used to cooking with it and I'm very happy to have it as part of my new kitchen. If like me you do like a bit of colour, then look no further because Staub Cocottes come in a range of colours from cinnamon to basil to cherry red to graphite grey. etc Those who know me, also know my obsession with the colour yellow so no surprises there when i opted for the mustard colour Cocotte. It arrived promptly on time and i got cooking with it the very same day. 

One thing i had to get used to was the weight of the cast iron pot. Having dealt with light weight thin stainless steel pots and such, the weight of the cast iron pot was a bit of a shock in the beginning, but i soon got the hang of it especially once i realised how the weight works to your favour while cooking. It also retains heat really well which also helps with cooking food evenly. I also noticed that all the dishes i made in the Staub cocotte was done at a much lower temperature than i usually do. For example, if i was cooking previously on the heat mark 7 on my ceramic hob, with the Staub i was doing it on heat mark 4, sometimes even reducing it down to 3 because of the heat retention and things like onions and garlic getting burnt. I agree it does take a while to get used and I'm still experimenting with what heat settings work well for what. The point is, energy consumption has reduced drastically, and my husband who was sceptical about this whole cast iron cooking is now absolutely impressed and sold on the idea.

Another excellent feature about the Staub Cocotte is the heavy lid with small spikes on them which act as a natural baster. The water drops back into the pot keeping your meat moist and this to me is a great plus point. When i usually slow cook meat, i have to keep adding water every now and then to keep the meat moist and also to prevent the food from burning or sticking to the base because the water would evaporate quite quickly. This i think is my most favourite feature from Staub, the really heavy lid and the special drip structure makes sure no moisture escapes and whatever gets collected gets poured back into the pot. I loved how my rogan josh didn't need any refilling through the entire cooking process and also how my rice was cooked perfectly well without moisture escaping, and without going through all that drama of covering the lid with a cloth or paper towel.

When i made the rice, i was pretty sure it would stick to the bottom, but was pleasantly surprised it didn't. The enamel coating even though not completely non stick works to a great extent when it comes to cooking and cleaning, and even if it does stick a bit to the base, a bit of a soak easily removes it all. I have to try a biryani in the pot to see how the whole 'dum' aspect works, but before that i need to familiarise myself with the cast iron pot a bit more.

The only negative thing, well i cant quite call it negative really, is that the entire pot and lid becomes really hot while cooking. If you hold on to your pot while stirring and mixing, this becomes a bit uncomfortable. I managed to burn my hand twice, even after using a cloth but, this again is something i need to get used to, and nothing a pot holder cant solve. It however, doesn't affect the performance of the pot at all. Then there is of course the price which, lets be honest, is steep. When i was thinking of investing in a cast iron pan, i did a lot of research on various products in the market. and Staub definitely stood out. It is one of the best out there so think of it as an investment that would last you forever, and put it on your birthday gift list.

Coming to the recipe, I made a mutton rogan josh last year and it differs from this one quite a bit. I would like to think that is definitely the more authentic recipe and this one by Madhur Jaffrey is a bit more Anglicised, if i may call it that. But it works, its absolutely flavourful and we've been making it for years now. 

Recipe adapted from here (serves 4 as part of main)

Ginger- 5cm piece, peeled

Garlic- 8 to 9 cloves, peeled

Oil- 4 tbsp

Beef- 700 gms (cut into 2 cm cubes)

Cinnamon sticks- 2 cm

Cardamom- 6 pods

Cloves- 6 pods

Bay leaf- 1

Whole peppercorns- 10

Onions- 200 gms, peeled and finely chopped

Coriander powder- 1 heaped tsp

Cumin powder- 1 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder- 2 tsp

Spicy chilli powder- 1 tsp (adjust according to heat)

Salt- to taste

Yoghurt- 6 tbsp

Warm water- 400ml

Garam masala- 1/2 tsp

Grind together the ginger and garlic with 2 tbsp water to make a fine paste.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a deep thick bottomed pot and on medium-high heat sear the beef cubes in batches till they are all brown. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium, add the remaining oil into the pot and throw in all the whole spices- cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and peppercorns - and saute till they are fragrant for about 10 seconds, take care not to burn them.

Follow with onions and saute them for about 5 to 10 minutes or till they turn brown.

Tip in the ginger garlic paste and continue to fry till the raw smell goes

Add all the spice powders one after the other along with salt, and cook for about 5 seconds, just to remove the raw smell. If you think the mix is sticking to the pan and has a chance of burning, add in a tbsp or two of water with the spices and cook till you can no longer smell the raw masala.

In goes the fried meat along with all the juices. Mix well so all the masala gets coated on the meat.

Add the yoghurt one spoon at a time, and stirring it into the meat mix after each addition.

Pour in 400 ml warm water and bring to a boil, scraping the sides of the pot.

Cover with a heavy lid, reduce heat to the lowest and cook for about an hour or until the meat is tender. 

Keep checking in between to see if the water has reduced, and if the meat is sticking to the bottom add some more water, stir well and continue cooking closed.

Open the lid, check if the meat is cooked, add more salt if required, and if you can see a thin layer of oil on top, that's sign of a good rogan josh i believe. 

If you do think there is too much liquid, increase heat and let the curry boil away some of the liquid.

Just before serving stir in the garam masala and serve hot with some steamed rice.

Notes: Instead of cooking this on the hob top, you can finish off the curry in the oven at 180C for about 1-1.30 hrs. Just make sure you stir it every 10 minutes or so and check for liquid levels. My Staub Cocotte would do a perfect job for this as you wouldn't need to transfer it into another oven proof dish but can directly move this from the hob to oven.

You can make the same dish with mutton/goat/lamb as well. Cooking times may slightly vary though.

Over the years I've made my own changes to it. I add a generous dash of cream just after i put the garam masala, making this quite irresistible.

With thanks to Zwilling UK for the Staub Cocotte that was sent to me. All opinions are my own and no monetary compensation was offered in return for a positive review.

Creamy potato soup

The lighting in my new home is fabulous. Even on an overcast, gloomy day I still have pretty decent light coming into my living room and although my backyard isn't south facing, the huge French windows bring in enough light there as well. I did contemplate where i should be setting up my photography station and although it mostly depends on the time of the day and the sun position, I think I'm going to like the French windows than the living room, purely because i can use my gorgeous new dining table for the set up and not drag my photography table (which has doubled up as a side table at the mo) around, and also I'm lazy (maybe this is the only factor, now that i think of it).

(If interested, do follow me on instagram: mykitchenantics, to see nooks and corners of the house while i set it up).
My props are all 'propped up' up stairs and that's kind of a pain because it means i need to plan my shoot. Believe it or not, I don't plan my photo shoot in advance. I do a spur of the moment thing which means my set is a disaster zone after I'm done. I try the food in various serve ware before deciding on the one i like. Now that i have to go upstairs each time and since we've already established that I'm the lazy kinds, it requires a bit more planning.

Well, the reason I'm saying all this is because i nailed this setting with the first try. Although i brought down soup bowl and such, i tried this setting first and it worked for me. This is my mums recipe, well most of it. I've made it a couple of times and have created my own version with stock cube, cream and spring onions. her version is much more simpler, made with leftover chicken and potatoes, which is also great but i jazzed it up a bit more to make it more creamier and delicious. It takes almost no time to prepare especially because of the pressure cooker, but you can of course do this is a stock pot or sauce pan and derive the exact same or maybe tastier result. Its still cold in my part of the world, so soups are still welcome at the dinner table.

Serves 2 as part of main meal

Potato- 350 gms (around 2 large ones), peeled and cut into big chunks

Garlic- 2 large pods, peeled and lightly crushed

Leftover chicken on bone- 3 leg, thigh or wing pieces

Chicken stock cube- 1 1/2 cubes diluted in 3 1/2 cups warm water

Double cream- 1/4 cup

Salt- to taste

Freshly ground pepper- to taste

Spring onions- 2 sprigs, finely chopped

Herbs de Provence- to garnish (optional)

Chilli oil- to drizzle (optional)

Into a pressure cooker add the potato, garlic, chicken and diluted stock cube. Don't add the salt at this point as the stock cubes may be salty.

Pressure cook for about 15 minutes (around 3 whistles), wait for the steam to die down and then open the cooker.

The potatoes should be cooked, almost mashed or easily mashable consistency. If you feel its still hard, put it on for another whistle or so.

Remove the chicken pieces from the soup and leave the cooker open for the soup to cool down a bit.

Once cool, add the double cream, give a stir and using an immersion blender puree the soup to a creamy mix. Its ok if the potatoes don't get puréed, i like to have a bit of a bite between spoonfuls. But of course if you want it completely smooth, go all out. But make sure the garlic is not left behind in chunks.

Shred the meat off the chicken bone and add to the soup.

Check for salt and add more if needed, also season with a generous dose of pepper.

Just before serving, lightly warm the soup and garnish with spring onions, a light sprinkling of herbs de Provence and some good quality chilli oil.

Dip some crusty bread into it and sink into comfort heaven.

Notes: Break down the chunks of potato with a fork before blending, to make it a bit easier.

You can of course, chuck the entire thing into a smoothie blender and do the job. However with an immersion blender its just a tiny blade that needs cleaning and not an entire jar :)

You can add any leftover meat (or prawns even) of choice into the soup, doesn't have to be chicken. You can also just shred and add cooked chicken at the end, if you don't have them on the bone.

Add vegetables like spinach, carrots, peas etc to make it a completely veg soup.
The left over chicken i used was spicy, so the soup was too, if you do want to give a bit of heat, add a tiny piece of birds eye chilli while cooking the potatoes

Bengali mutton curry

Right, so 3 months into 2016 and i muster up the effort to do a blog post. Well, i have my excuses. We moved into our new home end of December and then pushed off to India for a month. Came back to a house filled with boxes, no storage, no curtains and no enthusiasm. I should have been all thrilled and excited considering i was going to set up my new home but the constant arguments with Ro regarding what goes where, which colours suit better, why the earth is round etc etc made me lose interest in this whole scenario. So i just got on with life and left all my baggage right there (pun intended!) 

I think he kind of sensed the lack of interest, and pulled back a bit which is when i got in and absolutely took advantage. But even then i realised i kept asking him for opinions which in turn lead to more fights. Nisha, haven't you heard of something called taking decisions on your own??? Apparently not!! Anyways, I still have boxes strewn all over the floor, but its a bit more bearable now. I may have my own house, but tell me i can go back to Greenwich any day and I'd leave in a heart beat. I am so not cut out for suburban life and damn the owners who decided to sell that beautiful, beautiful apartment we spent 8 years in. (shedding a lil tear now).

The internet!!!! Since its a new built, internet has not been sorted out. We have been given a temporary solution and we seem to run out of the given allowance within a week. So uploading, editing pictures is an issue. This actually is a very lame excuse because im still on limited data and i managed a blog post!

Then there is Chaiparty, which is doing pretty well and keeping us all occupied. We had 2 Bengali feasts back to back because people were on wait list and its the first time i actually got to taste some of the traditional Bong food. S was the main chef and G and I were sous chefs, obeying her orders and trying hard to not goof up. I was so inspired by all that Bong-ness, I decided to give the mutton curry a go.

In spite of S giving me a run down of the procedure and the recipe, I still had to google a recipe and since it was my first time, decided to just stick to it. I'm going to write down her grandma's mutton curry recipe (which was a big hit at our supper club BTW) and make it the next time. We had this with steamed white rice, that's it! I had to give Ro the stare when he asked me 'aren't there any veggies to go with it.' Like seriously, after slow cooking the damn thing for close to an hour, he wants a side dish!!!

It was a very mutton-y curry, especially the gravy, but that could be because of the type of meat i got. The chunks of potato are simply fab and the curry tastes even better the next day. I am assuming this is a variation of the mutton curry known to Bengali households, and what they call kosha mangsho. Either ways, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Recipe adapted from here (serves 3)

Mutton- 500gms (with bone and cut into small pieces)

Yoghurt- 4 tbsp

Lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp

Ginger garlic paste- 2 tbsp

Green chilli- 1, finely chopped (adjust according to taste)

Tomato paste- 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1 tsp

Garam masala- 1/2 tsp + 1/4 to sprinkle at the every end

Oil- 3 tbsp for the marinade + 3 tbsp for cooking 

Potatoes- 3 medium ones, peeled and cut into big chunks

Cinnamon- 1, 1 inch stick

Cloves- 3 to 4

Cardamom- 3 to 4

Black peppercorn- 8

Bay leaf- 1

Sugar- 1/2 tsp

Onion- 1 large, finely chopped

Salt- to taste

Marinate the mutton with the 9 ingredients below it (using only 3 tbsp of the oil).

Cover with cling film and marinate it in the refrigerator, overnight for best results, or at least for a minimum of 3 to 4 hrs.

Bring to room temperature before cooking.

In a pressure cooker heat the remaining 3 tbsp of oil and fry the potatoes they they brown around the edges. Drain on to paper towels.

Infuse the oil with the whole spices- cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, peppercorn and bay leaf.

Add the sugar and let it caramelise.

Throw in the onions and on medium heat cook till they turn a golden brown. This would take around 15 minutes or so.

Add the marinated mutton, mix it together with the onions and cook on medium-high heat till you see the water drying and the oil separating.

This process can take close to an hour so make sure you keep checking the meat in between and scraping off the base and edges so that the meat doesn't burn.

Once the meat becomes a dark brown in colour, and mostly dryish in consistency, add 1 cup warm water, the fried potatoes, salt to taste and cover and pressure cook for about 2 to 3 whistles or till the meat is completely cooked.

Serve hot with steamed rice or luchi- a poori like bread.

Notes: It is originally made with mustard oil which imparts a distinct flavour i presume. I didnt have any at hand.

If you don't own a pressure cooker, continue cooking the meat on medium heat, checking water in between and adding the potato towards the end.

A lot of oil gets released. So on day 2 i drained a bit. Sacrilegious i know!