Category: Beverages, Soups and Salads

Green chutney for Sandwich

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BM #109 : Week 4, Day 1
Theme : Dips and Spreads

There is a picture for green sandwich chutney in my drafts folder from the year 2013. My neighbor Mejula used to make this in bulk and then use it throughout the week. I started doing the same, following her exact recipe. Somehow I never published that post and now after so many years I am back with the same recipe but with different pictures. There is no single recipe that everyone follows for these kind of everyday dishes. People have their own take and my friend’s was the addition of onions and garlic which is not usual in green chutneys.

The lemon juice adds a bit of tangy flavor but also helps with retaining the green color though it the chutney does become dark after a couple of days. The spice level can be adjusted to suit your taste and a teeny tiny pinch of sugar makes it yummier in my opinion. This chutney is a great spread for any kind of sandwich, we usually have it with ghee toasted white bread with tomatoes and cucumber filling.

Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups coriander leaves
  • 2 cups mint leaves
  • 2 green chilies, more for a spicier version
  • 1″ piece ginger, peeled
  • 2 garlic cloves, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
  • Salt as needed
  • Lemon Juice, as needed
  • Sugar, a pinch – optional

Method:

  1. Wash and clean the leaves. Grind the coriander, mint, chilies, pepper, ginger, garlic and onion with salt. Taste test. And a little bit of lemon juice (about 1.5 teaspoons) and a pinch of sugar. Taste test again and adjust seasonings if needed.
  2. Refrigerate in an airtight container. This goes well with any kind of sandwich. Tomato and cucumber sandwiches are the best.

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Greek frappe

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BM 103: Week 4, Day 2
Theme: Balkan States

While looking for recipes under this theme, I came across the frappe recipe and the interesting story behind its invention. Apparently a Necafe employee wanted to have coffee but didn’t have any hot water to make it. So he mixed Instant coffee, with ice water and ice cubes in a shaker and thus frappe was born!

It’s a very popular drink in Greece and it’s so easy to make. I wish I had come across this recipe at the start of summer than at the end of it. Take instant coffee, sugar and a little water in a bottle with a tight lid and shake it for a minute or two. I actually keep a kitchen timer, else I might shake for ten seconds and say it’s done :D. Pour this frothy mix into a tall glass filled with ice. Add water or if you prefer coffee with milk, add cold milk. That’s it! Frothy delicious frappe is ready to serve.

Recipe source : Classic Greek Frappe

Serves 1

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
  • 2-4 teaspoons sugar, or per taste
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • Ice cubes
  • Milk or Water as needed

Method:

  1. In a clean glass jar with a tight lid, add the coffee, sugar and water. Screw the lid on and shake vigorously for about 2 minutes.
  2. Fill a tall coffee cup half way with ice cubes. Add the frothy coffee into it. Slowly add water and/or milk to the cups. Serve. I like to add water first and then a little milk to it.

And here it is with a little milk. Frothy still!

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Venezuelan Spiced Hot chocolate

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BM# 102 : Week 2, Day 3
Theme : Recipes from South America

With some showers here, the weather is on the pleasant and cooler side now. So for the third day, I didn’t hesitate to make hot chocolate. Surprisingly my husband loved this more than my son, both of which is due to the presence of ginger in the drink. I loved the ginger in there too.

There is no unique recipe for hot chocolate or this version of spiced hot chocolate. There are so many different recipes to be found in the internet. Many have orange zest in it and no ginger, but after trying it with ginger, I have become a fan of the flavor. The recipe here is from the book Gran Cocina Latina which I have borrowed from the library.

The book mentioned truffles from a shop for hot chocolate, so I think this recipe can be adapted to make chocolate truffles as well to make instant hot chocolate. The cream for ganache can be seeped with the spice mix and later filtered and added to chocolate to form truffles. The truffle balls can then be added to hot milk to make hot chocolate. A good quality chocolate is needed to make this, I used chocolate chips since that’s what I had in my hand.

Read on for the recipe.

Recipe source: The book Gran Cocina Latina

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 star anise pods
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon peeled and chopped ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or one vanilla bean
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 100 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Method:

  1. Grind the sugar, cinnamon, star anise, cloves,ginger and vanilla beans into a fine powder using a blender/food processor.
  2. Combine the powdered spices with milk and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring In between. Take off heat and let it sit covered for ten minutes for the flavors to seep.
  3. Strain the milk into a large saucepan, place over medium heat. Add the chocolate and beat with a whisk vigorously until you have a good froth. Serve immediately.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the recipe from other Blogging Marathoners.

Crema de Quinoa

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BM# 102 : Week 2, Day 1
Theme : Cuisines from South America

For the first day under the theme, this is a creamy quinoa chowder from Ecuador. The recipe is from Jose Garces’s book The Latin Road Home. It’s his take on the local crema de quinoa, which is a rich diary based broth with potatoes, white corn and avocados. I didn’t have the achiote paste, which is the main flavor inducing ingredient here. The paste has quite an unique taste, so I will definitely be looking for it the next time I go shopping. But for today, I had to follow the substitute mentioned in this link. I also substituted the white sweet corn with yellow corns.

The quinoa absorbs the liquid as it sits, so it’s a good idea to serve this as soon as it’s prepared. Else remember to check the seasoning again if you add more stock/ water to adjust the consistency.

Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 small potato, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup quinoa
  • 1/2 cup sweet white corn
  • 1 tablespoon Achiote Paste or substitute
  • 2.5 cups stock or water
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Salt as needed
  • 1 tablespoon minced parsley
  • Sliced Avocados for serving

Method:

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in an omelette pan and fry the matchstick potatoes. Set aside.
  2. Heat butter and olive oil in a pan. Sauté onions and garlic until it turns pink. Stir in the achiote paste, if the paste is not available, add the substitute spices mentioned in the link.
  3. Add the quinoa and corn and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the stock/water and cream. Bring it to a boil.
  4. Lower the heat, add salt and simmer the chowder uncovered until the quinoa is completely cooked and the liquid is reduced to 3/4th it’s original size. Take off the heat.
  5. To serve, add the chopped parsley, fried potatoes. Garnish with sliced avocados.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the recipe from other Blogging Marathoners.