The Famous Butter Tomato Sauce

Here's another one of those super simple, only-three-ingredient recipes that I love.  I think I first discovered this recipe from Orangette, but it's also been posted by so many other people.  Gilt Taste speculates that it might be the "most-blogged about pasta sauce on earth".  I've even read about this sauce in a Nicholas Sparks book!

 
So when I saw that San Marzano tomatoes were on sale at Whole Foods (3 cans for $7!), I knew I had to get some cans and make this sauce again.

Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter (adapted from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)
makes enough sauce to toss with 1 pound of dried pasta

1 28-oz. can of San Marzano whole, peeled tomatoes
1 small onion, peeled and halved
5 tablespoons butter

 
Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter, and the onion halves in a medium saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, at a very slow but steady simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free from the tomato (this took me longer than 45 minutes).

Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon (be careful; I ended up squirting myself a few times with hot tomato innards!).

 
Taste and salt as needed.  Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with cooked pasta.

 
I actually washed the sauce off the onion and saved it in the fridge for the next time I needed to add softened onions to a dish.  If you want, you could just chop up the onions and throw them in the sauce, or blend them into the sauce, but I think the sauce is already perfectly balanced as is.  The only thing I would maybe add to the pasta is some shaved parmesan cheese.

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Eggless Butter Cake

          It's the end of the month and time to reveal our Eggless Baking challenge for the month of October, and the challenge we had was Butter Cake. The cake as such was easy to bake, very delicious, rich and buttery (true to the name) and the recipe is adapted from Reader's Digest. The recipe calls for a 7" spring form pan, since I had only a 5" pan, I halved the recipe. I've replaced the eggs with milk and lemon juice, try it, once in a while we can have such rich desserts..

Need To Have 

• All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup
• Butter - 1/4 cup + 1 and 1/4 tablespoon
• Caster Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Warm Milk - 3/4 cup
• Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
• Golden Raisins - 1/4 cup
• Light Brown Sugar - 1 tablespoon
• Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method

          Sift the flour and the baking powder. Beat the caster sugar and the 1/4 cup butter till creamy. To this add the milk and beat well.

          Then fold in the flour, keeping a little to dust the raisins, so that they do not sink to the bottom once the cake is baked. Finally add the raisins and the lemon juice and mix well.

          Pour this in the greased pan and bake for 20 minutes till done. Take the remaining butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, beat well and spread over the cake as soon as you remove it from the oven, still in the pan. Let it sink in for about 5 to 10 minutes, then remove carefully. Slice and serve while it's still warm.

Note
The original recipe used 3 eggs and 1 tablespoon of milk or 1 and a 1/2 eggs and 1/2 tablespoon of milk for the amount of flour I have used, I have halved the recipe.
The original recipe used 1 and 2/3 cups of flour, I halved it to 1/2 and 1/3 cups.
The cake was very moist but little dense, so I would increase the lemon juice to 2 tablespoons the next time.
If you don't have caster sugar, just powder the regular granulated sugar.
The baking time varied a lot, I had to bake for 40 mins, might be my pan was deeper than broader.

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Pecan Topped Cranberry Cake

I still had a ton of cranberries left from cranberry picking so I made this beautiful cake from The Kitchn.

 
Pecan Topped Cranberry Cake (from The Kitchn)
makes one 9x13-inch or one 10-inch springform cake

For the cake

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into chunks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour (I substituted in 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour)
2 1/2 cups cranberries (1 bag)

For the pecan topping

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 pan or a 10" springform pan. (I cut up the butter and transferred them to the pan to soften on top of the oven range.)

Beat eggs and sugar together for at least 5 minutes — probably as long as 7 or 8 minutes — the egg and sugar mixture should double in volume and turn pale yellow, leaving ribbons on top of the batter when you lift the beaters.

Add the butter and flavorings and beat for 2 more minutes. Stir in flour and fold in cranberries. Pour into greased pan.

To make the pecan topping, heat the butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and stir.

Add the toasted pecans and cook for several minutes, stirring, until the butter and sugar mixture is shiny and smooth and the nuts smell toasted. Spread over the cake batter.

 
Bake 45-50 minutes for a 9x13, or a little over an hour for the springform. You may need to tent the cake with foil in the last 15 minutes or so to keep the top from browning.

 

Cool completely before serving.

Next time I'd probably make more of the pecan topping since that was my favorite part of the cake, and there was barely enough to cover the top of the cake.  This cake is on the heavier side, almost like a pound cake.  I stored it covered at room temperature for 5 days, and it was still moist and yummy on the last day.

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Homemade Paneer

          Though I have made over 150 posts, there is not a single post about a basic recipe like our sambar and masala powders or making a good idli batter, so today I thought I'll make some posts in between other dishes about them. I feel a food blog is not complete with these basic recipes and to start with, today's post is about making paneer ( Indian cottage cheese ) at home. It's very easy and it comes out very well, you'll stop buying it from the store..

Need To Have

• Milk - 1 ltr or 1000ml
• Lemon Juice - from 1 to 2 lemons

Method

          Heat the milk, when it comes to a boil add the lemon juice just enough to curdle the milk. When you can see the milk solids and whey water separately, switch off. Drain it using a not too thick, not too thin cotton cloth. Press the extra water out with a pair of kitchen tongs. 

          Tie the cloth into a knot and hang it from a faucet for about an hour to drain the remaining water. Open the cloth and knead the milk solids for about 5 minutes, then shape it up with your hand and wrap it with the cloth. 

Now place something heavy on top of it and leave it undisturbed for about 6 to 8 hours. Then remove it and dice them into small cubes (1/2" side) and can freeze it till you use it in a curry.

Note
You can use any milk, usually I use the 2% or full fat milk, the less fatty the milk, there'll be more whey water and less milk solids. Don't use fat free milk.
You can use the whey water to make dough for rotis or bread, or also to curdle the milk for making the next batch of paneer, you can refrigerate it for about a week.
If you are using the paneer for a spicy gravy where the lemon smell is not going to be a problem you can do it the above way, if you are using it to make sweet dishes where the lemon flavor would be problem, then wash the paneer, wrapped up in the cloth before hanging it from the faucet to drain.
If the cubes don't retain their shape when added to a gravy, then the weight you placed on it was not heavy enough, place like a heavy pot of water or something about 10 to 15 pounds.

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Pasteta

     Prica se,prica, da pasteta NE valja..kupovna puna nekih brojeva i dodataka,pravljena opet ne valja jer jetrica ustvari nije zdrava..sve bolesti se zadrzavaju na bas tim organima i zato je ne treba jesti.

Danas je sve biznis i propaganda...pa ako nemate strah napravite vasu verziju pastete od pilece jetrice ili probajte moj nacin spravljanje ove pastet.....ja evo prilazem svoj recept,po kome sam svojoj djeci i nama pravila nebrojno mnogo puta i jos uvijek smo zivi...

 Pasteta od pilece jetrice

200gr maslaca

225gr ociscene jetrice

(odmrznuti ako je zamrznuta)

2 zlice brandy-a 

(ja sam stavila Marsala vino)

1 zlicica puna isjeckane zalfije

 1cenj cesnjaka

150ml vrhnja za kuhanje

sol,biber

lovorov list-za ukras

krekeri ili domaci kruh za serviranje pastete

Otopiti 40gr maslaca u sirokomj tavi,dodati ociscenu jetricu(ne snije imati niti jednu zilicu ili zuc).

Peci na maslacu oko 4 minuta,tako da unutrasnjost ostane pink /ruzicaste boje ali ne krvava !!

Prebaciti u procesor za hranu i isjeckati je .

U tavu,u kojoj se peckla jetrica sipati brandy ili Marsala i pusiti da se lagano kuha,lagano drvrnom kuhacom "postrugati" sve sto se zalijepilo za tavu..dodati u procesor ka jetrici...dodati zalfiju sitno isjeckanu,cesnjak,protisnuti ili isjeckati i 100gr maslaca.

Samljeti da bude jako glatka smjesa.

Sada dodati vrhnje,najprije pola,pa dodavati polako ostatak,zacicniti po ukusu.

Pripremiti posudice u kojima cete servirati pastetu..popuniti ih sa dobivenom smjesom i poravnati povrsinu.

U meduvremenu otopiti preostali maslac i polako zlicom sipati na svaku posudu u kojoj se nalazi pasteta.

Ukrasiti sa lovorovim listom,pustiti da se ohladi,zatim staviti u frizider da se stegne i bude maziva.

Servirati uz krekere ili domaci kruh.

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Taboule ( Couscous Salad )

          I am on a two weeks trip to the US, we haven't yet completely moved back to India. I was checking in the pantry for something that'll make up for a light lunch and found this box of whole wheat couscous. While checking the packet, I found the recipe for this salad ( Taboule) on it, and since I had all the ingredients in hand, went ahead and made it. Try it, it's so easy, ready in minutes and very healthy too..

Need To Have

• Couscous - 1/2 cup
• Capsicum - 3 tablespoons chopped
• Tomato - 1/2 chopped
• Onion - 1/2 small chopped
• Cooked Corn - 2 tablespoons
• Chopped Walnuts - 2 tablespoon
• Chopped Coriander - 2 tablespoons
• Lemon Juice - 3 tablespoons
• Olive Oil - 1 + 1/2 tablespoon
• Salt - to taste
• Ground Black Pepper - to taste

Method

          Take the couscous in a bowl, add 1/2 cup boiling water, the lemon juice and oil, mix, cover and leave for 10 to 15 minutes.

          Then fluff it with a fork, add the capsicum, tomatoes, onions, coriander, corn, walnuts, salt and pepper. Toss it all together and serve chilled ( keep in the refrigerator for 15 mins, I skipped this step, the salad was already cold).

Note
The original recipe called for 3 tablespoon of oil, which I felt was a little too much, so I reduced to one and a half tablespoon.
Also, there was no corn or walnuts in the original one, I added for the extra crunch.
And also the amount of boiling water added was only 1/4 cup, I added 1/2 cup, since I didn't want to eat undercooked couscous, and also I replaced parsley with coriander since I had that only in hand.

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Miso Marinated Black Cod

When I saw wild caught black cod in Trader Joe's most recent Fearless Flyer, I'm pretty sure I squealed out loud.  I had been wanting to make Nobu's miso marinated black cod ever since I first had it several years ago but could never bring myself to track down the, I assumed, extremely expensive fish.  And now it was being sold in my neighborhood TJ's for $12.99/lb, which admittedly, isn't cheap, but is definitely in my price range if I'm only buying enough for one.

 
This is only of those super simple recipes that only uses the barest minimum of ingredients (four!) but is so, so good.  If you've never had black cod (also known as sablefish or butterfish) before, you'll be surprised by how buttery the flaky white meat is.  The closest fish that I've tasted is the Chilean sea bass.  And the best part is, black cod is a sustainable fish, unlike the Chilean sea bass, so that's one less thing you have to worry about.

The fillets that I ended up buying were only a quarter pound each, but I decided to make the full amount of marinade anyways because, seriously, I don't have a pot small enough to boil 2 tablespoons of liquid.  I also didn't have any sake on hand, so I substituted rice wine.

 
Miso Marinated Black Cod (based on the recipe from Nobu:  The Cookbook)
makes 2 servings

2 tablespoons sake or rice wine
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons white miso
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2-4 black cod fillets (about 1/4 pound each)

 
Bring the sake and the mirin to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.  Turn the heat down to low and stir in the miso until dissolved. Turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

 
Slather the fish with the miso marinade and place in dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave to steep in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

 
To cook, preheat the broiler. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets but don’t rinse it off. Broil the fillets for about 10-15 minutes, until browned on top and flaky when cut with a fork.  Do not overcook!  Serve warm with rice.

 
My fillets were pretty thin (less than an inch thick), but if you have thicker fillets, you may want to continue to bake the fish at 400°F for another couple of minutes until it is cooked through.  Just remember not to overcook this fish since you'll lose the awesome, buttery texture.

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Pitice/tortice od bundeve

Pitice/tortice od bundeve

tijesto

150gr brasna
2 zlice (jusne)secera u prahu

90gr mljevenih oraha
80gr maslaca
2-3 zlice soka od narance ili mandarine

Brasno,orase i secer staviti u procesor za hranu ,dodati jos na kockice izrezan hladni maslac,pa pulsirati par puta da se naprave mrvice,dodati sok i pulsirati jos par puta..istresti nedoradeno tijesto na stol i napraviti glatko tijesto.Ostaviti 20-ak minuta na hladnom.


Napraviti nadjev:

395gr konzerva zasladenog kondenzovanog mlijeka
3/4 solje/salice(od 250ml) pirea od bundeve
1 zlicica cimeta po 1/2 zlicice morskog orascica i djinde
2 jaja

skuhanu bundevu propasirati ili samo zgnjeciti(ja sam pasirala)dodati jaja i ostale sastojke i izmutiti.

sada izvaditi tijesto iz frizidera i vaditi krugove za vase kalupe,oblozene kalupe napuniti nadjevom i staviti peci na 180C 35 minuta.

** ja sam imala 4 kalupa promjera 10cm,sa pomicnim dnom i 4 kalupa promjera 7cm ,obicni ,obje vrste kalupa su duboke oko 2.5 cm...sav nadjev mi je bio utrosen.

Sigurno da se moze praviti i kao jedna pita,mislim da bi ova kolicina bila dovoljna za kalup od 26 cm..eh odozgo sam malo posula prije pecenja ,moje tortice /pitice sa izmrvljenim amareto keksicima(nasli mi se pod rukom)

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Mushrooms & Peas Kurma

          Most of the days during the week, we have rotis or chappathis for dinner, and I have to come up with some side dish using any vegetable that's in hand. I had bought this pack of button mushrooms the previous day, I like to cook them when they are fresh and white and  since it's been a long time that I had cooked any kind of kurma, I made this one with the mushrooms. To add some color to the dish, I threw in some fresh green peas, the result was very satisfying, this goes well with any kind of bread or any pilaf or briyani..

Need To Have
Button Mushrooms - 200 gms, diced
Fresh Or Frozen Green Peas - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 small chopped
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Curry Leaves - 10
Coriander Leaves - to garnish

To Grind
Onion - 1 small
Tomato - 1
Grated Coconut - 1 + 1/2 tablespoon
Cashews - 4
Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Grated Ginger - 1 tablespoon
Garlic - 5 cloves
Red Chilly Powder - 3/4 teaspoon

Method
          Grind together all the ingredients given under to grind.

          Heat some oil, add the cinnamon piece, when it sizzles, add the chopped onion, saute till it turns pink. Then add the ground paste and turmeric powder and saute for about 5 minutes till the raw smell of onion, garlic and ginger goes away.

          Now add the mushrooms, mix and cook for 5 minutes, then add the green peas and the curry leaves, cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove, garnish with the coriander leaves and serve it warm with rotis or rice.

Note
While sauteing the ground paste, if it sticks to the pan sprinkle some water and continue sauteing.
Can cook the green peas separately in the microwave and add it at the end to maintain its bright green color.
You can add more coconut to the paste to have a more rich kurma, I have limited it for a healthier version, but it still tasted good.

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Coconut Whipped Cream and Coconut Dulce de Leche

I've mentioned coconut whipped cream a couple of times before so I thought I'd share a quick post on how to make it.  I first heard about it on Oh She Glows, and I love the idea because it uses a non-perishable can of full-fat coconut milk instead of whipping cream, which I rarely keep on hand, which means I can have whipped cream just about any time I want.  Well, except for the fact that you do need to put the can of coconut milk in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

 
Angela flips the can before opening it so that the solid coconut cream is on the bottom, and you can easily pour out the translucent liquid.  Since not all cans are easy to open from the bottom, I've just put the cans upside down in the fridge and then opened them right side up.  Even if you forget to do this, you can still pretty easily scoop the solid stuff out of the top of the can, leaving the liquid at the bottom.  I usually save the liquid to make smoothies out of.

 
Now put all that nice, solid coconut cream into a large bowl and beat it with a hand mixer.  It helps if you've chilled the bowl and the beaters in the fridge or freezer beforehand, but I've done it without chilling them first and it still worked out okay.  I like to start off with the regular beater attachments and then if it's not getting fluffy enough, I'll switch to the whisk attachment.

 
After it's nice and fluffy, go ahead and add some sweetener (I used a tablespoon of sugar ground fine with some cardamon seeds) and vanilla extract if you like.

 
And that's it!  I use this on my magical pumpkin spice lattes, on ice cream sundaes, and anywhere else you'd normally use whipped cream.  You can store it in the fridge for up to 10 days in a sealed container, and if it gets too hard, you can always whip it again.

Now sometimes I open a can of coconut milk and find that the cream didn't rise to the top and harden.  Instead, I get a homogenous, opaque white liquid.  You can try pouring it into a sealed container and chilling it some more to see if it'll separate, or you can make coconut dulce de leche!

 
Coconut Dulce de Leche (adapted from Bon Appétit)
makes 1 1/4 cups

1 14-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Whisk coconut milk, sugar, and coarse salt in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

Increase heat to medium-high and boil until mixture is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

 
Transfer sauce to small jars. Cool completely, then cover sauce and chill.

The coconut dulce de leche kind of reminds me of kaya (coconut jam) from Southeast Asia.  I've been stirring it into my (unsweetened) magical coffee in the morning and topping it off with coconut whipped cream.

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