Tag Archives: Food

Gluten free – cauliflower and spinach cheese bake

We indulged ourselves a bit earlier in the week with a real cheesy cauliflower and spinach bake (used mom’s recipe for white sauce – one of the first things I learned to cook).  We used the Apache chillies from the garden in the dish and it helped spice it up a bit.  Feel free to reduce the amount of cheese you use.

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What do I need to make it?

  • 1 head of cauliflower cut into bite size florets (par boil with some salt)
  • 1 small bag of spinach (~150gms) par boiled with a bit of salt
  • 1 bunch of spring onions chopped
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • 6-8 green chillies chopped finely (de-seed if you want the sauce milder)
  • 3 tbsp gluten free flour mix (we use Dove’s Farm flour)
  • 100 gm medium grated cheddar cheese
  • 100 gm red Leceister grated cheese
  • 250 ml milk
  • 75 gm unsalted butter
  • Salt to taste

How much will I make?

Serves 4

How do I make it?

Heat a heavy bottom pan and melt butter before adding garlic, spring onion and green chillies.  Saute for 5-8 minutes before adding the gluten free flour.   Give it a good stir, add the milk and reduce the heat.   Bring the mixture to a boil before adding half of each cheese.   Continue to mix till you get a nice thick cheesy sauce.   If it is too thick add a bit more milk.   Add the remaining ingredients and mix well before transferring into an oven proof dish.   Sprinkle the remaining cheese and place under the grill in pre-heated oven at around 220 degrees Centigrade.   Remove the dish once the cheese has melted and begins to form a golden crust.  Enjoy and then make an appointment to go to the gym afterwards to work it off 🙂

 

Gluten free chestnut flour pancakes

We are loving the discovery of chestnut flour (singoda) which we probably never would have used had we not started experimenting with gluten free flour options.  We are still trying to perfect the sweet potato/chestnut flour “churros” but tried using the flour today to make some delicious pancakes – they are not as fluffy as traditional pancakes but taste divine.   So for all those who want a gluten free breakfast option this recipe is for you.  Enjoy!

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What do I need to make it?

  • 1 cup chestnut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp fruit sugar (sweeter than normal sugar)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence (we used 1/4 tsp vanilla paste)
  • Butter to grease the pan
  • Pinch of salt

How much will I make?

6-8 medium sized pancakes

How do I make it?

Beat the egg and milk in a bowl and then add the chestnut flour and baking powder.  Use a whisk to beat further to ensure no lumps.   Add the remaining ingredients, whisk further and batter should coat your ladle.   Heat frying pan on medium heat and add a knob of butte,r some batter and cook on both sides,   Serve hot with topping of your choice – we had three different toppings today – icing sugar, Greek honey and Agave nectar (amazing alternative to sugar – natural and tasty).

Gluten free churos (work in progress)

Building on the success of the chocolate cake we got our creative juices going to make a dessert with some chestnut flour we had picked up recently.   We are calling it gluten free churos as this is closest thing it resembles but still needs a bit of work to get the texture just right.   We are pretty happy with our first attempt and thought we would share this with you in the hope that you can input your ideas on improving and perfecting it.

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What do I need to make it?

  • 1 cup of chestnut flour
  • 1 large sweet potato peeled and boiled with a few cloves and a black cardamom pod and then mashed
  • 2 tsp fruit sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • Oil to fry

How much will I make?

Serves 4

How do I make it?

Mix all the ingredients in bowl and knead together to form a soft dough.   Heat oil in a frying pan and fry long strips till done.   The end result is a crispy exterior with a semi chewy interior.  We used a traditional South Indian muruku press to place the dough into the oil – works a treat.

Salad therapy – Artichoke revisited

After a late lunch today both of us did not feel like having a big meal for dinner and settled on a salad.  Next year when artichokes are back  in season we are going to make it a point to cook them fresh but till then the simpler tinned route will have to suffice.  This evening’s salad was a blend of artichokes, cherry tomatoes from the garden, Greek salad cheese and large chili stuffed olives dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and some fresh mint and basil from the herb patch (traditional artichoke salad uses chopped parsley but the combination of basil and mint works really well).   A dash of salt and pepper to taste and dinner was ready.

Artichoke Salad

Rava Stores (Palakkad, Kerala)

Rava  stores is a family  establishment that has weathered all the ravages of times.  A tiny little store which has survived the onslaught of modernization and thrived despite changes and the challenges of the economy.  It is a store which sells the finest quality locally produced spices, masalas, pickles, pickling spices, dried vegetables, condiments, sweets, savories , chutneys and mixes native to Palakkad.  The beauty of this store is that it procures  its goods from vendors who make them from  home and therefore promotes the local cottage industries.

Rava stores  holds a very special place in my heart because my dad and my grandparents swore by it and were very faithful customers.  I cherish the memories of coming here year after year as a child and even today have made myself visit the  store and buy my favourites every time I am in Palakkad.  Nothing has changed since I was a child.  The way the goods are stored in rectangular metal tins and stacked on the old wooden shelves, the blue shutters or the smell of freshly ground masalas.  All this evokes a great sense of nostalgia and a small sense of joy that something dear to  me from my childhood has remained  exactly the same.

Long live Rava stores.  I hope my children will also keep this tradition alive and make the culinary pilgrimage to Rava stores every time they visit Palakkad.  I hope they cultivate their taste buds and develop the fondness for Mahaani, Kaduku Manga and Tapioca Poppadums  and everything else that Rava stores has specialized in supplying for generations.

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Tricolore salad

As previously stated in one of our earlier blogs tricolore is one of our all time favourite salads and tonight we had one for dinner.  We have normally stuck to the traditional recipe of beef tomatoes, avocados and fresh mozzarella cheese garnished with fresh basil and dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.  This evening we added grated lemon zest  for a change  and it works really well 🙂

Tricolore salad

Fresh hot sauce

Both Anna and I love our food spicy and hot and have experimented quite a bit with different chili sauces and fresh chilies.  One of my favourite hot sauces has to be the home made sauce which was served in a Carribean restaurant called Cari-B in Dallas, Texas (sadly it has closed down now).  The owner had has brother-in-law make the sauce from habanero peppers and boy did it pack a punch.  I can still vividly remember the conversation I had with the waiter when I asked for the hot sauce to go with my jerk chicken and black bean rice.  I was with my good friend Dushyant when this big Jamaican lad came over with the sauce and said in his thickest Jamaican accent “yo man, I know you Indian and all but if I were you I would use this sauce judiciously”.   Wise words as a small drop on the tip of my tongue was enough to get it tingling and dancing.  Today I decided to have a go at making my first home made hot sauce using scotch bonnet peppers – it’s not exactly the Cari-B sauce but quite tasty and definitely hot.

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What do I need to make it?

  • 6-8 scotch bonnet peppers de-seeded
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp cranberry and apple balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp unrefined sugar
  • Salt to taste

How much will I make?

Around 150 – 200 ml

How do I make it?

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine paste.  Adjust the seasoning and enjoy. The hot sauce should stay for a few weeks if refrigerated as the vinegar will serve as a preservative.

Gluten free bread

Since going on the Paleo diet Shiv and I have not touched bread in the last four months.  As I have been experimenting with gluten free baking of cakes and cookies I decided to give bread baking a shot.   The base recipe is borrowed from “The Best Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes” by Grace Cheetham with some tweaks.   We made some fresh mint and coriander chutney with a twist to go with it.

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Gluten Free Bread

What do I need to make it?

  • 450 gms gluten-free bread flour (we used Dove’s Farm)
  • 2 eggs
  • 350 ml almond milk
  • 1 tsp malt vinegar
  • 6 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 tsp quick acting yeast
  • 3 tbsp mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame and sunflower)
  • 1 tbsp unrefined sugar
  • 1 tsp salt

How much will I make?

1 kg loaf (medium loaf about 12 slices)

How do I make it?

Mix together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar.  Warm the almond milk and then beat eggs into it with the malt vinegar.  Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and then add the milk mixture and mix into a sticky dough.  Add 2 tbsp of seeds and oil and continue to mix till all the ingredients are bound together.  Pour into a greased loaf tin and sprinkle remaining seeds on top and cover with moist cloth and  set aside for an hour to allow the dough to rise.  Place loaf in a pre-heated oven at 220 degree Centigrade for 40-45 minutes.  Crust should turn dark brown and centre cooked through (check with skewer to ensure it comes out dry).  Remove and cool loaf on wire rack before slicing.

Mint & Coriander Chutney

What do I need to make it?

  • Small bunch fresh coriander
  • Handful fresh mint leaves
  • 3 stalks of basil leaves
  • 2 sprigs of green onion
  • 1 small carrot
  • 3 green chilies
  • 1 bird’s eye red chili
  • 1/2 lime
  • 1 tsp unrefined sugar
  • Salt to taste

How do I make it?

Place all ingredients in a blender and grind to a fine paste.  Add lime juice and adjust seasoning before serving.  This chutney can be used a marinade for barbecued fish/chicken or as an alternative salad dressing without oil.

Salad therapy – Artichoke heaven

On a recent trip to Dubai I’ve rekindled my fondness for artichoke when I ordered a salad starter.  The dish was so simple and packed some serious flavour that I wanted to share that experience with Anna.  The salad literally takes less than five minutes to prepare but hopefully leaves a  lasting memory on your palates.

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What do I need to make it?

  • 2 tins (¬500 gms drained)  artichoke hearts (normally in brine so drain and cut the artichokes into halves)
  • 1 small tomato de-seeded and chopped into tiny pieces
  • Handful of flat leaf parsley chopped
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste

How much will I make?

Enough to feed 4 as a side

How do I make it?

Place drained, halved artichoke hearts in a salad bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix gently (artichoke is quite delicate and will fall apart).  Enjoy.

Sublime supper

Regular readers of our blog would have noticed that I have not been writing very much these days and the husband’s offerings have been far more frequent. Well, I have not been cooking anything exciting with Shiv not around and have been making do with quick and easy meals as the kids have been rather demanding and I find myself too exhausted to pen my musings down at the end of the day.

Today I decided to cook myself and my mother a good supper.  You could call it a Mother’s day offering.  I baked a gluten free corn bread loaf, made a lovely cauliflower soup and a spicy chipotle dip for the bread.  The meal went down very well and my mother enjoyed it, just as I did.

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Gluten free corn bread

What do I need to make it?

  • 150 gms fine corn meal
  • 150 gms fine rice flour
  • 50 gms cold unsalted butter or dairy free margarine
  • 2 medium sized eggs
  • 300 ml unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp Xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

How much will I make?

A medium sized loaf

How do I make it?

Preheat oven to 200.C.   Sieve together rice flour and fine corn meal into a large mixing bowl.  Add the baking powder, salt and Xanthan gum to this.  Chop cold butter into small cubes and add to the bowl.  Use finger tips to rub the flour and butter into a crumb like consistency.  Beat the eggs and almond milk together lightly.  Make a well in the mixing bowl and pour the egg and milk mixture into it.  Mix well with a wooden spoon until all the flour is blended well and you get a smooth batter.  Pour the batter into a prepared loaf tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the crust is a golden brown.  Pierce with a skewer to check if the bread is cooked through.  If the skewer comes out with wet mixture stuck to it, keep the loaf in the oven till the bread is cooked thoroughly.

Leave to cool on a  wire rack .

Spicy Chipotle dip

What do I need to make it?

  • 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic grated
  • 2 to 3 pickled chipotle peppers (available in the World food aisles of most super markets or in Mexican delis)
  • 1 tsp of the chipotle pepper pickling liquid

How do I make it?

Blend all the ingredients together in a blender.  Adjust seasoning.  The pickled chipotle peppers do have salt so extra salt is usually not needed.

Cauliflower soup

What do I need to make it?

  • 250 gms cauliflower florets
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 medium sized onions
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 500 ml unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 gluten free vegetable stock cube (Kallo stock cubes)
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Two sprigs of parsley to garnish.
  • Salt to taste
  • White pepper powder to taste

How much will I make?

2 large main meal portion

How do I make it?

Heat a pan and add butter and olive oil to it.  Add the bay leaf, onion and garlic and sauté till they are translucent.  Make sure not to brown them.  Add the cauliflower florets and sauté for a minute or two.  Season with salt and white pepper powder.  Add the almond milk and bring to a boil.  Turn the flame down and let it simmer till the cauliflower is cooked. Remove the bay leaf before blending to a smooth consistency.  Add about 250 ml of boiling water and the stock cube, return to heat and let the soup come to a boil.  Sprinkle the ground nutmeg and remove from the heat.  Garnish with parsley sprigs before serving.