{Recipe} Pumpkin Soup

A soup I fell in love with from the very 1st spoonful I took in Eden was the Pumpkin Soup... And I have made this over and over, and love it every single time...

Here is how I make it..

The ingredients:
2 cups  pumpkin [yellow pumpkin]
1 Carrot  [chop roughly and cook through]
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp roasted grounded peanuts [ I dont grind them fine]

The Process:

1. Once the pumpkin and carrots are cooked, puree them in a blender
2. In a pan add the oil/butter, pour in the puree, allow to come to boil, add milk and the seasoning.
Finally as you serve, sprinkle the peanuts and serve!

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{recipe} Spinach Soup

It was one of those days when I had been sneezing all day, and there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. I got home, tired and cranky and all I wanted was a bowl of hot soup. Rummaged through the fridge and came out victorious. I had spotted a few interesting ingredients. This is what I whipped up..

Ingredients

2 Cups chopped spinach leaves
1 Onion chopped
2 cloves of Garlic [finely chopped]
2 Cups water [enough to boil spinach and dilute the soup]

1 tbsp milk 

1 tbsp Butter/olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

The Process:

1.  In a pan, boil the spinach and take it off the heat once cooked.
2. In another pan, add some oil/butter and saute the onion and garlic for a few seconds.
3. Puree the boiled spinach with the onion & garlic 
4. Add salt, pepper and milk when bringing it to a boil

Serve hot. You can add a few bits of roasted pounded almonds or peanuts

Bon Appetit!!

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Dario's once more...

And there i was, back at Dario's for a dinner. You can read my previous review here

This time with the CFG gang and Suresh Cumar [ the man behind Dario's Chennai] was also with us tonight. Instead of doing another detailed review, am going to do a photo feature with a one liner on each of the dishes..

Focaccia Bread with Sun dried tomato dip/sauce- This is served complimentary and are quite flavorful.

Antipasto Siciliano -A fun platter- Olives, olives stuffed with red chillies, gorgonzola cheese, pickled onions, sauteed Italian vegetables, Brinjal cooked the Sicilian way and sun dried tomatoes- We all loved the cheese, it was stinky but we couldnt get enough of it. 

Funshi Darios- Whole roasted Mushrooms with lemon, garlic, parsley & olive oil- I loved this, even though garlic was strong.

Assorted Bruschetta platter- 2 with gorgonzola cheese, and 2 with Sundried tomato paste- The Cheese ones won hands down. 

This was another platter of Bruschetta- with sauteed zucchini, olive paste and tomato & basil- I quite liked the zucchini ones]

hey, wait a minute, we were offered 2 kinds of salads, damn, forgot to take pictures of them.. One was Aranciazola [Mixed salad leaves with orange slices, gorgonzola, olives and herbs] . The 2nd salad was   Verdure Grigalate [Warm mixed vegetables- baby potatos, colour peppers,zucchini, carrots and onion] 

Polpette Di Spinaci e Formatggio -- Spinach & Fresh cheese balls served with spinach cream dip -- We had this last time as well, i loved the starter but wish it was served with a spicier dip.

Pizza Carduni- Mozerella cheese, Artichoke, Broccoli, Mushroom, garlic, Olives an sun dried tomatoes - Loved it, the pizza stood still when you held it and dint wilt like a dried up flower.

 Pizza Stromboli-Mozzarella, red chilli, spinach, red peppers and sun dried tomatoes-- Personally, i loved this one-

During the course of the evening, we were all suddenly talking about Tea when Suresh mentioned they had a Morrocan mint which was quite good. Well, yes, we ordered some and between us had quite a few cups of the tea. And then, he also said they had Blackcurrant tea. Ta da, I wanted it, i love the flavour and quite enjoyed the tea. but Blackcurrant tea is not something you can have cups and cups of, it is quite strong. So, if you are at Dario's,, do try the Morrocan Mint, you will not regret and will come back to Thank me! This image is of the Blackcurrrant tea :)

Ok, moving ahead, here are the main courses that we got to sample..

Risotto al funghi Porchini- Risotto made with porchini mushrooms- It was creamy and simple flavours

Risotto Siciliano- Risotto cooked with tomato sauce, red chilli,aubergines, oregano,capers and cheese: This felt very Indian, maybe because of the tomato base.

Ravioli Kamarina- Ravioli stuffed with spinach& cheese served on a bed of tomato sauce cooked with peas , chickpeas, rosemary and cream- It was quite good, i am not a great fan of Ravioli but the texture here was light and soft.

Tortellini Formaggi &Funghi- Pasta Parcels stuffed with mushroom & cheese served in Cheese sauce- I love mushrooms and so liked it, but not a big fan of white sauce[gets heavy on the tummy]

Fusili Vitale-- Fusili tossed with fresh tomatoes,sundried tomato, garlic and mushrooms- It was good, but nothing new as i make pasta quite often at home.

Crepelle Al Funghi- Baked pancakes with mushrooms, garlic, cheese, tomatoes and peas- Creamy and rich, crepes filled with veggies, dint try it last night as i had this last time around :)

Moving on, we were served not one or two, but 4 desserts, of which 2 I loved and others were Ok... not my cuppa tea.

Erupting Chocolate- Well, it was like the molten chocolate cake, you cut in and out oozes rich chocolate sauce. If you are a chocaholic, go for it. 

No prizes for guessing- Tiramisu- However, this one tasted very different, and Suresh mentioned it was eggless. 

Where are the other 2? Patience... I have saved the best for last... Remember the song? yes, well, here it is, the dishes that stood out amongst the others, the ones that still lingers in my mind... What is it? Read on... 

 Risottoragli Asaparagi- Risotto cooked with Asparagus, cream and cheese- Oh man, this was divine. you could taste the richness, the flavour and there were so many different textures. It was the highlight of the evening for many of us. :-)

Panna Cotta- A simple dessert served with Blueberry preserve and thin slices of apple- every spoonful was heavenly

The Lemon cheesecake- Hubba hubba hubba.. This one sure is a winner.. The lime flavour comes out so beautifully, it sings a song in your mouth :-)

As i bid adieu, it was one awesome evening with Friends, Food and an ambiance that oozed with FUN...

You can read my earlier review here

Highlights at Dario's

• It is a pure vegetarian restaurant
• There is a lovely indoor and outdoor seating area
• They are open till 11pm... 
• There are plans to launch corporate lunch packages with a set menu[ for large groups] priced around Rs650
• The desserts are eggless, even the Tiramisu.. 

A meal for 2 should cost around Rs1000 - 1500... 

Dario's Address:

#11, Kasturi Rangan Road,

2nd Street,

Teynampet,

Chennai- 600018

Ph:             044-4919 3333      

URL: http://www.darios.in [you can not only read about the restaurant, but also see the detailed menu]

Landmark: Next to Ashwini Hospital [1st right after the Russian Cultural Centre]

Disclaimer:
The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-)

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Simar, Chennai

Khader Nawaz Khan road in Chennai has become an eat street, except unlike in other towns these eateries are neither road side joints nor are they small time cafes. Most of these are speciality restaurants.. There is Fresca, specialising in Neopolitian cuisine, Yoko Sizzlers, Cream n Fudge [ cold stone ice cream] and much more. And now, adding yet another feather to the hat, rather the street is Simar, a restaurant that claims to be all about the North Western Frontier.

Named after the lady who owns the place, Simarjeet, this is a restaurant that oozes with class in its decor- the light fittings, the black and off white wall papers, the charcoal sketch on the wall and the smart furniture. All of 5days old, the restaurant sure seemed to have attracted customers, i noticed a few other tables were occupied.

North Western Frontier brings to my mind Pakistan, Afghanistan and regions beyond, but the cuisine here is largely about Punjab, the land Simarjeet comes from and familiar with.We were seated almost in the center of the restaurant and got to chatting while we waited for water and food.  As we nibbled on the pappad with coriander and curd chutney, we got to talking about how the city has changed and eating scene along with it.

The starters that arrived on the table were a mix of both Vegetarian and Non vegetarian kebabs. There were about 5 of us vegetarians and well, we did make sure to sample atleast a piece each from the 2 starters. One was a Veg Sheek Kebab, which is one dish i kinda steer clear from at any restaurant. it is one of those boring staid dishes. Well, here too it dint really have me going. It was soft, and tender but there was one flavour that stood out, that had me nearly cringing, i just could not put my finger on the spice/flavour. It was not ginger, it was not chaat masala, i dont know....   

 

 

The other starter was Mushroom stuffed with spinach, and it was good.. I love mushrooms in any form, and this was cooked well, and not oozing with oil or overloaded with spices.

The non veg starters seemed to be a hit with the guys- the chicken Kalvi kebab, the Fish Lasuni tikka[ fish that had been rolled with a garlic & green chillie piece inside] and Mutton seek kebab all were polished off. Though S did spot a bit of blood in his chicken and we pondered over whether it was blood or just the colour on cooking the chicken.

Simar joined us on the table and spoke about her family, her background [ she has been in the media for a while, acted in a couple of Tamil TV serials] and now entered the Food industry, bringing in her family recipes and secrets. While flipping through the elaborate menu and straining to catch bits of what she was saying, we were served a tall glass of Mango Lassi that i quite liked, especially since it was low on sweet... The other lassi we were offered was the Salt lassi, which true to its name was quite salty [ i assumed since at home we cook with barely any salt, it felt salty, but soon others on the table shared the same thought] . The lassi helped calm the hungry tummies as the wait for the main courses began... and we did wait quite a while............

2 bowls with different rotis/parathas landed on the table with a bowl of Yellow daal, and then before we knew it there was a flurry of dishes coming to our table. There was Baingan Bartha, Paneer Butter masala, Channa salad and a plate of Peas pulao for us veggies. The non veg group got a Chicken curry and Rogan Josh to accompany the roti and rice. I liked the paneer butter masala, felt the daal was yet again salty and the Baingan Bartha, well let me not say too much about it, am not a big fan of the veggie and have eaten better ones at my uncle's home!!  The Peas pulao was quite a treat, except i felt the peas needed few more minutes to cook through. And just as we were about to wind up for the day, a Gulab jamun and a serving of Rabdi was offered. Am not into sweets, and hesitated, but did decide to give it a taste..

The gulab jamun was too sweet, and the sugar syrup tasted of oil, while the rabdi was just weird, it had a grainy feel, almost like dosa batter that had not been made correctly. Dint really care too much about them, and left them aside.

Well, am sure like any other new restaurant, they were just having a few teething issues and hopefully, if as much attention as decor is paid towards the food, the restaurant will do well.. All the best Simar!!

Ambiance: 8/10
Taste [Flavours]: 5/10
Service: 6/10
Portion size: 8/10
Price: 7/10
Overall Rating: 5/10

Address:
20-B, Ground Floor, Khader Nawaz Khan Road,  

Nungambakkam , 

Chennai

Phone: [044]42132066, 45122066, 9840003650

It is located on the ground floor in the same building as 3 kingdoms & yoko sizzlers.. It is also right next to Wills Lifestyle.

Disclaimer:
The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-)

This was part of a CFG Showcase that I attended and was conducted by Chennai Food Guide.

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Eggless Banana Cake in a jiffy

There we were, kinda bored and wondering what to do when our gramma muttered "there are too many bananas here, next time buy just 5-6, dont buy a dozen, see they have all started becoming black"...And the next instant, my cousin L was on her laptop hunting for another cousin's mother-in-law's blog where she had read a Banana Cake recipe.... Within minutes, she had found the blog and the recipe. Reading out the ingredients, we discovered most of them were already available at home.. I was heading out for a bit and so we decided to bake the cake once i got back home.... 

 

The weighing scale

I strode in around 4.15 and we got to prepping for the cake by 4.30. Laid out all the ingredients on the dining table, pre heated the oven, greased the baking bowls and were all set to get the cake mix ready.



The Eggless Banana cake [ Recipe from here]

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour- 140 gms
Baking Powder- 2 tsp
Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp
Condensed Milk (sweetened)- 200 gms
Melted Butter- 70 gms
Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp (optional)
Very Ripe Bananas- 2 (Peeled weight 200 gms)
Water- 60 ml
Almonds- 10- chop into small pieces
Baking pan 7″ x 5″ x 2″




Method:

• Preheat oven to 200 De Centigrade.
• Peel and mash the bananas with a fork and keep aside. DO NOT use mixer to mash.
• Sift together flour and baking soda and powder. Add the chopped nuts and mix well. Add melted butter, condensed milk, Vanilla essence and mashed bananas. Mix well. Add water little by little to form an uniform batter.
• Transfer to greased pan and tap to level. Bake at 200 degrees C for about 50 minutes. The cake is done when it begins to leave the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and leave in pan for 5 minutes. 
• Then separate from pan and turn on to a cooling rack

 

We baked the cake in a round mould and it came out delicious.. The top was a thin crust, while the center was soft and filled with favour... Proud of our baking skills, we went ahead and baked another batch, half of which travelled with me by A/C bus to Chennai and a tiny slice is all that is left...!!

Next time, i am going to try the same recipe with Strawberries or apples... ;-)

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Mango Delight

Kept some milk to boil, but alas it had split, so decided to go all the way and squeezed in half a lime and waited for the curdling process to complete. Strained the excess water and was just about to place in a muslin cloth when i noticed half a mango in the fridge. There was born a quick dessert idea... 

What i had :

Himapasand Mango- Half [ lovely and ripe]- chopped up
Curdled milk- smooth and light- 1/2cup
Sugar syrup - 1 tsp
Ice cubes- 5-10

Process:

1. In a blender, add all the ingredients and blitz till it becomes smooth
2. Refrigerate/ or enjoy as it is.... It was divine!!!

It is the perfect dessert as Mangos are in season and who would resist a chill dessert on a hot summer day!!

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Pastas con los vehículos (Pasta with vegetables)

I am not talking about something that is Greek or Latin. It is Spanish, but for an Italian dish! 😃

The dish I am talking about is Pasta with vegetables :-)

It was one of those days when the cook had not turned up and we were in the mood for something other than boring Rice- sambar/rasam- curry etc.. I suggested pasta, had to go buy ingredients. Thank god for Nilgiris being close by home:-)

What you need:

Pasta- any kind- 2tbsp per person( I was using farfelle- bow shaped pasta)

Vegetables- capsicum, carrots, mushroom, broccoli, zucchini, olives

Oil- olive oil
Salt- to taste
Water- enough to boil/cook the pasta in
Herbs- rosemary, thyme,basil,oregano

Sauce base:

Olive oil- 1tsp
Walnuts - handful
Red chili- 2- soaked in hot water
Tomato- 3- soaked in hot water

The procedure:

1. In a big pan, put the pasta to cook ( add some salt and olive oil)
2. To this I add the tomatoes and red chilies( pulling them out after a few mins)
3. In another pan, add some oil and sauté the vegetables. Keep mushrooms for the last as they cook fast and tend to release water. ( I sautéed them separately and kept them aside as dad does not like mushrooms)
4. Put all ingredients for the base incl tomatoes and red chillies and purée in a blender . Add water if required. I also add a spoonful of veggies in this( adds nice texture and volume to the sauce)
5. Add this paste to the vegetables. Add herbs and salt at this stage.
6. Once pasta cooked , drain and tumble into pan with sauce and vegetables .
7. Allow it all to come together and turn off stove.
8. If you like, can add cheese on top before serving ..

Bon apettit!

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Hunger pangs and an Eggless Strawberry Yogurt Cake

I was feeling like a snack, but it was one where i wanted to eat fruits. I opened and stood in front of the fridge for a few minutes, discovered a box of chopped papaya and a box of fresh strawberries. Had a light bulb moment, why not i make something with the strawberries, milk/yoghurt and maida at home. And for some reason, was in the mood to bake. There flew my urge for a snack. 

I started looking on the net for simple interesting recipes, when i stumbled upon the Eggless Strawberry Yoghurt cake on my friend Saffrontrail’s blog. That was it, it looked mighty easy, and i had all the ingredients, but jam [which i could pick up from the store a minute away from home]

Here is the recipe from her blog:

Ingredients

¾ cup yogurt

¼ cup milk (i used regular milk )

¼ cup rice bran oil ( i used cooking oil, dint have rice bran at home)

¾ cup sugar

2 generous tablespoons of strawberry or mixed fruit jam (mixed fruit jam it was)

1 tsp Strawberry essence or mixed fruit essence (had to settle for vanilla extract 1 tsp)

1.5 cups all purpose flour OR 1 cup AP flour + ½ cup whole wheat flour (atta)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

Roughly 1 cup finely diced strawberries [ I set aside a few berries for decoration but ended up eating them as the cake baked :-) ]

Handful of tutti-frutty (optional- i dint have these either)

Directions

In one bowl, whisk the oil, yogurt, milk, sugar and jam.

In another big bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well. Add the whisked wet ingredients. Fold until they come together.

*Note: Over enthusiastic beating / whisking is better avoided.

Towards the end, fold in chopped berries and tutti-fruity.

A small variation here:

Saffrontrail recommends baking in oven, now i again had only a microwave and have baked a eggless chocolate cake earlier, which turns out delicious every time. So, going with my gut feel, decided to try the same for this cake as well and must say, not disappointed. The cake was yummy, a tad dry in the middle [wonder why] but otherwise soft and bursting with strawberry flavour….

I used a microwave proof glass bowl, and baked it for 8minutes on high.. :-)

If you have an oven [lucky you, follow the below mentioned steps to bake the cake]

Scrape the batter into the greased tin / silicon mould and bake at 180 C for around 45-55 minutes, checking with a tester if it comes out clean.

After 10 minutes, un-mould and cool on a wire rack.

Finally, cut into wedges, dust with icing sugar and serve with tea/coffee or just devour it as a dessert. 

Bon Apettit... 

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