Stuffed Peaches - Pesche Ripiene

I made this dessert almost a month ago when the juicy California peach was making an appearance at the local A&P. I was not able to post it right when I made it because I was leaving town for a few weeks, in the wee hours of the morning the following day. My friend Allison came over to have dinner with us and this went beautifully with our meal. I also made pasta alla Nonna - pasta with eggplant. It was delicious but the pictures were not up to snuff - so no post on that. I am planning to make it again and hopefully will be able to post then.

I prepared the stuffing in advance and it does not take long to prepare. I put the stuffed peaches in the oven as I started to cook the pasta.The peaches were ready and out of the oven when we sat down to have our main course. Below is the picture of the amaretti cookies that I used.


Pesche Ripiene
Amaretto cookies are handy to have . I used store bought ones - and kept popping them in my mouth..Just the right size too. It is essential that the peaches are ripe. They had a wonderful peachy perfume when I bought them but I was not convinced. I cut and ate one to make sure it was ripe. I was not disappointed as the peaches were sweet and juicy.

4 ripe peaches
12 amaretti cookies - finely crushed
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup white wine
1-2 Tb sugar
1/4 cup finely crushed almonds
1 Tb amaretto
2 Tb unsalted butter

Preheat oven at 350 degrees Celsius.
I lightly greased an oven proof glass dish with butter and set it aside.
Cut each peach in half and remove the pit - I had to use a paring knife. Scoop some of the pulp out and mince it finely.

Add crushed cookies, egg yolks, amaretto, crushed almonds and sugar to the minced pulp. Mix well and stuff each half of the peach with filling. I sprinkled some wine over the stuffed peaches and dot the tops with a little butter. They look good enough to eat at this point! Pour left over wine in the baking pan (not over the peaches) and put the stuffed peaches in the pan - cut side up and bake for 25 minutes. This serves 4 - 2 a piece.

Spaghetti with broccoli

The abundant vegetables and fruits in the summer make lunch and dinner a breeze. The flavours and freshness of the vegetables and fruits that are in season are just fantastic. Here is a simple dish of pasta that is tasty and nutritious. This one also reminds me of my good friend Cat. She would love the simplicity and fresh flavours of this dish. But alas, Cat is 4 hours away by flight and and I don't think this pasta will travel well. Till we meet again next year Cat...

Spaghetti with broccoli

150 g whole wheat flax spaghetti
454 g of broccoli cut into florets
3 Tb olive oil
5 anchovy fillets - if you want more, go for it
1 tsp chili flakes
2 cloves of garlic -minced
1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup of torn fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta with salted water in a large pot according to instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute garlic till fragrant ( be careful not to burn the garlic - it will turn bitter). Add chili flakes and minced anchovy fillets. Saute for 5 minutes.
Add broccoli florets and cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings and turn off heat. Add drained pasta, flat leaf parsley and basil to broccoli mixture. If pasta mixture is too dry, add a bit of pasta water. This serves 3 people. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bon Appetit!!

Roti Jala

Roti Jala (net bread) is the Malaysian version of crepe. It's traditional lacy shape comes from a funnel that has 5 little holes.


This dish is widely available during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. I have missed my roti jala as I am usually not in Malaysia when Ramadan comes around ( the month of Ramadabn is also a month of foodie heaven for me). It is cooked briefly on a hot non stick pan or griddle and served with rich curries.

Roti Jala
1 cup all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 cup of water
1 light beaten egg
1/3 cup of coconut milk
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder - colours the batter.

Sift flour and mix all ingredients in a bowl. Use a whisk when mixing to ensure there are no lumps in the batter. I used my well seasoned cast iron pan and it worked well. Brush the surface of the pan with a little oil.




Scoop some of the batter with the funnel and swirl it quickly over the hot pan. The batter will cook in a minute or two. Do not flip the crepe, fold into quarters (triangular shape).


This batter makes 9 roti jala and it was enough for the two of us. I served the crepes with a spicy prawn sambal. It was just like how I remembered it!

Roasted Beet Salad

I went to my local farmers' market for the first time this year. I was in a state of shopping euphoria when I saw all the super fresh vegetables, fresh organic meats and baked goods. It was about time..I was getting bored of the usual suspects at the grocery stores. Don't get me wrong, I love my brussel sprouts but I was looking for a refreshing change. I bought some beautiful red lettuce ( I had exhausted the ones that I planted, time for a second seeding), radishes, fresh herbs, garlic scape and beets.

I like beets. They are not just beautiful but nutritious as well. Watch out for the stain when preparing them! I usually roast mine whole in a foil and use gloves to peel the skin. I like borscht, grated raw beet salad with coconut( my dad used to make them all the time) and beet soup. I was in the mood for beet salad with some fresh herbs. I had an abundance of parsley and basil in my garden and wanted to put them to some delicious use.


This salad is quick and easy to make..except for the roasting part. The beets at the market were on the smallish side and were super sweet when roasted. You could use any vinegar you have on hand. The walnut oil gives this salad a wonderful nutty flavour.


Roasted Beet Salad

Easy and delicious!! Leftovers are great in a wrap.

5 beets
3 scallion - chopped fine
3/4 cup of olives
1/4 cup of roasted pine nuts
a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley and fresh basil - roughly torn

dressing:
1 tb red wine vinegar
2 Tb walnut oil
1/2 Tb honey
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Celsius. Prepare a sheet of foil that will be big enough to wrap the beets. I drizzled a bit of olive oil over the beets. Wrap beets and bake on a cookie sheet ( to avoid beets juice all over your oven in case of leaks) for one hour. Cool the beets. The skin on roasted beets will slide off quite easily. Cube beets and add rest of the ingredients. Pour dressing over salad. Serves 4-5 people.

Lamb with Spinach

I have been away and have not cooked in a while. It was nice to get back in the kitchen and get into the my zen mode of cooking. I made lamb with spinach. The whole kitchen was filled with the lovely aroma of cloves, cardamom and cinnamon simmering away on the stove.


I used cubed and boneless lamb.The lamb took 20 minutes to cook. You could also use a pressure cooker to cook the lamb - like my Mom does - the whole thing cooks in a jiffy. But I prefer the slow process..really it did not take that long to make this dish. You could also make this dish with minced lamb, any other minced meat of your choice and even make a vegetarian version with chickpeas, panner (Indian cheese) or tofu. Tomato and cucumber salad with fresh herbs was the perfect cooling accompaniment to this dish. And for dessert? Kiwi lemon sorbet that I had made a few days ago.


Lamb With Spinach

The list of ingredients for the dish is a bit long . You could do one stop shop if you are able to find an Indian grocery store. I was able to get most of it from my local grocery store here in the US. I have used fresh tomatoes in this recipe, but canned ones are fine. Feel free to seed the green chili if you think it will be too spicy for you.

2 Tb cooking oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 fresh green chili - I used jalapeno for added heat- finely hopped
1 tsp minced ginger
4 cloves of garlic- minced
1 lb boneless lamb - cubed bite size
1 large onion- finely sliced
1 cinnamon stick - 2 inches long
2 star anise
4 cloves
4 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tb cumin powder
1 Tb coriander powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne powder ( I like the heat, you could reduce it if you want)
1 block of frozen spinach - 10 oz
1 1/2 tsp salt ( or to taste)
2 cups of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp garam masala

Heat oil in a wide shallow pan ( I used my cast iron wok) over medium high heat. Saute the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick and star anise. The idea here is to infuse the oil with the spices. This takes around 3-5 minutes.

Add garlic, ginger, black mustard seeds, green chili and sliced onion to the pan. Saute till the onion starts to brown ( 5 - 7 minutes). Add lamb, turmeric, salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne, tomatoes, cumin and coriander powder. Stir for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook covered till lamb is tender. It will take around 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

When the lamb is done, add thawed spinach. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes. This dish will be a little thick as you can see in the picture. Add garam masala and adjust seasonings. Cook for 2 minutes.

This is also wonderful served with roti or naan. The lamb will be succulent and flavourful. You could make this ahead of time.

Kiwi Lemon Sorbet

It is nice to have something cool to snack on when the mercury is rising. Sorbet is a frozen dessert made from fruit puree, sugar and does not include milk. It is usually used as a palate cleanser between starter course and entree. Sorbets become sherbets when eggs and milk are included in the recipe.The stars of sorbets are endless - take your pick - watermelon, lemon, lavender, mangoes and the list goes on. I was craving for something tangy and went for the kiwi and lemon sorbet.

And what is granita then? Granita has less sugar and all you need to make it is a shallow pan, a freezer and a fork. The icy mixture is scraped repeatedly to create large crystals in a granita. Sorbet needs to be churned.

My first problem was I do not own an ice cream maker. I trolled the blogosphere for helpful tips. (It seems that all I needed was time and patience). I had to take out the mixture from the freezer and whip it three times at one hour intervals. To make life a bit easier I poured the mixture into the mixing bowl of my Kitchen Aid and stuck in the freezer. I whipped it for 3 minutes each time. It worked and tasted quite good - I really liked it. I am looking forward to making it with other fruits - mango and fresh mint...or watermelon and basil or maybe lemongrass and ginger. The list is endless.

Kiwi and lemon sorbet

6 kiwis, peeled and diced
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup water
juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup)

Make a simple syrup with the sugar and water on low heat. Cool.
Puree peeled and diced fruit with sugar and lemon juice. I left the seeds in the mixture. You could strain the puree if you wish.

Proceed in an ice cream maker if you have one. Or you can do what I did. I poured the mixture into the mixing bowl of my Kitchen Aid mixer and froze it. Take it out of the freezer after an hour and whip at low speed for 3 minutes. Return to freezer for an hour. Repeat process twice.