Roasted Eggplant Dip

I am a fan of chunky, light, vegetable based dips. This is a great dip that can be made ahead and stored in a cooler and can be taken to picnics.This dip is loosely based on the Morrocon dish called Zaalouk aux tomatoes. Zaalouk is made of with grated juicy tomatoes and fried eggplants (sometimes zucchini). I roasted large chunks of eggplants instead of frying and then mashed them. The smoked paprika went wonderfully with the silken mashed eggplant. A squirt of fresh lemon juice in the end brightens the dip.

I toasted some slices of leftover baguette brushed lightly with some fruity olive oil. The crispy bread went well with the smoky and silky eggplant. This with some briny olives, a hunk of cheese and a full bodied bottle of red would make a fabulous picnic ... With Brad of course - he will complete the picnic ;) I will need him to tote all the supplies.. which he does gladly!



Roasted Eggplant Dip
I do not find eggplant bitter and therefore did not salt it before roasting. Go ahead and salt it if you prefer to prepare your eggplants that way.

1 medium eggplant
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 medium sized tomatoes , chopped fine
4 cloves of garlic - minced
2 tb chopped cilantro
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp lemon juice
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel eggplant and cut into chunks. Toss chunks in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Bake till eggplant chunks are brown.

While waiting for eggplant to roast, add finely chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, half of the cilantro, salt pepper, cumin powder and smoked paprika. Cook on medium heat in a shallow pan until sauce is reduced by half - it should be thick.

Mash roasted eggplant with a fork and add tomato mixture to it. Adjust seasonings and add lemon juice and half of the cilantro. Drizzle some olive oil over it. Serve, with bread, pita or crudites.

You could also try my chickpea dip .

Mini Carrot Souffle

I just got back from Manitoba, Canada. It was great to visit family and friends... I am in the midst of unpacking, putting away my suitcase and catch up with laundry. I made this souffle the day before I left on my trip and had every intention of posting it when I was away but that did not happen :) Anyways here it is!



I was digging through my recipe file and came across this mini carrot souffle. It is from the Martha Stewart magazine. It was the picture of the beautiful mini souffles right next to the recipe that caught my eye. Please don't fear the souffle. Many find it rather daunting to take on the souffle. The biggest fear is what if the souffle does not rise or worse- what if it collapes? A souffle is made of stiffly beaten egg whites, mixed with a thick puree or sauce containing a flavouring. It is poured into a mold with high sides and baked until the top puffs up and browns. The key to a light and puffy souffle is to beat the egg whites till it is stiff and incorporated carefully into the thick puree or sauce. The eggs used should be at room temperature before you start whipping . The recipe below makes 8 mini souffles. I halved it for the two of us.


Mini Carrot Souffle
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 small shallot - minced
4 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
6 tb all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
6 large egg yolks
4 large egg whites


Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, bay leaf, sliced carrot and salt. Cover and cook on low heat until carrot is tender. Stir occasionally.

Stir in cream. Bring mixture to a simmer and remove from heat. Puree mixture. I used a blender, a hand held blender will work here as well. Be careful when pureeing hot liquid in a blender, it may end up all over the counter! Set pureed carrots aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter 8 ramekins and set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour with a wooden spoon - stir for 3 minutes. Whisk in milk slowly and cook on low. Continue to stir mixture ( mixture should be smooth). Cook for 15 minutes. Add nutmeg, salt, ground ginger and pepper. Remove from heat and whisk in pureed carrots.

Transfer carrot puree to a large bowl and cool completely. Then add egg yolks one at a time to the cooled carrots, whisk well.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites till stiff. An electric beater will work well here. Gently fold in carrot mixture. Ladle mixture into ramekins, filling almost to the rims. Place filled ramekins in a roasting pan and fill pan with boiling water . The hot water should come up to 3/4 up the ramekins. This will keep the souffle from drying out. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is brown and the souffles are puffed and set.

Place souffles on a rack and let it cool 10 minutes before serving. When ready to serve, run a butter knife along the rims of the ramekin and invert each souffle onto a plate, then invert again to the serving plate. Serves 8

Gulab Jamuns To Celebrate New Year

April 14th is the beginning of the month Chittirai, an auspicious month in the Hindu calendar that marks the Hindu New Year. It is believed Lord Brahma started creation on this day. A ritual bath followed by a puja at the temple is the norm . Followed by a fabulous vegetarian lunch that my Mom would have cooked since wee hours in the morning - yes all 17 varieties of curries, chutneys and vegetables. No, I am not kidding. That is not counting the desserts and treats. For the celebration, everything would be vegetarian, there will nothing made from eggs ( but there would be a free flow of ghee in all the wonderful sweets that my Mom would make). Lunch will consist of dishes that are spicy, sweet, sour and bitter , this signifies all the different aspects of our lives.

No, I did not make 17 varieties of dishes for lunch for the both of us. We are, however, stocked up as far as the sweets are concerned - I know my priorities! I have been away from my immediate family for a very long time and only recently I have made it a point to go home during Deepavali celebrations ( I go home every year). I still get homesick whenever a special holiday comes along. You'd think I be used to it by now....

I consoled myself with these creamy, soft and scrumptious gulab jamuns. I like to soak the gulab jamuns in syrup for at least 5 hours before serving.
"Puthandu Vazthukal"

Gulab Jamun
1 cup milk powder
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tb ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup milk - room temperature
a pinch of baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Syrup:
3 cups water
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 crushed cardamom pods


Mix milk powder, flour and baking soda in a bowl. Add clarified butter to flour and milk powder mixture. Mix well. Add milk in three stages. Dough will be very soft. Let it rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile make the sugar syrup with water sugar and cardamom pods. Bring to a simmer turn off the heat. Syrup should be warm when you add in the fried gulab jamuns.

After 20 minutes, pinch of teaspoonfuls of dough and roll them into little balls. Set aside on. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Fry the little balls turning, stirring and turning the balls constantly till deep brown. Add the fried balls into the warm syrup. I usually serve three balls (per person) with a little syrup drizzled over it.
Makes 10-12 balls. Gulab jamuns can be made a day ahead.

Fresh Beet Salad

Beets are native to the Mediterranean. The beetroot was used medicinally and did not become popular as food until the 1800s. I prefer small, round, unblemished beets with bright green leaves with no sign of wilting. Beware of large beets - it will be tough and woody in the centre. The smaller beets will be tender and sweet when cooked or eaten raw. And the nutritional value of this vegetable is an added bonus. And if you have not had fresh beets, do give it a try ( it is nothing like canned beets).



I have always adored the sweetness and the deep maroon flesh of this gorgeous root vegetable, even as a child. This recipe below is a family favourite. It was prepared simply with staples found in my mother's refrigerator - hot green chillies, delicate shallots ( she used tiny ones), freshly grated sweet coconut with a gentle sprinkle of sea salt. It was always served cold and complimented the fiery curries that we were so fond of.



Fresh Beet Salad
Dessicated or sweetened, dried coconut is NOT an acceptable substitute for this salad. Frozen grated coconut can be found in oriental grocery stores. The grated coconut compliments the sweet and earthy flavour of the beets.

3 small beets - peeled with a swivel peeler
2 green chillies - deseeded and minced fine
2 small shallots - peeled and minced fine
a sprinkle of sea salt
1 tb freshly grated coconut

Grate peeled beets finely in a bowl. Stir in chillies, shallots, and sea salt. Top with grated coconut. Makes 3 servings.

Or try Roasted Beet Salad - the leftovers are great stuffed in a pita!

Raspberry Crumb Bars

I made these bars on Friday night. I had my eye on bar recipe from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook for a few months now. This bar is very crumbly and a gentle hand is required for cutting the pieces and storing them. I was rewarded not only by scrumptious fruit filled bars but also the sweet aroma of butter that lingered in my kitchen for the whole weekend!

I was debating between strawberry and raspberry jam for the filling. In the end I decided to use seedless raspberry jam. Strawberry jam would have made this bar too sweet for me. You could try it with any other preserves that you may have in the pantry. I would like to make this again in the near future with blueberry jam and a different flour for the crust and topping.

It was just perfect - buttery, crumbly and just the right amount of sweetness.

Raspberry Crumb Bars from Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

It does look like there is too much topping but it does work out in the end. The baking sheet can be very heavy, I almost dropped the hot tray as I was using one hand to take it out of the oven when it was done baking.

Crust:
2 cups unsalted butter, melted
4 cups all purpose flour

Filling:
1 1/4 cup raspberry jam ( I used seedless jam)

Topping:
4 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 cups unpacked light brown sugar
2 cups softened unsalted butter - cut into small pieces
pinch of salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust:
Melt butter over low heat while stirring . Don't use high heat, or you will end up with clarified butter! Combine melted butter with flour in a large bowl. The dough will be soft. Spread dough evenly on a ungreased baking sheet or a jelly roll pan (12 by 18 inch pan). Bake crust for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. This could take up to 50 minutes.

Topping:
Mix flour, brown sugar and salt. Add softened and cut butter to flour mixture. I used my stand mixer to mix the dough ( 2 minutes on high). Mixture should be crumbly.


To assemble:
Beat raspberry jam till it is smooth and spread it over the cooled base, leaving 1/4 inch edge all around. Sprinkle topping generously over the jam layer.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.