Baked Meatballs in Cheese Sauce - Served on a bed of Linguine

It had been long that I invited my extended family over for a meal together and Easter break provided that perfect opportunity. The thing with me is, I get into elaborate menu planning when I am having people over that it exhausts me! This time around, however, I decided to keep it simple. The menu was mainly Indian with just this easy Baked Meatballs in Cheese Sauce thrown in for variety. Very easy again, made with very few ingredients but full marks for taste. I served it on a bed of boiled linguine and it turned out just perfect. My family licked their plates clean and theres nothing more that makes me happy when I can feed my loved ones well. You go note the recipe!

 

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

Chicken mince - 500 gms

Dried oregano - 1 tsp

Dried thyme - 1

Chilli flakes - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Olive oil - 1 tbsp.

For the sauce :

Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped

Garlic - 2-3 fat cloves - minced

Readymade pasta sauce - 4 tbsp. - I used the red tomato based sauce

Heavy Cream - 1 cup

Butter - 1 tbsp.

Grated parmesan - 1/2 cup

Boiled linguine or spaghetti or even penne would do fine - to serve the meatballs.

Method:


Mix all the ingredients listed under meatballs and roll the mince into small balls.

Line a baking tray with foil or butter paper, assemble the meatballs and bake in a preheated oven for 10-15 mins at 180 degree C.

Once the meatballs are done, remove from the oven and keep aside.

In a pan , heat the butter. Lightly sauté the garlic and onion mince. Add the readymade pasta sauce and fry for 2-3 mins. season with salt and pepper. Or use any herb of your choice.

Lastly mix in the heavy cream and simmer the sauce gently.

In a baking dish arrange the baked meatballs, pour the sauce over it, sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese on top and bake for 10-15 mins  or till the cheese has melted and browned lightly.

Serve on a bed on linguine or spaghetti or any other pasta of your choice. Garnish with oregano ,chilli flakes and some fresh basil leaves.

Well it cant get easier than this.

Summer Salad with Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette

In anticipation of those dreadful summer days I am already exploring cool summery recipes. Come summers - well, its already here considering the temperature is already soaring as high as 35 degress we all need to plan our diet to include fresh vegetables, fruits a plenty. Salads will surely be a part of our daily menu. Like this Summer salad made with everyday vegetables with a generous drizzle of Lemon Pepper vinaigrette.

 

On my recent visit to Bangalore to spend two days with my friend of 15 yrs sans the little boy and the husband I explored few food stores in the city and was spoilt for choices. I was like a little girl in a candy store who didn't know what to buy and what to leave. What first caught my fancy was the variety of peppers - I didn't know of more than 3 kinds and here there were more than 10! There was pink , long and green pepper that I was seeing for the first time. Ideas started flooding my head and I picked up an assortment of 6 kinds of pepper.There were hoards of other stuffs I picked up which would need a dedicated post I suppose. Coming back to my Summer salad with a dressing of lemon pepper vinaigrette using some pretty pink peppers! Those peppers were a revelation..very sweet at the first bite with a woody fiery after kick to  it. I couldn't resist eating those while I prepared the dressing.

 

Ingredients:

Penne pasta - 1 cup - boiled al dente - follow instruction given on the packet

Cucumber - 1 cup - diced

Red bell pepper - half cup - diced

Cherry tomatoes - a handful - halved

Green olives  - a handful - halved

Oilve oil - 1/4th cup

Rice wine vinegar - 1 tsp

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Pink pepper - 1 tbsp. - crushed

Black pepper - 1 tbsp. - crushed

Coarse sea salt - 1 tbsp. - crushed

Fresh mint leaves - few sprigs - roughly chopped for garnish

Lettuce or any other salad leaves - few leaves for garnish

Grated Parmesan cheese - for garnish - optional

Method:

For the vinaigrette:

Mix together the olive oil, rice wine vinegar,lime juice, crushed pepper and salt. Give it a good stir and keep aside.
This dressing can easily be stored for later use .

For assembling the salad:

Line a salad bowl with the salad leaves. Toss together the pasta, diced cucumber, red bell pepper, tomatoes, olives into the salad bowl. Put in a good drizzle of the vinaigrette. Give it a good mix. Throw in the chopped mint leaves and some grated parmesan. Serve chilled.

Notes:

• This salad is best served chiiled. You can use whatever freash vegetable that catches your fancy!
• Instead of pink pepper use normal black pepper and white pepper.
• Rice wine vinegar can be substituted with apple cider or even normal vinegar.

Malai Kofta - Truly Lipsmacking!

People who follow my blog know how much I dread Tuesdays( the only day we eat vegetarian at home) and I am always in a fix what to cook. The boys are not fond of veggies and they want something new with paneer week after week. So there now I start with my banter again. Today however was easy as I had decided to make some home made paneer and then make some koftas in a rich gravy.The recipe I am sharing here is very easy and yields amazing result.Why I say this is because my little boy who is a very fussy eater loved it so much. So here's my recipe of Malai Kofta - Cottage Cheese Dumplings in a delicious gravy.

Ingredients :

For the Kofta/Dumplings:

Paneer /Cottage Cheese - 200 gms ( I made paneer/chenna at home by boiling a litre of milk , adding 1 tsp white vinegar when it comes to a boil.Once the paneer separates from the whey , drain and keep aside)

Flour /Maida - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Raisins - 1 tbsp

Ginger - 1 tbsp - chopped

Green chillies - 1 tbsp- chopped

For the gravy:

Onion - 1 small - finely chopped

Tomato puree - 2 tbsp

Cashew paste - 3 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp 

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder - 2 tsp

Fresh cream - 2 tbsp 

Refined oil - 1 tbsp for the gravy and enough to fry the koftas.

Method:

First lets make the koftas. Take the paneer , add the flour  and salt and knead it very well till smooth in texture. Take a little paneer in your palm , flatten it out and fill with some raisins, chopped ginger and green chillies. Make it into little round balls / koftas.

Add enough oil in a pan to fry the koftas. Fry the koftas on low heat till golden brown in colour. Keep aside to be used in the gravy later.

Now for the gravy. Heat 1 tbsp refined oil in a pan. Once the oil heats up add the garam masala powder.Next tip in the finely chopped onions. Fry till the onions get a light brown colour. Add the dry spices - red chilli powder ,coriander powder, salt,sugar and the cashew paste. Fry the mix well till oil starts separating from the mix. Add half cup warm water and bring the gravy to a boil.

Lastly  add the cream and the koftas and remove from heat. Serve with your choice of rice/naan/roti.

Bohemian - A Delightful Dining Experience

Bohemian actually needs no review.It is by far one of the best fine dining restaurants in the city.For the longest time now I had been wanting to eat there but somehow always missed the chance. This time when we were deciding on a place to have our monthly KFB Table Meet we promptly decided upon Bohemian. It is Chef Joy Banerjee's baby and he takes great pride in it. While browsing through the menu I read his foreword where he mentions that this is a dream that he is pursuing and rightly so.The amazing spread will only leave you wanting for more. Chef Joy surely knows his forte and how amazingly rustles up fusion Bengali cuisine with elan.
Now moving on to the meet and the food. Four of us food loving bloggers reached Bohemian around lunchtime and found ourselves comfortably seated. Prior reservation definitely helped. The decor and interiors is very warm and fuzzy with a water cascade on one wall which adds to the charm of the atmosphere. 

We started with ordering the drinks and starters. There were many interesting options and I decided to order a Gondhoraj Julep(Rs.149) for myself. K and A ordered Magic Potion(Rs. 139) and Bloody January (Rs.149) respectively.The Gondhoraj Julep was a very refreshing take on our regular fresh lime soda. The subtle flavour of gondhoraj lime and zing from the coriander adds to the taste.

Next came in the starters. We decided on Paanchphoron Flavoured Chicken Escallops(Rs.299) and Vodka Soaked Prawns with Grilled Garlic Aioli(Rs. 399).Thin strips of chicken batter coated and the flavour of paanchphoron shines through.The chicken was juicy and succulent. The dish was a winner for sure. The prawns were also crumb coated , soft and juicy inside served with a garlic aioli dip. We enjoyed the starters thoroughly.

 

Chicken Escallops

Vodka Soaked Prawns

 Next we were to order Main course.While browsing the menu to order for starters I had already decided on the Mains. I ordered for a portion of Royal Bengal Roast Mutton with Bhuna Sauce (Rs.469) and I was simply bowled over with that dish. Succulent and soft pieces of boneless mutton assembled on top of some creamy mashed potatoes and covered with a generous portion of the bhuna sauce that was bursting with flavours.Alongside came a bowl of tossed veggies and dinner rolls. I simply fell in love with the dish so much so that I promptly decided to get a portion packed to take home for the husband.

Royal Bengal Roast Mutton with Bhuna Sauce

My fellow bloggers ordered for Bacon Wrapped Chicken Supreme bundles with Aam kashundi reduction ( Rs.399) ,Bacon Baked Tilapia with ginger and fennel (Rs.399) and Spicy Pork Curry (Rs.429). Now since I am a non pork eater I sadly couldn't taste any of those dishes but my friends were equally happy with their orders and you can read their reviews on the links mentioned below.

Bacon wrapped chicken supreme bundles

Bacon Baked Tilapia with coriander buttered rice.

I was totally full by the time I finished my dish but I insisted on sharing a portion of dessert because it would be utter injustice if we didn't taste the desserts .Each item on the menu sounded delicious but we zeroed in on a Gondhoraj Souffle (Rs.219). Like each of the dishes this one was a winner too. The subtle flavours of the lime imbibed into the creamy souffle was a delight to the taste buds.

Gondhoraj Souffle

Overall it was a great experience for all of us and we got back home with the promise to go back real soon for another round of delightful dining experience.

Read what my fellow bloggers had to say about their experience
Kamalika @ Silence Sings

Antara @ Antypasti

Manjari @ For the Love of Food  

So next time you are in and around Ballygunje DO NOT miss the chance to dine at 

Bohemian
32/4, Old Ballygunje 1st Lane,
Ballygunje,Kolkata 

Meal for two without alchohol - Rs. 2000 approx


Disclaimer - I have reviwed this place absolutely independently and was not compensated for the review monetarily or otherwise. 

My Favourite Recipe - Dhakai Kacchi Biryani

Today's post is going to be a long one. Primarily two reasons for that..one - I can't tell you enough about my love for this biryani and two - this is a long recipe. It took me a while to actually get down to sharing this very authentic,traditional mutton biryani recipe with you (should have done it long back) because once you have tasted this one you will keep going back for the same.
There are very fond memories attached to this dish.Maa cooks this so very well..can say this is one of her signature dishes...no one can make it like her ( yes I am biased when it comes to her cooking) On all special occasions (and not so special ones) my request to her would always be to make this Kacchi Biryani. Be it on my birthday or even the day I was coming back from the hostel she knew that this is what I would want to eat.And she would make it for me.It is indeed one of the most easy and authentic dhakai biryani recipe that you can find. I confidently say authentic coz this was taught to her by one of our Bangladeshi neighbour "Laskar aunty as I would fondly call her" long long ago. In fact Laskar aunty had even given her a cookbook from Dhaka which is a prized possession of Maa's . It is a bengali cook book and has the most extensive - exhaustive list of recipes - from cakes to puddings to pulaos to roast to biryanis to jams to pickles - it has it all. One day I hope Maa will give me that book!
Year before last I  visited my family who were posted in Dhaka and I had a lot of biryani there - even the famous Fakruddin biryani and  realised that the recipe passed down to us by our neighbour was as real as it could get and that made me so happy.
Okay now so coming back to the Biryani - this is an easy recipe no doubt but one has to prep up a bit and that is what is important here. I will be noting down a step by step recipe of it below  and I sincerely hope that you all will like it as much as I do.

I am going to break down the recipe into different steps so that its easy for you to follow.
Firstly lets note down the ingredients required.

Ingredients: 

For the biryani masala:

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp

Dry red chillies - 5-6 nos ( adjust according to taste)

Nutmeg ( Jaiphal) - half a piece 

Mace (Javitri) - 2 pieces

Green Cardamom - 3-4 nos

Cinnamon - 2 small sticks

Cloves - 5-6 nos

Other ingredients required:

Basmati Rice - 2 cups

Mutton - half kg ( good quality  and fresh. Can use boneless cubes too )

Brown onion slices - 4 tbsp + 1 tbsp ( for this just slice up two big onions  and fry till golden brown in refined oil or ghee) Also ensure that you keep the leftover oil or ghee.

Yogurt - 1 cup

Garlic paste - 1tbsp

Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

Potatoes - 2 medium sized ( parboiled and fried till light brown in colour)

Kewra essence (screwpine) - 1 tsp

Salt - for marinating the mutton and while boiling the rice.

Atta dough - a small ball of dough made of wheat required for sealing the handi/pan in which the biryani will be cooked.

Method:

STEP ONE

Dry roast all the ingredients listed under 'Biryani Masala' and grind into a fine powder.
Please be careful not to burn the spices. This 'is 'the most important ingredients of the biryani.

STEP TWO

Wash and clean the mutton. Marinate with 2 tbsp salt and keep aside for half an hour.

After half and hour wash the mutton once more and keep.

Now add the yogurt , ginger paste, garlic paste , 4 tbsp brown onion slices and the biryani masala. Mix it very well and gently too.
Cover this mixture with a cling film and let it marinate overnight.

STEP THREE


Take 2 cups of good quality basmati rice. Wash it under running water , drain and keep aside.
In a big saucepan add water. Once the water starts to boil add 2 tbsp salt and few whole cardamom , cloves and cinnamon.
Next add the rice and let it boil till the rice is almost half done.
Strain the rice and spread it out on a flat surface.

STEP FOUR


Now is probably the easiest part and the last step' assembling' before you can devour this sinful biryani.

Take a handi or a saucepan (make sure it has a proper lid) and brush it with a little ghee.
We will make the first layer with rice and then the mutton.

First rice,then the marinated mutton and fried potatoes , then rice and then mutton again. Finally top it up with the remaining rice. Sprinkle the remaining brown onion slices and the kewra essence on top. Close the lid tightly of the handi and seal it with the dough.

Now the final task is to put this on dum or slow cooking as we say. For the mutton to be fully cooked this has to be put on heat for at least an hour. So to prevent it from burning I always put the handi on a tawa/skillet and not directly.Something like this.

Now forget about it for an hour and then when you break open that seal - simply divine!!

Serve with the usual raita or the very traditional Burhani - the Bangladeshi cousin of our Punjabi lassi!