Jalapeño -Paneer in Orange Juice

There are few Indians and non Indians who dislike Paneer - Not only is it a favorite cheese, but is also versatile in its ability to soak in any and all flavors that it's infused with. Of course, I would like to try something different with it. So I decide I will marinade in deliciously sweet and sour tangerine juice - I proceed to make fresh juice, dice up some onions, tomatoes, some paneer, and fresh jalapeños. Using a small amount of oil (olive or mazola) I stir fry the tomatoes, onions and jalapeños. I drizzle a tad bit of oil on the paneer and take a table spoon of bread crumbs in a plate and roll the oiled paneer in it, just to keep it from crumbling (ironic to use crumbs to prevent crumbling lol)  Anyhow, I add the paneer to the  stir fry along with salt. Then when everything is browning, I add the orange juice and allow the sizzling to happen. The bread crumbs facilitates the soaking of the juice.
Garnish with cilantro and fresh cut jalapeños  - Voila and Ta-dah!  This takes all of 15 minutes to make, cutting veggies included. Enjoy the tantalizing flavors of this dish - they dance on your tongue long after you're done eating - And that is a promise :)

Your ingredients

Orange Juice

Brussel Sprouts and Peanut Stir Fry

Sometimes, we can underestimate the quantity a certain vegetable can shrink to when steamed/cooked - Such shrinkage happened with the Brussel Sprouts that made the other day - Not enough to feed 2 adults and two perpetually hungry teens - So I did the next best thing - got creative and decided to boil some peanuts and bung it in. Could've well created the best combo ever with the baby cabbages. Enjoy this simple and simply delicious curry by itlsef or with some rasam or even chapatis.

Ingredients

• Brussel Sprouts
• 1 cup of  raw peanuts boiled
• 1 tsp of sesame seeds
• 2 red chilies
• 2tsp of olive/sesame oil
• cheese optional

Method

1. Dice into 4 and steam brussel sprouts for about 10 minutes
2. Boil peanuts simultaneously
3. In a frying pan, add the oil and splutter the sesame and red chilies
4. Add the sprouts and the peanuts along with some salt
5. Sprinkle a tsp of water and keep closed and cook for a couple of minutes
6. Serve as is or as side
7. As an Entree this could be served with freshly grated Cheddar  (extra Sharp) and /or Mozzarella melted or plain

Enjoy the goodness of this curry with the greatest relish

Marmalade with Tangerines - The best evah!

Gotta have the spoon shot!

What does one do when you have a child in Orchestra in school. They sell stuff to sponsor trips and they make money of their parents primarily - This is how I got suckered into getting 2 BIG crates of oranges and tangerines all the way from Florida. They tasted like nectar, that's for sure and truth to tell, it did not take much arm twisting for me to agree to buy grapefruits, navel oranges, tangerines and oh-so fresh strawberries. I made strawberry coulis, and jam and I ventured for the first time to make some marmalade. The oranges - I want to say about 12-14 yielded 3 16 ounce jars, two of which vanished before i could say Jack Robinson (an old expression of my dad - which I still use often if only to keep him in my thoughts on a daily basis.

So easy to make and so delicious you've got to try this and feel the rush and the power of making your very own, homemade, marmalade -

Ingredients

• 12-14 good sized tangerines, pitted (see how to below)
• 1 cup of White Sugar
• 1cup of sugar in the raw
• 3/4 -1  cup of orange blossom honey
• A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1tsp orange essence

Method

1. Wash tangerines thoroughly and dab dry with paper towel or kitchen towel
2. Soak in the honey for about 30 minutes
3. Peel them in such a way that you get some big pieces that can then later be cut
4. Cut the orange sideways to reveal the wheel. For pitting it, I took a blunt knife and simply ferreted out the seeds
5. Chop the tangerines slices roughly. 
6. Strain the juice and keep separate
7. In a large 5 or 6 quart pot, add the sugars and the juice and allow it to thin 
8. Once it gets a syrupy consistency, add the tangerine pieces and honey and the rinds
9. Allow this to simmer for about 20-40 minutes or until you see the jam thickening to the preferred consistency. This would be the time to grate the nutmeg into the pot and stir
10. 
    
11. Cool and store in Jars. (you can see how to sterilize the jars here)

The best orange peeler by tupperware, almost as old as my hubby! 

Combos that are da bomb with this delicious marmalade are - yogurt (Mama Mia) hot toast, english muffins (Mama Mia) Hot butter and marmalade over croissants (Mama Mia) and over crumpets -

For the well-adjusted Indian, this is a super combo with dosais and better yet with adais!
Enjoy until the next recipe!

Sweet Potato and Hazelnut Soup

Mama Mia - Looking for a gourmet soup to put together for a wonderful evening together with friends, here is a fabulous soup - The hazelnuts gives this soup a creamy and delicious finish and for sweet potato lovers like me, this was a match made in heaven. 

Ingredients

• 5-6 medium sized sweet potatoes washed and steamed
• 1/2 medium red onion chopped
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup hazle nuts
• 2-3 green chilies (optional)
• 1tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan
2. Add the green chilies and the onions and sautee until onions are golden
3. Mash the sweet potatoes and add to the pan
4. In a pan, roast the hazelnuts for a minute, no more
5. Add to the curry and stir in
6. Add salt and cilantro and stir like a dry curry for a couple of minutes
7. Now add the water and cook until the water boils
8. Remove fro  flame
9. Cool a bit and grind

I stuck a tortilla for the picture, but actually served it with delicious olive bread (a house favorite) from Trader Joe's

Enjoy

Garnish with cilantro and olive oil or as desired

Cheers, Until next time - this will go to Avant Garde Cookies soup de mois!