Hash browns

Potatoes. Fried, baked ,boiled or mashed. Need I say more? Who doesn't love them. There are a few things that are quite as life saviours sometimes as potatoes, eggs and pasta! Always handy, easy and never disappoint even the most novice cook. You can't possibly go wrong in a recipe that uses nothing but potatoes. With a dash of butter! (Why am I hungry again?).
So a quick and easy dish that you could have for breakfast, or sometimes as a side, or just a snack is a Hash brown. The crispier the better. A nice starchy potato like a russet works best in a dish like this. So here is the recipe.

Peel about half a kilo (1 lb) of potatoes. Grate them, and press out the moisture either using paper towels, or a potato ricer or just squeeze between your palms. This is important as it will give you a hash brown that is crispy, not mushy. Although mushy hashbrowns are also yummy!



Heat up some oil in a pan. Now you can either layer some of the grated potato directly, or add some spice/flavour if you like. I put some cumin seeds, and then added the potatoes. Press them a bit so it all comes together. Make a thin layer so it cooks evenly. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. When it is slightly golden brown - turn and cook the other side. I sprinked some dried oregano, which is entirely optional. They go great with eggs - specially a half fry/sunny side up/bulls eye..whatever you like to call it. And a strip or two of bacon. Yum yum yum! Share

My latest haul - A Cocktail Shaker set

I dont know if it's the summer or is it just me. This time the summer has been so cold, windy, rainy and cloudy that it hardly feels like the one we were all craving for after the extremely chilly winter. And it's already July, so just another 2 months, and we are back to wearing 10 sweaters, jackets, gloves, caps... :-(.
So I was wondering if it is the weather that is bringing out this unknown side to me. I am not much of a drinker, or shall I say, I have not been much of a drinker all my life - only, as they say 'drinking socially' ;) - which means an occasional tequilla or 2, sometimes a gin and tonic, but mostly wine.
But on those rare sunny days, I feel like I should celebrate it - I want to go biking, hiking, picknicking, and oh, just chilling - basking in the summer sun for long hours! Sweet! But the days when the sun is our friend are so few and far between. So on such rare days of this season I have found myself reaching more than once to my trusted cocktail shakers to make myself and hubby a margharita or two, maybe a mojito, or a martini.



So, as is the case with shopaholics like me, I felt just a cocktail shaker aint enough! Yeah, you get the drift...you know where I'm getting. So this weekend I bought myself an entire set. The tools that every self respecting bartender should have :). No I am not aspiring to be one, but home bartending would work just fine for me. So here is what I got - a cocktail shaker, jigger and a hawthorn strainer. Happy drrrinking. Hic!

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Sandesh

I made yet another batch of those whole wheat oatmeal cookies whole wheat oatmeal cookies yesterday - only this time, I doubled the amount of chocolate chips. And reduced the oatmeal. It's still not the same as a decadent double chocolate chip cookie that I was craving for. Actually I wanted to have something really sweet, and a lot of it! So today I made an Indian dessert. Who loves Indian food? Mee me me!!! This one is as simple as it gets, and it only uses a few ingredients. Creamy, soft, decadent. That's what it is. 'Sandesh' is what it's called. And it is made with an Indian cheese - paneer. I am sure you have had a dish with paneer at least once in an Indian restaurant. If you haven't, boy, are you missing something in life or what! Go try one. My recommendation - Paneer tikka masala (somebody's mouth is watering!)
So here is how you make paneer.


Take 8 cups of whole milk. Bring it to a boil, preferably in a non stick pot. Add in about a quarter cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, little at a time. Vinegar also works fine. Keep stirring - and in a matter of moments you will see the whey seperating from the milk. Once that happens, strain it through a cheesecloth, twist it so the water squeezes out. Dip this in a bowl of water(just to get rid of any lemony taste it may have). Twist the cheesecloth and try to squeeze out all the water. If needed, put some weight on it for about 10 minutes to help get rid of the water. Now it is ready to use.
Here are the rest of the ingredients you will need
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pistachios - about 20 pistachios. 1 for each piece of sandesh. And some very finely chopped, just to sprinkle on top.
A pinch of saffron soaked in warm milk

Mix the sugar, cardamom in the paneer. Knead it for a few minutes. Now put it on low heat, and stir it continuously for about 6-7 minutes. This step is important because stirring, and mashing it with a rubber spatula will ensure a soft and creamy texture. Once it is cool enough to work with, roll it into balls, or any shape you like. For the garnish add a drop of the saffron soaked milk and pistachios on each piece, and enjoy!
This post goes to the JFI Saffron Event Share