Garlic, Olives and Dried Mixed Herbs Focaccia

An old recipe rehashed to make a new one.  That's what this one is. We were having soup for dinner and I wanted to make a simple bread to go with it.

I decided to try my Tomato Rosemary Focaccia recipe but with garlic, olives and dried herbs. It did not take me too long and the result was yum. I am reposting the recipe here with the changes.

You need:

• 1.5 cups lukewarm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• 1 tbsp yeast
• A large handful of sliced black olives
• 2 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
• Less 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• More olive oil
• 2-3 pinches coarse salt

Steps:

• Add the first five ingredients into a bowl.
• Beat it for about one minute till it all comes together into a sticky dough.
• Line a 11" x 9" tray with parchment paper and coat it liberally with olive oil.
• Scoop the dough into the tray.
•  Spread the dough into all four corners. Make small indents on the surface with your fingers.
• Cover the tray with cling wrap and set aside for about 1 hour for it to rise.
• After it has risen, arrange the olive slices on the dough.
• Sprinkle the chopped garlic, herbs and coarse salt. Drizzle with olive oil on top.

• Preheat the oven to 190degrees C. Place the tray in the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes.
• Let it cool for 5 minutes and then turn it out into a wire rack to cool.
• Enjoy it warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

• I cut 2" x 1" thin slices of the left over focaccia and toasted it in the oven till crisp. The kids loved to dip it in their soup and crunch on it.

Anytime Noodles

Suddenly there has been this flurry of activity in my life. Sadly, blogging is what took the back seat. I plan to rectify that now and will make sure I try and post more recipes soon.

Maggie was a novelty and a treat to us when we were growing up. I still slurp away on a bowl full of soupy Maggie when nostalgia strikes and I miss home a lot.

My kids love Maggie. They often ask for it, so I add a whole bunch of veggies into it to make it a meal for us. This recipe does not have any measurements. Just add what you have on hand, adjust the spices to your taste and its done.

You need:

• Spring onions - finely chopped, greens and onions separated 
• Baby corn - small cubes
• Carrots - small cubes
• Capsicum - small cubes
• Snow Peas - string them and cut into 3 pieces
• Beans - small cubes
• Sweet corn
• Bean Sprouts
• Garlic - finely chopped
• Ginger - optional - finely chopped
• Tomato - optional - small cubes
• Soya Sauce
• 3 packets of Maggie Masala noodles
• Light soya sauce
• 4-5 drops of Dark soya sauce
• Chili sauce
• Salt - optional
• Fresh coriander - for garnishing

Steps:

• In a large wok take 2 tbsps of oilve oil. When medium hot, add the garlic and the ginger (if using) and stir for a few seconds till fragrant. Then add the onions and stir for about a minute. 
• Add the beans first and stir for a few minutes, then add the baby corn. A few minutes later add the rest of the veggies and stir around till slightly cooked. Make sure the veggies still retain their crunch.
• In a small bowl, mix together the masala pouches, the soya sauces and the chili sauce. Use just 4-5 drops of the dark soya sauce and keep it ready.
• Boil the noodles, when cooked, drain well and stir into the veggies and add the sauce and mix well.
• Check salt.
• Garnish with corriander and serve hot.

Notes:

• Add finely chopped green chillies if you like it spicy.
• Be cautious with the amount of salt you add as the masala packets already have some salt in them.
• You can saute the veggies and keep them ready. Add the cooked noodles just before serving.
• Use regular soya sauce if you do not have light/dark soya sauce.
• Use what vegetables you have on hand and according to your taste.

Butter-Garlic Bread Rolls

Bread making can get very addictive. Once you have made bread at home, you start longing for those amazing aromas of bread baking in your oven.

I made some minor changes to the Garlic and Cheese Pull Apart Bread, and I had these superb rolls ready. The kids loved it. It goes well with soups as well as pastas.

I am reposting the recipe here with the changes that I made.

You need:

• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• Less 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3-4 cloves of minced garlic

Steps:

• In a stand bowl mixer, add sugar and 1 cup warm water. Add the yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes till it activates.
• Now, add the flour and the salt to the bowl and give it a mix with a spatula till it combines well.
• Using a dough hook, knead the mixture on a medium speed for about 6 minutes. Slowly trickle in the remaining water, as required.
• Mid-way through, add the olive oil and the herbs and knead till the dough is elastic.
• Lightly oil a bowl and leave the dough in it covered with cling wrap or a clean towel to rise for 2 hours.
• In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the garlic and keep ready.
• At the end of 2 hours, the dough would have risen to double it's size.
• Punch the dough down.
• Divide it into two parts. on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a rectangle of a little less than 1 cm thickness.
• Brush with the butter and garlic. Roll it breath wise as tightly as possible.
• Brush a round pan with the butter and garlic on the bottom and the sides. 
• Cut it into 1 inch rounds and place it on the readied pan.
• Repeat with the other half of the dough. Brush the remaining butter on the top of the rolls.

• Cover the pan and let it rest for 30 minutes. The dough will again rise.
• Preheat the oven to 180degrees C. Bake it for 25-30 mins until golden brown.
• After about 5-10 minutes, turn it out on a wire rack to cool.
• Serve warm with soup or enjoy it as is.

Notes:

• You can also use all purpose flour.
• If you are kneading the flour with your hand, knead for approximately 10-12 minutes.
• Mix and match herbs of your choice for a different taste each time.
• Bake it for an additional 5 minutes if you want your crust deep brown.
• I used too much butter, hence you can see the bread dough floating in the butter. Use less than 1/4th cup and it will still taste heavenly.
• Be careful when you turn it out to cool, I was not attentive enough and it fell out in pieces :(

Shahi Paneer

One morning, my extremely fussy son comes and tells me: Amma, I had Paneer at school. It was spicy but I ate it all up. Can you make that today.

Bells started ringing in my head. My son liked something!!! I asked him to describe what he had eaten and I put together this recipe for lunch. 

He liked it, my day was made :)

You Need:

• 300 gms Paneer
• 1 large onion diced
• 3 tomatoes puréed and strained
• 1 green chili
• 1" ginger chopped
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup cashed nuts soaked in warm water
• 1 small green cardamom
• 1 big brown cardamom
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves
• 5 peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder / jeera powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder / dhaniya powder
• 1/4 tsp kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp cream
• 3-4 tbsp Clarified butter / Ghee or Oil
• Chopped coriander for garnishing

Steps:

• Keep the paneer soaked in hot boiling water till you need to use it.

• In a pan heat 1 tbsp of ghee/oil and add the green cardamom.
• Then add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chili. Sauté till it starts browning.

• When it cools, grind it to a paste with the cashew nuts.
• In the same pan heat the remaining ghee/oil, and add the remaining whole spices.
• Then add the onion paste, the tomato purée and the tomato paste.

• Stir well. Add water as required for desired consistency.
• Mix in the remaining spices and salt.
• Add the cream. Drain the paneer and stir it in. Allow it to come to one boil. Check salt and seasonings and adjust as per taste.

• Garnish with chopped corriander and cream and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Notes:

• For a low fat version, substitute the cream with milk. Add water accordingly if you will be adding milk.
• Soaking the paneer in hot boiling water keeps it soft.

Garlic Bread with Cheese and Herbs

The kids have their two week break. The days seems so long and also flying by at the same time. Trying to pack lots of activities into the day to make it fun for them - Lego building, drawing and painting, play dough time, out door activities..... Phew !!!! It's tough keeping up with their energy levels sometimes :)

In the midst of all the fun, I am also trying to cook up some fun food. I saw this recipe while reading through some food blogs and I thought the kids would love it.

You need:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1.5 cups flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup cheese

Steps:

• In a bowl, add warm 1/2 cup water to the sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes till it gets activated.
• Add 1 cup flour, 1 tbsp oil and mix well. Leave it covered to rise for about 45-60 minutes.
• After it has doubled, punch it down and add the remaining flour, garlic salt and mix well.
• Knead well for 5 minutes on a stand mixer or for about 10 minutes by hand.
• Leave the dough in a well oiled bowl covered by cling wrap to rise for about an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200degrees C.
• Punch the dough down and place it on a floured surface. Roll it into a circle of about 1 cm thickness.
• Top with grated cheese. Fold it into a semi-circle.

• Cut it into 1 inch or lesser strips. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on the top and sprinkle the seasonings over it.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes till light brown in colour.
• Enjoy warm with soup or any dip.

Notes:

• You can use 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp minced garlic if you don't have garlic salt.
• You could add finely chopped capsicum and corn with the cheese as a filling.
• Please excuse the lack of pictures. With two children around my feet, its tough to click pictures as I am cooking. I will update the pictures the next time I make it, which will for sure, be soon :)

Garlic and Cheese Pull Apart Bread

Nothing can better the fragrance of bread baking in the oven. The home smells so inviting.

After baking a cake, the next I wanted to do was bread. I ate this bread first at my friend Durga's home. When she posted the recipe on her blog, I just had to try it. I have baked it numerous times since with a number of variations to it. Each time it has been perfect.

It is easier to get my kids to have soup if this bread is there on the dining table !!!


You need:

• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• Less 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
• 3-4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/4 cup packed grated cheese

Steps:

• In a stand bowl mixer, add sugar and 1 cup warm water. Add the yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes till it activates.
• Now, add the flour and the salt to the bowl and give it a mix with a spatula till it combines well.
• Using a dough hook, knead the mixture on a medium speed for about 6 minutes. Slowly trickle in the remaining water, as required.
• Mid-way through, add the olive oil and knead till the dough is elastic.

• Lightly oil a bowl and leave the dough in it covered with cling wrap or a kitchen towel to rise for 2 hours.
• In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the herbs and garlic and keep ready.
• At the end of 2 hours, the dough would have risen to double it's size.
• Punch the dough down. Pinch small balls of the dough and place it around the bundt pan that has been lightly brushed with the garlic and herb butter.
• Once to have arranged a layer of the dough balls, brush it liberally with the butter.
• Then sprinkle the cheese all over the top.
• Then arrange a second layer of the dough balls on top of the cheese.
• Liberally spread the remaining butter n the top.

• Cover the pan and let it rest for 30 minutes. The dough will again rise.
• Preheat the oven to 180degrees C. Bake it for 25-30 mins until golden brown.

• After 5-10 minutes, turn it out and let it cool.
• Serve warm with soup or with just marinara sauce.

I had turned the bread inside out and baked it for an additional 5 minutes to brown the inside also.


Notes:

• You can also use all purpose flour.
• I used proccessed cheese. The perfect cheese would be parmesan.
• You can also bake this in a regular round or square cake tin. The Bundt pan just gives it a good effect.
• If you are kneading the flour with your hand, knead for approximately 10-12 minutes.
• Add more cheese, it's totally delicious. You can also omit the cheese totally.
• You can leave out the garlic if you don't like the taste of garlic.
• Mix and match herbs of your choice for a different taste each time.
• Bake it for an additional 5 minutes if you want your crust deep brown.