Chilli | Aapplemint

With Beau Cook (MasterChef) & Carol Selva Rajah

All, Featured, Non-Vegetarian 20 Responses »

Oct 052012

About 3 weeks ago I got a mail from a long lost school mate, asking if I’d like to be a part of a travel n food show. Its with Carol Selva Rajah a celebrated Australian Celebrity Chef and one of the Australian master chef finalists, he said. I was like sure, why not … anything for food. Now I must be really lucky, I blindly said yes, without really knowing the details, All I was told, is that they’d like me to do a little bit of Fusion Cooking. The day after that 8:30 pm sharp, they were at my door – The celebrity chef’s with their filming team. Its only then I realized how big this was, and how fortunate I was to have Beau Cook and Carol Selve Rajah in my house, let alone cooking for them !! They were shooting for this new series – Eat With Your Eyes, that will be out early in 2013. They had toured all over India and covered the food and culture and were now in Mumbai. After filming the popular street food, they were in my house, filming Beau n me, in my kitchen – Cooking ! I cannot even begin to tell you how that felt. I was nervous as hell initially – ya ! first time on camera : it can be pretty unnerving believe you me, plus an amateur home cook, cooking for pros. But it went off so smoothly. It was like one big house party. I didn’t realise where the time slipped by from the moment they entered that door. It was so much fun, just being around them, talking about food, sharing stories and experiences. It was the DP’S (camera man’s) birthday, so we cut a cake, ate, drank, and some part of me wished the night would never end. But as all good thing do, this had too, and thankfully just before they left I remembered to pull my camera out and get a picture of us.

Its only after they left, that I got to see my phone, n realised I had a over dozen messages. Half the girls of the city were envious and would give an arm n a leg to be in my place. Hahahaha … yes it was because of the very talented, extremely kind and sweet, not to mention cute as ever : Beau Cook. Turns out, MasterChef is very popular here, and Beau very famous. So this picture is for you ladies … eat your hearts out … lol :-p

Cherry on the pie is … A little interview with him for you

Me : Five things in your fridge right now ?

Beau : Lamb, chillies, lots of different cheese, lots of herbs and some left over bolognaise sauce

Me : Most memorable Master Chef experience ?

Beau : Going to Italy!! It was amazing to spend two and a half weeks on a food tour with my new MC family.

Me : Most challenging ingredient to cook with ? Why ?

Beau : Chocolate! Its something I never really cook with.. But I think I have my head around the basics now.

Me : Tell a story about your biggest cooking disaster that you turned around into a success. How did you do it?

Beau :I faced an elimination pressure test which happened to be a complex desert (not my strong point!) but somehow got through and pulled off an awesome desert

I just followed the recipe at every point and worked clean and efficient (pays to be clean haha!)

Me : Your dream dinner location? What one dish would you bring to the table?

Beau : It would have to be on a quiet beach in north Queensland, Australia.. And I would serve some delicious bbq prawns and a local wine or beer

Me : One cooking tip you’d love to share with your fans.

Beau : The key to good cooking is balance!! Always taste during cooking and make sure you have a good balance between sweet, sour, salty and spice

Me : Your most favourite thing to cook/make

Beau : Anything on the BBQ. Its an Aussie favourite and you can get pretty creative with it as well.

Carol Selva Rajah, is an award winning author of eleven cookbooks on South East Asian cooking. She has had international success as the first Australian woman invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard Foundation in New York, and subsequently on the QE11. She has worked as celebrity chef in hotels in major cities around the world and lectures to students and to interested cooking students and historians. Over the years, Carol has contributed to a diverse range of publications including the Australian Gourmet Traveler. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Living Magazine and Kitchen Culture Food and Travel, Singapore. In 2001, she won the coveted Jaguar Gourmet Traveler Award for excellence in Gastronomic Travel for “Day trips to Asia” in Cabramatta which have become a template for other food tours today. Carol divides her time between Malaysia, Los Angeles, California and Sydney writing, teaching and pairing spicy Asian food with beer. She conducts yearly lectures to culinary historians in the US and is in the process of doing a couple of television shows. Carol, was very sweet, warm and I felt comfortable around her instantly. She’s a lady of great experience and yet so humble. She was too kind to give me an autographed copy of her book “Malaysian Cooking” from which I made Sambal Oelek today. The sauce was so good and it took no time at all to prepare it. Its so versatile, that you could make Prawns, Fish anything you like in it. Its great even on its own as a dip. I had some chicken so I just marinated it for a couple of hours in it, and made it a bit saucy-curry style to have it with steamed rice. Sambals are popular in Malayaisa, Indonesia, Singapore, Phillipines, Sri Lanka … Its a paste made from red chillis. I remember I fell in love with it last year, when our family went on one of our many Phuket Holidays. I bought back a jar from there, but after making this I would be silly if I ever bought one again.

Sambal Oelek

24 Red Chillis

2 onions ,sliced

10 cloves of garlic

2 inch piece of ginger

2 teaspoons of soft/shaved palm sugar

200 ml rice vinegar

salt to taste

2 tablespoons oil

Just grind all these ingredients together to form a smooth paste. In a sauce pan, bring to a boil and cook for 5 mintues till the water from the onions evaporates and the sauce reduces a bit. You can cool the sauce and store it in the fridge . Great for marinades and dips.

Chicken Sambal Oelek

Take one whole chicke, jointed and cut into pieces, Make gashes all over so that the sauce seeps deep into the meat. Take a few tablespoons of the sauce and rub it in the chicken and let it marinate about 2 hours.Take some oil in a non stick pan, and stir fry the chicken, making sure it gets colour on all sides. Now pour some more of the sauce , mix well and cover with lid. Let the chicken simmer for about 20 mins or till its done. Now lift the lid and check for seasoning. Add some light soy sauce and a pinch of salt if required. Serve with steamed rice.

This is a spicy dish

Pollenta Crusted Chilli stuffed with Cheese

All, Vegetarian 32 Responses »

Jan 082010

I love a good chilli. Bright red, firm, packed with flavour, not too spicy yet with that certain edge. These chillis were just that and when I saw them at my local store I knew I had to pick them up. The thing is, these do not grow here locally and so finding them is like winning a lottery. I instantly knew what I would do with them and next headed off to the cheese counter and bought me some Havarti. Stuffing these chillis with a flavourful cheese which is firm when cold but melts wonderfully when hot, seemed like the ideal thing to do. Coating it with pollenta gives the exterior that crunch, and so when you bite through it, and reach the soft and squidgy center you can feel all different textures.

Ingredients

10 big Red Chillis
100gms Havarti or any cheese you prefer
2 eggs
Pollenta to coat the chillis
All purpose flour for dusting
oil for deep frying
salt to taste

Wash and pat dry the chillis. Made a slit alongside the length of it and remove the seeds if you don’t like it too hot. With your fingers rub some salt – not too much and then put in cubes of the cheese and press them back. Do this with all the chillis and then dust them with flour. This will help the egg stick on to the chillis. Break the eggs and season them with salt. In another shallow plate spread out the pollenta and season that too with some salt or if you like seasoned salt. The crust tends to get bland if its not well seasoned. Now dip the chilli in the egg and roll it in the pollenta till well coated. And repeat this step once more. Next deep fry them till you get a beautiful golden brown colour and serve hot.

Stuffed Tomato with Tuna, Potato and Pickled Thyme Salad

All, Non-Vegetarian 21 Responses »

Jan 042010

Thought this would be the perfect time to do a healthy post. Not that I made any resolutions … but I’m sure there are many who are trying to cut out the sweet and bring in the healthy. I too would’ve made that resolution but it would be futile ! I love my sugar, but then again I also love everything else that’s healthy. Got to find the balance somewhere right. This salad has always been a favourite at my table. The variations to this one are endless and you can put just about anything you like in there. Different versions for every occasion. This one is with potatoes and pickled thyme (which i found at the Lebanese store) and some spicy pickled chillies, some green bell peppers and onion to bring in the crunchiness and a squeeze of lime to lift it all up.

Ingredients

Low Fat Mayonnaise
Canned Tuna in water
Boiled Potatoes, cubed
Green Pepper, cubed
Pickled Lebanese Thyme
Red Onion, finely chopped
Pickled Green Chilli
4 Whole ripe Tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lime

Half the tomatoes and scoop out the segments and seeds. Reserve for later. Mix in all the ingredients except the tuna. Mix that in at he last so it wont totally flake away and get lost in the salad. Stuff the tomato halves and garnish with some chillis and serve either cold or at room temperature.

Quick Fixes For That Odd Hungry Hour

All, Non-Vegetarian, Vegetarian 36 Responses »

Apr 012009

Having a well stocked cupboard and fridge can make your life so easy and cooking such a pleasure. Make that effort once a week, get yourself organized and you’ll be sorted for the rest of the week. Have a well stocked cupboard with all kinds of spices, dried herbs, sauces, pluses and grains and a freezer full of your favourite meat cuts. I just always insist on really fresh seafood (preferably live), the rest of the meat is OK frozen. And of course, your fridge must always have all your basic veggies, dairy products, and a whole of fresh fruits and herbs. Have this section sorted out and you can throw together a fantastic meal any time of the day … in a jiffy ! I like to be organized … sometimes a bit too much, ‘cuz I’m always obsessing about food, and i needn’t necessarily be making fancy food all the time. Most of the time, its just really simple tasty home food, that just gives you that satisfying feeling, that no restaurant food can. Like for instance these 2 quick fixes i made for lunch. Extremely easy to make and so good to taste.

Back in Ghana my local Lebanese baker makes me these special mini pita breads. They fit on the palm of my hand and are always so soft and fresh. I use them for appetizers in parties or sometimes even for breakfast or lunch. There are like a million things you could stuff in there, and they look so cute and petit, that you wont be able to resist grabbing one( or a couple actually :p). These pita breads keep really well if you freeze them as soon as you get them from the bakery. When you want to use them, just leave them on the kitchen counter for 15-30 mins and its as good as freshly baked. The same actually goes for most breads, and i learnt to do this while i was in Africa, as its really troublesome to go so far everyday to buy some fresh bread. So i started freezing it. It really is a life saver. Trust me ! Well so this time i just made some spiced chicken burgers with a refreshing mint Greek yogurt in the mini pita bread and some pita-pizza to follow.

Mini Spiced Chicken Burgers with Mint Greek Yogurt

Chicken mince – 250 gms
Chopped red chillies – 2 ; seeds removed – adjust if to your taste. I used Scotch Bonnet , but even Thai red chillis are fine
Chopped Garlic – 3 cloves
Finely chopped Red Onion – 1
Chopped Corriander – handful
1 tsp Red Chilli pd
1 tsp Cumin pd
1 tsp Kafta spice
Salt to taste
Lebanese cucumber sliced with skin on
Greek Yogurt
Chopped fresh Mint
Few leaves of fresh crunchy lettuce

For making the Chicken burger, bring together in a mixing bowl, the mince, spices, corriander, chillies, garlic and onion. Mix it well with your hand and form flat patties and fry them in a few drops of olive oil on a non stick pan or even better if you have a griddle pan. Meanwhile whip together the Greek yogurt, mint and some salt. Warm the pita bread slightly on the naked flame of the gas and then slice it open, place the lettuce right at the bottom, then place the burger and top it up with some yogurt and a few slices of the cucumber. Its a very nutritious and well balanced snack … spicy vs cool, soft vs crunch, hot vs cold, juicy & meaty vs green & sharp … what more could you ask for !

And this one – The Pita-Pizza i think says it all. I’m still such a sucker for my margarita pizzas, I always like it simple – tomato sauce and cheese – no nonsense ! So this one is an a quick fix for that pizza craving at yet another odd hour, when you don’t have any pizza dough at an arms length, then you go for the frozen pita breads. They make an amazingly crunchy base, so thin and light, and bakes in no time at all . Just pour your (homemade) spicy tomato sauce on top, break some fresh buffalo mozzarella over it, bake and enjoy !! yum yum !

Ghanaian Jollof Rice & Beef Kebab

All, Non-Vegetarian, Vegetarian 30 Responses »

Jan 272009

As you’ve probably guessed I’m back in Ghana. And ever since I’ve gotten here, all i want to eat is the local cuisine. Been away for too long, and had an overdose of the Desi Indian food. Knowing me n how quickly i get bored of things its not a surprise that when I’m here, i am craving Honkie food, n when in Hong Kong, i miss the Indian stuff, n when in India I’m ready to run away n get back here ! Well for now, the new thing with me is I absolutely cant stand anything sweet. I’ve just been binging on all things spicy, salty n sour ! Shocking ain’t it ? Never thought you’d hear that from me, but its true. I think the next couple of posts will be about everything that’s not sweet. Hmmm … so lets get started with today’s special. This was lunch … Joll Of Rice n Beef Kebabs. Joll of Rice is common throughout West Africa, but its origin lies in Ghana. Its a very aromatic and flavourful one pot rice meal. Its great on its own or even when accompanied with grilled meats. You can have a veggie, chicken or meat version of it. For the benefit of my vegetarian friend I’ve made a veggie one today, but to make it non veg, just add strips or tiny cubes of your favourite meat in there.

The quintessential ingredients to most of the Ghanaian cooking are Maggie cubes, rich tomato paste, scotch bonnet chillies and Maggie Arome seasoning. You have these and you know your dish is winner.

Joll Of Rice

1 & 3/4 cup basmati rice
4 tbsp olive oil
3 heaped tbsp tomato paste
1 red onion chopped
2 red onions
2 tomatoes
2 fat cloves of garlic
1″ piece of ginger
4 scotch bonnet chillies – reduce if you dont like it spicy
2 cubes of Maggie chicken cubes
2 carrots sliced diagonally
handful of french beans cut diagonally
7-8 okra’s sliced diagonally
salt to taste

In a food processor, grind together the ginger, garlic, chillies, tomatoes and 2 onions. Keep aside for later. In a non stick frying pan heat the 4 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the chopped onion till soft then add the tomato paste and fry for further 3-4 minutes. Now add the blended tomato n onion mix and fry well. Crumble in the 2 Maggie cubes and mix well. Cover and let it cook through, till the oil floats on the top. Now add the rice and 2 cups of water, stirring it to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. In another frying pan, drizzle a few drops of olive oil and stir fry the beans, carrots and okra with a sprinkle of salt just till they are half done. Now add these to the rice, and by this time the rice will need some more water. Add 2 more cups of water, and cook till the water is almost evaporated. Now cover and simmer of slow gas till the rice is cooked through. ‘Joll of’ is now ready ! Children love this dish as its a great way to get some nutrition into their system.

Beef Kebab – 4 skewers

200 gms Beef fillet, cut into cubes
3 Scotch Bonnet Chillies
3 fat cloves of garlic
2 tbsp grated ginger
1 n 1/2 red onion
1 chicken Maggie cube
2 tbsp of Maggie seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large green pepper cut in cubes
1 large red onion cut in cubes

In a food processor, grind together the chillies, ginger, garlic, onion, Maggie cube, seasoning and oil. Form a smooth paste and marinate the beef for at least 4 hours. Now thread these onto your metal skewers alternating with the peppers and onions. Grill on charcoal till the meat is tender n almost falling of the sticks. Serve with some Joll of Rice .

Kelewele

All, Vegetarian 76 Responses »

Sep 042008

Can you tell the difference between a banana and a plantain ? Well actually about 5 yrs ago i couldn’t . I used to be like …. ahh whats the big deal … its just a big banana ! Haha how ignorant i was … actually there is a difference between the 2. For starters you cannot eat plantain raw, you have to cook it – steam it, boil it, fry it, grill it … unlike a banana, which you can just eat raw – as it ripens. Plantains are surely from the same family, but are actually a lot more starchier, less sweeter and bigger in appearance. This vegetable-banana tastes different at every stage of development. The interior color of the fruit will remain creamy, yellowish or lightly pink. When the peel outside is green to yellow, the flavor of the flesh is bland and its texture is starchy. As the peel changes to brown or black, it turns sweeter and resembles the aroma of a banana, but still keeps a firm shape when cooked.

These are actually native to India, but I had never eaten a plantain until i got to Africa. They grow very well in the tropical regions and are a staple in the diet here. The most common way, and rather the easiest way is to have it roasted. At every nook and corner here in Ghana, you will find street vendors with their little stalls selling roasted plantain and groundnuts for a mere 50cents.

Another way i really like plantains is Kelewele. Its a Ghanaian snack dish and it can be had either as savoury or sweet dessert. When you have over ripe bananas, you make banana cake/bread. When you have over ripe plantains, you make kelewele !

INGREDIENTS

4 ripe plantains
1/4 th of an onion cut in pieces
2 big red chillis
1 tablespoon grated ginger
5- 6 pieces of cloves , finely powdered
pinch of salt
oil for deep frying
a few sesame seeds for garnish
1 tsp toasted dessicated coconut for garnish

Start with cutting the plantains in strips and removing the seeds. Them them in diagonal pieces and set them aside. In a grinder, put together the rest of the ingredients (except the oil) and grind to a smooth paste. Now coat the plantain pieces in this and let it sit for about 5 mins. Heat up the oil, and make sure it is very hot before you fry the plantain. Fry them in batches , till they get a beautiful golden brown colour. That is when the natural sugar in the plantains has caramelized and it full flavour has been brought out.

I like to fry my pieces a wee bit more so i get a few crunchy ones in there. Drain well on a kitchen towel. This does have a tendency to soak up a lot of oil. The softer the plantain the more oil it will absorb. Serve in platter lined with plantain leaves and garnish with toasted desiccated coconut and sesame seeds. This can be either had just as it is, or even with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Mango Chutney

All, Miscellaneous 42 Responses »

Jul 132008

Its different from the usual desserts i make, but its still a sweet post On my recent trip to Mumbai i had the opportunity to taste and get the recipe of this 150 yrs old traditional mango chutney. Made by my hubby’s grand mum, this recipe has been with the family for ages. Its usually made in India in the beginning of summer, when the mangoes are raw and abundant. I have however tried this in Africa at the end of the season, and yet achieved amazing results. So let it not stop you either. Go for whatever raw mangoes you can get your hands on. As long as they are green outside, and very firm to touch, white or pale yellow , it should work. So without further adieu the recipe …..

IngredientsStart with boiling the water and sugar in a big saucepan. As the sugar melts, add the milk and let it boil for 15 mins. This is done to remove all the impurities and dirt from the sugar. All the scum and filth will rise to the top. Skim it off with a strainer, and continue to skim if the dirt arises. Now add the mango cubes and boil for about 30- 40 mins, stirring occasionally on medium to fast fire till the mangoes are almost soft and the sugar syrup has thickened in consistency. I choose to keep it a bit runny and not to thick as it would be too sweet for me. But you can always make it thick as per your liking. Now add all the other spices and further boil for 10 mins . Add salt to taste and the vinegar too. At this time you may need to taste it a few more times till you have balanced the sweetness with the salt n vinegar. The vinegar is just to cut through all the sugar. Cool to room temperature and save it in an airtight bottle. Do not refrigerate, as it will totally mess up the texture and taste!
And you know what goes best with it … some hot curry n a pot of rice

* 1 kg cubed mango pieces, skin removed
* 1 kg granulated sugar
* 2 litres water
* 1/4th cup milk
* 4-5 bayleaves
* 2-3 cinnamon sticks
* 4-5 pods cardamon
* 1 tablespoon whole black pepper
* 1 tablespoon Cumin seeds
* 1 tablespoon black onion seeds( Kalaunji)
* 2-3 cloves of garlic sliced
* 4 whole red chillis ( the spicy variety)
* 1 tablespoon chilli flakes
* 1 and 1/2 tablespoon vinegar
* salt to taste

Macau – The New Vegas

All, Non-Vegetarian, Places & Travel 61 Responses »

Feb 252008

2, 500 HK $ – thats how much i won this New Year gambling in Macau. Not bad ‘eh …. wait till u hear how much my hubby made … 7000 HK $ !!! Oh yes, we started the year with a bang. We gamble once a year … usually on new years just to test the water and see what the new year has in store for us. We’ve been to Vegas and now to Macau and trust me when i say … Macau is the new Las Vegas of the east. It is a former Portuguese colony, which was handed over to the Chinese govt in 1999 . Its an hour away from Hong Kong by ferry. A gambling mecca from the Portuguese times, it has attracted gamblers from all over the east for decades. Now a planned city, with big casinos like Venetian, MGM, Wynn, Sands …. i mean all the works …. this city is booming with tourism. Macau’s annual gambling revenue has already surpassed that of Vegas.

The pictures below are that of Macau’s Fishermans Wharf, it is the first of its kind theme park in Macau, a place you should never miss if you planning to come visit. It offers live music shows, nightly explosions of the complexes 40-meter-high volcano, war games, daily jet-ski stunt shows, beautiful monuments and artificial vintage towns, shopping and eating. There are actually three major themes: Dynasty Wharf, East Meets West and Legend Wharf. Each one better than the next.

Macau is a paradise for gourmands. It would be hard to find another city with such an abundance of restaurants with so many different types of cuisine ranging from that of China’s Guangdong Province to Portuguese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Vietnam, Indian, American, African as well as other western countries. Among all these wonderful restaurants, there is one that stands out most.
” Restaurante Solmar ” !

Established more than 40 years ago this Portuguese restaurant, is historical and famous for its elegant Portuguese cuisine. In the early 60′s, Solmar served only customers from upper class in private membership basis. Its food was so famous that the members used to smuggle the food out for their non member friends to taste. And then after public outcry to the government the restaurant was opened to public. And how i thank God for that. We went there the first time as it was highly recommended by our friends, and tried their famous African chicken. This dish remains popular in the Portuguese colony of Macau. It shows the influences of Portugal on Asian cooking, most notably by their introducing ingredients like peppers and peanuts as they travelled from Africa to Asia. Macau was for centuries a place where East met West, and that is reflected in the cooking there to this day. This particular Solmar’s African Chicken recipe is a very well guarded secret by the chef and u may find many versions of this on the net, but nothing comes close to it. I have tried to re create the dish, according to what i think comes closest to the real thing. Hope you like it.

1 whole chicken jointed and cut into 8 pieces
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped garlic ( don’t be scared … its not strong… the intense flavours of garlic sweeten as it cooks )
1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
3 scotch bonnet red chillis chopped ( or more if u like it very hot )
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon Koon Yick Wak Kee curry powder ( a fragrant ainseedy pd found in Chinese stores) or alternately use 1 tsp 5 spice powder
2 potatoes peeled and cut into 4 pieces each
salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

In a big saucepan, heat the olive oil and sweat the garlic, onion and chilli till soft – about 5 -6 mins. Add the tomatoes and salt and stir till they have broken down and disintegrated forming a sauce. Add the peanut butter and curry powder and give it a good stir. Now remove some of this sauce and set aside for later to serve with the chicken. In the remaining sauce in the saucepan add the chicken and potatoes and mix everything well together, add in a splash of water if it looks to dry and cover it and let it simmer on low heat for an hour. Now just serve with lightly toasted warm french loaf and some lime, and don’t forget that extra sauce u removed. The potatoes in this dish are always way tastier than the chicken itself , and usually we all fight over them. Yet u should never add to many to the dish or they ‘ll soak all the flavour up.

… So now i have two posts with chicken and potatoes in a row

Ha Ha Halloumi !

All, Vegetarian 42 Responses »

Oct 052007

So this started when i was chatting with a blogger friend M from Mango Power Girl – Seattle , she tellin me how cold it has become there already with temperatures just about touching 40 F and how due to global warming somehow they’ve totally skipped fall. But that now Seattle has become very environmentally friendly and that they re-cycling everything. She was at work and it was a freakin cold day and was already out with all her winter clothes. Meanwhile i was sitting here in Ghana … and today was a really hot day. I had both my A/C and fan turned on, on full blast but was still feelin hot. And then lunch time crept on and was getting hungry. Saw everything that was lying around in my fridge, but wasn’t in the mood for anything saucy, meaty, soupy ! Besides i was eating alone so didn’t want to take too much trouble either. After standing in front of the fridge for almost 10 mins ( which i do so often…dunno why ) i saw it ! I had bought some halloumi cheese last week hoping to use it in salad and hadn’t used it. Was out of salad leaves today so had to think of something else. I then remembered something i had seen in a BBC mag really long ago, with peppers. And then it came to me. Halloumi wrapped in peppers. So without wasting a moment i got to it.

Ingredients

2 coloured peppers
200g block halloumi cheese, sliced into 4 – i used only 2 slices
1 red chilli, finely chopped
fresh thyme leaves
freshly crushed black pepper
salt to season
1 lemon , zest and juice
1 tsp olive oil to grease the peppers
some extra to drizzle over the top

Wash and dry the peppers and rub with some olive oil. Roast on the fire ( the gas burner ) the peppers whole until they begin to char and soften. Need them soft enough to wrap the cheese but not too soft so as u won’t be able to cook them again. Put them in plastic bag and set aside for 10 mins. By now the skin would’ve softened and easy to remove + easier to handle.
Open out each pepper by making a cut down one side, Scoop out the seeds and trim the tops and bottoms off, and trim the white membranes so you end up with a clean strip. Put a slice of halloumi in the center of each strip. You can make thicker slices of the halloumi. I used thinner slices as i wanted to be light. Lay out the peppers and sprinkle some salt and pepper on it. Place a slice of cheese in the center and sprinkle over some lemon zest and juice, divide the chilli and thyme and between them, then roll the red pepper around the halloumi. It doesn’t matter if the cheese sticks out at each end. It’ll look pretty when serving up .Tie the rolls with some kitchen string or raffia and press down with the palm of your hand so they flatten slightly . Heat up the

griddle pan and when its really hot place the peppers in. At this time too, u will have to put some gentle force to ensure even grill marks on the peppers. Cook for about 5 mins on each side, or this the cheese softens and u get good char grill lines on top. Alternately just pop it under a hot grill till it browns a bit. When serving just drizzle some garlic olive or just some good extra virgin olive oil .

I made two … but grilled just one for now … kinda hungry:) Kept the other one for hubby so he can have it when he gets back home later . Thats why a picture of only the yellow one grilled.

Comfort Food – Cannelloni

All, Vegetarian 7 Responses »

Aug 072007

Is it alright if i just told you how i made it, as i really don’t have a story behind it. It was lunch and it had to be a vegetarian one as i was sick of eating meat. Most recipes I’ve come across for veggie versions with ricotta are with spinach and my hubby doesn’t eat spinach. So i used what was lying in my fridge and it turned out to be a very fine, comforting, simple yet goddamn tasty meal. As u see i didnt even get time to take peoper pictures , just got my camera out clicked just 2 shots and threw my camera aside to dive in.

Ingredients

7-8 tubes of cannelloni
250 gms whole milk ricotta
1/2 tin mushrooms sliced
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 leek chopped
4 cloves garlic grated
4 small dried whole chillis ( the hot fiery kind)
1 tin plum tomatoes
100gms Parmesan – grated
thyme
sage

To start take some olive oil in a pan and stir fry the garlic, when fragrant add the leeks and peppers and fry them for about a min and add the mushrooms.Further fry for about 3 mins and then turn off heat and let it cool down to room temperature.Meanwhile clean the pan and use it again to prepare the tomatoes. Use a tsp of olive oil again, fry the garlic and chillis and then simply add in the entire can of plum tomatoes with the sauce. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Cook for about 5 mins on slow heat and turn it off. From this take a 2-3 whole plum tomatoes and set aside.Now mix the cooled down mushrooms and add it to the ricotta.Mix well and season with salt, pepper and sage. At this time add the plum tomatoes to it mix well and start stuffing the tubes. Place them in a greased dish and top it up with the tomato sauce and a generous grating of the Parmesan. Bake in a pre heated for about 20 mins .
Enjoy ! And if u try it pls let me know how it turned out.

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