Marinara Sauce (cheat's version)

I once read that Marinara sauce is the culinary version of the little black dress - and I completely agree! It can be dressed up or down with such ease. And my marinara sauce is so simple and quick, you'll never want to buy that jarred stuff again.

Ingredients:

Makes a potful, enough to lusciously coat 300gms of Spaghetti

3 Fresh Ripe Tomatoes
2 cups of Tomato Purée
6 cloves of Garlic
2 Bay Leaves
2 teaspoons of basil or mixed herbs (Note: there is ABSOLUTELY no replacing fresh basil, but since this is a cheats version, I'm allowing myself to use dried herbs)
2 tablespoons of Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Finely chop the garlic. I've used 6 cloves as I like a nice garlic hit, but you can use 2 cloves for a really mild flavour. You can use a dozen tomatoes and purée them or you can use a combination fresh tomatoes and ready made tomato purée like I did. I chopped the fresh tomatoes, skins and all, and bashed them in a mortar and pestle. Warning: tomatoes will squirt so please wear an apron.

In a heavy bottomed pan, add some olive oil and garlic (If you are making pasta, now is the time to put your salted water on the pan). Once the garlic is soft, add in the tomatoes along with the purée. Add the bay leaf and basil and let them poach till the sauce thickens and boils gently. If your sauce is too thick, add in some pasta water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves and voila! Your sauce is now ready!

Serving:
I can write a book on uses of marinara sauce! Marinara sauce is the foundation of many a good Italian meals. You can use it for pizzas, risottos, calzones and pastas. Add in anchovies, capers and olives for a quick Puttanesca. To add some depth and flavour, add a rash of bacon while the sauce is boiling. But today I'm going to use it to make traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Tip: If the sauce is too tangy or tart, add in a pinch of sugar to balance it out. I also like to add some wine or balsamic vinegar to give the sauce a little zing.

Note: The chunks in the sauce are mushrooms

Frittata

A Frittata is an egg dish, kinda like a cross between a quiche and an omelette. Frittatas have saved me countless hungry nights. I can just whip whatever I have on hand to make a sumptuous meal. Its perfect to get rid of any leftovers. Your kids hate veggies? No problem...make a frittata!

Traditionally frittatas are eggs with some veggies and meat, thrown into a skillet. But I'm anything but traditional. I have these beautiful Chorizo sausages I got from Goa, which got me thinking on giving a Spanish twist to this Italian favourite. So I have decided to marry the Italian Frittata with the Spanish Tortilla de Patatas...and voila!

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)
6 Eggs
2 Potatoes
4 Cloves of Garlic
200gms of Chorizo
100gms Cheddar cheese

(Like I mentioned, you can use absolutely anything but the kitchen sink. I'm going for a Spanish twist, but feel free to try mushrooms, cauliflower, chicken...whatever you have in the fridge)

Pre-heat the oven to 200°Celsius. Chop up the chorizo into bite size pieces and sauté in flat heavy based pan. I don't add in oil as the meat releases its own oil as it cooks. Once the sausage is cooked, add in the garlic. In another pan, boil the potatoes with some salt, until cooked. Chop up potatoes into bite size pieces and add it into the sausage pan. Whisk eggs in a bowl and add add in grated cheddar cheese. Now pour this to the sausage mix. Tilt the pan to make sure the eggs settle evenly. Cook for a minute or two until you see the eggs at the edge of the pan beginning to set. Sprinkle some more cheddar on top (this will give a nice cheese golden crust)

 

Put the pan in the oven and bake for 10mins or until the eggs are set. Cool and cut into slices to serve.

To serve:
Frittatas are a meal in itself so you can serve a slice as it is. Or try it with some toasted garlic bread. Leftovers are nearly as good as out of the oven. I like to eat it as breakfast, or mush it into crumbs with some rice and soy for fried rice.

No-Bake Cheesecake (cheat's version)

I LOVE cheesecake. It is my favourite dessert. I judge restaurants (and people) by the cheesecakes they make. And so far, my journey to cheesecake heaven has not been too sweet. Most people never get cheesecake right, and combine that with the price of cream cheese in India, got me thinking...there must be a another way!

Which is why I jumped for joy one fine day while watching Masterchef Australia. During a Masterclass, Matt Preston showed this quick and simple cheats version of a cheesecake (or cheats cake as I like to call it :P). Using his recipe as a base, I decided to try my less fancy more simple version. I'm sticking to incorporating the lemon flavour, but instead of chilli, I'm going for a more traditional cheesecake topping-Strawberry compote. And since this is a cheats recipe, I'm going for a modified version- Strawberry Jam.



You will need:

Digestive Biscuits or Marie Biscuits or Graham Crackers...actually any plain biscuit will do
100gms Butter (melted)
250ml Cream
400ml Condensed Milk
Zest and juice of 2 Limes
(Note: I had some beautiful Limoncello from Italy. So I've used just one lime and a splash of the liqueur)

For the base, crush the biscuits into crumbs along with some melted butter. I like coarse crumbs so I used a motar and pestle. Once combined, press the mix firmly into the base of the bowl. At this point, I will recommend baking the biscuit mix in an oven for around 10 mins, its not mandatory but it will really add some texture and bring your cake together.

In a bowl, whip cream to incorporate as much air as you can. The cream should ideally form soft peaks. In another bowl, whip the condensed milk until thick and mix in the lime juice and zest. Now fold in the cream into the condensed milk mixture until just combined. Pour the mix into the bowl with the crumb base and refrigerate until firm.

Serve with: My cheats version of your favourite berry topping. Pick your favourite jam flavour, be it Blueberry, Raspberry, Cherry, Apricot or my favourite, Strawberry. Gently warm the jam on a low heat. Stir in some honey (optional). If you want a thick sauce, add in some corn starch. Set aside to cool down somewhat and spoon over the cheesecake. Try experimenting with the base as well. You can use oreos or even pretzels as a base, just skip the butter though



Tip: Make sure you use a wet and very sharp knife to cut the cake

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

Pancakes to me is synonymous with Sunday breakfast. This is such a breakfast classic. You can pair it with absolutely anything, from fruits to bacon, and it will still taste pretty damn good.

You will find two schools of thought when it comes to pancake making. One insisting on separating the eggs and the other that doesn't. I belong to the former category. I know its more effort, but its the only only way for fluffy pancakes. If you don't care too much for fluff and prefer a flatter flapjack, use whole eggs,

Ingredients:

2 Eggs (separated)
2 cups Flour
1 cup Buttermilk
4 tablespoons Sugar (varies on how sweet you want your cakes)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter ( melted and lukewarm)
2 teaspoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
A pinch of salt
(optional: a shot of your favourite liqueur for added zing)

Separate the eggs. Put yolks in a large bowl. Add buttermilk and the butter to the yolks and stir to combine. In another bowl whisk up the egg whites till they are fluffy and form soft peaks.

In a third bowl combine your dry ingredients together ie: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add in the egg yolk mixture and stir still the ingredients loosely come together. Don't worry about the mix being lumpy. Now, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until incorporated.

Use a large, heavy skillet or griddle. If your Indian, use your dosa pan. Melt a tablespoon of butter and add the batter to the pan. Pancakes are ready to flip once a few bubbles appear on the surface and you can easily slide you spoon under. Flip till the other side is done as well.

Serve with:
The possibilities are endless! It is traditionally served with maple syrup, but my favorite is with Nutella, some bananas and my home made caramel sauce (recipe coming soon!). But it has known to go with ice cream, fruit, nuts, honey, whipped cream or any other sweet goodness you can think of. Or go the savory way of bacon and cheese.

Tip: I tend to mix the dry ingredients in a jar before hand and store it as a ready to use pancake mix. Makes the cooking time so much quicker.