The Mother Of All Sandwiches

Melted marshmallows FTW! Please, please try it...it will change your life! You can use it as a sweet dip or as frosting or smeared over crackers...my imagination is going crazy. I'm not going to rant about how awesome this sandwich is (just take my word for it) and let the pictures do the talking.



Serves 1 (because why would you want to share something so awesome)

2 slices of bread
1 egg
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp butter
2 large marshmallows
4 strips of fried bacon (you can never have too much bacon)
1 tbsp nutella (try my homemade version)



In a bowl, crack open an egg and whisk. Add the sugar and milk and beat till combined. Melt butter in a flat bottomed pan. Dunk both slices of bread in the egg mixture and 'toast' in the buttered pan. Meanwhile, cook bacon in another pan till crisp.



Flip the bread once one side is golden brown. Once the other side is almost done, cut the marshmallows in half and place gently on top of one slice of bread. We place the marshmallows right at the end of cooking as it takes no time to melt. You want the marshmallows to be gooey while still retaining some of its shape (see pic below). Melting it through and through will result in major goop.



Once the bread is done, remove from pan and let it cool for a minute. Now its time to bring the sandwich together. Add the crisp bacon on top of the gooey marshmallows. Spread Nutella on the other slice of bread and place on top of the bacon to bring the sandwich together. Take a minute to marvel at your fine work, and then have a heavenly bite!

I dunno if its possible to make this sandwich more awesome, but you can try substituting the nutella for peanut butter and the bacon for banana.

Is is dessert? Is it a snack? Is it worth dying for? Hell yes!

Linguine with Broccoli Pesto

To the lay Indian, there are two types of pasta sauce- red and white. While I hate to sound snooty, I hate hearing the words 'red sauce/white sauce' even more. There are tons of pasta sauces out there: from the basic marinara (the so called red sauce) and bechamel (the white sauce), to puttanesca, caprese and carbonara. But going by the number of variations that I've written about, its no surprise that pesto is my favourite kind of sauce. Let me re-phrase that; home-made pesto is my favourite kind of pasta sauce. Once you make pesto at home, there is just no going back. I absolutely HATE store bought jarred stuff. And I hope someday you will too.



Note: My pesto in this recipe is really the star of the dish, so I haven't really added any additional meat or veggies. If you must add something to give your pasta dish some body, I'd recommend adding chicken, bacon or mushrooms.



Serves 4:

1 fistful of pasta ( I used Linguine)
Florets from 1 large Broccoli
1 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste



Cook pasta till al dente. While the pasta is boiling, boil the broccoli florets in another pot as well. Once the broccoli is cooked through, drain (reserve a cup of the broccoli water) and transfer to a blender. Add in the rest of the ingredients (minus the pasta) and blend till the mix forms a sauce like consistency. Add the broccoli water if the mixture is too thick.



In a large bowl, add the pasta and the freshly made pesto. Toss till combined and you are done. Really, its that quick and simple!



Because the pesto is made from a vegetable, I haven't added anything else to my pasta dish (except some mushrooms as garnish). It may get too vegetable-y (if that's a word?!) if you add in some more greens.

Homemade Nutella

This chocolate hazelnut spread needs no introduction. A spoonful of this will lift up your bread, dress up your ice cream, and even take you through a breakup. It is amazing, and this coming from a person who isn't into chocolate.



A jar of Nutella won't even last a week in my kitchen, but nowadays it just makes me sad. Since I'm getting married, I'm on a diet and its just impossible having just one spoon of this stuff. Which got me thinking, why not make my own Nutella, and try making a healthier' version? The important word being try! How you may ask? I've replaced milk chocolate with dark and palm oil with olive oil.



My dad got me some hazelnuts from his trip to Abu Dhabi, and I know its not easily available in India, but unfortunately there's no substitute.



Adapted from Buzzfeed.com

Makes a jar full

1 cup peeled hazelnuts
1 large bar of cooking dark chocolate
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbs sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder (co-incidentally I found a hazelnut flavoured powder in my pantry)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Toast hazelnuts in the oven for 10-15mins at 130 degrees Celsius. Set aside and let them cool completely. Melt chocolate in the microwave and stir till smooth.

Grind hazelnuts with oil until they form a paste. Add the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla & salt and blend till mixture is smooth. Lastly add the melted chocolate and process till combined.

Transfer to a jar and wait till it cools to room temperature before putting the lid. Since no milk/cream is used, the spread will last at room temperature for few months (if it lasts that long!)



Note: I was concerned that my spread was too runny, but give it time to set and its just the right spreadable texture.

Update:
People from Mumbai attempting to make this: I managed to find Hazelnuts at Haiko supermarket in Powai, all Hypercity outlets and ofcourse Crawford Market.

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

These bite sized babies are great finger foods. I can literally eat them like pop corn. Stuffed mushrooms are the easiest appetizers you'll ever make for parties and their variations are endless. You will regularly find these in restaurant menus and as an amuse-bouche in fancy places.



My recipe leans more toward the classic stuffed mushrooms you would think of. But like I said, the variations are endless. Every home cook must have a stuffed mushroom recipe under his or her sleeve, and this one is mine:



Serves 4:

1 pack of button mushrooms. You can also use portobello or cremini mushrooms.
1 tbsp butter
1 large garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup Spinach
2 small shallots, minced
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 cup goats cheese. You can also use parmesan. Incase you don't have either, regular cheddar cheese will do
A sprinkle of herbs like thyme & oregano
Salt & pepper to taste



Pluck the stems off the mushrooms so that you are left with hollow caps. Finely chop the mushroom stems. In a pan, melt the butter and sauté the mushroom stems. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 5 mins. Add in the spinach and 1 tbsp breadcrumbs along with the herbs. Turn off the heat and add half the goat's cheese, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. We want the goat's cheese to be almost melting but not there yet



Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place mushroom caps. Fill each mushroom cap with the stuffing mix. Top with the rest of the goats cheese and breadcrumbs. Lightly drizzle mushroom caps with olive oil and bake for 20-30mins or until the tops brown a little. Allow to cool a little before serving.



Tip: To get a finer stuffing mixture, I'd recommend blitzing it in the food processor to form a paste like consistency.



Variation: In my head, the ultimate stuffed mushroom would be French Onion Soup stuffed mushroom. Just stuff the caps with caramelised onions and cheese. Yum!

Guacamole

I'm back!!! I apologize for my sporadic blog posts this month, but my health wouldn't permit me to enter the kitchen. But I'm back...with a vengeance may I add. I have a full pantry and a hungry tummy to make up to.

Knife to my neck, I could tell you how to make guacamole in one sentence. Mash avocados, add some onions and lime. But great great guacamole calls for a little more. Like most dishes, the success or failure of it depends on the quality of your ingredients. The most important thing in a guacamole is the avocados. I spend more time choosing avocados that making guacamole.They have to be ripe...but not too ripe. You are looking for buttery yellow flesh and texture. Too firm and its bitter as hell. Too soft and it will be too mushy.

Makes a big bowlful

4 avocados
1 clove of garlic, chopped and smashed
1 medium onion
Juice of 1/2 a lime
A pinch of chili powder or paprika
1 tsp cannola or olive oil (optional)
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander, chives and/or jalapeños to serve (optional)

Scoop out the avocado flesh into a bowl. Use a fork and mash the avocado. The extent of the mashing really depends on your preferences. If you like your guacamole chunky, obviously keep the mashing to a minimum. Add in the onions, garlic, paprika, oil and lime juice. At this point taste and adjust, trust your taste buds to balance things out. Serve topped with coriander, jalapeños or chives.



The best part of a guacamole is that its a versatile dip! Traditionally served with tortillas, I serve them with anything crispy, right from potato chips to rusk. I've served mine with some fantastic tapioca chips that I got from Kerala.



If you like your guac extra creamy or smooth, add a spoonful of yoghurt to the mixture.

Note: Always use room-temperature avocados and serve guacamole at room temperature. Don't serve guacamole chilled or make it with cold avocados.

Many recipes/ restaurants add tomatoes to the guacamole. I'm not a big fan of this, and to me its like mixing oil and water. I also feel like many restaurants do this to give the dish 'volume' as avocados are expensive and they can't afford to be luxurious about it.



Tip: Any leftover guacamole will turn brown when continuously exposed to air. Use plastic wrap pressed to the surface while storing (in the fridge). Another great way to save the integrity of your guacamole is to sit a stone in it, cover with cling and then refrigerate.