Chicken Sausage with Peppers and Tomato

In May we went to DC and before our flight from Dulles airport we had dinner at a tapas place in Georgetown where we had this dish. Back home I decided to try my experiment on a bunch of friends and judging by their response I’d say it was good :)
I used fully cooked chicken sausage in this case.

Ingredients:
Pre cooked chicken sausages – 5 (cut into chunks)
Red bell pepper – 1 (cut into chunks)
Green bell pepper – 1 (cut into chunks)
Tomato -- 1 ripe (finely chopped)
Onion – 1 small (cut into chunks)
Garlic – 1 clove (chopped)
Red or white wine – ½ tbsp (optional)
Olive oil

Procedure:
Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a skillet and fry the sausages. Set aside.

In the same pan (add oil if required) sauté the onions until translucent.

Next add the garlic, bell peppers and tomato and mix well.

Add the fried sausages and wine (if using) and stir all the ingredients together.

Cover and cook for 15 -20 minutes stirring so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Serve warm.

Potatoes au gratin

Every time I go to Cascal, a tapas place on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View I end up ordering the Potato Gratin and Sizzling Shrimp and each time I fall in love with the dishes all over again. And that led me to try the potato gratin at home which tasted great but the one at Cascal has a more rich and creamy texture. I have plans on trying the Sizzling Shrimp in the near future. Btw, if you are there at Cascal do not miss out on their Sangria. And if it’s a Friday or a Saturday you’ll love the live music (starts at 9.00 pm) for sure.

Ingredients:
Russet potatoes – 2 large (peeled and grated)
Half-and-half – 1 cup (you can use heavy cream for a richer, creamier taste)
Garlic – 1 (finely chopped)
Grated parmesan cheese – ½ cup (more, if you like)
Grated gruyere cheese – ¾ cup
Salt & Pepper – to taste

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 375F.

In a small sauce pan bring the half-and-half and garlic to a simmer.

Arrange a layer of the grated potatoes in a greased casserole or oven proof dish. Season with salt and pepper. Pour a little of the half-and-half and garlic mixture over the potatoes. Lightly top with grated parmesan and gruyere cheese. Repeat the process until all the potatoes are used. Press the layers firmly. For the topmost layer be generous with the cheese.

Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes until the cheese forms a golden crust on top and the potatoes are cooked through.

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Fried Pomfret

We’d been eyeing these large pieces of silvery pomfret at the Ranch Market for some time now but couldn’t muster up the courage to cook them. Finally my husband decided that he’d do the cooking, so we went ahead and bought four of them. I’ve always had pomfret in restaurants and that too only the fried version of it. So that’s what we attempted. Since we had four huge pieces of fish we decided to do two the first day. I did all the marinating and hubby was supposed to fry it. But when the time came for cooking he had an office meeting. Coincidental huh! So I did the frying and while eating realized that it needed more spices. So the next day my mom-in-law took over and the fish tasted awesome. The measurements given here are an approximation since we eyeballed everything.

Ingredients:
Whole Pomfret – 2
Onion – 1 (small)
Ginger – 2 inch piece
Garlic cloves -- 4
Fresh Cilantro – ½ cup
Lime/lemon juice – 2 tbsp
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Oil – for frying the fish

Procedure:
Make two to three slashes on both sides of the fish.

In a food processor grind together the onion, ginger, garlic and cilantro. To the paste add the lime/lemon juice, red chili powder and salt and mix well.

Now rub the fish with the paste and set aside for 30-40 minutes.

Heat oil in a nonstick pan and fry the fish until both sides turn golden brown.

Drain and serve hot with lime/lemon wedges and green chilies.

Chicken Meatloaf -- Desi (Indian) Style

Ingredients:
Ground chicken -- 1 lb
Grated ginger – 2 tbsp
Chopped garlic – 2 tbsp
Chopped green chilies – 6
Onion – 1 large (finely chopped)
Potato – 1 small (grated)
Fresh chopped cilantro – 1 cup
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste
Eggs – 3

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat one egg until fluffy and pour into a greased loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl knead together the chicken, ginger, garlic, half of the onion, cilantro, potato, four green chilies, turmeric and salt.

Put the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes.

Meanwhile beat the remaining two eggs and add the remaining chilies and onion to it.

Remove the loaf pan from the oven and pour the egg mixture all over the chicken.
Return to oven and bake until the eggs have set.

Slice and serve with lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs has long been on my to-do list. I've seen quite a few versions of the dish on the Food Network and other magazines. Finally I found the perfect opportunity to try my version when a few friends dropped in for the Brazil-Ivory Coast match and some light brunch.
Ingredients:
Hard-boiled eggs - 7
Grated Manchego or Gruyere Cheese - 3 tbsp
Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp
Finely chopped celery - 2 tbsp
Salt & Pepper

Procedure
Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the yolks into a bowl.

Mash the yolks with a fork until smooth. Add the cheese, mayonnaise, celery, salt and pepper.

Spoon the filling into the egg white halves and serve.

Note: you can make the filling in advance and assemble the dish before your guests arrive.
Btw, add some chives for the color and the mild oniony flavor. I wanted to add some but couldn't find any in the store that day.