Zucchini Gratin

On my nth birthday my sis-in-law presented me a French Country Cooking cookbook with the request that I treat them to some recipes from the book. Zucchini Gratin or Tian de Courgettes (as the book says) was one of the easiest recipes I could detect at first glance and one with which I could play around a bit. To make matters easier I also had the ingredients at hand.
The original recipe used only zucchini although the book mentions that any combo of vegetables can be used. Along with the zucchini I used some bell pepper and shrimp and what I liked most was that it was very tasty without being too greasy!

Ingredients:
Cooked long grain rice – ½ cup
Zucchini – 1 (cut into ¼ inch thick slices)
Onion – ½ (thinly sliced)
Garlic clove – 1 (chopped)
Bell pepper (optional) – ½ (diced)
Precooked shrimp (optional) – 8-10 (coarsely chopped)
Chopped fresh parsley – 1 tbsp
Grated parmesan cheese – 3 tbsp (add more if you want)
Egg – 1 (beaten)
Salt & Pepper -- to taste
Olive oil

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile heat a pan with oil and sauté the zucchini until they are just tender. Drain on paper towel, chop coarsely and reserve in a bowl.

In the same pan (add oil if necessary) sauté the onion, garlic, bell pepper and shrimp (if using), and add to the zucchini. To the bowl add the rice, 2 tbsp cheese and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To the mixture stir in the beaten egg and spread it in individual oven proof dishes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and drizzle slightly with olive oil.
(You can use one large dish also, in that case the baking time will be longer, about 25-30 minutes.)

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until set.

Now set the broiler on high and broil for 2-3 minutes until the top is browned to your liking.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Chicken Pulao

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces – 1 lb
Cinnamon stick – 1 + 1
Cloves – 4-5
Black Cardamom – 2-3
Bay leaf – 1
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Black peppercorns – 1 + ½ tsp
Onion – 1 small (quartered) + 1 large (thinly sliced)
Ginger – 1 inch piece (crushed) + 1 tsp paste
Garlic – 4-5 cloves (crushed) + 1 tsp paste
Green chili – 4-5 (slit)
Basmati rice – 1 cup (washed and soaked for 30 minutes)
Saffron – pinch (soaked in warm milk)
Salt – to taste
Nutmeg
Oil/butter/ghee

Procedure:
Fill a large pot with 4 cups of water. To the water add the following:
•1 cinnamon stick
•coriander seeds
•cloves
•cardamom
•bay leaf
•cumin
•1 tsp whole peppercorns
•crushed garlic
•crushed ginger
•quartered onion
Bring to a boil. When water starts boiling add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken is tender.

With a slotted spoon remove the chicken pieces and set aside.

Strain the stock. Discard all the spices, retain the stock.

In a separate pot heat oil. You can use a combination of oil and ghee or oil and butter or use only ghee or butter. I used only oil.

To the hot oil add ½ tsp peppercorn and the green chilies.

Next add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown.

Now add the ginger and garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is gone.

Add the chicken pieces and fry until they start browning.

Now add the basmati rice and gently turn to coat the grains with the masala.

Put in the saffron strands.

Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil on medium high heat. (If there is less than 2 cups of stock, you can use water or use a boxed one.)

When most of the liquid has dried up switch off the heat, cover with a lid and let sit until all of the liquid has dried up and the rice has cooked perfectly. The rice will cook in the steam.

Add a dash of grated nutmeg and fluff up the rice with a fork before serving.

Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro or mint. (optional)

Serve hot with raita.

Goat Biryani

I had a fair amount of leftover goat meat, so I decided to make use of it in the form of biryani. Watching the sunset and having biryani on the patio – Friday night dinner couldn’t have been better.

Ingredients:
Goat meat – 1lb
For goat meat ingredients and recipe see kosha mangsho
Basmati rice – 1 cup (washed and soaked for half an hour)
Onion – 1 large (thinly sliced)
Green chili – 3-4 (chopped)
Bay leaf -- 1
Cardamom -- 2-3
Clove –3-4
Cinnamon stick – 1
Nutmeg
Saffron – 1 tbsp (soaked in warm milk)
Whole black peppercorn -- 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Oil

Procedure:
To a pot of water add the bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and peppercorn and bring to a rolling boil.

Now add the soaked basmati rice and cook until rice is al dente. Drain very well and keep aside.

Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until golden brown.

Preheat oven to 375F.

In an oven proof dish arrange a layer of rice. Sprinkle some of the fried onions and saffron milk. You can add a drizzle of oil or ghee (I do not.) On top of the rice arrange a layer of meat. Now repeat the process again. Finish it off with a layer of rice and fried onions on top. Add a dash of grated nutmeg. You will have two layers of meat and three layers of rice.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in oven for 50-55 minutes.

Mix meat and rice and serve hot with raita.

Paella

Thinking of making paella for a while now. Finally it is time. Like my father says, “ajke din bhalo ache, kore phel” (Today is a good day to do it. And the ‘it’ symbolizes whatever it is that you are postponing.) So today it is paella day for me. But in making this dish I left out a few staple ingredients – the clams and mussels, primarily because I have never tried cooking them, and since a friend was invited for dinner I didn’t want to try my experiments on him, more so because this was the only dish. But I have to say even without the mussels the paella tasted fine. Next time will try cooking with them.

Ingredients:
Chicken breast – 2 (cut into cubes)
Spanish chorizo sausage – 1 (cut into thick slices)
Shrimp – ½ pound (peeled and deveined)
Scallops – 6
Red bell pepper – 1 (diced)
Green bell pepper – 1 (diced)
Tomato – 2 (pureed)
Red onion – 1 (finely chopped)
Garlic cloves – 5 (finely chopped)
Frozen peas – ½ cup
Medium grain rice – 1 cup
Chicken stock – 1 cup
Water – 1 cup
Paprika – 1 tbsp + 2 tsp
Saffron strands – a generous pinch
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Olive oil
Fresh flat leaf parsley – ½ bunch (chopped)
Lemon wedges – for garnish

Procedure:
In a bowl rub the chicken pieces with a tablespoon of paprika, season with salt and pepper and set aside for at least 30 minutes to one hour.

Heat olive oil in a wide shallow skillet. When oil is hot add the chicken cubes and fry until browned evenly on all sides. Remove and reserve.

Next, fry the chorizo until browned. Remove and reserve.

Next, sear the scallops on both sides. Remove and reserve.

Next, sauté the shrimp until they turn pink. Remove and reserve.

Now in the same pan (add oil when necessary) sauté the onion, garlic and parsley.

Next add the pureed tomatoes and 2 tsp paprika and cook until the mixture caramelizes. This mixture is called a sofrito.

Meanwhile heat the chicken stock and water in a pot and keep it warm.

Now add the green and red bell peppers to the sofrito and cook for a minute or so.

Next add the rice and fry to coat the grains with the sofrito. Now add the saffron strands, chicken stock and water and cook the rice.

When the rice is cooked halfway add the chicken and sausage.

When the rice is almost done add the scallops and shrimp.

When the rice is cooked crank up the heat and let the rice toast at the bottom.

Remove from heat, add the frozen peas and keep covered for 5 minutes.

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients:
Butternut squash – 1 (peeled and cut into cubes)
Shallots – 2 large (minced)
Chicken stock – 6 cups
Butter –3/4 stick
Arborio rice – 1 ½ cups
White wine – ½ cup
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Grated Parmesan cheese – 1 cup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 400F.

On a baking sheet place the butternut squash cubes. Toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast for 25-30 minutes until they are softened, turning once.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock and leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy bottomed pan melt the butter and sauté the shallots on medium heat until translucent.

Add the rice and stir well so that the grains are coated with butter.

Add the wine and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add 2 ladleful of stock, salt and pepper to the rice and stir until the stock is absorbed, 8-10 minutes.

Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time stirring often.

Continue to add the stock and stir until the rice is cooked through but still has a bite to it. this will take roughly 25-30 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the squash cubes and grated parmesan.

Mix well and serve immediately.