Thursday, January 26, 2012

" Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl "



" Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl "

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
6 round sourdough loaves (about 8 ounces each)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 pounds soft-shell clams (steamers) or littleneck clams (see note)
2 slices bacon, minced
1 3/4 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt
Cayenne pepper or Tabasco hot pepper sauce
Fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch off the top of each bread loaf. Scoop out the bread, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell. (Reserve the bread pieces for another use.) Brush the inside of the bread bowls and lids with melted butter; place them buttered-side up directly on the oven rack. Bake the bowls until crisp, about 20 minutes, then set them aside on a rack. 

2. Scrub the clams well with a brush, discarding any that are dead or have broken shells. Soak the clams in a pot of cold water for a few minutes, drain, then repeat with fresh water 2 or 3 more times until the soaking water stays clear. 

3. In an 8-quart pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Gently add the drained clams and cover. Let the clams steam for 4 minutes. To help the clams cook evenly, remove the lid and gently stir, taking care not to crack any of the delicate shells. Cover and continue to steam for another 4 or 5 minutes (steam a minute or so longer if all the shells aren’t open.)

4. With tongs, remove the clams from the pot; discard any that aren’t open. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth into a measuring cup. If you have more than 3 cups liquid, pour it into a saucepan and reduce it to that amount; set aside. When the clams are cool, remove them from their shells and cut off the siphons and the skin of each siphon and discard. Cover the clams and refrigerate until needed. 

5. In a large, heavy pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the onion, celery, and bay leaf; sauté until the vegetables are lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add the dried thyme and stir for 30 seconds (if using fresh thyme, add it with the cream in step 6). Add the reserved clam liquid and potatoes to the pot; bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.

6. Add the clams and simmer until the clams are hot and the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes longer. (If desired, thicken the chowder by smashing a few potatoes against the side of the pan with a spoon.) Add the half-and-half, cream, and fresh thyme (if using); heat until steaming (do not boil). Season the chowder with salt and cayenne pepper. Remove the bay leaf. 

7. To serve, place the bread bowls on plates and fill them with soup. Garnish with thyme springs. Place the bread lids alongside the bowls and serve immediately.

" Tiranga rice "



" Tiranga rice @ Chili Peppers "
By Chef Prashant Adsule.

On Republic day, I decided to make some dishes which had the colors of the Indian flag (fondly called tiranga by most of us) - green, white and orange. I had planned to post this on yesterday, but never got around to doing it since work has been keeping me really, really busy even over weekends. My mom makes this dish quite often and I learnt it from her.

Ingredients

1/2 kg rice boiled and separated into three portion
1 tsp broken cashew nuts lightly fried

Orange layer:
250 gms grated carrot
1 tsp ghee
2-3 cloves
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 cup tomato ketchup

Green Layer:
1 cup boiled green peas
a pinch of hing
1/2 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp jeera
1 green chilli
1/4 cup coriander leaves chopped
1/4 cup grated coconut
salt to taste

White Layer:
1/2 cup boiled cauliflower pieces
1/4 cup boiled peas
1/4 cup chopped paneer
1/4 tsp pepper powder
salt to taste

Method:

Green Layer : Grind the peas coarsely with the chilli and keep aside. Heat the ghee and add the hing and jeera. Add the green peas, coconut and coriander. Fry till the mixture dries up, taking care not to burn it. Mix this with the second portion of rice.
White Layer : Mix the ingredients with the third portion of rice and pour the melted ghee over it.

Orange Layer : Heat a frying pan with ghee. Add the cloves when the ghee has melted and is hot but not smoking. Ad the grated carrot and stir fry it for 2-3 mins. Remove from heat. Add to one portion of the rice. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

To assemble:
Grease a deep bottomed vessel with ghee. Place the orange layer in the vessel and spread evenly. Put one portion of the cashewnuts on this layer. Add the white layer over the orange layer and spread evenly. Now put the second portion of the cashenuts on this layer. Finallty place the green layer on the white layer. Cover the pan with a lid and place it in a pressure cooker for about 10 minutes.(remember not to keep the whistle). Alternatively you can place this in a pre-heated oven (180 C) for about 20 -30 minutes.

" Gajar Ka Halwa "

" Gajar Ka Halwa "

Gajar Halwa is a traditional Punjabi dish made with carrots and milk. Gajar Halwa is delicious warm or cold.

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
6 chopped roasted cashew nuts (To garnish)
1 Scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream (To garnish)

Method:

1. Roast the cashew nuts and set aside for the garnish.
2. Boil the milk on medium-high heat in a non-stick pan until it is reduced to about to 1 cup. Stir often to ensure the milk does not burn in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a frying pan on medium heat.
4. Add the shredded carrots and stir-fry for about seven to eight minutes.
5. Carrots should be tender and slightly changed in color.
6. Add the milk and cook until the milk dries. This will take about eight to ten minutes.
7. Next add the sugar, and cardamom powder and stir-fry for another three to four minutes until the halwa starts to leave the side of frying pan.
8. Garnish with cashew nuts & Vanilla Ice Cream

Tips:

Gajar Halwa can be refrigerated for up to one week and kept in the freezer for up to two months. When ready to serve just warm.

“Bengali Thali [Bhau Khuda Pulao, Macher Jhol, Doi Phool Gobi, Loochi & Rasmalai] by Chef 👨‍🍳Prashant-Adsule ❤️❤️ ❤️”  #chefprasha...