T&T: Mahanandi

Indira & Mahanandi don’t need any introduction. To me nandyala.org/mahanandi is like google.com. Whenever I want to make simple homemade food, the first blog that I visit is Mahanandi. There are so many easy to make Andhra recipes, restaurant-style recipes, simple food but presented clearly & elegantly with fabulous pictures. I have tried many of her recipes, but there are lot many that I’ve bookmarked for trying.

Here are some of them I have tried and tested for Zlamushka’s T&T event.

Puri: I followed the Puri pictorial to the T. They turned out just delicious and not greasy at all unlike my own puris that usually left you with a unpleasant oil taste in your mouth.

Chole: Again I followed recipe to the T.

Palak Pasta: I used Indira’s Palak Paneer recipe and instead of adding paneer, I added pasta (campanelle) and it was amazing. I fed my son the same sauce with his pastina and he was smacking his lips the whole time.

Pizza with Ricotta & Fontina:

I wanted to make this pizza crust for a very very long time. Finally I made it this weekend and it was so good. It is very quick and easy pizza crust recipe. Dump all the ingredients in the food processor, pulse till it comes together, let it rise for just 1 hour, roll, top, bake and enjoy. The whole pizza comes together in less than 2 hours that’s including the rising time. I’m so impressed that this will be my go-to pizza recipe.

Another important thing to note about this crust is that it is full of Whole grain goodness and there is no oil.. none at all. So there is no need to dab each slice with 2-3 tissues to soak up the extra oil.. Wow.. I’m so so impressed. I followed the recipe to the T, please find it here. Thanks Jai & Bee.

Tomato sauce & Topping recipe is from Vegetarian cookbook. My husband does not eat mushrooms, so I made zucchini topping for him. This is one of the simplest tomato sauce recipes ever and is also going to be my new go-to recipe.

Ingredients:

For tomato sauce:

Canned chopped tomatoes – 14.5 oz. can
Passata – 2/3 cup (I used crushed tomatoes instead)
Garlic – 2 cloves, crushed Dried Oregano – 1 tsp
Red chili flakes – ¼ tsp
Bay leaf – 1 (fresh or dry)
Salt& Pepper – to taste

For topping:

Mushrooms – 4 cups
Garlic – 1 clove, minced Oregano – 1 tsp (I used ½ tsp dry instead)
Summer squash – 2 medium, cut into thin rounds (I used green and yellow)
Ricotta cheese – 1 cup
Fontina cheese – 8 oz. grated

Method:

• Preheat oven to 500°F and place your pizza stone to pre-heat as well.
• To make the tomato sauce, combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan, cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and simmer on medium-low flame for 20 minutes.
• To make the topping, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large sauté pan, add garlic and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Keep aside.
• Repeat the process for the squash rounds as well.
  
• When the pizza dough has puffed up for 1 hour, roll it out into a fairly thin crust. Spread 3-4 tbsp sauce leaving 1” area around the edge. Top with the toppings, cheeses, oregano, and chili flakes (optional). Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheeses are all oozy and delicious. Enjoy..

Check out DK's @ Culinary Bazaar Ricotta & Fontina Pizza here.

Alta La Vista

Asta La Vista Vegan Mofo. Will miss you. End of October means end of Vegan Mofo. I never thought I would be able to post everyday, but I did.. well almost, including this post I had 28 posts in October. That’s the highest ever in the 2 ½ years history of Cook’s Hideout. It proves “where there is a will, there is a way”.

I’m off to India next week for a very short trip. Will be back end of this month. Should be fun. To end my month long Vegan mofoing I’m leaving you with my Vegan Chocolate cake. Enjoy.. Have a Wonderful weekend. Do something fun.

Mexican Millet with Spicy Pinto beans

Mexican millet is a dish that’s been our staple for sometime now. Recipe is from Veganomicon. I made it in the pressure cooker this time and it was much quicker and easier.

Ingredients:
Millet – 1 ½ cups
Onion – 1 medium, chopped
Jalapeno – 1 medium, chopped fine
Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
Tomato paste – 2 tbsp
Tomato – 1 medium, chopped
Salt, Pepper, Lemon juice – to taste

Method:
* Pressure cook millet with 1 ¾ cups water for 2 whistles. Keep aside.
* Add 2 tsp oil and minced garlic to a large pan, heat on medium low until the garlic starts to sizzle.
* Add the chopped onion, jalapeno and sauté till the edges start to brown.
* Mix in tomato paste and chopped tomato and sauté until the tomatoes are cooked, but not mushy.
* Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked millet, mix well and cook for another 3-5minutes for the flavors to mingle. Check seasoning and serve along side any Latin flavored dish. I served it with spicy pinto beans, store bought salsa and guacamole.