Goan Pork Vindaloo
1 kilo boneless pork (pick a slightly fatty cut)
1-2 tbsp oil
1 – 1 1/2 onion, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Vinegar, to taste
1 tsp sugar
For the masala –
12 Kashmiri chillies, deseeded
6 black peppercorns
5 cloves
3 green cardamom pods
2″ cinnamon
6-8 large garlic cloves
1 1/2 inch ginger
Vinegar, to grind to a paste
Cut the pork into chunks and set aside.
Grind all the ingredients for the masala to a fine paste using vinegar. (Ideally Goan vinegar is used. If you don’t have access to it, malt vinegar or red wine vinegar will work well too.)
Heat some oil in a large pan. Saute the onions till they have softened and start caramelizing.
Add the masala and fry off well for a couple of minutes.
Add the pieces of pork and salt, to taste. Stir well to coat all the pieces with the masala and let the meat fry off for a few minutes.
Add enough water for the pork to cook through and achieve the consistency you want. I used about 2 cups of water. (You can add more water, if required, later on, when the meat is cooking.)
Cover and cook till the meat is tender.
Check for seasoning and adjust as required.
Add 1 tsp sugar to balance out all the flavors.
Serve hot. This Pork Vindaloo goes very well with some steamed rice, a Peas Pulao, some bread or sannas too.
Enjoy!
Peri Peri Chicken Wings
Peri Peri Chicken Wings – a perfect , spicy dish to serve up at a party or game night, or even with a nice big salad for a quick weeknight meal. Either way, these are super delicious and while looking through the blog recently, I realized that I haven’t shared many chicken wings recipes here. So today, I’m going to rectify that. I bring you some spicy, delicious Peri Peri Chicken wings. These are made from scratch and bake off in the oven. So there’s very little hands-on time required for this recipe. All you have to do it put together a simple marinade paste and then work on a dip, a salad or anything else you’d like to serve these wings up with.
If you’re prepping your own chicken wings, split the wings and either set the tips aside for a stock or discard. I bought Marco’s Wing Nibbles from Woolworths that has this stage dealt with so you use the wings as is.
This recipe couldn’t be any simpler. After prepping the wings, you simply wash them and pat them dry. Sprinkle with salt and use our beautiful homemade marinade. Peri Peri is known to be a spicy sauce / marinade and this one is. If you enjoy a good Peri Peri, but don’t want it too spicy, you could substitute some of the birdseye chillies with a milder pepper. That way you will still get the color and volume in the marinade but it won’t be too spicy.In our house, we love spicy food, so I’ve used birdseye chillies with the seeds and all. And can I tell you, these wings turned out so very delicious. It packs the perfect amount of kick for us and when you pair this with the homemade Blue Cheese Dip, it is absolutely divine.
The Blue Cheese Dip has the perfect cooling affect to counter the spiciness of the wings. Let me tell you, once you taste this, you won’t be able to stop at one. But don’t just take my word for it. Go ahead and make these wings and try them out for yourself.
So let’s take a look at the recipe now, shall we?
The Perfect Caramel Popcorn
Spinach, Feta and Ricotta Rolls
Place the baking tray in the oven.
Thaw 3 sheets of puff pastry. The pastry should be soft enough to work with but still cold. If it warms up too much, it gets sticky and difficult to work with.
Crumble the feta into a bowl.
Now add the Ricotta and crumble that in as well.
Add crushed black pepper to taste.
Taste the mix and add more salt if you want. I didn’t need to add any salt at this stage.
Add the spinach and red chili flakes. Mix well.
Crack the egg into a small bowl. Whisk and keep aside.
Working with one sheet at a time, cut the sheet in half.
Spoon the mix to form a long log in the center of each half of the pastry (lengthwise).
Brush one side (along the length) of each half of the sheet with the whisked egg.
Roll the other side of pastry over the spinach into a tight log. The egg will help seal the pastry.
Place the rolls on greaseproof paper, seam side down. Repeat with the rest of the pastry.
Carefully place the paper onto the heated tray.
Brush the tops of the rolls with the whisked egg (egg wash).
Crack some black pepper on the top of each roll and sprinkle some black sesame seeds on the rolls.
Bake for about 30 minutes or till golden brown in color.
Serve hot.
Quick and Easy Treat for Easter – Chocolate Nests
With that in mind I whipped up some Chocolate Nests. I love this recipe. It takes 3 ingredients and half and hour to make a batch. This is a very versatile recipe so you can make as big or small a batch, as you’d like. It is also a flexible recipe, so you can use the chocolate of your choice and mini eggs of your choosing too. So, if like me, you’ve left Easter prep for the last minute, try out this recipe. It is very popular with the little kids … and the big ones too.
Wish you and your loved ones a Happy and Holy Easter!
Chocolate Nests
Makes 8 Nests
100 grams Chocolate (I used Dark chocolate)
100 grams ready to serve Noodles
Mini Speckled Eggs
Chop up the chocolate roughly and melt using a double boiler. If you haven’t worked with a double boiler, watch the video linked below to see how you can use a simple saucepan and bowl to make one. (You can also melt the chocolate in a micowave using a microwave safe bowl and in 30 second increments.)
Toss the noodles into the chocolate and mix gently to coat the noodles in the chocolate completely.
Using a spoon and either a spatula or a butter knife, scoop out portions of the noodles onto a tray lined with baking paper. Shape to form rough circular shapes and make a little dip in the center of each nest.
Place the mini eggs in the dents created.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Serve.
You can watch the video recipe here –
Witches Broomsticks …. another savory Halloween treat
If you’ve been around these parts before you know the most important part of food for me is taste. It helps if it is quick and easy to make and bonus points if it is cute and quirky too. This little treat ticks all those boxes. I found this one in quite a few places on the internet and decided that I had to try them out. They are perfect to make for a Halloween themed party. I will admit that the cheese stringers were a little fiddle to begin with, but eventually things started moving along much faster. And, considering there was zero cooking involved, I still give this little snack a thumbs up. Kids will love the novelty of these ‘Witches Broomsticks’. I made these to serve at an office party and the adults couldn’t keep their hands of them either.
These snacks also use only 3 ingredients – pretzel sticks, cheese stringers and fresh chives. There is not much of a process involved either, so let’s get straight to the instructions.
I hope you make these savory treats this Halloween and enjoy them as much as we did.
Witches Broomsticks
Pretzel sticks
Cheese stringers
Fresh Chives
Start with the cheese. Cut the cheese stringer sticks into about 1 inch pieces or one thirds.
For each of these pieces, cut up or pull apart two thirds of the length of it to make the bristly edge of the broomsticks.
Now simply pierce the uncut end with a pretzel stick.
Finish them off but tying with a piece of fresh chives.
Serve up.
What treats are you planning for this Halloween???
‘Monster Eye’ Crackers – a perfect savory option for Halloween
Around this time of the year, especially if you partake in the Halloween festivities, you will find yourself inundated with candy and other sweet treats and bakes. In a nutshell, a sugar overload. While I love my cakes and sweets / candy as much as the next guy or gal, if you are like me, you will need a little bit of savory to cut through all that sweetness.
Last year, I was really excited about Halloween. We were supposed to have a big Halloween party at my workplace. However, as luck would have it I quit that job in early October to focus on building up a little business. When my colleagues threw me a small farewell party, they decided to roll with the Halloween theme. I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to whip up a few treats. These little cracker bites were one of them. I will share the rest of them with you over the next few days. My job was extremely physically demanding and boasted quite a few really long days. So I had to come up with treats that were quick and easy to put together. I knew the candy part of the party would be taken care of, so I stuck with the savories.
These Monster Eye crackers are perfect for a party or get together. They are a Halloween Play on cheese and crackers. They can be whipped up really quickly with all of 3 ingredients. So, I knew I was going to make them. I was a little skeptical about them considering how simple they are, but let me tell you, they vanished really quickly. I wish I had made more. If you decide on making these, make sure you make a big batch. So to make these, all you need are crackers. I love the Eton crackers found in Aldi stores locally, but if you cannot get your hands on them, Ritz Crackers
The process is fairly simply, and works fastest if you create an assemble line. I hope you enjoy these little snacks this Halloween as much as we did.
Monster Eye Crackers
Eton crackers (You can also use Ritz Crackers
Kraft Cheese Slices
Pitted Kalamata olives
You will also need a circle cookie cutter, just a little smaller than the size of the crackers you choose to use.
Cut the cheese slices into circles using the cookie cutter and keep aside.
Cut the pitted olives in half and keep aside.
On a serving platter, place the crackers in a single layer.
Top the crackers with a circle of cheese and top that with half an olive.
And that’s basically it. Serve up.
Enjoy!!!
Chicken Wings in Angry Sauce
Anyway, I wanted to try making something different and when I came across this recipe, it was a no brainer. I mean it has a concoction called Angry Sauce. How cool is that! I was really excited to try it out. The recipe seemed fairly simple. What I really loved about it is that the wings are baked. There is no frying involved. Yet, you are left with a beautiful crispy skin on the wings and that is just how I like it. It does make this recipe healthier. They are then dunked in a flavorful sauce and tossed. What you end up with is a really tasty, sticky plate of wings that is bound to be a hit at your next party or gathering. There is hardly any hands on time required for this recipe which makes it perfect for a party. And that Angry sauce is so good, a little spicy, tangy and sweet all at the same time. Yummmm. I do hope you try this recipe out. And if you do, I’d love to hear what you think of it.
Chicken Wings in Angry Sauce
Adapted from: Food & Wine
2 pounds chicken wings (split the wings and either set the tips aside for a stock or discard. I bought Marco’s Wing Nibbles from Woolworths that has this stage dealt with so you use the wings as is.)
1 – 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 – 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chilly paste) (depending on how hot you want the sauce)
1 tsp tabasco sauce
1 tsp red chilly powder
1-2 tbsp water
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. (I just used a Pyrex baking dish and lightly sprayed with olive oil.)
Toss the wings in the olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Toss well to make sure all the wings are well coated.
Place the wings skin side up on the prepared baking tray and bake for about 40-45 minutes until they are cooked through and the skin is crisp.
While the wings are baking, in a small bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients for the sauce, except the spring onion and sesame seeds. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water to thin it down a little.
Taste the sauce and adjust the spice, salt, sweetness or sourness, as needed.
Drain off any fat that has rendered from the wings while baking, and toss the wings in the sauce till it is well coated.
Sprinkle with the spring onion and sesame seeds.
Enjoy!!!
*** This post is not a sponsored post and I haven’t received any compensation from either Marco’s or Woolworths.
Green Pepper Poppers
Green Pepper Poppers
1 dozen Bhavnagari Chillies / jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup Cream cheese
Bread crumbs, as required
Red chilly powder, to sprinkle over
Chives, to sprinkle over
Wash the peppers and pat dry. (I leave the stalks on, I think it looks cute like that.)
Slit the peppers in half.
Whisk the cream cheese till it becomes smooth and creamy. Do not over whisk.
Using a spoon, fill the pepper halves with the cream cheese. Alternatively, you can use a pipping bag to pipe the cream out. This time around, I used a spoon.
Sprinkle a touch of red chilly powder, the bread crumbs and some chives.
Place on a baking tray and bake in a hot oven @ 170ºC, till the crumbs are crispy and slightly browned.
Serve hot.
Beef Cutlets
P.S. I won’t be posting for the next few days, since I’m headed out of town for a week. See you when I get back. I have so many recipes lined up to share with you guys, I can’t wait to get those posted. So make sure you come back. 🙂
Beef Cutlets
(Makes about 10 depending on size)
250g ground beef (beef mince)
1 large or 2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2″ ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4-1/3 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
Salt, to taste
2 slices of bread
Bread crumbs, to coat the cutlets
Vegetable oil, for frying
Soak the slices of bread in water for a few seconds, drain out all the liquid and crumble. Mix together all the ingredients except the bread crumbs and vegetable oil.
Make sure all the ingredients are well mixed and evenly distributed.
Shape into cutlets.
Coat with bread crumbs.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Carefully place the cutlets in the pan and let it cook on a medium heat till its done to your liking. Turn over and cook the other side as well.
Repeat till you’re done with the meat mix, adding more oil to the pan as and when you need to.
Serve hot with some fries and a salad, and some spicy tomato ketchup.
Enjoy!!!
This recipe is linked to –
What’s Cooking Thursdays
Full Plate Thursdays
Thrilling Thursday
It’s a Keeper Thursday