Apple Pie

On a day when I had lot of time on hand, I set myself up for a herculean task - making a Pie from scratch. An Apple Pie is an American favorite and makes an appearance on special occasions everywhere in US. The crust of the Pie baked perfectly, the stuffing was delicious and it was certainly a dessert suited for the kings. I am incredibly proud of this giant stuffed-to-seams pastry! :)

I used Granny Smith Apples, the light green hued apples are apt for Pie cooking, have a good crunch and bite, and can withstand higher temperatures of baking without losing their shape and form. I played around with the stuffing and added powdered Oats for a crumbly texture. A slice of Pie and a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream is a delicious marriage. I put good 2-3 hours aside from my schedule when I was preparing the Pie. This Pie is a cool way to enjoy cooked fruits with pastry and is a relished labor of love!

~ Apple Pie ~
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes + 10 minutes
Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking with few changes
Yield: 9" Pie

Ingredients:

Basic Pie Crust -
All Purpose Flour - 2 and 1/2 cups
White Sugar (powdered) - 2 tablespoon
Butter (unsalted) - 1 cup, chilled and cut into tiny cubes
Salt - 1 tsp
Ice water - 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Apple Filling -
Apples (Granny Smith variety - Peeled, cored and sliced) - 4
Oats (Old fashioned Oats, coarsely ground) - 1/2 cup
White Sugar (powdered) - 1/4 cup
Light Brown Sugar (powdered) - 1/4 cup
Golden Rum - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon (ground) - 1 tsp
Nutmeg - 1/5 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Cornstarch - 1 tbsp
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Butter (unsalted) - 1 tbsp

Contraption:
Pastry Blender
Pie Dish - 9" wide

Method:
Pie Crust - In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. With the help of pastry blender, cut the cold butter into tiny chunks and blend in the dough. Slowly, add ice water part by part and bring the dough together. Do not overwork the dough, just mix in to form a ball, wrap in a plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Apple Filling - Mix the apples, lime juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, rum and sugar and leave aside for 30-45 minutes. Strain the juice oozing out and boil it on low to medium flame with unsalted butter till it reduces to 1/3 of the original proportion. The resultant syrup will be sticky, caramelized and concentrated. Mix the drained apples with cornstarch. Add the cooked syrup and ground Oats now and give a gentle toss. Stuffing is now ready.

Baking the Apple Pie - Preheat the oven at 425 degrees F. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into 2 equal portions. Roll out 1 portion to fit into a 9" pie dish. Add the stuffing into the pie dish and roll out the second portion and cover the Pie. Crimp the edges to seal the pastry, make four 2" slits from the center of the Pie (as shown in the picture) and refrigerate for about 5 minutes. Bake at 425 degrees F, cover the edges of the Pie with foil to prevent burning. Bake till the toothpick runs out smoothly from the slit after 55-60 minutes and the juices bubble away through the slits. Transfer to a cooling rack and leave undisturbed for 4-5 hours. Serve with a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream warm or cold. Finish within 3-4 days and refrigerate after day 1 of baking.

Raw Jackfruit Biryani (Kadgi Biryani/ Kathal Biryani) - 1.0

Recently, I bought a small bag of precooked raw jackfruit (young and tender) on a whim from the Indian grocery store and made an impromptu Biryani out of it. My husband loves the meaty texture of jackfruit and I love jackfruit in any form! I added lot of ingredients to the precooked jackfruit as a marinade which took the jackfruit taste few notches up.

This recipe is inspired from our cousin's wife's Chicken Biryani recipe which I will be posting soon. Taking inspiration from her I added little bit of tenderiser powder to soften the jackfruit pieces, not required for vegetables as much for meat, the flavour was nice, succulent and soft. Instead of layering the rice and gravy curry, I mixed them to mingle the delicate flavours and we both liked the change. Not to mention, Mace and Nutmeg add the extra zing which every Biryani dish requires. This is a good Biryani for vegetarians who do not eat meat yet wish to relish the flavour of Biryani.

~ Kadgi Biryani ~
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 mnts (rice) + 30 mnts (assembly)

Ingredients:
Onions (sliced) - 2 cups
Bay leaf - 2
Tomatoes (chopped) - 1/2 cup
Nutmeg (grated) - 1/2 tsp
Saffron water - 2 tbsp
Oil
Salt

For Raw Jackfruit marinade -
(Precook Raw Jackfruit with salt and turmeric water, cool and then use with marinade)
Yoghurt - 1 cup
Mint leaves (chopped) - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves (chopped) - 1 cup
Red Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Mace (Javithri crushed) - 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala powder - 1 tbsp
Biryani Masala powder - 1 tbsp
Meat tenderiser powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Oil
Mix all of it and refrigerate till use.

For cooking rice -
Basmati rice - 1 and 1/2 cup
Star Anise - 1
Black Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon sticks - 2 of 2"
Cloves - 2
Cook rice with 1: 1 and 1/2 water, 1 tbsp oil and salt

Method:

Jackfruit marinade - Precook the jackfruit pieces in turmeric powder and salt water and drain water. Do not throw the water away. Keep aside. Allow to cool. Add all the ingredients of the marinade to the jackfruit pieces in a bowl, mix well and refrigerate till use. Add oil as it keeps the jackfruit pieces moist.
Cooking Rice - Wash rice. If possible soak the rice in salt water and oil for 1/2 and hour before use. Cook with whole spices in 1:1 and 1/2 cups of water. Cook till rice is half done. I cook in an electric rice cooker which gives me precise granularity. Once done, spread rice on a plate and allow to cool.
Jackfruit gravy and mixing rice - In a deep bottomed pan (the same will be made to prepare Biryani so use your judgement), heat few spoons of oil/ ghee. Once oil is hot enough, add bay leaves and add onions. Sweat them in oil till they turn light yellow and are fried. Pick half of fried onion and keep aside. In that add the jackfruit marinade and saute till completely cooked and the gravy is thick and not watery. This takes around 20 minutes. Mix the cooked rice now and give a good stir. Sprinkle the other half of cooked onions, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and saffron water. Cook covered for 5 minutes. Serve hot with Raita or Mirchi Ka Saalan.

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash is an uncommon vegetable making a bold scene during the Fall season. I love the silky, butter like flavour of the vegetable and enjoy adding it for Stews and Soups. I discovered on recent Food shows on TV that Nutmeg is a great spice to go along with any Butternut Squash preparations. Chopping the skin of this vegetable can be a hard task, best way to tackle that is half the squash, drizzle some oil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and scoop out the cooked portion from the skin for cooking purpose. A warm pot of simmering soup on a hot stove for a quiet chilly evening certainly wows the child in me. To neutralise the taste of sweet Butternut, I added Soup cubes and Red Onions with a free hand of mixed herbs (Thyme, Rosemary and Chives) and a dash of Nutmeg as well. I did not add salt at all. Unlike other soups, this one was not brothy at all; instead I chose to make it very pasty and thick.

Soups are also a great way to build appetite, rev up your metabolism with less calories, camouflage the unfavored vegetables in the family (especially for kids!) and are a potent source of nourishment.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Butternut Squash (boiled and mashed) - 2 cups

Vegetable Stock - 1 cup or Water - 1 cup

Nutmeg (grated) - 1/3 teaspoon

Milk - 2-4 tablespoon

Soup Seasoning Cubes - 1

Onion (chopped) - 2 tablespoon
Oil/Ghee

For Garnish - Mint leaves & Mixed herbs [Thyme, Rosemary & Parsley]

Method:

Peel the hard skin of the Butternut. Dice the vegetable chunks. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. Allow to cool. Mash and keep aside. In a deep saucepan, heat Oil, saute the chopped Onions till they wilt and charr a bit. Add the mashed puree of vegetable & milk. Give a gentle stir and add vegetable stock. Add water if you don't have vegetable stock handy. Add soup seasoning and mix well. Do not add any salt as the Soup cubes have enough Sodium to hold and bring the flavours together. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Garnish with grated Nutmeg, Mint and mixed herbs.

Chicken Cafreal - A Goan Portuguese Delicacy

Chicken Cafreal is a very popular ambrosial dish of Portuguese origin found in the Indian state of Goa. If you visit any non-vegetarian joint in Goa, you are sure to be enthralled and welcomed by this dish. The charm of the interplay of flavours comes from the fiery, hot spicy green hued paste. The heat enduring combination of Green chillies, Garlic cloves, Ginger aptly balanced with a generous hand of Coriander leaves. Cumin, Cinnamon, Cloves, Pepper add the zing with the spicy flavours; add a bite of the odd spices with strong dominant flavours - Poppy seeds, Nutmeg and Mace. If you don't like meat, make your own Vegan or Vegetarian Cafreal version with vegetables like Potato, Soya Chunks.

In the Goan version, the grilled chicken drumstick is first cooked for good 30 minutes in a bubbly mix of the green spice paste. Thereafter, the chicken drumsticks are bathed in butter and charred on the heat for the crispy fried finish. I prefer to soak in the green pasty marinade for 24 hours for better retention of flavours. The lime juice supports the meat tenderising process which enables the breakdown of tissues and absorption of the spices. Chicken Cafreal is the Goan Tandoori Chicken if I may say so. I have eaten this version which was a home cooked one at a friend's place and then many of them at restaurants. The flavour is distinct since the Chicken pieces are cooked and then pan fried. Served with Salad on the side, this one surely opens up your senses and is a unique quintessential Goan way of eating spicy hot Chicken.

Preparation time: 24 hours (includes the steeping time for the chicken in marinade)
Cooking time: 30-45 minutes
Note - This is a spicy dish. Use spices as per discretion and preference.

Ingredients:
Chicken Drumstick (skinless) - 5
Coriander leaves (chopped) - 2 cups packed
Green Chillies - 4
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup packed
Garlic - 10-12 flakes
Ginger - 1 and 1/4 " piece
Poppy seeds - 1 teaspoon
Whole Black Pepper corns - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon stick - 2" piece
Cloves - 2-3
Mace - 1/2 teaspoon
Nutmeg - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter
Lime juice - 1 tablespoon
Lime zest - 1 tablespoon

Oil
Salt

Method:

Clean the Chicken Drumstick thoroughly in water and pat dry. Defrost the Chicken completely before use. Soak Poppy seeds in warm water for 20 minutes. Make a smooth paste with just enough water of all the ingredients except Butter. Apply this paste to the Chicken, drizzle some juice and refrigerate in a tall zip lock bag for 24 hours. The lime juice aids as a good meat tenderising agent and makes the Chicken soft and supple.

Next day while cooking, remove and thaw for 1/2 before use. Heat the pan, add oil and the ground paste. Add Chicken Drumstick one by one and cook till the chicken is cooked completely. Cover with a lid to aid faster cooking and gravy reduction. Add Lime zest at this stage to make the meat tender and soft. Once done the gravy will reduce 1/4 in volume, add butter shavings on the side and fry the chicken on all sides. If you are health conscious omit the step of adding butter and just leave the chicken on its own. Add lime juice and pan-fry for 2 minutes. Turn off flame and serve hot as a side dish. Support with Salad of choice.

Note - For better tasting Chicken, marinate for 24 hours. The flavour of Chicken has a profound difference. Do not overcook your Chicken. By doing so you run the risk of disintegrating the meat from the bone.