Italian almond and chocolate chip biscotti

This recipe has existed for centuries. Originally, the biscotti was made for travellers. The biscotti was double baked to remove all the moisture and hence increase its shelf life. The original recipe includes 2 parts flour, 1 part sugar, eggs to bind and almonds. Here I have changed the recipe a bit. Feel free to play around with the ingredients. What's more?? After double baking these biscuits you can store them in an air tight container for a really long time.

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup maida/self raising flour
3/4 cup castor sugar
100 gm dark/ milk chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vanilla essence/ 1 tablespoon almond extract
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup almonds blanched, peeled, roasted and cut in thin strips (see footnote on how to blanch almonds)
1 pinch salt

Method
In a bowl sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt. Leave aside. These are the dry ingredients for the biscotti. In another bowl whisk together the eggs and the sugar till creamy and forms ribbons. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix well. You can also whisk the mixture. At this point the mixture will be extremely thick. Add chocolate chips, vanilla essence and whisk again. Add almonds and mix well. Avoid whisking the almonds as it will break. The dough now is extremely thick now. Wet your hands with water and shape the dough in form of thick logs about 9X12". Cut the logs in equal sized round shapes. Make sure not to make extremely thin balls as they'll burn in the oven and extremely thick sized biscottis will not bake properly. Pre heat the oven to 180C. If you are not too sure about the thickness of the log you can also use a cookie cutter to make the biscotti. Bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. For the second baking lower the temperature to about 160C. Bake the cookies for about 5-7 minutes. You can also avoid the second baking if you like. Serve the cookies at room temperature.

PS: There are 2 methods to blanch the almonds. In the first method, soak the almonds overnight in water. They'll be soft in the morning and you can easily remove the skin. The 2nd method involves boiling the almonds in boiling water for a minute. Drain the almonds and rinse them 2 times in cold water. The almonds are blanched but be careful when peeling them. They get slippery. After blanching the almonds, roast them till you get the aroma. Let the almonds cool and cut them in strips.

Risotto

This creamy Italian dish looks super complicated to make but is actually really easy to make. The trick to getting a perfect consistency is to make sure you get the perfect rice, cheese and herbs. There are 2 types of rice that can be used to make risotto. The original recipe uses Arborio rice which is thick, long grained rice. Arborio rice can be substituted by brown rice soaked in cold water and refrigerated for half an hour. If you are a non-vegetarian you can also add boiled chicken to this dish.

Ingredients
1 cup Arborio rice soaked ( you can use brown rice soaked in cold water and refrigerated for half an hour as well)
250 gm mushrooms ( you can use button, shitake, chestnut mushrooms together or just 1 type its your call)
Spring onions 1 diced ( you can use a leek instead which is a vegetable that looks exactly like a spring onion but is slightly thicker)
1 litre vegetable/mushroom/chicken stock
Salt to taste
Rosemary to taste
Thyme to taste
Parmesan cheese (about 1/3 of a large cube)

Method
To make the stock either take mushrooms or a combination of vegetables or chicken and add boiling water to it. Stir well and leave it aside. In a wok heat 3 tablespoons of Olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sautee for about 2 minutes. Add the soaked rice. Slowly add the stock stirring continuously. Mix well and allow the mixture to simmer. When the mixture is nearly ready add salt, Rosemary and Thyme and mix well. Grate Parmesan cheese and mix well. Your risotto is ready to be served hot.

PS: The original Italian risotto is always sticky in consistency and is bland. You should also make it the same way.If you are not a big fan of bland food, add a pinch of turmeric for the flavour. Please do not add any other seasoning or spice as it will ruin the taste of the risotto. If you are using leeks, add them after you add the rice.

Chocolate, strawberry and coconut fingers

As complicated as the name sounds, this dessert is actually super easy to make. The only problem is that there are no variations possible. Also when you cut the fingers make sure they are of the same size and not too thin or thick.

Ingredients
1 vanilla sponge cake
1/2 cup strawberry crush mixed with 1/4 cup of water
Dessicated coconut (about 500 gm)
Dark cooking chocolate melted on a double boiler

Method
Cut finger size portions of the sponge cake and remove the top and the sides. Dip the fingers in the strawberry squash but do not leave it for long else the cake will disintegrate. Coat the cake in dessicated coconut IMMEDIATELY. Top one side of the cake with the melted chocolate. Put the fingers in the fridge to set for an hour or 2 before serving. Serve cold.

PS: When coating the cake with chocolate use a butter knife do not dip the cake in the melted chocolate as it will melt.

Chocolate Ganache cake

This extremely chocolaty cake is yummylicious. Ganache is basically an icing which comprises of 2 parts chocolate and 1 part cream. In numerical terms, if you use 100 gm of chocolate add 50 gm cream to make the icing.

Ingredients
100 gm unsalted butter + to grease
1 1/2 cup maida/self raising flour + to grease
1 cup castor sugar
4 eggs
5-6 tablespoons unsweetened chocolate chips melted in a double boiler (see egg less cake recipe for instructions)
1 pinch baking powder
1 tea spoon vanilla essence
1 pinch salt

For icing
100 gm dark cooking chocolate melted in a double boiler (see egg less cake recipe for instructions)
50 gm whipped cream

Method
In a large bowl add butter and sugar and whisk till creamy. Add an egg and beat till creamy. Similarly add the other 3 eggs beating continuously. Add maida and whisk till the mixture is creamy. Add baking powder and mix well. Add salt and mix well. Add the melted chocolate chips and blend till the mixture is brown in colour. Add vanilla essence and blend for the last time. Pre heat the oven to 180C for 10 minutes. Grease 2 9" baking tins with butter and little flour. Divide the batter in two equal halves. Add the batter in both the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes on a wire rack and let it cool for another 10 minutes.

For icing
Mix the chocolate and whipped cream and beat well. Refrigerate for an hour before using.

To make the cake and present it
Apply a layer of chocolate mousse on 1 cake (see recipe of chocolate mousse. You can also use ready made mousse. Make sure to refrigerate it for longer time then the instructions as the mousse has to be super thick). Put the 2nd cake on top and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the fridge and apply a layer of cream and leave it in the fridge for 15 minutes. This is called the frosting layer. After the frosting layer sets, apply another layer of cream and set it to cool. Decorate the cake using chocolate curls (recipe in chocolate mousse), cake angels or MNMs chocolates. Cool in the fridge before serving.

PS: Icing melts really fast hence it is extremely essential to refrigerate the cake and the icing. The icing cannot be stored so make as much as you need. If you follow the exact measurement for the icing, you will have enough icing to layer 2 9" ganache cakes.

Spinach Pasta

This extremely healthy, tasty and easy recipe can be had either saucy or dry or creamy take your pick. It takes about 10 minutes to make this dish and can be eaten for dinner.

Ingredients
1 cup pasta boiled and drained
3-4 garlic cloves chopped
1 cup spinach blanched and chopped roughly
Milk as required
Salt to taste
Oregano to taste
Mixed herbs
Parmesan cheese to garnish

Method
In a wok heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add garlic cloves and sautee for a minute. Add spinach and sautee for a minute. Add milk and let it simmer. Add salt, oregano and mixed herbs. Mix well. Add the boiled pasta. Remove from flame. Grate Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven/microwave till the cheese melts. Serve the pasta hot.

PS: You can also boil and crush broccoli and add it to the sauce.

Egg less chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing

This is an ideal birthday cake. Garnish it with either chocolate curls (method in chocolate mousse) or freshly chopped walnuts, M N M chocolates or cake angels. If you love the combination of chocolate and strawberries (match made in heaven) garnish with a whole strawberry.

Ingredients
For the cake
1 cup curd
50g semolina (rawa)
1/2 tablespoon soda bicarbonate
100 gm butter + to grease
200 gm powdered sugar
50 gm mava (optional)
200 gm maida/self raising flour + to grease
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup milk

For the icing
100 gm icing sugar
50 gm melted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2-3 tablespoons milk

Method
For the cake
In a bowl mix curd, semolina and soda bicarbonate. Leave aside for 10 minutes. In another mixing bowl, add butter, powdered sugar and mava. Add the curd mixture and mix well. Sieve together maida, baking powder and cocoa powder. Mix well. Add 1 cup milk and mix well. Pre heat the oven to 180C for 10 minutes. Grease a 8" cake tin with butter and maida. Pour the cake mixture in the tin and tap to remove air bubbles. Bake for about 30 minutes. To check if the cake is made properly, insert a clean knife or a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked else you need to bake for a bit longer. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down for about 15-20 minutes in the tin. When the cake cools down, invert it on a wire rack and let it rest for another 15-20 minutes. The cake is ready.

To make the icing
Add sugar to melted butter. Add cocoa powder and mix well. Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk to get a thick paste consistency. Apply the icing on the cake using a butter knife.

PS: If you like layered cake, cut the cake in half horizontally. Soak the bottom half of the cake in sugar syrup. When the cake is soaked, apply a layer of icing. Put the other half on top and coat it with icing again. After making the cake, always freeze it for at least 30 minutes to allow the icing to cool and set on the cake. Alternately, you can bake 2 separate cakes to avoid cutting it. When you make 2 different cakes, after the cakes cool down, remove the top using a kitchen knife. Apply a layer or icing on the first cake. Invert the 2nd cake face down on it and apply the icing. You need not add sugar syrup in this method. The home made cake has a long shelf life as minimum butter and icing is used. Using this recipe, you can make about 800 gm of cake. You can make different the cake in different shapes. All you need is a cake tin which has the shape of your choice.

Creamy potato salad

This salad is extremely versatile and can be eaten either as a starter, as a side dish or as a full meal. You can play around with the ingredients and create a salad just the way you like.

Ingredients
6-8 baby potatoes or 3-4 large potatoes boiled and cut in cubes
Garlic cloves about 2-3
Salt to taste
Oregano to taste
Chilli flakes to taste
Parsley 4-5 sprigs
Spring onions 1 diced
Crushed black pepper

Method
In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add garlic cloves and sautee till the garlic is light brown in colour. Add the cubed potatoes and sautee for a minute. Add milk. The quantity of milk depends on your taste. If you like the salad creamy and saucy add more milk else add at least 1 cup. Allow the mixture to boil. Add salt, oregano, crushed black pepper and parsley. Mix well. Add spring onions leaving a few to garnish. Mix well. Garnish with chilli flakes and remaining spring onions. Serve immediately.

PS: As mentioned above, this salad is extremely versatile. You can also add mushrooms and peppers before adding the milk.