Dear Ex-New Maid - this is dedicated to you!

The maid has left us and gone. Yes, we no longer have the luxury of a full time domestic help, thanks to the revival of NREGA in many states as well as the somewhat rapid rural development in our country. (Why she left makes for a whole new blog post, but let's avoid that territoy!). I am not denying I am happy for these sections of our society who benefit directly, but for people like me, who live away from home and do not know much about nor have enough time/ patience for housekeeping, such schemes and development only spell doom. (Judge me all you'd like, but truth is, if you, dear reader, were in a similar situation, you would curse enough to make Satan cringe :p).

In a crisis such as this, where hot chapatis straight off the tawa are a distant dream, it is time to dig into some comfort, and if all the Ghajinis out there remember, comfort food for me is Italian Khaana, with an Anka touch, of course. For those of you who don't have a good memory or are first time readers, do read the July post titled Italian food = Comfort food.

So what did I cook this time around, sans New Maid? (This nomenclature for the ex-domestic help solely because I couldn't and still cannot remember what her name is). I chose to stick to the basics and favorites, for the chopping, cooking, eating and cleaning all had to be done by the one-and-only me, which is why I picked Penne à la Sauce Champignon. Yes, yes, I know it sounds fancy and all that but I am just trying to show-off a bit of my French here. Simply put, I cooked Penne in Mushroom Sauce :p
Recipe below:


Ingredients


Penne Pasta (cooked al dente, or as you prefer) - 100 gms
Mushrooms - 150 gms
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Chili flakes - 1 tsp
Onions (diced) - half
Salted Butter - 1 tbsp for the mushrooms and 1 tbsp for the Bechamel Sauce
Refined flour - 1 tbsp
Milk (cold) - 1 and 1/2 glasses
Cheese (grated) - 2 cubes
Salt - To taste
Peppercorns - 2 to 3
Oregano - To taste


Method

• Heat some butter in a non stick skillet and add the finely chopped garlic and the chili flakes to the same. Saute for about 2 minutes.
• Add the chopped onions and mushrooms to the skillet and let them cook over medium heat for at least 10-15 minutes or till the mushrooms have sweat and lost their water content and are reduced to a beautiful bronze.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Once cooled, roughly blend and put aside till later. 
• Take another non-stick skillet if you have one, or in my case, wash the only one you have (Dear New Maid, you were sorely missed at this point) and prepare the Bechamel Sauce.
• For the Bechamel: Place 1 tbsp of butter and melt it completely. Now add the refined flour to this and cook it for at least 3 minutes or till golden. 
• Add the cold milk to this, constantly stirring to ensure no lumps are formed. Put in the salt, pepper and oregano to the sauce-to-be and then, just before it comes to a boil, add almost all of the grated cheese to it and cook till it boils. Your Bechamel Sauce is ready!
• Add the roughly blended mushroom mix to the bechamel to create your Sauce Champignon (this is my invention --- copyrighted, patented).
• Pour over the penne (cooked as per packet instructions) and allow to rest for a few hours for the sauce to really bring out its true flavor, or if you are in dire need of comfort, simply DIG IN!!!

No presentation for lack of patience and the growing number of hunger pangs!

PS - I have made an effort to cook vegetarian food this time around on grounds of complaints that I discriminate. I DO NOT and this post is proof. However, I shall favor the non-veggies and suggest to them that you can give this very pasta a twist by adding bite-sized chicken pieces to it (boil the same first, of course) and squeezing some lemon into the sauce when cooked for that citrusy zing. And maybe you can then re-name the dish as Pollo al Limone!


Create and Cook on! :D 

Summer Cornucopia

I enjoy walking and believe there is no better way to connect with a city or discover what guides its rhythm other than by simply traversing its streets, for one might chance upon wonders that are otherwise missed while speeding across in air-conditioned snooties, and such a chance meeting, more often than not, may turn out to be a transforming journey from hatred to love.

There was a fury raging inside of me yesterday. I was mad at the world, especially at Delhi, at its people, its weather, its traffic and even its very existence as a city. If I could, I would punch a physical form of the capital in its face. (Yes, I tend to get slightly violent - only in my thoughts, mind you - when I am angry. Moreover, all of us have days like these where we tend to hate all that we love!). However, I wanted to make peace, as much with myself as with the city, and so I set forth to rediscover the soul of dear ol' Delhi. That's when I spotted what I spotted:

Those gorgeous, sun-kissed peaches that sat at the vendor's and shyly blushed crimson! Oooh, that lush, crispy head of lettuce that smiled meekly at me, and those plump, juicy, ready to burst grapes that I'd much rather have bursting in my mouth! Ah, how they beckoned me! I knew the moment I spotted these lovelies that it was just the day to toss together a scrumptious, healthy salad.  Recipe below:

Ingredients

Peaches - 2
Grapes - A bunch
Lettuce - Enough to create a comfortable bed for the salad
Chicken breasts (skinless) - 2, weighing approximately 250 grams
Orange Juice - 1 cup
Olive Oil (Extra Virgin) - 1/4 cup
Garam Masala - 2 tbsps
Salt and Pepper - To taste

Method

• Thoroughly wash all the uncut fruit as well as the lettuce and leave aside in a bowl of fresh water.
• Coat the chicken breasts with the olive oil and then rub them all over with the garam masala, salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken on an outdoor grill if you have the luxury of one or settle for the electronic way as I did, and grill for 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until firm. (Note: Poke the chicken with a fork or cut through its thickest part to ensure it's all opaque. Please do not assume!) Once done, cut into strips.
• While the chicken is grilling, prepare a simple dressing for the salad by bringing the cup of orange juice to a boil and then allowing it to simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes or till it is reduced to a quarter of its original volume. You may add a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper to the dressing if you like, or enjoy the natural flavor of oranges. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Cut the peaches and grapes into slices, pitting and de-seeding, respectively
• Prepare the salad by creating a bed of lettuce and then putting together all the ingredients. Pour out the dressing and toss well to coat.
• Serve, or in my case enjoy the bounties of summer by simply DIGGING IN!!!

Summer Cornucopia

Need I mention that in my quest to search for Delhi's soul, I stumbled upon mine, and that somewhere along this journey on foot the city and I happily reconciled? :)