Pumpkin quiche

We had some pumpkins from a friend. And I was planning to cook them over the long weekend we had. I love pumpkin, but savory dishes. I do not have much liking for sweets. I would love to make pumpkin pies someday, to cook something new, but I know for sure that there will be no one to eat it. Therefore, it had to be a savory pumpkin weekend. And this time I wished to try something new other than my favorite Bengali preparations. I always find quiche interesting, a nice way to try incorporating new ideas. So this lovely pumpkin quiche was on the first preparation to be on the menu. And it turned out so deliciously good!

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE 

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves 4)

500g of pumpkin or squash

2 large onions

8 sheets of phyllo dough

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 cup diced smoked cheese

1 stem of rosemary

1 stem of lavender

1/4 cup sage leaves

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

METHOD:

1.   Cut the pumpkin into bite size cubes. Toss it with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a stem of rosemary, lavender and few sage leaves.

2.   Roast pumpkin in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes and set aside.

3.   In the mean time, slice onion.

4.   Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion until tender.

5.   Add 1/4 cup water. Reduce the heat and cook covered until golden brown with occasional stirring (around 40 minutes) (caramelize). Add little bit of water if it tends to get dry.

6.   Line a 26cm pie dish / spring-form pan with the phyllo sheets. Brush each sheet with oil and layer them on top of each other. Let the ends hang from the sides.

7.   Lightly beat the eggs. Add in onion, pumpkin, 2/3 of the cheese, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, remaining of the sage leaves finely chopped. Gently mix.

8.   Pour the mixture in the pie dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

9.   Gently fold the hanging phyllo edges on the side.

10. Bake at 200°C for 40 minutes or until set.

11. Let it stand for 5 minutes more before serving.

Pepper ham wrap

A breakfast with fresh and crunchy vegetables is always delightful. And this pepper ham wrap is a quick and healthy way to start the day. The crunchiness of the colorful pepper added with the salty cheesy taste wrapped in tortillas is just what is perfect for a Sunday breakfast. I was aiming to realize this idea for quite some time, and finally made it a few weekends ago. Now, I cannot wait to try it again and try out some other variations.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves two)

4 tortillas
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 small carrot
100g ham
1 cup grated cheese
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice

METHOD:

1. Thinly slice the bell peppers and coarsely grate the carrot.
2. Season the vegetables with salt, pepper and lemon juice according to taste.
3. Chop the ham.
4. Load a tortilla with vegetables and ham, leaving the edge.
5. Generously cover half of the tortilla with cheese.
6. Fold the tortilla in half and press gently on the edge.
7. Heat a pan and carefully place the tortilla in it.
8. Cook on medium-high heat for a few minutes pressing the edge gently with the spatula until the cheese melts sealing the edge.
9. Turn over the wrap gently and do the other side for a couple of minutes.

NOTE:
Use bigger tortillas, it is easier to handle.
Any cheese can be used as long as it is easy to melt and seal. I used general light cheese in this recipe.

Upma

Upma is a common breakfast dish you will find cooked in South Indian household. It is tasty, healthy, and above all very easy to cook. It is colorful with different vegetables and leaves. I also many times cook it for dinner or a brunch, or as some simple evening snack. However, the original recipe has few ingredients not so easily available to me here, and I like to call this particular recipe as “my version”. Like, I don’t get curry leaves here, a main ingredient of upma. Also there I cook it in a slightly different procedure. Anyway, the simplicity of this dish makes it so interesting to me, and I don’t mind a few modifications. Also I like adding more vegetables than the flour, such that the flour will roughly coat the vegetables. Sometimes I even add a small diced tomato. I like to add many different kinds of vegetables in it, and like the subtle flavor of mustard. And finally I love to have it with a generous amount of tomato ketchup.

INGREDIENTS:
1 big bowl of different vegetables cubed (carrot, cauliflower, peppers, broccoli etc)
1 medium sized potato (peeled and cubed)
2/3cup of semolina flour
1tbsp of black mustard seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2tbsp oil
Water

METHODS:
1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Put the mustard seeds and cover over low heat. Let them crackle.
3. When the crackling stops and one gets the aroma, put in all the cubed vegetables.
4. Cook in medium to low heat for some time, until the vegetables are almost cooked.
5. Add the semolina flour, mix well and cook for 1-2 min.
6. Now add water little by little, such that the semolina gets cooked but not overcooked and lumpy.
7. Cook covered for 1-2min over medium flame.
8. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

NOTE: Adding the right amount of water is a crucial step. Around 1/2-2/3 cup of water is generally enough, but it is advisable to add a little at a time and then add again if necessary. Also, sometimes roasting the semolina flour a bit before using it helps it making less sticky and lumpy.

Simple Chicken Macaroni

Last week I had some leftover chicken breast, and thought of making a quick chicken macaroni after work for dinner. Also, there was some curd handy at home, so decided on adding it to make a sort of thin gravy. And it turned out really well, the sour-sweet taste with the parsley giving a wonderful flavor to it. And it is really simple to cook!! Going to try it again when I have some leftover chicken and need some easy recipe for dinner..

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Gomito macaroni
150g chicken breast
½ cup yoghurt/curd
1 large tomato
1 small onion
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Parsley

METHOD:

1. Cut the chicken in 1cm wide strips.
2. Boil the chicken and macaroni adding some salt, drain and keep aside.
3. While the chicken and macaroni are getting boiled, finely chop the onion and dice the tomato.
4. In a pan, heat 1tbsp of oil and add the chopped onion.
5. As the onion starts getting golden, add the diced tomato and fry for a minute.
6. Now add the boiled chicken and macaroni. Fry for a couple of minutes on high heat.
7. Add the yoghurt and mix well. Season it with salt, pepper and a handful of chopped parsley. Mix and cook for 5-7 minutes on moderately high heat.
8. Serve hot, garnished with parsley.