Pasta Alfredo with Pan Fried Shrimps

Pasta Alfredo with Pan Fried Shrimps

Recipe

Ingredients:

For Pasta:

• 75 grams Penne pasta per serving (or more if you have a big appetite)
• 200 mls of heavy cream per serving
• 2 garlic cloves
• A handful of basil leaves
• A small cube of butter
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan per serving

For Shrimps:

• 1 cup cleaned shrimps
• 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp Knorr Aromat Seasoning (it is a mixture of salt, garlic powder, turmeric, powdered cloves and bay leaves, celery seeds and mushroom powder. So if you don't find Aromat seasoning then combine the easily available given ingredients youcan find)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder

Method:

For Pasta:

• Finely chop garlic & basil leaves and set aside.
• Boil penne as per directions on the packet.
• Melt butter in a hot pan.
• Saute’ garlic in butter till lightly browned / soft.
• Add salt & pepper.
• Add heavy cream and stir till simmering.
• Add pasta and stir till coated.
• Add Parmesan and stir till smooth.

For Shrimps:

• Marinate shrimps in ginger garlic paste, Knorr Aromat All Purpose seasoning, paprika and black pepper for 15 minutes
• Shallow fry while stirring in 1-2 tbsp oil in a frying pan till prawns are pinkish white, around 5-7 mins (do not over cook the shrimps else they turn hard & rubbery and lose their succulence).

~ Serve & Enjoy!

Chicken Chili Dry

Chicken Chili Dry

Recipe

Ingredients:

For Chicken Batter:

• 250 gms chicken, cut in long thin strips
• 2 tbsp fine white flour
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 egg
• 1tbsp ginger garlic paste
• Oil for deep frying

For Stir-fry:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 garlic cloves, fine chopped
• 1 inch piece of ginger, julienned
• ½ cup fine chopped celery
• 6-7 green chilies, julienned
• 1 green bell pepper / capsicum, julienned
• ½ cup spring onion pieces (white part)
• 1 tbsp chili sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp spoon corn flour mixed in 2tbsp water

Method:

• Marinate chicken in all batter ingredients for 15-30 minutes.
• Deep fry till golden brown and set aside.
• Heat oil in a wok and add garlic & ginger.
• Add chopped celery, green chilies, bell pepper and spring onions and stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Add chili sauce, dark soy sauce, salt & pepper and mix well.
• Pour in corn flour mixture and stir for few seconds till transparent.
• Stir in your fried chicken pieces till they’re well coated with sauce.
• Serve with fried rice or as an appetizer.

~ Bon Appétit!

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)

A wonderfully rich, creamy and buttery chicken gravy.

Recipe 

Ingredients:

For Marinade:

• 500 gm boneless chicken cubes
• 1/2 cup yogurt 
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp lime / lemon juice
• A handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped 

For Gravy:

• 50 gm salted butter
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 small green cardamoms
• 4 cloves
• 8 whole peppercorns 
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 200 gm tomato puree / if u don't have tomato puree boil tomatoes for 10 mins on high, remove the skin and make a paste. 
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 
• 1 tbsp garam masala powder
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp honey (optional)

Method:

• Marinate boneless chicken cubes in yogurt, salt, red chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, lime juice and chopped coriander & green chillies for at least one hour. 
• Pan grill / fry this chicken in a pan cook with some butter. 
• In a pan add salted butter, then add cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves, whole black peppers. 
• Sauté and add ginger garlic paste and chopped green chilli. Cook this on medium for 2 mins. 
• Then add tomato puree. Cook the tomato puree for 4 to 5 mins or until butter separates from the gravy. 
• Add salt, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. 
• Add water and cook for another 4 to 5 mins on low heat in covered pan. 
• Add the cooked chicken pieces, heavy cream and butter.  
• Cook for another 2 to 4 mins. See the consistency if its too thick add some water.  
• If you want sweet flavour in your Butter Chicken add 1 tbsp of honey at this point (optional) and stir well.
• Enjoy your butter chicken with plain rice or roti / naan.

~ Bon Appétit!

Chicken Paneer Tikka (Chicken Cheese Kebabs) with Mint Chutney

Chicken Paneer Tikka (Chicken Cheese Kebabs) with Mint Chutney

Juicy & tender oven grilled chicken, cheese, bell peppers and onion cubes infused with tikka masala spices and served with golden fried potato chips and tangy homemade mint chutney.

Recipe

Chicken PaneerTikka (Chicken Cheese Kebabs)

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 1/3 cup thick yogurt / hung curd
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 1tsp cumin powder
• 1/4^th tsp garam masala powder
• 1 lemon juice
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (this chili powder is very mild in taste but impart a vibrant red colour to any dish)
• 1/4^th tsp chaat masala powder (optional)
• Salt, to taste

Tikka:

• 150 gms Paneer / Cheese (Cottage Cheese / Halloumi Cheese)
• Bell peppers, red, green and yellow
• 1 large onion
• 1 chicken breast
• Wooden / metal skewers

Method:

• Cut all vegetables, chicken and cheese into cubes. (I used Halloumi Cheese which has a high melting point and its ideal for frying or grilling. Simple hard cottage cheese available in Pakistan serves the same purpose).

• Combine all marinade spices and yogurt and marinade vegetables, cheese and chicken in it after gentle thorough mixing for 1-2 hours. The more time tikka ingredients are marinated, the more richly and evenly flavourful they are.

• Meanwhile soak wooden skewers in cold water for 20-30 minutes (this will prevent them from charring in oven). If you’re using metal skewers, simply grease them with oil / ghee.
• Preheat oven at 200’C.
• Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and spray this foil with cooking spray / grease it with oil / ghee.

• Skew marinated bell peppers, onions, chicken and cheese on skewer. Adapt any sequence, but keep cheese in between chicken and vegetables.
• Arrange the skewers on aluminium foil lines baking tray. Spray them with cooking spray or brush them gently with oil / ghee.

• Place this tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Then take it out and turn the skewers over and brush this side too with oil / ghee and put the tray back in oven for a further 10-15 minutes of baking.

• I turned the grill mode on for last 5 minutes for desired level of charring.
• Serve with mint cutney / chips / lemon wedges.

Mint Chutney

Ingredients

• ½ cup mint leaves, separated from stems
• ¼ cup coriander leaves (Cilantro), separated from stems
• 1 red or green chili pepper chopped
• 3 tbsp of lemon/lime juice
• 2 tap of water and 1 tbsp of plain yogurt)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Wash the greens in cold water, and pack the mint and coriander leaves into the measuring cups.
• Blend all of the ingredients together on medium speed in a blender; blend until the mixture has a smooth consistency.
• Pour the mixture into a bowl, and serve.

~Bon Appétit! 

Lemon Tart

Lemon Tart

Recipe

Ingredients:

Pastry Base

• 250 g plain flour
• 125 g salted butter, cold, diced
• 90 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 orange

Lemon Filling

• 6 lemons
• 250 g caster sugar
• 100 g vanilla caster sugar
• 9 eggs
• 300 ml double cream

Method:

Make the Pastry

• Rub the cold, diced butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb-like consistency. Or blitz in a food processor. 
• Stir through the caster sugar and orange zest. 
• Crack in the egg, then mix and press into one ball of dough. 
• Do not knead it, but make sure it combines without cracks.

Rest the Pastry

• Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge to rest for an hour. 
• Preheat an oven to 180 degrees C.

Roll and Bake

• Roll the rested pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of 1/2cm. 
• Lay it into a loose bottomed round baking tin (24cm across).

• Ease it into the corners, lay in a sheet of baking paper and fill with baking beans. 

• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, before lifting out the beans and paper and returning to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Lemon Filling

• Zest the lemons and squeeze the juice out of them into a large bowl. 

• Whisk in the vanilla caster sugar and caster sugar, then the eggs until smooth, before finishing with the cream.

Pour & Bake

• Position the blind baked pastry case onto the shelf of the oven and turn the temperature down to 160 degrees C. 
• Pour the lemon filling through a sieve into a jug to make it easier to pour, then fill up the tart case right to the top (the reason for doing it in the oven). 
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until the lemon filling has a slight wobble in the middle, then remove them from the oven and leave to cool to room temperature.

~ Serve & enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 75 grams Fettuccine per serving (or more if you have a big appetite)
• 200 mls of heavy cream per serving
• 2 garlic cloves
• A handful of basil leaves
• A small cube of butter
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan per serving

Method:

• Finely chop garlic & basil leaves and set aside.
• Boil fettuccine as per directions on the packet.
• Melt butter in a hot pan.
• Saute’ garlic in butter till lightly browned / soft.
• Add salt & pepper.
• Stir in heavy cream till simmering.
• Add pasta and stir till coated.
• Add chopped basil & Parmesan and mix till smooth.

~ Serve & Enjoy!

Note: I served my Fettuccine Alfredo with pan grilled chicken breast. Method is simple. Made slits on chicken breast and marinated it in ginger garlic paste, Knorr Aromat All Purpose seasoning and white pepper to taste for 15 minutes. Then grilled on a grill pan, medium heat around 7-8 mins each side. 

Italian-Seasoned Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce & Jacket Potato

Italian-Seasoned Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce & Jacket Potato

Recipe

Italian-Seasoned Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon combined fresh / dried rosemary, thyme & oregano
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 chicken breast
• Cooking spray

Method:

• Pre-heat oven at 425’F / 220 ‘C / 200 'C fan.
• Marinate chicken in dried spices, lemon rind & juice, minced garlic & olive oil for 30 minutes.
• Heat a grill pan and fry chicken breasts, each side for 3-4 minutes until its nicely browned.
• Now place these chicken breasts in a baking tray coated with cooking spray.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the breast registers 155°.
• Remove chicken from pan; let stand for 10 minutes.
• Serve with creamy mushroom sauce.

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 15g/½oz butter
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 225g/8oz button mushrooms, wiped and sliced
• 150ml/5fl oz crème fraîche
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• Heat oil and butter in a frying pan and add onion.
• Sauté onion until softened and transparent.
• Add garlic & mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms are tender.
• Stir in crème fraîche and parsley and heat through.
• Season to taste.
• Serve with your Italian seasoned chicken.

Jacket Potatoes with Sour Cream & Chives

Ingredients:

• 2 baking potatoes
• 140ml sour cream
• ¼ tsp whole-grain mustard
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper powder
• 40g freshly chopped chives
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

• Heat oven to 220 'C / 200 'C fan / gas 7.
• Rub a little oil over each potato, poke the skin with fork and put on the top shelf of the oven.
• Bake for 20 mins, then turn down the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and bake for 45 mins-1 hr until the skin is crisp and the flesh soft.
• Meanwhile add the sour cream to a bowl with the whole-grain mustard, salt, white pepper and chopped chives, reserving a teaspoon of chives to sprinkle on top.
• Stir all the ingredients together.
• Take the baked potatoes out of the oven and cut a cross in the top of each. Slightly squeeze each one so it opens out and place into the serving plates.
• Fill the potatoes with sour cream sauce and sprinkle the remaining chives over the top.

¬ Bon Appétit!