Chilled Gazpacho for Spain

Chilled Gazpacho

Most of my international recipes are from what I have read in Mills n Boon! How I still adore those books … now I have slightly “upgraded” myself and I read Percy Jackson and his antics! Maybe when the kiddo starts reading M&B I will do the same again!

There was such book where the heroine is served delicious “gazpacho’ soup! The author went on describing the soup and I was surprised that there is chilled soup! Soup to my mind is to be served hot! Before the meal and generally it fills me up so much that I want hardly any dinner! Boooooooo! What a punishment for a foodie !

But exceptions prove the rule “Gazpacho" is cool, refreshing and flavourful start to a meal on a hot summer day. Gazpacho can be had from a soup bowl, or drink it from a glass.

This soup originates in the southern part of Spain called Andalusia. It is tasty, refreshing and very healthy, since it is made from nothing but fresh vegetables and a bit of oil and vinegar.

So this summer I am going to do what Spaniards do - Make a batch of /gazpacho/ and keep it in a glass pitcher in the refrigerator for whenever you need a cool drink.

So today in the Mega marathon which we call as “ Around the World in 30 Days” lets visit Spain.

Gazpacho

Recipe Source: Adapted from here and here

 Ingredients:

• 1.5 kgs/10-12 ripe tomatoes
• 2 slices of white bread, crust removed
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 green capsicum, washed, de seeded, coarsely chopped
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt to taste

Garnish: 

• 3-4 croutons (optional)

Method:

• Make a cross cut on the tomatoes near the stalk.
• Boil 3 litres of water, switch off the gas. Drop the tomatoes in the water. There should be enough water for the tomatoes to soak. Let them stand for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes drain and peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds and drop them in the blender.
• Meanwhile soak the bread in a little water.
• Add the softened bread to the tomatoes.
• Add the capsicum, cucumber garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper to the blender jar.
• Make a smooth paste. In case all the ingredients do not fit in the  blender jar make the paste in batches.
• Mix well. The gazpacho should have a creamy texture and should not be too thick or watery.
• Chill the gazpzcho in the fridge for a couple of hours.
• Just before serving spoon in glasses top with spring onion and crotons.

Chilled Gazpacho

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

An InLinkz Link-up

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Vegetarian Anticucheras or Anticuchos from Peru

Anticucheras or Anticuchos

 According to Wikipedia,” Peruvian cuisine reflects local practices and ingredients—including influences from the indigenous population including the Inca and cuisines brought in with immigrants from Europe (Spanish cuisine, Italian cuisine, German cuisine), Asia (Chinese cuisine and Japanese cuisine) and West Africa. Without the familiar ingredients from their home countries, immigrants modified their traditional cuisines by using ingredients available in Peru.

The four traditional staples of Peruvian cuisine are corn, potatoes and other  tubers, Amaranthaceaes  (Quinoa, Kañiwa and kiwicha) and legumes (beans and lupins). Staples brought by the Spanish include rice, wheat and meats (beef, pork and chicken).

The US food critic Eric Asimov has described it as one of the world's most important cuisines and as an exemplar of fusion cuisine, due to its long multicultural history. “

But I was interested in Street Food…. My chosen theme for the Mega Marathon that we have going for this month at Blogging Marathon which is named “Around the World In 30 Days” where we are blogging international cuisine alphabetically.  So toady for P I have chosen Peru.

In Peru, anticuchos, a type of kebab, are often sold by street vendors called anticucheras. Also, cuy, a species of Guinea Pig is served as a delicacy on religious holidays.

So I made anticucheras, okay you are right I did not use any meat I used potatoes….

Anticucheras or Anticuchos

Vegetarian Anticucheras or Anticuchos

Recipe Source: Food.com.com

Ingredients:

• 1 kg /4-5 big potatoes cut into wedges of about 2 inches long
• 8-10 small onions
• 2 cucumbers cut in thick roundels
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tblspn jeera/cumin powder
• 1 tsp kali mirchi/ pepper corns  ground
• salt  to taste
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tblspn fresh parsley, finely minced
• 2 tblspn dhania/ coriander leaves, finely minced
• 4 dried chillies
• ¼   cup oil plus 1 or 2 tblspn as needed
• 4-5 ears corn on the cob, cooked (save some of the husk)

Method:

• Par -boil the potatoes with a little salt.
• Soak the red chillies in hot water until they are soft. You could remove the seeds if you feel like. That will make the chillies less spicy. 
• Blend the vinegar, garlic, dried chilli, cumin powder, pepper powder, parsley and coriander leaves with ¼ cup of the oil until you have a soft paste. 
• Pour it on the pieces of potato and onions distribute evenly so all pieces are well covered and can absorb the marinade. Adjust the seasonings.
• Cover and let sit in the refrigerator. I marinated the pieces in the morning and cooked them in the afternoon.   
• I added the cucumber just before the grilling but that was a bad idea. They should have gone in before at least 1 hour before the actual grilling.
• In the meantime, place thick bamboo skewers to soak in water so they don't burn when they go on the grill if you are using bamboo skewers. I used the stainless steel ones. 
• In case you plan to use a charcoal grill and make sure the coals are very hot before you start.  I grilled them on the gas.
• Arrange the potatoes, cucumber and onions on the skewer.
• Save the rest of the marinade in a cup or small bowl and add the1 tblspn of the oil to it, mix well. This will be used for basting the potatoes on the grill.
• Tie some pieces of fresh corn husk with a string made out of some more husk and shred them half the way to make a kind of brush and use it for basting. 

Anticucheras or Anticuchos

•  If like me you are grilling over the gas stove then place the potatoes on the stove and baste them generously with the leftover marinade and oil mix. But be careful as this will drip and  cause the coals/gas to flame.  Make sure it flames over because this is what gives the anticuchos their distinctive flavour.

Anticucheras or Anticuchos

• Cook them well basting and flaming until they are done.
• In case you are cooking on coal fire then at the same time, place the pieces of corn and potatoes on a corner of the grill, baste them with the same marinade and allow them to be flamed too.
• Serve the skewers in each plate.
• Serve hot, right out of the grill, don't let it get cold! ENJOY! 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 44

An InLinkz Link-up

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Facebook Page. I will be happy if you can follow me on on Twitter too!

Chotpoti/A tangy Chaat from Bangladesh

Chotpoti

Hi! So you are joining me again today again for “Around the World in 30 Days’? Welcome! I will love the company… so today let explore B the second alphabet…

Actually the options for B are so many Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium to name a few  but since I was keen on choosing my neighbours I have chosen Bangladesh as my entry here.

It’s obvious the food in Bangladesh is similar to West Bengal. The street food here constitutes of delicious pitha, Chotpoti, puchka, jhalmuri, badam, and fried items.

Puchka is Gol Gappe or Pani puri, pitha, jhaal muri I have made so I decided to make Chotpoti which I suppose will mean” chat pati” alias tangy.

Did it live up to its name?

Of course!!

It took me to the time when I as a child had travelled to Bhuneshwar and we had chaat one night on the streets of Bhuneshwar.

So come and join me for Chotpoti.

Tousule for Magic Mingle #13

Tousule is a Goan delicacy made in the rainy season.

Why rains?  Well cucumbers the main ingredient of Tousule is grown in plenty in the hilly areas and is sold not only on the roads but also in the markets. Its common sight for the farmers themselves selling the freshly plucked cucumbers. Also one more ingredient the turmeric leaf that is used to give a delicious aroma to the Tousule.

Traditionally the Tousule is made out of rice suji or rava or wheat rava fine or thick kind, cashew nuts, coconut and jaggary are used to create this beautiful steamed delicacy called Tousule.

When Kalyani announced the Magic Mingle of cucumber and walnuts I was sure I will never make it. Then I saw Gayatri post of zucchini bread and something went click in my head and I thought Tousule.

Well if you are a regular visitor here you will know sweets, let me clarify some sweets, are unmentionables in my place this happens to be one of them. I made minimum quantity of 1 katori. But please let me not put you guys off the Tousule it is amazing. Do try it out.

Cucumber Rolls~ A Blog Hop#18

My brother and SIL had come down with his bundle of joy for three days.

I was to make supari with my father’s help and show Pooja, my SIL, some simple cakes. But the supari is on my kitchen shelf and the cakes are just not made.  I do not know where the days flew! One 7 month old baby Ayan and he had all of us dancing!

Before they left Pooja made us a delicious pancake and ice cream dessert  will share the recipe soon. They left for the US yesterday but it feels like ages that they have gone and the house feels empty without Ayan. May be next time I will do better.

Today I have some more relatives though there is no baby involved here I will be busy   to add to my woes the computer is acting up and I am not getting my daily fix of visiting my friends. Will do so after they leave hopefully for by then the Rain God will be visiting us........ And life continues.

But for today’s Blog Hop Radhika the brain behind it has paired me with Jayanti of Sizzling Veggies. In case you have not been there you are missing a treat. The pictures are a visual treat and the recipes are mind blowing. I had a hard time trying to choose what I wanted. Had I made something when Pooja was here then it would have definitely been Almond Cherry brownies but that was not to be.

 I had to go to the internet cafe to get my recipe and the first thing I saw was these awesome cucumber rolls.  I had to make them.

Cucumber Peel Chutney

I was a horrible cook (not that I am any good now) and at my wits end.

I compared myself to Amma and I envied her ease at cooking. I wondered if she had the Midas touch. Anything she made tasted wonderful not only to me but all of us appreciated her cooking.

Sutikai Kosambri or Kakdi chi Koshimbir

Today I have chosen to write about my daughter’s favourite salad known in Kannada as “Sutikai Kosambri” or in Marathi as “Kakdi chi Koshimbir”!

Packed with nutrients of cucumber, peanuts and/or coconut and curds it is one of the easiest and the tastiest salad to put together plus you can eat it with chapatti or rice.

Cucumber Paneer Salad

      

      When Pia announced her event of Innovative Salads I was really in a fix. Most salads that I make are the in the lines of Koshambri or Koshimbir always a side dish to be eaten either with chapatis or rice this had to be the main dish.

How does one innovate salad? And that too with cucumber?

So I started Googling for ideas I saw a few salads but rejected them , as  they  needed exotic  vegetables that meant it had to be planned and ordered with the Bhajiwala definitely not the best of situation ( what if we do not like the taste of the vegetable I ordered)!

So I went to my best friend and worst critic, my Better Half( who has   great suggestions  and I generally do not heed)    who suggested I make a plain salad that  I had made some time ago when we wanted to eat salad only and nothing else.  

 Ingredients:

1 red capsicum

1 cucumber

¼ kg paneer

4-5 olives

A handful of green peas

1 tsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt

 Sugar

2 tsp Pepper powder

Method:

1.       Mix the lime juice, oil, salt, sugar and pepper till the sugar dissolves.

2.       Cut the paneer into pieces.

3.       Pour the lime juice mixture on the paneer and toss well. Marinate for   10-15 minutes.

4.       Cut the deseeded capsicum in to pieces.

5.       Peel and make pieces of the cucumber.

6.       Toss all the ingredients just before serving.

Will taste great chilled but since I generally avoid cucumber and that to chilled I did not.

I am sending this salad to Pia's Innovative Salads,

This salad is going to participate in the 'Only' Salads event hosted by me,which is started by Pari of Foodelicious.