CLOVES

Clove is used as a spice in cuisines all over the world.

It can be used in cooking either whole or in a ground form, but as they are extremely strong, they are used sparingly.

Cloves have historically been used in Indian Cuisine(both North Indian & South Indian).

In North Indian cuisine, it is used in almost all rich or spicy dishes as an ingredient of a mix named garam masala,along with other spices, although it is not an everyday ingredient for home cuisine, nor is it used in summer very often.

In south Indian cuisine, it is used extensively in biriyani along with "cloves dish" (similar to pilaf,but with the addition of other spices), and it is normally added whole to enhance the presentation and flavor of the rice.

Western studies have supported the use of cloves and clove oil for dental pain

Shakshouka

A very Arabic dish made up of eggs cooked in a thick tomato sauce with onions and spices...usually served with bread.

Recipe:

2 eggs
4 fresh tomatoes, blended
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika powder
1 onion, chopped finely
quarter tsp garlic paste
quarter tsp turmeric
1 green chilli, chopped
2-3 tbsp oil
salt to taste
pepper

Heat oil in a small saucepan, then add the onions and fry until transluscent. Add the garlic paste, followed by the blended tomatoes. Add all the other spices and cook on low heat until the tomato sauce has thickened. Break open the eggs and add them to the sauce, season them with a bit of salt n pepper, but do not stir, leave them whole. Cover the pan and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes or until the eggs look set with the yolk slightly soft...or you can cook them until the yolk is well-done, as you like. Garnish with coriander, and serve with warm buttered toast and enjoy!

Banana Fritters

Great way to use up those leftover bananas! These yummy fritters work perfectly for breakfast, or as a snack, or even for dessert!! You can either sprinkle some powdered sugar over them, cinnamon sugar, drizzle them with syrup or honey, or have them with a lovely scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Recipe: Serves 3-4

3 medium ripe bananas, peeled and mashed with a fork then drizzled with lemon juice to prevent discolouration
quarter cup sugar (more if you like them sweeter but I find this just the right amount coz ripe bananas are already sweet enough and you might drizzle or sprinkle something over them when serving!)
1 egg, lightly whisked
2 level cups flour
1 level tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp rice flour (optional: gives an extra crunch)
quarter tsp salt
half tsp cinnamon powder
half tsp vanilla essence
quarter cup milk

Beat the sugar, egg, vanilla and cinnamon until very nice and frothy. Add the mashed bananas and mix until well incorporated

Whisk the flour with the salt and baking powder, then gently add it into the mixture and stir. Add your milk a little at a time, until the mixture is of a consistency whereby you can pick and shape into balls using a spoon. If you need more than a quarter cup, it's ok...go ahead and add. Don't let the batter get too watery though! :)

Heat some oil in a pan, then gently using two spoons, pick a small amount of batter and ease it into the hot oil. Keep the heat on low coz they get brown very quickly. Try getting the fritters small so that they get done nicely. Once the underside is brown, gently turn them over.

Remove and drain on tissues, then serve with chopped fruits, icing sugar, cinnamon sugar, syrup, honey or ice-cream. Soooo yummy! :D

Spanish Omelette

One of the quickest and most colourful breakfast dishes I know!

Recipe:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tomato, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 green chillis, chopped (omit or reduce according to your taste)
2 tbsp chopped coriander
quarter tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp milk
salt and pepper to taste

Beat all the ingredients lightly. Heat 1 tbsp of butter or oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and swirl it around to cover the entire base of the pan. Pour the mixture in the pan and do not move the omelette until the bottom is solid/stable. Check to see if the bottom is browned sufficiently, and if so, flip it over to brown the other side. Serve hot with toast and tea! :)

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls Recipe:

Ingredients
Makes 12

DOUGH
2 and half tsp instant yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar (if you have a very sweet tooth then double this)
1/3 cup margarine or butter (I use butter)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour

FILLING
half cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine/butter, softened (I use butter)
2tbsp flour

ICING
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar/icing sugar
1/8 cup cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions

Knead the dough with all it's ingredients until nice and soft. If it's a bit sticky, don't worry about it. It will come together later on. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. It should be approx 1/4 thick.

To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. (DO NOT DO THIS EARLIER AS IT WILL START MELTING ON IT'S OWN) Spread the butter over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface. Press down gently with your hand so the sugar sticks to the dough. Then sprinkle 2 tbsp of flour using a sieve so it's a light dusting. This will help absorb any extra moisture from the sugar as the cinnabons are baking.

Working carefully, from the longer side of the rectangle, roll the dough down to the bottom edge, like a swiss roll.

Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan. TIP: Don't slice the cinnabons with a knife, it will smoooosh the roll so you won't get that perfect spirally top. Slide a thread...even dental floss will do...under the roll then bring the two ends of the thread to opposite sides like you're gonna tie a knot, and pull....the thread will slice the roll for you PERFECTLY! ;)

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. If you want the buns super crisp on the outside without having them burn or get too dark, cover them with a foil in the last 5 mins of baking so they will keep baking but wont turn colour.

While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing and serve warm! Leftovers warm up beautifully in a mini oven toaster or in the micro. ENJOY!!

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Mini-Pizzas

Pizza Dough: (makes 6-8)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

3 tbsp oil
1 tsp instant yeast
pinch of baking powder
warm milk for kneading (approx 1/2 to 3/4 cup)

Mix all the dry ingredients and the oil, then slowly start adding the warm milk a little at a time. Get it to a soft dough, the softer the better, knead it very well for at least 8 minutes or more if possible.

Dab a touch of oil all over the dough, then cover it and place it somewhere warm. Leave it to rise to double it's size, takes about 30 mins to an hour depending on the weather.

Once risen, punch it down, give it a quick knead and then divide the dough into 6 or 8 equal balls. Roll out each ball and place on your greased baking tray. Again cover the tray and let the bases rise slightly for about 15 mins.

Now, using the tip of a sharp knife, make small slits here and there all over the base. This helps make sure that the base rises evenly so you won't have awkward looking bubbles all over your pizza!

Apply your pizza sauce, followed by the topping of your choice and then some cheese. Bake at 180 C (in a pre-heated oven) for about 10-15 minutes, or until you see that they are done and the cheese is beautifully melted.

Alternatively, you can bake the bases alone for about 8 minutes, just until they are somewhat solid, then lay them out to cool and put them in a freezer bag to freeze until whenever you need to make a quick pizza, whereby all you will need to do is place your half-cooked base, add the toppings and bake! :)

Topping:

This can be anything you like. I normally like to make a simple tomato sauce to apply on the pizza base, followed by any toppings like shredded tandoori chicken, keema, steak, etc. I also like to add sweet corn, oregano, thinly sliced capsicum and pineapple pieces especially if am using chicken for the topping.

Here is my simple tomato sauce recipe:

Blend 2-3 tomatoes, 1 capsicum, 1 green chilli, small onion and a grated carrot together until smooth. Heat a bit of oil in a pan, like a tbsp or even less. Then add a bit of garlic paste, followed by 1 tbsp tomato paste. Once that's cooked for a couple mins, add the blended mixture and simmer. Add salt and a pinch of sugar followed by a bit of tandoori masala or cumin powder or oregano or you can just leave it plain and unspiced according to your taste. Let it simmer until thick and all the water is gone. Then use accordingly! :)

For the cheese, my favourites are mozzarella and cheddar coz they give the pizza that fantastic stretchy cheesy quality. YUM! :)

Pizza

instructions:

Making a Perfect Pizza: Step 1

Making a perfect pizza is really easy...you can do it at home and have better results than most bought pizzas! Here's how you can make one at home! :)

Prepare the pizza sauce.

You can buy this ready-made, but I always prefer knowing what goes into my pizza sauce. Here is my recipe for a simple pizza sauce. Do not go overboard with the spices, you want this simple and naturally flavourful.

Blend 2-3 tomatoes, 1 capsicum, 1 green chilli, small onion and a grated carrot together until smooth. Heat a bit of oil in a pan, like a tbsp or even less. Then add a bit of garlic paste, followed by 1 tbsp tomato paste. Once that's cooked for a couple mins, add the blended mixture and simmer. Add salt and a tsp of sugar followed by a bit of tandoori masala or cumin powder or oregano or you can just leave it plain and unspiced according to your taste. Let it simmer until thick and all the water is gone. Then use accordingly! :)

PS: Leftover sauce can work perfectly in burgers or sandwiches or even as a base-sauce for pasta.
PS: STEP 2
You can use any topping of your choice. You can make it a meat pizza, veggie, combo...whatever you like. Just make sure your toppings are not soggy otherwise your pizza will be a sloppy mess.
i use tomatoes,onions,coloured capsicum,and tandoori chicken shreded.

Making a Perfect Pizza: Step 3

Now prepare the dough. This pizza was a 12 inch one, and it is enough for 3 very hungry people or 4 if you have any sides like garlic bread, fries, salad...etc.

Here is my standard pizza-dough recipe,

2 and a half cups all-purpose flour
1 and half tsp salt
5 tbsp oil
1 and half tsp sugar
1 and half tsp instant yeast (use 2 tsp for colder climates)
2 pinches of baking powder
warm milk mixed with a bit of water for kneading


Mix all the dry ingredients and the oil, then slowly start adding the warm milk a little at a time. Get it to a soft dough, the softer the better, knead it very well for at least 8 minutes or more if possible.

Dab a touch of oil all over the dough, then cover it and place it somewhere warm. Leave it to rise to double it's size, takes about 30 mins to an hour depending on the weather.

Once risen, punch it down, give it a quick knead and then roll it out to about 12 inches diameter and place on your greased pizza pan/tray. Again cover the tray with a light cloth/towel and let the base rest/rise slightly for about 15-20 mins.

Making a Perfect Pizza: Step 4

When you check on it after 20 mins, it will have slightly puffed up.
Take a sharp knife and make tiny slits all over the base. This helps the pizza rise evenly during baking once the toppings are on it.
Missing this step can leave your pizza bubbly in some parts and flat in others, not a pretty sight! :)

Making a Perfect Pizza: Step 5

Once you've made the slits, apply a coating of your pizza sauce as evenly as you can.

Making a Perfect Pizza: Step 6

Now grate some cheese, mozzarella preferably, and sprinkle a light layer all over. This helps 'grip' the toppings to the base later on.

Making a Perfect Pizza: Step 7

Now add your toppings, one at a time.

Pic 1: Tandoori Chicken chunks
Pic 2: Sliced onions
Pic 3: Pineapple chunks(OPTIONAL)
Pic 4: Red & Green Pepper
Pic 5: Sweet corn- optional
Pic 6: Mozzarella & Cheddar Cheese (make sure you use GOOD QUALITY cheeses for best results)

Make sure you don't over-pile your pizza. Be generous but not overly so. Too much weight could restrict the base from rising well during baking. :)
Remember, the base has not been baked before hand.

Making a Perfect Pizza: Step 8

I like to drizzle some ketchup over the cheese. It gives the pizza a magnificent colour once baked. If you like, you can sprinkle some oregano on the pizza or chilli powder if you like it extra spicy.

Once done, bake the pizza in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about 20-25mins. Keep an eye on it and adjust the baking time according to your oven. It could take more or less time.


Making a Perfect Pizza: Final Result

And you have your perfect home-made pizza, just like that! When you get the pizza out of the oven, give it some time to rest (about 5-10 mins) so that the cheese can settle and cool very slightly. Slice it up into 8 slices and serve with fries or a salad and garlic bread. Don't forget a cold drink!! :D