**Date/ Nuts Truffles**

These sweet cute balls are actually quite similar to the date balls i make in Ramadan. It is always a great hit served to my guests not only in winter :)

This time I bought the extra soft Iranian dates, and I did not have to give them a steam, I just pitted them and pressed them flat with a wooden spoon :)

I added honey and brown sugar in them, and took all the nuts except pistachios.

 

 

So this is what I did:

1 kilo soft dates (pitted)

100gram almonds (crushed)

50 gram walnuts (crushed)

50gram dry coconut (fine chopped)

20 gram sweet cashews (fine chopped)

3-5 tbs honey

2-3 tbs brown sugar

2-tbs dry nido powder

 

 

*pit all the dates and shred them either with your fingers or press with a wooden spoon to make it flatter (as I did)

*crush the almonds and walnuts in a chopper till they still stay coarse; don’t make a powder of them as they won’t taste nice later

*chop the coconut and cashews with a big knife so that they seem like tiny chunks

*now spread the dates in a broad tray, sprinkle all the nuts on it

*sprinkle the sugar on it, add the honey on the top

 

*now mix all with a wooden spoon, and then try to mix all with your greased palms till all mixes well and turns into a smooth even dough

*now make small sized balls of your choice, I made a bit bigger to fit them in the tiny cuppies :)

*turn and twist them in the desiccated coconut and place in the truffle paper cups or you can place in any plate too :)

 

 

~Keep them in a tin box and keep it tight closed, they stay very well till they are all finished. If you keep them open they will dry up due to so many nuts in it!

Enjoy making and eating!!

 

*Duchess Potatoes Cake*

As the name shows this is supposed to be a delicate dish, as some say it was first made for a duchess so it is named after that, but it is also well known as a popular side dish from the French cuisine. I named it a cake because as it was ready it really looked like a lovely cake : )

Duchess Potatoes are an additional side dish with all grilled or fried meat or fish meals.

I make it with fried fish and fried vegetable, this time I thought to make 3 in 1 : )

They are very easy and very delicious and are much loved from all kiddies : )

 

 

I make casseroles very often as I love them and so does my Family, so this time it was the Potato/Veg casserole and instead that i made the duchess potato separately I made them together.

You just need some time and peace to make them, otherwise it is really simple.

 

So let’s start off, here’s what you need to do, I’ll write each  step according to ingredients,

it is easy for you to follow each one after the other and prepare all so ti is easy to just assemble the casserole :

 

**6-7 potatoes

-wash, peel, cut and boil in salt water)

-30ml milk

-1tbs butter

-Salt and black pepper to taste

- ¼ tsp red chili flakes

-¼ tsp cumin powder

1 egg

**200gram Mixed vegetable

-carrots, peas, maize, broccoli, cauliflower

(cut in cubes)

-1-2 tsp butter to fry the veg

 

**200ml Cream fraich/Quark

-add some salt and black pepper in it along with some curry powder to taste

You can also take simple thick cream and season according to your taste

**50 gram grated cheese             

I made it s bit Calorie conscious as I was adding enough butter in it

(yes yes I know conscious? with butter and cream lol )

 

*so, I always peel the potatoes before boiling as they get cooked really fast

*always add some salt in the water so the potatoes have a good taste

*take a casserole; spread some cream on the bottom

*take out 2 potatoes when boiled, cut in thick slices and fry them till gold brown

*lay these in the casserole on the bottom layer

*fry the Veg slightly in the butter

*mash the rest of the potatoes while still warm

*add the egg, butter, milk and salt /pepper

 

 

 

 

*the puree should be smooth, add more spices according to your taste

*take out at least ½ cup puree in a separate bowl!

*now spread the puree on the sides of the casserole making a hollow space in the middle

*just pat the puree so it is evenly spread on the sides

*now fill the hollow in-between with the fried Veg

*take a piping bag and fill in the rest puree and fix the star nozzle on it

*you can now either make stars or rosettes on the sides of the casserole

*just make them thick enough that they take a shape and make a peak of each

*now pour the rest cream over the middle part on the Veg and sprinkle the cheese over it too

* bake it in the pre heated oven on 190C for around 15 minutes

* you’ll see the cheese turning gold and the duchess potato taking a lovely brown gold color

 *Your Grand Lunch or Dinner is ready : )

 

 

**Many brush an egg yolk extra on the duchess potato, but I don’t like it, it is enough to add in the puree, they are nice crunchy when they are done and also have that lovely yellowish color : )

~Goulash with Paprika in Cream Sauce~

Goulash is a tender beef part, it is nearly fat free It cooks very fast and usually we always cut it in small pieces, that is the beauty of it, it will not give you any attraction if the pieces are too big! We also call it gool boti ka gosht in Urdu : )

Goulash is described in so many ways; each has its own way of making it. It is made in nearly all over the world with different names and styles, with different Vegetables in it and mostly as a stew and a thick soup. It is supposed to be the origin of Hungary

Here in Germany my friend makes it with potatoes in a thick soup with lots of tomato sauce, and we eat it with a nice garlic baguette : )

 

 

My Mom used to make this without any combinations, just simple with thick gravy made of yoghurt and hot spices.

 

I have experienced many new ways of molding many of her dishes adding other ingredients : )

 

I actually planned to make something else today (will make it in a day or two) but then saw the lovely Red Paprika in the fridge so changed to plan B lol…

I set my rice to cook on the fast track as no rice no fun : )

 

So here’s what I did:

 

400 gram chunks of beef

2-3 garlic pods (grated)

1large Paprika (cut in strips)

3 spring onion stem ( cut fine circles)

4-5 green chilies (optional)

150 ml cream ( I took double cream)

3 tbs butter( for meat)

2 tbs butter ( for Veg)

½ - ¾ tsp salt

½ tsp red chili flakes

¼ tsp black pepper

 

*You need two pans for this

 

-*heat the butter in a broad pan and fry the meat in it,

-*grate the garlic directly on the meat and mix well

-*the meat leaves water so we don’t need to add much water in it

-*I just added like a half cup to it just covers the lid, so the meat is done in the steam

-*try NOT to pirck any spoon or fork in the meat, so they will stay soft and spongy

-*on the other side, heat another pan, melt in the next butter on medium heat

-*fry the spring onion light pinkish, all the paprika and just stir slightly

-*slit the green chilies and add them too

-*now just keep stirring don’t cover it as the Vegetable must be crunchy!

-*in the mean time the meat must be ready and nearly dry fry

-*now take a larger pan and combine both Vegetable and meat and mix them

-*sprinkle all the spices mixing them gently so the Vegetable doesn’t break

-*in the end pour the cream and cook and keep stirring slightly, the cream will start getting thicker, so don’t leave it unattended

-*cook till the consistency you like, I wanted it nearly dried up yet it had a very soft and juicy texture, you can make the creamy gravy according to your taste.

 

 

**The delish meal is ready  : ) Make and enjoy it with warm fresh rice like I did : )**

:D

 

Wow an unexpected surprise:)

Thank you to all of you who liked me enough to vote for me!

I did not follow the voting as i knew i had no big following asuch that i could even be in that list :)

I am grateful to you all my friends who made it possible with their votes that i stand on the 4th and 9th place in the Top 10 Ranking and that IS really SUPER!!!

Love you all!!

Mustard/Mayo Grilled Minced Meat Balls & Grilled Veg

 

I had taken out minced meat to make Koftay, and as the process is a bit lengthy i thought to take out the half and make some Mustard balls, are quick to make and very delicious. Later I also cooked Koftay for tomorrow : )

For small portions of meals I usually use my Mini baking oven, it has those fine thin rods and cooks all fantastic!

 

 

Mustard balls are a favorite item as a snack on parties or as starters, they are also served cold, they taste very good, mines turned a bit darker than normal as I put a bit more mustard In it and spread some on the balls too, next time I won’t spread on the top :(

 

I made the simple butter rice with it, but made it in a small non stick frying pan, I enjoyed cooking  in the pan, spread some yellow food color to give it a richer look :)

Cut fine thin slices of ginger, paprika, or any Veg you would like to have with rice, I took the hot chilies too, spread 2 tbs oil in the baking tray and lay all on it to grill. The whole process took like 20-25 minutes. Prepared the rice as the balls were in the oven

 

So let’s get set and cook:

300 gram minced meat

1 medium onion (fine chopped)

3 tbs bread crumbs

1 egg

½ tsp salt or more to taste ( be careful as mustard is also salty!)

½ tsp red chili flakes

½ black pepper

1 ½ tsp hot mustard paste

1 tbs mayonnaise

1tsp fresh garlic paste

1tbs butter ( to melt and brush on the balls later)

2tbs of milk (to knead all smoothly)

 

~Veg~

1 red/yellow paprika

6-8 slices of ginger

4-8 chilies

You can also take any Veg you like to. It’s your free choice.

*I chop the onion adding the 3 powder spices into so it is very easy to mix all evenly

*mix the mince well and then add the rest ingredients in it

*knead all very well till all the spices get mixed in

*make walnut size balls and prick a shashlik stick through 3-4 balls

*brush some butter on each ( I brushed mustard paste also)

*place the wire rack on the baking tray and lay these sticks on it

*bake or grill on 200°C for around 20 minutes, just turn the stick once so the other side also gets grilled/baked

*as the balls are ¾ done, you can lay the Veg in the tray so all gets ready at the same time.

*you can grill Zucchini or egg plant too, I like only paprika.

 

I loved to serve in the pan, you can dish out and, so as soon as the balls are ready, just serve with one stick each or as demand.

It may seem dry to some, you can use any dip or raita with it, we liked it only with the grilled Veg and hot steamy buttery rice!

No fuss, very easy, quick with a tasty outcome :)

Happy Grilling!

Some beauti for the eyes :D

I find this a really master creation of some human mind.Gives a very fresh feeling by looking at this "Big Bunch of Flowers" :)

 

 

 

~Apple Puree Streusel Cake~

 

Different sort of Apple cakes are very much loved and are widely popular especially here in the North. You can get them at each bakery and confectionery shop.
...
I had bought a lot of organic apples and as it is usually, that the last 3-4 remain in the bowl till the end : ) I had made the normal apple cake many times and the crumble is a constant dessert in winter, so I thought why not make a purée of it for the pancakes, but then I changed plan A and started plan B lol….

I just used the recipe of my butter cake; I added butter in the batter, reduced some measurements, spread the puree and then topped with lots of streusel (butter crumbles)

As it was ready it was extreme delicious with the puree filled in each hole and crumbs yummmmy : )
The streusel makes it super divine and Ah so scrumptious.
Okay enough praises, just make it and taste it yourself : )
I took a 9”x9”square form to bake this

 

 

Here’s how I baked it:

~Apple Puree~
Make the puree ahead and let it cool down

4 apples
2tbs sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup water

*wash, peel and cut the apples in cubes
*let it cook till it turns thicker and the apples seems mushy
*just crush and press with a cooking spoon, no need to blend it forms into a puree automatically.

~Cake batter~
250 gram butter
400 gram plain flour
200 gram sugar
3 eggs
2 ½ tsp baking powder
Few drops of milk if the batter is too heavy and thick

 

~Streusel~
200gram flour
100gram sugar
150gram butter

*in streusel the butter and sugar are of the same ratio, but I use less sugar and it is perfect!
* take soft butter so you can mix it well with flour and sugar, just add the flour slowly and keep crumbling with fingers till you have chunks of crumble

Baking procedure:

*beat the butter and eggs till very creamy
*add the sugar and beat all till fluffy
*sieve the flour and baking powder together and add in
*beat into a creamy batter
*Lay a parchment paper or grease and dust with flour well
*Pour the batter into the tray, spread the cold puree evenly all over
*spread the crumble thick over the top
*bake in a preheated oven on 170°C around 35-40 minutes
You will see when the crumbles are light brown and the butter oozing from sides, it is ready.

Enjoy the Crumbly moist apple cake!

 

 

** Many of you have asked why the cake bakes fast but stays uncooked, many think increasing the heat may bake is fast and it doesn’t matter if it is 180°C instead of 170°C!

My dearies,It is important NOT to increase the heat of the oven as the cakes gets brown and one thinks it is ready, but the inner part stays uncooked, the raising agent needs the due time and warmth to fluff up evenly!**