The heat is on!

I have always loved sport…okay, maybe not playing it as much as watching it, but from what I can remember, it has always been an integral part of my life. Maybe that’s because I was always considered ‘one of the guys’ in school (I could beat seasoned seniors at a mean game of pool, thank you very much; or it could also because all the men, women and children in my house are addicted to sport – cricket, tennis, golf, soccer, you name it and there will definitely be some action and live commentary happening my household.

That brings me to my topic of discussion or debate today – India Vs West Indies on March 20 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai baby! I love, love, love watching cricket at the stadium…what an adrenaline rush! So this time when I check the schedule for WC 2011 and saw that India had a game in Chennai, I decided to bug all and sundry for a ticket!

 

The chances seemed bleak, me clinging on to a rope of hope…and just when things seemed down, lo and behold! A very very dear friend, one of my best girls in fact made it happen! So I have decided to reward her and pack a picnic basket replete with sandwiches and cookies. Here’s what I’m making:

Pressed Picnic Sandwiches

·         1 large loaf of ciabatta bread, sliced lengthwise

·         3-4 tablespoons fresh pesto

·         1/4 lb. sliced sweet sopressata

·         3-4 slices good prosciutto

·         3-4 slices provolone cheese

·         3-4 slices mozzarella cheese

·         6-8 basil leaves, washed and patted dry

·         plastic wrap, for wrapping the sandwiches

METHOD:  Slice the ciabatta bread lengthwise, so that there is a top and a bottom slice. Spread 3-4 tablespoons of fresh pesto over the bottom piece of bread. I like a lot of pesto, but don’t use so much that the bread becomes soggy. Top the pesto with the sopressata, then the prosciutto, then the provolone and mozzarella cheese. Top the cheese with your basil leaves, then place the top of the bread on the sandwich. Press down on the sandwiches with your hands, then very tightly wrap them in plastic wrap (seriously – do this as tight as you possible can). When you are ready to eat, unwrap the sandwiches and use a very sharp knife to cut the sandwich into 9-12 small sandwiches.

Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

·         1 3/4 cups flour

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/2 cup shortening or butter for a flatter cookie

·         1/2 cup sugar

·         1/2 cup brown sugar

·         1/2 cup peanut butter

·         1 egg

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

·         2 tablespoons milk

·         1/2 large bag M&Ms

 METHOD: Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl, set aside. With a hand or stand mixer, cream the shortening (or butter), sugars and peanut butter. Stir in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the dry ingredients and mix till just combined. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir in the M&Ms. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets and lightly press down with a fork to barely flatten cookies. Bake 10 minutes; let cool on wire racks.

Snack that!

I have to tell you right at the outset that until the World Cup gets over, most of my posts are going to revolve around cricket and Team India. So with the India Vs West Indies match right around the corner, and since these matches most often fall on a Sunday, us cricket enthusiasts have decided to get together and watch the match. And since it is my turn to host this round, it is but natural that I will have to take care of the F&B department as well.

I’ve always preferred beer and biryani for these kind of dos, but this time around, have decided to jazz up the proceedings quite a bit. I will be serving three different types of finger foods and a dip, which I intend to make from scratch (no store bought gunk for me), apart for the ubiquitous chips and crackers. And after all that effort, if our boys in blue fail to cinch the game, they definitely have another thing coming. So after much deliberation, here’s what’s on the menu:

Sausage Cheese Balls

·         3 cups breadcrumbs

·         1 pound pork sausage

·         4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

·         1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·         1/2 cup milk

·         1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

·         1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

·         Barbecue sauce or chili sauce, if desired

METHOD: Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease bottom and sides of jelly roll pan or use parchment paper. Stir together all ingredients, using hands or spoon. If your mixture is too dry add a little more milk. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place in pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm with sauce for dipping.

Goat Cheese and Pancetta Stuffed Mushrooms

·         8 oz. stuffing mushrooms (about 12 mushrooms)

·         2 tsp. olive oil plus additional for drizzling

·         2 oz. pancetta, finely diced

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         4 oz. goat cheese, softened

·         2 oz. cream cheese, softened

·         3 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

·         salt and freshly ground pepper

·         ~1 Tbsp. breadcrumbs

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 400. Remove the stems from the mushrooms.  Dice and reserve about 1/3 of the stems and discard the rest (or save to make some stock!). Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and once hot, add the pancetta.  Cook until crisp and then remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.  Turn the heat to medium and add the garlic and reserved mushroom stems, cooking until tender.  Add to the bowl with the pancetta and allow to cool for a few minutes. Stir the goat cheese, cream cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste into the pancetta mixture.  Fill each mushroom cap with the mixture, and top with about 1/2 tsp. breadcrumbs per mushroom cap.  Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.

Olive & Scallion Dip:

·         1 8 oz. brick of Cream Cheese, soft

·         3/4 cup of Mayo, or more to taste

·         3 Scallions, sliced and coarsely chopped

·         3 oz. Spanish Green Olives with Pimentos, roughly chopped

·         A little less than one {6oz dry wt.} can of Black Olives, roughly chopped

·         6 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese, freshly grated

·         Pepper to taste

      METHOD: Add cream cheese, mayo and salt, pepper into a medium bowl and mix until blended. Add in the green onions, olives and cheese and fold in until all are incorporated. Serve with whatever, whenever!


Fried Spiced Chicken
· 1 whole chicken

·         1 cup buttermilk

·         1 large egg

·         1/2 cup peanut butter

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

·         1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·         salt and freshly ground pepper

·         Vegetable oil for frying

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         Honey for serving, optional

METHOD:  Cut chicken breasts in half, making 10 chicken pieces. In a shallow dish, whisk together buttermilk, egg, peanut butter, cinnamon, allspice and cayenne; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss chicken in marinade; cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours, tossing twice. Add oil to a heavy-bottomed pot to reach 2 inches; heat oil over medium to reach 350°F. Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off; dredge chicken in flour. Carefully add chicken to hot oil; fry until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to paper towels to drain; season with salt.  Serve with honey, if desired.

A little bit of this and that

So, did you watch the match yesterday? And did you want to knock our ‘Captain Cool’ Dhoni on his head, wring Chawla’s hand and chop off Bhajji’s head for missing that ever so crucial catch? The field placements were awry, the fielding was pathetic, the boys in blue seemed to be unaware about the concept of ‘Appealing’ and really, with a score like 338, if you can’t defend it, you have no business being in the game.

England on their part, played like champions, Strauss leading like a sturdy soldier with his loyal army backing him up every step of the way. They were cruising along to victory, when a sudden volley of wickets by Zaheer put a stop to their proceedings. So near, yet so far eh?

It was last night when I was sitting at the club with friends, breathing in the heavy, tension-filled, nicotine enhanced air, when both the teams had a 50% chance of winning, that I came up with the recipe to my new dish. 

50:50 Cookies
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
5 tbsp butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk

METHOD:  Preheat oven to 350.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease and flour them REALLY WELL so that the cookies don't stick.  These are super cake-y so they will stick.  Every chance they get.  Be wary. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Using a mixer, cream 5 tbsp butter with the sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk until smooth.  Place 1/4 cup scoops of batter about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Using a butter knife, spread the batter so that they are still quite thick but are flat on top.  THIS IS CRUCIAL.  If these are too thin, they will fall apart when you are trying to put icing on them.  Because they are cake-y they are ONLY sturdy if they are thick and they will spread quite a bit, I promise.  So just be careful.  Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out dry, about 12-15 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Vanilla Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp hot water

METHOD: Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, and hot water until smooth.  When the cookies are cool, face them bottom side up and spread half of the cookie with vanilla glaze.  You can do this with a butter knife.

Chocolate Glaze
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp light corn syrup

METHOD: In a bowl, melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave for about 1 minute or until melted.  Add the corn syrup and stir until smooth. Spread this over the second half of the cookies (use a spoon).  Refrigerate/freeze for 20 minutes to set. 

Bleeding Blue!

World cup fever is officially in the air! From the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy 'De Ghuma ke' jingle to Pepsi's doosras & palti shots, to the 6 new World Cup chips flavours, February beckons the largest cricketing event to be staged in the sub-continent. By no means, a small task.

What is staggering though is the scale of its importance to the cricket playing nations. With the fixtures and schedules known, teams are in full preparation. Extra practice sessions, rigorous fielding drills, hours of strategic planning, are the main work outs for all the teams.

For some like Sachin, Muralitharan, Ponting, Kallis, this is their last chance for a shot at the most prized tournament in the cricketing world. With just one shot remaining in their artillery, expect nothing less than a powerful explosion. They will be ready to stretch their body, twitch their muscles and rub off some wounds to lay their hands in the coveted World Cup trophy. Remember, wounded dogs bite stronger.

As for me, I’m all set to watch the match (even though it’s a working day) at office. The action will continue late into the evening as our men in blue get set to start off with a bang against their Bangladeshi brothers…while I have decided to support our boys with some blue spirit of my own, quite literally!

Here are the some of my most favourite ‘BLUE’ cocktails. Get into the spirit guys, World Cup fever has just begun…BLEED BLUE!

Blue Lagoon

·         1½ oz vodka

·         1½ oz Blue Curaçao

·         Lemonade

Fill a highball glass with ice cubes. Add the vodka and Curaçao and top up with lemonade. Stir well. Serve garnished with a slice of orange. For a Blue Lagoon shot, mix ½ oz vodka , ½ oz Blue Curaçao and ½ oz lime juice with ice in a shaker. Strain into a shot glass.

Blue Martini

·         ½ oz dry vermouth

·         1½ oz gin

·         1 teaspoonful Blue Curaçao

·         A dash of bitters

Fill a shaker with crushed ice. Add all the ingredients and shake well. Serve in a chilled cocktail glass.

Azure Martini

·         2 oz gin

·         1 oz Triple Sec

·         1 oz Blue Curaçao

Fill a shaker with crushed ice. Add all the ingredients and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

Blue Margarita

·         2 oz tequila

·         1 oz Blue Curaçao

·         1 oz lime juice

·         ¼ oz sugar syrup

Fill a shaker with crushed ice. Add all the ingredients and shake well. Wipe the cut lime around the edge of a martini glass and dip into a saucer of salt. Carefully strain the cocktail into the glass.

Carolina Blue

·         1 oz gin

·         1 oz Blue Curaçao

·         1 lime

Fill a shaker with crushed ice. Squeeze the juice from the lime into the shaker. Add the gin and Curaçao and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass garnished with a twist of lime.

Blue Hawaiian

·         1½ oz white rum

·         3 oz pineapple juice

·         1 oz Blue Curaçao

·         1½ oz coconut milk

Fill a shaker with ice. Add all the ingredients and shake well. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Serve garnished with a cherry and a slice of pineapple.