Pizza margherita in 4 easy steps

Ingredients

FOR THE BASE

• 300g strong bread flour
• 1 tsp instant yeast (from a sachet or a tub)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil , plus extra for drizzling

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

• 100ml passata
• handful fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
• 1 garlic clove , crushed

FOR THE TOPPING

• 125g ball mozzarella , sliced
• handful grated or shaved parmesan
• handful cherry tomatoes , halved

TO FINISH

• handful basil leaves (optional)

Method

1. Make the base: Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well, pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil and bring together with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. You can leave the dough to rise if you like, but it's not essential for a thin crust.
2. Make the sauce: Mix the passata, basil and crushed garlic together, then season to taste. Leave to stand at room temperature while you get on with shaping the base.
3. Roll out the dough: If you've let the dough rise, give it a quick knead, then split into two balls. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into large rounds, about 25cm across, using a rolling pin. The dough needs to be very thin as it will rise in the oven. Lift the rounds onto two floured baking sheets.
4. Top and bake: Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C /gas 8. Put another baking sheet or an upturned baking tray in the oven on the top shelf. Smooth sauce over bases with the back of a spoon. Scatter with cheese and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and season. Put one pizza, still on its baking sheet, on top of the preheated sheet or tray. Bake for 8-10 mins until crisp. Serve with a little more olive oil, and basil leaves if using. Repeat step for remaining pizza.

Troubleshooting
If the dough is too wet: Add a bit more flour and work it in. If dough is too stretchy to roll out: Leave it to rest for 10 mins or so, then try again. You need far more pressure when rolling dough than when rolling out pastry. If the base isn't cooked: Baking the pizza on top of a preheated sheet or tray should prevent this. However, it could be too thick or have too much topping. If the topping is cooked before the base, cover with foil and give it another 5 mins.

Choose your toppings  as per your likings.

Making the Samosa Pastry

You don't have to make your own pastry. You can simply buy some ready-made pastry from the shop.

For samosas you want to fry, use Filo Pastry and for samosas you want to cook in the oven use Puff Pastry.

This recipe will make enough pastry for 24 samosas and you will need:

225gm. plain flour
2 tspn. salt
2tblspb. vegetable oil
80 ml warm water.

Mix flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well into the centre and add the oil and enough water to make a firm dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and roll into a ball. Cover in plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Divide the pastry into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll out into a circle of 15 cm. Divide this circle into two equal pieces with a knife.

Brush each edge with a little water and form a cone shape around your fingers, sealing the dampened edge.

Fill the cases with a tblpns of your chosen mixture and press the two dampened edges together to seal the top of the cone.
Deep fry the samosas in hot oil until crisp and brown take out and drain on a paper towel.

Beef lasagna

Ingredients

Beef Mince 300g

Lasania 1 packet.

Origano                                ½ tsp

Rose merry         ½ tsp

Tomato purre 3 tbsp

Garlic   3-  4 cloves

Tomato 1

Capsicum             1

Spring onion 1

Parsly    1 bunch

Black pepper      ½ tsp

White pepper    ¼ tsp

Vistor sauce       3 tbsp

 Salt to taste

Oil 1/5 cup

Method

1 Put Oil in a pan and fry garlic cloves then add mince and add origano and rose mary and fry  till all water evaporates.

2Now add tompato puree capscium onions  tomato and parlsy and all spcies and sauces and cook for 4-5 mint

3 Boil half packet of lasania and put it in oven dish and spread mince over it. Add white sauce .now repeate this procedure again and at the end add chedder chese.

4  Bake it in a oven  for 10-15 mints. Oven temp sould be 180.

Chicken Corn Soup.

Chicken Corn Soup.

Ingredients

Chicken Boneless 100 gm

Egg         1

Corn Flour 4 Tbsp

Salt to taste

BlackPepper ¼ tsp

WhitePepper ¼ tsp

Chicken Broth 3 Cups. 3 Cups.

Carrot  1 medium

Onion  half

Spring onion 1

Sweet Corn 1 cup

Method.

1 Put Chicken in broth

2 Put Onion carrot in it and cover it and make them boil for 15-20 mints then drain all vegetables or blend them in a soup with blender.

3 Put black and white peppers and sweet corns.

4 Put 4 Tbsp of corn flour in a bowl and mix with little water and mix it in a soup slowly.

5 Whisk one egg and put it in soup.

6 when egg be ready. Your soup is ready. Serve hot with garnish and soup essentials of your choice.

               

Tips:

 Put heat on a low flame for good taste of soup.

Chicken Croquottes

Ingredients
Chicken boiled and shredded
White Sauce (make white sauce with 2tbsp butter. add 2 tbsp flour and little fry it now add 1 glass of milk and stir well so that there is no lumps
add salt and white pepper and some cheese )
saute finely choped onion in butter.
Translucent
bread crumbs 



Method
Add boiled n shreeded chicken in white sauce and translucent onion and enough bread crumbs to make it firm dough and put the mixture in refrigerator to make it hard.
after about 1 hr make shapes of ur choice n roll in egg and bread crumbs and fry it.

MALAI BARFI

Ingredients:

•8 cups or 2 quart milk
•1/2 cup sugar
•2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice (for making paneer)
•1 tablespoon sliced almonds or pistachio for garnishing

Method:
Making Paneer:
1.Mix lemon juice in ¼ cup of hot water and put aside.
2.Boil the 4 cups of milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.
3.As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
4.Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth, or muslin cloth.
5.Wrap the curds in a muslin cloth, rinse under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
6.To take out the excess water, squeeze the wrapped paneer. Do not knead the paneer.

Making barfi:

1.Boil remaining 4 cup of the milk in a heavy bottom frying pan on medium high heat until the milk reduces to about two cups.
2.Make sure to frequently stir the milk as the milk burns easily in bottom of the pan.
3.Add the paneer in the milk and keep stirring till the mixture thickness and form a soft dough consistency.
4.Add the sugar and continue to cook and stirring until the mixture become soft lump and start leaving the pan from sides.
5.Pour it over greased plate keeping about half inch thick.
6.Let it cool for about one hour. Cut the barfi in squares.

Tips:
1.Putting few spoons of water in pot before putting milk reduces burning the milk bottom of the pan.
2.If barfi is too soft put the plate in microwave oven (plate should be microwave safe) for 2 to 3 minutes. Making sure barfi don’t become dry.

Chilli chicken cheese pasta

Chilli Chicken Cheese Pasta 

INGREDIENTS:

Elbow Macroni (1 bag)... See More
Chicken (could be 1 full chicken or chicken breast or chicken legs)
Green Pepper - 1
Cucumber - 1
Onion – 2
Mozzarella Shredded Cheese
Chilli GARLIC SAUCE
Salt
Red Crushed Pepper
Soya Sauce 
Vinegar
Oil (to stir fry vegetables) 

DIRECTIONS:

Boil Elbow macroni in hot water, salt & oil.
Boil & shred the chicken.
Then cut the vegetables (Cucumber, Green Pepper and Onion) into squares & 
Stir-fry the chicken & vegetables with salt, crushed red pepper, sprinkle soya sauce and vinegar.
Let them cook until they’re soft and crisp.
Mix Macroni with Chilli Garlic Sauce in a separate bowl.

Now take a foil tray and grease it with oil.
1st Layer of macroni mixed with Chilli Garlic Sauce
2nd Layer of lots of shredded mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some chilli garlic sauce again (if wants spicy)
3rd Layer of stir fried vegetables and chicken 
4th Layer of lots shredded mozzarella cheese again.

Repeat these layers one more time one more time. 

Bake it until u cheese the cheese has melted and served it hot.

Palak Paneer

Ingredients:
Spinach		1/2 kg
Paneer		100 grams
Onion		1
Butter		3 tbsp.
Bay leaves		2-3
Cumin seeds		1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder		1/4 tsp.
Ginger-garlic paste		3/4 tsp.
Green chilli paste		1/2 tsp.
Garam Masala Powder		1 tsp.
Vegetable oil as required

Method: 1. Mix ginger-garlic paste, green chilli paste and some water with spinach. Pressure cook it for about 7-8 minutes (just before the first whistle). 2. Cut paneer into small cubes. Keep 3 cubes separately for decoration. 3. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the paneer pieces on 'medium' heat till they turn slightly brown. Set the paneer pieces aside. 4. Heat 2 tbsp. of butter. Fry bay leaves and cumin seeds. Add chopped onion. Fry until the onions become pink. 5. Add salt, black pepper powder, garam masala. Stir well. 6. Add paneer and cooked spinach (grinded). Mix well. 7. Put palak paneer in a baking tray . 8. Add rest of the butter. Bake for 1/2 hour at 180 deg C. Grate the paneer kept aside for decoration. Decorate. Palak paneer is ready to serve.

This week kitchen Tips

Potato cutlets- For better salt absorption, add it to the water in which the potato are boiling.

Brown onions faster- Onions will brown faster if 1/2 teaspoon of salt is added to the onions while frying.

Avoid sticky rice- Add a few drops of lemon juice & a pinch of sugar to the rice while cooking.

Crisp pakodas- Add a little cornflour to the gramflour while mixing the dough.

Easy garlic skin removal- Garlic skin comes off easily if the garlic flakes are warmed a little before peeling.

Safe cooking with oil- Sometimes hot oil starts foaming and starts rising in the pan. Dissipate the foam to avoid this situation by adding a marble sized ball of tamarind to the oil.

Gajor(Carrot ) ka halwa

Ingredients:
Grated carrot 1 kg
Milk 1 litre
Whole dried milk (mawa) 200 grams
Sugar 2 cups
Ghee 2 tbsp.
Dry fruits (sliced almond and cashew nuts, raisin ) 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp.
Method:
1. Put milk and grated carrots in a heavy base kadhai / deep saucepan and bring it to boil. Cook over medium heat until all the milk gets dried up. You should stir the mixture occasionally to prevent any sticking.
2. Add sugar, cardamom powder, 1/4 cup dry fruits and continuously stir for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add ghee and mawa. Stir well and fry on low heat until ghee starts separating.
4. Decorate with remaining dry fruits and serve hot. (Optional- decorate with silver leaf)
5. Add lemon juice and paneer pieces. Mix well so that all the paneer pieces gets properly coated with sugar. Allow it to cool.
 

Mutton Qaurma

Couscous- for Kids

Kids-Cook: Couscous
1 1/2 cup Water
1/3 cup Raisins
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Couscous
1 tbsp Butter


Measure water, raisins and salt into saucepan; bring
to boil. Stir in couscous and butter; cover and remove
from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes; fluff with fork.

Serve curried vegetables on top for a delicious dinner. 

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 leaves of lettuce

• Directions

  1. Place eggs in a pot of salted water. Bring the water to a boil, and let eggs cook in boiling water until they are hard boiled, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Drain eggs, and let cool. Once cool, remove the shell, cut the eggs in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks.
  2. Place the yolks in a medium-size mixing bowl and mash them. Blend in vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. You may need to add more mayonnaise to hold the mixture together, but it should be slightly dry.
  3. Carefully put the egg yolk mixture back into the egg whites but do not pack it. There will be enough mixture so the whites are overfilled. Sprinkle with paprika. Place on bed of lettuce and/or garnish with parsley. Cool before serving.

Kung Pao Chicken

1   INGREDIENTS

·        
Chicken breast 3

·        
Plain flour 1 tsp

·        
Corn flour 2 tbsp

·        
Salt according to taste

·        
Vinegar 2 tbsp

·        
Oil as required

·        
Peanuts 1/2 cup

·        
Cashew nut (kaju) 1/2 cup

·        
Sesame oil (til) 1 tsp

·        
Garlic-paste 1 tbsp

·        
Onion 1

·        
Ketchup 1 cup

·        
Stock (yakhni) 1/4 cup

·        
Red pepper (grinded) 1/2 tsp

·        
Thai chili 3-4

2   COOKING DIRECTIONS

1.    
Take plain four and corn flour in a bowl, mix them.

2.    
Add vinegar, salt and soy sauce and mix well.

3.    
Now marinate the chicken breasts in this.

4.    
Leave for 4-5 hours.

5.    
Then, deep fry the chicken pieces.

6.    
Now add cashew nuts and peanuts in oil, fry them.

7.    
Take another pan, add 3 tbsp oil.

8.    
Add warm sesame oil, garlic and onion.

9.    
Fry them all, and then add ketchup, stock and salt.

10. 
Also add red pepper and Thai chili.

11. 
Add 1 tbsp of corn flour to thicken the sauce.

12. 
Now add fried chicken, peanuts and cashew nuts in this sauce.

13. 
Serve it hot.

Crisp Chicken Bites

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breast fillets
• 6 tbsp red pesto
• 3 large handfuls breadcrumbs , frsh or dried (about 300g/10oz)
• olive oil

1. Cut the chicken breasts into small chunks, each about the size of a marble (you should get roughly 15 pieces per breast). Put the pesto in a bowl and mix together with the chicken until coated all over. Tip the breadcrumbs into a large freezer bag.
2. Add the chicken pieces in batches to the bag and give it a good shake to coat. Place a piece of greaseproof paper on a baking sheet, then lay the chicken pieces on the sheet, making sure none of them are touching. Put in the freezer and, when frozen solid, take off the baking sheet and store in a container or freezer bag.
3. To cook, heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/ gas 7. Pour a little oil onto a shallow baking tray, just enough to cover it. Put the tray in the oven and let it heat up for 5 mins. Tip the chicken onto the sheet and return to the oven for 10-15 mins until crisp and cooked through.

Using pesto adds flavour and means you don't have to faff about dipping the chicken in flour and egg before coating with crumbs.