Baked Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

This is one of my never fail dish (touch wood). So i can swear on this. If i am risking with making new dishes, i generally make this also. As i know this will definitely work. (if in india, just electricity shouldn’t ditch me) :P. Well this gives me an idea i should try making this on gas sometimes ... i don’t know if it would work ... will try n write here, if i succeed or not.

Well, i had similar dish @ Chokola @ Khan Market in India. They serve 5-6 pieces of mini mushroom with ricotta on tarlets(baked together). Which , when i had it for the first time tasted very good. Second time i took my Husband there (my Fiancé then), we ordered same but found the tarlets were over baked so were spoiling the overall taste. Thought, i would try to make these at home.

When i went to Singapore, this April, my friend Noopur had invited me over dinner. There were green thai curry n rice, then freshly baked mushroom came out of oven. Wow, what a aroma, the texture... cooked to perfection they were!! I totally loved it. Thai green curry is my favourite, but this stole the show. Then i made my mind, i am now definitely and definitely gonna try these. And these were without tartlets and tasted far far better than what i had at Chokola. Noopur, after marriage, has definitely become better cook. I guess, its all love for her foodie husband. J

Anyways, i came back to India, and before moving to Rotterdam i had 2 weeks, i was at my maiden house as all my stuff here and loads of packing, so i decided to make this on a kinda very crucial day. The day my father in law n youngest Sis in law were invited at my mom house over dinner. As i mentioned above, this dish hasn’t failed until now, became the most appreciated dish among all i had made.

So, here it is how i made.

Ingredients:

9-10 Button mushrooms (or the many fit in your baking dish, depending on their size)

2-3 Spring onions, (finely minced)

3 tsp fresh Rosemary (if fresh, not available, you may use dried )

3 Garlic cloves (Minced)

2-3 tbsp Oilve oil

Salt to taste

½ tsp Chili Flacks(optional)

1 Cup grated Cheese (Ricota/Paneer/if both are not available you may use Pizza cheese)

Method:

Preheat Oven at 180 Degree C.

Take out the stems of the mushrooms gently, and finely chop them.

In a pan, heat the oil, add mushroom and onions, cook until, little soft. Add 2 finely minced cloves of Garlic, chilli flakes and salt and let it cool. Add 2 tsp rosemary and half the cheese.

Oil the baking dish, brush the mushroom caps also with lightly with oil and spoon the filling in. Top it with grated cheese.

Sprinkle little rosemary and a finely minced clove of garlic on the dish.(optional)

Bake them for 15-20 minutes or until they are tender when pierced and top are lightly brown.

Serve Hot!

Tomato Bruschetta

Wow, this is the most simplest yet tastiest appetizer!! and kinda never fails how so ever you make...

Well, the first time, i had it at a Restaurant called 'Pasta Fresca' at Boat Quay in Singapore.. Heavenly it was .. wanted to have just that in my dinner ... since i was with my friends .. i had to order other food. But, the first thing I did after I got back home, was to Google its recipe.

So, once I was in Delhi(home) on my vacations and my mom's cousin dropped by to invite to her daughter's wedding. Didn't have much at home, which was substantial enough for evening snacks, but, had all the ingredients that i could make Bruschetta except the Basil leaves (i used its sister Tulsi, instead, seriously). I dunno if that was good idea. I love Basil's smell, texture n taste.

Now, how I had made it that day, hmm infused the Garlic in Extra Virgin Olive oil. De-seaded the tomatos, put them into a bowl, added salt, a finely chopped garlic, tulsi leaves, dried oregano, olive oil.

Cut the bread (french loaf, 6 slices), toasted them Tava (Indian pan to roast breads) until golden brown and crisp on each side and brushed the garlic infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Then topped the bread slices with tomato mixture and served immediately.

Well, It turned out pretty nice, but still i felt something was missing. Actually the ones which were not eaten immediately were getting a little soggy.

After that I have made them n number of times, searched on net for different ways to make it.

The last time, i had made the Bruschetta, was yesterday evening, for few friends, who were coming from The Hague, over from dinner. From the previous conversations with them, I figured out, that they like Italian food, so thought to make few of them. Well, they really liked the bruschetta.

So here it is, how i made them. (10 serving)


I used Baguette French bread loaf (or you may use any similar bread). Cut them into number of slices as required.

Ingredients :

6 Red Tomatoes

3 Cloves of Garlic.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2-3 table spoon

5-6 Basil Leaves

Salt to Taste

Chilli Flakes (Optional)

1 1/2 tbsp of Butter (i used Butter and garlic mixture to spread on bread slices, you make choose Extra Virgin Olive Oil, instead).

Method:

1. 1.Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic. ( i used garlic press to do that) and the same in butter(or olive oil as stated above) and mix well and set aside.
2. De-seed the tomatoes, Chop them and then slightly dab the kitchen paper to take away the moisture from the tomatoes,
3. Put them into a bowl, add 2-3 table spoon of EV Olive oil, chopped basil leaves, a finely chopped garlic and chili flakes. ( Don't add salt at this point, it it helps tomatoes to release water).
4. Leave the mixture aside for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven @ 220 degrees C for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, apply the the butter mixture on the bread slices. Roast them for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven (you may also roast them on Flat pan or bread toaster or grill and apply the butter n garlic mixture after roasting).
7. Add salt to the tomatoes mix and top them on bread slices. Serve, Eat n Njoy!

Variations or Additions:

Chopped Olives (black or Green) or chopped Onions or add mozzarella cheese :)

Kulcha Sandwich

I was going to my Art class n the school is on 6th floor. I was just generally thinking about preparing something of the baked beans that i had bought the night before. Thinking about i entered into the lift .. and thought of making sandwich using Kulchas than using bread. And by the time i reached on 6th flour. i was ready with following recipe of kulcha and beans sandwich.
(Makes 8)

Ingredients
1 Can of Tomato based baked beans
1 medium Onion (Sliceit finely)
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 medium Capsicum (optional)
Salt, red Chili powder, to taste,

100 Gms Paneer.
Slice them with thickness of 2/3 centimeter.
Paneer needs to be marrinated.
For that you require:
2 table spoon of extra Vigin Olive Oil.
Pinch of Salt, Black pepper
(mix these ingridients and marinate paneer for 15 mins)

Sundried Tomato slices.
1 Spring Onion (chopped) (optional)
4 kulchas (standard size)

Method:
In a pan, add little oil in a pan, add Onion, Garlic paste, Capsicum saute them till they become tender. add beans and keep stiring. Add salt n chili to taste.( since baked beans are already salted, so add salt accordingly).

In the another pan, grill the Paneer until golden brown on each side.

To assemble the the sandwich.

Place a Kulcha, Spread the baked beans paste on it, top it with paneer, sundried tomatoes and sping onion. Cover this with another Kulcha.

On the Non stick grill pan or tava, (brushed with little oil), grill the sancwich, until crips and golden brown, Remove cut with help of sharp knife ( i use Pizza cutter) divide it into 4.

Serve it with mint chutney or tomato ketchup.