All about Food

Literally means Woodsman style preparation of Pasta originated at Tuscany.Traditionally, Porcini mushroom being used. However, you may substitute with Champagne or any other mushroom. Also Pappardella Boscaiola comes in two versions White & Red. One with addition of cream and other with tomato sauce. 
I’m creating this delicious recipe with certain twist to it as cooking is all about skillful execution of creative ideas.  
Ingredients required:
For Boscaiola sauce
• Mushroom sliced 2 cups • Shallots 5 nos chopped• Garlic chopped 5 cloves• Olive oil 2 tbsp• Butter 1 tbsp• Fresh Parsley chopped• Thyme 1 sprig• Cherry Tomatoes halved• Crushed black pepper 1/2 tsp• Heavy cream 1/2 cup• White wine 100 ml• Kosher salt as required• Basil leaves 3 nos
For Pappardella
• All purpose flour 2 cup• Eggs 3 nos• Olive oil 2 tbsp• Salt to taste. 
Take flour in a mixing bowl. Break eggs in to it. Add required saltKnead it to a fine dough. Normally, there is no requirement to add water. However, if you need, you may add so. Knead it thoroughly and once it’s done, leave it to rest for about 15 minutes. Now divide the dough to 4 equal parts and roll it to a disc. If you have a pasta machine, use it and get the dough rolled according to desired thicknessCut it in long strips with an inch width size. Dust thr strips with flour to avoid sticking each other. Boil water in a large stock pot. Add little salt and once the water starts boiling, add pappardella and cook for about 15 minutes. 

Heat a pan with oil over medium flame. Add garlic,onion and saute till it’s translucent. Add butter, washed, drained and sliced mushroom in to it and saute on low flame. Once it’s turned soft, add tomatoes (halved) and give it a good stir. Add half cup of pasta boiled water and cook for about 2 minutes. Add now required salt, crushed black pepper and mix well. Add now the cream and mix. Add cooked pasta to mushroom and give it a good toss. Cook for about 3 minutes. Sprinkle grated pecorino cheese. Tear few Basil leaves and add to it. 
Happy Cooking! 

Ingredients required:
• Fresh Red chillies* 15 nos • Red Bell peppers 2 nos diced• Garlic 10 cloves • Kosher salt as required• White Vinegar 1 cup• Brown Sugar 2 tbsp
* Cut the chillies in to pieces You may deseed it partially if you prefer to have mild hot sauce. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour the vinegar and add red chillies, diced Bell pepper, garlic cloves. Add required salt and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes. Now seperate the vinegar from it by draing it through a sieve and reserve the vinegar for later use. Now grind the chillies, Bell pepper and garlic to coarse-smooth paste. Add the vinegar, sugar combine well and cook till sugar caramelize. Put off the flame and allow to cool. Store it in a clean, dry glass jar. 
Happy Cooking! 

Very simple, yet amazingly delicious pasta. It’s believed that Alfredo di Lelio have made this dish for his wife who was pregnant and was craving to have something special. 
Ingredients:
• Fettuccine 400 gms• Parmesan cheese grated 1 cup• Butter 2 tbsp• Crushed black pepper 1/2 tsp• Kosher salt as required• Fresh Basil sprig
Heat a stock pot with water. Once water starts boiling, add a pinch of salt and slip in fettuccine. Cook it for about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta. Reserve a cup of pasta water for later use. Heat a pan on medium flame. Add the butter and allow to melt. Once it’s melted, add grated parmesan cheese,pepper ( reserve a spoon for garnish) and stir it. Add the pasta water and let butter and cheese form a gooey, creamy sauce. Add now the fettuccine and give it a good toss. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and garnish with Basil sprig. Serve it hot. 
Happy Cooking! 

Ingredients required:

• Small brinjal (eggplant) 500 gms• Black pepper• Cumin seeds• Coriander seeds• Dry Red chillies• Shallots• Grated coconut• Tamarind paste• Turmeric powder• Mustard seed• Curry leaves• Rock salt• Sesame oil
Heat a pan over medium flame. Add black pepper, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, dried red chillies, shallots, little salt, grated coconut and dry roast till it release aromatic flavors. Put off the flame and allow the spices to cool. Once it’s cooled, grind it to a fine paste by adding little oil to it. 
Wash the eggplant and allow to dry. Make two slits on each from bottom of the eggplant towards the stem. Do not seperate quarters from the stem and stuff the grounded paste in to it. Heat a hard bottom skillet on medium flame. Pour oil and once oil is hot, add mustard seeds,curry leaves and once mustard start to splutter, start arranging eggplant in to it. Don’t overcrowd the skillet. Leave adequate space between so that it can be flipped easley to get it fried on all sides. Now take tamarind paste in a mixing bowl, add turmeric powder and the leftover grounded paste mix well by adding a cup of water and keep it aside. Once eggplant is fried more than 80%, pour the tamarind paste to itGive a mix slowly so that the eggplant doest break. Cover the skillet and cook for about 20 minutes in low flame. Check for salt and consistency. Ideal to have with steamed rice, chappathi or with any other items. 
Happy cooking! 

Ingredients required:
• Shrimps* – Medium sized 500 gms• Sticky rice 250 gms• Chicken stock 3 cups• Garlic cloves 5 nos finely chopped• Shallots 5 nos finely chopped• White Wine 100 ml• Parsley 2 sprigs chopped• Pitted olives few• Butter 2 tbsp• Olive oil 2 tbsp• Lemon juice 1 tsp• Lemon Zest – from a lemon• Kosher salt as required
* Shrimp can be with shell or without. But make sure it’s deveined. 
Heat a hevy bottomed pan over medium flame.Pour oil and once oil is hot, add chopped onion, garlic and saute till it’s translucent. Now add the washed and drained rice to it and give it a good mix. Pour the wine and stir well. It’s time to add chicken stock. Pour stock little by little as grains start swelling keep adding stock and stirring so as it doesn’t catch at bottom. Add salt, lemon juice and shrimps. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add now, butter, lemon zest,parsley and olives . Stir well garnish with chopped Parsley. 
Happy Cooking!. 

• Potatoes* large size 500 gms peeled, washed, parboiled and diced to equal size and thickness. • Sun dried Tomato 6 pieces• Garlic cloves 6 nos• Fresh Rosemary 1 sprig• Fresh Oregano 1 sprig• Olive oil 2 tbsp• Black pepper crushed 1/2 tsp• Kosher salt – to taste. 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the potatoes. Add Rosemary sprig to it and cook for about 3 minutes. Do not stir the potatoes in between as the sides which is in touch with pan should get golden brown color and if you stir in between, it may break in to pieces. Now give it a good toss. Add seasoning- salt and pepper and toss well. Now add garlic cloves and allow to cook. Keep tossing in between till potatoes get golden brown color all across it’s sides. Now add sun dried tomatoes, Oregano and saute for about 2 minutes. Put off the flame. Now your potato is ready to serve. 

*You may also use Parboiled potatoes. 

Happy cooking!

Very simple, but delicious dish originated from the region of Naples in Italy. The goodness of Olive oil and roasted garlic makes this dish very unique. 
Ingredients required:
• Spaghetti 400 gms• Garlic cloves 6 nos crushed• Dried Red chilly* 4 nos(cut in pieces) • Olive oil 3 tbsp• Salt as required
Boil water in a large stock pot. Once water start boiling, add required salt. Insert spaghetti in to it and allow to cook for about 8 minutes. Once it’s cooked, drain the pasta. While spaghetti is getting drained, heat a pan over medium flame. Pour Olive oil and once the oil is hot, add in crushed garlic and dry chillies, saute till garlic starts light golden brown. Add spaghetti to it and give it a good toss. Check for salt. If required you may add grated Cheese, but it’s purely individual choice. 
Happy cooking! 

Ingredients required:
• Chicken thigh & drumstick 500 gms• Dried Red chillies 10 nos• Garlic 5 cloves• Galangal 1″ piece• Ginger 1″ length• Shallots 6 nos• Lemongrass stalk 1 no• Shrimp paste 1 tbsp• Kaffir lime leaves 5 nos• Coconut milk 1 cup• Lemon juice 1 tsp• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp• Sugar 1/2 tsp• Cooking oil 2 tbsp• Kosher salt as required
# Soak dried red chillies in hot water for about an hour. # Peel out the outer layer of lemongrass and keep aside for later usage# Reserve 2 kafir lime leaves for later usage
Grind the soaked chillies along with garlic, ginger, galangal, shallots, chopped lemongrass, kafir lime leaves, shrimp paste, turmeric powder to a fine smooth paste. Use very little water while grinding. 
Heat a wok over medium flame. Pour oil and when it’s hot, pour in the grounded paste and saute till it release oil on top and emits flavor. Add the chicken pieces, salt and mix well. Add lime leave(tear it in to pieces) lemongrass stalk. Add coconut milk and mix wellCheck for salt and sauce consistency. If required add little water. Cover the wok and cook for about 20 minutes. Add lime juice,sugar and give it a good mix. Ideal to serve along with hot steamed rice or Chappathi. 

Happy cooking!

Ingredients required:
• Chicken breast 500gs• Mushroom sliced 2 cups• Garlic cloves 5 nos chopped• Shallots 5 nos chopped• Black pepper crushed• All purpose flour 3 tbsp• Parsley 1 sprig chopped• Thyme 1 sprig• Chicken stock 2 cups• Olive oil 1 tbsp• Butter 3 tbsp• Marsala or Red vermouth 100 ml• Kosher salt to taste
Slice the chicken breasts through its size, and marinate with seasonings. (Salt & Crushed Peppercorn) 
Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour oil and once it’s hot, add shallots, garlic and saute for two minutesAdd now the mushroom, pepper, little salt and saute till mushroom turns light brown and soft. Transfer the mushroom to a plate for later usage. 
Take All purpose flour in a baking tray add pepper powder and given it a nice mix. Take chicken pieces and cot it with flour and keep ready to sear. 
Use the same pan, keep the flame to high, pour butter and once butter is melted and hot, sear chicken breasts.Keep turning other side for cooking evenly. Now pour in the Marsala to chicken. Add chicken broth, thyme, and cooked mushroom. Mix it well for about 20 minutes in low flame. If you find the sauce is thin, add a slurry prepared out of flour to get thick consistency. Garnish with chopped parsley. 

Happy cooking!

A delicious middle-east rice and chicken preparation. 
Ingredients required: • Whole chicken cut in two halves• Long grain Basmati rice 2 cups• Cooking oil 2 tbsp• Ghee (clarified butter) 2 tbsp• Almonds 50 gms• Raisins 50 GM’s• Onion 2 medium size thinly sliced• Tomato paste 1 cup• Green cardamom 5 nos• Cloves 5 nos• Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp• Black lemon* 1 no• Salt as required• Orange slice, fresh mint leaves for garnish. • Fresh mint leaves 2 sprigs
Heat oil and ghee in a pan over medium flame.Once oil is hot, fry the almond fist and then raisins. Remove it and keep aside for later useIn the same pan, add chopped onions and saute till it’s light brownAdd now the washed, drained chicken to it. Increase the flame to high and get the chicken seared wellKeep turing both sides to get searing evenly. Add now the tomato paste and mix well. Add now the spices – Green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon powder, orange and a whole black lemon. If black lemon is not available, it can be substituted by regular lemon. Add required salt and 4 cups of water for the chicken to get completely covered and cooked. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes in low-level medium flame. Heat another pan with a spoonful of ghee on high flame. Transfer the chicken from the sauce mixture to the preheated pan, so that the chicken gets cooked perfectly in the ghee. 
Now remove the whole lemon from the tomato sauce and add the washed and soaked basmati and give it a good stir. Let the rice get cooked on a high flame for about 5 minutes. Check for the water content in rice and if it’s getting reduced, reduce the flame to medium, cover the pan and allow to cook for another 10 minutes. Mean while, make sure the chicken is getting seared properly on both sides. Let it get a perfectly charred marks. Now time to check the rice. Give it a good toss. You may find that the rice is well cooked and grains are fully seperate. Serve the rice on a platter, place the chicken over the rice, garnish the dish with Orange slices, fried almond & raisins. Sprinkle mint leaves over it. 
* Black lemon can be substituted with regular lemon. 
Happy Cooking!