Tomato Soup with Herbed Croutons and Garlic Butter

As days are passing by, it is getting colder here. The most comforting thing you can have in such weather is a hot bowl of soup. This soup is by far my favourite soup and gets a place in my menu very often. Here is how I make it.

Ingredients:

6 medium sized tomatoes
1 small onion
1 large carrot
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar to taste, optional

1 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic grated
A generous pinch of Italian mixed herbs or basil

2 slices to breads
A splash of olive oil, about 1 tbsp
1/2 tsp mixed herbs

Process:

1. Chop the tomatoes in large chunks. Peel the carrot and chop it in chunks. Slice the onions and mince the garlic. Add all these in a pressure cooker and add about 200 ml of water and cook it till 1 whistle on medium high.
2. While it is cooking mix butter, grated garlic and mixed herbs/basil and prepare a flavored butter.
3. Remove all the edges from the bread and cut into small equal pieces. Toss them with olive oil and mix herbs and spread them on a lined bling tray. Put them in a a oven preheated at 180 C and bake for 3-4 minutes. Toss them again and bake for another 3-4 minutes. Keep an eye, as they get burnt very easily. When baked, they will be crisp and light golden in color.
4. One the ingredients in the cooker are cooked. Cool them a bit and then churn into a fine purée.
5. Sieve the purée to make it smooth. Heat a pan and add the liquid mixture into it. Add salt, sugar and pepper to taste. If you want the soup to be thinner, add water accordingly.
6. Serve it hot topped with a little flavored butter and herbed croutons.

Tip: If your soup gets thinner than you like then it can be rectified in the following way. Mix about 1/2 tsp of corn flour( or more to make it more thick) in 3-4 tbsp of water to make a smooth paste. Add it to the boiling soup. Keep stirring and the soup will get thick.

Enjoy this soup on a cold evening!

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Creamy Veggie Filling In Potato Bowls ~ For Blog Hop Wednesdays ~ From UK Rasoi!

The second edition of Blog Hop Wednesdays is here. This week I am paired with Nupur of UK Rasoi. To give you an insight into how this event works - every alternate wednesdays, bloggers participating in this event are paired with a partner and each of them has to chose a recipe from their partner's blog, prepare it and blog about it. To know more about it and participate check this.

Nupur has a good collection of scrumptitous recipes on her blog and it was a hard choice for me. But finally I decided on her Twice Baked Herby Potatoes. Using this recipe as an inspiration, I created Creamy Veggie Filling In Potato Bowls using the ingredients I had at hand. As, I was preparing them as appetizers, I just used half of the measures as given in the original recipe.

Ingredients:


2 baking potatoes.
2 tbsp butter
11/2 tbsp AP Flour.
1/2 tsp ground white pepper.
 salt to taste.
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup or little more warm milk.
2-3 tbsp cream, optional.
2-3 tbsp chopped green pepper.
2-3 tbsp sweet corn.
3 tbsp shredded mozarella.
1/2 tsp mixed herbs.

Process:


1. Microwave the potatoes for 6-8 minutes. Read the instruction given on the packet for cooking them in microwave.
2. Let it cool down. Once cooled, cut them in half and scoop out as much flesh as possible without distorting the shape. Keep the scooped potatoes aside.
3. Heat the butter in a pan and add the chopped pepper and thawed sweet corn and cook it for a minute. Then add the AP flour.
4. Cook it for a couple of minutes stirring, till the raw smell goes away. Add salt, pepper, herbs and sugar and stir. Add the warm milk, stirring all the time. Make sure there are no lumps. Add 3 tbsp of the scooped potatoes. Cook for another 2 minutes and turn off the heat.
5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Keep the potatoes with the scooped side up. Fill them with the prepared filling and sprinkle the shredded cheese.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 175 C for 15-18 minutes till they are golden brown.
7. Enjoy them as they are or add a dash of tomato sauce. Serve them fresh from oven.

Check out other Blog Hop Wednesday Bloggers and what they are up with for Blog Hop Wednesday

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

Paneer Tikka With Minty Yoghurt Dip and Green Chutney!

Chunks of paneer marinated in spicy masala marinade and then grilled with veggies! Does that sound appetizing!

I can't tell you how my taste buds are watering even when I write this. Paneer Tikka is a perfect barbecue option for vegetarians and it is one of the most popular paneer dishes around. It's non-vegetarian option, Chicken Tikka is more famous in the western world.

I had been searching a perfect tikka recipe and was trying out different ones at a time. After several trials and errors, this one has worked best for me. I have adapted this recipe for SharmisPassions and have actually made it a couple of times. It has been a hit every time. Thanks Sharmi for the recipe. It is definately a keeper for all paneer lovers.

Ingredients:

Makes 5 Skewers

15  1'' cubes of Paneer
15 1'' peices onion cut in squares
15 1'' peices of green pepper cut in squares( You could also use different colour of peppers if you like)

For marinade:

1/4 cup thick yoghurt /greek style yoghurt.

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp chat masala

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp pepper powder

1/2 tsp grated ginger.

2 cloves of garlic pounded.

Generous pinch of salt.

Process:

1. Mix all the ingredients of the marinade in a bowl and add in the paneer cubes and square cut onion and pepper.

2. Cover the bowl with a cling film and keep it inthe fridge for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 12 hours for marination.

3. Pre heat the oven on grill mode at 200-210 C.

4. In skewers (I use wooden, so I keep them immersed in water for 2 hours or more before using) thread pepper, onion and paneer alternately) I use 3 of each in each swekers.

5. Line a baking tray with foil and place them on it. drizzle any extra marinade from the bowl over the skewers.

6. Grill in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins turning them upside down once in midway.

The baking tray will not be the cleanliest thing, but I can assure you on the taste of the tikkas.

7. To check done ness, see if they are charred round the corners. I love the resulting smokey flavor. Take them out and let them cool a bit before serving.

Serve them hot with minty yoghurt dip and (follow link for recipe of green chutney) Green chutney.

 We had Soda Lemonade as a drink with it. Recipe to follow soon!

Minty Yoghurt Dip:

1/2 tsp dried mint powder.
1/2 cup yoghurt.
1 tsp sugar.
Salt to taste.

Process:

1. Mix all the ingredients and dip is ready. Pairs well with hot and spicy dishes as yoghurt and mint together has a double cooling effect.

Linking it to Serve it Grilled . Enjoy!

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!