Brioche au Chocolat

Brioche au Chocolat 

'Rain drops and roses and whiskers on kittens ......these are a few of my favourite things.'

 Well roses and kittens are definitely some of my favourite things but when it comes to ingredients and the kitchen here are a few items I love working with. I love whisking egg whites to soft or firm peaks and using it, I love using butter , ghee, I love the freshest of vegetables and I love working with yeast among a few of my favourite things to do in the kitchen.

It was my very first attempt at making Brioche au chocolat that delightfully rich French bread made with lots of butter and eggs , the filling of chocolate was entirely an added bonus.

When you have a perfect recipe to follow you usually find success.

I followed Croquez, Craquez's recipe (A french blog) and I had the most soft rich delightful bread ever

So here is the recipe :-

Makes about 10 brioche

For the Brioche :-

250gm All purpose flour
25gm Castor Sugar
5gm Salt
3 Eggs
100gm Butter
15gm fresh yeast / 7 gm dry yeast

Yolk from 1 egg for brushing

For the filling

150gm chopped chocolate

Proof the yeast by dissolving it with 4 tbsp lukewarm water and  sprinkling a bit of sugar. If it forms bubbles and becomes frothy after 10 minutes its good enough to be used.

Mix the ingredients for the brioche except the chocolate and leave in the refrigerator for 4 hours. It would have doubled in size. Now punch it down to remove the carbon dioxide and make 10 ball. Flatten the balls and using a bit of chocolate as filling and then roll it back to form a rectangular shaped brioche and leave it on a tray which has been buttered and floured to rise for 45 minutes if you stay in a tropical country or 1.5 hours in cold countries.

Preheat oven to 180C , brush the brioche with the whisked yolk and bake for 25 minutes.

Let it cool down completely. Then either have it immediately or use a cling film to preserve the freshness.

Chocolate Cake (Felicity Cloake)

Chocolate Cake (Felicity Cloake) 

Over the years I have baked many a chocolate cake yet I still kept searching for one which would have the perfect fluffy soft texture and then one day I realized I should search for Felicity Cloake's version of the perfect chocolate cake. Here let me say that I firmly believe that there cannot be one perfect chocolate cake for everyone. Some like it fudge like, some like it extra airy but for me ah for that read along my friends. 

The lady in question, Ms Cloake  tries out different recipes by many a maestro and gives you the pros and cons of each recipe and finally shares the recipe for one which she deems is perfect for her taste buds. She says this cake is 'Not a torte, not a mousse, but a cake which actually tastes of chocolate: fluffy and light enough to eat at tea time, rich enough to serve with a dollop of creme fraiche for dessert'

Now there is a particular reason why I trust this lady. I tried her perfect recipe for Mousse au Chocolat and I must say there is no looking back for me. It was just perfect,  rich yet light and delicious and so quite naturally I knew this description of the chocolate cake would not fail me.

 I tried a simple frosting of tempered chocolate in-between and some chocolate to cover the cake. I would not go as far as to say it is perfect but it is pretty good.

Recipe adapted from Felicity Cloake

The cups used hold 250ml of liquid

50gm dark chocolate
50gm chocolate chips
250gm of all purpose flour (1.5 cups)
250gm of Brown sugar (3/4th cup)
250gm of Unsalted Butter
250ml of milk
100gm of cocoa powder (3/4th)
2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
Pinch of salt

Extra flour and butter to prepare pan

For the frosting

100gm dark chocolate tempered properly to create a silky melted chocolate

Prepare your two cake tins ( 8inch) by buttering it and then dusting it with flour. (An 8 inch pan would do)

Start by sifting the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder .

Now Cream your butter and sugar till its fluffy and add the eggs one by one and the salt and whisk till its a creamy fluffy affair.

Preheat the oven to 180C at this point . Slowly fold in the sifted dried ingredients and then add the melted chocolate and fold it in . Add the milk bit by bit and fold that in as well. Finally add the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter in two equal halves and pour the batter into the cake pans and tap the pan and then wet your hands and lightly smoothen the top and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes to 35 minutes .

Once baked insert a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean its done.

Let the cake cool down in the pan for 15 minutes and then run a palate knife around the edges and invert it on a rack and cool it.

Only when the cake is completely cool can you now move on to frosting.

Simply temper the chocolate over a double boiler and cut the cake in half and spread the chocolate. Sandwich the cake together cover the cake with chocolate and serve it as it is for tea or add a dollop of whipped cream and make it a delicious dessert.

Important tips :-

1. Once you are down with adding the whisk you must not use the whisk because the crumb of a cake largely depends on the technique of folding in the dry ingredients else you end up with a dense cake. The idea is to not knock off any air bubbles even though the cake is batter based and so it uses baking powder.  
2. Once you have poured the batter in wet your hands and smoothen the top and which leads to an even top baked cake. Do not firmly press your hands on the batter just gently press it. 
3. Always allow the cake to completely cool down before slicing it to apply frosting else your cake will break. 
4. In case you use a bigger cake tin you must increase the amount of batter. If you double the recipe use a 9 inch cake pan. 
5. In case you use salted butter then leave out the extra salt 

Low calorie Creamy Egg Carrot Salad

Low calorie Creamy Egg Carrot Salad 

So you have indulged a bit on Sunday which is much deserved well then Monday is all about the balancing act again but hey if you want a creamy dressing there is no need to worry here is a healthy creamy recipe which uses neither cream nor cheese nor mayonnaise nor butter.

Serves 1 for a principle meal :-

1 large carrot chopped to make  matchstick carrots
2 eggs which are hard boiled
1 cup to 1.5 cups of lettuce leaf kept whole

For the dressing

250ml curd hung to make it thick . In case you are using thick yogurt use about 5 to 6 tbsp
1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 medium sized minced garlic cloves
1 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of chili flakes
Salt as per taste

Simply chop the carrots and then chill it with the lettuce leaves. Now whisk the ingredients for the dressing and mix the carrots in it and chill.

Boil the eggs by bringing the eggs to a boil with water and a pinch of salt and boil for 2 minutes and then cover and leave for 3 more minutes, crack the shell and slice the eggs .

There , a healthy creamy salad 

Chocolate Buttercream Sponge Cake

Chocolate Buttercream  Sponge Cake

Edited :-

You must be wondering what this edited bit is. Well this is my gratitude to a lovely lady who is a wonderful teacher. When it comes to baking and cooking in general I cautiously take advice because taste is very subjective so the only way to take another passionate baker's advice is to trust the person and see his reasoning. I am honestly scared of using syrups because it makes my cakes too sweet and I don't care too much for that intense sweet taste but then when a very seasoned baker advised me to soak the cake in syrup I knew I must do it. By this time exactly half my cake was devoured by friends and family who thankfully liked it. In fact the friend even asked for more . So I took my cake out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature then put a strip of butterpaper on the cake and brushed the sponges with syrup. Now I used the syrup sparingly yet because the sponge was well made it soaked it up very well. Then I refrigerated it for the cake to set and had  a sliver and even though it was a bit sweet than I would have preferred I would recommend the soaking with syrup because it gives the sponge a delightful flavour. I am have mentioned the steps required to soak the sponge in the recipe so please do use it. Of course I doubled the amount of syrup for the whole cake :) Hope you enjoy this sinful indulgence. before I move on to my experience with the cake here is a sneak peak into this talented lady's facebook page Sinfully Your's  and she takes regular cooking classes in our very own city of Dreams, Mumbai . Contact her for a great learning experience. 

I bake for various reasons. Sometimes I bake because I like the idea of having a moist cake to accompany my tea . Usually these cakes are butterbased moist and delightfully fluffy yet rich enough which does not need any frosting and then there are other times for celebration such as meeting one of my closest friends after a long time.

Such special occasions call for a special frosted cake. Funnily both of us love butter based frosting less cakes but I never leave such opportunities to make a nicely frosted cake and usually frosting for me means a silky smooth buttercream.

So lets move on top the cake

I have already shared the recipe for the fluffy sponge cake for which the technique is as important as the ingredients used.

Here is the recipe for the foam sponge cake

Once you have baked the cake let it cool down completely before slicing it. You need to make four rings.

Now for the buttercream and ganache :-

For the buttery chocolaty buttercream

300gm butter softened at room temperature
150gm dark chocolate chopped well
200gm to 300gm icing sugar
2 to 3 tbsp cocoa powder
A few tbsp of milk to loosen the frosting

For the syrup :-

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the ganache

65gm dark chocolate
90ml to 100ml cream

You should ideally soak the cake with the syrup a day ahead of frosting.  Once the cake cools down completely just soak each ring with about Half a tbsp to 1 tbsp with the syrup and then refrigerate.

The next day simply whip the butter to a smooth fluffy consistency add the sugar bit by bit and keep tasting . Now temper the chocolate by chopping it on a clean water-free surface and melting it on a double boiler and then let it cool down and slowly add this to the fluffed up buttercream beating it constantly so that the fluffiness is not hampered. Keep whisking and add the cocoa powder till you have a beautiful fluffy buttercream frosting.

Now spread a thick layer of buttercream on one cake ring and let ti get set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and do this with all the rings till you reach the final one then give a single coat to the entire cake and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Now make the ganache by warming up the cream and pouring it over the chopped chocolate and stirring ti till you get a smooth consistency. Let it cool down for 5 minutes and give the cake a coat with the ganache and then decorate if desired.

Let this set in the refrigerator. Decorate with some buttercream and enjoy with friend sand family.

Tip :-

This cake is a buttercream lover's delight so use thick layers so that you use up most of the buttercream leaving about 1 cup for decoration.

Cilbir

Cilbir 

Eggs from Turkey 

Some dishes you come across quite by chance and they become an instant hit and you know its a recipe for keeps. 

I was browsing through this link shared by someone on My Continental Kitchen and came across this interesting dish , poached eggs, yogurt with paprika . The mere description made me realize how delightful it would be. Quite honestly I love eggs and this unusual combination made me immediately search for the recipe and I prepared this dish within 15 minutes of having come to know about its existence. The recipe is very basic and what I particularly like about it is the easy availability of ingredients

So here goes the recipe for Cilbir pronounced 'Chilber' . Ah before I forget this dish is from Turkey and what I made was

I followed Almost Turkish's recipe

What you need to serve 1

2 eggs
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 tbsp butter or olive oil I used olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt and freshly ground pepper as per taste
1 tbsp vinegar
A few dried mint leaves

Simply heat a pot of water with a pinch of salt and vinegar and crack the eggs into it to water poach it. Once poached use a slotted spoon to remove them and  put them on a plate, Give a brisk whisk to the yogurt and pour it on top of the eggs. Now heat the butter or oil and add the paprika and stir it for a few seconds. Take care not to burn it and then pour that on top of the eggs and yogurt and add the dried mint leaves  salt and pepper. Enjoy

Tips for poaching eggs

1. Do not crack the eggs over boiling water . the water should just be hot. 
2. Once you crack the eggs in the water scum will form on top remove it  and cook it for not more than 2 minutes to 3 minutes. 

Chocolate chunk banana bread

Chocolate chunk banana bread 

I have heard of people using ripe bananas to make banana bread but I somehow had the spirit of the banana bread cling on to me till today. You see , I wanted to make banana bread a good 3 days ago and all these years I have seen plenty of blackened bananas lying around our house but ah ha just when I wanted to make a banana bread there were good bananas which were hardly ripe. So I waited for my bananas to overripe while keeping an eye out for possible attack on the bananas. It happened yesterday when my grandmother reached for a speckled one and I almost jumped up towards her and she was baffled. To her overripe bananas are good for nothing . Well well clearly she has not tasted a banana bread. Well I am still not clear why this particular baked goody is called a bread, for one its more or less like a cake and secondly most recipes do not use yeast.

Anyway coming back to my banana bread, for a lovely result you need a lovely recipe. After looking here and there I went back to the one man whose recipes has always yielded a 100% superb result, The great Dan as I like to call him. Mr. Dan Lepard is a genius. His recipes yield perfect result and they are the most easy ones out there with explanation of a step which might seem puzzling.

I myself raised my eyebrows at the prospect of melting butter and whisking it with sugar and flour but ah there was the explanation: This yields a super soft and super moist loaf.

Anyway I made my chocolate chunk banana bread and well I didn't use too much of chocolate chunk because you see chocolate has the most overpowering taste, delightful but it can overpower all other tastes so I kept it to a minimum because I was eager to get the 'bare' taste of banana loaf as put by Mr.Lepard himself .

And once I sliced the loaf and took a bite I was transported to a  world of moistness with ultra soft crumbs. I bow down once again to the genius Dan Lepard.

Recipe source : Dan Lepard

What you need for a loaf which can serve 7 to 8 people

200gm overripe banana pulp
250gm all purpose flour
1 tbsp lemon juice (15 ml)
1 cup castor sugar (cups whcih hold 250ml liquid)
200gm butter (I used salted butter)
4 large eggs
3 tsp baking powder
50gm to 70gm chocolate chopped into very very fine pieces else you may also use chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 160 C. Start by first lining your loaf tin with butter paper and then go on to mash  the bananas with a fork and then blending them away to a smooth paste. You should have 3/4th cup to 1 cup of pulp. Now melt the butter and then whisk ti well with the castor sugar and add 100gm (1/2 cup) flour. Whisk well to create a smooth mixture and add the eggs one by one and whisk well to create a smooth emulsion and then add the lemon juice and then the banana pulp and whisk away and then sift the flour and baking powder together and re sift it again in the wet mixture and then whisk only till everything is well mixed and pour half of the batter and sprinkle some chocolate chunks and pour the rest of the mixture and sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips and bake at 160 C for an hour. Once done test with a toothpick. Insert the toothpick in the center of the loaf and  if it comes out clean you are done. Take out the tin loaf and wait for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes run a palate knife around the edges and transfer the loaf on a wire rack but you must wait till the loaf cools off completely before slicing else your slices will break easily. Enjoy these super soft , super moist slices with a cup of tea or coffee

Egg Potato Salad

Egg Potato Salad 

The best part about being part of some amazing virtual platforms is that you can never run out of inspiration when it comes to recipes . So Claudia , a wonderful chef posted about this boiled potato based Italian salad and I knew it had to be my lunch today. Its really simple and well I did adapt the recipe, so I substituted capers with stuffed olives and replaced the herbs with what I had at home  but the end result was delicious indeed.

Now potatoes are highly misunderstood. You see they are widely known as the reason for obesity but wake up and see the truth people. Its not the potato that is unhealthy but the method of cooking. So fry it and you pile on the pounds roast it or boil and you have a perfectly healthy food item. Of course it is a source of carbohydrate so ideally if you are taking potatoes you need not worry about extra intake of bread or rice or pasta etc 1 medium sized boiled potato contains about 211 calories. I used two small sized potatoes but they were not baby potatoes

So here goes a healthy salad which serves 1

2 small sized potatoes boiled and chilled
1 medium sized tomato
1 small sized onion
5 to 6 stuffed olives halved
1 tsp fresh onion green chopped finely
1 hard boiled egg cooled sliced and chilled
Sprinkle of paprika - I used 1/4th tsp you can use 1/2 tsp as well
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp chives - I used dried ones
Fat pinch of oregano
Salt as per required

Simply slice them in circular patterns and chill but do not mix the salt, balsamic vinegar and oil from before. Before serving toss the chilled salad with the Extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkle salt and serve. You have a healthy meal ready to be enjoyed.

Ham Cheese Egg Roulade

Ham Cheese Egg Roulade 

I strongly believe in the widely accepted theory that a good breakfast helps you begin your day well. You see as the name suggests its breaking your fast while you rest throughout the night.

I have to confess that while on some days I do like a fruit smoothie or a shake there are these other days when I crave a hearty breakfast and while the definition of 'hearty breakfast'  is subjective for me inclusion of eggs is a must. That along with my love for sausages and ham made me create this Ham Cheese egg roulade which basically keeps you full almost well into the second half of a day. A roulade basically means to roll and this is nothing but a rolled omelette with stuffing inside.

What you need for serving 2 people :-

3 eggs well beaten
3 to 4 slices of lean ham
A handful of grated Parmesan
Salt as per taste
Freshly ground black pepper as per taste
1/2 tsp of thyme
2 tsp olive oil

Simply beat the eggs well with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper  and then heat the oil on a large skillet and make a thin omelette and wait for 2 minutes and carefully place the omelette on a surface and add the ham and then the cheese and roll it and there you have your roulade. Sprinkle with the thyme and we have a hearty breakfast with some fresh fruits.

Here are a couple of tips which might help :-

1. Eggs are very delicate items and so they must be handled carefully which means too much heat burns the bottom and too little wouldn't set it. In my experience if the skillet is heated well and then the eggs allowed to cook on medium heat for a minute while it sets then the chances of burning is minimized . 
2. Once the eggs begins to set one can use the back of a ladle to spread out the unset egg mixture 
3. Be careful when taking it out of the skillet, too much pressure breaks the beautiful omelette  

Healthy Egg Chicken Sandwich in Whole wheat bread

Healthy Egg  Chicken Sandwich in Whole wheat bread 

To be fair I am a firm believer that what you make at home tastes best. Sure that jar of mustard, that bottle of hot sauce is superbly tasty but anything that comes out of a jar is something I do not use. My point is, if our grandmothers could then we can as well.

So on a day when I overslept while taking my afternoon nap I got up and realized that I hadn't really eaten much that day thanks to the oppressive heat which anyway kills your appetite at times. Lucky for me I had a freshly whole wheat bread sitting in my kitchen, a jar of homemade  hot sauce , a jar homemade mustard , some boiled chicken waiting to be made into a sandwich.

So my basic aim is to be keep this as healthy as possible and if you do not have homemade sauces do use the ones you buy from outside :) but what I firmly will say is there is no mayonnaise or butter involved. Ultimately the healthy sandwich was delicious enough for me to turn it into dinner.

Serves 2 as a snack and 1 for a meal

So this is what you basically need : -

4 slices of whole wheat bread . If you want the recipe for wholewheat bread , here it is
Roughly 1/2 cup of shredded boiled chicken.
1 boiled egg
Half a red bell pepper chopped into bite sized pieces
2 tsp Mustard sauce.
2 tsp hot sauce . If you want the homemade version here it is
1.5 to 2  tbsp olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic sliced paper thin
1 tsp paprika
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp rosemary leaves

Heat the oil and saute the bell pepper and garlic with the chicken and rosemary and keep aside. Make thin slices of your boiled egg (I made 4 slices) . Now in the same pan toast the bread till it attains a light brown colour but make sure it doesn't brown too much. Now simply assemble the sandwich by placing some sauteed vegetable chicken ,placing two slices of eggs add some mustard sauce and hot sauce some more sauteed chicken vegetable and top up with a slice of bread. To make sure everything stays in place, place a heavy stone utensil on top of the last slice after assembling the sandwich, this way when you eat it everything would not come out. Enjoy a healthy snack or a healthy meal.

Egg wrapped Chicken Wine Rice

Egg wrapped Chicken Wine Rice 

One of the pleasures of my life is to follow step by step elaborate recipes and the other joy is to create quick fix meals when I am swimming in a lot of work. To be fair Minced meat rice is something which I have been eating since I was a child. You see I was not fond of the usual fare cooked at home and would refuse most of the food and so my grandmother would lovingly prepare this Chicken minced meat rice which I would happily eat since it was so delicious. Of course she would add peas and the Indian spice mix 'garam masala' and later when I grew up I realized this is one of the easiest recipes I can make when in a hurry. Of course I use herbs and throw in my ideas but basically its a very easy recipe.

The wine rice 

Now new ideas always attract me and so when Sayantani Mahapatra , a fellow blogger from Kolkata Food Bloggers which I am a proud member of posted this picture of Omurice I knew I had to make it even though I have to admit I didn't quite find the time to read her recipe, but this idea of a thin omelette with rice filling got me excited. I wanted to know what Omurice is and as per the information over  the internet its basically a Korean westernized dish with Japanese influence and usually has ketchup on top. Now I am not a fan of ketchup so I just made up my own recipe but it looks pretty enough and well the taste is probably going to be interesting for you if you like wine, chicken, herbs and eggs.

What you need for 2 servings to 4 servings (depending on your appetite and food intake)

4 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil

Chicken wine rice

1 cup basmati rice or any long grained rice
1 tsp butter
6 tbsp fruity white wine . I used Chenin Blanc
1 heaped tsp oregano
4 large cloves of garlic
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
15 whole black peppercorn
2 whole dried red chili
Salt as per taste
3 tbsp olive oil
150gm to 200gm minced chicken

Start by washing the rice and using butter to mix with the rice . This step ensures that your rice stays fluffy and separate. Now soak the garlic, whole red chilies, oregano , 1 tbsp oil and black peppercorn in the vinegar. After 15 minutes soak it in 2 cups of water. Soak for another 30 minutes to 1 hour and then bring the rice with the water to a boil and immediately simmer covered for 10 minutes. If your pan is toop small then the foam might try to escape in that case leave a little gap till all the water gets absorbed and then cover. You know its done when it appears all fluffy. let it rest for 10 minutes and transfer to a colander else it will stick together. Now blend the vinegar with the garlic and other ingredients soaked in it to create a beautiful emulsion .

Now heat the rest of the oil and fry the minced chicken on high heat for 1 minute , keep stirring else they will form a big lump and add the spice emulsion you have created and keep stirring and then add 3 tbsp white wine and keep cooking on medium flame stirring continuously till it dries up and the oil comes out a bit.

The Omelette 

Now take a deep bottomed vessel and put one layer of rice, 1 tsp of wine and some cooked minced chicken and keep layering and leave it alone for 15 minutes. Use a splash of wine from the top.

For the eggs whisk them well and use a large skillet to make a thin omelette. Make two omelettes one after the other .Wait till you are able to handle it with your hands and then place it on a big board and place some rice on the omelette and wrap it carefully.You have to have patience else it breaks. Cut it in half and serve it. You might find some extra rice after you have wrapped the eggs. Serve the rice on the side.

Cheesy egg wrap

Cheesy Egg Wraps 

(A healthy start a healthy you)

Over the years with this battle of eating healthy I have realized that while the wholewheat bread and multi-grain bread essentially take the numero uno position in the world of healthy eats the humble Whole-wheat flatbread is one of the most versatile ingredients for a wholesome meal be it lunch, dinner or breakfast. While most Indians associate a bowl of vegetable curry or pulse or non-vegetarian curry you can let your imagination flow to create some beautifully different and unique food items which are both easy to prepare, tasty to eat and healthy to satisfy the mind.

What you can basically do is make a stack of flat-bread from the night before or at any point of the day and then use it when and where necessary. Living in a family with a grandmother in tow we naturally are usually stocked with more cooked food than required and so flat-bread is always available in the house and so my healthy eating has started again after a few days of dining out from the day before so I was trying to come up with an idea for a satisfyingly salty breakfast when I came up with this idea for a wrap. Now why i call it a salty craving is because eating healthy sweet dishes for breakfast is easy and the options are unlimited. You can have muesli, wholewheat cornflakes, fresh fruits but for me a salty breakfast is the key to a happy day

So here is the extremely easy recipe

Serves 2

4 stale flatbread (made the previous day) You can of course make fresh flatbread
4 eggs
2 medium sized tomatoes de-seeded
1/2 cup chopped leeks
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper as per taste
80gm of grated cheddar cheese
Pinch of paprika
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp olive oil

Start by whisking the eggs with some salt, the paprika and the milk. When it forms a frothy mixture well its not time to stop and so whisk till its silky . Heat 2 tsp oil and saute the tomatoes and leek and add the oregano and then transfer this on a plate. Now heat the rest of the oil and slowly add the egg which has already been whisked. Now eggs are extremely delicate and the chances of the base burning is pretty high and so you need to adjust the heat continuously. What I personally do is use medium flame and once parts of my egg start solidifying I add  the cheese and then turn off  the heat and cover the pan and let stand for 3 minutes . In this case you want one side to be almost-set which helps the egg stick to the flatbread. Now simply transfer the eggs and then on medium flame use the chapati on the same frying pan and when it  becomes hot quickly add part of the egg with the almost set side facing towards the flatbread and quickly add a bit of tomato and leek and create an open wrap. make all 4 wraps and serve with a fruit. I usually avoid juices since in that case one misses out of valuable fibre. Enjoy this healthy breakfast which will keep you full for a good 3 hours or so till lunch time and so you do not eat unhealthy snacks and stay fit and active.here is to everybody health . I wouldn't really suggest packing this for lunch for your children or husbands or yourself because eggs gone cold does have a fowl smell :) So enjoy it fresh and hot.

Bondomelett

Bondomelett

Up,up ,up , Up with the Sun

Walk walk walk, walk with the wind 

Watch watch watch, Watch the men at work 

Happy happy happy with a bag full of goodies

Love love love love my City  

Well did you ever try walking on the roads of Calcutta before the major part of the city bursts into life and then rage. Well it is so peaceful that it will make you happy even if for a little while. I am sure this applies to all cities. Today was fruit day which means I was supposed to bring back the weekly fruits from new market. So it was morning walk with a big bag slung over my shoulders. 

No lecherous stares, no honking,  no need to elbow your way through, this is the perfect time for you to fall in love over and over with your city. It is such a delight to walk at 6:30 in the morning taking S.N.banerjee road and see the hustle and bustle of potato and onions being unloaded from trucks. The rhythmic songs with a cuss word inserted is so comforting to my ears. owing to my past 1 month's walk everyday  which keeps changing between morning and evening even I have become familiar with them , so much so that today a cheerful happy face asked me "Kya memsaahb walk ke liye pichle kuch dino se ayi nahi thi aap" (Dear lady did you not come for your walks in the past week?) There is even something so wonderful about being addressed to as 'memsaabh' in a drawn singing tune. You see the numerous encounters at supermarkets where the moment you enter someone follows you with the curt and polite 'madam may i help you' is so disturbing to me. It is as if I am a potential thief and must be followed everywhere. well of course this is not always the case but nevertheless. 

Bought my usual papaya, apples and oranges and headed to the world of colours. red and yellow bell peppers, bunches of fresh celery and well so much more. Helped myself to a bag of colourfulness , ah how it cheers me up. headed straight for Kalman's the delightful cold storage. Bought fresh spiced salami  and Hungarian sausages as they call it. Interestingly Kalman was started by this Hungarian gentleman somewhere in the 40s and well is now run by the helper's future generations. Ah if you do love your cold cuts I hope you visit this delightful place. Fresh is always the best :) 

Now please do not judge the quality of this superb recipe by the quality of my pathetic and miserable attempt at couplets. This dish will surely strike a chord with you if you love eggs and well a filling delicious one. So with the ocean of recipes on the internet you sometimes are confused as to which to try and which to not. Today I decided I must look deep in my old collection and try one of them. So out came my diary. You see I had this habit of making cut-outs wherever the recipes would delight me and then stick them on my diary. The hour long walk does make you both slim and hungry so after my office work I feel it was time to bring for some healthy indulgence. What else is perfect but a recipe which calls for eggs, potatoes, ham, chives, onions, cheese ah pure sinful delight from Scandinavian Feasts by Beatrice Ojakangas. 

I did modify a few bits to make it healthier such as instead of just frying the potato. I sauteed them and then sprinkled and covered them to be cooked through. used parsley instead of chives because the parsley was so fresh and well had not bought chives. used red bell pepper instead of the green one and well of course substituted butter with olive oil. 

So its basically very filling so I suggest considering it for brunch or lunch or even dinner. 

You need:

3 eggs

Half a diced bell pepper (diced as small as possible) {red or yellow, yellow on yellow eggs is too bland :P )

1 tablespoonful of finely chopped parsley or as the original suggests chives 

2 potatoes diced very finely, the finer you dice the easier it is to cook it. 

1 medium sized onion

Half a cup of spiced salami or ham. If you have dietary restrictions use cubed chicken. 

1 teaspoonful of dried dill 

Salt and pepper as per taste

1/4th cup of milk

1.5 tablespoonful of olive oil. use might use butter but do it at your heart's risk or well for a special occasion

The original recipe did call for 1/4th chopped tomato which I had omitted 

say 20gm of finely squared cheese (I used Mozzarella) I suggest any cheese that melts well 

Start by first getting everything ready, chopping , dicing, whisking. First heat say 1/2 tablespoonful of oil and saute the onions and potato, sprinkle water , cover and cook till done. takes about 10 minutes to 15 minutes. keep checking and sprinkling water because it will dry up and stick to the bottom if not done so. Once cooked add the diced ham or salami and dill. Then transfer onto plate. in the same pan add 1 tablespoonful of olive oil and the well whisked egg which has been whisked with salt and pepper. You might want to whisk real well for extra fluffiness. 

Now cooking eggs seems to be the simplest of things. "Not so fast" eggs are delicate darlings so use too a little bit of extra  heat they get burnt , use too large a pan and it wouldn't work, too small and it wouldn't as well. Well for this you need practice and well will know what size of pan to be used. So heat must always be on low. Add your eggs and gently using the backside of a round spatula, the ones we use for milk or well soup spread it gently when its almost done at the bottom and still wobbly and runny on top add the cooked ingredients and spread. Add your chopped bell pepper and cheese and switch off the gas and simply cover. For years I have struggled with melting cheese because if the heat is still used the bottom side gets burnt else the cheese does not melt. What a scatterbrain I was . One day after reading an article about the delicacy of eggs and how heat is a culprit I decided to simply use the cover method. So no heat but covering it makes sure the egg is not overcooked but the cheese is melted well.   

It is a meal by itself with the potatoes and all. Try this with a strong cup of coffee and you have a happy you. I ate this for brunch so shall drink a glass of fresh green  coconut water later on during the day. I suggests trying this delight.