Roast chicken is something I love to eat. Except that I didn't quite roast the chicken (I would actually cook the it in a large pan on very low heat). You see, I was actually quite worried about ending up with a burnt, charred skin. Or with meat that tasted, well, like a piece of cardboard in the mouth.

But that was till yesterday. I finally roasted a chicken in the oven and ended up with a roast that was just slighly crisp on the outside and utterly succulent on the inside, with all the natural flavour of the chicken intact.

It is all to do with the science of cooking, it seems. Roasting essentially is the use of dry heat to cook. During oven roasting, hot air circulates around the meat and therefore, it follows that too much heat squeezes out the moisture (juices) too quicky (before the proteins have started to break down) and that is when the roast ends up being dry.

In slow roasting however, the juices are released steadily and so, the shrinkage of the fibers in the meat is a lot lesser. Result, you end up with meat that is juicy and has an inviting pinkish tinge to it, instead of a dull grayish brown look. Moreover, it requires virtually no basting!

Ingredients:

Chicken 1.5 kgs (skin on)
Butter 30 gms
Garlic 3 cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Onions, cut into quarters, sprinkled with a generous tsp of sugar
Salt and pepper powder
Potatoes, carrots and any other veggie you want
Herbs of your choice (I used parsley)

Method:

Wash the chicken and pat it dry thoroughly, outside and inside. Melt the butter in a small vessel, pop in the garlic and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Let cool. Squeeze the lime juice (don't discard the squeezed lemon wedges), salt and pepper into the butter garlic mixture. Rub this marinade over the outside and inside of the chicken. Stuff the onions and the lemons slices into the cavity of the chicken.

Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for atleast 4 hrs. The longer, the better.

Preheat the oven to 175 deg C for 5 minutes. In the meantime , make a few slits in the veggies and toss them in salt, pepper, herbs and a little olive oil. Throw them into the roasting pan. Place the chicken breast side down. By doing this, while cooking, all the juices will flow to the breast which is the driest part of the chicken.

Cover the pan loosely with aluminium foil and roast for 30 mins (you are doing this so that the cold chicken is not subject to the heat directly, thereby drying up the outside - if you bring the meat to room temperature before you begin cooking, you can skip this part).

After 30 mins, remove the foil and let the chicken cook for a further 60-75 mins. Do baste your chicken once after 30 mins with the juices that flow out. After about an hour, insert a skewer into the thigh, if the juices run clear, your chicken is done.

Now, turn the chicken breast side up, turn up the heat to 200 deg C and roast till it gets a lovely brown colour.

Let it rest for about 10 mins before serving, doing this ensures that the juices that had initially just flowed down to the breast while cooking are redistributed evenly.

In the meantime, prepare the red wine sauce.

Open the wine bottle, taste the wine. Nice? Well, pour yourself a glass.

Heat a tbsp of butter. Add a clove of minced garlic and half an onion(chopped). Fry till the onion becomes soft and pink. Add the chicken stock from the roasting pan and bring to a boil.

Add 1/2 a cup wine - no, not to your glass, to the pan - but yes, feel free to top up your glass as well - and bring to a boil. Adjust the seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika). Add a tsp of cornflour (dissolved in some water) and cook till sauce thickens. Drain your glass.

No, I don't have pictures of the sauce. And I don't have pictures of how the chicken looked when it was carved and plated. You guys understand, don't you?

Falafel is very popular Middle Eastern dish, with almost every country having its own way of making and serving it. The Egyptians use fava beans, the Israeli version uses chickpeas, some others, a combination of the two. Though the ones made with chickpeas is today the most popular way of making falafel.

Now falafel is something I have tried making at home only recently. For the longest of time, I didn't need to make them at home. When we were in Dubai, we just had to say'falafel' and there'd be so many restaurants to choose from. even the supermarkets had great frozen ones, so there was absolutely no need to make them from scratch.

When we moved here, falafel fell off the radar, so to speak.

Till the other day, when I had soaked chickpeas to make the ubiquitous chhole for dinner. But the husband somehow didn't want to have chhole. I had to make something with the soaked chickpeas and settled on falafel, with a bit of trepidation though.

Because all the recipes I had in my cookbooks and the ones I looked up on the net called for a food processor which I don't have. But I decided to press on, wondering what the chickpeas would do to my blender blades.

I needn't have worried at all. The chickpeas were very nicely soaked (this is the key) and so the blender is fine, the falafels were nice and the recipe is a keeper.

I took the recipe from here and tweaked it just a little bit.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chickpeas soaked 24 hrs
1 onion, chopped
3 tbsp coriander
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin, roasted and powdered
1/2 tsp anardana powder (pomegranate seed powder)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp pepper, coarsely ground
salt to taste
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
oil for frying

Method:

Soak the chickpeas for 24 hrs in sufficient water. This is the key, the chickpeas have to be well soaked. Let them drain for about 20 mins before processing them.

Add onions, coriander, and all the spices and blend till you have a coarse mixture. Don't add any water at all. Initially, I felt as if my blender was going to give way - oh it was really groaning and complaining - but eventually, the water content of the onions and the coriander eases the mixing. You should end up with a gritty mixture.

Empty the contents in a bowl and add the baking powder and the flour (I didn't have plain flour and used self raising- and so omitted the baking powder), a little at a time (you could need more or lesser than what I have indicated) till you have a nice ball of dough, firm enough to shape into balls. Cover the dough and let it rest in the fridge. Just before serving, shape them into small balls and fry.

Heat oil (the way to test if the oil has reached the right temperature - in the absence of a food thermometer is to drop a little dough in the oil. If it sinks and comes back to the surface immediately, it is good to go) and fry on medium heat till they are golden brown on the outside. This should take not more than 5-6 mins. Drain on a kitchen towel before serving.

Now, I have my reservations about anything deep fried, and so I also tried baking them. Here's the truth: they taste nice when baked, but doesn't quite stack up to the taste of the deep fried ones. So, I will stick to the deep fried ones...in any case, one is entitled to indulge sometimes! Moreover, they don't drink up too much oil, in fact, the fried falafels were absolutely non greasy!

Do ensure that you fry the falafels just before serving (cold ones re-heated in the micro don't quite male the cut). The dough will stay for a day or two in the fridge - mine did - and we had falafel sandwiches for brunch the next morning.

For the sandwiches, you'll need:

Pita bread
Some salad (I made onion salad - sliced onions with lemon juice, green chillies, coriander, sugar and salt)
Tomatoes sliced
Pickle (I used pickled olives)
Tzatziki sauce/dip (will post this soon)

Toast the pita bread, cut into half and separate the two layers to make a pocket. Spread the tzatziki sauce on the thicker side of the pocket. Flatten the falafel between your palms and place them on the sauce. Next, put the pickles, the tomatoes and the salad.

Enjoy!!

And now, for the one size fits all kinda thing, I am sending this to:

JFI : Chickpeas at Sometime Foodie, My Legume Love Affair:Seventh Helping hosted by Srivalli, EFM (December): Savoury Series by Srilekha and The Bread mania hosted by Sindhura.

Contrary to popular belief, emerging research suggests that nuts are actually good for all of us!

“Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”

According to FDA, types of nuts eligible for this claim are restricted to almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts.

Nuts are a great source of protein, packed with fibre, calcium and iron and fat, but the good fat (mono and polyunsaturated fats). In fact, as I read up more an more about the nutritional benefits of nuts, I was increasingly convinced that having a handful of nuts regularly is akin to popping a multi-vitamin pill! Just follow this link to get more details on the nutrients packed in nuts.

In addition to the health benefits, nuts impart, for lack of a better word, a lovely nutty flavour and a great texture to the food they are added to. Have them straight out of a bowl or add them to salads or curries or pasta or cookies and cakes - they can be eaten in so many versatile ways!

So why don't we all get cooking with nuts?

Announcing my first ever event - Let's go nuts!

In the spotlight for this month - Peanuts/Groundnuts

Conversation (and drinks) flow easily with a bowl of peanuts, it seems! World over, there are countless restaurants that will serve peanuts, steamed or roasted as munchies, especially with drinks.

When I think peanuts, I am reminded of the time when we (the husband and I while we were dating) used sit at Marine Drive. Almost always, we would buy some piping hot peanuts from the hawkers there who would roast them in huge woks. They were cheap and filling, and we would chat for hours, the sound of cracking the shells adding a lovely crunch to our conversation!

But peanuts are much more than chat and drink accompaniments. Technically, they are not nuts - but, surprise, surprise - legumes! And they pack in quite a punch in just a handful. The list of nutrients found in one ounce of peanuts is so long that I don't think I can list them here!! Just read this - I was so amazed!!

So let's all go nuts with peanuts this month!

To participate:

- Just post a recipe - just about anything - with peanuts in your blog between now and Jan. 31st, 2009 with a link to this announcement. Old posts (re-posted linking to this event) are welcome. Non-bloggers, please send me a mail with a photo. And of course, multiple entries are (very) welcome.

- Mail your entry (with the subject as Let's Go Nuts) to aquadaze@rediffmail.com with the following details:
your blog name
name of your entry
URL of your entry
a picture of your entry

I don't have a logo yet, but hope to set that right soon.

And hey you guys, I do realise this is a huge leap of faith for a new and relatively unknown blogger like me, but I am counting on your support (in the form of entries) to make this event a success.

So there is this young girl - a friend's daughter - who wanted me to bake her a chocolate cake for her 9th birthday.

I directed her here and asked her to choose her cake. I anticipated a barbie cake or a princess cake or some such. But it seems I am not synch with the times - nine year olds, it seems, have outgrown the barbie etc phase and have moved on to things more chic and fashionable. She chose a handbag cake (she wanted it in blue and green to match her party favors), adding sweetly, "it is ok if you don't make the handbag cake, you can bake me just a chocolate cake".

Though a handbag cake was something I had never done before, I knew that it only looks difficult and time-consuming to make.

I used the same chocolate cake recipe as here, froze it for a couple of hours before cutting it in the shape of a handbag and then used fondant to cover the cake. Yes, as simple as that! All it requires is a steady hand and some precision in measuring and cutting the fondant.

Now, I am waiting for another little girl (or boy) to ask me to bake her (or him) a cake!

And if you think this cake is nice, do a google image search for handbag cakes....you will be astounded at the cakes you see there!!

There is something magical about a bowl of steaming hot, tangy and spicy tomato basil soup, isn't it? Throw in a rainy day (we've been having quite a few of these lately) and you couldn't ask for anything more....well, other than some more soup!

Tomato pairs very well with basil and the addition of beetroot, squash and carrots not only makes it very healthy, but also imparts a lot of body and a lovely sweetness to the soup. Served with some garlic bread or some salad on the side, this soup makes for a great supper.

I do add cream occasionally, it gives the soup a lovely salmon colour, but the soup is very delicious even without the cream.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 5 large
Beetroot - 1/2
Squash/Pumpkin - 5 one inch cubes
Carrot - 1/2
Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped
Garlic - 1 large clove, chopped
Ginger - 1" piece, sliced
Cinnamon - 2 inch stick
Bay leaf - 1
Peppercorns - 6

Vinegar - 1.5 tbsp
Chicken/vegetable stock - 1/2 cup
Salt, pepper powder, chilli flakes and sugar, to taste
Fresh basil (italian) - 1 tbsp chopped OR dried basil - 1.5 tbsp, plus some more for garnish
Butter/olive oil - 1 tbsp

Optional:

fresh cream - 1/3 cup, plus some more for topping

Method:

Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Pressure cook the vegetables for 3 whistles alongwith the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, salt and sugar (don't add the chilli flakes and the pepper powder at this stage).

Saute the onion, ginger and garlic in butter till the onions turn pink. Once cooked, peel the tomatoes, beetroot and squash and saute with the onion for a minute. Then, blend everything together into a puree (discard the bay leaf and the cinnamon stick).

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Adjust the seasoning and add the basil, vinegar, pepper powder and chilli flakes. Add water or some more stock or some low fat milk to bring it your desired consistency. Add the cream, if using. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Garnish with basil leaves, top with a blob of fresh cream and serve.

Cheat's method:

This is what I do when I am feeling too lazy or if I am too pressed for time to do all the sauteing. Just pressure cook all the ingredients (the veggies, onion, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, cinnamon, salt and sugar) and then proceed as above.

This seems just right for Click -Red at Jugalbandi.

And yes, wish you all a Happy New Year!!

Update: I am also sending this to Winter Treat Event at Recipe Centre and to Lisa for No Croutons Required.