If you are a lover of shepherd's pie, today's recipe will either disappoint or thrill you.  I changed the spices rosemary, thyme and basil to cloves, cinnamon and cardamom.  I used a little garam masala in short.  I even threw a sprig of curry leaves for experiment and what do you know, it did quite well.  The only step I regret is not having drained the fat after browning the meat.  Else, I am delighted the way it turned out.

  I quite like Shepherd's pie.  The first time I had it at a friend's place was  a long time ago.  In Kerala, I doubt we were getting minced meat at that time and therefore she cooked and then ground the meat for the pie.  It was good but the texture of the pie was like that of pulled pork in sauce.  However, when cooked  with fresh ground meat its plenty different and I like it better.  Thereafter, I have had shepherd's pie in quite a few places and mostly pleased with them all.  Especially good, I  remember, is the one served at '13th floor' a restaurant in Bangalore.  Now, did I get that restaurant name right? I am talking about the one on MG Road.  The pie that evening was made with lamb and it was delicious. That is probably the last time I had pie outside home.

  About three or four years back I started cooking it at home using a recipe from an Australian cook book.  It's an old book and I had a photocopy from a friend.  A darn good one I dare say but cannot remember the name.  Now that I have been cooking a while, I finally created my own version today.  I am rather glad the way it turned out like I mentioned earlier.  Moist and spicy it's a meal in itself and I can already think of  possibilities with the left overs.  Enjoy!      



Ingredients:

For the first layer:
1. Minced meat (I used beef) - 3/4 lb
2. Onions - 2 small size chopped fine
3. Ginger - 1 Tbspn
4. Garlic - 1 Tbspn
5. Green Chilies - 5 - 6 thai
7. Paparika - 1/2 tspn
9. Black pepper - sprinkle
10. Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig
11. Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
12. Tomato - 2 medium size chopped fine

For the Topping
Potato - 2 russet potato
Butter - 2 Tbspn
Sour Cream - 3 Tbspn
Milk - 2 to 4 Tbspn (use it accordingly when creaming)
Parmesan cheese - to spinkle on top
Paparika - to spinkle



Method:
1. Brown the meat in a skillet or any cooking vessel. Here, we are only looking for change of color of the meat from pink to brown
2. Oil will clear at this time unless you are using 100% lean meat
3. Drain some or all the fat
3. Add chopped ginger, garlic, onions and green chilies and continue to cook. Wait for cooked garlic smell and onions to be translucent
4. Add curry leaves and stir
5. Add paparika and pepper if you want it to be spicier or you may not use them also
6. Add 1 1/2 tspn of all purpose flour and stir into the meat and cook for a couple of seconds
7. Add chopped tomato and cook
8. Add 1/2 cup of water and bring to boil
9. I take around 20 minutes for the whole process from the time I start browning the meat
10. You may use 1/2 cup of beef broth too if you like. I don't, I think water is just fine.
11. Set aside



Topping:
1. Dice the potato and cook in about 3/4 cup of water
2. Check with a fork to make sure potato is well done and drain off any excess water or cook it dry
3. Add the butter and sour cream and whip using a blender.
4. Add salt to taste and milk to soften if the potato is too pasty. You do not want it running and not too stiff either.

Layering:
1. Butter a oven safe dish
2. Add the cooked meat and then the potato over it. Sprinkle cheese and paparika and cook in a preheated oven at 400 D for 20 minutes.
3. The meat mixture will boil and bubble at the sides and this is okay.



Server it with rolls, steamed vegetables or even with rotis.
This will serve 4 people.

Contributor: Sunitha

   I keep buying Kale and throwing it out.  Yeah! I love them in soup, so I see fresh Kale and get drawn to it like iron to magnet.  However, the minute they come home all the magnetism is lost so to speak.  The last trip to the store had me doing the same but I sauteed then today.  Its good.  It has a bite to it which is quite interesting.  You might want to cook it on low fire covered to get it well done..  You may also add a couple of spoons of water to soften the leaf while cooking.  Even now my best way of having kale is in a soup but I have been munching on the leaves for a while now as I write and its growing on me.  So here is how I made Kale today.

Ingredients:
Kale - 1 Bunch
Green Chili - 3
Onions - 1/4
Garlic - 2 cloves
Soya Bean Sauce - sprinkle
Oil - 1/2 Tbspn
Salt - to taste
 Method:
1. Tear the leaves off from the stem
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil and once heated add chopped onions and garlic and follow it with the leaves
3. Stir well add some soya bean sauce.  I sprinkled some on maybe about a tspn
4. Close and cook on low fire and stirring in between till done. Check for salt and sprinkle some if needed

Notes:
The leaf is quite chewy and the flavor has a bite to it which I quite liked.  I am sure we could make an Indian style thoran and it will be quite tasty too.

Contributor: Sunitha

   I never imagined I would eat a cooked apple  until my time in Germany proved me wrong.  It started with Apple pie, and thereafter nothing could stop me.  Next thing I know, I was experimenting with baking apples, as well as other fruits.  But then again, I never thought I would be making savory dishes with apples, until recently.  Oh Yeah! I made this simple raita for lunch and everyone, including my toddler loved it.





Two kinds of Green apples, for comparison,the Golden delicious is so sweet and the Granny Smith is tart and perfect for baking.





Garnish with mint or coriander leaves





Ingredients:

Granny Smith/Any tart Apple- 1/2, peeled and cored
Yogurt- 1 cup scant
Green Chillies- 1
Onion, finely chopped- 2 tsp
Ginger, finely grated- 1/2 tsp
Salt- to taste
Dash of lime juice (optional)

Method:

1.Finely chop the apple into small pieces.
2.Finely chop the green chillies too.
3.Whisk the yogurt in a mixing bowl.
4.Add the salt and other ingredients except lemon juice and mix well.
5.Chill,mix in the lime juice, garnish and serve.

   Today, I have a simple recipe of a 'thoran' for you.  As you can see I got a little excited about the photography even though this is a simple recipe, then again, isn't presentation vital in cooking?   A good time to make recipes like this is when you don't have enough of one vegetable but have an assorted little of many.  Really, thats what I did! Mixed up this and that to make a thoran and I really loved this combination. 

Have fun!



Did you like the broccoli tree with carrot flowers? My kids did ;-)



A great way to use up the leftover veggies in your fridge




Ingredients:

Broccoli Florets,cut into small- 1/2 cup
Carrots grated- 1/4 cup
Beans ,chopped finely- 1/4 cup
Cabbage ,chopped finely- 1/4 cup
Coconut Grated- 1/3 cup
Green Chillies- 3-4
Turmeric Powder- a pinch
Salt- To taste

For seasoning:

Shallots, chopped finely- 2-3
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Dried Red chillies- 2-3
Curry Leaves- 1 sprig
Oil- 2 tsp


Method:

1.Make all the veggies ready for thoran, by cutting them like I've mentioned above.
2.It's up to you whether to grate or cut the broccoli florets.
3. Grind(not much-maybe for a couple of seconds) coconut and green chillies together. If you do not have a grinder/small bowl for your mixer grinder, leave this step and just add more green chillies slit into halves.
4.Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds followed by rice.
5.Add sliced shallots and saute it till golden brown.
6.To this add red chillies and curry leaves and saute .
7.Add the Broccoli and beans along with, turmeric, salt and coconut mix from step 3 and add into the pan.
8.Mix everything together and cover the pan.Add a couple of spoon full of water.
9.Cook on medium flame for about 5-6 minute.Open and stir everything well.Add the carrots and cabbage now. Continue cooking till all the veggies are cooked, but still a bit crunchy
10.Open the pan and cook till the thoran is free of any water by stirring in between.

Two years back, when I reached Uncle Sam's country, I was really nervous just like anybody who lands in a new place.I knew there won't be many Indians in the place we were going to live. For the same reason, I thought there won't be any Indian groceries either. It was a great relief when I saw spinach on our first trip to the grocery store. Like a flash of lightning this idea struck, "Why not make spinach thoran instead of cheera thoran".

I love my Amma's cheera thoran and I learned from her how to make them without any lumps. If this dish tastes good the credit is my mom's, but the idea to substitute spinach for cheera, I can proudly say is my own. I shared this idea with a couple of my Mallu friends and they are to date extremely happy about it. I hope you will have the same experience and be happy with this authentic amma's recipe with a twist.





Ingredients:

Spinach- 1bundle
Green chillies-2
shallots/chuvannulli/sambar onion -2-3(finely sliced)
Coconut-3-4 Tbsp(grated)
Turmeric-a pinch
salt-according to your taste
Rice(raw)-1 Tsp
Mustard-1/2Tsp
Red chillies-3(broken into halves)
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Oil-2Tbsp


Wisdom of the ages:

Always when you make a thoran with leaves , wash and dry the leaves completely before cutting.


Method:

1. Wash the spinach and spread it on a paper, at least 1hour before you cut them.This is very important, since if you have water on spinach you will end up having lumps in your thoran.
2.Cut the leaves into smaller pieces.
3. Grind(not much-maybe for a couple of seconds) coconut and green chillies together. If you do not have a grinder/small bowl for your mixer grinder, leave this step and just add more green chillies slit into halves.
4.Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds followed by rice.
5.Add sliced shallots and saute it till golden brown.
6.To this add red chillies and curry leaves and saute .
7.Mix spinach with turmeric, salt and coconut mix from step 3 and add into the pan.
8.Mix everything together and cover the pan.
9.Cook on medium flame for about a minute or till the steam comes.Don't keep the lid for long, since the steam will accumulate ,which in turn end up in lumps.
10.Open the pan and cook till the thoran is done by stirring in between.

This is a very simple yet nutritious dish. This goes well with pulissery/ moru(buttermilk) curry and rice.

You could use the normal "cheera" instead of spinach and also scramble eggs while giving tadka(spluttring mustard) and mix it, if you like eggs.





Contributor: Namitha

I have to confess that V (my husband) is not huge on vegetarian food. However, from the time I know him he raves and rants about ladies finger. He had them in some delectable masala a long time back, from where I don't know, and fell in love with it. From then I try variations of okra always keeping in mind to keep the shape and kill that characteristic sliminess of this vegetable when not done properly. One of the experiments that comes close to achieving the desired result is as in the recipe that follows. This one is rather dry so make the dal curry 'Gul' mentioned in our blog yesterday and have the ladies finger served with it.


Ingredients:
Ladies Finger/ Okra   - 1 pound (450 grams)
Worcestershire sauce - 2 tbspn
Pepper - 1 tspn
Onion - 1 medium size
Kanoji/ Onion seed - 1/4 tspn
Chili powder - 1 tspn
Oil - 1 tbspn

Method
1. Wash and pat dry Ladies finger/ okra.
2. Cut the head off and slit till the end and still keeping it together
3. Marinate with ingredients 2 and 3 and salt
4. Spread it on a cookie sheet which is sprayed on lined with oil.
5. Bake at 350 F (150 degree C) for 30 minutes or till Ladies finger/ okra is tender
5. Heat oil in a pan, splutter onion seeds
6. Add onions and on a low fire cook till translucent
7. Add chili powder and turmeric and some sauce or vinegar or plain water to keep the masala from burning (just a sprinkle)
8. Add your baked Okra in and mix well making sure you don't lose the shape or mash the okra
9. Allow the vegetable and masala to blend
Serve with roti or rice and dal curry.
P.S: In case you don't want to use the oven pat dry the ladies finger and add to the pan once the masala is prepared with ingredients 2 and 3 in the masala and not marinated in okra


Contributor: Sunitha