Banana Pudding

My love affair with banana pudding began at a gas station in Kentucky. Geets pulled up into the place with no intention of filling up, but returned with a container of pudding that she insisted I sample. Not only did I become a lifelong fan, I have tasted it when ever I see it on the menu. The Magnolia Bakery pudding is one of my favorites.

Condensed milk, vanilla pudding, cream, Nilla wafers, ripe bananas...all American staples, come together in harmony. The only difference in the original recipe is less cream. Certainly not for the calorie conscious, this is gratification for pudding lovers everywhere.

BANANA PUDDING

Slightly adapted from Magnolia Bakery

Serves 6

1 14oz can sweetened Condensed Milk

1 package Vanilla Pudding

1 1/2 cups Ice Water

2 cups Cream 

1 package Nilla Wafers 

4-5  ripe Bananas

Whisk condensed milk and water. 

Add vanilla pudding and whisk till there are no lumps. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The pudding should thicken.

Whip cream till stiff.

Fold cream into pudding till you see no streaks of cream.

Slice bananas. 

Spread 1/3 of the pudding into a 6" round dish.

Top with biscuits. You should have biscuits left over for garnishing.

Cover biscuits with sliced bananas. 

Spread 1/3 of pudding over bananas. 

Repeat with another layer of biscuits, then bananas.

Cover bananas with the remaining pudding . 

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. 

Spoon a helping into a bowl. Top with a biscuit or two. 

Enjoy it within 48 hours. After that the biscuits get too soggy. 

Steady helpings make this pudding disappear fast.....

Spice- Roasted Whole Cauliflower

I've been seeing a bunch of roasted cauliflower recipes. It is as if I'm being slowly nudged into making some. Capitulation begins with an experiment. I stuff a whole cauliflower with green chutney, sprinkle chile and roasted jeera powder over the whole cauliflower and then roast it in the oven as it sits on a bed of onions and garlic. Patience is always a rewarded virtue..... a perfectly roasted whole head comes out of the oven golden brown, tender....an Insta-worthy picture. 

SPICE-ROASTED WHOLE CAULIFLOWER     

DF, GF, VN, EF, V 

Serves 4-6 

1 Cauliflower

2-3 tablespoons Green Chutney (homemade or store bought)

1 Onion

2 Garlic cloves

2 tablespoon Canola Oil

1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder

1/2 teaspoon roasted Jeera Powder

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Cilantro

Heat oven to 400F/200C.

Trim cauliflower removing outer stalks and leaves. Cut the stem so the cauliflower sits flat on any surface. 

Flip cauliflower so the root end is facing you.

Drop bits of chutney into the crevices. Use the slim end of a spoon to push as much chutney as you can into the crevices. 

Slice onion thinly.

Mince garlic cloves. 

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in an oven safe skillet. I used a 6" skillet. Use a pan that is a couple of inches wider than your cauliflower. 

Saute onions and garlic till soft, a couple of minutes. Take it off the heat.

Alternately you could use a baking dish. Add onion, garlic and oil to the dish and proceed.

Nestle cauliflower in onions. 

Drizzle remining oil over cauliflower. 

Sprinkle chile powder, jeera powder and salt over cauliflower. 

Add 3/4 cup hot water to skillet or baking dish. 

Cover tightly with foil. 

Bake for 30 minutes. 

Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes more. 

Lift the cauliflower gently onto a serving dish. At this point you could serve it as is. 

Cut cauliflower into quarters . 

Spoon onion jam from the bottom of the skillet/dish in the middle of cauliflower.

Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve hot.  

I am amazed by this showstopper bake.... the way the cauliflower roasts...the onion jam at bottom of the skillet. They compliment each other prettily on my plate.

Masala Oysters

 

A friend  brings us a seafood bounty, including a pint of freshly shucked oysters. I dig into the pint immediately, relishing their briny tang. The instructions were to make oyster chowder or stew, but I sample a few raw ones everyday. And with each raw oyster that slides into my gullet, I faintly recall oysters Mum would make, that is whenever she found them at the fish market. Rarely available, the oysters were always polished off. Part of the fun was delicately searching for that elusive pearl! Which was never there!

That recipe came from Gruhini Mitra, an iconic cookbook, which is miles away on a shelf at home. My sister is fast asleep halfway round the world. So I improvise. Sliced onions, green chiles, fresh coconut, PP sambar masala and of course the remainder of the oysters...which were a scant cupful.

MASALA OYSTERS

Serves 2

1 cup shucked Oysters

1 tablespoon Canola Oil

1/2 Onion

1 Garlic clove

1 green Chile

1/2 teaspoon PP Sambar masala

A pinch of Turmeric

1/4 teaspoon Chile powder

2 tablespoons fresh grated Coconut

2 tablespoons fresh Cilantro

1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Slice onion thinly. 

Mince garlic and green chile.

Heat oil a small saucepan. 

Add onions, garlic and green chile to oil and stir till onion is soft. 

Drain as much liquid as you can from the oysters.

Add oysters to onions, along with all spices, coconut, cilantro and salt.

Stir fry over low heat for 5 minutes.

Garnish with coconut and cilantro and serve.

This isn't quite what Mum made...but it is piquant and delicious all the 

same. It might've been made for two but this recipe was demolished by one!
 

Chorizo Mushroom Shephard's Pie

Pi Day merits a pie. Not a sweet one. May be a non-traditional one.  Innovation begins with a spicy version of  a meat filled shephard's pie. The spice comes from chorizo sausage. Toss in some mushrooms. Mash up some buttery Yukon Golds. Layer the meat and mushrooms in a baking dish. Top them with a thick layer of potato mash. Let it bubble and brown in the oven. Pair it with a corn and avocado salad.  The result is one even a math-challenged person can make and enjoy!

CHORIZO MUSHROOM SHEPHARD'S PIE

Serves 4

1 pound Chorizo Sausage

2 cups sliced Cremini Mushrooms

1 tablespoon Canola Oil

1 Onion

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

5-6 large Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 tablespoon Butter

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Peel and chop onions.

Heat oil in a saucepan.

Add onions and saute till light brown.

Remove the skin of the chorizo.

Add chorizo to the onions, breaking up the meat with a spoon. Stir fry the meat till it looses its rawness. 

Drop sliced mushrooms into the sausage and saute for 5 minutes. 

Boil potatoes. 

Peel and mash them, adding salt and butter as you mash. Potatoes should be fairly smooth.

Heat oven to 350F/180C.

Spoon chorizo into a 6" round baking dish. 

Top with potato mash. 

Crosshatch the mash with the tip of a knife.

Bake for 20 minutes. 

If you like you could broil the top till brown. 

Enjoy the bake with a side or salad.

My math skills are very poor. The ode to Pi is way better.

Mushrooms with Onions and Thyme

Mushrooms  are mostly loved by all, especially vegetarians. They take on added flavors eagerly. Most grocery stores carry them, even the exotic kind. This delicious side is made with button or cremini mushrooms. Fancy mushrooms like shiitake, trumpet or oyster could be used as well, though I relish the taste of easily available creminis.

Sliced onions are sauteed in olive oil with garlic. Mushrooms are added along with lots of fresh thyme, paprika and tomato paste. Add a splash of red wine. Season and saute for a few minutes. Watch the mushrooms take on a coating of the spices. Then plate the mushrooms with any protein of choice.

MUSHROOMS WITH ONIONS AND THYME

Serves 4

1 Onion

3 Garlic cloves

# tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 cups Cremini Mushrooms 

1 teaspoon Tomato Paste

2 teaspoons fresh Thyme Leaves plus more sprigs for garnish

1 teaspoon Paprika

2 tablespoons Red Wine

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

Cut onion in half and slice into thin half moons.

Mince garlic.

Slice mushrooms.

Heat oil in a saucepan.

Saute onion in oil till soft and translucent. Move them aside.

Drop garlic into oil and saute till a little brown.

Add mushrooms to the pan and saute over medium high heat till slightly wilted.

Season with paprika, tomato paste, thyme, salt and pepper. 

Add red wine and stir well. Saute for a few minutes.

Garnish with sprigs of thyme.

Enjoy the mushrooms with any meat, eggs or fish.

Simple, fast and made with kitchen staples...a joy to make and eat. 

Mini Potato Skewers

For my husband's milestone birthday I plan a small outdoor wine and appetizer hour. All the neighbors have had their vaccines, in spite of which we gather outside with an abundance of caution. All the appetizers are skewered for easy pick up! We have chicken shashlik, shrimp sauteed in herbs and spices, asian meatballs, adult watermelon pops, prune bacon rolls, tartines, mozzarella tomato skewers and mini potatoes skewers. 

Small bite size red and yellow potatoes are boiled and drained. The hot potatoes are drenched in garlic, paprika, Cajun spices, parsley and olive oil. I let them sit in this mix overnight, though a shorter marinade would work as well. Just before skewering them, the potatoes are warmed  in the marinade they sit in. The skewering process is fast. I watch them disappear even faster!

MINI POTATO SKEWERS

DF, GF, VG, EF, V

Serves 6

1 pound small  Red Bliss and/or  Yukon Gold Potatoes

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Paprika

2 teaspoons store bought or homemade Cajun Spices(1/2 teaspoon each of  Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Chili Powder)

1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder

 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Parsley Leaves

Wooden Skewers

Wash potatoes well. Place them in a shallow saucepan. Cover with water and bring to boil. Cook till potatoes are done. Poke with a knife or toothpick to check for doneness. 

Drain potatoes well. 

Pour olive oil in a bowl. 

Add garlic powder, paprika, Cajun spices, onion powder salt and pepper to olive oil. 

Add some chopped parsley leaves to oil and stir.

Place potatoes in a container. 

Add olive oil mix to the potatoes.

Stir well so potatoes are coated. Cover potatoes.

Marinate overnight if possible. Or let the potatoes sit in the marinade for 3-5 hours. 

Before you skewer them, tip the potatoes, marinade and all into a saucepan and stir till they are warm.

Skewer two potatoes together. 

Arrange them on a platter, serve at room temperature and watch them disappear.

The gathering is so much fun. All of us want a reason to celebrate in these trying times. This socially distanced affair, the finger food and the fresh air makes the evening a memorable one!