Gateaux Piments

HARMONY DAY 2011

Here we are again at Harmony Day so now thanks to wonderful new friends in Mauritius we have the Mauritian favourite Gateaux Piments or chilli cakes.

I thought Ravi was going to give me a demonstration but time ran away and urgency meant I cooked them up alone! Whether my lovely Mauritian family of Bhantooas will think they're authentic is another thing but maybe I'll have to just try theirs when I get to Mauritius!

For now here is the recipe I used to make mine - a combination of a couple of the plethora of similar ones available.

GATEAUX PIMENTS

Ingredients

250g dholl (split yellow peas)
3 red & 2 green chillies
2 complete spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp toasted cumin seeds
oil for frying
Method

Wash the dholl then soak in water over night.
Drain the dholl then grind to a fine powder.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Shape the resultant mixture into balls and fry in very hot oil until golden brown.
These can be served as a snack or accompanied by crusty bread.

I'm going to serve them with a choice of sweet chilli sauce or tzatziki for dipping.

They are best eaten soon after cooking while hot but I'm going to have to reheat for our Harmony Day lunch at work.

Penne alla arrabiata - ANGRY PENNE

I thought I had posted this so long ago but it seems not so Carmen here it is! I was taught this by Bruna Fedele when she visited from Rome with her husband Amelio in 1986! for 6 months work on radars. Bruna said she ONLY ever used canned Roma tomatoes in her sauces as that makes the best. This is so easy my kids can cook it and they BEG to eat it all the time. It's lo-fat (depending on how much cheese they pile on top before they devour it!).


500gm dried penne pasta
2 x 425gm cans Roma tomatoes (no added salt)
1-2 dried chillies (depending how HOT you like it)
2 cloves garlic OR 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
olive oil

Method

Follow instructions on pasta packet

Saute garlic & chopped chillis in splash of olive oil
Add 2 cans roma tomatoes and gently crush with potato masher
Bring to boil then simmer until reduced

Stir tomato reduction into drained pasta - top with grated cheese of your choice - delizioso !

Use 1/2 quantities when only cooking for 2 or using as a side dish to salad
Use the tomato base for any sauce or on pizza base (with or without chillis)
For a variation also add sliced red onion and chorizzo sausage

buon appetito !

My Friend Is ...

CHESTNUT SOUP

OK - with sincere apologies to those who have been waiting for this since our soup day at work - here at last is the recipe for that fantastic Chestnut Soup I made!

Chestnut Soup

Ingredients – serves 4-6

1kg shelled chestnuts (yields 500 grams)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 litre vegetable stock
to taste sea-salt and pepper
300ml cream
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Method:
Score chestnuts - by carefully cutting a cross into husk and roast for 20 mins with unpeeled garlic. Once they cool, the shell and thin lining are hard to remove so protect your hands and peel quickly. Squeeze garlic out of skin.

Warm oil in a heavy-based saucepan.

Sweat onion, celery and diced carrots in a small amount of oil.

Add whole chestnuts and stock and bring to the boil.

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Blend with stick mixer, stir in cream, grate nutmeg over and season to taste. Add more stock, veges, chestnuts and cream as needed to make greater quantity – volumes approx.

Serving Suggestion: Slurp beside a raging fire

Easy (lower fat) Macaroni Cheese

I grew up on this - my mum wasn't the greatest cook and she might have got the recipe wrong for macaroni cheese but I always made it her way and it is so quick & easy - plus not SO fattening as the ones with the cheese sauce through. When I don't feel like cooking - if I don't do the penne alla arrabiata - I do this - my son's favourite!

You need (feeds 4 with side salad and dinner roll)

1 onion (tennis ball size) chopped
4 rashers bacon - trimmed
pinch herbs
garlic if you like
2 cans unsalted roma tomatoes
250gms macaroni elbows
100 gms grated cheese

Bring to boil sufficient salted water in large pot to boil pasta. Follow directions on packet (probably 8 mins). While this is happening ....

Fry onions with bacon/herbs/garlic until onion transparent - add tomatoes and gently smash with potato masher then cook on medium to high to reduce liquid.

Drain pasta when cooked, stir through tomato mixture then cover with grated cheese and brown under grill. If you can't get this on the table in 15 mins you need to come over and I'll show you how it can be done!

I've decided to take photos of the dishes I make so will post this next time - tonight's effort has been polished off!