Enzo the Baker

Enzo, was the son in law of Nazorine, the baker. When Nazorine realised that the bun in his daughter’s oven belonged to Enzo, he sought the help of Don Corleone to ensure that Enzo did not have go to back to Italy and could make an honest woman of his daughter. In time, Enzo came to inherit his father in law’s business. You might remember Enzo from the time he stood alongside Michael thwarting an assassination attempt on the Don. We believe this was the highlight of Enzo’s life.

[enzo-the-baker]

Simple Apple Crumble

In our first year of baking, we would often try to up the game. If we got comfortable with pâte brisée, we had to quickly move on to puff pastry, if the cookies turned out fine, the immediate next step was to try cookies filled with jam. When you start cooking, in the beginning, you scarcely believe what can come out of your kitchen if you apply yourself.  However, while there is obvious excitement in constantly trying out new recipes, there is also pleasure in turning back to the same reliable recipe that pays rich dividends each time.

The apple crumble is one of the those dishes which was incredibly easy and rarely backfires. When I actually realised how it is made, I was stumped by its sheer simplicity. It is incredible that a recipe which requires so little complexity can taste so good. While in this recipe we are using only apples, other additional fruits like strawberries and blueberries also work very well alongside.

Simple Apple Crumble Simplified from BBC Good Food

3 medium apples 175g flour 110g caster sugar 110g unsalted butter

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C. 

2. Fill and saucepan with some water and, core and cut the apples in small chunks. Sometimes we also prefer slicing the apples in long and thin pieces. Place the apples in water to prevent oxidation.

3. Place the flour and sugar in a bowl and add the butter. Using your hands, press and combine the butter into the flour and sugar mixture until it turns into crumbs.

4. Place the apples in an ovenproof dish, and cover with the crumbs.

5. Place the dish in the oven and bake for about 30 min or until the crumb is golden in colour, and the apples are very soft and mushy. 

6. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, and serve with cream or ice cream.

[enzo-the-baker]

Garlic and cheddar mashed potato

A staple food the Enzo kitchen sees very little of is potato. Potatoes are the default food in a lot of Indian households— aloo-gobi, aloo-parval, aloo-matar, aloo-baingan. It is the vegetarian answer to chicken, the lowest common denominator, the vegetable of national integration. Much like chicken, potatoes do not taste like anything, aside from starch. This lack of flavor makes them particularly malleable, and they taste like anything you cook the with. In the Enzo kitchen, we have tried to focus on flavors and nutrition, and potatoes lose out on both these counts.

However, every once in a while, maybe twice a year, we do make potatoes in the most decadent manner possible — hasselback, deep-fried or this creamy mash with garlic and cheddar

Garlic and Cheddar Mash Potatoes

1 kg potato, quartered 8 garlic cloves, finely minced ½ cup milk ⅔ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese Salt and pepper, to taste 5 tsp chives

1. Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Drain and return potatoes to saucepan. Let them cool a little and peel the skin off the potatoes. Add garlic, pepper and salt.

3. Using a masher, mash the potatoes adding a little milk, cheese and chives.

4. Mash until completely smooth or the consistency you desire.

[enzo-the-baker]

Whole wheat basil pesto and mozzarella rolls

It is always great when something this delicious happens in the kitchen not because of careful thought and planning, but the need to use up leftovers before they go bad. That we can turn leftovers into a special meal or a side feels like a pat on the back, and a sign that maybe, just maybe, we are all grown up (at least in the kitchen). Of course what really helps in situations like this is the never-ending list of to-bake and to-cook recipes marked out in books or saved on Pinterest. These whole wheat pesto and mozzarella rolls are adapted from the beautiful Top with Cinnamon blog, and we baked them on a regular Wednesday past night, to use up leftover pesto and mozzarella from a pizza dinner few days ago.

Whole wheat basil pesto and mozzarella rolls Adapted from Top with Cinnamon (makes about a dozen)

½ cup + 1tbsp warm water 1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp olive oil 1½–2 cups whole wheat flour ½ tsp salt ½ cup pesto 50g mozzarella, finely chopped

1. Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a large bowl and set aside for 10 minutes for the yeast to proof.

2. Stir in the oil and and then half the flour. Reserve ¼ cup of the flour, and mix in the rest.

3. Sprinkle this reserve flour on a clean work surface and tip the mixture on it. Knead for about 5-10 minutes till the dough is smooth.

4. Lightly grease the same bowl with a little oil, put the kneaded dough in it and cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Leave the bowl in a warm place and let it rise for around an hour or until the dough rises to twice its size.

5. Once the dough has risen. lightly sprinkle the work surface with some flour and roll out the dough into a 14" by 12" rectangle.

6. Spread the pesto and scatter the mozzarella evenly over the rolled out dough.

7. Starting at the long edge, tightly roll the dough into a long cylinder, and using a sharp knife, cut into 2" thick pieces.

8. Now preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

9. Grease a regular-sized muffin tin, and place one roll in each cup. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel, and leave it to rise for 15-20 minutes.

10. Bake for 25-35 minutes until well risen and browned.

[enzo-the-baker]

Everyday chocolate cake

Much of the emphasis in the current food scene in Bangalore is on excess – the sweet artificial chocolate in desserts, the amount of grease and spice, the profuse sweetness of fruit compote. There is an acute shortage of good, basic food done well. While I have a major sweet tooth, I do not need my desserts to be sweeter or richer than they should be. Every time we bake a simple pound cake like this one, we feel like there should always be dessert in the house, something simple which you can eat without feeling full or guilty. When I was growing up, the only kind of cakes I knew were simple pound cakes. It’s what was baked on birthdays and on the rare occasions, bought from a store. These were modest yet hearty vanilla cakes, sometimes with walnuts but usually without any icing. Later in life, I came to appreciate other kinds of more luxurious desserts but a simple pound cake is what I want on most days.

Everyday chocolate pound cake Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 tbsp white vinegar 1 cup minus 1 tbsp milk ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 egg, at room temperature 1 tsp vanilla extract 1½ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup Dutch cocoa powder 1 tbsp coffee powder ¼ tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt

1. In a bowl stir together the milk and vinegar and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F, and grease and lightly flour a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter till it is smooth and add both kinds of sugars until the mixture is fluffy. Add the egg and beat well, followed by the milk and vinegar mixture and vanilla and mix.

4. Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder into the wet ingredients and stir together with a spoon until all the ingredients are well-mixed. Take care not to over-mix.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 160°C/325°F for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

6. Cool the cake in the pan for at least 10-15 minutes before turning it out.

[enzo-the-baker]

Chocolate coffee cupcakes

Both Amber and I love the idea of hosting friends and family in our home. I say we love the “idea,” because so often we are either too busy to even think about it, or too tired to tie ourselves to the work that comes with having guests over. Of course, it doesn’t help that a lot of people we would like to invite don’t live in the same city as us. The evening we baked these chocolate coffee cupcakes was a pleasant reminder that one of the biggest obstacle in our hosting friends at home for a meal is often our desire to cook something spectacular when an occasion like this does present itself. That evening, when a couple of our friends called us to ask if they could come by, we had already cooked dinner and were in the process of baking these cupcakes for breakfast for the coming week. We simply thawed a big box of dal from the freezer and cooked more rice than we had intended. And there it was, dal, rice and palak paneer for dinner and these strongly coffee-flavoured, just-sweet cupcakes for dessert. It can be as easy as this, if only we would let it be that way. 

Chocolate coffee cupcakes Adapted by Roxana’s Home Baking (makes about 15)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature ¾ cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 cup brewed coffee, cooled 1¾ all-purpose flour ¼ cup cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder pinch of salt

1. Line the cupcake pans with paper liners and pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after you add each.

3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

4. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and eggs, followed by half the coffee, and continue adding them alternately. Mix until just combined.

5. Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

6. Leave the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before taking them out, and cooling them further on a wire rack.

[enzo-the-baker]

Homemade tomato ketchup

Pooja and I both love tomatoes. Having grown up in Delhi, Pooja has always been fond of Punjabi curries with a heavy dose of tomatoes – most notably the Butter Chicken. While I have never completely taken to the strong tomato favor in Indian curries, I do love most ways in which we eat tomatoes – slow roasted, sun dried, cooked in a curry, made into a chutney or for that matter, raw in a salad. What Pooja and I both abhor though is ketchup. To our mind, it takes away all things that are nice about tomatoes and reduces it to a saccharine sweet paste. the only kind of food that works ketchup works with are french fries. This distaste of ketchup is not shared by most people, and this batch of ketchup was made primarily for Pooja’s brother, Prateek (who, to my horror and amusement, travels with sachets of ketchup) and her mom.  

Pooja’s attempt was to make the consistency as close to the Heinz ketchup and while retaining the sweetness of the ketchup, also include a generous blend of spices to give it as much flavor as possible. One evening I returned from work to a house smelling of a sweetness I surprisingly did not hate. While I am not likely to become a fan of ketchup, a good homemade version is far superior to a store bought bottle. Not only can you still taste tomatoes in it, you can figure out the blend of spices that works best for you.

Homemade tomato ketchup Adapted from New York Times (makes about 2 cups)

3 kgs fresh, ripe tomatoes, chopped into eighths 2 onions, sliced 4-5 garlic cloves, crushed ¾ cup red wine vinegar ¾ cup brown sugar 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsp smoked paprika ½ inch cinnamon 1 tbsp whole all spice, freshly crushed

1. In a large saucepan, simmer the tomatoes, onions, garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, cinnamon and all-spice till a thick jam-like mixture forms and the the liquid evaporates. This took about 2-3 hours.

2.Pureé the mixture until smooth and strain through a fine-mesh sieve.

3. Chill before serving and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

[enzo-the-baker]

Celebrating our third birthday with a schokotorte with hazelnut praline

In a break from tradition, I am writing the blog’s birthday post this year instead of Amber, who did a beyond spectacular job last time around. There are no announcements to make this year, but a lot to share about where life has taken us this past year, what we have learned and the things we hope to do in the new one. 2015 was a year of change, and the blog was among the first things that had to bear the brunt of our scattered attention, busy schedules and less-than-happy moods.

Amber and I got married in February, and the run up to it was one of the most emotionally draining experiences of our lives (that we posted exactly once in the first couple of months of the year is testament to that). We went through months of living hell. To fight tooth and nail with those you love to get them to respect you and your beliefs is something I won’t wish on anyone. It put us in difficult, often no-win situations, and Amber and I probably learned more about each other this way, than we would have if everything had gone smoothly. We know now that we are willing to try everything to solve a hard problem—we went as far as using statistics to see which of our many solutions would make the least number of people unhappy! We learned that we were brave enough to stand up for our convictions, whether it was about the inherent sexism in Hindu wedding rituals; or the needless expenditure that goes into weddings that have, quite frankly, become monstrosities; or even keeping our wedding private and not make it into a social media extravaganza. We got married under the Special Marriage Act, there were no religious rituals and I wore no marks of a married woman (and don’t plan to ever, either). We didn’t spend a bomb buying clothes that we would only ever wear to one party. I was practically a FabIndia bride, and I am proud of that! A few weeks before the wedding, we found ourselves in a Tanishq showroom surveying the jewelry I was expected to buy, and then wear. We had convinced ourselves that it is money we have, so why not spend it on this? If nothing else, I would feel less worked up every time we had to attend a wedding and found myself not owning the baubles that would magically transform me into a christmas tree. I’m so grateful that we talked ourselves out of this more successfully than we had talked ourselves into it. Because, really, we would much rather spend that money and the money that goes into throwing a party for a thousand people in filling our home with books and our kitchen with better equipment. If there was one thing that made all the pain worth it, it was that we tried our absolute best not to compromise who we are.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Amber and I both made big changes to our work lives in 2015. I went back to working full-time again, in an attempt to not become stagnant and do all the things I love to do, and not just a few. There was more administrative tasks to tend to as I expanded my practice, new skills to learn and become better at managing my time and communicating with clients and collaborators. Amber went a step further than me. He quit his job, figured out what he would rather to do and went back to work doing something he likes. And even though this has meant starting from scratch, he has worked tirelessly, complained little and inspired me much more than he knows.

We know it sounds pompous (and far too much like the United Nations), but Amber and I like to dedicate every new year to a goal. Much better than a resolution, we think. Next year is the Year of Health, both mental and physical. As you can imagine, 2015 was probably not a good one for either. And making time to do the things we love, the things that help us find balance and happiness, is right up there on the agenda, and therefore so is this blog. Given how little we have posted this year, it is hard to believe that we have cooked and baked more and better this year. And to keep that going, we are planning a special project around Indian food that we hope to share with you soon. We are practicing old skills and mastering new ones. We are learning more about culinary cultures we are ignorant about. We are understanding the science behind cooking and baking better. From now on, expect the recipes that go up on this blog to push you more, because we are upping the ante in our kitchen!

(In the picture at the top of this post is the schokotorte with hazelnut praline we baked to celebrate the blog’s third birthday. The recipe will be on the blog soon!)

[enzo-the-baker]

Asparagus and potato pizza

At some point during our weeknight menu planning sessions, we realized how much rice we were eating. And because we didn’t want to become rice-eaters exclusively, and couldn’t get ourselves to stand in the (hot) kitchen after a day of work to make rotis, our saviours became FabIndia’s wheat pastas and pizzas with homemade whole wheat dough. The challenge every couple of weeks now is to find what to top the pizza with. Sometimes we slather home-made tomato sauce on the crust, other times it is pesto or romesco sauce, or even some olive oil, like we did on this pizza. This is not a pizza we make often. It is far too difficult to find tender asparagus, and when you do, they usually cost a bomb. And even though potatoes can be a staple in many kitchens, we eat them, maybe, once in a couple of months, if that. So this pizza, though very simple to make, is complete treat for us.

Asparagus and potato pizza Adapted from Epicurious (makes two thin crust pizzas)

½ go-to pizza dough 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced very finely 8-10 asparagus stems, trimmed and cut lengthwise into 2 in. pieces 2 medium-sized potato, boiled, cooled and sliced thinly ½ cup grated grated mozzarella ½ cup grated grated parmesan Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onions and sauté on low-medium heat till they begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook until it starts to turn golden brown. Take of the heat and allow to cool, then toss the asparagus in this mixture.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°F/250°C and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Divide the dough into two, roll each half out into a round of about 4-5mm thickness and place them on the baking sheet.

4. Spread the olive mixture with onion, garlic and asparagus equally on both pizza crusts. Divide the potato slices on them next. Finally sprinkle both kinds of cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown, cheese melted and bubbly and asparagus tender.

[enzo-the-baker]

Red pepper and lentil soup

After almost two weeks of being surrounded by family in the run-up to Diwali, I’m craving for the quiet days I spend at home in Bangalore. As much as I love spending time with friends and family, doing it in this rushed, intense manner that it always ends up being whenever we visit Delhi leaves me desperate to quickly go back to our two-person home which offers infinite solitude, and views like this gorgeous tree from our dining room and treats like this vibrant, yet simple red lentil soup.

Red pepper and lentil soup Adapted from Kitchen Sanctuary (serves four)

1 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, peeled and chopped 2 red bell peppers, deseeded and chopped 3 carrots, peeled and chopped ¾ cup red lentils, soaked in water for 20 minutes and drained 3½ cups vegetable stock or water Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste ⅓ cup grated parmesan + more for serving Chopped fresh parsley for serving

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. When it is hot, add the chopped onions and cook for 5-6 minutes until they turn soft. Then add the carrots and bell peppers, and cook for another couple of minutes.

2. Next, add the drained lentils and stock to the pressure cooker. Close the cooker lid and cook on low heat until the first whistle, and on high for two more whistles. Turn the heat off now, and wait for all the steam to release before you open the cooker.

3. Blend the cooked mixture using a hand blender, or in a food processor and put it back on heat. Use a bit of extra water or stock, if you need to thin the soup a little.

4. Finally stir in the salt, pepper and cheese.

5. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and more cheese.

[enzo-the-baker]

Sesame noodles

I hate to admit it but our track record for cooking any kind of Asian food has been pretty poor. We’ve made pad thai a few times, and even though it has turned out quite decently, the rice noodles have always proven to be a hassle—never softening as quickly as the package or recipe suggest—and leaving us a little out of sorts when all we want is a quick weeknight dinner. Our attempt at making Thai red curry can only be called a half-success at best, since what we ended up with both tasted and looked like green curry. And even though we made our own broth and pickled eggs, the ramen we made a few months ago wasn’t upto scratch either. Whether it is the quality of ingredients we have managed to lay our hands on so far, or our very specific incompetence at following recipes that originate anywhere to the east of India, this litany of failures has left us quite heartbroken. As a result, we wait quite patiently for a special-enough occasion to present itself so we can partake in the absolutely phenomenal red curry served at Blue Ginger, all in the guise of a well-deserved celebration or reward. It was a complete surprise, then, that this recipe for sesame noodles turned out as well as it did.

Sesame noodles Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

350 gms dried rice noodles 2 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsp tahini 1 tsbp smooth peanut butter 3½ soy sauce 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp finely grated ginger 2 tsp minced garlic 1 tbsp sliced red jalapeños + 1 large clove of garlic 1 medium cucumber, very thinly sliced ½ cup roasted salted peanuts, skinned and roughly chopped ½ cup chopped mint

1. Cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the package, and drizzle the cooked noodles with a little sesame oil to avoid the noodles from sticking.

2. Pound together the sliced jalapeños and a full clove of garlic, and whisk that mixture with tahini, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, remaining sesame oil, sugar, mixed ginger and garlic in a small bowl until smooth.

3. Toss the cold noodles with the sauce, and serve with sliced cucumbers, salted peanuts and chopped mint.

[enzo-the-baker]

Hummus

Prateek, my brother, has one big beef with this blog—that he sees pictures of food he likes, but it unable to cook so many of them because they need an oven. Now, the funny thing is he does have an oven. His house came equipped with one, but he refuses to get an LPG connection to make it work. It is one of those decisions that is straightforward and obvious for him, but confounds us every time we see that oven just sit uselessly in his kitchen. 

So, today’s recipe for hummus is for Prateek. He doesn’t need an oven to make it. And now that he is the proud owner of a mini food processor, the only thing standing between him and home-made hummus is the overnight soaking time.

Hummus (makes about 2 cups)

1 cup dried chickpeas 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil + more for serving 3-4 tbsp tahini, per your taste 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped Juice of a lemon ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper Salt to taste Smoked paprika to taste

1. Soak the chickpeas in 2-3 cups of water overnight. Next morning when they are swollen to about double the size, drain and rinse them. Cook them in a pressure cooker with 4 cups of water on low heat for about an hour or until they are tender. Cool and drain the cooked chickpeas, reserving about ¼ cup of cooking water.

2. Combine the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, garlic and lemon in the bowl of a food processor. Blend the ingredients together until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. If the hummus is too thick, add the reserved cooking water, a tablespoon, at a time to thin it.

3. Season the hummus with salt, black pepper and smoked paprika, and add more lemon juice or tahini if required. Mix well.

4. Transfer the hummus to a bowl, and serve with additional olive oil and a generous sprinkle of smoked paprika.

[enzo-the-baker]

Five pepper pizza

It is not often that we order a pizza from Dominos but when we do I'm always compelled to get the five-pepper. I first ate this pizza while working late into the night with Prateek and Pratul about two and a half years ago, and whether it is nostalgia for that time, or something else, it is quite strange for me to like something that is inherently spicy. A few weeks ago, while working out our weekly menu, we decided it was about time that we baked our own version of the five-pepper pizza at home—our go-to pizza dough; home-made tomato sauce; topped with green and red bell peppers, green and red jalapeños, and fresh green chillies; and mozzarella. The great thing about this pizza is that it is not heavy or gross like the Dominos original, but then that is also the worst thing about it.

Five pepper pizza (makes two thin-crust pizzas)

½ red bell pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced ½ capsicum, deseeded and thinly sliced 2–3 tbsp sliced red and green jalapeños from a bottle (use more of less according to your preference) Thinly sliced fresh green chillies, to taste 4 tbsp pizza sauce ½ go-to pizza dough ⅓ cup grated mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/250°C and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. 3. Divide the dough into two, roll each half out into a round of about 4-5mm thickness and place them on the baking sheet. 4. Spread the pizza sauce equally on both crusts, followed by the bell pepper, capsicum, jalapeños and chillies. Finally top with the mozzarella cheese. 5. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and cheese melted and bubbly.

[enzo-the-baker]

Dark chocolate and caramel truffles

I have always wondered why there aren’t more songs about food. If I were a songwriter, I wouldn’t have to look too far for inspiration with all the delicious food that surrounds us. Surely, someone should be moved to write about the gastronomic delights of a biryani, the heartiness of pumpkin chili, and delicate lightness of acacia honey. Yet, songs about food are far and few between.

Don Mclean’s American Pie isn’t really about pies, Jagger’s Brown Sugar is intentional in its lyrical ambiguity, and Beach Boys’ Wild Honey basically anthropomorphizes honey into a wild girl. My favorite song about about food is Savoy Truffle by the Beatles. The song is nothing if not a celebration of all kinds of goodies, albeit with the repeated reminder of how everything that is good is bad for you. We wanted to make these truffles for some months now, my fascination partly to do with the song. One you eat truffles, you realise that it is by far the best way to enjoy chocolates. But go easy on them, for “you know that what you eat you are; But what is sweet now, turns so sour.”

Dark chocolate and caramel truffles Adapted from Love and Olive Oil

250g dark cooking chocolate ⅓ cup sugar 2 tbsp water ¼ tsp sea salt 200 ml cream Unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, or in bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat when the chocolate has melted completely.

2. Add sugar and water to a pan and heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and turns amber in colour. Add the cream to the pan and let it start bubbling. Stir on low heat until the mixture is smooth

4. Pour the caramel mixture into the melted chocolate and add the sea salt. Stir gently using a fork or a whisk until the mixture is smooth.

5. Cover the vessel with a cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator till firm.

6. Remove from the refrigerator and using a spoon to remove the truffles, make small balls. Roll over cocoa powder or roughly ground nuts. Place the truffles in a plate and refrigerate. Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

[enzo-the-baker]

Roasted eggplant and bell pepper dip

A couple of months ago, I found several episodes of Ina Garten’s TV show Barefoot Contessa on YouTube, and they became a bit of an addiction. I usually watch or hear something while I draw and for a few weeks, Ina Garten was it. There is a lot to love in her shows—the food, her beautiful garden and kitchen, but its not all wonderful and I found myself squirm more often than I liked. Every time Garten talked about cooking for her husband in an effort to “keep” him, I face-palmed. In some episodes, it was close to impossible to look beyond the regressive storyline and focus on the cooking. And so I am thankful, that I did spot some recipes that I wanted to try. This roasted eggplant and bell pepper dip is one of them. We’re big fans of this combination of ingredients, and finding a new way to eat them is always welcome.

Roasted eggplant and bell pepper dip Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 onion, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp red chilli powder 1½ tsp salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 tbsp tahini 3 tbsp chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Toss the chopped eggplants, bell pepper and onions with the minced garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and chilli powder. Spread them on the lined baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes, tossing once during cooking, until the vegetables turn a little brown and become soft. Once roasted, allow them to cool for about 20 minutes.

3. In a food processor, fitted with a steel blade, pulse the roasted vegetables, lemon juice and tahini, till all the ingredients are blended together.

4. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the chopped parsley. Garnish with the extra parsley and serve.

[enzo-the-baker]

Nutella Pie

We’re all for hard work, and making things from scratch, but on some days all you need is a treat; a treat that doesn’t take much effort at all. And a treat you know isn’t healthy. This Nutella pie is for a day like that. I feel ashamed in even calling this a recipe. There is barely any cooking involved, and you buy pretty much ready-made from the grocery store. But it is here anyway because we all have days like this.

Now, not only was this the first time we brought home a jar of Nutella (early on, Amber and I had that decided it was imminent danger just sitting in the refrigerator and vowed never to buy any unless a recipe demanded it), it was the very first time I had bought a jar in my life! And even though the pie was beyond indulgent and our life-line for a whole week, I think I am happy to be living a Nutella-free life once again.

Nutella Pie Adapted from Epicurious

For the crust, 200 gms chocolate cookies 8-10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the filling, 2 cups Nutella 11/2 cups mascarpone cheese 1/4 tsp sea salt

For the topping, 1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

2. Crumble the chocolate cookies in a food processor or put them in a zip pouch and crush them with a rolling pin, until they are finely crushed. Pour the melted butter into the crumbs and mix till the butter is well incorporated and the mixture looks like wet sand. Firmly press the mixture against the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan, and chill for an hour. Bake this crust for 10 mins, and cool it completely before filling.

3. Beat together the Nutella, mascarpone and salt in a large bowl, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Pour the filling into the crust, spread it evenly, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour till it becomes firm.

4. Top the pie with the chopped hazelnuts, and serve.

[enzo-the-baker]

Baked cherry and almond popover pancake

I became interested in the Bismarck myth some time in high school. Often the greatness of our leaders is in being able to project something far bigger than them. Otto von Bismarck was an exponent of realpolitik but managed to convey an image of a dogmatic ideologue, to his great advantage. His influence continued to survive long after his death in the unified Germany and Bismarck dead probably did more for right wing conservative politics than he ever did alive. There are quotes attributed to Bismarck that he never said, my favorite is the one about law being like sausages and how its better not to see how it is made. There is a plethora of streets, squares, towers and gardens named after him in Germany. But nothing beats calling this pancake a Bismarck. 

Cursory online research suggests that this pancake was invented in the early 1900s in a cafe in Seattle, Washington, and named Dutch Babies by the proprietor’s daughters. Derived from the German Pfannkuchen, this dish seems to be more American than German, the ‘Dutch’ in the name being a reference to the Pennsylvania Dutch population rather than Germany or Holland. It is only a testament to the Bismarck myth than this American dish should have a moniker than refers to him.Dutch babies are made in cast iron or overproof pans which can be directly moved to the oven after cooking the fruits on the gas-stove. This version is a workaround in case case you cannot use the same pan for the gas and the oven.

Baked cherry and almond popover pancakes Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (serves four for breakfast)

3 eggs 2 tsbp granulated sugar ¾ cup all-purpose flour ¾ cup milk Pinch of salt 4+1 tbsp butter 2 cup cherries, pitted ½ cup toasted and sliced almonds 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar Half a lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour, milk and salt to make a lumpy batter.

3. In a pan, melt the remaining butter and once it is hot, add the cherries and cook until they are warmed through.

4. Grease a baking dish with 1 tbsp butter, melted, and preheat it in the oven for exactly 2 minutes.

5. Remove the baking dish from the oven, and carefully pour the butter and cherries, and then the egg and flour batter into it. Bake for 15-20 minutes till the pancake becomes golden and rumpled-looking.

6. Once baked, scatter toasted almonds on the pancake, dust with powdered sugar, squeeze half a lemon over the pancake and serve.

[enzo-the-baker]

Tomato and basil bruschetta, two ways

Last year we moved to Indiranagar, one of the nicest neighbourhoods in Bangalore. In a city devoid of a decent public transport system, it was good to live in a place where one could walk to most places one needed to go to regularly. Very soon we had our local restaurant scene figured out. One of our favorite places has been Café Max, a small European restaurant run in the Goethe Instituit, a mere two minutes walk from where we live. On days we do not want to cook, Café Max is our path of least resistance.

One of the pleasures of cooking is recreating your favorite dishes in your own kitchen, and last year on Christmas we recreated one of our most-loved dishes from Café Max—our go-to starter to split before a meal, the bruschetta topped with chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic and basil. We updated the original and made our version without the onions, and with mozzarella. And to make things more festive, we made a second kind too. The same bread, but topped instead with our staple basil pesto, slow roasted cherry tomatoes and parmesan shavings.

Tomato and basil bruschetta, two ways (makes about a dozen)

One baguette, sliced diagonally into slices about ¾-1 in. thick 2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar ⅙ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 tsp sugar Freshly milled salt and pepper, to taste 1 cup fresh tomatoes, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 1 tbsp finely chopped basil ½ cup fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1 cup of basil pesto 1 cup of slow roasted cherry tomatoes Parmesan shavings

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C

2. Whisk together the vinegar, oil and sugar and pour this vinaigrette over the chopped tomatoes, garlic and basil in a medium-sized bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let this sit for half an hour.

3. Brush olive oil on the baguette slices, and toast in the preheated oven at 200°C for 3-5 minutes.

2. Spread pesto on half the baguette slices, and top with the slow roasted cherry tomatoes and Parmesan shavings.

3. Layer the mozzarella on the remaining baguette slices, and top with the tomato and vinaigrette mixture.