Pasta treat

Go the Italian way and indulge in the finest their cuisine has to offer

Go the Italian way and indulge in the finest their cuisine has to offer

Spinach Gnocchi

Ingredients
>>5 tbsp spinach puru00e9e
>>6 medium potatoesu00a0u00a0u00a0
>>1 cup refined flour + for dustingu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
>>Salt to taste
>>8-10 black peppercorns, crushedu00a0u3 tbsp olive oilu00a0u00a0u00a0u2 medium onions, choppedu00a0u00a0u5 garlic cloves, chopped
>>1 medium green capsicum, chopped
>>2 cups tomato concasse
>>1/4 cup fresh creamu00a0
>>1 tsp dried oreganou00a0u00a0u00a0
>>2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheeseu00a0
>>5-6 fresh basil leaves

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Boil potatoes, till just cooked. Drain, peel and mash while still hot. Cook the mashed potatoes in a pan so that all the excess moisture dries up.
Add refined flour, spinach puru00e9e, salt and one-fourth teaspoon crushed peppercorns and mix till smooth. Do not over-knead the dough. Divide the dough into four portions and shape each portion into a one-inch thick roll. Cut the roll into one-inch long pieces.
Press each piece with the prongs of a fork to make a design, and lightly roll in flour.
Gently lower the gnocchi into a pan of boiling salted water and cook till they rise to the surface. Drain and refresh in chilled water. Drain again and stir in one tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.
For the sauce, heat the remaining oil in a pan and sautu00e9 the onions, garlic and green capsicum.
Add the tomato concasse and sautu00e9 for five minutes.
Add three-fourth cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the cream, mix and bring to a boil again. Toss the gnocchi in the sauce, add salt, remaining crushed peppercorns and dried oregano.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and roughly torn basil leaves and serve hot.

Fusilli With Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients
>>2 cups coloured fusilliu00a0u00a0u00a0
>>1 medium red capsicum, cut into 1-inch piecesu00a0
>>1 medium carrot, thinly slicedu00a0u00a0
>>1 medium onion, slicedu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
>>4 tbsp olive oilu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
>>Salt to taste
>>4-5 garlic cloves, choppedu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
>>1/2 cup tomato puru00e9eu00a0u00a0u00a0
>>1/2 tsp white pepper powderu00a0u00a0u00a0
>>1/4 cup fresh creamu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
>>1/2 tsp dried basilu00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
>>A few sprigs of fresh parsley u00a0

Method
Arrange red capsicum, carrot and onion on a baking tray and sprinkle with one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook in the oven at 180u00b0C for ten minutes.
Boil plenty of water in a deep pan with salt. Add one tbsp of olive oil and the fusilli and cook till al dente (cooked, but still firm to the bite). Drain and refresh in cold water. Stir in one tablespoon of olive oil.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and puru00e9e with a little water in a blender.
Heat two tbsp of olive oil in a pan; add garlic, vegetable puru00e9e, tomato puru00e9e, salt, white pepper powder and half a cup of water and simmer for five minutes.
Add the boiled pasta and mix well. Stir in the fresh cream and the dried basil.
Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.
Chef's Tip: You can use penne, farfalle or macaroni instead of fusilli.

Risotto With Three Cheeses

Ingredients
>>1 1/2 cups arborio rice
>>2 tbsp grated processed cheese
>>2 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese
>>2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
>>4 tbsp butteru00a0u00a0u00a0
>>1 medium onion, sliced
>>2 shallots, halved
>>2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
>>1 tbsp chopped fresh mixed herbs
>>4 cups vegetable stock
>>Salt to taste
>>10-12 black peppercorns, crushed
>>1/2 cup fresh cream
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Method
Heat butter in a pan; add onion, shallots, garlic and herbs and cook till golden brown.u00a0
Add the rice and sautu00e9 for two to three minutes till well coated with butter. Stir in the vegetable stock, season with salt and crushed peppercorns and simmer till the rice is cooked.
Add processed cheese, mozzarella and cream and stir gently to mix. Serve hot, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tiramisu

Ingredients
>>12 slices (175 grams) chocolate sponge cake
>>1/2 tbsp unflavoured gelatin
>>1 cup thick cream
>>1/2 cup powdered sugar
>>3 egg yolksu00a0
>>1/4 cup sugar
>>2 tbsp + 2 tsp instant coffee powder
>>3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
>>Chocolate curls, to decorate
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Method
Cut each slice of cake in half.
Dissolve gelatin in three tablespoons of hot water. Whip the cream with powdered sugar till stiff and set aside.
Whip the egg yolks with sugar and one tbsp of water in a double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, till the mixture forms thick ribbons. Set aside to cool.
Mix two tbsp of instant coffee powder in half a cup of water and soak the chocolate sponge fingers in the solution.
Arrange half the sponge fingers in a layer at the base of a spring form tin.
Mix two tsp of instant coffee powder in one teaspoon of water. Add this along with mascarpone cheese and gelatin to the egg mixture and mix well. Fold in the whipped cream.
Pour half the mixture over the chocolate fingers. Arrange the remaining chocolate fingers over and top with the remaining mixture and level the top.
Place in the refrigerator till set. Remove from the tin, cut into wedges and serve chilled, decorated with chocolate curls.
Chef's Tip: A spring form tin is a round cake tin with a removable base. You can also set the tiramisu in small individual bowls or moulds.

Lata Gobind wins an autographed copy of Chaat, Chef Kapoor's book

SHAHI KHEER
Ingredients
5 cups milk
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sabudana, soaked till soft
4 tbsp condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh mango pulp
1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
5-6 threads saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp chopped almonds
2 tbsp chopped cashewnuts
2 tbsp chopped pistachios
1 tbsp kishmish, soaked and drained

Method
Bring the milk to a boil and add the sugar.
Mash the sabudana lightly using the back of a spoon.
Add the sabudana to the boiling milk and stir continuously.
Allow the mixture to boil for a few minutes.
Add the condensed milk to the mixture and boil.
Stir in the mango pulp.
Add the cardamom powder and saffron strands.
Add half of the chopped nuts to the milk and mix well.
Garnish with remaining chopped nuts and kishmish and serve chilled.

Shopping list for next week

Chicken Laksa
> 500 mls coconut milk > 100 gms snow peas > 15 shallots > 2 medium cucumbers > 1 kilogram boneless chicken > 1 small bottle sesame oil > 1 pack of curry powder > 1 pack of boiled noodles > 1 bunch spring onions > 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves > 1 bunch fresh mint leavesu00a0 > A few blades lemon grass > A few dried red chillies

Sambal Ayam
> 500 gms refined flour > 1 piece galangal (Thai ginger) > 1 bottle tamarind paste (asam keping)

Nasi Lamek
> 200 gms rice > 100 gms peanuts > 3 eggsu00a0
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Almond Cookies
> 150 grams almonds > 100 grams butter > 1 bottle almond essenceu00a0