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Dough Balls #Pizzahut style

These delicious little dough balls are versatile so soft and addictive, served as a starter or snack! with any dips of your choice.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

• 200 grams Italian Tipo 00 flour ** Extra flour for dusting and kneading
• 7 grams fast action dried yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 140 -150 ml water
• 3 tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs (optional)

Instructions

• In a large bowl put the yeast, sugar and one or two tbsp of luke warm water and leave it for few minutes. When you see that it is bubbling up then you know that your yeast is active.
• To this add salt and oil, then add the flour and mix well. Then add water. Then using your hands mix thoroughly and make it into a slightly wet dough.
• Turn the dough onto to a well-floured surface and work it your hands for about 5 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Leave it to rest for 45 to 1 hr
• Place the well-kneaded dough into a well-oiled bowl and brush the top with oil and cover it with a clingfilm so it won't dry out.
• Once the dough is double in size. punch the dough and inflate the air, Make little balls from it and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 30 mintues to rise.
• Meanwhile Preheat the oven to 200°C / Gas mark 6**. Brush the dough balls with milk/alternative milk. Bake these dough balls for 15 to 18 minutes, After 10 minutes reduce the oven temperature.
• once done bring them out and bake the next batch until all the dough balls are baked. Serve them with olive oil seasoned with crushed pepper and salt. Or any of your favourite dips! Enjoy.

Notes

Italian Tipo 00 flour is finely ground than normal flour and will give your dough an incredible super smooth texture. I use this flour to make pizza as well and they turn out incredibly beautiful.
The same recipe above turns into an irresistible pizza as well.
Once it rises, punch down the dough and you can freeze it as well. The day you plan to bake take it out and leave it on the counter once it comes to normal temperature, continue the process to make either dough balls or pizza!
I usually bake at a low temperature as my oven gets very hot. Check your oven and bake.

The post Dough Balls #Pizzahut style #Vegan appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Making a dessert is time-consuming don't you think? but after it's made and  if you have a sweet tooth you are bowled out to both the virtual and real treat.  I am not a dessert person, I love pineapple pastry though, I go weak in my legs I have a special love for them and all milk based Indian sweets.  I don't like sweets which are too sweet and surprisingly this pannacotta is not too sweet, well of course you can make it sweet if you add more sugar but, panna cotta aren't too sweet but wickedly delicious.  Panna cotta is an Italian delicacy, panna cotta is an  Italian dessert made with thickened cream and moulded with gelatin, as I don't use gelatine I have subbed it with Agar Agar.  These days panna cotta can be made skinny, dairy free and whatever way you want to enjoy it!

It's that time of the year your palette changes from warm food and soups to something refreshing and cool, Fresh salads either with veggies or fruits or a combo of both and something thandi (cool) to drink.  Spring is slowly settling to Summer,  brings your senses to a galore of tastes tingling your taste buds craving for something fresh and juicy.

Strawberries and summer come hand in hand, you can see loads of strawberries in the market a punnet would cost you a pound, not all strawberries are sweet, talking to local people here I found out strawberries from Hertfordshire are very sweet, and when I find them in the market I never miss to buy them my daughter loves them, both us wander a lot she is a foodie friend to me.  Last time when we went to Gym we found these British strawberries I forgot from where it came, they weren't too sweet, we were a bit disappointed so we decided on munching some cherry tomatoes instead walking back home, Ahh.., I didn't  tell you did I? there is a little farmer's market we often go to whenever we go to Gym pick up some fresh fruits and veggies, Cherries are my favourite, I just can't stop eating with one  by the time we come back home I would finished the whole lot.

I first thought I will make some lemonade then decided otherwise as I had just made it a few days back.  I had put my grey cells to work, I remembered that I had to do a dessert this month for #cookingwithfriends theme and had already planned on making Mango pannacotta  which I changed to strawberry instead and made Mango milkshake (Seekarne).   As the strawberries weren't that sweet I thought of making  this with a combination and decided upon vanilla and some chia seeds  to go with it.

We never had strawberries as kids.  I can only think of Melons and Mangoes when summer set in, in our part of the world, we loved eating loads of watermelons and mangoes and sometimes eat Ice cream when there used to be a man who used to bring in his cart all these Lollipops and sometime Kulfi's,  mother never made them at home looking after three kids and her full-time job was enough for her to manage.  My parents never liked us buying Ice creams from him, and was a rare treat. I still remember my first Ice cream I made was when I was in year 11, for a first timer it was a great success and as eggs were a no-no at home I made it eggless as well.

Time changes so many things in life, never thought  I would be here eating strawberries instead of Mangoes!, how we change our food habits and adapt to what we get.  Mango milk shake to a pannacotta, that's what has changed when you are blogger best of all, with all the love in the world you prepare it.

STRAWBERRY-VANILLA CHIA SEED PANNA COTTA (GELATINE FREE / VEGETARIAN)

Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Recipe source: Jayasri
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes (20 min each)
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS: 
For Strawberry pannacotta:
500 grms Strawberries
(2 Cups pureed strawberries)
1/4 cup very warm water
2 tbsp Agar Agar powder*
1/2 cup Brown sugar

For Vanilla Chia seed Pannacotta
2 Cups milk
1/2 cup double cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract / slit and scrape vanilla pod
1 tbsp Chia seed
2 tbsp Agar Agar powder
1/4  cup very warm water
1/3 cup Suagr

METHOD:
Wash and cut Strawberries into a container puree them in a blender  with little water into a smooth puree, pour the pureed strawberries into a container and allow it to cook add 1/2 cup sugar and cook until all the sugar dissolved.

In a container add 2 cups of milk and sugar and boil it in a low flame for 10 minutes to this add chia seeds and cook for 5 minutes,  Meanwhile in a different bowl, boil water add tbsp of Agar powder until it completely dissolves, pour this mixture immediately into the milk mixture, add double cream, Vanilla extract or slit and scrape a vanilla pod  and blend them all together.  Leave it cool for 1/2 an hour, mix now and then, check its not thickening, as you don't want it solidifying, they just need to get cooled down now pour this into the serveware in which you want to serve, I slanted my glasses and put them in the fridge to set. May take 3 to 4 hours.

Once the vanilla panna cotta sets, you can start the strawberry panna cotta, you get two cups of pureed strawberries from 500 grms of strawberries into a container with sugar and cook them together until sugar is completely dissolved switch off the stove and keep aside, In an other bowl warm water and add Agar powder mix well with no lumps add this immediately into the pureed strawberry mixture blend well and leave it to cool, keep checking now and then that it doesn't set, you need it just to cool down, when its cooling down and ready to poured into the glasses to set bring your vanilla panna cotta glasses out of  the fridge.  Pour strawberry panna cotta into the gap until they both balance or the way you like to design it put them back into the fridge to set. May take 2 to 3 hrs
Once both of them are set you can serve them when needed.

NOTES:
Agar - Agar is a sea weed algae, it was discovered in Japan and it is called Kanten, It is called china grass in India, this is  vegetarian/vegan substitute for gelatin.  It even sets in room temperature and is better than gelatine even when temperature rises.  It does not have any taste, odour and smell.  You can find them in health food stores as powder, flakes, threads etc.  1 tbsp of agar powder dissolve it in a 4 tbsp hot water, 10 minutes it will start setting. For one cup of liquid to set use around 10 grms of Agar powder, I used 1 tbsp(8grms) as I wanted it to set it bit softer (wobbly), if  you want it set properly use 10 grms.
Increase or decrease sugar as per your taste.  My strawberries were a bit tart so had to use more sugar to balance it.

Do you like panna cotta, which is your favourite and tell me why it is your favourite?

Disclaimer:
Cooking With Friends: This blog post is part of the monthly “Cooking With Friends” themed blog post challenge. This challenge was started by a bunch of virtual friends united by their love of food, with the aim of tackling a different food-related theme each month. If you want to try this month’s theme, please feel free to do so and link your recipe in the comments section. We’d love to check it out. Meanwhile, check out what the others in the group have come up with this month.
Anjana from At the Corner of Happy and Harried, Garima from CafeGarima,  Jyothi from Curry Tail, Madhuri from MADaboutkitchen, Subhasmita from The Flavors of Kitchen, Sujatha from Spice n Treats, Dolphia from Story of cooks

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Strawberry-Vanilla Chia seed Panna Cotta (Gelatine free/Vegetarian)

An Italian delicacy made with thickened cream and chia seeds with Agar-Agar and delicious strawberries.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Author Jayasri

Ingredients

• For Strawberry pannacotta:
• 500 grms Strawberries
• 2 Cups pureed strawberries
• 1/4 cup very warm water
• 2 tbsp Agar Agar powder*
• 1/2 cup Brown sugar
• For Vanilla Chia seed Pannacotta
• 2 Cups milk
• 1/2 cup double cream
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract / slit and scrape vanilla pod
• 1 tbsp Chia seed
• 2 tbsp Agar Agar powder
• 1/4 cup very warm water
• 1/3 cup Suagr

Instructions

• Wash and cut Strawberries into a container puree them in a blender with little water into a smooth puree, pour the pureed strawberries into a container and allow it to cook add 1/2 cup sugar and cook until all the sugar dissolved.
• In a container add 2 cups of milk and sugar and boil it in a low flame for 10 minutes to this add chia seeds and cook for 5 minutes, Meanwhile in a different bowl, boil water add tbsp of Agar powder until it completely dissolves, pour this mixture immediately into the milk mixture, add double cream, Vanilla extract or slit and scrape a vanilla pod and blend them all together. Leave it cool for 1/2 an hour, mix now and then, check its not thickening, as you don't want it solidifying, they just need to get cooled down now pour this into the serveware in which you want to serve, I slanted my glasses and put them in the fridge to set. May take 3 to 4 hours.
• Once the vanilla panna cotta sets, you can start the strawberry panna cotta, you get two cups of pureed strawberries from 500 grms of strawberries into a container with sugar and cook them together until sugar is completely dissolved switch off the stove and keep aside, In an other bowl warm water and add Agar powder mix well with no lumps add this immediately into the pureed strawberry mixture blend well and leave it to cool, keep checking now and then that it doesn't set, you need it just to cool down, when its cooling down and ready to poured into the glasses to set bring your vanilla panna cotta glasses out of the fridge. Pour strawberry panna cotta into the gap until they both balance or the way you like to design it put them back into the fridge to set. May take 2 to 3 hrs
• Once both of them are set you can serve them when needed.

Notes

Agar - Agar is a sea weed algae, it was discovered in Japan and it is called Kanten, It is called china grass in India, this is vegetarian/vegan substitute for gelatin. It even sets in room temperature and is better than gelatine even when temperature rises. It does not have any taste, odour and smell. You can find them in health food stores as powder, flakes, threads etc. 1 tbsp of agar powder dissolve it in a 4 tbsp hot water, 10 minutes it will start setting. For one cup of liquid to set use around 10 grms of Agar powder, I used 1 tbsp(8grms) as I wanted it to set it bit softer (wobbly), if you want it set properly use 10 grms.
Increase or decrease sugar as per your taste. My strawberries were a bit tart so had to use more sugar to balance it.

The post Strawberry-Vanilla Chia seed Panna Cotta (Gelatin free/ Vegetarian) appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Hi everybody, it's been a long time I said hello to you all, we are already in December, I have missed you all from almost 2 to 3 months , hoping to be more active in this part of the world, I know I have become dormant but not with cooking or baking they are still doing well, it's just that I haven't shared anything with you  at all, I love to thank you my new followers on face book and Google+, I have to say this you are all my inspiration to come back soon and start to share my creations...Well you must be wondering why I am here today, Last year I had a wonderful time with my few blogger friends who was headed by Champa the lady who blogs at the Versatile Kitchen, like every year she does Bake-a-thon, that is baking the whole month of December, and I have enjoyed participating so here is an other year of Bake-a-thon enjoy the bakes you will see three times a week..
Here I go with my first Bake-a-thon..., these are as always for my Monday morning for their Lunch boxes, easy peasy pack them in kitchen foil and they love it.
I got this idea from Gino D' Acampo's, so I have been making different types of these, Long back I had made a Maffuletta bread which my kids loved, I had this in mind and Gino's pizza recipe turned it into these kind of Sandwiches.

VEGETARIANA PIZZA SANDWICH

Recipe : inspired by Gino D' Acampo
Serves: 4 to 6
This makes 2 Pizza bases

INGREDIENTS
200 grms of Strong Whole meal bread flour and extra for dusting
7 grms (2tsp) fast action dried yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3/4th Cup of warm water nearly
of warm water
2tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Italian Herbs

FOR THE TOPPING
1 Green Capsicum/Pepper
1 Red Capsicum/ Pepper
1 Large Onion
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata Black Olives
6 to 7 Jalapenos (I used one in Jars)
1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100 grm Passata
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4tsp Red Chillies
Mozzarella cheese as much as you need 🙂

METHOD
Prepare the dough first, In a large bowl take warm water add yeast then add salt, Oil, Italian Herbs and flour toss them all together then pour water first 1/2 a cup mix well then start adding water until you make a dough then turn the dough onto a well floured surface and start kneading with your hand until it is smooth and elastic.
Next make your filling, First of all pour 1 tbsp of oil and heat it in a frying pan over a bit high flame, fry the Onions and  Capsicums for a few minutes switch off the stove add Jalapenos and Kalamata Olives chopped add salt , Pepper powder & chillies mix well and keep it aside to cool

Place this dough in an oiled bowl then brush the top also with oil and leave it in a warm place with a covered clingfilm for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the temperature.

Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5**/ 180 degrees
As I baked this in a 12" round cake tin I lined the cake tin with Parchment paper
Once the dough is rested and would have swollen up, take it on to the floured surface and divide it into 2 parts.

With the help of your hands push each one out from the centre and make 2 round disc, place one of the disc into the prepared tin to this apply Passata then spread the filling evenly then spread the grated cheese on it, now slowly place the other disc on top of it, and tuck them completely into the other one nicely then brush the top with milk. Bake it in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean or the bread is browned nicely on top.

Take it out on to cooling rack for few minutes, take it on to a board cut them into how many wedges you want and serve them or like me I packed them in their lunch boxes.

NOTES:  I could have used capsicum & onions just like that with other ingredients, but sauteed them as capsicum tends to give out water and the bread becomes gooey and soft, which my kids don't like so fried them both used them in the filling.
Hope you make it love it and enjoy it...
take care
c you soon....

The post Vegetariana Pizza Sandwich appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Hi everybody, Hope you are all doing fine, enjoying the three days of pongal, I have loads of posts to post, starting you will be seeing two posts today..., Enjoy them...
Here is the first one, the first is for Baking Partners, this month swathi of Zesty south Indian kitchen gave us two pies one was an Apple Pie and the other one is Sun Dried Tomato Tart, Of course you would know which one I would choose, my kids love anything spicy than sweetness, and this Tart was perfect for me to bake, when my kids come home from college hungry and they love to eat something like this, I made 4 Tarts. Individually and they love it for their snack time.
This is how I made it...
This Tart was suggested by samantha, so, thanks to both of you we loved it..

SUN DRIED TOMATO AND ONION TART
Recipe Source: Martin Picard's Sundried Tomato and Onion Tart

INGREDIENTS:
1 Roll of Ready made Puff pastry
2 Medium Sized onions
6 tbsp of Sun dried Tomato Pesto (Home made)*
Chives and Onion flavoured Red Leister Cheese
few Basil leaves
1 tbsp dried Italian Herbs
salt to taste
1 and 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard powder
1 and 1/2 tbsp Double cream

METHOD:
Thaw Puff pastry as indicated in the pack
Take a Large Pan heat 2 tbsp of Olive oil to this add chopped onions and saute until it turns translucent, add a bit of salt which helps to cook quickly.
Then add Tomato pesto, dried Italian herbs some more salt ( required quantity beware you have already added some salt to the onions and also you have some salt in your pesto )
Add chopped some fresh Basil leaves
In a bowl mix mustard Powder and fresh cream and keep it aside
Meanwhile  Cut your Puff pastry into 4 squares, press them on to the tart tins and cut the extras and keep them aside in the fridge until needed.
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 / 180 degrees
Prick the bottom of the pastry and bake them in a preheated oven until the bottom becomes slightly brown. Take them out and leave it to cool.
Meanwhile your onion and Tomato filling would be cooled as well.
Fill the tarts with Sun Dried Pesto and onion filling to this add the double cream sauce into the four tarts.
Grate the cheese and top each of them with it.
Now take the cut out pieces from each tart, make them into long roll twist them to give a design join both the ends together and place them on each of the tarts and bake them now for around 20 to 25 minutes until they puff and start turning to golden brown.

Take them out once well done, on to a cooling rack, after 5 to 10 minutes slowly push  the bottom and release the tarts carefully and serve them on individual plate sand serve with some salad leaves and sauce or ketchup of your choice.
Totally awesome and my kids just loved it...
Will post my Home made Sun dried Tomato pesto Recipe soon..., stay tuned ...

This is Challenge # 6 Baking Partners

The post Sun dried Tomatoes and Onion Tart appeared first on My Veg Fare.

Biscotti is an Italian cuisine : the Wiki gives you a detailed information on this....check out...

Biscotti (pronounced /bɪˈskɒti/, Italian pronunciation: [bisˈkɔtti]) more correctly known as biscotti di Prato (English: biscuits of Prato), also known as cantuccini(English: corners), are a twice-baked cake originating in the Italian city of Prato. The cakes are large almond biscuits, made dry and crunchy through cutting the loaf of dough while still hot and fresh from baking in the oven.


This is my first time with sweet punch and the september theme was ''Chocolate Almond Biscotti'' from Joy of baking, I had already made a biscotti with different flavours and eggless, I was into this as I love Joy of baking and my kids like these crunchy cakes and eat them as snacks when they come back from school. It's been quite sometime I made anything with egg, so I thought why not 🙂

CHOCOLATE ALMOND BISCOTTI

INGREDIENTS: 
makes about 16 pieces
110 gms (3/4th Cup)  Blanched whole  Almonds
135 gms (2/3 cup) Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
100 gms Plain flour
60 gms whole grain Rye flour
65 gms Oat flour ( Morn flake powdered in mixie)
100 gms Semi sweet chocolate

(Original recipe calls for 225gms/ 1 3/4th cup Plain flour)



My daughter clicked this close up from iphone!

METHOD:
As I had no ready made toasted almonds, I soaked almonds in hot water for 10 minutes, then peeled the skin off and spread it on a baking sheet set the oven to 180 degrees/Gas mark 5 and toasted it for 8-10 minutes until light golden and fragrant, and set aside. Once cool chop them into pieces
Take a baking sheet and line the parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/Gas mark 5/350 d F
In a bowl I took all the flours, salt and Baking powder and combined them well together and then sieved them twice, just to make sure they are well mixed.
In a large bowl, I whisked 2 Eggs and sugar until thick fluffy, the batter from the beater should fall in ribbons, at this point beat in vanilla extract.
Now add the flours, combine well then fold in chopped almonds and chocolate.
Transfer this dough on to the parchment lined baking sheet and form into a log, about 12'' long and 3 1/2'' wide, as you can see in my photo, I just dumped on to the sheet and with wet hands I pressed them down into that shape (that's what happens when you don't plan and bake late in the night!).
You have to dampen your hands to form a log as the dough is quite sticky!!
Bake for 25 minutes or until firm to touch, then remove it from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile Reduce your oven temperature to 165 degrees/Gas Mark 3/325 d F, Cut the baked log into 3/4'' slices on the diagonal.  Place these biscotti cut side down, on the baking sheet and bake further for about 10 minutes then turn them over again and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow it cool and store it an air tight container

These are all the clicks my daughter took, I couldn't bin them as I told until you take photos no eating, she was so upset with me, she couldn't resist broke some pieces though, the smell was making them want to taste it :),  they had no fat at all, such a guilt free recipe.
I had made a Biscotti long back, an eggless one, I will definitely post it soon check out...

The post Chocolate Almond Biscotti - Healthy way ! appeared first on My Veg Fare.

I came to know through blogging Italians love sweet potatoes as they love their breads and use this veggie in lot of their baking and cooking!

SWEET POTATO PUGLIESE BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

400gms All purpose flour

100gms Bread Flour
60 gms whole wheat flour (I used Chapati flour pillsbury)
20 gms Rye flour

14 gms kosher salt
1 tsp active dry yeast
125gms Mashed sweet potato

METHOD:
First of all peel sweet potato and cut them into into small chunks measure 125gms, Take these sweet potatoes in a bowl with just enough water to cover and bring it to boil until the chunks get well cooked, until it can be mashed easily.
When the sweet potato is well cooked drain the water into an other bowl, separate them but do not throw away the liquid preserve it. Let it cool.
Now take the cooked sweet potato with the liquid and process in a mixie or a blender until there are no chunks of sweet potato.
Taking the exact measurments of the dry ingredients place them in a large bowl and mix well with a spatuala or a wooden spoon then add the sweet potato liquid measure, and mix into the dough leave the dough for covered for about 20-30 minutes to autolyse.
After the first rest mix the dough again with the wooden spoon until the dough becomes smooth and wraps around the wooden spoon, (It was very sticky) Turn the dough onto to a heavily floured work surface, and knead as you always knead for your breads folding, stretching method and returning dough to covered bowl between turns. Repeat this at 20 minute intervals 4 times.  At the last turn, let dough rise in covered bowl undisturbed for another 90 minutes or until it rises into double in size.
After the final rise, turn dough out onto heavily floured work surface, gently stretch and fold dough into thirds with the last fold overlapping the first and divide into two loaves.
Form the loaves by a overlapping fold and keep them seam side down on heavilly floured tea towels, and as he says not to handle the dough too much so the air pockets are preserved.
Flour the tea towels and cover the remaining bread with the towels and again allow it raise for about 45 minutes or until it is double in size, the dough should spring back when touched.
He bakes these loaves in a baking stone, as I do not have a baking stone I chose to bake them in a loaf pan.
Preheat the oven to 500 degree Fahernheit for about 45 minutes at least.
Turn the loaves seam side up and place directly on to the baking stone if you are baking his way, I just baked in the loaf tin when baking reduce the temprature 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for about 40-45 minuts turning them to 180 degrees half way into baking time.or until a knife through comes out clean.
Once they are done, allow it to completely cool before cutting.

MY VERDICT:

I halved the recipe and used less water than said in the recipe as it too sticky for me to handle, but I want to try it out again the way he has done it, I was little worried about it!, But the loaves were still well done, soft in the centre and had a very crusty layer.
To tell you the truth, I did the first kneading and after that the 3 more 20 minute interval kneading was done by my son, with the help of a wooden spoon!, as I had to go out for an urgent errand!, and he did not want to touch it as it was sticky even I reduced the quantity of water as he mentioned!!, after I came back I continued with the remaining process.
My Family enjoyed it with a garlic based butter, and they finished the whole loaf within an hour of baking!!
I also like to send this to Susan's yeast spotting !!

Please donot forget to check his blog for the Original recipe and a feast to your eyes when you see the bread and you will certainly understand why I insisted!!.
Happy Baking...

The post Sweet Potato Pugliese Bread appeared first on My Veg Fare.