Homemade Orecchiette {egg-free pasta}

Makes one pound of uncooked pasta

1 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour

1 cup (185 grams) semolina flour, plus more for shaping the pasta

Generous pinch (3 grams) fleur de sel

1/2 cup (125 ml) to 3/4 cup (187 ml) warm water

Add the flour and salt to a deep bowl. Use the tips of your fingers to whisk them together until combined. Pour in 1/2 cup of the water, and stir with a fork to bring the mixture together into a dough. If it seems dry, which is very likely at this point, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the flour mixture has been absorbed into the dough. Depending on the weather, you may need to use all of the water (on cooler, dryer days) or less than the full 3/4 of a cup (on warmer, more humid days). Remember dough of any sort absorbs moisture from the air.

Keeping the dough in the bowl, gently knead it a few times until it becomes a smooth ball. You can alternately turn it onto a counter or cutting board, but that means one more thing to clean up (and less is best for me when it come to washing dishes). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and set it on the counter to rest for 10 minutes.

Set up two stations, next to each other, to begin forming the pasta. You’ll need a small section of unfloured counter space to roll out the dough, and a textured surface (I use a plastic cutting board) with a light sprinkling of semolina flour.

Unwrap the dough, and cut off a 3/4-inch thick slab. Loosely cover the dough so it doesn’t dry out until you’re ready to cut another slab off. Roll the slab of dough into a 1/2-inch thick rope on the unflouredcounter top. Transfer the rope to the floured board, and cut off 1/2-inch thick coins. Arrange the bits of dough cut side up. Place the tip of a butter knife at the edge of the dough, and use a quick motion, pull the butter knife towards you. Use the tip of your forefinger to mold the pasta into shape, creating a “little ear”, which is the literal translation of orecchiette. In reality, I think it looks like a sombrero, just with a not-so-wide rim. Transfer the formed orecchiette to a rimmed sheet sprinkled with semolina flour, making sure to keep them single layer so they don’t stick together.

Repeat with the remaining pasta dough. Let the pasta sit for at least 20 minutes so the shape can set. At this point, you can freeze them. Once frozen, transfer to ziptop bags, and store in the freezer for up to two months. Cook directly from the freezer (do not thaw).  If you want to eat them immediately, cook in a salted pot of boiling water until the desired doneness, about 8 minutes for al dente.

http://www.injennieskitchen.com/

How to make your own Noodles – without Special Equipment

I weigh my ingredients when making noodles like these.  Similar to baking, this ensures a more accurate measurement of your ingredients.  You can easily multiply or cut this recipe in half (this will feed 4-6 people):

• 18 ounces of flour
• 9 ounces of gently beaten eggs (this is generally about 5 if you are buying groceries)

I get things started in the food processor.  I use the plastic blade and pour my flour in and turn the machine on.  Pour the eggs in a slow but steady stream – they should all be in the bowl within 10-15 seconds.  I generally have to stop the blender a few times to mix things up – and sometimes remove larger ‘balls’ of pasta that form so the rest can be incorporated.

If your mixture does not easily ball together, add a small bit of water (emphasis on small).  If it’s too sticky, add a bit of flour.  You shouldn’t need a lot of either.

Once the dough is worked together like this (I try to blend for 30-60 seconds at most), I roll it in a loose ball and cover it with a damp cloth for 30 minutes (or more; it’s not an exact science).

Once it’s done resting, remove the ball and cut into quarters (for this size of batch).  Keep dough that you’re not working on covered.

I work each small ball as flat as I can between my hands before rolling out with a rolling pin (or wine bottle) on a floured surface.  You can leave the sheets whole for lasagna or ravioli - but I generally place it under a damp cloth and work the remaining dough balls and wait to cut it all at once (although one sheet at a time).

A good hint: roll out the dough again just before slicing it – this resting often makes one more good roll easy.

Fresh dough can be frozen once cut (unless of course you plan to use it whole) and you can cook it from frozen, which is why I typically make a larger batch.  I haven’t experimented with drying it yet – the thought of the eggs calls for some more research before proceeding.

Cook in a LOT of well-salted water at a full boil (it should taste like the ocean).  Put a small bit of that water in your pasta sauce to help the starches bind to the sauce.  You’ll find that fresh pasta can cook in 2-3 minutes so test it as you go (keeping in mind that noodles of different thicknesses will cook at different rates).

This is a case where all of the extra work is, to me, worth it.  It’s super simple and I suspect that my technique will improve with time and make this even easier/ quicker.  The flavors and texture are far superior to anything I’ve bought and I’m looking forward to adapting the recipe further (i.e. adding dehydrated mushroom powder to my flour) to alter the results further.  I also anticipate a pasta-roller/ slicer will be in the nearish-future as it would save a LOT of time hand slicing noodles.

http://wellpreserved.ca/how-to-make-your-own-noodles-without-special-equipment/

Noodles With No Need to Dress Up

Fresh pasta with prosciutto and peas.

 

Two large pots of boiling water were at the ready, and there was a large pile of flour on the sturdy kitchen tabletop. Two young women, dressed in Mexican blouses, beads and sandals, chattered away in Italian. One made a deep well in the center of the pile, while the other added eggs, which were stirred into the flour with forks. The yellow dough was mixed right on the table, then kneaded until smooth and silky. In moments, it was rolled out to a giant thin sheet and sliced into ribbons of fettuccine.

Salt was then added to a pot of water, along with a rosemary sprig from a backyard bush. The pasta took mere minutes to cook. “Eat them plain! Taste them!” exhorted my new friend Francesca, when people asked for cheese. And it was true, those fresh noodles were quite unlike anything I had ever tasted, toothsome, tender and delicate.

I have made a lot of pasta at home since then. Truth be told, it isn’t something you can master in one go. There’s a learning curve. Only experience can teach you how the dough should feel and how thin to roll it. (Not that it needs to be rolled by hand with a rolling pin. A hand-crank pasta machine is a fine tool, perfect for a small batch.) But pasta making isn’t rocket science either. Most competent home cooks will succeed, even if they never match the prowess of mythic Italian nonnas. Fresh homemade egg pasta is definitely worth the effort, though, and it is always better than commercially produced versions.

The precept of that first experience has stayed with me. Fresh pasta is indeed best with very little in the way of sauce. The point is to show off the noodle and enhance its flavor with a little butter or cream, perhaps a bit of prosciutto or snipped herbs. Or, when spring finally gets here, a handful of green peas.

http://www.nytimes.com

CHICKPEA AND FLAXSEED HOMEMADE PASTA (VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE)

Chickpea and Flaxseed Homemade Pasta

Serves two

This recipe is designed to serve two generously, but it can easily be doubled, tripled and so on. The dough will be strong and a little bit tough to work with, that’s alright. You are not looking for a sticky dough. 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 6 tablespoons warm water
• 1-3/4 cup chickpea flour (plus more for rolling)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed and warm water. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until thick and gelled.
2. On a large baking board, pile chickpea flour and make a well in the middle. Pour in flax seed mixture in the well.
3. Begin gently mixing the flour with the flax seed mixture until well combined. Form dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
4. After resting time is up, bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
5. Divide dough disc in halves or quarters (depending on how big your rolling surface is) and roll out to very, very thin on a floured surface.
6. Trim dough into desired pasta shapes.
7. To cook, drop pasta into rapidly boiling water. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until all pasta is cooked through. Keep a close eye on it, because it’ll overcook quickly. It is still delicious when overcooked, just fragile. Drain and serve!

Besides the hummus, my favorite thing to come out of the discovery of chickpea flour is homemade pasta. It hadn’t made it on the blog yet, but before we went gluten-free, I was on a bit of a homemade pasta kick. Even though I don’t own a pasta machine (well, other than the one we use with polymer clay) and had no previous pasta-making experience, I was able to made delicious fresh pasta in a few blinks of an eye. It was shockingly easy! I had my mind-set on making some gluten-free and vegan pasta and I definitely hit a home run on the first try.

The beauty of this pasta dough is its total simplicity. Three ingredients. And one happens to be water. It doesn’t get much easier than that. The end result is a soft pasta with a slightly nutty flavor from the flaxseed. You won’t be fooling any die-hard white/refined pasta fan, but if you tend to like more hearty carbs, this is a pasta for you. We paired it with some vegan roasted red pepper pesto (recipe coming soon) and it was an amazing combo.

My favorite pasta-making method is 100% (wo)man-powered. I pile up the flour on a board, make a well, and then dump in the egg (or in this case, flax egg). Then I slowly incorporate the flour with the wet until it forms into a nice solid dough. At first, it always seems like there is way too much flour, but I promise it’ll all combine nicely if you just keep working it. Be patient.

If you have a pasta roller and cutter, awesome blossom! Go ahead and use those to your liking. I do not. So I used my good ole rolling pin and pizza cutter. The key to good pasta is rolling it out very, very thin. Thinner than you think it should be. The pasta with double or triple (or even more) in thickness from absorbing the cooking water.

If you are going the
ghetto simple method, like I did, try to stick with pasta shapes that can accept some imperfection. Farfalle (bow tie pasta) is perfect for those of us without a pasta cutter. Just cut into squares, pinch, and you have some adorable, rustic bow ties.

http://backtoherroots.com/2011/09/27/chickpea-and-flaxseed-homemade-pasta-vegan-gluten-free/comment-page-1/

http://backtoherroots.com

Homemade Pasta Dough

• 1 2/3 cups Italian “00” flour (or half Italian “00” flour and half Farina di Semola)
• 2 medium or large eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• A pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS

• Make the basic pasta dough
• 1. Sift the flour onto a clean work surface and make a well in the center with your fist.
• 2. Break the eggs into the well and add the oil and a pinch of salt to the well.
• 3. Gradually mix the egg mixture into the flour using the fingers of one hand, bringing the ingredients together into a firm dough. If the dough feels too dry, add a few drops of water; if it’s too wet, add a little more flour. (You will soon grow accustomed to how the dough should feel after you’ve made it a few times.)
• 4. Knead the pasta until smooth, 2 to 5 minutes. Lightly massage it with a hint of olive oil, pop the dough into a plastic food bag, and allow it to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The pasta will be much more elastic after resting.
  
  
  
• Pass the dough through the pasta machine
• 5. Start to feed the blob of pasta dough through the widest setting of a pasta machine. As the sheet of dough comes out of the machine, fold it into thirds and then feed it through the rollers again, still on the widest setting. Pass the dough through this setting a total of 4 or 5 times. This effectively kneads the dough, ensuring the resulting pasta is silky smooth.
• 6. Pass the pasta through the machine again, starting at the widest setting and gradually reducing the settings, one pass at a time, until the pasta achieves the required thickness. The pasta sheet will become very long—if you are having trouble keeping the dough from folding onto itself or are making ravioli, cut the sheet of dough in half and feed each half through separately. Generally the second-from-last setting is best for tagliatelle and the last setting is best for ravioli and any other shapes that are to be filled.
• 7. After the pasta has reached the requisite thickness, hang it over a broom handle or the back of a chair to dry a little—this will make cutting it easier in humid weather, as it will not be so sticky. Or, if you’re in a hurry, you can dust the pasta with a little flour and place it on clean kitchen towels and let it rest for just a short spell.
• 8. Shape the pasta by hand (see instructions below) or pass the pasta through the chosen cutters (tagliolini, tagliatelle, etc.) and then drape the cut pasta over the broom handle or chair back again to dry just a little, until ready to cook. You can, of course, again toss the cut pasta lightly in flour (preferably semolina flour) and lay out in loose bundles on a tray lined with a clean kitchen towel. Use as soon as possible before it sticks together.
• Cook the pasta
• 9. Throw the pasta into a large saucepan of boiling, salted water. You will need about 4 quarts water and 3 tablespoons of salt for every 13 to 18 ounces of fresh or dried pasta. It is the large volume of water that will prevent the pasta from sticking together.
  
  Note: Cooking times for fresh and dried pasta vary according to the size and quality of the pasta. The only way to check is to taste it. However, the basic method of cooking remains the same.
• 10. Stir the pasta only once or twice—if you have enough water in the pan and you stir the pasta as it goes in, it shouldn’t stick.
• 11. DO NOT COVER the pot or the water will boil over. Quickly bring the pasta back to a rolling boil, stir, and boil until al dente, or firm to the bite, about 2 minutes. The pasta should not have a hard center or be soggy and floppy. If following a specified cooking time, calculate it from the moment the pasta starts to boil again and have a colander ready for draining.
• 12. Drain the pasta, holding back 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan (the dissolved starch in the water helps the sauce cling to the pasta). Dress the pasta straight away with the sauce directly in the pan. (The Italian way is ALWAYS to toss the cooked, hot pasta with the sauce before serving.) Serve the hot pasta immediately with your favorite sauce. Even a copious drizzle of olive oil or melted butter—cooked just to the point of taking on a slightly nutty, toasty brown tinge—and a smattering of fresh herbs constitutes a sauce when the pasta is as tender and tasty as this.
• Shape the pasta dough by hand
• 13. Tagliatelle On a lightly floured surface, roll or fold one side of the sheet of dough loosely towards the center of the sheet, then repeat with the other side so that they almost meet in the middle. Gently fold one side on top of the other, but do not press down on the fold.
• 14. Cut the dough into thin slices with a sharp knife, slicing through the folded dough quickly and deftly in a single motion.
• 15. Immediately unravel the slices to reveal the pasta ribbons. You can do this by inserting the dull side of a large knife into each slice and gently shaking it loose. (If you wait, they will stick together. Trust us.) Hang the pasta to dry a little before cooking or dust it well with semolina flour and arrange in loose nests on a tray lined with a clean kitchen towel.
  
  
• 16. Pappardelle On a lightly floured surface, cut the dough into wide ribbons using a fluted pastry cutter. Hang up to dry slightly before cooking.
• 17. Tortellini On a lightly floured surface, stamp out rounds of pasta using a round cookie cutter. Pipe or spoon your favorite filling into the middle of each round. Brush the edges with beaten egg and carefully fold the round into a crescent shape, pressing the dough around the filling to expel any air.
• 18. Bend the two corners of the crescent around to meet each other in the center and press well to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough. Let dry on a floured kitchen towel for about 30 minutes before cooking.
• 19. Ravioli If your dough is still in a single sheet, cut it into two equal portions. Cover one portion with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap while you work with the rest of the dough. Spoon small mounds (1 teaspoon approximately) of filling on the dough in even rows, spacing them at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the spaces of dough between the mounds with beaten egg. Using a rolling pin, carefully drape the reserved sheet of dough on top of the mounds, pressing down firmly between the pockets of filling to push out any trapped air. Use a serrated ravioli or pastry cutter or a sharp knife to cut the ravioli into squares. Transfer to a floured kitchen towel to rest for 1 hour before cooking.
• Color the pasta
• 20. Spinach Follow the Basic Pasta Dough recipe. Sift the flour onto a clean work surface. Next, puree 3/4 cup frozen cooked leaf spinach (squeezed to remove as much moisture as possible) in a food processor. Add it to the well in the flour. Continue as per the Basic Pasta Dough method.
• 21. Tomato Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste or sun-dried tomato paste to the well in the flour. Use 1 large egg instead of 2 medium ones. Continue as per the Basic Pasta Dough recipe.
• 22. Beet Roast 1 red beet until softened, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Peel and grate or puree in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons grated cooked beet to the well in the flour. Use 1 large egg instead of 2 medium ones. Continue as per the Basic Pasta Dough recipe.
• 23. Saffron Soak 1 sachet of powdered saffron in 2 tablespoons hot water for 15 minutes. Strain the water, discarding the solids. Use 1 large egg instead of 2 medium ones and whisk with the vibrant saffron water before adding to the well in the flour. Continue as per the Basic Pasta Dough recipe.
• 24. Herb Add at least 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh green herbs to the well in the flour.
• 25. Black squid ink pasta Add 1 sachet squid ink to the eggs and whisk to combine before adding to the flour. A little extra flour may be needed.

http://leitesculinaria.com/

{Step by Step Recipe} How to make Fresh Egg Pasta

Serves 4-5

Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Preparation:

1. On a flat surface, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center and break both the eggs into it along with olive oil. 

2. With a fork, slowly beat the eggs and gradually incorporate the flour, a little at a time. The egg mixture must be completed absorbed into it. When it becomes too hard to stir with the fork, we start using our hands.

3.  Knead the dough (for atleast 10 to 15 minutes), pushing it against the surface and folding it repeatedly until it is not at all sticky and has become stiff. Add small amount of flour during the kneading process, only if you absolutely need it. 

4. Sprinkle the dough with little flour and cover with a plastic wrap or cloth. Let it rest for 30 minutes before attempting to roll out. 

Note: If you are not ready to make pasta yet, you may refrigerate the dough tightly wrapped in plastic, for up to 24 hours.

5. Cut the dough into 2 halves and start rolling out one half into thin sheets. 

6. Instead of making orecchiette the traditional way, I took an easy way out here. Using the nib of a piping bag, I made concentric circles on the rolled pasta sheet and pressed lightly in the middle to shape them into small dome shaped ears. Sprinkle some flour on the orecchiette so that they don't stick to each other. 

Notes:

1. At this point you can store the fresh pasta into an air tight container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. 

2. For an eggless pasta, use 1 tbsp softened butter for every 1 cup of flour + water (as needed) instead of eggs to knead the flour into a smooth dough. 

3. To simplify the kneading process, use a food processor and the end result (acc to Bittman) is the nearly the same.

http://www.cookingwithsiri.com

Eggless Pasta Dough

This recipe is as simple as they come. All you need is All-purpose flour and water. Apparently during the war when eggs were scarce, this pasta became very popular. It goes great with almost any sauce, but my Mother-In-Law likes to serve it with a fresh pea sauce or a light fresh tomato sauce. The directions are given to be made by hand, but you certainly could use a hand cranked pasta machine instead. This is one of those recipes where exact measurements are difficult as it depends on the flour used, the temperature of the water, and even atmospheric humidity. I have used semolina flour with water, and half semolina flour and half all-purpose flour depending on what I wanted to use it for. I find the addition of semolina flour adds a bit of structure to the dough which works well with short or shaped pasta types.

Eggless Pasta

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Prep Time: 45 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Great for folks with egg allergies, or for a more simple pasta dish.

Ingredients:

All-purpose Unbleached Flour (Or Mix of Semolina & All-purpose Flour - See Note Above)
Dash of Salt
Water

Directions:

Make a mound on the counter with the flour and create a well in the center.
Add the salt, and slowly start slowly pouring in the water, mixing with your fingers between each addition. (You know you have added enough water when you can bring the flour together in a ball.)
Begin to knead the dough until it is smooth. (At this point the dough should resemble stiff bread dough.)
Wrap in plastic and let sit 20 minutes before rolling.
To roll, take a 6 inch ball of dough and place on a lightly floured surface.
Begin to roll into a flat disc, and roll from front to back, turning the dough clockwise about 1/4 turn after every few rolls of the pin.
Once the dough is stretched enough to roll around the pin, begin by rolling the dough towards you wrapping it around the pin as you go.
Keep the dough well floured to prevent sticking.
Once the dough is rolled to a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch it is ready to cut.
Ensure the surface of the dough is lightly floured, and start to roll it up into a tube.
You can either cut it into fettuccine or into triangular pieces.
Place on a floured baking sheet and let dry until you are ready to use it.
To cut into triangular pieces, start cutting at an angle, about 1/2 inch wide pieces, starting at the center of the tube end.
Continue to cut until complete, and dry as described for the other pasta.
To complete the pasta, cook in boiling salted water until al dente.
Top with your favorite sauce and serve piping hot.

http://www.italianfoodforever.com

Refrigerator pickles

Ingredients (2 quarts of pickles)

• 4-6 pickling cucumbers, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/4 cup flavored vinegar (red wine or apple cider are my favorite)
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• one quart mason jar

Instructions

Add all ingredients to the jars. Each jar holds approximately 4 pickles, depending on size.

Fill the jar to the top with water. Refrigerate.

Shake the jar 1-2 times per day.

Pickles are ready to eat after a few hours but best after 2 days.

Use within a week. Store in the refrigerator.

This recipe is also fantastic with peppers.

http://www.simplecleanandhomemade.com

EGGLESS DATES AND WALNUT CAKE|BAKING BEGINNER’S RECIPE

          After a super hit of my Eggless Orange Cake from Pratibha’s space i bookmarked her eggless dates cake and this is the second time i am making this. This i made for my hubby’s birthday ,as he is a great lover of dates and nuts, without any second thought i baked this for him. We all enjoyed this very much and thanks Prathiba for the recipe. As today is my co-sister’s Birthday I am posting thought i can give her a visual treat.  For original recipe Click Here.

INGREDIENTS:

ALL PURPOSE FLOUR	1 CUP
SEEDLESS DATES	18 NO
MILK	3/4 CUP
SUGAR	3/4 CUP
OIL	1/2 CUP
BAKING SODA	1 TSP
CHOPPED WALNUTS	1/4 CUP

METHOD:

• Soak the dates in warm milk for 15 minutes.Alternatively you can microwave this for few minutes.

• When the milk comes to a normal temperature grind this into a smooth paste along with sugar.

• Sieve the flour and baking soda together to ensure even mixing.
• Transfer the mixture to a wide bowl and add oil to this and whisk together to blend this well.
• Dust the chopped nuts with little flour and add to this mixture.
• Slowly add this to the flour.

• Grease a pan with oil and dust with flour.
• Transfer the mixture to the tin and bake at 160 degrees for 30- 35 mins.
• Mine got done in 32 mins. Insert a knife in the center to check whether it is baked  or not.
• I garnished this with few walnuts. This step is optional.

• Cool the cake in the tin for sometime and invert it on a wire rack . Let this cool in the wire rack for few minutes.
• Cut this into pieces and serve .

Note:

1. You can add chopped cashews also.
2. I added 1/4 tsp of vanilla essence to get the vanilla flavor.
3. The color of the cake depends upon the variety of dates you use.

TUTTI FRUITY COOKIES ( EGGLESS)

    This is one of the fantastic cookies i have baked so far. when i saw this recipe in Sharmis place without any second thought i bookmarked this and i tried this in a week. But i couldn’t click the pictures as kids feasted on this yummy cookies and my hubby also asked me to pack a few for his friends. Last week i made this again and finally i clicked this with step wise pictures.

Source:Sharmis Passion
INGREDIENTS:

ALL PURPOSE FLOUR(MAIDA)	1 CUP
UNSALTED BUTTER	6TBSP
POWDERED SUGAR	1/2 CUP
TUTTI FRUITY	1/3 CUP
MILK	1 TO 2 TBLSP
ORANGE ZEST	1 TSP(OPTIONAL)

METHOD:

• In a bowl cream the butter and sugar.
• When this becomes fluffy add this to the all purpose flour and add the tutti fruity and orange zest (if adding)to this.
• When i made for the first time i added orange zest, but while i made this for the second time, i didn’t have oranges.
• Knead this into a dough by adding a tblsp of milk to this.

• Roll this into a log and wrap this in a butter paper.
• Dust with some flour if needed.

• Freeze this for 40 mins and after that cut them into thick slices using a knife.
• Don’t try to cut this into thin pieces. The this will tend to break.

• Preheat the oven at 150 degrees and bake the cookies for 10 to 12 mins.
• Take out carefully and cool this completely.
• Store in airtight container and enjoy.

Notes:

• These cookies tend to brown easily so keep a close watch after 10 mins
• Mine got done in 13 mins.
• I added a tsp  of orange juice to this and this enhanced the flavor.
• If you don’t have tutti frutti just replace with any nuts of your choice.

EGGLESS VANILLA CHOCO CHIP MUFFINS RECIPE

•   I have been searching for a Vanilla muffin recipe and finally my search ended after trying out fantastic muffins from Sharmis passion. This muffin i made for my daughter’s teacher’s farewell and though i was very busy on that day i made with great enthusiasm, as she is my  most favorite among all teachers and even for my daughter. Her teacher enjoyed this a lot and my Varsha’s friends also liked this very much.  Here comes the recipe of eggless vanilla muffin recipe:
    For original recipe click HERE.
  UPDATE: I have made this same recipe replacing butter with 1/4 cup of oil and added few tutti fruity  bits also. The texture was so well.
  This recipe yields 7 large muffins of the size you can see in the picture.
  Picture updated on 12|9|12
  
  

  ALL PURPOSE FLOUR	1 AND 1/2 CUP
  CORN FLOUR	1 TSP
  SUGAR	3/4 CUP
  BAKING POWDER	1 TSP
  MILK	3/4 CUP
  VANILA ESSENCE	3/4 TSP
  BUTTER or OIL	1/4 CUP
  CHOCO CHIPS	1 AND 1/2 TSP
  SALT	A PINCH(IF USING UNSALTED BUTTER)

  
  METHOD:
  

  • Sieve the all purpose flour, corn flour, and baking powder to ensure even mixing.
  • In a wide bowl add the sugar and butter together till it becomes creamy.
  • Since i don’t have have the electric beater this part made my hands a very good exercise.

  • Add  the milk and vanilla essence to this and creamy mixture and beat well.
  • Add the sieved flour to this mixture slowly.
  • Gently mix this .the batter will be little thick.
  • Add 1 tblsp of choco chips to this and pour it in the muffin liners.
  • Fill 3/4 portion of the liner.
  • Garnish with few choco chips.
  • Pre heat the oven to 160 degrees.
  • Bake this for 20-25 mins.

  • Mine got done in 22 mins. Insert a  tooth pick to check out whether it is done. If it comes out clean then take it out and cool it in a wire rack.
  • I made this on a sunday morning and my daughter  took this to school on monday. I didn’t keep it in the fridge.

  
• 
  

1. http://www.jeyashriskitchen.com/

CUSTARD POWDER COOKIES RECIPE| RECIPE WITHOUT EGG AND BUTTER

When Varsha told me to bake some cookies for Teacher’s day celebration at her school, I was searching for some eggless cookies and my google search ends when i saw these eggless Vanilla custard powder cookies in Sowmya's blog. I like her baking recipes a lot. I loved the recipe as it is doesn’t have butter too. For me taking out the butter before hand and handling them in the measuring cup is a lazy job!!. This recipe has used oil and they turned out totally awesome. No where i could find the oil taste in the cookie.

The place where I did the mistake was i over baked the first batch , though she mentioned in the recipe not to do that, and i got many of them burnt. But the second batch i took out in the right time and they really melted in the mouth.Click here for the original recipe. She used whole wheat flour too but i used only All purpose flour.

INGREDIENTS:(YIELDS 40- 45 COOKIES)

MAIDA | ALL PURPOSE FLOUR	2 CUPS
CUSTARD POWDER	1/2 CUP
BAKING POWDER	3/4 TSP
BAKING SODA	1/2 TSP
SUGAR	1 CUP
OIL	1 CUP
VANILLA ESSENCE	1 TSP

METHOD:

• Combine the flour, custard powder(i used Vanilla flavor) baking soda and baking powder.
• If you want for even mixing just sieve them together.

• Combine the sugar and oil and mix this till the sugar gets dissolved.
• I wanted to make it easy and  put them both in a mixer and whipped for a minute.
• Slowly add this to the dry ingredients(flour mixture) and combine well.
• Make it into a smooth dough.

• Pinch small portion of your dough. Make it into a smooth ball and flatten it. I just made lines with fork which is just optional.

• Line the baking tray with Parchment paper(butter paper)
• Place the cookies slightly away from each other. Mine slightly expanded while baking. Bake it for 10 minutes at 170 degree C.
• Take out from the oven and cool them in a wire rack.
• 
• These are the first batch of my cookies which are slightly over baked.
• The cookies were soft when u take out from the oven. Once completely cooled they will become firm and crispy.
• Though these cookies were made with oil, they just melted in the mouth.

NOTE:

• Never over bake the cookies. Take out them when they are soft.
• If the dough is stiff while kneading add a tblsp of cold milk or water to make it a smooth dough.
• Chocolate chips or tutti fruity can be garnished on the top before baking the cookies.
• I used Vanilla custard powder, and i love to try this again with butter scotch flavor too.

NUTELLA COOKIES- EGGLESS NUTELLA COOKIES RECIPE

    Now a days my kiddos have become a huge fan of nutella and after the super hit of my nutella truffles I bookmarked this cookie recipe from Treatntrick blog and i tried , and it is made not only to celebrate Valentine’s day but also to mark another special occasion. We both are blessed with a little boy six years back on this day. So here comes the perfect recipe for eggless nutella cookies.


INGREDIENTS:(yields 20 – 22 cookies)

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR	1/2 CUP
ALL PURPOSE FLOUR	1/2 CUP
SOFTENED BUTTER	1/4 CUP
NUTELLA SPREAD	6 TBLSP
BROWN SUGAR	1/4 CUP
BAKING POWDER	1/2 TSP
VANILLA ESSENCE	1/4 TSP
MILK	1-2 TBLSP(IF NEEDED)

• Sift both the flours along with baking powder for even mixing.
• In a bowl, cream the butter and nutella spread together with a spoon.

• Add this butter and nutella mix to the flour and add the vanilla essence and brown sugar and make it into a soft dough.

• While making the dough if it is too dry then add 1- 2 tblsp of milk.
• Make small balls out of this and flatten it with your palm.
• Preheat the oven at 160 degree and bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes.

• Mine got baked in 15 minutes.
• I made few heart shaped cookies also as  have the cookie cutter which i used for makingPotato Cutlets last year for Varun’s birthday.

Note:

1. I just garnished with rice crisps
2. Almond flakes can be place in the center for decoration

3. NUTELLA BROWNIES RECIPE | NO EGG NO BUTTER

      After a long time I wanted to bake something and i have a big box of nutella lying in my kitchen which my friend gave to me while shifting her house. I wanted to utilize this in one shot and i was searching for an eggless cup cakes with nutella and finally i landed up in this Eggless Nutella Brownies recipe which i adapted from Here .
   
   INGREDIENTS:
   

   NUTELLA	1 CUP MINUS 2 Tblsp
   MAIDA| ALL PURPOSE FLOUR	1 CUP
   COCOA POWDER	1/4 CUP
   YOGURT	1/2 CUP
   OIL	1/3 CUP
   MILK	1/2 CUP
   SUGAR	3 TBLSP
   VANILLA ESSENCE	1 TSP
   WALNUTS/ HAZELNUTS/CASHEWNUTS/ALMONDS	1/3 CUP
   BAKING POWDER	1 TSP
   INSTANT COFFEE POWDER	1 TSP

   
   

   • Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together for even mixing.

   
   

   • Melt the nutella in microwave for 2 minutes.
   • I did it using double boiler method.

   
   

   • In a wide bowl, add milk, yogurt, oil , vanilla essence and sugar and mix well.

   
   

   • Add this to nutella and mix well.

   
   

   • Pour this to the sifted flour mixture and fold gently and evenly.

   
   

   • Add finely chopped nuts to this, i used cashew nuts and mix gently.

   
   

   • Transfer this to a greased baking tin ( square tin) and bake in a 190 degree preheated oven for 30 mins.

   
   

   • Mine took 25 minutes to bake. Insert a tooth pick in the center and check whether it is done. If it comes out clean , take out from the oven and cool them for 15 minutes.
   • Cut them into squares and if you like to have it warm, just microwave this for 20 seconds and serve .

   
   

   • I have cut them into big squares and this yielded 11 to 12 pieces.

   
   

4. NUTELLA BANANA ICE CREAM| NUTELLA RECIPES

   Before going to the recipe of nutella banana ice cream let me tell that the texture of the ice cream will not be like usual ice cream as the recipe is without egg and cream and even milk.But trust me, it taste awesome and a best treat for chocolate lovers and when kids are around now during vacation, this is the best kids friendly recipe, which you can make in a jiffy. The texture will be fudgy and i had a tough time clicking the pictures. Over to the recipe of two ingredient , nutella banana ice cream.
   
   INGREDIENTS:
   

   NUTELLA	1/2 CUP
   BANANA	1
   NUTS (Optional)	1 TBLSP

   
   METHOD:
   

   • Dry roast the nuts in a medium flame for few minutes without getting them burnt.
   • In a blender add the nutella and banana .

   • Blend this smoothly and add the toasted nuts. If you want you can chop the nuts finely and skip this step. Me being a lazy person , put this in the blender and pulsed it along with the nutella banana mix.
   • Pour this mixture in the freezer safe bowl. and freeze this overnight or 7-8hours.

   • Freeze this overnight or 7-8hours.

   
   

   • Nutella banana ice cream is ready.

   
   Note:
   

   1. If you want a creamy texture like normal ice cream, add 1/2 cup of cream to the nutella and banana while blending. I tried this method long back and turned out pretty well.
   2. I used almonds and cashew nuts. If you want you can add one more banana , if you want the banana flavour to be more. but do not add more than that.

• 
  

• HOME MADE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM RECIPE – NO EGG – NO ICECREAM MAKER.

     We all are a big fan of ice cream at home except my little one. When i attempted my first ice cream at home with MANGO it was a super hit. Few weeks later I attempted the same recipe with replacing strawberry with mango . This was again a super hit. After an year i tried ice cream at home and this time i gave a slight twist by adding evaporated milk. It was so creamy and no one can believe that it is home made.
  I hurried up while taking pictures as the temperature was hot outside the ice cream started melting!!
  
  

  INGREDIENTS:
  

  STRAWBERRY PUREE  (FROM 35-40 strawberries)	2 cups
  CREAM	3/4 CUP
  CONDENSED MILK	3/4 CUP
  EVAPORATED MILK	1/4 CUP
  SUGAR	3-4 TBLSP

  
  

  • Wash and hull the strawberries and make it into a puree with the help of a blender.
  • Reserve 3-4 strawberries to add in the last .

  • In a wide bowl, add the puree and add the condensed milk, cream, evaporated milk and sugar.
  • If you don’t get evaporated milk just replace with condensed milk.
  • Just adjust the sugar accordingly in that case.
  • Mix gently with a hand blender till everything incorporates well.

  
  
  
  

  • In a freezer safe bowl, pour in this mixture and freeze for an hour.

  
  

  • After an hour, take it out and nicely blend in a mixer and freeze it again for an hour.
  • Repeat this procedure for 2 more times.
  • After doing this for 3 times, before freezing this, chop the reserved strawberries into tiny bits and mix well.
  • Deep freeze for 6-7 hours.

  
  

  • Strawberry ice cream is ready to serve.

  
  Notes:
  

  • I used the nestle cream. Any type of cream can be used.
  • Sugar can be increased or decreased according to the sourness of the strawberry.
  • Do not skip the step of blending the mixture every one hour. This step will make smooth and soft ice cream .
  • As i mentioned already, if evaporated milk is not available, just replace with condensed milk. Just in that case, adjust the addition of sugar.
  • 
    

• VANILLA ICE CREAM | CUSTARD POWDER ICE CREAM RECIPE

  Vanilla custard powder Icecream is a one which i wanted to try out for a long time. Most of the times we don't get the vanilla flavored custard powder here, recently when i saw this i picked up to try out this ice cream. Few weeks back i posted this as a guest post for Rak's Kitchen. Try out this easy, eggless ice cream with easy available ingredients and without ice cream maker too.
  
  INGREDIENTS: YIELDS 4 SCOOPS
  

  CUSTARD POWDER (VANILA FLAVOR)	1 AND 1/2 TBLSP
  SUGAR	4-5 TBLSP
  MILK (LOW FAT)	2 CUPS
  CREAM	2 TBLSP

  
  

  • Boil the milk in a saucepan, reserving 3 tblsps of milk aside.
  • Mix the custard powder in the 3 tblsp of milk into a smooth paste without any lumps.
  • Add this custard mixture to the boiled milk and keep the flame low. Stir it continuously for 2 minutes. The mixture will give a thick custard. Let it be like a dosa batter consistency.

  • Add sugar to it and put off the flame.
  • Allow this custard to cool down completely.
  • When done, add cream to this ( i used the Nestle cream) and whip in the mixer for a minute.

  • Pour this mixture in a freezer safe box and freeze it for an hour.
  • After that take out and whip it again for a minute. Repeat this step 2 times . this is to avoid the formation of Ice and to get a creamy texture.

  • After doing the whipping process for 3 times, freeze the ice cream mixture for 5-6 hours.
  • Your vanilla custard powder ice cream is done.

  • Serve with fruits if you want.

    Note:
  

  1. You can use any flavour of custard powder.
  2. To the custard powder mixture, instead of sugar you can add condensed milk to get a rich taste.
  3. You can add nuts to this after you finish off the whipping process. You will get the nutty bits while having ice cream.
  4. Do not add custard powder more than the quantity mentioned.

  Technorati Tags: how to make custard powder ice cream,custard powder ice cream,no egg ice cream,Vanilla custard powder ice cream,no ice cream maker ice cream
•    Aloo bonda/ urulaikizhangu bonda is a classic tea/ coffee time snack and can be made easily. It is sure a kids favourite as it has potato stuffed inside. I wanted to try this for long time, made only once before. But somehow, I haven't made it, that often. Jeyashri asked me to do guest post last December itself, but I didn’t promised her to do one as I myself do last minute posts at my blog. Now since she was busy shifting her home, I thought of doing a guest post and fill her blog by a post. Though I tried this after years, I was happy with the result, as I was bit worried how it would turn out. So here”s the snack, that would be a family pleasing snack. 
      
  
  

  ALOO BONDA RECIPE    Cooking time : 30 mins Makes 12 bondas   INGREDIENTS Potato 3 Onion 1 Green chilli 2 Ginger, finely chopped 1 tsp Turmeric 1/8 tsp Salt As needed   TO TEMPER Oil 2 tsp Mustard 3/4 tsp Urad dal 1 tsp Curry leaves 1 sprig FOR THE BATTER Besan flour 1/2 cup Rice flour 1/4 cup Ghee  1 tsp Pepper (black) powder 1/2 tsp Asafoetida 3 pinches Turmeric 2 pinches Cooking soda 1 pinch Salt As needed Method Pressure cook potatoes for 3 whistles, peel off the skin once done and mash it well. Keep aside. In a kadai/ pan, season with mustard urad dal and curry leaves. Add finely chopped ginger, green chilli and onion. Fry till transparent without changing colour. Add turmeric and salt. Add cooked, mashed potatoes and mix well so that the turmeric blends evenly. Stir for 2 minutes an drizzle a tsp of oil. Transfer to a plate and cool down. Make 12 equal sized balls and set aside. In a mixing bow, mix everything under ‘For the batter’ table with little water to make a batter, it should be thick enough to coat the potato balls. Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the potato balls dipped to coat it well in the besan batter mix. Turn over in a minute to cook evenly on both sides. Cook in medium flame. When its evenly golden fried, drain it over kitchen tissue. Notes The stuffing part can be made to suit your taste buds. You can vary the potato masala by adding mint leaves, red chilli powder etc. ; The batter Should be thick, otherwise, the look of the bonda will not be round and smooth. You can replace pepper powder with red chilli powder as will in the batter. Ghee ads a wonderful flavour along with pepper and adds crispiness too.

                    Enjoy hot with coconut chutney (getti chutney), as a tea/ coffee time snack.
  

• http://www.jeyashriskitchen.com/
• 
  

Eggless Carrot Cake Recipe - Ingredients

Recipe Reference: Renus Kitchen  Serves: 2

Cooking & Preparation Time: 1 hr

Maida - 3/4 cup (135 gms)
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup (35 gms)
Grated carrot - 1/2 cup heaped
Curd - 3/4 cups (200 ml)
Olive oil - 1/4 cup (60 ml)
Milk - 2.5 tbsp
Granulated Sugar -1/2 cup (110 gms)
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp 
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt -1/4 tsp
Walnuts, chopped - handful

Method:
1.Grate carrots finely and keep aside. Sieve maida,wheat flour with baking soda and baking powder, set aside. In a mixing bowl add curd, sugar, milk and olive oil. Mix well until sugar completely dissolves.

2.Then add cinnamon powder, vanilla essence and give a quick stir. Finally fold in carrots then add maida+wheat flour mixture.
3.Whisk it well to form a smooth creamy flowing batter. You can fold in chopped walnuts into the batter itself. I forgot to add it and remembered only after I added the batter to the tin so just sprinkled on the top :)  Preheat oven at 182 deg C for 10mins. Meanwhile lay butter paper inside the tin(only for the bottom)...Grease it with butter and maida,  I had some remaining batter so poured into my individual muffin tin.Bake the cake at the same temperature for 20-25mins or until the toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.The muffins were done in 12 mins.

4.Immediately transfer the tin onto a wet cloth for easy unmoulding. Allow it to cool for 15mins, hen invert and carefully peel of the butter paper. Then allow it to cool for atleast an hour before slicing. 

Slice it into squares, cool completely and store in an airtight container.

My Notes:

• The orginal recipe uses canola oil but I used olive oil as I had it in hand. Olive oil gives a great texture to the cake.I didnt find any difference here while adding olive oil, its the same as the normal cooking oil cake.

• You can use the same recipe to make carrot cupcakes/muffins and bake them for 15-20mins.

• Baking time again differs from oven to oven, depends on the tin too... mine took around 30 mins flat for the cake to bake fully but what I would suggest is check at 20mins then proceed accordingly.

• The cake keeps well at room temperature for 2 days then refrigerate it. While serving may be you can just warm it up in oven and then serve it.

• I was skeptical whether to saute the carrots for a while and then add it to the batter but I was short of time so added it raw. But the carrots did not leave the raw smell at all...so go ahead adding them raw itself.

• I used homemade yogurt, you can use Nestle set dahi too.

• Walnuts give a great crunch to the cake so dont skip it and I recommend adding them in the batter itself.

• I wanted to add wheat flour so added 1/4 cup, but you can skip that and add 1 cup maida fully also.

• The cake is normal sweet and it was just right for us. You can increase sugar to 3/4 cup if you want your cake to be more sweeter.As carrots doesnt give a unique flavor, vanilla essence is a must.

• Homemade Paneer Recipe - Ingredients

  Preparation Time : 1 hr | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2
  Recipe Category: Main | Recipe Cuisine: World

  
  Milk - 1 litre (preferably full fat cream milk)
  Curd - 1/2 cup (or) Lemon Juice - 3 to 4 tbsp

  Method:

  1. Boil milk for 5mins(Simmer it). Let it for a gentle boil then first add 1/4 cup of curd, keep stirring and then add the next 1/4 cup. Continue heating till it starts curdling, keep stirring until the whey completely seperates.At this stage, switch it off. If you are adding lemon, add it 1 tbsp by 1 tbsp.
     
  2. Place a cheesecloth(make sure it is long enough to get tied up) over a container and strain the paneer. If you use lemon juice to curdle just wash it twice atleast, in cold water to get rid of the lemon flavour.Bring the edges of the cloth to the center, tie and hang it to a handle or sink tap. Allow the water to drip by itself, do not disturb the setup for an hour till all the whey completely drips.
     
  3. Flatten it and place it on a dosa tawa. Then keep the chapathi maker over it and any other heavy weight over the chapathi maker(I kept my hand mortar and pestle). Allow it to get set for atleast 2 to 3 hours. It will look cruumbled at this stage but dont worry it will get set well. Then carefully remove the cloth from the paneer and place it in the fridge for 1 hour atleast(this step is optional but helps in getting clean neat pieces while cutting). I let it sit in the fridge overnight as anyways I cannot night shoot it...yes I made it it the previous night making the paneer ready for next days clicks :)Then, remove it from the fridge , and cut into desired cubes.
     
  4. Do not freeze it. Just refrigeration is enough.Cut into cubes of your preferred size and store in a airtight container / a ziplock cover.
     
  I prefer to cut them a bit small so that while added to gravies, it absorbs well.Soaking the paneer 10mins before adding it to gravies also makes it to absorb the gravy well. You can store in fridge for upto 3 to 4 days....After that it starts to harden.
  

  My Notes:

  • Use the leftover whey for making rotis or rasgullas or save it for making paneer next time.
  • Setting time is very important in getting the perfect paneer cubes.Also keeping in fridge before cutting into cubes gives neat pieces.
  • You can even use 1/4 cup curd to curdle but I used 1/2 cup to curdle quickly and to get little more volume of paneer.
  • I used cows milk so had to simmer for a while before I added curd as cows milk is little watery. People here in India can use aavin full cream milk.
  • Use a cheese cloth which drains the water well. I used 'dhoti cloth(veshti thuni) for draining.
  • Take care to wrap it to form a circle / square so that while cutting into pieces it is easy to form squares.
  • Also allow the paneer to come to room temperature before cutting it to avoid paneer from crumbling.
  

• 
  
• http://www.sharmispassions.com/
  

• Paal Paniyaram Recipe - Ingredients

  Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 25 mins | Serves : 3
  Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

  
  Raw Rice - 1/2 cup
  Whole Urad Dal - 1/2 cup
  First Coconut Milk - 1 cup
  Milk(boiled and cooled) - 1/3 cup 
  Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
  Salt - a tiny pinch
  Sugar - 1/8cup
  Oil - to deep fry

  Method:

  1. Take equal measure of raw rice and urad dal and soak it together for  2-3 hrs...and those are the measuring cups Lavi gifted me :) Then grind it to a fine batter(use grinder) for best results.Add very little water only while grinding.Add salt,mix well and keep aside.
  2. The batter should be thick and fluffy like idli / medu vada batter.Heat oil in a kadai - When oil is heated up,take a small portion of batter and drop in the preheated oil.It will puff up well.
     
  3. Turn over and cook on both sides to light golden color.
     
  4. Drain in a tissue paper.In a bowl add coconut milk,milk,elachi powder,sugar and mix well.Drop the paniyarams into the prepared milk, let it soak for 5-10mins.
  Enjoy your paal paniyarams!
  
  
  Dont these paniyarams look gorgeous, I loved clicking them :)
  
  
  

  My Notes:

  • While grinding make sure to grind the batter thick(kind of medu vada batter)else it will drink more oil.
  • Always use fresh coconut milk as it gives a great flavour.
  • The milk should not be too thick else it will take more time for the paniyarams to absorb the milk.
  • You can even use coconut milk fully or use the ratio of milk:coconut milk as I have mentioned.
  • You can fry the paniyarams before hand and while serving time just soak them in milk.
  • Adjust sugar quantity according to your taste.
  • Make sure you grind it fine, else it will splutter while frying just a word of caution :)
  • You can even use paniyaram pan to fry the paniyarams if you want to avoid deep frying.
  • Dont fry the paniyarams for more time, just fry till light golden brown.
  • Salt is added in sweet dishes just to lift the sweetness of the dish.
  • http://www.sharmispassions.com/
  • 
    
  
  

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