Dinner Quick-fix Recipe#2- Cauliflower Bake

I always love to prepare my little one's fave food.
And this is cauliflower with a twist in using the usual bechamel sauce and is really yummy, for those who love the taste of cheese.

Ingredients: Serves 2 (when accompanied with brown bread)

1. Cauliflower- (separated into small segments), blanched, about 2 cups
2. Onion -1/2 (very finely chopped)
   
3. Parmesan Cheese -1/2 cup or Milkman/Amul cheese slices - 4
4. Butter - 2 tablespoons
   
5. Milk -2 cups
   
6. Cornflour - 2 tablespoons
7. Salt- according to taste
   
8. Pepper -Freshly ground

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until it melts. Then add the chopped onions and fry them till they are translucent.
2. 
   
3. Add the blanched cauliflower.
4. 
   
5. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, and bring to a boil.
6. 
   
7. In a cup, mix the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of milk and add it to the above mixture.
8. 
   
9. Cook for about 6-10 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the grated cheese/slices.
10. 
    
11. Remove from heat and put a lid on the mixture, allowing the cheese to melt.
12. 
    
13. Serve with brown/white sandwich bread or layer it between buns. You can have it without the bread as well.
    

Do you have the right knife?

Have you seen Chinese dishes with fine juliennes of vegetables? The salads and curries have the most innovative cuts in expensive restaurants. I believe that the taste of the vegetable varies according to the cut of the vegetable. I personally like to cut vegetables very finely which resulted in tastier food. A dish according to me is as good as its cut.

I have always made it a point that I used good quality kitchen knives and chopping boards. I have of course injured my fingers, chopped off well manicured nails and still managed to come up with my tasty main course. I think every person who cooks should understand the importance of good quality instruments. Firstly it is best to invest in knives which suit our lifestyle, rather than buy a whole set of unwanted knives. A few must haves for a beginner are as follows: (specialized knives according to your budget can be added on later)

• A good quality all-purpose chef's knife, which has a good quality blade.
• A pairing knife: which is a small knife with 3 to 5 inches straight, thin, narrow blade which tapers at the tip. It is easy for peeling and coring foods or mincing and cutting small ingredients, such as shallots, garlic or fresh herbs.
• A utility knife: A small lightweight knife for miscellaneous light cutting and has a straight-edge blade or a serrated blade that is 4 to 7 inches long, used for cutting cucumbers, larger apples, smaller squash, and other mid-sized items. I double this knife with serrated edge as a bread knife.
• Tomato Knife: A serrated edged knife used to slice food that has a tough exterior and a softer middle, such as tomatoes.
  
• My favorites are a heavy cleaver (to chop) and a boning knife as I cook meats. A boning knife will typically have a long narrow blade for ease of manipulation around bones and makes life easy.
  
• A scissors, a good quality grater and a mixer are other essentials.

How to choose a good knife?

• Be sure to pick up the knife and see how the handle feels in your hand. It should have a good grip and balanced. Ideally, a heavy knife will require less effort when slicing and chopping.

• Consider the type of blade and blade edge the knife has and the care and maintenance involved. Some blades will require frequent sharpening and some professional sharpening, it is better to invest in a knife which guarantees a sharp edge even if it expensive.
  

Checkout the following links to get tips about buying good knives.
http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1075/types-of-kitchen-knives.asp#construction

http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--38255/knife-sharpener.asp

Happy Cooking!!!:-)

Create your own salad Bar

Back home after a tired day...The ready made food is either too fattening or boring. Most of the salads and preparations on the net are either non-veg or are un-appealing to our Indian tongue. For those of you who are in the same situation as me, then I have a few quick fixes which are just fine. These can double as a meal by themselves.

Equip your Salad Bar with the following:

Create your own salad bar at home by stocking a few cucumbers (or kheeras as they are known in Hindi). A cabbage, red one is preferable. (These are widely available in Namdharis, Food World and Reliance Fresh kind of supermarkets.) Broccoli, Cherry tomatoes, Pickled Olives(green or black or stuffed), harkot beans, some Iceberg Lettuce, baby carrots, potatoes, pineapple slices and frozen peas.

You also need

A bottle of Eggless Sandwich spread mayonnaise (Funfoods, India)
Some ground pepper
Olive oil

Recipe #1

Ingredients Needed Serves: 1 (for dinner)
2(for entrée )

• Iceberg Lettuce(torn into shreds)
  
• Broccoli florets (a cup)
• Peas (a handful)
• Carrots(about 1/2 cup)
  
• Red cabbage(1/2 cup finely shredded)
• 10 Black or green olives(cut into halves)
• 2 pineapple slices cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons of Egg-less Mayonnaise
  
• salt
  

Preparation:

1. Boil about a liter of water until it starts bubbling and add 1/2 a tsp of salt.
   
2. Add the thawed peas, carrots and broccoli florets
   
3. Wait a minute and remove the vegetables.
4. Drain the water let it cool.

Recipe:

Combine all the vegetables in a bowl and toss them together with olive oil and mayonnaise.
And the portion is very filling and full of anti-oxidants that you'll have a glow on your cheek if you can eat them every night...