Sometimes you crave comfort food in cold winter evenings and this one hits the spot. It has just two main ingredients and takes hardly any time to get it ready.
Ingredients
Chicken pepperoni 200 g
Potatoes 4 large
Italian seasoning 1 tsp
Red chilli flakes 1 tsp
Pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Butter 1 tbsp
Mozzarella cheese 1 cup
Salt to taste
Method
Peel and chop three potatoes into large chunks and boil till cooked. Drain and keep aside.
Mash well with the butter, salt and pepper powder.
Start assembling in a ceramic baking dish. Lay a layer of pepperoni and then the mashed potatoes.
Cover with the rest of the pepperoni.
Peel the remaining potato and slice thinly. Lay it on top of the pepperoni.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Top with the cheese and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and red chilli flakes. Bake in a preheated 180 degrees Celsius oven for 30 minutes till the cheese turns brown. Serve hot.
These biscuits are easy to make and a wonderful way to use up the extra cheese. I bake a whole batch in the course of a morning.
Ingredients
All purpose flour 2 cups
Salted butter 1/2 cup
Grated cheddar cheese 3 cups
Salt 1 tsp
Dried Oregano 2 tsps
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Method
In a bowl mix the butter and cheese.
Add the flour, salt, oregano and red chilli powder.
Mix well to form a loose dough.
Form into small balls and flatten against the palm of your hand. Arrange on a buttered plate or tray. Press a fork against each biscuit to form the lines.
Bake in a 210 degree C oven for 15-20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes and taken out when the biscuits turn golden brown.
I was inspired by the Polish dish Golabki to experiment with Indian basmati rice and minced chicken. The gardener brought me fresh cabbages and the result is this really delicious dish. It makes a very satisfying dinner or Sunday lunch.
Ingredients
Cabbage 1 large
Basmati rice 2 cups, cooked
Chicken 500 g, minced
Onion 1 large, chopped
Coriander leaves 1/2 cup, chopped
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Green chillies 2, chopped
Garlic 2 cloves, minced
Egg 1
Vegetable oil 3 tbsps
Cheddar cheese 100 g, grated
Peperoncino flakes 2 tbsps
For the sauce:
Olive oil 2 tbsps
Onion 1 medium, chopped
Tomatoes 2 medium, chopped
Tomato paste 200 g
Tomato sauce or readymade pizza sauce 200 g
Fresh basil leaves 10, shredded
Cream 3 tbsps
Italian herbs, dried 1 tbsp
Water 1 cup
Method
Heat water in a large pan and let it come to a boil. Immerse the head of cabbage in it and boil for 2 minutes. Switch off the heat and let the cabbage blanch in the water for 2 minutes more. Take out the cabbage let it drain on a plate.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok and add the onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes till the onions turn golden brown.
Add the green chillies and garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes.
Add the washed and drained chicken mince and cook for 2 minutes. Stir to break up any lumps.
Add the salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Cook till the water evaporates.
Add the cooked rice and mix well.
Break the egg directly into the rice and mix well.
Add the coriander leaves and mix well. Switch off the heat.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onions. Sauté till they turn translucent.
Add the basil leaves and tomatoes and cook till they turn soft.
Add the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Add the dried Italian herbs and water. Cook for 20 minutes on low heat till the sauce thickens.
Take an ovenproof dish and spread some of the sauce at the bottom.
Separate the cabbage leaves and stuff each leaf with some of the rice and chicken mixture. Roll it up and arrange in the dish.
Pour the sauce over the stuffed cabbage leaves.
Sprinkle generously with cheese.
Sprinkle peperoncino flakes on top and bake in a 180 degree C oven for 25 minutes till the cheese melts and turns brown.
I have grown up with Chilli Cheese Toast. I loved ordering it all the time and I still go back to it often. It is like a security blanket. It takes me back to my childhood and a less complicated, happy life.
Ingredients
Bread 2 slices of any bread
Mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup, grated
Green chillies 3, minced
Coriander leaves, minced
Method
Arrange the slices of bread on a wire rack. I prefer sourdough bread, but any bread that has a bite to it is good. You can use country loaf or whole wheat bread.
Sprinkle generously with mozzarella cheese.
Sprinkle minced green chillies and coriander leaves.
This recipe was shared with me by a friend and I would make it very often for my son when he was a teenager. This is certain to be a hit with every hungry teenager and it is quick as easy to make. It makes a hearty meal because of the meat, potatoes and cheese, and it is easier to make than ordering takeout.
Ingredients
(Serves 2)
Streaky bacon 200 g
Potatoes 3 medium, sliced
Mushrooms 1 cup, sliced
Oil 1 tbsp
Italian herbs 2 tbsps
Cheddar cheese 2 cups, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Snip the bacon roughly with a pair or scissors into 1” pieces and add it along with the mushrooms to heated oil in a frying pan. Fry till the mushrooms are brown and the bacon is cooked.
In a baking tray, pour a tablespoon of bacon grease. Arrange a layer of potato slices. Add a layer of the bacon and mushroom mixture. Add a layer of overlapping potato slices. Sprinkle a layer of cheese and Italian herbs. Add another layer of potatoes.
Repeat the layers again. Finish with a thick layer of cheese.
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and herbs.
Bake in a 180 degree C oven for 20 minutes till the cheese is bubbling.
This is a dish you can make if guests surprise you. It takes hardly any time. Ten minutes to assemble the dish on the gas and six minutes in the microwave, and voila, it is ready. It is a balanced meal with rice, spinach, mushrooms, egg and cheese. The flavours of Italian herbs and red chilli flakes give it a gentle boost.
Ingredients
(Serves 3)
Cooked rice 2 cups
Onion 1 large, chopped
Spinach 6 cups, chopped
Mushrooms 1 cup, chopped
Eggs 2
Cheddar cheese 1 cup, grated
Italian herb mix 1 tsp
Chilli flakes 1 tbsp
Pepper powder 2 tsps
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil 1 tbsp
Method
Take cooked rice, basmati or any long-grained variety is best. If it is made the night before and kept in the refrigerator, it is even better. Fluff it up with a fork and keep aside.
Add oil to a wok and fry the onions. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Add the spinach and continue to sauté for another 4-5 minutes till the leaves are wilted. Add chilli flakes, Italian herbs and pepper.
Add the rice and salt and mix well.
Transfer to a glass microwave dish and spread it evenly.
Break the eggs over the rice, sunny side up.
Sprinkle salt and pepper and spread the cheese over it.
A comfort food and a favourite with my son throughout his schooldays was Mac and cheese. I used to make it three or four times a week. I use sharp English mustard and chilli flakes, which impart a unique flavour to the dish.
The chilli flakes add a piquant flavour
Ingredients
Elbow pasta 2 cups All-purpose flour 3 tbsps Butter 2 tbsps Olive oil 2 tbsps Salt to taste Pepper powder 1 tsp English mustard 1 tbsp Milk 1/2 litre Cheddar cheese 1 cup, grated Italian herbs 1 tbsp, dried Peperoncino chilli flakes 1 tbsp
Method
Boil 6 cups of water with 2 tbsps of salt. Add the pasta and cook till al dente. Drain.
Add the butter and olive oil to a heavy bottomed saucepan. I use Amul salted butter as I feel it gives a better flavour to the dish.
Add the flour and sauté on low flame till the raw smell of the flour is gone.
Add the milk gradually, whisking all the time. Add salt, pepper and mustard. Add the Italian herbs. Cook till the sauce thickens. It should not take more than three minutes.
White sauce
Layer the pasta, white sauce and cheese in an oven proof dish. My trusted dish that I bought from John Lewis in London almost 15 years ago is the one I always use to make mac and cheese. Sprinkle the peperoncino chilli flakes on top.
This bread is easy to make. I make this in the bread maker, which means it is super easy. I usually put in everything after breakfast, wait for the proving to be over, add the cheese topping, and the bread is ready for lunch.
Full of cheesy flavour
Ingredients
(Serves 4 persons)
Milk 1 1/8 cups Bread flour 3 cups Butter, salted 4 tbsps Mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup, grated Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup grated Brown sugar 1 tbsp Oregano, dried 2 tbsps Salt 1 tsp Yeast 2 tbsps Cheddar cheese for topping 1/4 cup
Method
Heat the milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. It should be lukewarm.
Pour it into the bread-maker pan and add everything else in the order given above, except for the cheese for the topping.
After the final kneading cycle and before the baking starts, add the cheese topping.
Let the bread cool before slicing it. Enjoy with clotted cream mixed with dill and bacon bits.
Chills & Chillies 