"Appetizers"- Quick Puff Pastry Cheese Straws

Looking for a quick appetizer or a side dish???? This one is sure to please you!
Puff Pastry is my favorite ingredient to work with.You can make either sweet or savory dishes with it, it readily available in USA, tasty delicious..buttery..flaky and you can mould it into so many shapes and wow your guests...

Ingredients:
1 sheet Pepperidgefarm puffpastry sheet
1/2  to 1/3rd cup grated Parmesan cheese
1tsp Italian seasoning
1/2tsp dried Basil
1/2tsp Red chili powder
1/4tsp black ground pepper

Method:
1) Thaw the puff pastry sheet as directed.Pre heat the oven to 400F
2) Cut the puff pastry into thin strips with a knife
3) With one end in each hand , twist the strips to get to spiral shape.
4) Mix together the cheese, seasoning, chili powder, black pepper in a large plate
5) Roll the spirals/straws into the cheese and place on baking sheet as you make them.

6) Bake for 15 mins or till golden brown.

7) Serve with your favorite dipping sauce like- Marinara sauce, Sundried tomato Pesto etc.

"Everyday Cooking"- Tomato-Parmesan Soup

Of the many things you cannot 'do' after having a baby ...some are.....watching a movie in a theater, eating out 'peacefully'....going out whenever 'you' want to!
'M' and I haven't been to a theater, to watch a movie together, since 'E' was born ( And 'E' is now 2and 1/2 yrs old!).We 'try' to eat out...but it is no where 'peacefull'.We have to take turns eating and entertaining 'E'...it's a Big venture!!!
So.....since 'E' started pre-school from September this year..I started dreaming on- how I would utilize the time I have 'off' and what all we could do! Those 3 hrs (9am to 12pm) were going to be 'ours'.
I made plans..once 'M' and I can go for a movie...or may be just for a 'brunch' to some Cafe. My first plan ..of going to a movie failed....as there are no shows from 9am to 12 pm in Regal Cinema,Ithaca.What a bummer! But we did work on our next plan....
Lat week 'M' took a morning off from work....we went to this place called 'Hope's Way Catering and Cafe' nearby.They have many 'brunchy' items on menu-soups, pastas, salads,scones, muffins,pound cakes,coffee cakes etc etc.Also, they are famous for their incredibly yummy desserts.
We tried this 'Tomato-Parmesan' soup on that snowy- wintry morning.The soup was nice and creamy, had a pinkish hue.It was amazing to sip on warm soup, in the cozy Cafe.....especially 'M' by my side....
I tried to make 'similar' soup at home this week...and it came out pretty good!
Ingredients:

2 Ripe tomatoes chopped
2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used Parmesan-Romano cheese)
1tbsp crushed tomatoes/ 1tsp ketchup
2 tsp All pupose flour
1tsp butter
1tbsp onion finely chopped
1tsp Italian seasoning
salt
sugar
Black pepper
Red chili powder

Oyster Crackers/Croutons/  Bread to serve along

Method:
1) Heat 1tsp butter in a sauce pan. Add the chopped onions.Fry till translucent.
Add the all purpose flour .Fry for few seconds.
2) Add the milk and mix well. Let the flour cook and the 'sauce'/ soup thicken up.
3) Add the tomatoes, seasoning, black pepper, sugar , chili powder, crushed tomatoes and let it simmer.The soup gets a 'pinkish' color.
4) Add the grated cheese. Mix well. Check for salt. Cheese is pretty salty, so add salt after tasting.Adjust consistency with milk/water.
4) Serve warm with Oyster crackers/ Croutons/ Bread.

Sip on the warm,creamy soup with tomatoes with the warmth of black pepper and chili powder!

"Fusion Cuisine"- "Tandoori Spiced" Baked Salmon Fish Sticks with Parmesan Crust

What I love about learning to cook and trying out different cuisines is....you not only learn to appreciate different tastes and 'taste combinations' but also get a chance to explore various cooking techniques and methods. And the fun part is...you can pull together all the tastes you like from different cuisines and put together a whole new cuisine i.e Fusion Cuisine which 'wows' your taste buds!

Over the course of this blog..and my overall 'cooking life' I have learnt various techniques and cooking methods from different cuisines and wondered how I can use to make my favorite'dishes' better OR easier OR Tastier OR Healthier??

Here are a few examples-

I tried a 'pastry' like outer crust to make Vegetable Samosa.This uses ice cold butter and water to make a crispy/flaky crust.

I learned to make the famous Indian dessert Rasmalai from Ricotta cheese.

I used 'Tostitos' to make 'Sev poori' like 'Tostitos Chaat'. All these and many more....were fun to cook ,eat and share.

Here is one such 'fusion' recipe of Indian and Italian flavors. I used spice rub like 'tandoori chicken' on fresh Salmon sticks and crusted them with Parmesan-bread crumb mixture. They came out SUPER delicious! The salmon was tender on the inside spiced with indian spices and the outer crust was crispy because of the breading technique. I also made a 'tangy-Spicy-Garlicky'dip with mayonnaise to go along with the sticks.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized fresh Atlantic Salmon fillet(ask for 'center 'cut salmon and de-skinned)

1/2tsp Tandoori masala/ Kitchen king masala/ any punjabi flavor masala

1/2tsp Cumin-coriander powder

1/2tsp Chili powder

1/4tsp turmeric

1/2tsp garlic paste

1/4tsp lemon juice

olive oil

salt

For breading-

1/2cup All purpose flour

1/2 cup Italian herbed bread crumbs

1/2 cup Grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

salt

Black pepper

chili powder

1)Mix little salt and chili powder in the all purpose flour

2) Beat the egg and add salt and pepper

3) Mix together the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Create an assembly line of all these ingredients.The sticks will be dipped in all the three ,one after the other

For the Dip:

1/4 cup low fat Mayonnaise

1/4tsp Chili powder

1/4tsp garlic paste

1/4tsp chopped Cilantro

Mix all the above together and serve with the fish sticks.

Method:

1) Cut the de-skinned salmon into thick 'sticks'. Not too thin otherwise they won't 'hold' nicely.

2) Mix together 1tsp olive oil,tandoori spice, cumin-corainder powder, turmeric,chili powder, lemon juice, garlic paste, salt etc .Rub gently on the fish sticks. Leave in the refrigerator for 1-2 hrs.

3) Pre heat the oven to 425F

5) Dip the spiced sticks in all pupose flour , then the beaten egg and then in the Bread crumb-Parmesan mixture. This creates an nice crust on top of the sticks.

Place on non stick baking tray( or tray sprayed with cooking spray)

6)  Drizzle the sticks with olive oil lightly.

7) Bake in the oven at 425F for 20-25 mins till golden brown.

8) serve warm with the above Spicy-garlicky Mayonnaise dip!

Enjoy the fusion of Italian and Indian flavors in these tender and flaky on the inside and crispy on the outside fish sticks! Crunnnnch crunnnnch.....hmmmm delicious!

Variation:

1) Use Chicken tenders instead of Salmon to make Chicken fingers.

2) Mozarella cheese sticks can also be made in the same way!