Indian Recipe Secret Number 1 - How to Start a Meal With a Delicious Treat? The Poppadom

Ingredients: 2 cups garbanzo bean (chick-pea), flour, 1 tsp. cracked or coarsely ground black pepper, 1 tsp. ground cumin seed, salt to taste, 1 clove garlic pressed, 1/4 cup & 1 tbsp. water, cayenne for dusting tops, oil for frying (optional)

Method:

1. Stir together the flour, pepper, ground cumin seed, and salt in a large bowl or in the food processor.

2. Mix thoroughly until the spices are evenly distributed.

3. Add the garlic and mix well.

4. Add enough of the water to form a dough that will hold together in a cohesive ball. If necessary, add up to 1 additional tbsp. water. (The dough should be fairly stiff and dry. If it is too wet, it will not roll well)

5. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes by hand or pulse for about 15 seconds in the food processor. The dough should be smooth.

6. With your hands, shape the dough into a cylinder or log about 2 inches thick and 6 inches long.

7. With a sharp knife, cut the cylinder into 1/2-inch thick slices.

8. Place each slice on a lightly oiled surface.

9. Lightly oil the top of the slice and then roll out into a very thin circle about 6-7" in diameter. Papadams must be rolled extremely thin, maximum 1/16".

10. Dust the tops of each papadam with cayenne pepper.

11. Using a metal spatula to loosen the edges of the papadams from the rolling surface, carefully place them on large baking sheets.

TO BAKE: To bake them in a 300 F. oven for about 15 to 25 minutes, or until crisp and dry. The cooking time may vary beyond this range depending upon the thickness and moisture in the rolled dough. Cool them on a rack.

OR TO FRY (More Authentic): First allow them to dry by leaving them in the sun for a few hours or by placing them in a very low oven (less than 200 F.) for 1 to 2 hours, turning occasionally. Dry the papadams until they are just slightly flexible and show no moisture. They should not brown or bake, however.

When ready to serve, heat about 1/8 inch of oil in a large skillet. The oil should be hot, but not smoking. One at a time, drop the papadams into the hot oil. Turn the papadam when it begins to curl at the edges. It will quickly fry and become crisp. Remove it before it turns brown.

Cool and drain the papadams on paper towels. Eat them immediately.

BON APÉTIT.....

Swedish Recipes and Cuisine

Due to its northerly location, Sweden experiences long Winters. As a result, traditional Swedish recipes often contain relatively few fresh vegetables other than those that would have been available in the Winter months such as turnips (including rutabaga which is native to Sweden, and known in British English as "swede"), potato, cabbage preserved as sauerkraut, or a jam made from lingonberry (a small flowering plant with edible red berries). On the other hand, due to the country's long coastline and seafaring traditions, fish forms an important part of the Swedish diet.

On the whole, Swedish food is relatively plain, although some local herbs and spices are used. Traditional Swedish food is also relatively high in saturated fat and sugar, but as most other Western countries, supermarkets are increasingly offering healthier alternatives, such as low fat milk.

The traditional Swedish practise is to eat three meals each day - breakfast (Swedish: frukost), lunch (Swedish: lunch), and (Swedish: middag) - with the evening meal being the main meal of the day. However, nowadays it is increasingly common to have the main meal at lunch time and a lighter dinner. Additionally, snacks (Swedish: mellanmål), particularly sandwiches and fruit are popular between meals.

Here are some popular Swedish dishes:

- Ärtsoppa - Pea soup.

- Blodpudding - Black pudding - A sausage prepared by cooking blood with filling.

- Gravad lax - Cured salmon with salt, sugar, vinegar and dill. It is popular as an appetizer, and eaten with a dill and mustard sauce, on bread or with potato.

- Inlagd sill - Pickled herring.

- Janssons frestelse - A baked dish containing potato, onion and cream, with pickled sprats (Swedish: ansjovis).

- Kåldolmar - Rolls made from cabbage filled with pork and rice. They are usually eaten with boiled potato, gravy and lingonberry jam.

- Knäckebröd - A crisp cracker-like bread, made mostly from rye. It is often eaten for breakfast (Swedish: frukost) in the form of open sandwiches which are buttered and then topped with caviar, cold cuts, hard cheese or messmör (cheese spread).

- Köttbullar - Meatballs made either from ground (minced) beef, or a mixture of ground (minced) beef and pork. Before cooking, the meat is mixed with breadcrumbs and finally chopped onions, and seasoned with salt, and white pepper or allspice. Köttbullar are traditionally served with boiled potato, gravy, pickled cucumber and lingonberry jam.

- Köttsoppa - A meat and root vegetable soup. Beef is normally used, but sometimes elk or reindeer is used instead. The soup is sometimes eaten with klimp, which are small simple dumplings made from wheat flour, egg and milk.

- Kroppkaka - Potato dumplings, filled with pork and onions. Served with butter or cream, and lingonberry jam.

- Lutfisk - An unusual dish made from stockfish (air-dried white fish) prepared using a long process involving soda lye (a caustic soda solution).

- Pyttipanna - Potato, onions, and sausage or ham, chopped and then fried together in a pan.

- Raggmunk - Potato pancakes.

- Smörgåsbord - A buffet-style meal, with many small dishes to which guests can help themselves. Popular at holidays and Christmas, the latter being known as "Julbord".

- Smörgåstårta - Literally translated, smörgåstårta means "sandwich cake". It is prepared from layers of buttered bread, with fillings in between the layers and a topping. The fillings and topping may vary, but egg and mayonnaise fillings are popular, and they are usually accompanied by one or more of caviar, liver paté, olives, prawns and smoked salmon. Smörgåstårta is served cold, and cut into slices like a dessert cake.

- Surströmming - Fermented Baltic herring in brine.

Some popular Swedish desserts include:

- Kanelbulle - A cinnamon-flavored pastry roll.

- Knäck - A toffee eaten at Christmas.

- Ostkaka - A baked cake made using curded milk (or nowadays cottage cheese as a substitute). Eaten with jam and whipped cream, or ice cream and fruit.

- Saltlakrits - Salty liquorice.

- Spettekaka - A hollow cake prepared by cooking on a skewer over an open fire. Served with vanilla ice cream, dark roast coffee and port wine.

Sweet Corn and Chicken Soup and Beijing Hot Sour Soup

Sweet corn and chicken soup (4 American servings; 4 Chinese servings)
1 (4 ounce) can creamed
3 cups chicken broth 1/ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
dissolved in
1 tablespoon water
1/2 recipe chicken velvet
1 tablespoon ham garnish

1) Place corn in a blender and blend until smooth. Bring it broth to the simmering point.
2) Add the corn and salt and simmer 3 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture to thicken slightly.
3) Add chicken velvet and simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4) Pour into individual soup bowls, top with ham garnish and serve.

Beijing Hot Sour Soup (4-6 American servings; 4-6 Chinese servings)

4 dried Chinese mushrooms
1/2 cup lean pork
1/3 cup canned bamboo shoots
2 bean curd cakes
1 egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons water
4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
pepper
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 scallion, minced

1) Soak dried mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes. Squeeze do and remove stems.
2) Cut mushroom caps into thin strips. Cat pork across the grain in 1/4 inch thick slices and then in 1/8 inch wide strips.
3) Cut bean curd arcs bamboo shoots into similar sized strips.
4) Break egg in a bowl and beat lightly. Mix cornstarch ad water until well blended.
5) Bring the broth to the boil and add pork and mushrooms. Bring to the boil again, reduce heat and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes.
6) Add the bamboo shoots and bean curd and simmer another 4 to 5 minutes.
7) Mix vinegar, soy sauce, salt and pepper and stir into soup. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in the beaten egg and remove from heat when egg threads are almost firm. Add sesame oil and scallion and serve immediately.

Pea and ham up the Lickey - addition absurd experiment

Mainline Jubilee 5687 Neptune in LMS 1946 livery tackles the lickey incline (well, 1 in 37 ish) with a can of pea and ham soup. What playing trains is all about.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzDqZlnES-k&hl=en

Easy Pie Crust Recipe - Best Easy Pie Crust Recipe

Making homemade pie crust is easier than you think. Here is a basic recipe for pie crust, yes, it really has just 4 ingredients. To make your pie crust even better, before starting, chill the bowl and pastry cutter in the refrigerator. Use ice cold water for the mix.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shortening

1/2 cup water

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. With a fork or pastry cutter, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the water until the mixture forms a ball.

Divide the dough in half. Shape dough into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll out the dough on a floured counter. Don't over work the dough.

=> Flaky Pie Crust Recipe: Five Star Flaky Pie Crust Recipe

Making a flaky pie crust is every home cooks dream. If your dough is too dry, add an extra tablespoon of water to the dough mixture. For easier handling, roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening, chilled

3 tablespoons ice water

Directions

Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium sized bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of ice water over flour.

Toss the mixture with a fork to moisten, add more water, a few drops at a time, until the dough comes together.

Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes before rolling.

Roll out the dough and put it into a pie plate.

=> Pie Dough Recipe: Award Winning Pie Dough Recipe

This is a great pie dough recipe to use for your special pies. For flakier crust, after turning the dough into the pie pan, put it in the refrigerator for 40 minutes, then put in the freezer for 20 minutes, then quickly add filling and bake immediately.

3/4 cup cake flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 tablespoons shortening

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

3 cubes ice

1/2 cup cold water

Directions

Measure the butter and shortening onto a plate, put into the freezer for 20 minutes.

Measure the cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to mix.

Take 1/2 of the cold butter and 1/2 of the cold shortening, put into food processor with the dry ingredients and pulse on and off for about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl down twice while doing this.

Take the remainder of the cold butter and cold shortening and cut in very briefly with the processor, leaving visible pea-sized chunks. NOTE: Do not over process at this stage.

In a measuring cup, mix egg yolk and vinegar together, add ice cubes and water. Chill mixture for 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove mixed flours and shortening from the food processor, put into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle approximately 4 to 5 tablespoons of this egg, water, vinegar mixture, a little at a time, mixing gently with a fork. The key to this is, you don't want a wet dough and you don't want to over mix.

Place this dough into plastic wrap or plastic bag, chill in refrigerator for a few minutes. (May also be frozen for a few weeks at this stage for future use).

Remove from refrigerator and roll out. Double the recipe for a 2-crust pie.

Pea Soup w/Ham - My Way 1/2

I try my hand at some Pea Soup. PG



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvJWq3TJj5M&hl=en

White Bean Soup Recipe With Ham Hocks : Adding Cheese & Chiles to Cornbread Recipe

Learn how to add cheese and chili peppers to a cornbread batter for aham hocks and white bean soup recipe in this southern food cooking class on video. Expert: David Postada Contact: www.thebigeasycateringcompany.com Bio: David Postada is the chef and owner of the Big Easy Catering company in Santa Barbara, CA. Filmmaker: Diana Bacon



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BKDwpB-FX0&hl=en