Cottage Cheese and Spinach Balls

Cottage Cheese and Spinach Balls

Last Sunday, there was a dinner at my house for the close friends. I had planned a black and white menu theme for the dinner. My flour miller promised me that he will deliver me the buckwheat flour by 5pm. But it turned out, that the shop was closed a little early. The guest were expected at 7pm. I had to prepare the main course and there was no time to create an elaborate starter.

I came up with the idea of a quick starter from the ingredients out of my main course. It blew away my guest and so did me.

I made a quick starter from cottage cheese and spinach. No need to mention that it was rich in proteins, minerals and iron(good for anemic patients).

Another thing to mention here is that I steamed the balls instead of frying. Hence it was calorie free. ( ok! I am calorie freak).

Here is the recipe:

Cottage cheese: 200gms

Spinach: 50gms

One small onion finely chopped

Garlic one clove finely chopped

Green chilies finely chopped

Chaat masala

Salt

1 tsf vegetable oil

In a pan, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil till caramelized  Blanch the spinach and finely chop after removing excess water.

Switch off the heat, add minced cottage cheese, spinach, green chilies and spices to the pan.

Make small balls of the batter. Steam them for 5 to 7 minutes in a steamer.

Serve hot with coriander chutney or salsa.

CRISPY POTATOES WITH HERBS

CRISPY POTATOES WITH HERBS

 The launched of my first poetry book VOICES & VICES was a big deal for me, so for my friends. Their support and motivation has led me to this giant step. After the release and success, comes the party time. Friends of my poetry club insisted a homemade supper. This is a delight when you see friends talking about your poems and food. It feels like I am the centre of their appreciation. Apart from self bragging, the menu was simple but with some innovation.

Here is the recipe of starters I served with almond broccoli soup. Though preparation takes time, but trust me the efforts are fruitful. I made crispy potatoes with herbs like oregano, parsley.

What you require is:

200gms potatoes (selectively the tiniest one, there this is another variety available in the section of your supermall, which people doesn’t easily relish)

50gms butter (yes, calorie counts)

Green garlic (few stems, diced)

Oregano, onion salt, garlic salt, chilli flakes (as per the taste)

SALT (only use while serving, not in cooking, explained below).

The recipe:

Few hours before the actual cooking, marinate your potatoes. In a zip lock pouch, put potatoes (rinsed, well dried and unpeeled). Add butter, garlic stems and herbs. Lock the zip pouch and mix the contents vigorously. Keep aside for 2-3hrs. You can mix the contents few times in the pouch itself.

In a pan, bring the contents on medium heat. Cover the pan. Occasionally stir the potatoes otherwise they will stick to bottom. It might take half an hr to get the potatoes golden brown and crispy.

Just before serving add the salt. If added before, the potatoes will release their water content and they won’t be crispy enough. Rather they will taste like wedges.

Garnish with oregano, diced garlic.

Goes well with soup, side salad and for a change with sandwiches (instead of regular French fries).

Hope you enjoy. I will wait for your feedbacks.

My take away on recipe:

1.      Time consuming. Not an instant recipe when guests knock your door uninformed.

2.      Calorie rich. But sometimes you can relish.

3.      Unpeeled potatoes, preserves the roughage content.