Tag: cheese

Lasagna

Today, I am posting this recipe of classic lasagna, everyone’s favorite. It’s a great comfort food and can be prepared to please a small crowd or for potluck parties.

Thanks to my lovely cousin who gave me this idea of making a lasagna. She loves it and I hope to see her try this recipe.

 

Preparation time: 25 minutes (includes layering)

Cooking time: 70 minutes

Requirement: Baking dish 9*28-cm / 4*11-inch

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Lasagna sheets – 6 or more

Jamie Oliver lasagne sheets

Beef mince / ground – 500 g

Butter for beef + 75 g bechamel sauce + coating the baking dish

Onion – 1 large, thinly diced

Garlic cloves –  2, finely chopped

Celery leaves / stick – 1/2 cup / 1 stick, finely chopped

Shredded carrot – 90 g

Nutmeg – 1/4 tsp (grated)

Pepper powder – 1 tsp

Salt

Tomato puree / sauce – 470 g / 6 small

Mozzarella / Parmesan Cheese – 50 g or more

 

Bell peppers – 1

Cherry tomatoes – 10 to 15, cut into halves

Bechamel sauce / White sauce: Balloon whisk is required

All-purpose flour – 4 tbsp

Hot Milk – 2 cups

Salt to taste

 

 

Directions

1. Preparing the beef:

Melt a small slice of butter in a large wok or pan at medium high heat, add onion and fry till translucent, then add garlic. Fry for a minute. Add carrot and celery. Mix and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the beef breaking it up and brown until just changing color, but not hardening.

Beef mince filling

Add pepper powder, salt, nutmeg powder and tomato puree/paste, mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until all the water oozes out. Uncover and cook till all the water is gone.

Beef mince filling2

2. To toast the bell peppers: Heat a pan on high and place the skin side facing down. Toast them until brown. It can also be baked whole in the oven for few mins until its brown.

bell peppers

Cut into pieces of desired size and reserve with cherry tomatoes.

3. To prepare the Bechamel Sauce:

Melt 75 g butter in heavy-bottomed saucepan. When foaming stir in the flour and cook over gentle heat for about 2-5 minutes without letting it brown. Take it off the heat and add all the milk at once, whisking very well.

When all the flour and butter have been combined with no lumps, return to the heat and slowly bring to a boil whisking all the time. When it comes to the boil add salt and simmer gently for 2-3  minutes.

Bechamel Sauce or White sauce | Lasagne sauce | Delicious Sweet Aroma

4. Layering:

Spoon the white sauce into the buttered baking dish. Cover with lasagne sheets and spread the beef mince.

Add another layer of bechamel sauce, top it with bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. Continue with the beef mince. Repeat twice more, finishing with a layer of white sauce covering the whole top.

Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake on convection mode in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 20 – 30 minutes.

Convection oven baking lasagne

5. After 30 mins if the top layer has not browned, increased the temperature to 200 degree Celsius (Gas 4) for 5 more minutes or until brown and bubbling.

6. Let stand for 5 – 10 minutes to settle and firm up before serving.

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My thoughts on this recipe 👉👉 I would recommend making the first step of this recipe a day in advance and freezing it to reduce time.

 

Cook’s tip:

* If you plan on making a day in advance, cover it with a foil and store it in the fridge. It might take longer to bake since it’s cold.

*Making few days in advance: Assemble it and bake it. Store it in the freezer unless you would want to use it within 2 days. Re-heating tastes better and might need more time to heat. So make sure you pop it in the oven without defrosting otherwise it might turn watery.

*Cover with a foil while re-heating and that’s when it comes handy when you don’t want your frozen lasagna to be browning on top and cold inside.

 

Hope you will love making this recipe. Please share your thoughts on comments below 👇 Untill my next post.. Bye! 👋 ☺

 

Stay Healthy!

 

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Parmesan Stuffed Chicken

There is no reason why one cannot try this recipe of Parmesan Stuffed Chicken. It doesn’t require fancy ingredients to make a phenomenal delicious filling dinner/lunch.

 

Preparation time: 15 – 20 minutes

Cooking/Baking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Breasts / Boneless chicken – 4

Baking tray 13-in. × 9-in.

Olive oil for greasing

couple of toothpicks

 

Filling:

Spring onions – 4 bulbs, only greens finely chopped

Garlic cloves – 2, finely chopped

dried Oregano leaves – 1/2 tsp

Cheddar cheese – 2 tbsp

Parmesan cheese – 1/2 cup

 

Coating:

Flour – 1/2 cup

Butter/Eggs – 50 g / 2 eggs lightly whipped

Mixed together —> Bread crumbs 1/2 cup, salt 1/2 tsp, chili powder 1 tbsp, parmesan cheese 1/2 cup, Cumin powder 3/4 tsp

 

Directions

1. Prepare the filling by mixing all the ingredients mentioned under filling. Set it aside.

stuffing of cheese mixture | Chicken

2. Place a plastic wrap on the cutting board and place the chicken breasts over it. Place a second layer of the plastic wrap over the chicken of equal length.

Now, flatten the chicken  to 1/8-in. thickness. Do the same for the rest of the pieces.

Place the filling (about 2 tbsp) in the center and roll up. Roll up the other end and secure with toothpicks. Check link here on how to do the filling.

Chicken stuffed Parmesan cheese mix | Delicious Sweet Aroma

3. Prepare  a bowl or plate, combine bread crumbs, salt, chili powder, Parmesan cheese and cumin. Mix together. Place flour in another plate. Place whipped egg or butter in a third bowl. Meantime, preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius (400 deg F)

Coat all sides of each chicken roll-up with flour, then dip in butter and toss it in bread crumb mixture.

Coated chicken roll-ups | Hungry?! That's what I made!

Place roll-ups in a baking tray, seem side down, lined with butter paper and greased with olive oil. Place it on a low oven rack uncovered at 200 deg C for 25 minutes.

Remove the toothpicks before serving.

Parmesan Stuffed Chicken (2)

 

I almost forgot to take a picture right after baking. Was too excited that I got hungry and couldn’t wait to grab a bite. We enjoyed the stuffed chicken with tomato rice. The stuffing was CHEESE-LICIOUS!

 

Hope you enjoy this delicious chicken roll-ups. Thank you for sharing and being supportive!

 

 

Note: 

If you do not have an oven consider deep-frying to get a golden crispy texture.

 

Related recipes of Chicken:

Chicken Schnitzel

Cream of Chicken Soup

Crispy Chicken Fry

Chicken Bites

 

Stay Healthy!

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Easy Cheese Pasta with Chicken Ghee Roast

Sometimes you get lazy and want to just relax. Times when you want to minimize kitchen time but still have a delicious dinner.

I loved this easy recipe of melted cheese mixed with pasta served with chicken ghee roast. Chicken Ghee Roast is a mouthwatering, spicy and highly aromatic recipe famous in South-Indian cuisine. I got a pack of chicken ghee roast powder when I visited India and it comes in handy when my taste buds feel the desperation of eating something fried.

It is a delicious dinner for two. A quick, easy recipe when you want something spicy to go with pasta. It’s a huge hit with my husband especially for a first try, win-win!

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Spiral pasta – 1 cup (180 g), can use other variety of pasta

Butter – 3 tbsp

Cheddar cheese slices – 3 or more depending on the how cheesy you want

Mustard Sauce – 1 tsp

Dried herbs – 1 tsp

Tomato ketchup as required for pasta (optional based on taste)

Chicken Thighs – 2 large, cut into small pieces

Ghee – 3 tbsp

For Chicken Marinade:

+ Combine the following:

Yogurt – 2 tbsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp

Ginger-Garlic paste – 2 tsp

 

+ Marinate the chicken pieces with the marinade. Place it in a zip-lock plastic bag for 4 hours or overnight.

marinated chicken with ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, salt and yogurt

 

For the Chicken Ghee roast paste (skip this step if you have a Ghee roast powder and follow the instructions on the pack)

+ Combine the following:

Chili powder/red chili paste – 2 tbsp (based on the spice level)

Cumin powder/jeera – 1 tsp

Garlic powder/paste – 1 tbsp

Natural spices / Mixed spices – 1 tsp

Salt -1/2 tsp

ghee roast marinade of chili powder, Cumin, Garlic, Natural spices and salt

 

Directions

Pasta

1. Fill a container with 3 cups of water, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil, get water to boil. Add pasta (In the meantime prepare for Ghee roast). Cook [pasta until done. Using a strainer, drain the pasta. Set it aside in a plate.

To check if it is done, taste and see for non-sticky soft texture.

Spiral Pasta in boiling water with salt and olive oil

 

2. Heat 3 tbsp butter in the same container on low heat. Add the pieces of cheese, mustard sauce and herbs. Mix until the cheese melts.

melted butter in cheddar cheese

mustard sauce

Melted Cheddar cheese, butter, mustard sauce and herbs

 

3. Toss in the pasta and mix well (prepare this one low heat without burning).

 

Chicken Ghee Roast

 

1. Heat a frying pan with 2 tbsp of ghee. Add the paste of ghee roast. Fry for a 2-3 minutes until the spices blend well.

Ghee

Chicken ghee roast marinade

Paste for ghee roast

 

2. Add chicken pieces. Fry one one side for a minute or two. Flip the side and coat the other sides with the spices.

chicken pieces for ghee roast

chicken ghee roast on frying pan

3. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and flip the sides every few minutes without the lid until the sides are nicely coated with the spices for 5-7 more minutes.

Cheese pasta with fiery chicken ghee roast is  ready. If you want your pasta fiery hot mix the ghee roast spice paste.

Easy Cheese Pasta with Chicken Ghee Roast

 

 

 

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Paneer Butter Masala

Paneer Butter Masala boasts a smooth, golden texture that enriches each bite, while its enticing aroma fills the air. The harmony of aromatic spices comes together from the simplest ingredients: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, and cashews.

The word “paneer” is of Persian origin. It is a fresh cheese common in South Asia, especially in Indian, Pakistani,  Afghani, and Bangladeshi cuisines.

Need: Blender

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

 

Ingredients

For the paste

Olive Oil – 1 tbsp

Onions – 2 Medium, roughly chopped

Tomatoes – 3, chopped

Salt as required

Garam masala powder – 3/4 tsp

Coriander powder – 3/4 tsp

Cashews – 10 to 12, cut half through it’s center-line

Red chili powder – 3/4 tsp

Sugar – 1/2 tsp or as required

 

Post Blending

 Panner cubes / Cottage cheese (frozen pack) – 250 g 

Butter – 1 1/2 tbsp

Cardamom – 3

Cinnamon stick – 2 inch

Cloves – 3

Ginger paste – 3/4 tsp (or ginger-garlic 1 1/2 tsp )

Chili powder – 1/2  tsp

Water – 1/2 cup or as required for consistency

Dried fenugreek leaves / kasoori Methi – 1/2 tsp

Kasoori Methi Box

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp (for garnish)

Cream – 3 tbsp

Whipping cream for Paneer Butter Masala

Directions

1. Heat a large pan with olive oil, fry onions until they turn translucent.

Chopped Onions

2. Add tomatoes along with salt , cover & cook until they turn mushy for 2-3 minutes on medium.

Step2a_IMG_2390

Step2b_IMG_2391

3. Now, add red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, cashews & sugar. Mix well, fry until you see that it doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat and let it cool down almost completely before you put it in a blender.

red chili powder

Garam masala

coriander powder

Cashew nuts

sugar

4. Once the above mixture is cooled, pour it into the blender with 1 cup of water. Add less water initially. Blend until it turns smooth and creamy.

blender
Step4b_IMG_2857

5. After blending, in a deep wok or pan heat butter. To the melted butter add cardamom. cinnamon sticks, cloves  & fry for 2 minutes. Add ginger paste, stir again for 15 seconds. 

Butter

cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick

ginger paste

6. Pour the mixture of blended paste puree with red chili powder and water and adjust the consistency of thickness. Cook for nearly 5 minutes on medium. Check for salt, add if necessary.

chili powder

creamy, thick

salt

7. Add paneer, fenugreek leaves. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in cream, stir for a minute. Remove from  heat. Add in  coriander leaves or more cream if desired when serving. 

paneer cubes

kasoori methi/fenugreek leaves

cream

Coriander leaves

8. Creamy Paneer butter masala is now gonna make you wanna prepare once more.

Paneer butter masala

Stay Healthy!

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