Almond and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Biscotti, a traditional Italian biscuit, means something that is twice baked. And that's exactly how this is made - twice baked. One of the best things about a biscotti is that it is relatively low in fat. There is no butter or oil used in the recipe. So, you can definitely indulge in a few of these along with a steaming cup of coffee. Just dunk one of these in your coffee and move them swiftly to your mouth. One bite into it and you will experience a little bliss that can guarantee a smile. And just biting into little almond and chocolate pieces do nothing else but increase that joy. So, what are you waiting for. Get the ingredients in line and start baking.

Thanks to the Sweet Punch team for picking this as the recipe for this months bake. It was an absolute joy to bake these and I ended up making a second batch almost immediately while the first one was still in the oven. We were on our way to a friends house for dinner and these were perfect to take with me to share. 

I stuck to the same recipe as provided - the classic Joy of Baking site recipe here. The variations you can do with Biscotti is as vast as your imagination could take you. Add in any kind of nuts, raisins, dried fruits etc or bake them and then dip them in chocolate, or coat them with icing, or drizzle them with sugar - whatever your heart fancies. 

Please check the Joy of Baking site for the entire recipe.

Let's look at the step by step process here.

In a mixing bowl, add the following and mix together well and set aside.

All Purpose Flour - 1 3/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

In an mixing bowl or an electric mixing bowl, take 2/3 cups of sugar.

Add two large eggs.

Whisk and combine the eggs and sugar well in high speed until the mixture turns pale and fluffy. Mix for about 5 mins or until the mixture falls back in ribbons when  you lift out the whisk.

Now add the dry mixture to this wet mixture and combine together till all of it is mixed well.

The mix will look a little crumbly.

Now, to add the fun stuff - 3/4 cup of blanched whole almonds or chopped almonds. I had some slivered almonds and used those in place.

Add the almonds to the dough.

Next add the chocolate chips along with the almonds.

I used the semi sweet mini morsels.

Fold the chocolate chips and almonds into the dough until well combined.

Move the dough as a ball on to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Moisten hands with a little water and press down the dough to form a flat log about 12 inches long and 3-4 inches wide. 

Bake this in a pre heated oven at 350 F for about 25 mins. The top will firm up after baking. Take the log out of the oven and rest for about 10 mins.

Using a serrated knife, cut sidewise into long thick slices.

Move these slices again to a baking sheet and bake for a second time for about 10 mins on each side turning them once in between.

That's it - they're done.

Time to dunk some in coffee - u ready for some?

Enjoy. Peace Out.

Potato and Spinach Gnocchi

I always thought Gnocchi was a very difficult dish to make. Maybe because I'm not Italian. I'm sure a 30's something very pretty Italian lady might find making Paruppu Urundai Sambar or Malai Kofta also quite intimidating. But, there's nothing in cooking that cannot be conquered.

Ok, now that I have got across the point that I'm very pretty, let's get to making Gnocchi. LOL!

I added a little bit of Spinach to the traditional Gnocchi recipe. I was tempted to try the Ricotta Spinach Gnocchi but wasn't feeling very thin that day - so stuck to just the potato Gnocchi.

Once I made this and ate it, I realized what a simple and easy recipe this is. I also realized that I should have gotten to making this earlier than waiting until now - oh many many years have been wasted....

So, don't wait like me. Don't be afraid. Just do it. You'll love it.

Boil or bake a few potatoes until well done. I pressure cooked them. Also, a hint here, don't use very fresh potatoes - use the oldest potatoes you have at home. Fresh potatoes have a lot of moisture, which means you'll need more flour to make the gnocchi and that will make it heavy.  And we did not sign up for heavy cakey Gnocchi.

Next, wash the spinach leaves well. You can use about 1-2 cup of fresh spinach leaves. Heat a pan and when hot, just add in the washed spinach leaves. Cover and cook for a few mins. The water sticking to the leaves is enough to cook the leaves. When they completely cook and wilt, switch off the stove. When the spinach has cooled down a little bit, squeeze out all the water from the leaves and then chop it into really small pieces.

Once the potatoes have cooked, peel it and mash with a fork or a masher. Do not use a food processor as that will lead to a gooey mashed potato paste and we don't want that.

If your potatoes have cooked well, just a gentle push with the back of the fork would give you fluffy mashed potato which works perfect for Gnocchis.

Once you are done mashing all the potatoes, add in the chopped spinach to the potatoes. Then, add salt and some black pepper to taste. Go lite on the salt though. You will be adding sauce on top of this which also has salt. So, just go easy here.

Now, sprinkle about 2 tbsps of all purpose flour around the potatoes and start mixing the both together to make the dough. Don't punch and pull. Be gentle, really gentle, Mix with fingertips too if you can. Just kind of fold the potatoes in with the flour. The final dough should not be too sticky and yet not too hard with the flour. While making the dough, add some more flour if you need to. Just keep sprinkling a little at a time until you get the correct consistency.

Now, take a big ball size out of the dough. Cover the remaining so it remains moist. You can even refrigerate the covered dough while working with one set.

Roll the big ball into an elongated thin strip. Dust the board with a little flour while you do this so that you don't have a sticky mess. Now, cut the long strip into small 1 inch bits.

And then each bit will be made into a Gnocchi. You can pick your shape. The one on the left is just a ball with a thumb impression in it. The second one if a half fork pressed. The third is a full fork pressed.

You pick your shape or make something else totally different that you like.

I was just lazy and went with the first one. Little finger presses on the Gnocchis.

Here comes the fun part . Or what I thought to be fun!

Boil a big pot of water. Add a little salt in the water. When the water is really boiling, bring the heat down to medium. No more big bubbles in the water.

Now, add the Gnocchi and keep watching the pot. In about 55 secs, you'll see the first of the set floating up slowly..yeah that fast. And as soon as they hit the top, scoop it out of the water and set it on a colander to drain the water.

How do I know this? Because I learned it on the job. The first batch I put in, the water was boiling and once I put the Gnocchi in, I turned around the other side to make the next batch of Gnocchis. Once I saw that mess that was in my water after some time, I was dejected, sad, wanted to cry. But with courage, I referred back to my Pasta making book to see what I was doing wrong and then I read the words.."As soon as they come up..". Aha. As soon as.

So, I tried it again and wow..what a difference. The gnocchis remain soft and light when you remove them from the water as soon as they float up. So, just wait there watching it. And act swiftly.

Perfect! Once the water drains out, move them to a flat plate where they are spread out and not on top of each other.

See the over cooked gooey mass on the right. That's what happens when you leave Gnocchi in boiling water until eternity. I think I'll save these so I can use them as stamp gum for my Christmas cards!

There are all my cooked Gnocchi.

A close up..just for you.

I had big plans of making a zucchini cream sauce to go with the Gnocchi. And then when I was all ready to start, I realized there were no zucchinis in my fridge. That was last week. Duh. This is why they say. think before you leap..or something like that. I suck with proverbs. Never use the correct one at the correct time!

So, I just used the bounty of creativity in my head and made my all time fav mix sauce - a mix of red marinara and white alfredo sauce. Really, you don't even have to be creative for this. Why don't they just sell this stuff in bottles?

Is that not gorgeous by itself. I love breadsticks just dipped half way into this!

Heat up the Gnocchi a little in the microwave and add warm sauce on top.

And of course, add Broccoli. No pasta is ever complete without broccoli. At least for me.

Isn't making Gnocchi at home so easy? Are you going to try soon?

Now, only if those Italian women learned to make our koftas!

 Enjoy. Peace out!!

Mac n Cheese - Fresh n Tasty!

This is a quick version of Mac n cheese the whole family can enjoy! Its way better than the boxed version - and definitely without all the preservatives that come with the yellow powder.

This is made with fresh ingredients and that shows when you take a bite into it. Try this sometime and I'm positive you'll love it!

I made two versions of this - one's a classic, just mac and cheese. The other is a kicked up version - just the way I love my pasta - with lots of broccoli! Like I always say - congress should pass a law that pasta should always be served with broccoli  - its a match made in heaven and human race should not interfere with it. Go show your people power somewhere else. Not here.

Let's get on with the recipe.

I used a little seashell pasta for this dish. You could use the regular mac noodles or even farfalle or penne for this dish.

Take about 2 cups of pasta and add to boiling water with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 7-8 mins - make sure they are al dente and not too soft. We will be baking these again so they cook in the oven too. Its ok if they are a little underdone too.

Once they are done, wash the pasta with cold water in a colander. Set aside.

In a small saute pan, add 2 tbsps of regular unsalted butter. Melt over medium heat.

When the butter is all melted, add 1 tbsp all purpose flour to the butter and whisk together well so that there are no lumps in there.

Now add 1 cup of milk to the butter flour mixture. Mix well.

When the milk is heated up, add 1 cup of fresh cheese to the milk. I used a cheddar and jack cheese mix. You could use just sharp cheddar too for a strong flavor.

When all the cheese is melted and a thick sauce is formed, remove it from the heat and add it to the washed and drained pasta.

Whisk the sauce with the pasta well. I divided this whole batch of pasta into two portions so I could make both the versions.

Move the pasta to a baking dish. Top off with a little cheese.

Next step would be to top off the pasta with bread crumbs.

To make this, just toast a couple of slices of bread. And then grind it to a coarse powder. Then, fry it for a min in a saute pan.

Add the bread crumbs to the top of the pasta.

Cover the pasta completely with the crumbs.

And now for the kicked up grown up version. Blame my indian genes, but I like to spice up everything I eat. So, here's me adding some red chilli flakes. And some dried oregano and basil to the pasta. Just sprinkle as much as you'd like.

Add fresh broccoli to the pasta. This was what I was going to eat - so my broccoli is probably more than the pasta itself! I love broccoli that much! Mix well.

Add a little bit of cheese on top.

I covered the grown up version with wheat bread crumbs.

Move the baking dishes to a preheated oven at 350F. Bake for about 8-10 mins or until the top starts to get golden.

Like this. Remove from the oven. Serve immediately and bring a smile to the hungry souls waiting patiently around you and your oven!

Does that look good? Not too cheesy. Not too difficult. Fresh mac n cheese for all in the family!

Try it out sometime and let me know how you liked it.

Here's another obsession shot, of course.

I do have another version of mac n cheese that is much more detailed. Its got onions and eggs and what not in it. Will make it some other time and share with you guys. Until then...

Enjoy! Peace out!