Announcing Favorite Recipes Event : Seasonal Celebrations

Hello all and welcome to March and to the very first foody blog event at Ma Niche.  

This month I am hosting the Favorite Recipes Event. For those who do not know, Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen started the FR Event in January 2013 and it has ever since been running on various blogs, each month with a different theme.  This month, I chose to host the event  with the theme : Seasonal Celebrations. With St Patrick's Day, Holi and Easter round the corner, I am sure all of you will have lots of recipes to share. So get busy and start linking up your favorite recipes....

Just a few ground rules before we get to the link up : 

1. Submit  at least  one new recipe and  two recipes from the achieves and please update the post with the logo or a worded link. 
2. The recipe can be gluten or vegan free.
3. Kindly link this announcement post and Swathi's event announcement page in the recipes. You are welcome to use the logo, it is however not mandatory. 
4. Non-bloggers are also welcome to submit recipes relevant to the theme for the month. Just mail in your recipe along with a photograph to manichemyspace at gmail dot com.
5. Bloggers can link their recipes using the linky tool below. In case you have any difficulty, mail me your link at manichemyspace at gmail dot com. 
6. In case you are mailing your recipes to me, please include the following details:
1. Your Name:
2. Recipe Name :
3. Recipe Details :
4. Pic of the Dish :

An InLinkz Link-up

Garbure Style Chicken Stew #French Fridays with Dorie

I had been waiting all week to tell you about this Chicken Stew... 

It was So. Damn. Delicious. 

This Friday the Doristas were assigned cook "Garbure from the Supermarket." Garbure is a rustic French Stew with white beans, meat and veggies.  Dories says, while "bacon or split pork, cured ham, and/or garlic sausage" may or may not be in it, " there is almost always duck confit" in it. My stew however was made on a budget and did not have any duck confit or ham or garlic sausage. But like a traditional Garbure it was gently simmered  on the back of the stove until it was thick enough for a heavy wooden spoon to stand upright on it.

At the discussion forum of French Fridays with Dorie, Diane Balch had mentioned that those who weren't using duck confit might want to throw in a bay leaf and some thyme into the stew . I did that and also added some savory for flavor.  I cannot say if it was the herbs or the slow simmering or the combination of the meat and veggies... but all that put together made one hearty pot of stew that we enjoyed throughout the week...

And for whatever reason the stew only got better everyday..

Medu Vadai

Medu Vada or Ulandi Vadai are donoughut shaped urad dal fritters that have been a traditional favorite of south India from antiquity. With exchange of food and culture, they have now become popular all over India and is often considered a healthy breakfast item. In south India they are often served with sambar and coconut chutney. You can however serve them with just about any chutney you have at hand and enjoy at teatime with your dose of caffeine.

Lately things have been somewhat unsettling around here. The  thing is... we want to move back to India. But right now the job scenario in homeland does not look too promising. We feel that the fact that husband and I are both past our mid thirties is working to our disadvantage. While I do not mind a change of career, my husband is not quite prepared for it. So he is tensed and I have been doing all that I can to lighten the atmosphere at home. Cooking his favorite meals, indulging in little scoops of ice-cream after dinner and mostly listening him out.. Hopefully things will change for the better soon.. Till then there will be a lot of deep fried snacks coming out of my kitchen. 

I adapted the recipe from Ez Cook Book.  Chopped onions were my only addition to their recipe. You can leave them out if you like or add some greens like finely chopped spinach, kale or fenugreek leaves to the batter. The recipe is highly adaptable so feel free to customize the flavors and make your own veggie medu vadai... 

Spinach, Red Grapes and White Turmeric Smoothie

Remember I told you about the Grape Must Syrup a while ago. The syrup that the Greek bakers from Athens dip their Koulouri dough rings in before coating them with sesame seeds.. Well I did say back then that you may skip the ordeal of making the grape must syrup if you wish and replace it with honey. However. In case you baked some Koulouri and ignoring my remark made some grape must syrup, then you are in for a treat right now.  Today I have for you a super refreshing healthy detoxifying drink that will instantly set you in the mood to sing... Spinach, red grapes, and white turmeric smoothie.. 

O.. Oh.. Did I intimidate you with that last ingredient ? Oh. Please. Hear me out... White turmeric is actually good for you and you cannot really taste it in this smoothie. It is there in the background and does not bother the taste buds at all... So get over your mental reservations and give this smoothie a try. I promise.. you'll love this one.  

Tasty Tuesday #50 featuring something Savory, something Sweet and a whole bunch of Paleo recipes...

Hi  everyone !! 

 Each week, our team of 10 amazing bloggers hosts this fabulous party! We're so glad that you've stopped by to party with us!

We blog: Anyonita Nibbles | Craft Dictator | Detours in Life | Lori's Culinary Creations | Red Cottage Chronicles |Three in Three | Mini Van Dreams| A Peek Into My Paradise | I'm Not a Trophy Wife | Ma Niche

Without you, we wouldn't have a party at all. So we think you're pretty special and deserve to benefit from linking up with us each week. Here's how:

Turnip with Coconut

Though Indian dishes cooked with coconut are usually associated with South Indian cuisine, coconut is a common ingredient used in most of coastal India. We, Bengalis tend to use it a lot, specially for flavoring our lentils and cooking root vegetables like carrots and radishes. I probably had that at the back of my mind, when the other day I tossed in some grated coconut into the pan of grated turnip ... the result was a lovely side dish to go with dhal and roti.  Both husband and I liked it and husband instantly recommended it for the blog.

My husband is fond of roasted potatoes and at his suggestion I added some while preparing the dish today. The potatoes do add to the flavor and also help increase the volume of the dish. However roasting the potatoes take time. So if you are in hurry and do not mind the extra oil, pan fry the potatoes or skip them altogether, you'll still have a lovely side for your meal..

Butter and Rum Crepes # French Fridays with Dorie

This week the Doristas were assigned to cook  Butter & Rum Crepes for French Fridays with Dorie.

I have cooked and eaten crepes before. However these ones were special. The crepe batter had sugar rubbed with orange and lemon zest and a bit of rum in it, both of which added to their flavor. Following Dorie's recipe I served them with a filling of lemon curd and poured a citrusy-buttery sauce over it.. only to realize later that the crepes would have been perfect even without all that extra fat and sugar. A sprinkle of sugar was enough to pep them up.

As per the instructions, I mixed the batter the night before and made the crepes for lunch the next day. I cooked them in my usual non-stick frying pan. They did not stick and came off easily. However they were thin and delicate and it took me a couple of crepes before I could flip them with ease and confidence. Both husband and I loved our French crepes very much but considering my inexperience and inexpertise with flipping crepes, I guess we will only be making them on special occasions.

  

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about these crepes. You can find the recipe here. For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.