Chicken provinçiale

When I first came to belgium, I would have never thought I would eat chicken without any spices. For me it was like how can you eat NV dishes without spices in them. it was unthinkable and still after years I started enjoying the variety of food which was unknown to my taste buds, like this Chicken Povançiale.

I am sure there is hundreds of way to make this dish, i don't claim mine as authentic, it is just my way of making them.
Sending this to which is hosted by Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipe

As it is May 1st tommorow, here it is long weekend so will see you all on Monday

1 whole chicken cut into eight pieces
100 gm bacon
1 red capsicum cut in chunks
1 green capsicum in chunks
2 onions roughly cut
1 zucchini cut in chunks
2 garlic cloves finley chopped
200 gm mushrooms cut them in half
1 tin 500gm)tomatoes ( or you can use fresh)
1 tbsp tomato paste
15 olives, green/black
5 tbsp olive oil
few tbsp of parsley
2 chilies split ( my addition to give aindian touch)
peper and salt to taste

Add the oil in a large pan and fry both the sides of the chicken pieces, for few minutes each. Remove them from the pan and keep it aside.
Now add the bacon, capsicum and onions and saute for few minutes , add the tined tomato and the paste. Stir and add the chicken pieces back to the pan.
Add more water if you need . Add salt and peper and parsley cook for 30 minutes or till the chicken is cooked.
Add the zucchini half the way so they don't cook too much . Add the mushroom 10 minutes before the cooking is done together with the olives.
Serve hot with potato croquettes , rive, bread, or even fries.

Missing recipe for Click Spring/Autumn

Today the whole morning and afternoon ( when I had the time ) I have been looking to the pile of magazines which I have; to find out from which magazine I had made this delicious strawberry dessert and it was just a waste of time , as I coudn't find them.
My hubby saw me sitting in the middle of a whole pile of magazine on the floor and was asking for what I am looking so I told him why and he was like OH!!!!!!!!!!! you will never find them , you will find after a year.

Which is true I loose things at home...............If I want to keep something safe I keep them and then it is kept it so safe that i myself woudn't remember where it is :-)

Few years back when we were back from our India trip, I had bought hubby dear few good shirts and I kept them that I coudn't find them for 2 years............... and on one occasion I cleaned up my christmas decoration and the next year I coudn't remember were i had kept them ( this was last year) it is not like we have such a huge place, just that i forget were i kept them and while looking for them i miss them even when it is in front of them.
This year when I clened up my Christmas decoration, i wrote donw in the calendar 2009 december page where it is kept :-) a idea my daughter suggested.

My daughter think it is old age catching up with me alas I have to fully agree with her.

So when I find the magazine i will sure post the recipe ( I warn you all, it might take a year )

Anyway I didn't want to miss so this is my delicous entry for their wonderful monthly event. Details here

What i remember about the recipe, there is kind of soft french cheese, cookies , strawberries and syrup and berryjam etc and there is no cooking .............

Tandoori puffs

We had a excelent time in the concert ( well me and my daughter, hubby think the music is just for females). The main thing is my daughter was really pleased that she could enjoy the concert from the first row, while we watched it a bit futher from her.
I have added few pics of the concert, now you know why I told the reason why my hubby comes with us in my last post :-)

Now to the food part, this is something i made when i was in my break 2 weeks back.
On friday evening i make something special when hubby and daughter comes home after nine in the evening to start the weekend.

So I made this Tandoori puffs from Asha's blog.
I don't think you all need any introuduction to her two wonderfull blogs Aroma and Foodies Hope. When there is a event I am sure like me you all are looking forward to see what wonderful variety of dishes she makes especially for the RCI events. It is a true mela there then.
Recipe for the Tandoori puffs you can find here

I had prepared everything and kept before they came and thought to myself will bake them just in time when they come home, which will give me pleanty of time to take pictures ........ but they both came early and both of them were like we are starving can we have something fast and I didn't had time to take pictures, just took the camera and took few pictures before I served them these super delicious puffs.
My daughter was ohhhhhhhhh this is my favourite, really tasting very good etc........there was no left overs so then it is good isn't it :-)

I did almost same as Asha, just marinated the chciekn pieces for 20 minutes with the ingridients and also addded a bit of curry powder and garam masala and 1 tomato. Also added a bit of red food colouring :-)

The main Singer, my daughter adores her as she too plays violin

Moelleux au Chocolat/Chocolate lava cake

I am sure even someone who don't love will love this luscious gooey cake, Now just looking to the picture itself is making me drool for them again :-)
This is a dessert my dauhgter has been asking me to make for a long time and now after making them I am like why I didn't make this delicious chocolate heaven long ago.
Better late than never, Isn't it.

Talking about my daughter, today we are going for a pop concert with her. It is one of her favourite singer called Emillie Autumn and she just love that singer especially as the singer herself plays violin.
Last year we went twice for the same group and agais she asked us to take her as she said the singer won't be back for a while as she is going back to US.
I am looking forward to it as i do love the show they put, you should see the dreeses these girls were, beautiful. Well i would say sexy than beautiful.
Now you all know why my hubby is coming with us :-)
Well he has to as he has to drive us there and we will be only be back sure by one in the early morning.....

There was a time when she was wild about a finnish wild rock group and when they performed in Brussels she begged us to take her and we i the end took her.
The crowd was so hug it was so suffocating. Ofcourse my hubby squuezed and squeezed and manged to get us till the 2nd row.
The concert started, but the music was so loud and my heart was just thumping and thumping that after 30 minutes I fainted and that was the end of the concert as my hubby draged me off the hall and then took me to the side room and I sat there till the concert was finished.
You can imagine what my daughter said to after that yeah old people can't stand music like this.
I am so glad she is not a fan of this particular group.

Now to this super delicious recipe.

190 gm dark chocolate
120 gm powdered sugar
180 gm butter plus 20 gm for the pans
80 gm of flour
3 eggs + 4 egg yolk
Sugar for dusting.

Preheat the oven to 170°c.
Butter the pans.
Melt the chocolate and butter in Bain marie. ( In a bowl on top of boiling water)
Whip the eggs and yolks with the sugar till the mixture iturns white. Add the flour and fold in, and add the chocolate and fold in too.
Put the mixture in butters pans and bake them for 8 to 10 minutes.
Wait some 2 to 3 minutes before you serve the cake.
For serving just turn the cake upside down and sprinkle with powder sugar and enjoy this super delicious dessert.

Beautifully risen.

I am sending this to Srivalli's Mithai Mela.

Escargot in garlic butter- not for faint hearts

As I wrote in my title it is not for faint hearts :-)
I learned to make this from my hubby years and years ago and now this is something I make twice a year for my inlaws and hubby and sometimes for friends who really love to eat this famous french dish Escargot.
I have to admit I do make this for them, but I don't eat them, mine is always filled with shrimps and they all say the taste is not same, but till now I have not had the courage to eat them, but still it is a pleasure to see your guest enjoying them.

So this is what I made for starters when we had guest got dinner when i was in a break from blogging.
Want to know more about Escargot just click away


My hubby says when you eat them in a restraunt this dish,there is not that much parsley and onions, but once i made them with lots of onions and parsley and all of them loved it, so from that time on kept adding the onions and parsley in abundence.

Ofcourse you can use this garlic butter with mushroom, just fill the mushrooms and bake them in the oven and serve it with lots of bread so they can soak up the delicous butter.

Ingridients. For 4 portions
1 tin Escargot or 24 escargot
3/4 cup parsley chopped fine or more
2 onions chopped fine.
4 big garlic cloves finley chopped.
170 gm salted soft butter
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp red port wine
peper and salt to taste

Mix all the above ingridients except the escargot into a paste.
Take the escargot pan fill a tbsp each in the circle, add on top a escargot and fill it fully with the butter mixture.
preheat a oven 200°c and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes and serve hot with lots of french bread.

Sending this to Weekend Herb blogging, which is hosted this week by The Crispy Cook and all the work for the even oraganizing is done by Cool (almost ) anythin atleast Once

Kadai Murgh / Chicken

I did have a excelent break, when ever the weather permitted we went for walks, cycling etc........ofcourse 2 weeks of doing nothing means having luxury meals , wine, and all the goodies and now I totally can't get into my summer skirts for sure..............I have not had the courage to try them as I know I won't be able to close the last button for sure, so will have to wait for trying them.

Yesterday when we were in the shopping street I went to my usual shop with kitchen things and bought a coking thermometer and remarked to hubby and daughter well now one of these days I will be trying a delicous dessert I saw in a blog and now I have this thermometer ( as the recipe used to control the heat) I will be making soon and the remark from my daughter was OH I heard some one saying now the holiday is finished I am going for a strict diet.........and she was poniting to me saying that someone was me..... and I told her I will go for diet after making this particular dessert.

Well the dessert has to wait as now this chicken dish is really really yummy delicious. Not to mention real easy to make I have been making this for years and years actually from the time I bought Patchapmans 250 favourites Curries, and that was in 90's. If you look into my copy you will see in most of the recipies which I have made written delicious, nice, not bad, bad etc...........and in this one it is written really delicious.

The Chicken meat is given a short marnation, then it is stir fried in the kadai or karahi. Well i use my wok.

Ingridients.
675 gm bonless chicken breast.
2 tbsp leamon juice
4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic finley chopped
2 inch ginger piece finley chopped
150 gm onions finley chopped ( i mince them in my mixer)
3 to 4 green chillies or according to your taste
2 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp tandoori powder
2 medium tomato chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh corriander leaves
5 to 6 tbsp cream
2 tsp garam masala

Spices1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cummin seeds

Method1. Dice the chicek breast into bit size pieces, and place in a bowl with the lemon juice and leave for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a kharai or wokand fry the spices for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes , then add the onions and chillie and fry for few minutes till they are soft and the raw smell is gone from the onions.

3. Add the chicken pieces, and srite fry for few minutes.

4. Now add the curry powder and the tandoori powder and stir well. Fry it for fee more minutes and then add the tomatoes, and futher cook . If the mixture is dry add a bit of water.

5. Now add the cream, corriander leaves, and the garam masala and cook till the chicken is fully cooked.
Garnish with corriander leaves and serve with rice or naan etc and enjoy the dinner.
The first picture you see in the post is without adding teh food Color .

Greek Celebration Bread

I have no idea why the bread is called like this, but in the book this is the basic of few variety of swwet, nut breads. So I thought I will start with the basic bread.
With this bread recipe they also make breads like Christopsomos , Lambropsomo etc...... and mostly it is for Easter time. I have not reached there yet, just made the basic sweet bread.

For me the bread was not sweet at all, so next time when i make this i might double up the honey or maybe add few tbsp of sugar.
I think if you make other breads which contains raisins and nuts etc..... maybe then you don't have to add more sugar or sweet as the raisins are sweet itself.

I must admit this was one hell of a delicious bread and itgot so huge that I got so excites that I shouted to my daughter to come and see ( she was learning in her room).
And her reaction Oh that is all you just called me to show this,andi thought something had happend in the kitchen.

The bread was so soft and fluffy , well let me say it was just super super DELICIOUS.
Did I tell you I am so much in love with this book The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

Makes 1 large loaf
1 cup (7 ounces) poolish.
31/2 cup ( 16 ounces) unbleached bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp ground cinamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tso ground cloves
1 tsp minced orange or lemon zest or extract ( i used zest)
1 tsp almond extract
2 large eggs slightly beaten
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 whole or low fat milk , luke warm.

Optional glaze ( I did the glaze)
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp orange or lemon extract
2 tsp sesame seeds

1 Remove the measured amount of poolish from the fridge 1 hour before making the dough.
Poolish you have to make the day before and keep in the fridge. You can find the recipe here.

2 Stir together the flour, salt , teast, cinamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves in a large mixing bowl ( or in the bowl of a electric mixer).
Add the poolish, the extracts, eggs, honey, oil and milk. Stir together with a sturdy spoon ( or mix in a lower speed with the paddle attachment) untill the dough forms a ball.

3. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter and knead ( or mix on medium speed with the dought hook). Add more milk or flour as needed to form the dough into a soft, but not stickey ball. It should be tacky and very supple.
Knead ( or mix) for approximatley 10 minutes.

4. Mightly oil a bowl and tranfer the dough to the bowl ( i would suggest use a real big bowl as the dough really rise up). Rolling it around to coat with oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment the dough at room temperature for 90 minutes or untill it double in sizes. ( Mine doubled up after a hour)

5. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a boule. Transfer it to a sheet pan that has been lines with baking parchment. ( I sued a 24 cm round cake pan)
Mist the dough with spray oil and loosley cover withplastic wrap.

6 Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or untill double in size.

7. Preheat the oven to 350° F with the oven rack on middle shelf.

8. Bake the loaf for 20 minutes. Roatate the pan 180 degrees for even baking and continue baking for futher 20 to 25 minutes, or untill the loaf is golden brown.
It should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
You may glaze the loaf as soon as it comes out the oven.

9. To make the glaze, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to boil. Add the honey and extracts and turn off the heat.
Brush the loaf with the glaze and immediately sprinkle the loaves with the sesame seeds.

10. Transfer the bread to a rack and cool for futher 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Sending this to YeastSpotting.

Super Delicious Soft bread.

My Daughter is having her 2 weeks Easter holidays, so I am also taking a break from blogging. See you all after 2 weeks.

Poolish Sponge

Poolish Sponge

One of the best bread book i have is now is The Bread bakers Apprentice and this poolish starter is used to make different variety of bread, so I thought I will write the recipe in a totally different post.
I mostly half the recipe as the amount they ask for each bread is different and I just make one bread so the quantity od the starter is less.
Here I gove the starter for 23 ounce.
2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 1/2 cups water at room temperature.
1/2 tsp instant yeast.



Stir together the flour, water and yeast in a mixing bowl intll all the flour is hydrated.
The dough should be soft and sticky and looks like a very thin pancake batter.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours or untill the sponge bacomes bubbly and foamy.
I mmediately refrigitate it.
It will keep up for 3 days in the fridge.

Note : The poolish sponge can be used as soon as it ferments, butas with the other pre ferments , the authour of the bok prefer to give it an overnight retarding to draw out more flavour.

With this sponge you can make theis delicous Greek Celebration bread

Filled zucchini

This is something I ate from a Italian delli ( you can buy things there and bring home and heat them in the MW) yeah there are sometimes when I am reallyin no mood for cooking i go to one of these shops and buy premade food.
I don't do it often as mostly I tend to critize the food or even moan about how much one has to pay for each portion etc etc........

So as the dish was so tasty I thought why not recreate them at home.
This recipe is not from any book i just made it myself after eating the dish and I have to admit, it is even more better than in the shop.

2 zuchini.
300 gm minced chicken/beef/lamb your choice
1 tsp of paparika powder
2 tbsp parsley
1 garlic chopped
3 tbsp bread crumbs
peper and salt
100 gm bacon chopped
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloved finley chopped
450 ml tomato ( i used tinned ones)
Hanfull of parsley.
3 tbsp olive oil.
1/4 cup water
Salt and peper to taste

Cut Zucchini in three blokes each, scoop the filling and keep them aside.
Now mix the meat with a bit of the scooped out flesh from the zucchin ( finley cut), with paprika powder, the 2 tbsp parsley, 1 garlic, read brumbs and peper and salt.
Fill the zucchin and heat a bit of oil in a pan and fry the zucchini all the sides, it will take just few minutes. Remove the from the pan.
Now to the same pan add the onions and bacon , fry for few minutes, add the tinned tomatoes and the rest of the ingridients, bring it to boil. You can also add the rest of the zuchini you scoped out to this mix.
Take a oven proof dish, place the filled Zucchin, pour the sauce over it and bake them in a preheated oven 200°c for about 25 to 30 minutes or untill they are cooked.
Last minute if the sauce is bit watttery you can add corn flour mixed with a bit of water so the sauce gets thicker.
Serve with french bread or potato mash.

My daughter don't like zucchin so i make small meat balls fry them a bit and add to the sauce before i put them in the oven. So I don't have to make myself grumby when she don't eat the dish saying she don't like zucchini.