A mouth watering vegetarian breakfast alternative

There are a multitude of dishes that taste amazing emanating from the Indian Sub-continent, in fact so many that one gets spoilt for choice. Three favourites for vegetarians are idli, a sort of steamed rice cake, dosas which are similar in ingredients and of course the favourite of all who taste it, dal makhani or butter dal as it is also known.

The dosa and idli is made from a mixture of lentils (urad dal) and rice that has been soaked for several hours and is then ground into a fine mixture, like a batter one makes for pancakes. For dosas, this mixture is left over night to ferment slightly, giving it a tangy taste and often one can add fenugreek seeds to flavour it a little more. When making the dosas, one heats a pan (actually a pancake pan serves the purpose well and you lay the batter out and cook one side and then flip over and crisp on the other side. For idli, one can go to specialist Asian shops where you will find steamers which have the serving sizes built in and just steam away until they are ready.

These two bread substitutes originally came from south India and are accompanied by a variety of chutneys and curries that add flavour and offer the perfect accompaniment. Try them with dal makhani, for example, a lentil dish made with a variety of spices that is a hearty meal in itself with a long wonderful buttery finish (that is the makhani part). 

There are many variations of the dosa and idli and they are served in a variety ways in different regions in India and even in sweet variations for children for whom south Indian food may be too spicy. Often dosas are served for breakfast at the start of the day, while idli is served in a host of ways, stuffed with spicy potatoes being a favourite of almost everyone. Whatever your tastes, you can find a recipe that will suit your tastes and you will have a lot of fun tasting the different accompaniments that go with them.

The versatility of Cheese – from mains to desserts

One of the most versatile products in our fridges is cheese. We tend to forget how many varieties are available and every region of the world has its own specialities, ways of making it and ways of consuming it. We also have so many different milks and one can find it made from, goat, cow and ewe to name a few, cream cheese, stilton, camembert that we often get spoilt for choice. Whether you like to have it on its own, or with a baguette and grapes, or spread on toast, it is everyone’s favourite. Block cheese is generally the best value as one can do the slicing or grating oneself, and get a good bargain in the process.

Natural cheese is perfect for pizzas, especially mozzarella, and one can find many pizza recipes to suit all tastes. If you grate block cheese yourself then try using mature cheddar for your recipes and you will get a rich, fuller flavour. The list is just endless, the plain margherita, or with salami or chicken and mushrooms; and there are many salami and chicken pizza recipes available. One can also tell a whole raft of differences in taste when one uses different spiced sauces on the base. A great recipe is to use fresh oregano and a hint of paprika in your sauce which complements chicken pizza recipes, and the easiest thing is to use some tomato paste or puree for the sauce base and drizzle a little olive oil into it for an authentic Italian flavour.

Pizzas are a simple and quick alternative when you are in a rush and have to cook for, either the two of you or the family. Pizza bases are available at most stores and it takes a few minutes to rustle up the sauce for your pizza, and the best thing is that you can make the pizzas to order for the whole family. So, if chicken is your thing, then try some chicken pizza recipes and add mushrooms, or a vegetarian pizza with fresh tomatoes and basil and a hint of freshly milled black pepper.

Have a look for pizza recipes to see how the method of cooking your pizza varies from place to place and personal taste. Neapolitan pizzas, the home of the pizza, are generally made in a wood fired oven for that charcoal taste and cooked on a high heat very quickly. One can replicate this in one’s oven with some help from special oven cooking wood bricks or if you have an outside oven, even better, though you should check pizza recipes for details.

For dessert, there is nothing more delicious that cheese cake. These come in a variety of flavours and combination of cheeses. Fresh fruit cheese cake is delicious, and raspberry an especial favourite among all ages. Marbled cheese cake, with chocolate and vanilla mixed in makes for a very eye catching dessert with some whipped cream as an accompaniment. Everyone has their favourite cheese cake recipes and so should you.