Varada's Kitchen and Garden

Back in 1950 on this day in January India became a Republic. In celebration of the Republic Day I present the tricolor braided cheese bread. I used vegetables as dye to color the bread. I used carrots and cherry tomatoes for the orange layer, broccoli for the green and left the white uncolored. Though the colors are not visible on the finished bread under the melted cheese they are clearly visible on the slices. I used the same recipe for this bread as I had for the zopf . The bread turned out soft with a lightly crunchy but very thin crust. It was great on its own but tasted even better with a dab of boursin cheese. In my house I have never had to sneak in vegetables into anything. Everyone loves vegetables, most of all my daughter. But if you have picky eaters this might be a good way to get the vegetables in. You will need (for two loaves) 280 gm white whole flour 200 gm all purpose flour 8 gm yeast 2 tsp. salt 1 egg yolk 2 tbsp butter, melted For the g

The pasta sauce in this recipe is a dream for any child who loves their vegetables like mine does. The aroma in the house was amazing. My daughter waltzed in to find out what was cooking and could not resist tasting the simmering sauce. Then she could not wait for dinner to be ready. She tried to hurry it along taking charge of cooking the pasta. This recipe was something I just threw together. I had a bunch of leftover ingredients that needed to be used up. I got them all out and put together this recipe as I went along. I did not really have a plan of action. I started with the little pieces of red onion and then added in the tomatoes and red pepper. As that was cooking I figured I should puree it to a chunky paste to make the base. The mushrooms, spinach and grape tomatoes I added later to the pureed sauce. Then a little milk for flavor and feta cheese to bring it all together. Needless to say the pan was wiped clean. You will need (for 3 servings) 2 cups pasta of your choic

Cheesecake or a cake baked with cheese is usually rich and dense. It is delicious and not overtly sweet. My daughter is fond of cheesecakes and I have always wanted to try one at home. She likes the New York style cheesecake but that is truly rich. I wanted something light and so decided to bake this French style cheesecake. French cheesecakes are light and fluffy though they may be very rich too. This cheesecake is made with a cream cheese called neufchatel. This cheese is from the Normandy region of France and is under EU protection. The version of neufchatel sold in the US is lighter than regular cream cheese. That got me interested in it and I went looking for it in my neighborhood Whole Foods. I was surprised to find it in the Whole Foods brand. I guess it is really popular here in the US. The cream cheese was easy to work with and combined with the sour cream gave the cheesecake a lovely flavor. Using sour cream instead of whipping cream helped lighten the cake too. I d

Fourgasse is French flat bread shaped lie a leaf with cuts made to resemble the veins of a leaf. It is perfect for tea time though it would work as a side with soup. I worked the thyme, basil and onion into the dough while I added the cheese on the top. I have always loved the shape of this leaf shaped bread. My family loves the combination of herbs and onion in the dough. It makes a filling after school snack. My daughter loves the aroma of the herbs when it is cooked. In fact she loves the aroma even before I put the bread in the oven. I used onions with fresh thyme and dried basil. You can use rosemary or sage or any other herb of your choice. I also sprinkled some cayenne pepper for some heat. You will need For the dough 125 gm whole wheat flour 150 all purpose flour 4 gm instant dry yeast 1 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. olive oil For the filling and topping 1 tsp. olive oil 1/4 medium onion 3-4 twigs thyme 1 tsp. dried basil 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper powder 1 tbsp. mi

Pissaladiere is a French savory pastry. The dough is rolled flat and thin like puff pastry and then topped with a variety of toppings. I used tomato, olives and onion with fresh thyme and cilantro. The crust is thin and has an edge. Passaadiere makes a filling meal especially if you use whole wheat flour for the dough and vegetables for the topping. I made this on a super cold day and it tasted great hot out of the oven. We like pizza without sauce and cheese and this was no exception. The crust was crisp and topping toasted just right. Everyone loved it. I think rosemary would taste great with the onion but my daughter does not like rosemary so I do not use it. You could also use vegetables of your choice for the topping. I used what I thought my family would love. You will need For the dough 155 gm white whole wheat flour 100 gm all purpose flour 3.5 gm instant dry yeast 1 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. olive oil 3/4 cup lukewarm water For the topping 1 tsp. olive oil

Kettle corn is a perfect corn snack. Back in Arizona one of our local Mall had a kettle corn shack just outside their doors. Whenever they started a new batch a long line would form outside. That fresh popped corn was delicious. Popped corn is a healthy snack and is very popular in my house. I usually make it in small batches. Today I realized I have not posted kettle corn on this space. It is not really a recipe, a little of this and little of that. You will need 1/2 cup unpopped corn kernels 3 tbsp. oil 3 tbs. sugar 1 1/2 tsp salt Heat oil in a pan and add the corn kernels with the sugar. Shake the pan and cover with a lid. Keep the heat at medium high. When you hear the kernels popping shake and swirl the pan every 15 seconds. When the pops are a few seconds apart take off the lid and transfer the popped corn to a bowl. Sprinkle salt and mix well. Enjoy!

The first time I saw this cloverleaf shaped bread I fell in love with it. It is so cute! I put it on my wishlist right away. I had not really planned on making it today. My plan was to make cheese and scallion scones. At the last minute I switched to this bread. I figured I could stuff the bread with herbs, cheese and scallion. I am so glad I did. It was a big hit. My daughter loved it. I used fresh thyme as the herb. I had some leftover feta cheese which I used along with some Cabot sharp cheddar. I would have liked to use some carrots but I ran out of time to cook them. When I shaped the clover I forgot to add the shredded cheese. I remembered only after the bread had spent 10 minutes in the oven. I took it out of the oven separated the clover leaves and add some feta cheese. I then replaced them in their muffin cups. About 8 minutes before they were done I sprinkled the shredded cheddar over the top. That gave the bread time to cook through without burning the cheese. The roast