Cheesy Potato Sourdough Gozleme

Gozleme or the pastry with brown eyes is a delicious Turkish dish. It can be stuffed with a sweet or savory filling. Today I made it with cheesy potato. This recipe is very similar to paratha. The difference being the paratha is rolled out after it is stuffed. Gozleme is rolled out first and then wrapped around the filling.

The thought of using potato and cheddar cheese was really last minute. I was going to make a spinach filling with feta cheese. It would have been authentic for sure. But at the last minute I felt like eating something cheesy so switched to a pirogi type filling instead.

Once I realized what gozleme was I pretty much made up the dough and filling recipes. I knew what consistency and texture of dough I was looking for and pretty much added a little of this and that until I had what I knew would work. That comes with making flat breads almost everyday and stuffed ones on a regular basis. The leavened dough added a little spring to the gozleme. Everyone in the family loved this recipe so this is one more variation of stuffed bread that I can add to my rotation.

Note: the dough does not have to be leavened. If you want to skip the sourdough replace it with another cup of flour.

You will need
For the dough
1 cup sourdough starter (hydration % is not important)
2 cups whole wheat flour (I used chapati flour, a low protein soft flour)
water as needed
1 tbsp. oil

For the filling
1 large potato, boiled
3 tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese (you could substitute any cheese you have on hand)
1/2 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. butter (optional)

Work in the wheat flour into the starter. Use water if needed to make a soft dough. Using oil on your fingertips knead again and keep aside for about two hours.

Mash the hot boiled potato and add the cheese. Cover and keep aside for 5-10 minutes. Let the cheese melt a little. Add the other ingredients and form a ball. Divide into 6 portions.

Divide the resting dough into 6 portions. Heat a flat griddle pan. Roll one portion of dough to at least an eighth of an inch. Place one portion of filling in the center and spread it into a rectangle.

Fold the opposite sides over the filling.

Repeat for the remaining two sides until you have a neat rectangle. Place it on the hot pan and let it cook until it has brown spots on the side.

Turn it over and cook the other side. Apply a thin layer of butter to both sides and take off heat.

Repeat with the remaining portions of dough.

Enjoy!

Nachni Urad Dal Dhirdi (Finger Millet Black Gram Dhirdi / Ragi Urad Dhirdi)

What is a dhirda (or plural dhirdi)? It is a kind of crepe popular in Maharashtra. It can be made with any flour or a combination of flours. I have a couple of other dhirdi in this space, bajri and nachni dhirdi and wheat flour and besan dhirdi.

We love the taste of the two flours nachni (finger millet) and urad dal (black gram) together as the result is a soft light dhirda. I do not mill the flours, I use ready made flours available in my local grocery store. You may want to roast the flours before use but I did not do that today. I soaked them a little longer than usual, about 6-8 hours. They made an excellent and filling breakfast.

You will need
For the dhirda
1 cup nachni flour (finger millet flour)
1/2 cup urad dal flour (black gram flour)
salt to taste

For the chutney
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. channa dal
1 tsp. urad dal
1 dried red chili pepper
1 Serrano pepper
1 cup shredded coconut

For the tempering

1 tbsp. oil

3-4 curry leaves

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. urad dal

To make the dhirdi combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add just enough water to form a thick batter. Keep aside for 6-8 hours.

Heat a griddle pan. Wipe with a clean wet towel followed by a towel dipped in a little oil. Pour a ladle of batter on the pan and starting from the center swirl in ever growing circles until the batter is spread in a good sized crepe.

Cover and let it cook under steam. When done flip and cook the other side. Take off heat. Repeat for the remaining batter.

To make the chutney heat the oil in a pan. Add all the remaining ingredients for the chutney except the coconut. Turn off heat. Cool. Pour in half a cup of water and grind it to a paste with the coconut. In a separate pan heat the oil for the tempering. Add the remaining ingredients to the oil. When they change color turn off heat. Let it cool and pour over the top of the chutney.

 

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week three, day two of BM #42 for the theme Millet.

Thalipeeth (Mixed Grain Pancakes)

Thalipeeth is one of the healthier pancakes. This is a traditional authentic Maharashtrian recipe. To make thalipeeth you need a combination of roasted flours.

You will need
For the bhajani
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup urad flour
1 cup roasted channa flour (dala)
1 cup nachni flour (finger millet)
1 cup bajri flour (pearl millet)
1 cup jwari or jondhala flour (sorghum)
1/2 cup coriander and cumin powder (instructions below)

For the thalipeeth (to make 6)
3 cups bhajani
1/2 onion
handful cilantro
1 Serrano pepper, minced
salt and paprika to taste

Bhajani is the flour used to make thalipeeth. To make the coriander cumin powder roast a handful of coriander seeds with a scant handful of cumin seeds until fragrant and seeds start changing color. Grind to a powder when cool. Keep aside. Roast each of the flours separately and keep aside. When cool mix them all together. The bhajani can be stored in an airtight container for a few weeks.

To make the thalipeeth combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Using a little water form a soft dough. Knead for a couple minutes and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

Heat a griddle pan. Divide the dough into 6 portions. Knead one portion well and flatten on a greased ziploc bag or wax paper. Using your finger make three holes in the center.

Place the prepared thalipeeth on the hot griddle. Pour a few drops of oil in each of the holes. Cover and cook on medium high heat for a few minutes until brown.

Uncover and flip over. Cook the other side until brown. Remove from heat. Repeat for each portion.

Thalipeeth is usually eaten with fresh made butter. But you can have it with a savory side or pickle.

This is my entry for week three, day one of BM #42 for the theme Millet.

Bibimbap with Carrot, Spinach, Zucchini and Shitake Mushrooms

Bibimbap is a very nice looking and a very tasty main dish. A bed of rice is made in a stone bowl on which are arranged all the mix-ins like carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and spinach. The idea is to mix it all together and eat. I made this dish as part of a Korean meal. As luck would have it this was picked as the recipe for the Daring Bakers challenge for the month of July. Since I had it ready I posted it as is even though it was the star dish of my Korean meal.

This dish was very tasty especially when eaten with some soy sauce and spicy sesame sauce.

To prepare the carrots
You will need
1 carrot
1 tsp. sesame oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Peel the wash the carrots. Heat oil in a pan and saute the carrots until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

To prepare the zucchini
You will need
1 zucchini
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. scallion greens, chopped
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
salt and black pepper to taste

Peel and chop the zucchini. Heat oil in a pan and saute the zucchini until cooked through. Season with garlic, scallion, sesame seeds, salt and pepper.

To prepare the mushrooms
You will need
10 shitake mushrooms
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. scallion greens, chopped
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Wipe the mushrooms clean and cut into slices. Heat oil in a pan and saute the mushrooms with the other ingredients until cooked through.

To prepare the spinach
You will need
10 leaves of spinach
1/4 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. scallion greens, chopped
1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
salt and black pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil in a pan. Blanch the spinach for a minute. Drain the water from the spinach. Squeeze the water out of the spinach using a paper towel. Season with the rest of the ingredients.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup Bowls

Soup served in bread bowls has always fascinated me. These broccoli cheddar soup bowls are very tasty and a fun way to eat your soup. 

Broccoli cheddar soup is one of the favorite soups in our house. However, I refrain from ordering it in restaurants because of how calorie laden it can be. Today instead of cream or half and half I used milk with a little whipping cream. It tasted great!

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
1/4 cup butter
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cup milk (use half and half for a rich soup)
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 bay leaves
1 carrot
1 large head broccoli florets
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Here is the recipe for the bread bowl

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Melt butter in a pan and add the diced onions and garlic to it. Saute until onions are tender. Then add milk, whipping cream and vegetable stock. Let the soup simmer on medium low heat for a few minutes.

Grate the carrots and dice the broccoli florets. If you like the soup chunky, cut the carrot into pieces and break up the broccoli into florets. Dissolve the corn starch in a little water and add it to the soup. Let the soup thicken then add the nutmeg, bay leaves, carrots and broccoli. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

Finally add the cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot in a bowl.

Or in a bread bowl. For the bread bowl recipe look here.

This is my entry for week 29 of the 2014 52 Week challenge for theme from your pantry.

Baked Potato

Baked potatoes is not my favorite but may daughter loves them. She has loved them from the time she first had them in her school cafeteria, a time when the food in her school cafeteria was made with fresh ingredients and tasted great.

Since then every summer she asks for baked potato. Today I served it with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream topped with a little sprinkling of cilantro.

You will need
1 Russet potato
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. sour cream
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 twig cilantro, minced

Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash and clean the russet potato. Coat with oil and place on foil on a baking sheet. Prick the potato with a fork at 1 inch intervals all over. Bake for 50 minutes turning it over once. Take it out of the oven and fold into the foil. When ready to eat. Slice the top and add the butter. Let it melt. Add the sour cream and shredded cheese. Sprinkle cilantro.

Enjoy!

Asparagus in Orange Juice

For this dish I baked Asparagus with orange juice and garlic. The end result was tender asparagus with a sweet and sour taste. Delicious!

You will need
A handful asparagus
4 tbsp. orange juice
1 clove garlic minced
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash the asparagus and break of the hard ends. Place the tender tops in a baking dish and rub with olive oil. Mix the other ingredients and pour over the asparagus. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tender.

Enjoy!

Bread Bowls

Bread bowls filled with soup is a something I have always wanted to make at home. These buns are quick and easy to make. They make great bread bowls for your favorite soup. I served it with broccoli cheddar soup.

This recipe uses what I would consider the optimum amount of yeast. It rises very quickly. I would like to try a slow risen sourdough version but since the soup soaked bread is flavored with the soup these quick risen buns tasted great too.

You will need
3/4 cups warm water
1 tbsp. instant yeast
1/2 tbs. sugar
1 3/4 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl combine the yeast, sugar and water. Sift in the flour and salt.

Form a soft dough and knead it until it is smooth and elastic, about 5-7 minutes.

Cover and keep aside for about 45 minutes. The dough should have risen to twice its volume.

Preheat the oven to 475 F. Transfer the risen dough to a floured board and divide it into 4 portions of just over 100 gm each. Work with one portion of dough. Fold in the sides to the center and pinch together. Roll the ball with the seam side down on the board until smooth. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat for the other portions. Score the top. Dip you hand in a bowl of water and touch the surface of each bun. Keep aside for about 15 minutes.

Bake the buns for 2 minutes at 475 F. Remove and touch again with a wet hand. Reduce the temperature to 425 F and bake for 7-10 minutes or until done.

Cut the top holding the knife vertically downward. Pull the cut piece out. Fill with soup and serve.

Blanched Spinach Paratha (Palak Paratha / Paalak Paratha)

I already have a spinach paratha recipe on this blog made with raw spinach. This recipe is a variation using blanched spinach.

You will need

1 cup spinach
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. carom seeds (ajwain)
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. red chilli flakes
1 tsp. garam masala
salt to taste

To roll and roast the paratha
2 tbsp. olive oil

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a pan and add the spinach. Let it blanch for up to a minute and drain. Cut up the spinach and mix with the other ingredients for the dough. Using water as needed mix the flour into a soft dough.

Divide the dough into six portions. Take one portion of dough and roll it into a small disc. Apply a little oil on the surface and fold it in from all four sides to form a square.

Using flour as needed roll out the paratha. Cook the paratha on a hot griddle pan. When the underside is cooked flip it over.

While the second side cooks add a few drops of oil on the first side. Flip over and apply oil to the second side.

Flip over again so both oiled side are cooked on the pan completely. Take off heat. Repeat for all portions.

Enjoy!