Restaurant Style Chicken Kuzhambu

This is a fantastic recipe that is from mythreyi's blog. I tired it one night and we couldn't have enough of it. Recipe as follows::

Chicken pieces with bone- 1/2 kg( 1 pound)
Onion large( chopped)- 3 nos
Tomato large( chopped)- 2 nos
Garlic cloves ( whole and peeled)- 6 nos
Whole dry red chilli- 4
Curry leaves- few sprigs
Ginger and Garlic paste- 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 4 tbsp
Fennel seeds/ Sombu- 1 tsp
Cinnamon- small piece
Cardamom- 2
Cloves- 3

Masala paste ingredients
( grind the below ingredients to smooth and fine paste)
Coriander seeds( dry roasted)- 2 tbsp
Whole dry red chilli( dry roasted)- 5 nos( +/- according to taste)
Black peppercorns( dry roasted)- 2 tsp
Fennel seeds/ Sombu- 1 tbsp
Grated coconut- 2 tbsp


Method
Clean and wash the chicken pieces. 
Marinade the chicken pieces with ginger and garlic paste and turmeric powder for 15 mins. 
In a pressure pan add marinaded chicken pieces, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes and two cups of water. 
Pressure cook chicken pieces for 5 mins. 
Once chicken is cooked, uncover the pan and add the ground masala paste and required salt to the chicken gravy. 
Return the pan to heat and simmer the chicken curry for 3 mins. 
Meanwhile heat oil in another pan, when oil is hot add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds, garlic cloves, whole dry red chilly and curry leaves. 
Fry the whole masalas for few mins and add this tempering to simmering chicken curry. 
Serve hot Restaurant Style Chicken Curry with steamed rice or idli or dosa or parotta.

Notes::
1. I ground the onion and tomatoes and added to pressure cooker.
2. Instead of grinding the masala paste, I used coriander powder,red chilli powder, fennel powder and ground coconut. I left out the dry red chillies.
Tasted fantastic even with these alterations.

Zucchini Soup

Zucchini Garlic Soup
1 1/2 quarts
4 tablespoons butter
1 white onion, sliced
8-9 large cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
4 medium zucchini, about 1 1/2 pounds
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
Salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a heavy 4-quart pot over medium heat. When it foams, add the sliced garlic and onions and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Keep the heat low enough that the garlic doesn't brown; you want everything to sweat.
When the onions are soft, add the zucchini and cook until soft. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer at a low heat for about 45 minutes.
Let cool slightly, then blend with an immersion blender until creamy, or transfer to a standing blender to puree. Be very careful if you use the latter; only fill the blender half
full with each batch, and hold the lid down tightly with a towel.
Taste and season with ginger, salt and pepper. Like most soups, this is significantly better after a night in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld

Recipe from

Assembling a Cheese Platter - Ina Garten

1. Assembling a stunning fruit and cheese platter requires no cooking. I follow a few key principles to be sure it looks festive and is easy for guests to help themselves. First, I choose an interesting assortment of cheeses—hard sharp cheeses, soft creamy ones, and pungent blue cheeses. I look for an interesting mix of flavors, textures, and colors. For example: French Camembert, Le Chevrot (a sharp goat cheese), Rondin with herbs (a creamy goat cheese), and Montagnolo (a creamy blue cheese).
2. Go to the best cheese shop in town and ask the person at the counter which cheeses are ready to serve. Taste everything; they expect you to. We all know that the Brie may look terrific, but it can be underripe and tough or overripe and ammoniated. You want only the freshest cheeses that are perfectly ripened. Take them home, refrigerate them, and then bring them to room temperature a few hours before serving.
3. Second, be sure to have a platter or wooden board that is flat and large enough to hold the cheeses without crowding them. Arrange the cheeses with the cut sides facing out, and with several small cheese knives, maybe one for each type of cheese.
4. Third, to finish the platter, add sliced breads or crackers, and green leaves. I use either lemon or galax leaves, which you can get from your florist. If you have a garden, any large flat leaf like hydrangea looks beautiful, but be sure they aren't poisonous and are pesticide-free!
5. Overall, the simpler the design, the better the platter looks. Group each kind of cheese together and add one large bunch of green or red grapes in the center to create a visual focal point. Fill in the spaces with lots of crackers or small slices of bread.

                                        Courtesy of Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa

The Perfect Cheese Platter -Part 2

 

What to buy―and how much―to create a delightful and delicious spread.

 Selecting the Cheese

• Try to include a variety of textures and flavors. Most cheese belongs to one of four basic categories: aged, soft, firm, or blue. For a good variety, choose at least one from each group. Some examples:
  Aged: Aged Cheddar, Comte, Goat Gouda
  Soft: Constant Bliss, Camembert, Brillat-Savarin
  Firm: Manchego, Mimolette, Parmigiano-Reggiano
  Blue: Gorgonzola Dolce, Valdeón, Stilton
• You can also try selecting cheeses by the type of milk used (cow, goat, sheep). This will ensure a range of different flavors on the plate.
• Serve at least one familiar cheese.

How Much Is Enough?

• For a party in which cheese is the main event, plan on buying 3 pounds for 8 people, 6 pounds for 16, or 9 pounds for 24. If cheese is one of many items being served, plan on buying 3 to 4 ounces per person.

Accompaniments

• Offer a selection of breads, including sliced baguette, bread sticks, and crackers in all different shapes and sizes. It’s a good idea to vary taste and texture among the breads as well as the cheeses.
• Jarred condiments and vegetables are quick and fuss-free. Try sweet preserves or honey, tart chutneys, and spicy mustards. You can also add artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and caponata. If you have a bit more time, prepare caramelized onions, which complement most cheese plates.
• Various other sweet and salty items can work as well. Try cured meats such as prosciutto and salami, or candied nuts and pistachios. Assorted seasonal and dried fruits can include figs, cherries, apples, and pears.
  

Serving Tips

• Separate strong-smelling cheeses. If you want to serve a pungent, stinky-socks cheese, place it on a separate plate so it doesn’t overpower more delicate ones. four or five choices are enough.
• Set out a separate knife for each cheese, especially the soft varieties. Soft cheese spreads well with a butter knife; firm cheese might require a paring knife; and aged cheese often requires a cheese plane.
• Remove the cheese from the refrigerator an hour before serving―cold mutes flavor.
• Spread out the spread. Place the cheese platters and the other nibbles on several tables to avoid guest gridlock.
• Label each cheese so you won’t need to recite the names all evening. If you like, also jot down a few poetic adjectives describing its flavor

The Perfect Cheese Platter

* Never serve cold cheese. Take it out of the fridge an hour or two before serving (less in hot weather) allowing it to drop down to room temperature (approx 17ºC).
* A classic cheese platter usually includes:
1. Soft cheese, such as a ripe brie or camembert;
2. A sharp, semi-soft blue;
3. A firm yet melt-in your-mouth rich cheddar; OR try a single variety, such as parmesan.
* Serve your selection on a rustic wooden chopping board or flat white platter.
* Don’t overcrowd your cheese to ensure the flavours remain distinct.
* Provide a separate knife for each cheese variety.
* FRUIT & NUTS: Crisp apple or pear slices; Nuts, including whole walnuts, hazelnuts, toasted almonds; Dried fruits, such as muscatels, apricots, dates and figs.
* CRACKERS: Always include a high-quality variety of crisp crackers such as water crackers, crispbread or lavash AND/OR slices of FRESH BREAD, such as crusty sourdough, fruit & nut bread or french.
* FRUIT PASTES such as quince or fig are another complement to sharp cheeses.  Honey is a good accompaniment for a bold blue cheese. Lay rocket under fresh goat’s cheese.





                                            Courtesy of Holly from hollyandrose

Easy finger food

Chips and Dips - Serve spinach dip, salsa, guacamole, onion dip, or hot artichoke dip with tortilla chips or pita bread cut into small triangles. Click here for dip recipes.
Cheese and Crackers - Serve a variety of crackers along with two or more cheeses.
Chicken (Teriyaki or Sate) - Serve on skewers with teriyaki or peanut sauce.
Baby Shrimp - Need we say more? Serve with cocktail sauce.
Chicken Wings - Especially popular with the men at couples showers, served with ranch dressing!
Meat Balls - Another strong performer, especially at couples showers, make sure to serve the small variety.
Mini Pizzas - Everyone loves pizza, so when they're small enough to pop in your mouth, they go fast.

Assembling a Vegetable Platter

You will need a round serving tray or a specially designed veggie tray that has divided cavities for placing your vegetables in. If your tray doesn't come with a vegetable dip container, you will need to supply one.

It is recommended that you choose 5-7 vegetables to present on your party tray.

Preparation:

Wash and pat dry all of your vegetables. Cut off any roots, stems or unwanted leafy portions.

Vegetable Selection:

Leafy Lettuce: Separate the lettuce leaves and use them to line your vegetable tray.

Green Broccoli / purple broccoli : Cut florets off the stalk into individual serving-sized pieces.

Cauliflower: Cut pieces from head of cauliflower into individual serving-sized florets .

Cherry Tomatoes: Remove stems. Wash and pat dry.

Cucumbers: You can remove the skin or leave it, that is entirely up to you. Slice cucumber into 1/4" thick round slices.

Carrots: If using baby carrots, you will will not need to slice them down. If using full-sized carrots, you will need to slice them down into sticks measuring approximately 1/4" by 4" in size.

Celery: Cut off leafy portions. Cut celery stalks into 4" long pieces.

Radishes: Cut off top portion of radishes and any roots that might remain. It is best to use radishes that are less than 1 1/2" in diameter.

Mushrooms: If you are using baby mushrooms, leave just a 1/4" of the stem remaining. If using larger sized mushrooms, slice them down into individual pieces.

Green Pepper: Remove the stem and seeds. Cut down into sticks measuring 1/4" by 4" in length.

Asparagus (I prefer them blanched) : remove ends and chop into 4" lengths.

Assembly:

Arrange the lettuce leaves on your tray, covering the entire bottom of the tray. Take your prepared vegetables and arrange them around the tray in sections. Try to keep your colors separated and spread out the green colored vegetables. I like to use a green vegetable, then a colored vegetable and then another green vegetable and so forth as I go around my tray. This looks attractive and colourful. Leave an opening in the center of your tray for your vegetable dip.

Garnish Ideas (optional) :

If you are using a flat serving tray, you can separate your vegetable sections by laying a celery stick or carrot stick between each section. I like to add some additional color by garnishing with green and black olives, purple cabbage curls, radish shaped flowers or even a few green and red grapes.

Dip :
Dip holder is placed in the centre of the veges for easy of eating and aesthetics.

Fresh Vegetable Platter

1. Choose a large plate or serving tray as the base for your platter.

2. Choose a variety of fresh vegetables, such as carrots,red and yellow bell peppers, cauliflower, radish, cucumber, broccoli ,celery and tender snow peas.

3.Thoroughly wash all the vegetables with cold water. Remove the top sections from the zucchini, bell pepper,button mushrooms, radish and cucumber. Remove the leaves and stems of the cauliflower and broccoli. Cut into florets.
Chop the vegetables into uniform sticks length wise.

4. Place the vegetables on the tray around the central dip holder. Group the same vegetables .

5. Pour the dip into shallow cups. Place in the centre of the tray.

Dip options:
Choose varied types of dip for your platter. Consider ranch salad dressing, hummus, sour cream mixed with chopped fresh dill, garlic mayonnaise, Mexican salsa and guacamole.

Easy dip recipe:
Equal parts of cream cheese, yogurt,sour cream. Mix them till combined.
Add some minced garlic and dill. Salt if wanted.
Serve chilled.