Strawberry Jam

    The town is painted red with the ruby red jewels called “Strawberries”

Good things comes in small packages, and these little fruits are a proof of it, the tiny strawberries are packs of vitamins, fiber, particularly high levels of antioxidants known as polyphenols. Strawberries are low-calorie food and among the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity and are a good source of manganese and potassium. Just one serving -- about eight strawberries -- provides more vitamin C than an orange.

Having these fruits preserved in jars is another great way to enjoy them.  Making jams at home without any preservatives, artificial colors and being able to control the sugar quantity is a very good step towards healthy and hygienic eating and of course home made products are much cheaper then their store bought counter parts. 

With the first sight of strawberries on fruit carts, I ventured into jamming some of the these sweet and tangy berries and a blog post for all to preserve these tasteful delights in jars. I chose firm, deep red and plump berries, for preservation prime quality and fresh produce always yield great results.   

Lets make Strawberry Jams this season!

Before starting to cook, wash and sterilize the bottles or jars in which you will preserve the jam.

Sterilizing Jars:

For canning and preservation, your first step would be to sterilize the bottles and jars you would be using for your produce.

- Boil washed bottles, jars, and their lids for five minutes in a big pot filed with water

- Take them out with tongs and let them dry outside on a clean counter or kitchen towel

Ingredients:

1 KG washed and hulled strawberries sliced

300-400gms white/brown sugar (if not using pectin then increase the amount of sugar to 700-800gms)

75gms pectin

 60ml lemon juice

Cooking Instructions

• Sprinkle half the sugar on fruits
• Leave for 3-4 hours or better overnight in refrigerator 
• Add lemon juice    
• Cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat or until all fruit is mushy 
•  Add pectin mixed in rest of the sugar
• Cook fruit stirring very fast with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes
•  Rolling boil the mixture of pectin, sugar and fruit 1-2 mins
•  Remove any foam or scum from the top
•  Immediately ladle into sterilized jars
• Keep the jars undisturbed until set this might take as long as overnight or 24 hours in some cases
• While the jars are cooling dont seal the caps tightly just cover  without screwing the lids
• Keep the jams refrigerated once cooled, since these does not have preservatives they may get fungus at room temperature.

 

Spinach Soup

Cream of Spinach Soup

Spinach is considered worlds healthiest food

 

Spinach is considered worlds healthiest food, and I am proud of having some part of my kitchen garden growing fresh spinach for most part of the year. Spinach is nutrient dense vegetable packed with vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. It is a good source of vitamins A, B2, C and K, and also contains magnesium, manganese, folate, iron, calcium and potassium.

Benefits of Spinach are endless,  it possess anti-inflamatory properties, fights against cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Helps immune system and brain functions.

Crunchy fresh huge spinach leaves growing in my kitchen garden

Here goes the recipe of the Cream of Spinach Soup

Serves 4-5

Ingredients: 

350gms fresh Spinach leaves washed stems removed and chopped

1 Litre Chicken Stock

1 Large: Potato cubed with skin on boiled and set aside

4 Table spoon Olive oil or butter

1 medium onion chopped

¼ cup chopped green onions

1 teaspoon Curry powder

2 tablespoons  maida/white flour

2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

½ cups or 100gms- Labaneh/Double Cream (use tetra pack of cream) 

Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions:

- Boil the potato cubes and set aside

- In a big sauce pan pour olive oil and heat

-Saute the onions until tender and fragrant

-Add boiled drained potatoes and cook for 2 minutes

- Add chopped spinach, curry powder and cook for 5 minutes until spinach are wilted,  turn off fire

-Using a hand blender/smoothie maker puree the spinach mixture and add lemon juice

-Take ¼ cup chicken stalk stir flour in it and make a batter like paste

-Turn on the fire and slowly add the flour and stock paste in the puree and stir fast so no lumps are formed

-Now simmer for 2-3 minutes

-Take out 1 cup of the soup and add the Labaneh/Cream and stir it until very smooth.(Please note  Labaneh is soft greek yogurt and has less calorie then thick cream, I always use Labaneh).

-Add it back in the soup pot, stir and turn off the fire, add salt

-Ladle in individual cups, top with parsley, and Labaneh, croutons and freshly cracked black peppers

-Serve with hot rolls or bread slices

Make Ordinary Meals into Extraordinary Treats

Chatkhar Mango chutney with lovely chunk of spicy and tangy sweetness perfectly paired with spicy handi kebabs

A chatpatta appetizer, chopped tomatoes garlic chives and Chatkhar Green Chillie Pickles tossed on freshly baked dal papar

Chutneys, sauces and pickles bring enhancement and surprises to your tastebuds.

Condiments are traditionally a part of Pakistani meal tables and comes in endless varieties, colours and flavours. Most of these are prepared with fruits, vegetables, added with spices preserved with salt, sugar, oil and some kind of natural or artificial acidic medium.

Ever popular dal chawal spiked up with the Chatkhar Mixed Pickle

At a recent workshop that i facilitated, the CEO of Naurus gave us out a neat box of ‘Chatkhar’ products. These bottles and jars were bursting with flavours and colours, and non ending varieties. Hummm made it really difficult to choose from what to try out first. Yet there is one that can be paired with every meal, and spike up the taste of ordinary meals into extraordinary ones by topping, dressing, dipping, drizzling one or the other of these sauces, chutneys and pickles on food. World on Your Table is rightly claimed by Chatkhar

 

What works for me with Chatkhar is the usage of olive oil in their products, not sure if many local manufacturers of condiments use olive oil. The sugar content is extremely low.  However like all preserved food, it has sodium, so we need to keep salt low or omit from the main dish if using condiments that has salt.

Chicken Achar is my new discovery!! Made the paratha  achar very special

These are high end products given the use of prime quality ingredients and oil. These are locally prepared Pakistani products, giving us a wide range of products to choose from and easily available off the shelf at most super markets. I always suggest to use locally produced bottled products if we have to, at least it is not been travelling forever to reach the supermarket shelves. 

I have used some of these products in my everyday meals, specially when you have guests,  these “Chatkhar” products featured in this blog are some of the the way they appear on my meal table making simple meals into special ones.

Pumpkin Bisque

 

Creamy pumpkin bisque served with zatar rolls

Originating from France, Bisque is a traditionally creamy smooth soup with a base cooked with shellfish stock. However, this vegetarian version of Bisque is equally tasteful, satisfying and nutrition packed. The base of pumpkin, giving it the velvety, rich and creamy signature texture of Bisque, slightly sweet and tangy hint of apples gives it a unique blend of delicate flavor that is refreshing. Sea vegetable adds on a whopping amount of vital vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, folate, vitamins A & K, and iodine.

 

Low on calories and high on nutrition, this Bisque is a great choice for a starter or a perfect lunch paired with freshly baked rolls.

Great choice for Appetizers, Lunch, Dinner!!

Ingredients:

-700gms Pumpkins cubed

-1 medium Onion chopped

-2  cooking apples

-1 tbsp dried sea vegetable Arame(optional)

-2 tbsp cold pressed vegetable oil or olive oil

-2 tsp Lemon juice

-1 tsp Curry powder

-½ tsp Peppers

-6 cups/ 1.5 litres Vegetable Stock

Salt to taste

 

Cooking Instructions:

1-    Peel and cube the pumpkin, and one apple

2-    Chop onions

3-    In a 3 quart stock pot saute onion in olive oil for 5 minutes, add curry powder cook for another 2-3 minutes

4-    Now add the cubed pumpkin and apple and vegetable stock

5-    Let cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetable are all mushy

6-    While the vegetable are cooking, wash Arame and soak in little water for 5 minutes, and all in the vegetable during the last 5 minutes of cooking 

7-    Using a hand held smoothie blender or vitamix puree the vegetable

8-    You will get a thick creamy textured puree, can add little water to adjust consistency. This will be a thick textured soup without use of any thickener

9-    Add salt pepper, and 1/2 tsp lemon juice

10- Grate or julienne the second apple and toss in 1-1/2tsp lemon juice

11- Ladle soup in bowls hot or cold and garnish with a generous amount of grated apple

12- Serve as part of multicourse course dinner, for lunch serve with salad or roll. Here I have served  it with wholewheat zatar rolls

Silky smooth pumpkin soup serve hot garnished with shredded apples

 

 

 

Lean Green Herb and Kale Omelet

 

It is extremely hot here in tropics, and I was walking amidst my container garden checking on my plants and thinking of some delicious ideas for Sunday brunch.

Despite the 35Celcius many my Kale plants are still standing proud and green in summer time, so were some of the herbs, though a little unhappy under the scorching sun. So picking some of these nutritionally dense greens, I planned on cooking a Kale and Herb Omelet. 

 

Kale is the super vegetable, and I love create recipes to incorporate it in my daily meals.  Besides being rich in Calcium and Iron, it is a super antioxidant that protects our bodies against certain types of cancer. One cup of Kale has 180 percent of the recommended daily does of Vitamin A, 200 percent of Vitamin C, and 1,020 percent of Vitamin K. Kale's unusual amount of vitamin K in particular helps the body with such vital functions as blood coagulation and bone health.

 

Herbs pair up so well with Kale for enhancing its taste and upping the nutritional benefits of the dish. I used fresh Basil, Cuban oregano, Dill and Chives giving the omelet a strong flavor and aroma that wakes up the senses giving a feel of health and well being as we bite through it.  

  This omelet taste best if fresh herbs are used, though can be cooked using dried herbs but taste wont is same. Depending on your taste and preference you can omit and adjust amount of some herbs. The main idea is to use some strong flavored nutritionally rich herbs.

 

Ingredients:

3 medium sized Eggs

75 gms chopped Kale (Red Russian or Lacitano)

1 tsp finely chopped garlic chives

½ tsp finely chopped Cuban oregano

1 tsp finely chopped basil

1 tsp chopped dill

1 cayenne or chili pepper or ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

 

Cooking Instructions

1-    Whisk the eggs in a bowl adding salt and pepper 

2- In a medium sized non stick frying pan drizzle or spray olive oil

3-    Sauté kale until wilted 4-5 min

4-    Add the chopped herb and sauté for another 2 minutes

5-    Now pour the whisked eggs evenly over the sautéed vegetable

6-    Let it cook medium or low fire until it is completely set and is all white and look cooked, lower the flame

7-    Using a flat slotted turner carefully turn over the omelet in a half moon and cook for another 1-2 min. Keep checking so does not burn or overcooks

 

Serve with hot rolls, buns and a blob of greek yogurt/lebanah