My 150th Post, Risotto with Mozzarella and an Award

I am very happy to be here right now with these many posts and i would like to thank all my blogger friends who had constantly contributed their support with their comments and sharing of awards. Also, i thank my hubby 'Senthil', who is also my food critic, for his never-ending encouragement which kept me going.  

My friend who had recently visited Italy, bought me this Risotto Mediterraneo, knowing my fondness towards Italian dishes. Thanks to her, i made a wonderful meal thats full of flavor and it eventually puts a smile with even more cheese.

Risotto is an Italian dish of rice cooked in any(chicken or veg) broth to a creamy consistency. The mix had extra fine Camroli rice and dried ingredients like olives, bell peppers, tomato, zucchini, aubergine, carrot and parsley. Its being cooked with the stock slowly added to the rice while it is stirred constantly. This way the rice releases its starch resulting in a creamy texture. I would say the main ingredient to make a perfect risotto would be 'patience'. Yep, it holds you for the whole cooking time and its totally worth it. So, say Cheese and have fun with risotto.

Ingredients:

1 cup Risotto Mediterraneo Mix / Any Risotto rice

3 cups Chicken broth (low sodium)

1/2 Yellow onion (chopped)

3-4 Garlic pods (minced)

1 1/2tbsp Tomato-Basil sauce (optional)

1tsp Crushed Pepper

2 Large Basil Leaves (Chiffonade)

2-3 Sun dried tomatoes (chopped)

1/4 cup or more Mozzarella Cheese (grated)

2tbsp Olive Oil

Salt

How to:

• Heat the chicken broth and let it simmer at low heat.

• Heat oil in a skillet at medium heat, add onions,saute for a couple of mins or until tender, then add garlic and saute until raw smell disappears.

• Now add the rice and toast it for a couple of mins, stirring continuously, so as to coat each grain of rice with olive oil. (Careful not to brown'em.)

• Add the tomato-basil sauce along with 1/2 a cup of chicken broth and cook with lid closed until the liquid is absorbed by the rice.

• Slowly add 1/2 cup at a time and cook the rice. Do not pour the broth if the rice hasn't absorbed all the previous liquid thats already cooking.
• Add salt and adjust to your taste, as the broth and sauce has already salt in them.
• Also, if you are out of broth, substitute it with hot water. (Pouring warm or cold water while cooking may slow down the cooking and make the rice hard.

• Pour more or less liquid and taste as you cook until the rice is 'al dente'.
• Then add the crushed pepper and sun dried tomatoes, mix well and cook for another min.

• Now switch off, add the basil chiffonade followed by mozzarella cheese and gently fold in. (Actually, i added more cheese just before serving.)

•  Serve hot with roasted asparagus.

Also, am very happy to receive this award from Shoba's Food Maaza. I recently started following her and found a wonderful collection of recipes. Do visit her, if you already haven't.

Thanks again Shoba.

Thick crust Veggie Pizza

'Pizza', mmm can't stop gobbling just one slice. Thats exactly what happened yesterday night. It was my first time baking pizza and i was very much worried that i just sat in-front of the oven for 2o mins. Senthil came home and said ' i smell Papa johns here'. I was happily grinning that, you could see all my teeth. With a few more mins of baking, i took the pizza out of the oven and can't wait to slice it up. Senthil was standing near me ready with his plate. I sliced the pizza and turned back to pick my camera, and i saw a slice already in his mouth. He gave me thumbs up and said, that i had nailed it. Of course, those were the words i was waiting to hear from him. Yay! and i did. And boom, it was a power cut. Both of us were laughing, looking at each other's mouth as we were ravening the slices. Stomach was full, but mouth was still hungry. I hope you too will enjoy this pizza. Check out the recipe and here it goes,

Ingredients:

For the dough:

3 cups APF (Maida)

1 packet Active Dry Yeast

1 cup Warm Water

1tsp Salt

1 1/2tsp Sugar

2tbsp Olive oil

How to:

• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let sit for 10 mins, until foamy on top.

• In another big bowl, add the flour, salt, olive oil and the yeast mixture.

• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and start kneading for 5-6 mins or until dough is smooth.

• Coat oil in a bowl, place the dough, wrap it with a cloth and let sit for 2 hours.

• Once the dough doubles in size, punch down the air, knead for a min, divide the dough and let sit for another 20 mins.

For the sauce:

Ingredients:

4 Roma Tomatoes

1/2 small Green Bell pepper

1 1/2tsp Garlic (minced)

1/2tsp dried Basil

1/2tsp Oregano/Marjoram

1tbsp Olive oil

Salt

How to:

• Blanch the tomatoes and peel off the skin.

• Puree 2 tomatoes and chop the other 2 tomatoes and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a skillet, add garlic and saute for a min, followed by bell pepper.

• After a min add the chopped and pureed tomatoes and cook with lid closed for 12-15 mins in a medium flame.

• Add salt and the dried herbs and cook until it reaches right consistency. (Not too watery)

• Switch off and keep aside.

Rolling and Baking:

Glass Baking dish

Pastry brush

Olive Oil

Mozzarella Cheese

For toppings:

Pineapple (chopped)

Green Bell pepper (cut lengthwise)

Jalapeños (chopped)

Sun-dried Tomatoes (chopped)

How to:

• Preheat oven at 425 degrees.
• Transfer one-half dough onto a floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin. 
• Coat the baking dish with olive oil, place the rolled dough and coat the dough also with olive oil.

• Then apply tomato sauce over the dough leaving 1" gap at the side.

• Top it with your favorite veggies or meat, and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on it and bake for 20 mins or until the dough turns golden brown.

• Let cool for 10 mins on a cooling rack and slice it up.

Serve warm with your favorite sauce and crushed red peppers.