Aritikaya Vadalu (Raw Banana Vada)

For this week BM I am going to post one bite appetizers as a party snack for three days. Usually in parties what snacks we have for vegetarians is normally paneer, dry munchurian,  or mostly pakodis. But this vadas makes a delicious starter for a party.
Lets check the recipe.... 

INGREDIENTS:--
Raw banana  ----  1 cut in to rounds
Green chillies  ----  4
Ginger  ---  1 inch piece
Cumin seeds  ---  1 tea sp
Dhalia (fried gram)  ---  1/4 cup (putnalu, porikadalai)
Salt to taste
Garam masala powder  ---  a big pinch
Oil for deep frying
METHOD:---
1. Peal and cut raw banana and cut in to rounds, steam cook raw banana till banana become soft or you can pressure cook for two whistles.
2. Mash well with a potato masher make sure that no lumps will be there.
3. Make a fine powder with fried gram cumin and set a side.
4. Now make a paste with ginger, green chilli with very little water.
5. In a mixing bowl take mashed banana, fried gram powder, ginger and green chilli paste, garam masala salt to taste, mix well with your hands to make dough.
this should be like a potato tikki dough, if you feel there is extra moisture in the dough you can add a little besan to make it in to right consistency.
6. Mix well and make small vadas like masala vada.
7. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and drop this banana vadas in to hot oil and reduce the heat to low and fry till golden brown.
Remove from oil and serve with tomato sauce.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#54

Spinach And Mushroom Risotto

My final recipe for this week under vegetarian Italian dinner is a very popular Risotto. Risotto is a rice dish which is normally made for dinner. Rice is cooked in a stock on a low heat by stirring continuously. Adding little by little stock and keep on stirring the rice to cook, it releases the starch in the rice and makes the risotto distinctive creamy. You can add vegetables like broccoli, dried mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, pumpkin, green peas, spinach corn and many more like this. Today I used a combination of spinach and fresh mushrooms..
So let's check the recipe... 
INGREDIENTS:---
Mushrooms  ---- 200 grams
Spinach  ---   1 bundle
Olive oil --- 1 tab sp

Butter  ----  30 grams

Arborio rice --- 1 cup
Onion --- 1 medium finely chopped
Garlic -- 1 clove minced

 Vegetable stock ---2 and 1/2 cup s
Cream ---- 4 tsp
Parmesan cheese --- 50 gms finely grated

Lemon juice   ---  from one lemon
                                                                      

METHOD:---

1. Clean and wash spinach for two to three times, chop and set a side.

2. Wash mushrooms well and cut in to bite size slices and set a side.

3. Heat butter in a pan add finely chopped onions and minced garlic and fry till soft take care that onions should not change the color.
4. Now add the rice and stir for a few minutes or till rice coated with fat.
5. Add 1/4 cup stock and start cooking in a very low heat, let the rice absorb the stock  then start adding the stock little by little.

6. Let the rice absorb the stock before you pour the next, keep stirring every time you add the stock. Continue till rice is cooked, this process will take 20 minutes.

7. Heat olive oil in a other pan add mushrooms and stir for 2 minutes then add chopped spinach and cook till mushrooms are tender cook in a low heat.

8. Now add mushroom and spinach mixture to risotto mix well. 

9.Finally add grated parmesan cheese, cream and lemon juice mix well switch off the heat and serve with any salad and juice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#54

Arancini - Italian Deep Fried Risotto Balls

For the the second day of vegetarian Italian dinner my choice is a side dish for a pasta or a salad. Arancini aka deep fried risotto balls, usually this balls are made with leftover risotto. Actually leftover rissoto helps to make perfect shape balls, you can make this balls with fresh rissoto I feel that troubles you in making balls. Because leftover rissoto will become lumpy and by the time rice will absorb all the moisture and that don't stick much to your hands while making the balls. 
                                                    This cheese deep fried rice balls are served for dinner along with bread or pasta or with salad, which makes alight and delicious dinner. Think this is a traditional Italian dish which also served for New year and wedding dinners.  
                                                 In original recipe Jamie Oliver used wine for cooking the rice I didn't use wine and he added few variety cheese. But in India we get only parmesan and mozzarella with only these two cheese's the balls turned out cheese. I replaced fresh basil with dried basil. so if you can get all the fresh ingredients better use to get original taste.
So let's check the recipe..... 
Recipe adopted from : Jamie Oliver
FOR RISOTTO 
Olive oil --- 1 tab sp

Butter  ----  30 grams

Arborio rice --- 1 cup
Onion --- 1 medium finely chopped
Garlic -- 1 clove minced

 Vegetable stock ---2 and 1/2 cup s
Cream ---- 4 tsp
Parmesan cheese --- 50 gms finely grated

Lemon juice   ---  from one lemonHOW TO MAKE RISOTTO :
1. Heat butter oil in a pan add finely chopped onions and minced garlic and fry till soft take care that onions should not change the color.
2. Now add the rice and stir for a few minutes or till rice coated with fat.
3. Now add 1/4 cup stock and start cooking in a very low heat, let the rice absorb the stock  then start adding the stock little by little. 

4.  Let the rice absorb the stock before you pour the next, keep stirring every time you add the stock. Continue till rice is cooked this process will take 20 minutes.

5. Finally add grated parmesan cheese, cream and lemon juice mix well switch off the heat and set a side to cool.

By the time risotto it getting cool prepare filling for rice balls

                                                                   

FOR FILLING:----

Pistachios  ----   50 grams

Mozzarella  ----   100 grams finely chopped

Tomatoes   ----  100 grams finely chopped

Italian seasoning ----  1 tab sp

Lemon zest of one lemon

Soak pistachios in warm water for few minutes drain the water and chop then finely.

Mix all other ingredients with pistachios and set a side.

FOR COATING THE BALLS:

Plain flour   ----  100 grams

Extra flour   -----   2 tab sp

Water   ----   1/2 cup

Bread crumbs  ---  1 cup

FOR THE ARRABIATA SAUCE TO SERVE

Tomatoes   -----  200 grams

Garlic  --- 2 cloves chopped

Red chilli  ----  one sliced

Dry basil   --- 1/2 tea sp

Olive oil   -----  1 tab sp

MAKING OF ARRABIATA SAUCE:

1. Heat oil in a pan add chopped garlic, sliced red chilli, basil fry for two minutes in a medium heat.

2. In the same time finely chop tomatoes and add this chopped tomatoes to the pan, cook in a medium heat till tomatoes become soft.

3. Remove from the heat and let it cool then blend it in a blender till smooth.

Take this smooth arrabiata sauce in to a serving bowl and set a side.

                                                                    

NOW START MAKING THE RICE BALLS:

1. Take a scoop of cooled risotto in to your hand, place a spoon full of filling in the center close it from all sides and make a ball

Repeat the remaining risotto and filling.

FOR COATING:

 Mix 2tab sp of flour with 1/2 cup water mix well and make paste with out any lumps ans keep it ready.

Keep the 100 grams flour in a plate to dust the balls.

In one more plate keep the bread crumbs ready.

Now carefully dip each arancini ball in flour first  shake the ball welll to remove the extra flour.

Then dip in the flour paste and finally in bread crumbs, make sure that rice ball is completely coated and set a side.

Now heat  oil in a deep frying pan on a high heat then keep the heat in to low flame. 

Carefully drop the arancini balls  and deep fry till golden and crispy,remove from oil and transfer to a kitchen paper to drain extra oil.

Serve hot with arrabiata sauce.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#54

Creamy Pasta And Vegetable Salad

We are starting second wee of Blogging Marathon. This week I am going to cook three Italian vegetarian dinner recipes. I usually make pasta with lots of vegetables and arrabiata  or white sauce. Apart from that this creamy salad is my all time favorite. This salad is a perfect meal when you want to take a light meal with a slice of bread. I keep on changing the vegetables for this recipe today I used broccoli, tomato and carrot. But you can add any other vegetables like capsicum green, red and yellow to make this salad more colorful. And also can add roasted mushrooms and olives.  I used vinegar and olive oil but you have balsamic vinaigrette dressing in hand can use that so let's check my version of pasta salad.... 
INGREDIENTS:---
Farfalle (bow tie past) ----  400 gms 
Olive oil   ----   3 tea sp and two tea sp olive oil for cooking the pasta
vinegar   ----   1 tea sp
Mayonnaise ---  1/4 cup
Sugar   ----   1 tab sp
Freshly ground black pepper  ---  1/2 tea sp
Salt    ----   1/2 tea sp
Italian seasoning  ----   1 tea sp
Tomato   ----  2 bid cut in to cubes
Broccoli   ---  one medium size flower cut in to small flowers
Carrots  ---  2 medium cut in to bite size rounds
Salt to taste
Grated parmesan cheese
METHOD:----
1. Boil water in a large pot with salt and a tea sp of olive oil in a medium heat, bring to a full boil then add pasta.
2. Cook pasta  for 12 minutes or according to package instructions.
3. Switch off the heat and drain all the water and sprinkle a tea sp of olive and pour cold water on top of the pasta and leave it a side. 
4. While the pasta is cooking in a big mixing bowl whisk vinegar, 3 tea sp of olive oil, sugar, ground black pepper, mayonnaise, and Italian seasoning and whisk well to combine well.
5. Now take pasta and all the vegetables in a big mixing bowl, pour the dressing over the salad add salt to taste toss well to combine every thing well.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese again toss lightly and serve.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#54