Indian Naan Bread

With Indian food becoming so popular over the past few years it is easy to find naan bread at the store but why not make your own as it is easy to make and so much better fresh!

300g/10.5 oz strong plain white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon dried yeast
4 tablespoons natural yogurt (at room temperature)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
About 125ml/4fl oz) warm milk
About 3 tablespoons melted ghee or butter, for brushing

Instructions:

Add ingredients to breadmaker in order specified in your instruction book. Use basic dough setting. Once the dough is done kneading remove and place into a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch down the dough and divide into 6 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface roll out each piece of dough to form a flat oval or teardrop shape, about 5mm/1/4 inch thick. Cover and leave for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 230 C/450 F. Put two baking sheets in the oven to heat. Place the naan breads on the hot baking sheets and brush with melted ghee or butter. Bake about 10 minutes or or until puffed up. Wrap in a clean towel and serve warm.

Yield: 6 naan breads.

Variation: For spiced naan bread add 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 teaspoon hot chili powder. For garlic and coriander naan bread add 1 1/2 ground coriander, 1 large garlic clove, 1-2 teaspoons black onion seeds and 1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh coriander.

Joao Portugal Ramos "Loios" Tinto 2008

Here is a Portuguese wine my husband picked up from our local wine store over the weekend. The last Portuguese wine we got there we really enjoyed so I was delighted he brought home another. This wine turned out to be another great one to add to our collection of favorites. It is described as having a "fresh and intensely fruity aroma with vegetal undertones. Soft and easy, nice length." I would only one more word to the description: smooth! If you run across this one at your local wine store definitely pick one up.

My Mom's Potato Salad

Fourth of July is a time for BBQs and fireworks. No American BBQ is complete without baked beans and potato salad. My mom makes the best potato salad ever and doesn't mind me sharing her simple recipe.

6 medium potatoes
6 hard boiled eggs
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dill mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced

Instructions:

Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are tender but not mushy. Drain potatoes and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, dill mustard, and sugar; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, and potatoes. Peel and roughly dice 4 of the 6 hard-boiled eggs and add to the bowl. Mix together all ingredients. Taste for seasoning. Pour the potato salad into a serving dish and garnish the top with the last 2 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced.

Yield: Serves About 8

Georgia's "Teliani Valley Saperavi Red Dry"

Matt and I stumbled across this wine the other day at a grocery store in the city center and mistook it for Israeli wine so we excitedly bought it. After drinking it over the weekend and enjoying it so much I thought I should add it to my blog. It wasn't until I looked it up for this post that I realized it is Georgian in origin. I didn't know wine could be produced from that part of the world. Here is what the wine's website has to say about this wine:

"This beautiful, powerful saperavi offers aromas of black cherry and cassis, followed by full, ripe fruit flavors and a hint of spiced Oak. The tannins are ripe and integrate a generous dose of cedar and vanilla that fans out in the finish. Enjoy this powerful wine with barbecue."

I found it to be a nice, full bodied dry red which is what I really like. I don't know how much Georgia exports their wines but if you come across it you should definitely try it.

Oatmeal Cookies

Baking cookies is so American I have come to find out while living abroad. But when cookies are so easy to make and delicious to eat why the heck not?! This is the best recipe I have ever used for oatmeal cookies.

1 cup (215 g) margarine
3/4 cup (165 g) brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) white sugar
1 package (3.5 oz)/98 g vanilla flavored instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup (155 g) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 1/2 cup (285 g) rolled oats
1 cup (165 g) raisins

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray two cookie sheets with non-stick spray. In a large bowl cream together margarine, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Blend in instant pudding, then beat in eggs until the batter is light and fluffy. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix into the batter. Stir in oats and raisins. Dough will be stiff. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm. Cool on wire racks.

Yield: About 60 cookies

Variation: Instead of or in addition to raisins use chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.