Avocado Fries with Tomatillo Salsa Dip

I came back from work and stopped by at a local grocery store to pick some avocados. As soon as I reached home I started making these. At first I wasn't sure what I was doing...it was more of an experiment, mixing ingredients from the pantry, imagination, and my thoughts. Luckily I was taking pictures at every stage. I like to do that to understand my recipe better and to learn from my mistakes. The first batch turned out super delicious!! I mean it...I did not expect it. The main reason is because I used my secret ingredient (corn chips+breadcrumbs) to make it crisp from outside! This was totally my idea... I had never seen or read this before. As I tasted the first piece, I picked up the phone to share my excitement. "Hubby, come home soon, I made avocado fries and they have turned out awesome"! He said in a low voice, "Oh, that's great, I will finish my work and come home" :) So I fried all the slices, created a setting for my pictures, plated them right, made salsa and creamy dip, clicked pictures, and when I was almost done I heard the garage door open. My husband was home just in time for the delicious fries! He could not wait to taste these :) But, he had to... while I took few more pictures as he dipped the fry and took a bite :)

I had never thought of frying avocado, but a dinner at On the Border (Mexican Restaurant) two year back made me try this out. This recipe has been on my to-do list since long, and I was finally successful in making these delicious fries that were crisp from outside and soft and creamy from inside. My husband could just not believe it!!

Avocados have amazing health benefits, but I would not suggest making these fries for the nutritional value, but because you will like it! Avocados are beneficial when eaten raw, cooking avocado at high temperatures may result into loss of nutrients.

Ingredients to make salsa:
4 medium tomatillos
1 tomato
1 medium onion
1 jalepeno
3-4 dry red chilli
3-4 garlic cloves
1/2 lime
1+1/2 salt
Handful of cilantro

• Roast all ingredients on a hot griddle or a grill.
• Put them in a ziplock bag for ingredients to steam well.
• Remove and grind them well with salt, lime juice, and cilantro.
• Serve salsa with chips!

To make creamy dip: mix 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/2 cup salsa and serve!

Ingredients to make Avocado Fries
2 medium avocados (ripe but still firm to touch)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. chilli flakes
1 cup corn chips
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Oil for deep frying

• In a bowl mix flour, salt, chille flakes, and water to make a batter.
• Slice avocados and keep them aside.
• Put corn chips in a zip lock bag and crush them well with a rolling pin. Add bread crumbs to the ziplock bag and mix well.
• Dip each avocado slice into batter to make a thin coat and put it in a bag containing crumbs. Mix the bag to coat avocados evenly with corn chips+bread crumbs mixture.
• Remove in a plate.
• Gently pick each well coated slice and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown and crisp. 
• Serve with salsa or creamy salsa dip.
• Enjoy!!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Roast all ingredients on a hot griddle or a grill.

Put them in a ziplock bag for ingredients to steam well.

Remove and grind them well with salt, lime juice and cilantro.

Avocado Fries

In a bowl mix flour, salt, chille flakes, and water to make a batter.

Put corn chips in a zip lock bag and crush them well with a rolling pin. Add bread crumbs to the ziplock bag and mix well.

Dip each avocado slice into batter and put it in a bag containing crumbs. Mix the bag to coat avocados evenly with bread crumbs and corn chip mixture.

Gently pick each well coated slice and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown and crisp. 

Yummilicious!!

Peach Cobbler

It's the season to BBQ, 

It's the season of peaches, 

It's the season to spend time in your backyard, 

It's the season of beaches!!

OMG, the above stanza is original...I don't know how I did that but I like it. Recently, I had my friends come over... we cooked together and had a great time. Since my friends had left me some peaches and ice-cream from that day, I felt like whipping up a quick dessert on my little grill! 

Many years back when we first moved to the US I would love watching Food Network and Bobby Flay's rustic BBQ cooking. He used to grill lot of fruit for dessert and that was the time I saw him bake this on his grill. As an Indian, a fruit cobbler is a very new concept to me...of coarse I am going to use Google search like everyone does, and Wikipedia says that it originated back when people from England moved to US and did not have enough ingredients to make a pudding. So a deconstructed fruit based rustic dish made of fruit, flour, butter, and sugar became popular. Very interesting!! I just quickly whipped this up with ingredients I had at home.

Ingredients (serves 2)

4 fresh peaches

1 cup boxed cake mix (or use 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup sugar)

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp. butter for sauteing

2 tbsp. for topping

Ice-cream of your choice (1like vanilla)

• Wash and slice peaches. (I like to use fresh peaches...I just love them.)
• Heat a cast iron pan on a charcoal grill.
• Add butter and peach slices. Sprinkle sugar and cook till it softens and get caramelized.
• Add a cup of cake mix. 
• Top with some pieces of butter all over. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. (Cooking time depends on the amount of heat on the grill. I put some burning charcoal on the top on the lid for even heating.)
• When done, remove in a plate and serve with ice-cream :)
• Enjoy!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Heat a cast iron pan on a charcoal grill.

Add butter and peach slices. Sprinkle sugar and cook till it softens and get caramelized.

Cake mix and measuring cups!

Add a cup of cake mix. 

Top with some pieces of butter all over. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. (Cooking time depends on the amount of heat on the grill. I put some burning charcoal on the top on the lid for even heating.)

When done, remove in a plate and serve with ice-cream :)

Super Yum!

Green House Sandwich on Crusty Bread

Baking is fascinating!! It is science of a tiny living microorganism. Understanding this tiny creature and understanding the basic ingredients can help you create wonders in the kitchen. Yeast has been my best friend since few years now. We have been best buddies...I have given what it needs and it has given me delicious and beautiful end results. I hope our love and affection stays like this always!! :)

Outside the kitchen I like to grow veggies...fresh, tender, juicy, organic, I mean it is just amazing to see the little seed sprout and grow into a beautiful nutritious leaf. Now that we have a green house, I can keep my sprouting seeds protected from snails and slugs and harsh climatic conditions. I started growing fresh salad greens and herbs in containers...spinach, arugula, lettuce, cilantro, basil, green garlic, jalapeno.

Few days back I came across King Arthur Flour video on crusty bread and I learnt that the bread is made crusty by creating steam inside the oven while it bakes. So with my regular pav bread recipe I had to try this out :) It was just amazing, out of the world experience, the aroma of fresh bread was everywhere in the house. With so easy recipe, I am sure I am never going to buy crusty bread from the store anymore. The sandwich was made with homemade bread, homegrown greens, sprouts, loquat fruit from my backyard.

Recipe for Crusty Bread
Ingredients

1+1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. sugar
1 pack yeast
3 cups all purpose flour/maida
Extra flour for kneading the dough
1 tsp. Salt
Grilled garlic, Grilled Jalapeno, grates Parmesan cheese.

• Start with 1 1/4 cup warm water (100F) in a large bowl. Add 1 packet Yeast, (2 1/4 tsp.) and 2 tbsp. sugar. Mix and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.
• 1 tsp. salt and 3 cups all-purpose flour.
• Mix together to make a sticky dough.
• Lightly dust your clean counter. Empty the dough and knead it for 8-10 minutes. This is the most important stage to develop gluten, and make the dough elastic. It is okay to use around 1/4 cup flour while kneading (if needed).
• Keep the dough in a greased large bowl. Cover and let it rest for an hour.
• Knead the dough again for 7-8 minutes.
• Divide into 5 parts. Stuff with your favorite stuffing and make a log of dough. You could use a baking tray or a pizza stone to bake the bread. If using baking tray, grease and dust the tray and place the log of dough in it. Dist it well on the top. Cover with a dry napkin or cloth and let it rise for 45 minutes. If baking on a pizza stone, preheat the pizza stone too. Make a log of dough on a plastic mat from where it can easily be transferred to the pizza ston in the oven.
• Place a big metal pan in the oven under the baking pan. 
• Preheat oven to 450F
• When dough is about to go into the oven for baking, use a sharpe knife, angle it and lightly and quickly make 3-4 cuts in the dough. transfer the dough on the baking stone inside the preheated oven.
• Pour 4 cups of hot water into the metal pan that was placed under the baking shelf. be careful as the metal pan is hot and might create bubbling and steam. 
• Immediately close the oven door.
• Bake the bread for 40 to  50 minutes or till you get a beautiful even color and crust. Baking time may vary depending on the amount of dough and shape of the bread.
• Remove bread on a wire rack and let it cool.
• Enjoy with garlic infused olive oil or in sandwiches.

Caramelized onions and Loquat Relish
Heat 1 tbsp. oil and add 1/2 cup of sliced onions. Saute till they brown well. Add chopped loquats or any fruit or your choice like orange or pineapple or pears. Add 1 tsp sugar and let the mixture cook well and fruit get soft. this will be a sweet and sour relish to spread in the sandwich.

Garlic, Cilantro, Basil Chutney
Blend 1/2 cup cilantro, few basil leaves, 2-3 green garlic, 1 Jalapeno, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. lime juice. Add water if needed to make a smooth paste.

Here are step-by-step pictures.

Parmesan bread.

Roasted garlic and Jalapeno bread.

Pour water into the metal pan.

Baked crusty bread ready!

Baby Spinach

Arugula

Lettuce

Alpha Alpha Sprouts

Soak 2 tbsp. alpha alpha seeds in 1/2 cup of water for 6-7 hours or overnight. Remove water and spread the seeds in a sieve or a seed sprouter. Seed sprouter in just a perforated box for air circulation. A sieve works the same way. cover it from the top. rinse the seeds or sprouts at least once everyday. That would give them water to sprout. The seeds sprout in a day and it takes 4-5 days for sprouts to grow long and delicious.

Everything homemade...and even delicious kettle cooked potato chips made by my husband!

Inside our green house

Apply onion and Loquat relish. Add fresh green, avocado slice, tomatoes, sprouts.

Apply Chutney.

Fresh & Delicious Sandwich!