Marbled Biscotti

Biscotti is an Italian coffee bread.  These are twice baked biscuits.  The biscuits are oblong-shaped biscuits, made dry and crunchy through cutting the loaf of dough while still hot and fresh from baking in the oven.  This recipe was shared by my friend Barbara.

Ingredients:
Butter softened - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 2 large
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Flour - 2 and 1/4 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Mini chocolate chips - 1and 3/4 cups
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
Instant coffee powder - 2 tbsp

Prehead oven 350 degree F

Method:
1.  Lightly grease two cookie sheets and set aside.
2.  In a bowl cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3.  In another bowl combine flour, baking powder and baking soda, add to the creamed mixture.
4.  Dough will be stiff.  Stir in the mini chocolate.  Divide the dough in half.  Add cocoa powder and coffee granules to one half of the dough, mixing to blend.
5.  On a well floured surface gently knead the doughs together just enough to marble.
6.  Divide dough in half and gently roll into 12x2 inch log; place on prepared cookie sheets.
7.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Dough will spread.
8.  Cool logs 15 to 20 minutes.  Slice each log to 12 pieces.
9.  Turn biscotti on their side for additional baking
10. Bake an additional 10 minutes (for softer biscotti omit second baking).
11. Cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

Optional:  Add 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted, at the same time you add the chocolate chips.

Kale Chips

I adapted this healthy recipe from food network but tailored the recipe to suit my taste.

Ingredients:

Kale -1 bunch washed and dried
Olive oil -2 tablespoon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Tear the leaves off the center rib of the kale and tear into large pieces.
3. Place leaves in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and toss until completely coated.
4. Sprinkle salt, asafoetida, chilli powdder, pepper and toss.
5. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
6. Place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until crisp.

Zarda - Sweet Saffron Rice

The Indian Cooking Challenge for March is a delicious sweet dish with rice from the Kashmiri Cuisine, Zarda ~ Sweet Saffron Rice. This recipe is adapted from Vaishali. The name Zarda comes from Persian and Urdu 'zard' meaning 'yellow', hence named since the food coloring added to the rice gives it a yellow color. This recipe includes the rich inclusion of saffron, nuts and tutti fruity etc.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Pistachio (chopped) - 6 to 8
Almond (chopped) - 6 to 8
Candied fruits, raisans, tutti fruity - handful
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 2"
Ghee - 3 tsp
Green cardamoms - 4 to 6
Milk - 1/2 cup
Yellow Food Color - a pinch
Saffron Strands - a pinch

Method:

1. Wash and soak the basmati rice for 15 mins.
2. Take sugar and enough water to cover, make syrup. Set aside.
3. Soak the saffron in a tsp of warm milk, keep it aside.
4. Take ghee and heat it. Add cinnamon, clove, and cardamoms and saute, then add drained rice and 1 cup of water.
5. When the water starts drying then add milk, yellow colour. Cover and cook in simmer. Finally add sugar syrup.
6. Roast all the dry fruits in ghee.
7. When the rice is cooked garnish with nuts, raisans, and tutti fruity.