Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Seafood and Chorizo Paella

20 | 01 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

My love affair with Paella began when I first had it about six years ago in this cute little restaurant that we frequented.They served the most delectable Seafood Paella steaming hot with lobsters,shrimp, mussels and clams all decoratively arranged on a huge platter that was so visually appealing that we couldn’t wait to dig in.

paella 1

In my pursuit to find the one perfect recipe I tried hard probing the net.I even found a recipe and tried it, but the first time I made it I wasn’t much impressed with the sticky consistency of the rice.I had used Long grain Basmati rice and didn’t quite get the rice to liquid ratio resulting in a rather sticky Paella.

Determined to try again I set on my quest once more to find the perfect Paella recipe and that led me to a blog that I absolutely love called Adora’s Box with tons of lovely recipes.

paella 2

The few changes I made were:
I used Arborio Rice.
Added some Chorizo Sausages.
Cooked on the stove-top.
Didn’t use red bell peppers or squid because I didn’t have any!

This time the Paella came out beautiful!!Exactly as I’d imagined it to be.The Arborio rice was nice and fluffy, not at all sticky and the flavors blended beautifully.

Seafood and Chorizo Paella

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Arborio Rice-2 cups
  • Onion medium-1 chopped
  • Garlic- 4-5 Cloves Crushed
  • Saffron-1 tsp
  • Tomato paste-1 tbsp
  • 15 oz can of crushed tomato
  • Shrimp-12 pieces peeled and deveined
  • Chorizo Sausages-2 cut into rounds
  • Mussels-about 12
  • Fish Stock-3 cups
  • Frozen Peas-1 cup
  • Olive Oil-2 tbsps
  • Salt- to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat some of the stock in a pot and add the mussels.
  • Parboil them just until they open up.Strain them and mix the liquid back into the fish stock.
  • In a paella pan or deep skillet heat olive oil and add the Shrimp.Cook until pink on both sides.
  • Keep aside. In the same oil add the Chorizo sausage and brown them on both sides.
  • Keep aside.Add the onions and garlic into the skillet along with tomato paste and can of tomatoes.
  • Fry for about 2 minutes and add the rice and saffron.Add the fish stock and bring it to a boil.
  • Once it starts boiling reduce the heat, cover the skillet with a tight fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes or until all the stock is absorbed.
  • Open the lid and arrange the Shrimp, sausage, mussels and peas and put the lid back on.
  • Let it cook for 5 more minutes.
  • You can serve the Paella as it is or transfer in a tray.Garnish with fresh parsley!


 

Citrus Bloghop-Orange Lettuce Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

07 | 01 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

After stuffing myself a bit-too-much during the holidays, I’m now in a mood to eat light and healthy.So when my friends suggested citrus as the theme for this month’s blog-hop, I was super excited, because I could post my favorite salad and at the same time not deviate from my healthy-eating plan.When I say healthy food, salad comes to my mind and what better way to start the New Year with a healthy salad recipe.What can I say about this beauty!I call it the King of all Salads as it has all the things you look for in a salad or at least all the things that I look for in my salad.Its sweet, tangy, crunchy, peppery all-in-one.It has the ability to transform a dull meal into this lively elegant supper!
Orange and Lettuce Salad with Honey Lime Dressing 1
Pair it with your favorite rice,pasta or sandwich and there you have it!A piquant tasting salad that’s beautiful in taste and looks.The dressing in this salad has now become my favorite dressing for all kinds of salads!The hint of ketchup and the sweetness of the honey combined with the tanginess of the vinegar and lime juice makes all the difference and gives it lots of flavor.
Orange and Lettuce Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Citrus Bloghop-Orange Lettuce Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

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Ingredients
  

  • Ingredients:
  • Minneola Orange-1 peeled and sliced into rounds
  • Lettuce-2 cups
  • Crumbled Feta-3 tbsp
  • Pimento stuffed Green Olives-10-12
  • Ready salted sunflower seeds-2 tbsp
  • Golden raisins soaked in water-2 tbsp

Honey Lime Dressing:

  • Lime juice-1 tsp
  • White Wine Vinegar-1 tsp
  • Honey-1 tsp
  • Ketchup- 1tsp
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil-3 tbsp
  • Salt and pepper-to taste

Instructions
 

  • Assemble all the salad ingredients and arrange on a platter.Whisk together the dressing and pour all over.Enjoy with your favorite meal!

I am so excited to share this recipe as part of our citrus bloghop for this month.I am co-hosting this event with these amazing bloggers and request you to check out their amazing creations.
You can link up any of your citrus recipes from the month of January 2012.Our twitter hashtag is #Citruslove.
A Little Bit of Everything ~ Roxana ~ @RoxanaGreenGir astigvegan.com ~ Astig Vegan ~ @astigvegan
Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBakerCafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlogCake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchessCakeballs, Cookies and More ~ SueEasily Good EatsElephant Eats ~ AmyGeorgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakesHobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19Mike’s Baking ~ Mike ~ @mikesbakingMis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakkNo One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbleyOh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshoseParsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives ~ Lisa ~ @parsleynsagePeaches and Donuts ~ Sylvia ~ @PeachesandDonutSavoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @SpicegirlflaSimply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreemSmart Food and Fit ~ Lisa ~ @LisaNutritionSoni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @ThatskinnychickThe Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~ @TAofCRFThe More Than Occasional Baker ~ Ros ~ @bakingaddictThe Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd  The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarianVegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattackVegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMammaYou Made That? ~  Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog

Sending this post to February Food of the Month (Salad) 

 

 

 

Poached Pears in Red Wine

18 | 12 | 2011
By Soni Sinha

The second recipe in my 2 back-to-back desserts is Poached Pears in Red Wine.Probably the perfect and most elegant dessert during the holiday season!!The fruit,the spice and Red Red Wine is what makes it so special.Its got just the right colors that compliment the holidays,so why not try making these for a change to serve your guests!


Its a dessert that not many people make on a regular basis.Wonder why, considering its pretty easy to make.Or maybe it just waits for a special occasion to get its due! Its a dessert that’s forgotten in the scheme of things during holidays since most people think of cookies and cakes to be made at this time.


In any case, I have decided to do justice to this and present it to my guests!As I’ve mentioned earlier we love fruit based desserts and this is one of our favorites.The sweetness from the pears and the Red Wine perfectly compliment the spices and the result is a luscious, rich,red dessert that is just so exquisite!You can also create this dish with peaches instead of pears or a combination of both!Its a delightful dish that can also be a stunning centerpiece at your next party!


Poached Pears in Red Wine
Print this Recipe



Ingredients:
Pears- 4 Peeled
Cloves-6


Red Wine Sauce:
Red Wine-1 cup
Water-1 cup
Sugar-1/2 cup
Cinnamon-1  stick
Star Anise-1


Process:


Poke the cloves into the pears and keep aside.




Meanwhile place the sauce ingredients in a pot and bring it a boil.Add the pears.Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until cooked but firm.
Take the pears out and arrange in a serving dish.Continue to cook the sauce until it thickens.Drizzle the sauce over the pears.Cool and serve!
You can also serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.


English Trifle

24 | 11 | 2011
By Soni Sinha

My favorite dessert of all time is the English Trifle.Its a perpetual craving for this dessert, that I satisfy to my heart’s content whenever I visit the UK.I love cakes with custard and this just takes it to another level altogether.The English have enjoyed this dessert for over three centuries now and I consider it to be one of their culinary treasures that HAS to be savored.


The English Trifle is made up of many layers using Jellies or Jams, Cake, Custard and Whipped topping.Its topped off with fresh fruits or nuts giving it that incredible look, making you want to dig in right away.You can layer it in a large trifle bowl as I do or in individual glasses.Its a great make ahead dessert that can be prepared a day before your party and kept in the refrigerator for the flavors to combine nicely.

I am making a Strawberry Trifle here. My layers consist of Strawberry Jelly, Vanilla cake and Custard, topped with whipped topping and fresh Strawberries.I mix up a 16oz pack of strawberries into my jelly mix for that authentic texture.You can use any flavor for your trifle.I’ve also made these using Blueberry jelly.So next time you visit the UK make sure to try these!

English Trifle

Print this Recipe

Ingredients:
Fresh Strawberries-1 16 oz pack
Strawberry Jelly- 1 pkt
Vanilla cake or sponge cake-1 lb cubed
Custard-2 cups(prepared)
Whipped Topping-for the topping
Fresh Strawberries- 1/2 pkt cut into halves lengthwise

Process:
Make the jelly according to instructions.Keep aside.Bake your own sponge cake or get a store bought cake.Prepare the custard according to instructions.
The next process involves layering these into the trifle bowl.Start with the Strawberry jelly at the bottom.

Follow with the cake and then custard.

Repeat the layers again in the same order of Jelly, Cake and Custard.

 

Top it up with whipped topping and arrange the fresh strawberries on top.Your Trifle is ready.Keep it in the refrigerator overnight and serve chilled!