ASPARAGUS CHICKEN ROULADE WITH CREMINI MUSHROOM SAUCE

This gorgeous hearty dish which I named Asparagus Chicken Roulades with Cremini Mushroom sauce is one of our family favorite. It’s such an easy fix and so flavourful and certainly a crowd pleaser dish. The unique taste infused with juniper berries and fresh flavours of oregano mixed with the layer of creamy ricotta filling makes it an interestingly flavourful centerpiece dish when you serve it to your family and friends. The creamy mushroom sauce combined together with these roulades makes it an interesting combination which levels it up to a totally restaurant style dish.

Make your dinner evenings more fascinating and memorable for your loved ones by serving this dish. I'm sure you will be all praises and you can thank me later for that.

PREP TIME: 30 minutes

COOK TIME: 15-20 minutes

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS

For roulades:

• 3 small chicken breast fillets

• 24 baby asparagus (thin and small size)

• Salt and pepper

• 2 tbsp oil

For filling:

• 100g ricotta cheese

• 1 tbsp spreadable cream cheese

• 2 tbsp, finely grated Parmesan cheese

• 5-6 dried juniper berries, pound

• 1/2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

• Salt and pepper to taste
  

For Mushroom Sauce:

• 150g / 1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced

• 2 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp cooking oil

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 sprigs fresh oregano

• 1 cup cooking cream

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

• Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Wash the chicken and pat dry with kitchen paper towel. Slice it in half from the fat end to make two thin breasts. Hammer the breast with mallet until thin and wide but not bruised else the filling will ooze out.

2. In a small bowl mix all the filling ingredients. Divide and spread evenly on the chicken breasts.

3. Width wise, place 3-4 asparagus on top and roll it down to make roulades. Season them with salt and pepper.

4. In a wide pan, heat 2 tablespoon oil, place roulades, with open side down. Pan sear and cook them from all sides. Make sure its cooked from inside. Remove.

5. To make mushroom sauce, in the same pan, add butter and oil, add oregano sprigs and garlic. Once butter is melted add mushrooms, sauté on high heat until roasted and slightly golden in colour.

6. Add cream, chicken stock, milk and cheese. Stir to mix and just heat through. If sauce is bit thick add little more milk or stock to adjust the consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

7. To serve, place the mushroom sauce in a platter, place the roulades on top and enjoy with salad or rice.

COOK'S NOTES

1. For this dish , its best to use smaller size chicken breast as the bigger breast will make the rolls very thick and will not cook properly through the center.

2. Hammer the breast by placing a piece of cling film on top of the sliced chicken breast, this way the chicken doesn't bruise and also the chicken flesh doesn't stick to the hammer.

3. It's important to use baby asparagus as they are tender and cook easily along with chicken roulades. If using thicker or fatter version of asparagus, peel of the stems, steam them and then use as described in the recipe. Use only one or two asparagus if using the thicker ones.

4. I used Cremini mushrooms for more earthy flavours in the dish but you can certainly replace them with ordinary button mushrooms.

5. If the sauce has gone thinner adjust the consistency by adding bit more cheese and cream. Vice-versa, if its gone thicker, adjust by adding bit more milk and stock.

COCONUT WALNUT BANANA LOAF CAKE (GLUTEN-FREE)

Coconut Banana Loaf Cake as the name suggest is a perfect blend of tropical flavours. Using the coconut flour and coconut sugar adds that extra depth of flavours and keeping it away from those refined sugars and glutinous flours. Whether you are gluten intolerant or not this loaf cake is a winner for all.

It's such an easy to make one bowl recipe which requires no fancy equipments to make. Its those quintessential cakes which is made in minutes and just perfect for that holiday trips to take along while traveling miles driving down for your getaway. It's easily kept and stored without refrigeration for upto 2 days.

Do give this yummiest and healthy cake a try and I'm sure you're gonna love it and wont go back to your usual banana bread recipes.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

BAKE TIME: 45 minutes

SERVES: 12 slices

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ripe bananas

• 2 eggs

• 3/4 cup coconut sugar

• 100g unsalted butter, melted

• 75ml sunflower oil

• 1 tsp vanilla essence

• 1/2 cup coconut flour

• 1/2 cup almond powder

• 3/4 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bob’s Mill brand)

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Equipment needed

• 8 X 4 inch loaf pan

METHOD

1. Line 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. In a large bowl, mash bananas with the back of a fork, add eggs and vanilla. Lightly beat them with fork to mix with bananas.

3. Add sugar, butter and oil to the banana mixture. Mix them all together until combined.

4. Sift flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda together, add it to the wet mixture and fold in gently with the spatula until combined. Drop in the chopped walnuts and fold them in.

5. Pour the batter in prepared pan, top with some extra walnuts if you desire and bake for 40-45 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.
   

COOK'S NOTES

• Ripe bananas work best for this recipe and is a perfect use of them in a cake.

• Coconut sugar adds the depth of flavour to the cake but if you can't get hold of that, you can replace it with soft brown sugar or jaggery powder (shakkar).

• Please note I used coconut flour not powder as many people think its the same but these two are entirely different. Coconut powder is also sometimes called or known as dessicated coconut.

• For the gluten-free all purpose flour I used the brand named Bob's Mill. If you are using another brand or a variant of gluten-free flour, the texture and taste of the cake might vary.

• All oven temperatures are different, keep an eye on the cake and check on it about 5 minutes before the completion of timer. Keep more or less time according to your oven temperatures. Mine was done in 45 minutes.

• Walnuts can be skipped or replaced with pecan nuts or dried fruits like apricots.

LAUKI KOFTAS

Lauki koftas is a delicious and a popular Indian curry made with bottle gourd dumplings (koftas) and simmered in onion and tomato gravy. Its originally from the times of Mughals and travelled through Arabic countries like Iran and Afghanistan. Nizam's or Mughals would generally make koftas with meat but in India there are many vegetarian versions of kofta curries. Lauki kofta curry happened to be one of those vegetarian versions of kofta curries which is relished by most.

It's a vegan and gluten-free curry easily suitable to people with such allergens. It can be served with roti, naan, paranthas or rice.

PREP TIME: 20 minutes

COOK TIME: 30 minutes

SERVES: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

For Koftas

• 1 medium Lauki (bottle gourd), peeled and grated, 4 cups roughly

• 1 green chilli, chopped

• 2 tbsp coriander, chopped

• 1 tsp ginger chopped, finely

• 3/4 cup besan or chana atta (I used half and half both)

• 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste

• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder

• 1 tsp coriander powder

• Oil for frying

For Gravy

• 2 red onions, roughly cut into chunks

• 1 large beef tomato

• 1” piece ginger, roughly cut

• 2-3 fat cloves garlic

• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

• 4 tbsp oil

• 1 tbsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp salt or to tastebuds

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1/4 tsp garam masala

• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder

• 1 tsp sugar

• 4-5 cups water

• Freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

• 1 tsp fresh cream for garnishing

METHOD

For Koftas:

1. Place grated Lauki in Muslin cloth and squeeze all water. Reserve the water for gravy.

2. Add all the ingredients and mix them all together. Shape them into small balls.

3. Heat oil in wok and gently drop half the balls in oil and deep fry the koftas on medium high heat until golden brown.

4. Drain on absorbent paper.
   

For Gravy:

1. In a small blender, coarsely blend onion, ginger and garlic. Don’t make a fine paste.

2. Blend the tomato into a purée and keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a deep skillet pan, add cumin, sauté for few seconds, add coarsely ground onion ginger mix and chopped green chilli. Stir and roast until it turns light brown in colour. Keeping the flame on low, add salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, and turmeric, stir to mix the spices for a minute.

4. Add the blended tomato and tomato paste. Roast until the oil is separated from the onion and tomatoes masala. Now add sugar and 4-5 cups of water along with reserved lauki water, cover and let it come to a rolling boil. Check seasoning, add salt or sugar if required.

5. Add the koftas , stir and cover the lid and simmer on low fire for 15-18 minutes. Add garam masala and give a gentle stir.

6. Serve and garnish with chopped coriander and cream.

COOK'S NOTES

• Use the tender Lauki for this recipe. If the lauki has larger and thicker seeds, discard them before grating.

• I generally make this curry with just besan but I tried adding chana atta along with besan and the results were equally amazing. Hence its a tip, if you run out of besan and you have some chana atta at hand, you can easily replace it for making koftas.

• If you are vegan, skip the cream for garnishing. Instead use dairy free cream, coconut cream for garnishing or serve just as is.

• Do not discard the lauki water as it has all the nutrients. Add it to the gravy to bring more flavour.