Heavy Cream Whipped

Anand Prahlad made us Banoffie Pie. It was delicious, it was pretty. It took tremendous effort to put together. Part of this multi step process is whipping the heavy cream till it forms stiff peaks. I thought the photos I took were lovely and maybe I can just indulge in sharing them with you.
He added his own touch, a generous sprinkling of instant coffee. And he whipped and whipped and whipped. Not too fast. Just vigorously and much without a break. He was worried that too much will make it into butter. We both stepped in and helped him, but he controlled the transformation for the most part.  It was a tough job. It required stamina and strength of the arms. Slowly and steadily from heavy cream it formed into a semi solid, light and fluffy none the less stiff peak.
The actual Banoffie Pie later:

I'm Rachel Ray tonight- Roasted Vegetables Everynight.

I almost feel like Rachel Ray. I feel like 'the 30 min meal expert' thanks to all of you who want this simple recipe. I feel like I have a Dear Jyotika column. 

The comments on this pic went something like this:
Nikhil Merchant I love ur dinnerez ..
Priti Singhai yumm!!! do u use oil/butter/salt for ur roasts? any other spices/seasonings
Jigna Badiani mmmmMm!
Jyotika Purwar Priti very simple- little olive oil. tossed in our home made chat masala. the key is to leave all the skins on- onion and garlic especially- they become soft and buttery and so good. Have with your fav hot sauce. Ours is Sriracha. Mom made a side of maggi atta noodles. what fun. So easy to make.
Jyotika Purwar Nikhil- come over - we shall cook u a feast.
Nitya Paniker Yum! Can you go over the recipe again?
Jyotika Purwar yup just pile them on. very simple. higher the pile almost better. Im gonna post it on my blog and send u a link. this is a weekday life saver recipe. takes 10 min to prep and 45 min to cook and 10 min to eat.
Nitya Paniker Super thanks, do share the link! What's the Magic Masala? Can I just use Chat masala instead?
Jyotika Purwar yes and no. chaat masala is missing all the magic. i wish i could give u a sample and you will know. I will also tell how to edit the chaat masala to work.
Nitya Paniker Awesome send some of that magic over!
Looks deceptively simple, gotta try it.. :)
Jyotika Purwar it is simple. just do it
Himani Karwal Jyo.... Now u forcing me to make this!! Quickly post the recipe on your blog!! Btw did you cover the whole bakin tray with the foil? At what temp are we supposed to cook them? And yes did you use the grills too?
Jyotika Purwar ok ok ladies.. wow popular demand for a recipe. will send u all links. working on it now
Meghna Pathak hmm...lunch today- brisket sandwich with jalapeno relish and thai spring rolls. for the first time ever, almost as good. so :P
Jyotika Purwar love brisket. sounds yum. as usual . i miss u megs
Shaheen Peerbhai Love roasted veggies. The only thing I'd do differently is to slice the tomatoes so that it get's a concentrated flavour.
(Oh yes! thats Shaheen- The Purple Foodie)

I made these roasted veggies atleast a couple of times this past week. Each time I posted it online - I had a slew of questions. Let me tell you this makes a great 30 min meal. Its a fantastic option for all you hardworking men and women. It is so easy and so hassle free. Goes well with your favourite type of chicken and fish. Or a burger.  As you can see we had it with traditional tandoori roti and dal one day and another with Atta maggi. This is play food. All the vegetables that are slightly fleshy can go in to this medley. So play with the textures, colors and combination. Go play!
So what veggies do I recommend
Onions, baby potatoes, garlic, zucchini, green beans, ocra, baby eggplant, green chilies, sweet potato. butternut squash, bell peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn, some lime (I will keep adding as I remember)
Don't peel anything. Keep the skins on even on the onions and garlic. Infact just throw the entire pod of garlic. Give a very basic chop to the other veggies. Dont even chop the ocra. Just go for all these fresh veggies that need to be eaten.

Oil- I always use EVOO- Oh yes Rachel Ray again. But you can indulge- use some butter, some ghee.

Papa's Magic Masala- I use this in all my food. My dad developed this unique and beautiful mix of some 40 spices that gives the food that extra punch. Gives it magic. Can you use chaat masala - yes. But Chaat masala lacks the magic. But here is a simple combination:
Corriander powder
Chili powder
Jeera powder (1/2 of the above)
Pink salt
Amchur- mango powder
Add some of that chaat masala you own to this.
Add salt according to taste.
Be generous with your proportions. Taste as you add. Adjust the amounts according to your personal taste.
But this is still not Papa's Magic Masala. For that you must come over.
Add a dash of your favourite hot sauce as well. It does magic. Be brave and experiment. Go where no man has ever gone. Mix well.

Prep:
So toss your veggies in the oil and masala. Empty it on baking dish or tray. You can line the tray with Aluminium foil as well. You can pile the veggies high. Cover the whole thing Aluminium Foil. Pierce a few holes to allow the steam to escape. Covering it with foil will ensure that veggies are moist and juicy.

Finally the cooking temperature:
If you have a good over. 350 F for 35- 40 min, Check the potatoes. Toss the vegetables at 25 min so that they cook even. We do not have a fancy oven so we experimented in mom's tandoor which took 30 min to cook the veggies. In the less than fancy oven it took an hour though we cannot really control the temperature (ya its not really an oven)
If you are cooking directly on a grill. Make sure the pieces are large and dont fall in the fire. Use the large potatoes. Keep the veggies whole.
Once again. Just have fun. Experiment. The beauty about this dish it takes 10 minutes to prep- 30 - 45 min to cook (and you dont have to be around). And voila its ready. Serve it with your favourite meal option. Enjoy.

Attempting it on mom's tandoor

Pepper Purwar on guard

Served with bhindi, dahi and dal

Sriacha makes a great accompaniment, dad (in green) adding more magic masala, and butter tandoori roti rounds this up.

What does this taste like. Think tawa veggies but hardly any oil, the vegetables tend to carmelise a bit so they have a natural sweetness complimented with all the masala and hot sauce. Everything is moist. It is fun to peel the onions and garlic. The garlic is soft like butter. A great spread it makes for some toasted French bread.
So my dear soldiers go battle it out and make yourself some lovely veggies.

The Morning After...

...A fabulous dinner cooked by Rushina. She packed me off with some leftovers which we had this morning.

Breakfast today:

We polished off an entire casserole of steaming hot polenta with tomatoes and bell peppers covered with Provolone Piccante cheese. Crispy toasts slathered with hung yogurt with dill and garlic sauce. Creamy, cool, garlicy perfectly salted, excellent dip on the crispy toast. Alternated with some sweet and sour, tangy mountain tomato jam on toast. A dash of Sriracha sauce on the side. A bowl of fruits, apples, cantaloupe, pineapple, bananas, watermelon, papaya, grapes. And now for hot cup of masala tea.
Thank you Rushina and Nikhil.
One reason I love Sunday breakfasts with my parents.
Me: Dad try some Polenta, Rushina made it
Dad: Ok, pass me the Kalanta
Me: Dad its called Polenta
Dad: A rose- by any other name would smell as sweet.
He can quote Shakespeare at a blow of a whistle, but he can never remember a name.

Nikhil's Mountain Tomato Jam- beautifully packaged!

Sweet and tangy on crisps

Creamy, piping hot Polenta

 hung dill yogurt dip

We polished off the polenta

Fresh fruits

This breakfast post was inspired by my blogger friend Revati's post. A perfect Sunday breakfast. The Polenta, dill yogurt, and toasts courtesy Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal of A Perfect Bite and the Mountain tomato jam courtesy Nikhil Merchant of the Nonchalant Gourmand. The fruits courtesy mom.