Roasted Vegetable Pizza Sauce

Roasted Vegetable Pizza Sauce is my way of sneaking vegetables Nabeel dislikes, into his food. Pizza is something he will never say no to; this way he gets his pizza frequently now, and I am happy that he is eating what I want him to.
This sauce is a super hit in our family and I use it in many more items than just pizzas. It works well as a soup base due to the roasted flavour or as light gravy over grilled chicken. Can be used as a dip or spread for sandwiches & quesadillas.
The base (of tomatoes) remains the same; I change other vegetables depending upon what is available. The recipe I have shared uses bottle gourd / lauki, however, you can use vegetables like cauliflower, potatoes, peas, carrots, brinjals, onions or even spinach as desired. Remember, to roast the vegetables as per their individual texture.

What I like the most about this sauce is the roasted tomatoes. Tomatoes, when roasted impart classic, smoky flavour to the dish they are being used in. The mature, concentrated flavours of all the roasted vegetables together bring out a very romantic taste and feel to the sauce. Besides, the sauce is so simple to make all you have to do is throw in vegetables on a tray and pop them in an oven, and then the oven takes over. No sautéing, slow cooking, sweaty foreheads while making this sauce. It’s a breeze and the resultant flavours sweep you off your feet.
Now, let’s get to the Roasted Vegetable Pizza Sauce Recipe, shall we?

Roasted Vegetable Pizza Sauce
Makes 1.5 cups

Ingredients
5 big ripe tomatoes
1 big capsicum
6 garlic cloves, peeled (sliced or crushed)
1 medium green chilli (optional)
1 cup bottle gourd cubes
Oregano, as required
Chilli flakes, as required
Salt, as required
Oil, as required

Method

Step 1 – Cut tomatoes and capsicums into big pieces and place on a greased baking tray. Add garlic and green chilli. Sprinkle salt and oregano. Drizzle generous amounts of oil.

Step 2 – Place the tray in an oven and roast vegetables at 250 C for 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 3 – Remove tray from oven and cool.

Step 4 – Meanwhile, place bottle gourd cubes on a greased baking tray. Sprinkle salt, oregano and chilli flakes. Drizzle generous amounts of oil. Roast in an oven at 250 C for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and cool.

Step 5 – Blend all the roasted and cooled ingredients together to a smooth sauce. You can also leave it a little chunky, if desired. Store in a container with lid and refrigerate. Can be stored in the fridge for a week or in the freezer up to a month.

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It’s time for some Thandai!

Thandai basically means “cool” and is essentially a milk based drink that is flavoured with a rich masala made of dry fruits and spices called Thandai. This special blend, typically consumed for Holi, has amazing properties to energize as well as cool the body, something very apt considering the upcoming Holi festival and the weather.

 

This year, I have observed, the Holi buzz is missing mainly due to the acute drought situation that has gripped the state. Most people have pledged to observe a “dry Holi” while many have decided not to play it at all. Well, it’s a wise thing to do! Considering the long weekend you might as well take a short vacation and spare some H2O.

Last year, Nabeel played Holi for the first time and I can say he had a blast. This year he is definitely looking forward to relive the same but whether it will involve water or not is still unclear. Anyways, to keep his spirits high I introduced him to Thandai.

The ingredients required to make Thandai Masala are easily found in any Indian kitchen and the process involved is quite simple.

Nabeel loves milk and moreover doesn’t mind consuming it in different flavours and styles. Thandai masala is a very humble yet powerful blend of ingredients that is recommended to be consumed daily, not necessarily only for Holi. So, I decided this was the perfect time to make some Homemade Thandai Powder for him.
The ingredients required to make Thandai masala are easily found in any Indian kitchen and the process involved is quite simple. I have worked around to arrive at my secret blend of spices and herbs which doesn’t include some common Thandai ingredients like cashew nuts, poppy seeds, melon seeds, etc but tastes just fine.
As expected, Nabeel loved his glass of chilled Thandai and has been relishing it for a few days now. I urge you to make Thandai masala at home, this year and experience the difference.

With a jar of Homemade Thandai Powder at my disposal I decided to experiment and treat hubby and myself with some Thandai Panna Cotta.

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert which is not as fancy as it sounds but infact the simplest of recipes I have ever come across. With some cream, flavours and a setting agent you can prepare the Thandai Panna Cotta under 10 minutes, which sets in less than an hour.

Before you set out to play Holi whip this dessert and leave it to chill so that on your return you are welcomed by traditional flavours wrapped in International feel in the form of Thandai Panna Cotta.

 

Easy Thandai Panna Cotta Recipe
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

For Homemade Thandai powder

1/4th cup shelled pistachios
1/4th cup almonds
3 teaspoons black peppercorns / sabut kalimirch
2.5 teaspoons cardamom / elaichi powder
3 teaspoons badi saunf / fennel seeds / variyali
A pinch of salt
1/4th teaspoon turmeric / haldi powder
½ teaspoon saffron / kesar strands

For the Thandai Pana cotta

200ml or 1 cup fresh cream, unsweetened (I used Amul tetra pack cream)
6 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons Thandai powder
1 teaspoon gelatine granules or agar – agar / china grass powder

Method

Step 1 – To make Thandai powder; grind everything together to get a fine powder. If you want to make a paste, then soak the ingredients together in ½ cup of water for 20minutes and then grind to a smooth paste.

Step 2 – To make Thandai Pana cotta, soak the gelatine / agar – agar in 3 teaspoons of water and let it swell for 5 minutes till you work with the cream.

Step 3 – Pour fresh cream in a clean, thick bottomed vessel and heat on simmer while stirring continuously. It’s better if you use a whisk to stir as it will ensure no lumps are formed.

Step 4 – Once the cream is hot, add in sugar and continue to stir and simmer.

Step 5 – Mix the Thandai powder with enough water to make a smooth thick paste. Add this paste to the simmering cream and mix well.
If you have prepared Thandai paste then mix it with soaked gelatine / agar – agar before adding to the cream.

Step 6 – Add the soaked gelatine / agar – agar to the cream and whisk vigorously to avoid any lump formation.

Step 7 – Simmer the Thandai Pana cotta mixture for another 5 minutes. Switch off the flame and let it cool.

Step 8 – While the Pana cotta mixture cools, grease your moulds with little oil followed by rinsing them with water. Use oil which doesn’t have a very strong flavour or aroma or else the Pana cotta will smell of that. This dessert can be unmolded like a jelly or eaten directly from a fancy mould, depending on how you wish to serve it choose the mould. I used muffin tray (for unmolding) and serving cups since I wanted to experiment with both the styles.

Step 9 – Pour the Panna cotta mixture in greased moulds, cover with cling film and refrigerate. The Panna cotta should set in an hour.

Step 10 – To demould the Thandai Panna cotta, run a knife through the sides of the mould and loosen the dessert, upturn the mould on a plate and shake giving a few jerks. A well set Panna cotta will demould immediately.

Step 11 – Garnish Thandai Panna cotta with saffron strands and slivered pistachios. Serve cold.

 

Happy Holi & Play Responsibly

Till then, Love Being a Mommy!

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 Disclaimer: This article was originally written for Babychakra and published here.

Baked Italian Potato Wedges

Nabeel’s Tiffin menu for the week is almost fixed – 2 days roasted Makhana, 2 days Stuffed Paratha and 1 day Homemade French fries. It’s adhered to so religiously that even the days for each snack is fixed. It may seem boring to you and me but Nabeel loves his Tiffin snacks and looks forward to them at the beginning of the week. However, this New Year I have decided to break away from the monotonous routine and introduce new Tiffin treats which he may accept easily.

So here’s my first of the many Tiffin treats, Baked Italian Potato Wedges. I plan to replace the French fries with this healthy and much tastier option. The Potato Wedges are made using minimal ingredients and are ready in a jiffy. You can play with the flavours depending on your child’s taste buds, try flavours like dried garlic flakes, pepper, mixed herbs, a local spice mix, etc. These wedges also work well as an after school treat and a vegetarian starter when paired with a rich flavourful dip.

Baked Italian Potato Wedges

Ingredients
1 big potato (enough as one time Tiffin snack for an under 5 child)
Dried Oregano
Chilli Flakes
Salt
Vegetable Oil

Step 1 Wash and scrub the potato well. Cut it into wedges as shown below.

Step 2 In a bowl toss the potato wedges with oregano, chilli flakes, salt and generous amounts of oil. Let the wedges sit till you set the oven.
Step 3 Pre-heat the oven to 200C for 10mintues.
Step 4 Once the oven is ready, place the wedges on a baking tray and apply remaining marinade from the bowl over the wedges.

Step 5 Bake the wedges for a good 20 – 25min or till the potatoes are soft and cooked.
Step 6 Remove from oven and serve immediately or transfer to a tiffin box.
Step 7 You can serve a dip with the wedges. We enjoy the Baked Italian Potato Wedges as it is.

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Till then, love Being a Mommy!