What is Wheat Germ? & It's HOT in here...

If you tell me to go into a health food store to buy a food item or product, I'll roll my eyes. Given this fact, how then do I end up talking about wheat germ, and what is it anyway? Click here to read this week's column and to find out how to use this super-health product.

And now for some heat. If you're not into spicy hot food, don't be put off by these dishes because the heat can be adjusted to suit your tastes. But, for chilli heads like me, this is as good as it gets.

First up, Pepper Roti. Here's the recipe with a step by step demo. And here are my important cooking notes on making this dish.

Next up is Scent of Spice's Roast Chicken with "Bajak" Chilli Sauce. The link includes the recipe.

The Hindu community the world over will be celebrating Phagwah (Holi) this weekend and I'd like to wish everyone a colourful, joyful and peaceful festival.

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No flipping pancakes for me... Drop them!

There's only one way I like to have my pancakes - dropped!

Due to our Portuguese heritage, the pancakes we make and enjoy in Guyana are different; some of you may know them as Malasadas or Portuguese Donuts. My friends we are talking here about pillowy soft balls of goodness. You can't just eat one or two. It's no wonder they are especially made the day before Lent starts so that we can ease our conscience by saying that we will be fasting... Read more about this excellent Portuguese creation and I guarantee you that you will want to try the recipe because it is so easy to make. Go on click here for the column and the recipe.

A couple of weeks ago, I also tried Lubos's Grandmother's Apple Pancakes and they were very good. I think that it is a stroke of genius to separate the eggs, beating the whites stiff and then folding it in to the batter, it really makes a difference to the airyness of the pancake. Actually, if you're only making plain pancakes, I'd highly recommend you make it this way, you'll love the texture. I made the following adjustments to the recipe - I added 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter.

And now on to some news. A few weeks ago, I threw out a challenge. To that end, some blogger friends who accepted the challenge and I have created a blog where we will be logging the everyday food we make that's considered vegan or vegetarian. For more details and information on joining us, click here.

Happy Weekend everyone!

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In touch with my senses... eating with my hands

There is something earthly and sensual about eating with my hands. It allows me to engage with my food intimately in a way that no knife, fork or spoon can. This style of eating indelibly marks me as a product of the multi-cultural society to which I proudly belong. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Eating with my hands was not always a given though... my mom insisted that we conform to the British notions of what was proper table and dining practices... Click here to read this week's column.

I am not really a snack person but of late I find myself wanting to nibble at something. I generally have fruit and that's great, but at times I'd like something different and preferably savoury. I opted for savoury biscotti given that I can make a batch and store it at room temperature in an air-tight jar. I had made cheese biscotti before but this time I added dried cranberries for a little bit of sweetness to contrast with the savoury, and, for some added chew.

Cheese & Cranberry Biscotti

Ingredients

2 + 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup whole milk
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons canola oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Add the flour, baking powder, black pepper, chili flakes, salt, sugar, cheese and cranberries to a large bowl and mix thoroughly
3. Add milk, eggs and oil to a measuring cup or bowl and whisk thoroughly
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk-egg-oil mixture and knead gently and quickly; do not over knead. The mixture will be crumbly
5. Divide the dough in half and form each half into an 8-inch log; place the logs 5 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten the top of the dough a little
6. Bake for 30 minutes
7. Remove biscotti from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce the oven to 325 degrees F
8. Slice the biscotti diagonally (about 1/2 inch slices) with a bread knife
9. Assemble on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10 - 15 minutes on one side, flip them over and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes (the time varies depending on how crunchy you want your biscotti)
10. Cool completely on wire racks and store in an artight container

Inspired by the Zen Chef, I made these pea pancakes a while back and thought I'd share it with you today because I think that it is "pretty" food and would be nice to serve for Valentine's. Zen served his pea pancakes with smoked salmon, creme fraiche and meyer lemon. I used spicy chorizo sausages to contrast with the sweetness of the pea pancakes. Click here for the recipe.

Happy weekend everyone!

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Want to make a Trini Pelau?

Ever since Guy Fieri, of Food Network visited Pam's Kitchen in Seattle, Washington, on his Diners, Drive-ins & Dives show, I've gotten lots of emails with questions and requests for Trini Pelau - one of the dishes featured. In my column this week, I have outlined in detail how to go about making this dish from selecting the ingredients to prepping to finishing the dish. Click here for the column. The recipe can be found at the bottom of the column and for a pictorial step-by-step guide, see my Trini Pelau Flicker set here.

I hope that you try this dish which is a favourite not only in Trinidad but the Caribbean. It is a one-pot dish that is sure to delight your friends and family. See also Felix's Pelau.

One of the many things I like about food blogging is discovering blogs of various cuisines, particularly those with which I am unfamiliar. Through these discoveries one thing always rings through - geographically we may be hundreds of thousands of miles apart, we may speak different languages etc. but when it comes to the food itself, we are not so vastly different for we use similar ingredients but with different methods and techniques. More importantly, such blogs are playing a vital role in recording their food culture amidst this fast-food-genetically-modified-mass-produced food era in which we find ourselves. Such blogs are to be celebrated for keeping their heritage alive.

With that said, I'd like to introduce Slovak Cooking. It is written by my newest blog friend, Lubos Brieda. Lubos takes us right into the heart of it all - his grandmother's kitchen! Go see her in action with step by step photographs on how to create many delights. This week, I am so making her Bryndza Pierogi then her Apple Pancakes, and then... okay, I have quite a few of her recipes bookmarked. Lubos thanks for leading me to your blog!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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