Chocolate Almond Biscotti Di Prato

Biscotti or Biscotti di Prato are twice-baked biscuits originating in the Italian city of Prato. The biscuits are oblong-shaped almond biscuits made dry and crunchy through cutting the loaf of dough while still hot and fresh from baking in the oven.I had the same feeling looking at it like we eat "Rusk" in India ,our very known dunkable dessert a hard dry crispy biscuit which u enjoy with Tea ,So i wanted to make this biscotti for quite sometime and finally i made it.Its  not exactly like Rusk , it is Crisp and Crunchy from outside but somewhat soft n chewy from inside.Chocolates and Almonds...Chocolate gaves it a nice flavour and almonds a delicate sweet  taste n texture and both are my all time favorite and having them with a cup of ginger Tea, is the next best thing .And the best of all is i passed the taste test, yup my hubby loved it too.So try this easy ,authentic Italian dessert as some best moments around the table are shared over the dessert. 

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups All purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup  Dutch Cocoa Powder
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1/ 4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• A pinch of salt
• 2 Eggs
• 6 Tbs Butter Unsalted (At room Temperature)
• Parchment Paper
• Almonds, Raisins Chopped coarsely.

Directions:

1. Sift the flour , cocoa powder , baking soda,salt and baking powder together.
2. Beat the sugar and butter, and add eggs one at a time till the mixture is light and creamy.
3. Add the mix to the flour and make a soft dough out of it.
4. Roll the dough in Almonds and Raisins.
5. Shape the dough in the form of a log , around 12 inches long and  4 inches wide.
6.  Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F, Line a cookie sheet  with parchment paper and bake the dough  for 25-30 minutes .Check with the help of skewer if it comes out clean its all done.
7. Let it cool for 5 minutes and cut into  slices 1" thick , with the help of a knife
8. Bake it further with the cut side down for 6-8 minutes, and then turn over and bake further for 2-4 minutes.
9. Store n air tight container, and enjoy your dunkable dessert with a cup of coffee or T.

Tips:U can dip Biscotti  in melted chocolate, or add pistachios instead of almonds.Try any of your favorite nuts.

Sending it to the Bake Fest # 6 event guest hosted by Sumee's Culinary Bites and originally hosted by Vardhini of Zesty Palette

Phool Makhane Snack (Spiced Puffed Lotus Seeds)

Finally m back here after a long break, sorry friends for not updating my blog as i was so busy in shopping and eating all the time in India..hehe..so giving a very healthy recipe for all the diet conscious ppl out there ,a very healthy snack and a part of Kareena Kapoor 's Size Zero secret, if you don't believe me listen from the horses mouth in the link below which i am sharing with you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg1vW5EwnHE.

So here goes the easy 5 minute recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 bowl Phool Makhane (You can get it from any Indian grcocery store)
• 2 tsp Salt/Sugar
• 2-3 tbsGhee/Clarified Butter

Method:

• On Mediun heat ,take Ghee in a pan
• Add the Phool Makhane (quantity as desired) and give it a nice stir.
• Now keep stirring it and turning them upside down , so that they are not over heated from any side.
• Do not roast them on high heat otherwise they will remain uncooked from inside and get burnt from outside.
• Now add salt to taste, or if u have a sweet tooth you can add sugar to it , tastes gud either ways but if you are a li'l more conscious about health then try the salty option and you can add to it a little chaat masala .The whole process will not take more than 5-10 min.
• Now switch off the heat and keep it covered in the pan for few more minutes.
• Now you can try tasting it and checking if they are crispy and hot.If not you can roast a lil more.You can store it in air tight container, as they have a good shelf life.

Chane Murmure(Puffed Rice with Roasted Grams)

My Mom she is the best...and she is an excellent cook too ,i have learned everything from her, i used to watch her cook ,though i never cooked at that time as i was busy in studies and my dad always saved me from going in the kitchen by saying that when time will come she will learn ...and exactly that's the truth .Now i am writing a blog on food .Can't Actually imagine myself cooking so many things but still whenever i m in a mess i give a call to my Mom and get some quick tips.

There are lot of recipes which i am gonna post inspired from my Mom.Here is a quick munching Tea time snack which we call Namkeen in India, eating it since my childhood and every1 just ate the whole bowl when its served and is a very healthy option too you can eat it with No guilt.

Ingredient:

• 2 cups Murmure(Kurmure/Puffed Rice)
• 1/2 cup Peanuts(without the shells)
• 1 Cup Roasted Chana(Roasted Gram with or without shells- I have used w/o shells so its eatable for kids too)
• 2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 6-7 Curry leaves
• 1tsp Asafoetida
• 2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Red chilli powder
• 2 tsp Chaat Masala
• 2-3 tbs oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat Oil in a wide pan, add the peanuts and fry them while stirring them continuously to avoid burning, till it becomes dark in color.Keep them aside.
2. Now add mustard seed and Asafoetida to the oil , let it splutter.
3. Add curry leaves and all the spices to it.
4. Mix in the Murmure , Chane and Peanuts to it and give it a good stir.
5. Let it cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, while you keep a eye on it and stirring in between.
6. Add chaat masala to it and check the Murmure should be crispy by now.
7. Switch off the heat ,let it cool.
8. Keep it in a container, stays good for long and have it with Tea anytime.