The Best Garlic Bread in the World (Great with Pasta)!

A fabulous garlic bread is every bit as complimentary to a great bowl of pasta as a great icing is to a cake. If the icing is only fair, it is hard for the cake to really stand out. Lets say you go to a restaurant. They bring out an incredible bowl of steaming hot pasta and the first thing you try is the garlic bread. If the garlic bread is only mediocre, the pasta will have a really hard time selling itself. If after the first bite you grab the whole bread basket claiming it as your own, even a fair pasta will at least have a chance!

There are a few components to making great garlic bread. Chief among these is a good bread. I like using a good sourdough from a specialty store. These stores have sprung up all over and carry all kinds of organic products from fruits and vegetables to baked items. These often have great sourdough breads. I usually buy it sliced. I lay out the slices on a cookie sheet and liberally apply butter to just the top of each slice. I then lightly sprinkle garlic powder, and lightly sprinkle ground oregano (not too much or it will taste like a pizza!) on the butter. I then finely grate Sharp Cheddar Cheese and sprinkle enough cheese so as to just cover the bread and butter completely. If you do not cover the bread completely, the edges of the bread will burn before the cheese has melted. But you do not want the cheese to be so thick that it melts into a big glob. I then lightly sprinkle a touch more garlic powder and oregano on top of the cheese. This adds a little more flavor and looks good.

Now comes the critical part. Timing. You want to put the cookie sheet with the bread slices under a broiler long enough to melt the cheese but the difference between perfect garlic bread and burned garlic bread can be a matter of 30 seconds. So you have to stay on it. Serve piping hot and enjoy!
Addendum:

My wife grabbed the keyboard out of my hands and typed in her own thoughts on "the best garlic bread in the world." I think she meant to do this as a joke but I am going to include it because people have enjoyed her approach to garlic bread as well. Her method is not as time sensitive as the above method and can come out a bit more gooey (which many people like).

"This is Mike's wife. I would like to include this garlic bread recipe from my Italian mother. Begin with a round loaf of Sourdough bread (sliced). Take one to two cubes of butter and add garlic to the butter to taste. Start at the end of the loaf and spread the garlic butter on both sides of each piece of bread. Then sprinkle both sides of each slice with grated parmesan cheese. Continue this through the entire loaf. Then wrap in foil and cook at 350 degrees till heated through (approximately 10-15 minutes). Open up the top of the foil and cook till the top is brown and crispy."

Have fun. Experiment. Try both methods and you will soon be on your way to a truly sensational garlic bread that will set the stage for whatever pasta recipes, soup recipes, etc. that will follow.

For more easy to cook italian recipes, visit http://cirrusculinnaire.com

Cavendish Game Birds Recipes for Quail and Pheasant

CAVENDISH GAME BIRDS QUAIL SALAD WITH SAUTÉED PEARS, BACON, GREEN ONION, AND SHERRY-CIDER VINAIGRETTE
Courtesy of Chef Jason Tostrup of the Inn at Weathersfield
4 servings
4 Vermont farm-raised jumbo quail, semi-boneless
2-3 pears, cored and sliced
6 bacon strips, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp Wood’s Cider Jelly *
¼ cup sherry vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
4 oz mixed greens or arugula
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Season both sides of the quail with salt and pepper. Using a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to pan. Place quail, breast side down, and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Once browned on both sides remove from the pan and place on a plate to rest. Using the same pan, add bacon and cook until lightly browned, add pears and green onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Next add cider jelly and sherry vinegar to the pear/bacon mix, cook until pears are just soft and there is still liquid in the pan. Turn off heat.
Place salad green in bowl toss with olive oil and place on serving platter.
Next spoon pear mixture over greens and rest quail on top and serve.
Wine Suggestion and Chef’s Tips

• I would serve a nice Oregon Pinot Noir or French Cote de Rhone
• The combined prep and cooking time is under 25 minutes, even for the novice cook.
•  This may be served family-style or individually depending on the occasion.
• Buying large fresh quail from a small farm makes a notable difference versus a frozen product
•  * You can find woods cider Jelly on the web at www.woodscidermill.com
• Quail is as easy to cook as a chicken breast, but faster and less messy
• No matter when you try this recipe, the quail from Cavendish Game Birds makes the dish superb!

ROAST QUAIL WITH SPINACH, RED PEPPERS AND PINE NUTS
6 servings

6 fresh Vermont farm-raised jumbo quail, whole
4-5 Tbsp vegetable oil

Marinade and Glaze
¼ cup honey
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup sherry vinegar
2 Tbsp raspberry vinegar
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground fennel seed
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Accompaniments
2 lbs fresh spinach, cleaned and rinsed
2 medium red peppers
¼ cup pine nuts
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together ingredients for marinade and glaze. Pour over quail and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and marinate quail at room temperature for 3 hours, turning occasionally.

Sear or pan roast red peppers in lightly oiled pan. Peel, seed, and cut into strips. Set aside.

Remove quail and reserve marinade. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Brown quail in vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, for 3-4 minutes per side. Arrange quail in skillet, or oven-proof dish, so quail are not touching one another. Brush quail liberally with reserved marinade. Roast in oven for 15 minutes, or until just barely pink at breast, brushing occasionally with marinade to glaze.

When cooked, remove quail and set aside to rest. In same pan, toast pine nuts in hot oil.  Add red peppers and sauté. Add a few tablespoons of reserved marinade and fresh spinach, cook just until spinach is wilted.

Place spinach mixture on plate, top with 1-2 roasted quail per serving. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

GRILLED QUAIL WITH GROUND VEAL AND SAGE
3-4 servings

6-8 fresh Vermont farm-raised jumbo quail, semi-boneless
½ lb ground veal
1 tsp sage, rubbed fine if leafy
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp flour
1 fresh lemon
½ cup olive oil
4 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

Mix veal with chopped parsley, rubbed sage, beaten egg, and flour. Mix well. Stuff quail with meat mixture; push in well until quail puffs up from the mixture, but do not overstuff. Marinate the quail in olive oil and lemon juice overnight. Grill quail over a low charcoal heat for ½ hour, turning frequently. Try not to break skin; the quail are fragile. Put in oven for ½ hour at 325 degrees to finish. Baste quail with any oil and lemon marinade while they cook.

Note: Placing quail on too hot a grill may cause it to flame and flash up. Drain marinade off quail before cooking.

Delicious served with wild rice and asparagus.

SAUTEED CAJUN-STYLE QUAIL OVER CORNBREAD STUFFING
6 servings

Cornbread  Stuffing
5 oz cornmeal
4 oz all purpose flour
2 oz sugar
½ tsp baking powder
pinch salt
½ tsp sage, ground
½ tsp thyme, ground
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 oz vegetable oil
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 oz butter
2 oz fresh scallions, diced
1 oz red peppers, diced
2 oz corn kernels, whole

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add milk, egg, and oil. Pour into a well greased 9-inch cake pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool and break up cornbread. Sauté peppers, corn, and scallions in butter and add to cornbread, keep warm.

Quail
6 fresh Vermont-raised jumbo quail, butterfly cut
2 oz poultry stock
4 oz butter
1 oz white wine
6 sage sprigs
6 thyme sprigs

Sauté the quail in remaining 2 oz of butter, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove quail from heat and set aside. Deglaze pan with white wine, add stock and reduce to sauce consistency. Meanwhile, arrange cornbread stuffing on plates. Quarter quail and toss in sauce, and place over the cornbread stuffing. Garnish with sage and thyme sprigs.

Grilled Cavendish Quail and Napa Cabbage Salad
Recipe Courtesy Windham Hill Inn, West Townshend, Vermont
6 servings
6 Vermont farm-raised quail, semi-boneless
2 quarts quail marinade (recipe follows)
2 Belgian endive
6 oz Napa cabbage, julienned
3 oz purple cabbage, julienned
6 oz thyme vinaigrette (recipe follows)
For the marinade:
2 qts water
4 Tbsp salt
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp white pepper
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Remove the quail from their packages, rinse under cold water and marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator (not longer as can become too salty). Rinse again and allow to air-dry on a baking sheet, uncovered, in the refrigerator for one hour.
For the thyme vinaigrette:
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch salt
3 oz rice wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp smooth Dijon mustard
salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 cup grape seed or canola oil
3-4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and reserve. The vinaigrette does not need to emulsify.
Assembly:
Season the quail with salt and fresh ground black pepper and grill on both sides over medium-high heat until the breast is slightly pink and the juices run almost clear. Allow to rest for five minutes.
Cut each endive in half length-wise, then each half into thirds length-wise. Blanche in boiling salted water while the quail are grilling.
Toss the cabbages with the vinaigrette and divide between six warm salad plates, placing a mound in the center of each. Place two pieces of endive on top of each mound. Slice each quail in half, place on top of the endive and serve.

BBQ QUAIL
3-6 servings
6 Vermont farm-raised jumbo quail, butterfly cut
olive oil
barbecue sauce of choice
Wash and pat quail dry. Rub with olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place on hot grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side. 
Brush liberally with barbecue sauce of choice, put lid on grill and cook 3 to 5 minutes more.
Quail are done when the bare leg bone starts to show on the little drumsticks.
Quail can also be sautéed in a pan over medium-high heat until golden brown on each side and placed in a 450 degree oven for 3-5 minutes until done, with or without barbecue sauce.

BRAISED PHEASANT WITH WHITE BEANS AND ROSEMARY
2 servings

4 Vermont farm-raised pheasant, boneless thighs
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium Spanish onions, diced (about 2 ½ cups)
½ tsp dried thyme
2 whole cloves
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
3 cups chicken stock, defatted
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup cooked white beans
2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
Asiago cheese, grated
Fresh parsley, minced

Season pheasant thighs with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan (9-10”) over medium heat.
Add onion, thyme, cloves and garlic, and cook until onion softens, about five minutes.
Add thighs and cook until skin side is golden, turning once; about five minutes per side.
Drain off excess fat.
Whisk tomato paste into stock. Add to pot with wine and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for one hour.
Remove thighs and keep covered in warm oven.
Skim fat from liquid and increase to high heat.
Boil until reduced to 1-1/2 cups, about 10 minutes. Strain and season to taste.
Scatter plates with white beans and rosemary. Arrange 2 thighs in center of each plate and pour over sauce. Garnish with freshly grated Asiago cheese and minced parsley.

Note: This recipe can easily be converted into a soup. Simply dice thigh meat and add back to liquid along with white beans and rosemary. Thin with chicken stock to desired consistency and taste. Season. Garnish with Asiago cheese and parsley.

STEWED PHEASANT WITH DRIED FRUIT
2 servings

1 - 2 lb. Vermont farm-raised pheasant, whole
2 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, vertically sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups gamebird or chicken stock
12 dried apricots, slivered
12 prunes, halved
¼ cup sherry vinegar
salt and pepper
chopped parsley

Heat olive oil in large sauté pan. Lightly brown pheasant on both sides, remove and set aside.

Add onions and garlic to pan, sauté until golden. Add stock, apricots, prunes, and sherry vinegar to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; return pheasant to pan and cover. Simmer 25-30 minutes until pheasant is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bird from the pan. Reduce sauce to medium consistency. Pour over pheasant. Garnish with parsley.

Goes well with white or wild rice with pistachios.

RASPBERRY PHEASANT
2 servings

2 Vermont farm-raised pheasant, boneless breasts
½ cup water
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Bring ½ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan and dissolve brown sugar in it. Add raspberries and boil gently for five minutes. Press through a sieve to remove seeds, then stir in vinegar, salt and pepper.

Marinate pheasant breasts in raspberry sauce, refrigerated for a least two hours (and as long as overnight).

Drain pheasant, reserving marinade, and sauté in oil over medium heat for seven minutes on each side (or until no longer pink inside). Add marinade and turn meat several times to coat well with hot sauce and serve.

Enjoy with white or wild rice and vegetables of choice.

POACHED PHEASANT BREASTS WITH CHAMPAGNE-BUTTER SAUCE
4 servings

4 Vermont farm-raised pheasant, boneless breasts
12 Tbsp (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dry Champagne (Brut) or dry white wine
3 Tbsp shallots, finely minced
¼ cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
parsley, minced

Lightly coat bottom of a large (9-10”) sauté pan with some of the butter. Remove skin from breasts. Place in pan, lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add Champagne or white wine. Cover tightly. Poach breasts by simmering very gently three to four minutes per side, or until no longer pink inside. Remove breasts from pan, place on plate and wrap in aluminum foil to retain moisture, reserve in warm oven.

Increase heat to high, add shallots and cream to champagne or white wine, and reduce to 1/3 cup—about 7-8 minutes.  Reduce heat to very low and swirl in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove from heat and strain out shallots. Season to taste.

Slice breasts on the bias and sauce lightly. Garnish with minced parsley.  Delicious with saffron rice and asparagus spears drizzled with lemon butter.

Pepper crusted Salmon with Wine and Prawn Sauce

This recipe is very quick to cook and so is great for a midweek supper or a fabulous supper dish for cooking for friends at the weekend.

Cooking the Sauce

Making this sauce is very like making gravy for a Sunday roast.  Instead of starting with the meat juices, start with a small amount of butter. To add flavour and texture to the sauce, use onion, garlic and mushrooms.  It is important to reduce the wine to intensify the flavour – be careful not to boil away all of the liquid or you will have add more wine and start reducing again.  Finish the sauce with a small amount of cream, this sauce is very rich and the pasta won’t be swimming in sauce, just moistening it.  The prawns are already cooked and just need to be warmed through.  Don’t cook them for too long or they will toughen.

Cooking the Fish

Salmon fillets are quite reasonable in price, widely available fresh or frozen.   Fish makes a great alternative to meat and cooks very quickly with minimum preparation.  Crust the salmon with freshly ground black pepper for both presentation and flavour.  Salmon is easy to cook as you can see the colour change from opaque to pink as is cooks through.

Cooking the Pasta

Pasta is a fantastic food, easy to make, nutritious and versatile.  Pasta should be cooked until “al dente” – tender, yet firm to bite.  Allow 100g – 125g uncooked pasta per person.  To cook pasta, boil in a large pan of fast boiling salted water.  Check the pack instructions for the times as the shape and quality of the pasta will determine how long it needs to cook for. When cooked, drain and either add to the sauce or add little butter, serve immediately.

 

 
Pepper crusted Salmon with Wine and Prawn Sauce

Serves : 2

25g butter

1 small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

150ml White Wine

50g Mushrooms, finely sliced

100ml Double Cream

100g Cooked Peeled Prawns

1tbsp Oil

2 fillets of Salmon

Chopped Parsley

Egg Pasta, shells or penne

Method

• In a small pan heat the butter and gently fry the onion and garlic until softened.  Add the white wine and mushrooms. 
• Boil until the liquid has reduced to @ 2tbsps. 
• Pour in the double cream and simmer to reduce slightly and thicken the sauce. 
• Stir in the cooked prawns.  Season to taste. Cover and remove from the heat.
• Cook the pasta according to pack instructions.
• Brush the fillet of salmon with a little oil, coat generously with freshly ground black pepper. 
• Heat a non stick frying pan with 1 tbsp oil, when hot, place in the salmon fillets, (flesh side down).
• Fry for 4-5 minutes on the flesh side and turn over to cook 4-5 minutes skin side down. 
• Serve the pasta in a large bowl.  Spoon over the sauce, place a salmon fillet on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to garnish.

Celebrity chef cooks Carmarthenshire recipes

Celebrity chef Dudley Newberry, cooked up a feast of healthy meals and treats from recipes devised by Carmarthenshire residents and organisations on a visit to the Elli Centre, Llanelli.

Yvonne McLavy, for Carmarthenshire County Council said, “The recipe cards were published by Carmarthenshire County Council, and the Carmarthenshire Public Health Team, on behalf of the Local Health Board.  The aim is to encourage residents to cook easy to follow, healthy and tasty meals. The cards will soon be available on the county council website.

“Recipe submissions were received from a whole range of people from the Carmarthenshire community.  These included submissions from cooking groups, youth clubs and professional caterers.

“The youngest chef was Cameron Bryant, aged 10, from Llanelli.  Cameron designed a recipe called Pizza Face.  This was a tantalizing tortilla with tomatoes, pineapple, mushrooms, pepper and grated cheese.

“One of the recipes that Dudley cooked at the launch event was Executive Roasted Cous Cous.  This was a submission from the chief executive of Carmarthenshire County Council, Mark James.  The recipe included a host of tasty vegetables, and was a rich source of fibre and essential vitamins. It was easy to cook taking less than 40 minutes.”

Dudley said, “I think the launch of these healthy recipe cards is an excellent idea and I hope they encourage more people to cook up some home-made treats. Inspiration comes from all corners – whether it be a cook book, a cookery show, or from our own friends and family.”

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Food Standards Officer, Nicky Bicknell said,

“The event was held as a one-off extension to the Keep Well This Winter activity. The partnership activity included the public health team, local health board, local authority, health services, the fire service, as well as voluntary and private bodies. During the day a number of stalls were available, all with information about healthy living.

“Lots of people came along to see Dudley cooking these healthy recipes and also took the opportunity to visit the organisations present and to take home some free giveaways.”

Health Promotion Practitioner for Carmarthenshire Public Health Team, Caroline Nichols, added, “We want people to log-on to the website and take advantage of these free and tasty recipes. Eating healthily doesn’t have to mean missing out on tasty food, but it will make a difference to our health.

“More than 60 per cent of the UK adult population, and nearly 30 per cent of children, are overweight, with obesity rapidly becoming Britain’s number one health threat. In fact here in Carmarthenshire 54 per cent of the population is overweight or obese. Obesity has a number of health, social and psychological implications. For example, 50 per cent of those who are obese have at least one associated health problem, such as heart disease, type-two diabetes, high blood pressure of osteoarthritis.”

Senior Health Promotion Specialist for the NPHS in Carmarthenshire, Liz Newbury-Davies, said, “In order to address being overweight or obese, people need to be making permanent changes to their lifestyles rather than wanting a quick fix. We need to eat a healthy balanced diet and it’s equally important to be regularly active.

“Anyone with weight-related health concerns, or those who are seriously over-weight, should contact their GP for help.”

Michelin- Starred Chef Vikas Khanna launches new book ‘Everyone Can Cook’

New Delhi: Om Books International and Hindustan Tin Works Ltd in association with The Flying Saucer Café launched Michelin - starred Chef Vikas Khanna’s latest title Everyone Can Cook published by Om Books International.

Everyone Can Cook was launched at The Flying Saucer Café, Epicuria Food Court, Lower Ground Floor, Nehru Place metro station, New Delhi - 110019.

A simple philosophy inspired by the idea of touching lives through food, Everyone Can Cook is Chef Vikas Khanna’s ode to those visionaries who took the first step towards preserving the goodness of nature in a can so that it can reach kitchens and tables across the world, even during emergencies, and nurture appetites and souls.

Ajay Mago, Publisher, Om Books International says, “Everyone Can Cook is not just a book for us; it is a personal belief that we religiously follow with varying results of course. In recent times, when India has been through such trying times, the can has played a noble role in ferrying the most elementary relief material to the suffering. Today when I think ‘can’, I think of the plethora of responsibilities it needs to fulfil from the most light-hearted and frothy to the most noble. Everyone bound together by a common humanitarian goal came together to make Everyone Can Cook happen.”

Sanjay Bhatia, MD, Hindustan Tin Works Ltd says, "We are very pleased to announce the formal launch of our prestigious project Everyone Can Cook by the Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna which is another mile stone towards promotion of canned food.  While on one hand this will help consumers to understand the benefits and the application of the fresh and nutritious canned food, on the other, this will help the consumers prepare delicious and convenient recipes made from canned products."

Hindustan Tin Works Ltd, which conceptualized and sponsored this project to promote canned food and recycling of used cans has also committed to contribute INR 50 per book sold to Chintan NGO who would work towards the upliftment of the lives of rag pickers who collect cans from the waste on the ground level and ensure recycling etc.

About The Book

In this book, Vikas Khanna puts together easy-to-cook recipes using a variety of canned ingredients in ways never seen before. From mouth-watering starters, comforting soups, delicious meat preparations, poultry and seafood delicacies, vegetables delights, healthy sandwiches, unusual grains, pastas and breads, decadent desserts, to refreshing beverages on a hectic or leisurely day, Everyone Can Cook is an ideal guide not only for those who wish to quickly put together a sumptuous meal, but also for beginners who wish to experiment bravely in the kitchen. Everyone Can Cook has received the Innovation Award for Design from the International Packaging Association, Paris, France in 2013.

So discover for yourself that you too can cook...and very well!

About The Author

Born in Amritsar, India, Chef Vikas Khanna learned cooking from his grandmother and started his own catering business, Lawrence Gardens, at the age of 17. After graduating from the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration and training under renowned chefs of leading Indian hotels, he travelled to the United States to study at Cornell University, New York University, the Culinary Institute of America and at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. His work has received glowing reviews from the press, his gastronomic peers and also recognition from the James Beard Foundation. 

Author of books like Modern Indian Cooking, Flavors First, My Great India Cookbook and the recently released Khanna Sutra: Food Lessons in Love, Vikas Khanna also explores the spirituality of food through his documentary series ‘Holy Kitchens’. His humanitarian efforts include founding Cooking for Life and SAKIV, organisations hosting gastronomic events worldwide in support of relief efforts and awareness issues.

Winner of several global awards, in 2011, he received the Michelin Star for his restaurant Junoon, where he is Executive Chef. Vikas Khanna is a household name for his television appearances on Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and as host and judge of MasterChef, India, seasons 2 and 3.

About Om Books International

Headquartered in Noida, OBI has published popular and literary fiction including best-selling titles like Two Mothers and Other Stories by Khalid Mohamed, Three Sisters by Bi Feiyu (Man Asian Literary Award, 2010), The Kept Woman and Other Stories by Kamala Das, Delhi OMG! by Vinod Nair, Newsroom Live by Prabhat Shunglu, The Company RED by Shantanu Dhar, to name just a few.

OBI has published, amongst other genres, several cinema-related titles (under the imprint Spotlight) including Still Reading Khan by Mushtaq Shiekh; Shah Rukh Can by Mushtaq Shiekh; AR Rahman: The Spirit of Music, an authorised conversational biography by Nasreen Munni Kabir; I’ll Do It My Way: The Incredible Journey Of Aamir Khan by Christina Daniels;  Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam: The Original Screenplay compiled by Dinesh Raheja and Jitendra Kothari; The Original Screenplays of Lage Raho Munna Bhai and 3 Idiots; Bollywood in Posters by SMM Ausaja (shortlisted for Vodafone Crossword Award 2010 for non-fiction).

OBI also publishes monographs and co-editions on art and architecture and photo essays. Other categories that feature in OBI’s publishing list are fashion and lifestyle, biographies, narrative non-fiction, mind, body, spirit, cookery and children’s books (under the imprint OmKidz).

Over the last five decades, OBI has established an international distribution network in the UK, the US, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Germany, France and Spain. It has an equally well-established distribution network under the name of Om Book Shop in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

   

About Hindustan Tin Works Ltd

Hindustan Tin Works Ltd(HTWL),( One of the ten fastest growing companies in India, Economic Times) a premier Indian CAN manufacturer producing a wide range of CANS and quality packing solutions to Dairy Products, Edible Oils, Tea, Coffee, Motor Oils, Medicines, Pesticides, Chemical and Paint Industries, HTWL is one of the leading manufacturers of lithographed metal containers as well.

Tin Cans or "Green Cans" as they are called are the most environment-friendly alternative to other forms of packing because of their recyclable quality. HTWL takes a leading role in ensuring proper environment responsibility by offering fully recyclable Green Cans that adhere to internationally accepted standards.

HTWL is the first company in India which conceptualized & started the 2 piece cans business in India in 2005.

www.hindustantin.biz

‘Everyone Can Cook’ is available at all the leading book shops and online stores.

HOW TO COOK PASTA

• Use 4 quarts of water for every pound of pasta. You'll need a very large pot, but this large amount of water will ensure that the pasta cooks evenly and won't clump.
• Forget about adding oil to the pot, but use plenty of salt. Adding oil to the boiling water does not prevent sticking. Frequent stirring does. Skip the oil but make sure to add salt--roughly 1 tablespoon for 4 quarts of water--or the pasta will taste bland.
• Taste the pasta early and often for doneness. Reading the instructions on the box is a good place to start, but for al dente pasta you may need to shave a few minutes off the recommended time.
• Wait! Before you drain that pasta...Take a liquid measuring cup and retrieve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta pot. Then go ahead and drain the pasta for just a few moments before you toss it with the sauce. (Don't let your pasta sit in the colander too long; it will get very dry very quickly.) When you toss your sauce with the pasta, add some (or all) of this reserved pasta water to help spread the sauce.

HOW TO COOK PASTA

From Cook's Illustrated.

What’s the best way to cook pasta?

Pasta is one of those things that are easyto cook, but hard to cook just right. For perfect pasta, you must pay attention to everything from the water-to-pasta ratio to the time between draining and saucing.

Pasta needs to cook in a fair amount of water, although not as much as many cookbooks specify. We recommend 2 quarts of water for up to 1/2 pound of pasta, 4 quarts for 1/2 to 1 pound of pasta, and 6 quarts for 1 to 2 pounds. If you are cooking more than 2 pounds of pasta, use two pots. If cooked in too little water, pasta has a tendency to stick together because the starches released by the pasta grow too concentrated and turn the water into sticky slurry.

After the water comes to a full roiling boil, add salt (a generous 1 1/2 teaspoons per half pound of pasta; most of the salt will go down the drain with the cooking water) and then the pasta. Stir several times to separate the strands and, if necessary, bend long noodles with tongs to submerge them quickly. Use a spoon to push hot water over ends if needed, then cover the pot until the water just returns to a boil (The lid can be removed at this point to prevent the pot from boiling over; cooking with the lid on doesn’t hasten anything.)

Begin tasting after four or five minutes, especially when preparing thin noodles like spaghettini. Keep checking the pasta every minute or so from then on. As soon as the noodles seem almost al dente—they should still have some chewiness, but the center should no longer be hard or gummy—remove the pot from the heat and drain the pasta. Because the pasta continues to cook after it is drained, you need to compensate by draining when it is a little underdone.

Never shake pasta bone dry. Instead, pour it into a colander, allow the cooking water to flow out, and then shake the pasta once or twice to remove excess liquid. The small amount of cooking water that remains on the pasta helps to spread the sauce and is especially useful when tossing pasta with relatively dry oil-based sauces.

For pasta salad, the rules regarding doneness are a bit different and we recommend that you consult the particular recipe for instruction.

Walls sausages introduction

Walls

Walls sausages is a one of the main consumer brands manufactured by the Kerry Group, a leader in the global food industry. Wall’s sausages are delighted to become a partner of the Scout Association and are supporting the Scout Associations exciting new initiative The BIG Adventure as well as becoming a partner of the Scout Camp Cook Badge.

Walls are interested in supporting youth groups that encourage outdoor fun and activity and therefore have an interest in helping to support the Scout Association. Sausages are one of the main staples of any Scout Group camp and Walls will be offering specific coupon discounts to Scout Leaders participating in Scout Camps and BIG Adventure camps this summer.

Walls sausages are composed of prime cut meats and are therefore a very welcome ingredient for easy to cook recipes for your Scout camp – be it breakfast, lunch or dinner! To help plan your camp cooking and initiate your creative outdoor chef juices, please have a look at the recipes you could include below. For each meal there we have included a basic recipe and also a slightly more difficult recipe for those adventurous cooks out there!

These meals are on the whole, easy to cook and ideal for your BIG Adventure Camp kitchens. Get your Scouts involved in helping with the preparation and explain to them at each stage what you are doing and why. The recipes can be interchanged for different meals (the following are just suggestions) or can be used as snacks for your hungry Scouts who have no doubt been active all day!

Breakfast

Instant Walls Hot Dogs

Lay sliced onions on a small, double thickness layer of foil, add a sausage and wrap in the foil, sealing the ends tightly (and making sure that there is still a fair amount of air left inside the package). Place in hot embers for about seven minutes, onion side down (so that the sausage does not stick to the foil) and when cooked, pop the meat and onions into a bread roll for a quick and easy hot dog breakfast!

If you’ve tried these recipes please let us know what you think of them and how easy you found them to make. Maybe you’ve added a twist of your own that you would like us to share with The Scout Association? Maybe you’ve got a fantastic sausage recipe that we haven’t included here that you perhaps would like to share with The Scout Association? Please let us know your thoughts and give us your feedback.

Walls Classic Sausage, Mushroom and Bacon Frittata

To Serve 4 people

Ingredients

8 Wall’s Classic Pork Sausages

8 Wall’s Unsmoked Bacon – diced

4 large open cup mushrooms

1 clove garlic – crushed

Handful of flat leaf parsley

8 large free range eggs

Salt and pepper

Butter – for frying

Method

1)   In a non stick pan, fry the sausages whole in a little butter until golden brown. Remove from the pan.

2)   Add the bacon and fry until golden

3)   Roughly dice the mushrooms and add to the bacon along with the garlic.

4)   Chop the sausages into 4 pieces and return to the pan. Roughly chop the parsley and add to the sausage and bacon mixture

5)   Beat the eggs along with some salt and pepper

6)   Pour the egg mixture into the pan and stir gently

7)   Allow to cook on the camp stove until set. Turn out onto a plate and  cut into wedges.

Lunch or Dinner

Walls Stuffed Sausages

Ingredients (Quantities are for two servings)

Eight Walls Pork Sausages

Small carton of cottage cheese

One teaspoon of French mustard

One teaspoon tomato pickle

One tomato

Lettuce leaves

Method

Grill the sausages over hot embers and allow them to cool once cooked

Mix the cottage cheese, mustard and pickle together

Split the sausages down on one side and fill each one with the stuffing mixture

Serve on lettuce leaves, garnished with slices of tomato

Grilled Walls Lincolnshire Sausages with Apple and Potato Mash with Cider Sauce

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For the Mash

800g of potatoes

75g butter

100mls milk

Salt and pepper

Apple puree for the cider sauce

3 tbsp of your favourite apple sauce

200 mls cider

250mls instant gravy

Method

1)   Boil the potatoes for approximately 20 minutes until soft. Strain and return to the pan to the heat to dry out the potatoes thoroughly.

2)   Mash well with a potato masher

3)   Add butter and beat well with a wooden spoon, adding the milk gradually

4)   Beat in the apple sauce, season with salt and pepper and keep warm

5)   Place the cider and apple sauce into a saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until the liquid reduces by half. Add the gravy, bring back to the boil and strain through a fine sieve

6)   Brush Wall’s Lincolnshire Sausages with a little oil and cook on a grill pan on a medium heat

7)   Turn the Wall’s Lincolnshire Sausages from time to time to cook evenly.

8)   Mix the gravy mixture with with the cider and apple sauce and bring to the boil.

Wall’s Classic Pork Sausages with Braised Lentils and Wall’s Smoked Bacon

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 Wall’s Classic Pork Sausages

200g Puy Lentils

200 ml chicken stock (can be made from chicken stock cube and boiling water)

1 small carrot

1 small onion

1 stick celery

1 tiny leak

Pinch fresh thyme

2 rashers Wall’s smoked Bacon

60g butter

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Method

1)   Cut the carrot, onion, celery and leek into a fine dice

2)   Cut theWall’s Smoked Bacon into fine strips like matchsticks

3)   Place all of the above into a saucepan along with the chicken stock, lentils and fresh thyme

4)   Bring to the simmer and cook for 40 minutes

5)   Season with salt and pepper and keep warm

6)   Grill the Wall’s Classic Pork Sausages, season and keep warm

7)   Add the butter and parsley to the lentils and stir well

8)   Serve with the Wall’s Classic Pork Sausages and creamy mashed potatoes