Hmmmmm….seems like you two have abandoned the food cause…yet again…I know you guys are busy…so don’t worry, I will continue to bombard you and the world with my experiments and food ramblings :D. Lately, I have been a bit lazy about cooking elaborate meals and keep devising strategies to concoct quick and easy recipes. You would wonder why this laziness has crept in….I think its because I am feeling a bit anxious about my own life these days. Yesterday I completed 1 year of stay in Melbourne. A lot has happened in this last year…met many new people, made some wonderful new friends, explored new places and savoured new tastes…yes, it has been an eventful year…so I spent the last few days thinking about the highs and lows of the year…hence it made me a bit anxious…but don’t worry, the eternal optimist in your lil sister would never die and will echo what Meg Ryan says in ‘You’ve Got Mail’ – “I live a small, but meaningful life”. Anyways, as I said earlier, I simply didn’t feel like spending long hours on cooking…the result – some super easy meals!
In this post and the few to come I will share these easy meal ideas which not only look sinful but taste wonderful too..they are the reasons why Niloy didn’t complain about my laziness!! The first one is a Pancake tower 😀
Savoury Pancake Tower
6 salted Pancakes of about 15cm diameter (I add 1/2 tsp of baking powder to the batter like the Americans do coz it makes the pancakes light and fluffy).
To make layers:
1 cup blanched and drained Spinach
1/2 cup Goat Cheese (or any other soft cheese like feta, ricotta, paneer or hung curd)
Fire Roasted or Grilled Veggies like Red/Yellow/Green Paprika, Aubergine, Pumpkin and Mushrooms (one could use sliced & roasted/grilled chicken or fish or any other meat) I would say, more the colors, the better!!
1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes (or roasted/grilled tomato slices)
1/4 cup pitted Olives (sliced)
Juice of one Lemon or Lime (optional if you like tangy stuff)
1 cup Rocket Salad leaves and Cherry Bocconcini to garnish
Salt and Pepper to taste
Slice the veggies or meat and sprinkle some fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper on them (if you like it spicy, you can add chilli flakes too). Be creative and arrange different colored layers with the veggies and other stuffing to get a gorgeous looking tower of pancakes begging to be eaten with a chilled glass of beer or juice!! Its a perfect cold dish to beat the heat during summers….one can also re-heat the pancakes before arranging and use hot layers of grilled veggies, boiled eggs and meats to make it a warm meal for winters too 🙂 Garnish with fresh rocket leaves and cherry bocconcinis (you can replace these with dollops of hung curd or paneer chunks)
Go ahead and enjoy this tower, but I should warn you…please don’t try and bite the whole thing together..you might end up with having everything on the table or your clothes!! 😀
Lots of love,
Dakhina
P.S. Garlic goes well with these veggies and cheeses, so a bit of crushed garlic here and there or a garlic flavoured olive oil drizzled on top would take this dish to another level!! You can soak some chopped garlic in olive oil for 24-48 hrs, store in the fridge and use this for the tower!
The Curry Cousins 