VEG RISSOLES WITH GINGER CHUTNEY,SHEPHERD'S PIE AND A MeMe !

Remember last week I told you we are having a warm winter,in high 60F here in NC Piedmont area. A big oops!! I spoke a little too soon! GOD smacked me on the head and said "Don't gloat too much woman, take that!":D:D

But snow didn't stick around for long though!Blue Ridge mountains on the West and North protects the central NC from any severe weather.We just got some rain,may be about 1" snow and little icy rain on Sunday!That's all,back to 50F again!

Picture taken on last Wednesday afternoon:


Look what happened on Thursday morning's "BIG" storm!!:D

Just wanted to share these photos with you! Yeah! All that Snow disappeared next day and back to the first photo now!!

Anyway,lets get on with the business,shall we? Would you like some veg Rissoles with a tasty tangy ginger Chutney and a non-veg comfort food, full of Protein and Carb ? If yes, you are in the right place!Come on in and enjoy!:)

What's cooking this week?!
JFI-"GINGER"-Veg Rissoles with Ginger-Peanut chutney,
A British dish- Shepherd's Pie,
A MeMe: "10 things to define me!"

I will start with my contribution to JFI-Ginger for Feb hosted by Rosie of "whatstherecipetodayjim". Thank you for hosting Rosie.To learn more about Ginger click here! I have made veg Rissoles including lots of ginger.You can't go more "Gingery" than this dish!:D !

Rissoles are basically burgers or patties usually made of ground beef or lamb and rolled in bread crumbs,pan-fried served with condiments and a salad.I have made it vegetarian which turned out be delicious as you can see! The rissole is also a popular fried snack in Southern-Ireland, especially in the county of Wexford, where the potato is boiled, mashed, mixed with local herbs and paprika, battered and served with chips(French-fries), and/or chicken or battered-sausages.(Info:WIKI)

Plantains-Potato-Splitpeas(Chana Dal) Ginger Rissoles with Peanut-Ginger Chutney topped with more Crisp Ginger!:D

I have used Plantains,potato and lentils to make pure vegetarian Rissoles with lots of minced ginger which gives you a wonderful flavour to this crispy shallow fried patties to serve with Ginger-Peanut chutney. Try it and I am sure you will love the flavors.

How To:


Peel,cube,wash and cook 1 Plaintain,1 medium red Potato in water until soft.Drain and keep it aside.Now cook 1/4 cup Chana dal(split peas) until soft and drain.In a big bowl,add all the cooked plantain,Potato and dal(lentil),salt. Add all the ingredients given below to this.





Add 1 minced onion,3 or more chopped red or green chillies or chilli flakes,2 minced garlic,1 1/2" minced fresh Ginger,Cilantro,2 tsp Cumin powder,1 tsp Coriander powder,1 tsp Garam Masala,1 tbsp Corn starch,2tbsp plain bread crumbs,and mash all these to a smooth paste.







Or put it through blender without water.Do not process too much orelse it gets stringy.I used my new KitchenAid food grinder gadget and it works beautifully as you can see. I love it!:))






Meanwhile, take 3" long ginger,julienne(cut thin long strips) and fry in oil until very crisp and golden.Drain on paper and keep in a seperate plate to garnish later.
Take out the ground or mashed Rissole dough and knead it gently.





Divide the dough into 6-8 balls, flatten and shape into ovals. If the dough is too soft you could add more bread crumbs or soaked,squeezed bread slices.If it's too crumbly,add little milk to make it easier to roll ovals.








Keep them covered in the fridge to chill for 30mins.Heat about 2" of oil in a pan to 375F or on medium high and slowly slide in 3 at Rissoles at a time and fry until golden.





Flip carefully and repeat the same on the other side.Make sure oil is hot to prevent oily Rissoles!Take them out and drain on the paper towels spread on a cooling rack so they don't soggy underneath.Now, prepare some chutney!!:)






Peanut-Ginger Chutney:
Roast 1/2 cup Peanuts,3-4 dry red chillies or chilli flakes,2 tsp Coriander seeds,1 tsp cumin seeds, in 1tsp oil.Grind all these in a blender with 1/2" fresh ginger,1/4 tsp sugar,2tsp tamarind or 1 tsp lemon juice,cilantro,salt to a smooth paste.Adjust the salt and lemon juice and serve topped with crisp-fried julienned ginger.




Serve crunchy Rissoles with a salad,(Dinner rolls if you like) with chutney sprinkled with crisp-fried ginger.You have a whole meal with Protein,carb and lot of ginger flavor!!YUM!!

Shepherd's Pie!
Shepherd's pie is a traditional British dish. It is made with a bottom layer of ground beef or lamb in gravy covered with mashed potato and a layer of cheese(Optional). When we lived in England,this was regular our Sunday dinner.It is still our favorite dish although I don't make it every Sunday anymore!


It is a great comfort food with meat and potatoes all in one dish! I always add some veggies too.Vegetarians can skip the meat and make it in the same way with lots of veggies or Soy grains.Hope you do,it's delicious! Don't forget to serve with a salad!:)

How To:


Heat 1tbsp butter,saute 1 minced onoin,1 garlic minced,1/4 cup grated carrots,1/4 cup of green bell pepper,1 tsp flour.When reddish add 1lb ground beef and saute until brown.Add 1tbsp Ketchup,1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce,salt and pepper,1/4 cup beef broth or stock and simmer until thickish gravy left on the bottom not too runny.



Add 1 tbsp parsley,some paprika,mix and keep aside.To make mashed Potatoes:Follow mashed potato pack instruction to make about 3 cups of mashed Potatoes or Cook 3 big potatoes until soft,peel and mash with 1 tbsp butte,1tsp garlic pd ,1/2 cup fat-free Half and Half ,some Chives and salt to a smooth thickish paste.




Layer ground beef in a casserole dish.Top with mashed Potatoes in big lumps on top and smoothen to cover the beef or do like I did,put it in a icing bag and pipe on the top of of Beef.Heat the oven to 375F. Now, sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan or Cheddar cheese on top of the Potato layer,and some coarse pepper.







Put it in the oven and bake for 25-35mins or until the top is golden.
Note: Do not burn the top.Take it out and serve with a salad.There you go,a beautiful looking tasty Shepherd's Pie is ready to serve!!Make it veg or non-veg!




A MeMe!!!"Ten things that define my style!"
I am tagged by beautiful Starry Nights !!
Here are some more about me as if you don't know my style already?! Too much sharing going on here people.Okay, I will make it REAL short,I promise!:D

1. I love my home and Family.
I define myself as a good wife and a mother.I am proud of my home and whatever we have.I have two good kids who work hard for their grades and honest.My husband is a workoholic and enjoys what he does.I am proud to be part of all of these people.
2. I am not ambitious.
Some people ask me "where do you want to be in 5yrs?" and I tell them wherever life takes me,I will be there!:D I don't crave for achievement or recognition or accolades.I do have a sense of duty which I carry out honestly and give my 100%.
3. I am a simple and low maintenance woman!
I have never desired for anything designer ever in my life!I don't care for designer clothes,cars,homes ,shoes or Prep schools for my kids.But I do like good well-cut clothes though no matter what labels they come with and little things like Gadgets makes me very happy the whole day!:D
4. I love reading and a little bit of music too.
Any book of any kind on this planet will do for me.I love them all although I am suffering the consequences of all that reading by having to wear a thick Myopic glasses!:D I am the kind who reads Graffitis on the dirty walls and read whatever they have written in the public restrooms with glee!!
I like soothing music like Jazz or old Hindi songs,not into Mettallic rock or Hip Hop!I like to hear the HipHop beats and rhythm but I don't understand what the heck they are singing about really.I need my kids for translatation!:D
5. I am positive and happy most of the time.
I think I have inherited my dad's positive thinking and coping skills.When tough situation arise I am the one who rises up to take charge.Yeah,sometimes little things in life or mean people get me down but I have recovered quickly in the past and will in future.I love life and the Sun shine on my face!:))
6. I love all shades Blue and Red.
I love colors and I enjoy colorful dishes,cloths and nature.I particularly love Blue and Red.Vibrant and soothing colors!:))
7. I don't idolize people:
It's one thing to "like" the leaders and those filmy heroes and heroines but whole another thing to go all crazy over them and try emulate these people!They all look great on screens and as leaders but I think only their immediate family know them who they really are.No!! I don't think anybody deserves my hero worship, I rather like what they do publicly to some extent!That where it ends.
8. I love nature.
Any season for that matter, I love them all.If I have to choose,I prefer Spring and Fall!Colors ,flowers and birds ,they all come back to me.Heaven on Earth!!I love anything or anywhere peaceful, I don't like too much noise or loud people either.My home is so very quiet most of the time,neighbors think we were away on vacaton!!:))
9. I have a dream too!:))
You know it!! Yes!! One day I would love to buy a little home by the water and die there in peace!Not a huge one but just small enough for two people!!:D Hope that day will come soon but if it doesn't ,that's okay too!:)
10. Finally, what do I hope?!
I hope my kids' hopes and dreams come true too and they lead a happy and peaceful life with or without their life partners.I hope they find their true loves and desires fulfilled and they are a source of joy for us parents!That's all we want out of them!:))

That's my style!! Now,I tag anybody who wants to take it up!It's short and sweet.Go ahead and do it gals,let me know what defines you!!

Have a great weekend and I will see you next week with Plate Idlis with side dishes,absolutely no deep frying involved!:)