SESAME BREAD CRISPS

I love baking breads.
But my first breads were like stones. They could be used by our police force for stunning the bad elements in our society. Nevertheless, I passed it off as 'this is exactly what this bread should be like'. I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who just let it be and quietly ate the hard tooth-breakers by dipping them into their soups to soften them.
But I never gave up.
And then one day my favourite uncle (my mom's sister's husband) visited me and baked these beautiful tiny bread buns in a jiffy. I watched him and decided then that I would teach myself to bake as well as him and quietly after he left continued to make good, bad and ugly breads till I finally became quite good at it and am  now proud of my creations.
This recipe that I am going to share reminds me of my earlier breads but this one is intentionally crisp as I wanted to have something light and crunchy and baked, as a starter for one of my dinner parties. I cut them into bite sized pieces before baking.


sesame bread crisps


SESAME BREAD CRISPS

Ingredients:
.Instant yeast......................2 tsp.
.Bread flour/strong flour......250 gm.
.Semolina............................250 gm.
.Sesame seeds.....................4 Tbsp.
.Flax seed powder...............1 1/2 Tbsp.
.Black pepper powder..........1 tsp.
.Dried mint leaves.................2 tsp.
.Salt.....................................1 1/2 tsp
.Olive oil..............................125 ml.
.Water.................................175 ml.

 For the glaze
.Milk....................................approximately 4 Tbsp.
      or
.Egg......................................1
.Water..................................1 Tbsp.

Method:
.Sieve together semolina and bread flour in a large bowl.
.Add the instant yeast, sesame seeds, flax seed powder, black pepper powder and mint.
.Mix well.
.Add salt.
.Mix together olive oil and water.
.Add the liquid ingredients slowly to the dry ingredients mixing all the time.
.Bring together all the dry ingredients and wet ingredients into a hard dough.
.Knead till the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

.Alternatively, you can knead in a dough maker or in a bread maker set to dough setting.
.If making in the dough maker take care to add the yeast in first.*

.Cover with a plastic wrap(in the bowl) and set aside in a warm, dark place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (rising).*
.Knock back the air out of the dough.
.Divide into 4 equal pieces.
.Knead each piece well and set aside for 20 minutes( proving), covered with a plastic wrap.
.Knock back the air and knead again and roll out each piece into rectangular shapes 1 cm thick.
.Cut out diamond or square shapes of about 2 inches or cut long strips to make bread sticks.
.Place them on a greased baking tray.
.Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 45 minutes.
.Preheat the oven to 200 degree C/425 degree F/Gas mark 7
.In a small bowl mix together egg and water and brush each piece with this egg wash.
.Alternatively brush with milk. I prefer to use milk to brush all my breads.
.Bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes.
.Cool on a wire mesh.
.Store in a jar when completely cooled.
.Serve with a dip or dip in your evening tea.

sesame bread crisps

Note:
*Yeast is killed when in direct contact with salt or sugar and rendered ineffective.
*The time required may increase or decrease depending on the outside temperature.
 Always prove the bread dough in a well insulated area or away from draughts.

EGGPLANT STUFFED BELL PEPPERS AND TOMATOES

Walking past a plant nursery, I just couldn't resist a walk through the plants. Weaving through them, I saw something that took my breath away- huge purple eggs hanging from a plant. Of course it was the most beautiful sight.  An eggplant laden plant!

Deep purple, plump and almost 10 inch long fruit. Right next to it were the red, yellow, green and purple bell pepper plants. Now all I needed to complete the tastiest trio was a tomato plant. Turning around I found that too. Green and yellow and red. My inspiration for my next dish.
The nursery owner refused to sell those plants to me as they were his personal prized possessions. Instead he gave me a purple chili plant as a gift, with the tiny chilies pointing upwards lifting my spirits.

That made the two of us very happy. Me at receiving such a lovely 'go home lady- without my prized plants' gift and he at saving them from me.

Now I had to buy these lovely vegetables immediately as that is all I could see. So off I went to the vegetable market and found a reasonable sized eggplant, about 8 inches long, some red and green bell peppers and a few ripe red tomatoes.


eggplant stuffed bell peppers and tomatoes



This trio is extremely nutritious and contains the phytonutrients needed to fight cancer.

Eggplant is a berry, a close relative of tobacco which explains why it has a slight bitter taste.

Tomato is closely related to eggplant and is rich in lycopene.

Red bell peppers are a very rich source of vitamin C.

Amazingly these three vegetables have come together from far away lands and are now inseparable.

Eggplants from India, tomatoes and bell peppers from Mexico, Central and South America.

EGGPLANT STUFFED BELL PEPPERS AND TOMATOES

Ingredients:

serves 3

.Eggplant.........................................600gm. (1 large or 2 medium sized)

.Red bell peppers............................2, small sized

.Green bell peppers.........................2, small sized

.Tomato...........................................2, small sized

.Red Onion......................................50gm. (1 small sized), thinly sliced

.Ginger............................................1 tsp. grated



.Green chili.....................................1 finely chopped

.Garlic.............................................2 cloves, finely chopped
.Yogurt, thick...................................1/4th cup
.Tomato............................................1 large or half cup, finely chopped
.Turmeric powder............................1/4th tsp. +1/8th tsp.
.Red chili powder............................1/4th tsp. +1/4th tsp.
.Salt..................................................to taste or approx. 1 1/4th tsp.
.Coriander leaves.............................1 Tbsp. finely chopped
.Mint leaves......................................2 Tbsp. finely chopped

.Green bell pepper...........................1/4th cup, diced into 1/2cm. pieces

.Oil...................................................1 Tbsp.

Method:

.Wash and dry the eggplant.
.Apply a little oil all over the skin.
.On direct flame (low heat) grill the eggplant till the skin is charred all around.
.Peel the charred skin immediately and mash the pulp roughly using a masher or hand. Makes about
 2 cups of pulp.
.Add yogurt, 1/4th tsp red chili powder, 1/8th tsp. turmeric powder, 3/4th tsp. salt  (or to taste)
 chopped coriander leaves and chopped mint leaves. Mix well and set aside.
.Cut the bell peppers into halves taking care to cut the stem into half too.
.Carefully remove the seeds keeping the stem intact.
.Cut the tops of tomatoes off and scoop out the seeds and pulp.
.Heat 1 tsp.oil in a skillet pan. Put the bell peppers and tomatoes cut side down and sprinkle
 a little salt. Flip and cook on the other side till almost done but still crisp.
.Alternatively, grill them in the oven till the skin gets slightly charred and the bell peppers are almost
 cooked but still crisp.
.Set aside.
.In the same skillet heat the remaining oil.
.Add thinly sliced onion, ginger and garlic. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. salt and saute for 1 minute or till the
 onions glisten.
.Add 1/4th tsp. red chili powder and 1/4th tsp. turmeric powder.
.Add the green chili and chopped tomatoes and the chopped reserved tomato pulp.
.Mix well and cook for 1 minute or until the tomatoes soften just a little.
.Add the eggplant mixture and mix well.
.Cook for 3 to 5 minutes till the preparartion starts glistening.
.Add the chopped green bell pepper and mix well.
.Cook for another minute.

How to proceed:
.Fill the prepared bell peppers and tomatoes with this eggplant filling.
.Garnish and serve hot.

Note:
.While choosing the eggplants look carefully for any hole especially under the stem. This may be
 caused by worms.
.While grilling the eggplants directly on the naked flame, you can line the base of the gas stove with
 aluminium foil. This protects the stove as well as helps you collect the liquid that may drain out of the
 eggplant while grilling. Add this liquid into the eggplant mixture.
.I use this eggplant preparation to fill tiny little baby jalapenos or just as is or even use it as a gravy 
 for some other vegetables, on toast as topping, in yogurt as a side dish, as a dip or even to make my
 eggplant bread.

eggplant stuffed bell peppers and tomato