Showing posts with label Guest Articles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guest Articles. Show all posts

Friday, March 16, 2012

Lip Smackin Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice

Article by : Sharon. Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice. This stuffed peppers recipe makes hearty and delicious and surprisingly easy to make Stuffed Bell Peppers. Using a large skillet combine the ground meat, onions, garlic and red bell pepper, saute over medium heat until done. Next add rice and seasoning, mix and set to the side (the mixture can be refrigerated ahead of time).
Wash, dry and cut the tops off the green peppers about an inch from the top, do not throw the tops of the peppers away they can be used for the presentation later. Clean the white seeds out of the peppers and place to the side. Take your meat mixture (out to take the chill off if refrigerator to reduce the cooking time) and place it to the side. In a 3 quart pot pour in can of tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar and beef stock over a medium flame until it boils. Then let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Stuffed Peppers Recipe (Ingredients):

� 6 to 8 Large Green Bell Peppers
� 1 Small Red Bell Pepper (chopped small)
� 1 to 1 � lbs of Ground Beef, Turkey, Pork or a mixture
� 1 Large Onion (chopped small)
� 2 Large cloves of Roasted Garlic (minced)
� 1 � cup of Cooked White or Brown Rice
� 1 teaspoon of Fresh or Dry Basil

Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce:

� 1 Large Can of Tomato Sauce
� 1 Small Can of Tomato Paste
� � Cup Beef Stock
� Wine or Apple Cider Vinegar to taste
� Sugar to taste

In a deep baking dish ladle enough sauce to cover the bottom of the baking dish and start to stuff the peppers. Using a tablespoon, scoop the meat mixture into the peppers and generously fill them to the top. Place in the baking dish side by side then, ladle more sauce over the bell peppers and place the reserved pepper tops back on the bell peppers. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minute or until Stuffed Bell Peppers are tender.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Suggestions and Tips for Buying Professional Cookware

Article by Bharathi : One of the most important investments you will need to make when opening up your own restaurant is what type of professional cookware you are going to need. When you first start completing the research on what type of equipment and cookware you will need for your business, it can seem overwhelming.


There are will be many different types of equipment and supplies you will need. You will need to spend a lot of time looking for a restaurant supply store to help you get all of the equipment you will need to get started.


An important factor to keep in mind when you are looking for a restaurant supply store is whether or not they have everything that you need. You want a supply store where you can purchase large pieces of equipment as well smaller items like plates and silver ware. You always want to make sure the store carries all of the disposable items you will need for your business.

If you are not having much luck finding a good restaurant supply shop in your local area, you should consider looking for one online. You will find that buying your restaurant supplies online can be a great way to save money and time. Most of the products online are often more affordable when purchased from e-suppliers. The convenience of being able to shop from home is a plus as well.

Even if you are someone who cooks professionally out of your home, you will be able to find more of the products you need for your kitchen at affordable prices online. You can get entire sets of knives or special pots for cooking and preparing food made by some of the best commercial kitchen equipment makers in the world.

Whether you are just starting out or are an experienced restaurant owner, buying your restaurant equipment and products from a restaurant supply store both online and offline is always the best option to go with for your equipment needs!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

How to Introduce Your Friends and Family to Indian Food


A lot of people simply aren�t used to exotic food, particularly Indian food. As delicious as Indian food is, many Americans simply haven�t had the opportunity to try it before. I recently introduced Indian food to my friends at law school in Boston, none of whom had ever tried or even considered eating it before. They were extremely hesitant to try it at first, but every single one of them ended up loving it so much that the next time we got together we met at a different Indian restaurant!

If you are introducing Indian food or any other kind of exotic food to your friends and family for the first time, you will want to start them off slowly. Don�t introduce them straight away to the most extreme or unusual dishes, but rather dishes that are mild in spice and even in flavor as well. This way your friends and family won�t feel too overwhelmed by trying something new and they will also be more inclined to try something a little more adventurous next time.
So if you are considering introducing your friends and family to Indian food for the first time, consider starting with some of these mild, yet flavorful dishes:

Onion Bhaji
Onion Bhaji is similar to potato fritters but with an onion filling rather than potato. These crispy snacks are great as an appetizer and can be made as spicy or mild as you like. Delicious mango chutney is usually served as an accompanying dip.

Samosas
Samosas are a classic Indian appetizer, and are pastry-like bites filled with your filling of choice. This is a great pick for vegetarians, as you can fill it with veggies, or for meat lovers you can fill it with lamb or beef. Chutney or yoghurt is often used as condiments for this tasty dish.

Garlic Naan Bread
Garlic naan bread is an oven-baked flatbread flavored with garlic leaves and garlic salt. It serves as a fantastic dish for dipping in curry sauce and its fairly mild flavor shouldn�t put off people trying Indian food for the first time.
These are all great dishes that should serve as a gentle introduction to people trying Indian food for the very first time. They are all relatively easy to make dishes too, so even if you�re not a wiz in the kitchen, you should be able to pull these dishes off successfully.

How to Make Indian Bread - Roti ( Chapati )

Roti is a most delicious kind of Indian bread. It also is a very simple one to make. But, there are so many kinds of Indian breads, which one is roti? Its main characteristic is that it puffs up while you are cooking it, to become immediately flat when the air inside cools down. In restaurants they sometimes bring it to you right off the pan, so it still retains some puffiness. Unlike the more famous naan, roti is plainer in consistency and taste, which makes it a great accompaniment for delicate dishes that need not be covered by a tasty bread.

In order for roti to be properly cooked, it needs to puff up completely. This separates the two layers of the bread making it soft and digestible. Otherwise, the result is stiffer and not as good. Getting roti to puff takes some experience. You will not be able to get it right on your first try, but with some practice, the result should be satisfactory. You need to follow the directions of this recipe very carefully.

Ingredients for 4 Roti flat buns
Half a cup of whole wheat flour. You can use all purpose also, but it's harder to puff
Butter: one teaspoon
Salt: one pinch
Oil: one fourth of a teaspoon, any oil suites the purpose
Warm water: one fourth of a cup and one tablespoon

Preparation:
  1. Mix the flour, the salt and the warm water in a bowl using your hands.
  2. When the ingredients are well mixed up into a soft dough, add the oil and start kneading with your hands.
  3. Knead for ten minutes. When the dough does not stick anymore to your hands and the bowl, divide it up into 4 parts.
  4. Using your hands, shape these four parts into balls and set them to rest on a plate covered with plastic wrap.
  5. Prepare the dough at least 10 minutes before you need it and allow it to rest the necessary time.
Now you are ready to make roti! Get an iron skillet larger than five inches in diameter and set it on the burner on medium high. Prepare a cutting board, a rolling pin and a small amount of flour. Flatting out roti is a little bit difficult, but you should obtain a round and even disc of fine inches in diameter. Use a pinch of flour to avoid the dough sticking to the flattening surface and the rolling pin.

Now set the flat dough on the skillet and watch it closely. When the surface starts forming several small bubbles the size of a dime, flip the dough and make the other side bubble up the same way. Turn it again as soon as you see the bubbles on the lower side getting brown. Be careful not to overcook either side, or the roti won't pop. Now that you flipped it again, gently use the spatula to press the bubbles on the sides and center of the roti to push the air inside around thus helping the two layers of dough detach. With a little patience and practice you will be able to see your roti completely inflated. Using the spatula, lightly press and wobble the roti on the skillet on both sides for a few seconds to cook the dough evenly, then brush with some melted butter and set aside or eat immediately. Freshly made roti is excellent, so my advice is to serve it right off the skillet!

Matt lives in Italy and is absolutely in love with Indian food. He is constantly in search of great Indian restaurants, especially when vacationing in Tuscany apartments near the city. When he rents Tuscany villas he prefers to make his Indian food at home.


Monday, March 5, 2012

Convection Oven- a Healthy Way to Cook Your Food

Do you want to make your cooking to be easier? If you said yes, then you may want to consider a convection oven which is taking on a more vital role in today�s contemporary kitchen. With convection technology, your cooking needs are more easily met than ever before. The more you look, the more you�ll find that restaurants are using convection cooking to produce quality foods in less time.  For this reason, several models of convection ovens are available for the restaurant kitchen.

You can have a full size convection oven featuring a built-in fan and a heating system for that circulates hot air in the within the oven for even distribution of heat producing better results. Convection ovens are used for baking as well as cooking and they will cook food faster at a lower temperature, with the temperature and moisture being distributed throughout the top to bottom racks of the oven and therefore all of the food will cook more evenly. Since the hot air and moisture penetrates as food cooks, it takes less time for cooking thus saving energy.

A countertop convection oven is one of the most popular models to perform multiple functions and is a great choice when space is limited. It includes temperature dial, a timer and a function control for baking, broiling, roasting, boiling, or grilling.  It doesn�t take any floor space in your kitchen and it can do what a floor model can do so you can cook vegetables and roast meats at the same time.  And because it�s a convection oven, it will still heat evenly throughout the oven.  The smaller, energy efficient countertop convection oven is less expensive than a full size floor model.

Great for catering or off premise events, the portable convection oven uses infrared heating to cook the food, and can often prepare foods up to 50% faster than other oven choices. It requires very little or no oil for cooking vegetables, roasting meat, and more which is considered to be a healthier way to cook. It is sure to enhance your food quality and simplify your cooking.

Here are the benefits of convection cooking that you need to know:
  • It can bake, roast, broil, steam and broil your favorite foods just the way you like.
  • It cooks at lower temperatures and uses less cooking time, thus saving energy.
  • It holds in nutrients, vitamins and minerals in your food and enriches the flavor.
So, whatever your requirement is, it�s up to you to choose the right type of a convection oven for your kitchen that executes your entire cooking task with ease.