AFAM-Watermelon

AFAM is A Fruit A Month blog event started by Maheshwari of Beyond the Usual..as the name suggests, its about blogging about a particular fruit selected by the host for the month. This month's event is hosted by the inimitable couple at Jugalbandi who of course had to select something special..and ended up with....watermelon.
My local grocery had watermelons on sale and I ended up carrying a whooping whole melon (10 Pound) across the store, belatedly thinking what on earth am I going to do with it. Usually a big chunk of it gets skinned and cubed into a big bowl, covered with plastic wrap for snacking. A bit of the rest get chopped up minutely and with added sugar(if not sweet enough), made into a spoon able drink ,while some of it is left intact to be cut into wedges for my little one to snack on.
But this time, I had seen a watermelon juice at Trial and Error and that kept popping in my head. It turned out to be a winner with this amazing thirst quenching quality and a tangy taste similar to punch. Thanks Nabeela.:)
The only change I did was to make a sugar syrup ahead of time and flavoured it with Cardamom. To make the sugar syrup, boil equal quantity of sugar and water for 5-10 minutes and add cardamom if you like. This can stay in the fridge for 3-4 days and is great to make lemonades and juices instantly.
The recipe is simple..
1/2 seedless watermelon,skinned and cut into cubes
Juice from 1 limes or less if you like less tart
1/2 cup sugar syrup
A handful of fresh mint leaves
1 cup cold water
1 lime, sliced

Puree the watermelon with the lime juice and sugar syrup. Taste and adjust as required. Add the crushed mint leaves and let it sit in the refrigerator for some time. Strain (thick drink is also nice) and serve with fresh lime and ice. Do try it, it beats soda or bottled juices any day!



There was still a lot of the melon left, so I scrounged the net and made watermelon salsa, which I promptly threw in the sink..blah! What were they thinking! The watermelon did not hold its own amongst the scallions, peppers and tasted funny. Salsas are best with strong flavored fruits such as peaches and mangoes, me thinks.

But I did try a granita with it and there is a bowl of it next to me right now, as a mid day snack. A spot of weeding outside in the July sun and I was spent! The NorthEast is hot when it decides to be! The watermelon granita tasted great as it is, with the crushed watermelong flavored ice slowly melting with each mouthful, cooling and refreshing at the same time, but it tasted better with a dollop of sweetened sour cream on it!
A Granita is an ice dessert somewhere in between a slushy and a sorbet (sorbets are creamier closer in consistency to ice cream) Granitas have a grainier texture (from the ice shavings) and is typically eaten as a refreshing and light dessert. They can also be used in the same way as one would a sorbet, between meal courses to "cleanse the palate".
It reminded me of the Ice Ka Gola from my childhood where different intense flavors are poured over shaved ice and you keep sipping on the ice till the flavor is dried out.


You will need:
2 cups peeled and seeded watermelon chunks
1/4 cup sugar syrup or 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Puree all the ingredients together.
Transfer the mixing bowl to the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the freezer and use a fork to scrape any ice crystals from the sides of the bowl. Stir to break up the crystals. Return to the freezer.
Repeat this scraping procedure every 30 minutes, or until the consistency is “snowy” when scraped with a fork or spoon, at least 4 hours. Then scoop into bowls or dessert glasses and serve.

A Bowl Of Oatmeal....

While I enjoy coconut rich food which dominates when parents visit, the day still has to start with something filling but with minimum effort. If there is Godumbu Varagiyathu, an oatmeal like concoction that is made with skinned whole wheat and coconut milk ready to eat, that is perfect. Else its oatmeal with dry fruits and milk. Godumbu varagiyathu will be blogged later but for today lets settle for oatmeal. Just prepare it as per instructions with milk, top with chopped walnuts or almonds, dried cranberries, raisins, dates and flax seeds. Drizzle with honey and you are set.

WBB-Strawberries

Summer fruits as an idea for the Weekend Breakfast Blogging intrigued me and seemed so apt for capturing the sunniness of summer. Then I started thinking of which fruit I wanted to choose for my breakfast and the possibilities boggled the mind. Favorite fruit for breakfast is dried fruits or bananas, but they are there all year round.
When I opened the refrigerator, Strawberries glared at me saying "We are not just for desserts and snacks; We are good for you in the mornings too.We are chockful of vitamin C."
Its true. Straberries get bought by the boxes from price club and make their way into all kinds of desserts. The simplest preparation of all is strawberries cut up and sugar (very litle) sprinkled over it. Let it rest for 10 minutes and watch the metamorphosis. The tart and sometimes sour strawberries suddenly turn all coy and sweet.. and luscious. A no cook sauce.

What does it go with?
Top up your oatmeal or cereal with them.
Make a parfait with cream, granola and nuts.
Mix it in with greek creamy yogurt and honey if you want to be healthy.
For dessert, mix it with ice cream and caramelised nuts.
But as my little one remarked, the strawberries tasted best by itself.

But for now crepes crept into the mind and I whipped some up (minus the cream topping) and folded the strawberries in. A light breakfast crepe which you can easily make decadent by adding a strawberry sauce and whipped cream.



Strawberry sauce-
Wash and cut strawberries into quarters. Sprinkle a spoon of sugar for every two cups of strawberries or even less if the strawberries are sweet. Use after 10 minutes.

So how to make crepes?
I have no recipe of my own.. just follow the link.. super duper crepes and another recipe.
Another yummy topping for crepes is Nutella and bananas. Just spread some warm nutella on the crepes and top with sliced bananas and fold over. Additional whipped cream is great if avaialble on hand.



I might be late but this is my entry for the weekend breakfast blogging held at Spicy Andhra.

Grapefruit In Two Ways

Grapefruit With Honey.
From later winter to early spring, grapefruits are in season. Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C,vitamin A, folate, potassium and fiber. The rich pink and red colors of grapefruit are due to lycopene, a tumor fighting chemical. It is also helpful in lowering cholesterol and clearing the liver and has endless other benefits.

Till recently I wasn't a great fan of grapefruit, associating it with a lingering bitterness. But a friend suggested honey with it and it worked. A drizzle of honey takes away the bitterness while adding a pleasing sweetness. I got hooked on its extreme juiceiness and now my better half got me a huge(!!) bag of grapefruits from our friendly neighbourhood retailer!

Cut the grapefruit into halves vertically. With a very sharp knife and concentration, carefully cut each half into 3-4 slices and cut away the skin. Cut further into pieces. When they are all ready, drizzle honey and let it rest for 10 minutes or so. Enjoy!


Fruit Salad/ Fruit Chaat
A whole bunch of fruit cut up into equal sized dices. The combination can vary as per the mood. I used 2 bananas, 1 grapefruit, 1 apple, some mango cubes and plums. You could use kiwis, strawberries, guava etc too.
The whole flavor is brought together by chaat masala, a pungent blend of spices such as dried mango powder, black salt, cumin, ginger etc. Since my better half is averse to dried mango powder( he can sense it a mile away and scrunches up his face), I just add my spices.

The juices from the grapefruit is sour enough to replace lemon juice. So sprinkle some red chili powder, cumin powder(roasted), sea salt, ginger powder(very little) and drizzle some honey. Adjust the spices as per your taste..more sour, more spicy.. Alternately you could use any store bought chaat masala or make one of your own and keep as per this recipe.

Just salt, sugar and red chili powder also tastes good. I used to mix semi ripe papaya (or mangoes) with tamarind extract, chili powder, sugar and salt and eat till my stomach gave in.:) Now I limit myself to this light dressing. The fruit chaat tastes best after it is just dressed with the spices so don't let it sit. Add the spices just before serving.