7 Delicious Recipes To Cook Up For Your Family This Weekend

Has this coronavirus lockdown got you spending more time in the kitchen? With free hours at hand, this is just what you need to brush up your cooking skills and treat your family to delicious treats every day. After all, food is the ingredient that binds all together. If you have been looking for easy-to-make recipes with basic ingredients, then we bring you seven lip-smacking options that are guaranteed to be a big hit. So put on your chef's hat and let's get started with these recipes from experts across the country.

Easy-To-Make Recipes At Home

Here's a list of seven recipes that are easy and delicious.

1. Keto Burnt Butter Panna Cotta

Recipe: Chef Aabhas Mehrotra from Sorrentina by Foodhall

The traditional panna cotta is perfect for keto diet enthusiasts because of the high fat content in the dish. The panna cotta is given a texture of the burnt milk solids similar to the Indian sweet dish, basundi, which will evoke feelings of nostalgia, from the very first bite. Sorrentina by Foodhall is located in their new Bandra outlet. Named after the South Italian town of Sorrento, Sorrentina is known for its diverse range of modern Italian cuisine, rooted in tradition.

(Also read: 4 DIY Summer Cocktail Recipes To Liven Up The Spirit At Home)

^{Panna cotta}

Ingredients

For Burnt Butter: 120gm butter and 30gm milk powder

For Panna Cotta: 190ml heavy cream, 70ml milk, 50gm erythritol, 4gm gelatin

For Garnish: 30gm 80% dark chocolate, 60gm almond flakes and 30gm mixed berries

Method

For Burnt Butter:

1. Add butter into the pan and let it melt on slow heat. Add in the milk solids/powder and slightly toast them in the warm butter.

2. Strain the milk solids and reserve them to add in the panna cotta later.

For Panna Cotta:

1. Heat the heavy cream till 65 degree C, and take it off the flame.

2. Add in the milk and erythritol in the heavy cream and let the temperature drop till 45 degree C.

3. Once the mixture is cooled, add the gelatin sheets, which were already bloomed in the cold water. Blooming refers to the activation of gelatin sheets in cold water for about 2 minutes.

4. To finish, garnish the panna cotta with toasted almonds, berries and dark chocolate.

2. Decadent Dark Chocolate Brownies

Recipe: Chef Sanjana Patel from La Folie

Looking for something to do while responsibly staying indoors and practicing social distancing? Grab your whisk and mixing bowl! To stay meaningfully occupied while at home, take inspiration from Chef Sanjana Patel of La Folie, with her decadent dark chocolate brownie recipe that can be easily whipped up at home. Since its inception in 2014, La Folie has championed the magnificence of real chocolate in its art of modern European pastry and chocolate-making.

(Also read: 3 Immunity-Boosting Recipes To Make At Home During The Coronavirus Quarantine)

^Brownies

Ingredients

3 eggs

200gm castor sugar

170 gm butter

170gm dark chocolate (70%)

92gm all purpose flour

1.7gm baking powder

2gm sea salt

105gm 70% dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Grease the baking mould with butter.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder. Mix in the salt and chocolate chips.

3. Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler. Melt the butter separately.

4. Whisk the eggs with the castor sugar until ribbon consistency. Make sure the eggs are at ambient temperature. Mix in the melted dark chocolate (the chocolate should be at 45 degree C).

5. Next, fold in the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips or can be substituted for chopped walnuts.

6. Finally, mix in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the mould and bake in a preheated oven at 175 degree C for 25-30 minutes.

7. Lastly, try and wait for the brownies to cool before you slice and devour them in minutes.

3. Healthy Fattoush Salad

Recipe: Chef Devendra Khetle from Rue Du Liban

For those who are inclined to all things culinary, Chef Devendra Khetle and the team at Rue Du Liban have come to the rescue. Here is an easy, make-at-home recipe from Rue Du Liban, that you can whip up in a jiffy at home. Rue du Liban in Mumbai serves traditional Levantine food in a contemporary way, amidst an elegant setting.

^{Fattoush Salad}

Ingredients

70gm Romaine lettuce

10-15 fresh mint leaves

1 red radish, sliced

1 medium capsicum, diced

1 small cucumber, diced

1 large tomato, diced

Few pomegranate seeds

1 pita bread, toasted crispy

For Dressing:

3 tbsp olive oil, Juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, a pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp sumac spice

Method

1. For the dressing, mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl with a whisk till it blends well together. Keep it aside.

2. Add all the vegetables in a bowl and toss well. Drizzle the fattoush dressing and mix again. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top and garnish with crispy pita bread.

4. Breakfast Pancakes

Recipe: Chef Alisha Faleiro, Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts

A pancake is an all-time favourite breakfast treat. Prepared from flour, eggs, milk and butter, the flat bread is best served with honey, chocolate, fresh fruits or cream. Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts is one of the prime institutes in Asia for bakery and culinary courses. It presents a home-friendly recipe that makes use of basic ingredients that would be available in our home during lockdown.

^{Pancakes to try}

Ingredients

Flour 250 gm

Milk 250 gm

Sugar 62.5 gm

Eggs 2.5

Baking powder 8 gm

Method

1. Whisk eggs and sugar till sugar dissolves.

2. Add in milk and mix.

3. Add in the dry ingredients and mix.

4. Warm up a pan, add some butter. Pour batter on the warm pan and cook till golden brown.

5. It can be served along with honey, chocolate sauce, fresh cream and fruits.

5. Capelli D'Angelo Aglio Olio e Peperoncino

Chefs at Gustoso share a simple recipe to help you cook up a storm. Capelli D'Angelo Aglio Olio e Peperoncino is a quintessential pasta dish you can make in less than 30 minutes using just a handful of ingredients. Gustoso is an award-winning Italian restaurant brand by Indianapoli Hospitality, located at Kemp's Corner and Khar in Mumbai.

^Pasta

Ingredients

Angel hair pasta 90gm

Chopped garlic 3-4 cloves

Olive oil 4 tbsp

Red chilli flakes 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Parsley 1/4 cup

For Garnish:

Chopped parsley 1/4 cup, sliced garlic 1, sliced fresh red chilli 1, olive oil 1tsp

Method

1. Boil water in a pot and add salt.

2. Add raw angel hair pasta and cook for 4 mins, until al dente. Drain pasta in a colander, keeping 1/4 cup of the boiled water aside.

3. Add olive oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add the finely chopped garlic. Saute until the garlic starts to turn brown, then add red chilli flakes.

4. Add the cooked pasta and mix all the ingredients well.

5. Pour the boiled water that was kept aside into the pan, to create a light sauce and toss for a minute, then remove from the heat.

6. Pour some oil in a small frying pan and fry the sliced garlic until golden brown.

7. Transfer pasta to a bowl. Garnish with finely chopped parsley, sliced garlic and red chilli and a few drops of olive oil. Serve hot.

Note: If Angel Hair Pasta is not available, use spaghetti, cook for 8-9 minutes.

6. Zad Apple Salad With Winter Greens

Recipe: Chef Amit Wadhera from The Park Hotels New Delhi

The idea behind creating this salad was to incorporate the authentic local flavors of Indian fruits and veggies. Chef and his team found different varieties of apple grown in various districts of Himachal. They picked this particular variety ZAD apple which is super crisp and extremely sweet and perfect to pair up with citric and bitter flavours.

^{Apple Salad}

Ingredients

Zad apple, arugula, berries, sprouts, organic goat cheese, orange segments, sesame seeds

Method

1. Dress sprouts and arugula in basic vinaigrette dressing to give a nice shine and to add flavours of vinaigrette.

2. Cut slices of zad apples and segments of oranges.

3. Place everything in a serving plate by keeping colour contrast of items in mind.

4. Sprinkle sesame seeds and goat cheese on top to add more flavour and colour.

7. Coconut Khichdi With Kaffir Lime And Toasted Peanuts

Recipe: Foodhall

A healthy gluten-free and keto friendly dish cooked often in Indian households.

^Khichdi

Ingredients

Basmati rice 1 cup

Split black gram or urad dal, washed 1 cup

Ghee 2 tbsp

Bay leaf 1

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Ginger, chopped 1 tsp

Green chilli, chopped 1 tsp

Water or vegetable stock 4 cups

Salt to taste

Coconut milk 1 can

Fresh coriander, chopped 1 tsp

Kaffir lime leaves, chopped to garnish

Toasted peanuts to garnish

Method

1. In a pressure cooker, heat ghee. Add bay leaf and temper with cumin seeds. Tip in chopped ginger and green chili to sauté. Tip in the split black gram lentil and basmati rice. Mix well.

2. Add 4 cups of water, season with salt and mix well. Cook on high flame for the first whistle, then reduce the flame and cook for another 2 whistles.

3. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes and add coconut milk. Mix well and adjust seasoning. Heat for 10 minutes. Take off heat, add fresh coriander and ghee.

4. To serve, garnish with freshly chopped kaffir lime leaves and crushed peanuts.