Paddy's Irish Quebecstani Cookies for Cheering Bangladesh Sixes

WELL hasn't it been a while!  I'm reckoning you weren't planning on hearing from me again, but here I am, getting back into cricket after a long absence.  How long has it been?  WELL...young Mohammed Aamer is playing the game again and bowling better than ever, older and hopefully wiser!  Misbah ul-Haq, the wonder captain of Pakistan, has retired after bringing my lovely lads of Pakistan glory beyond their wildest dreams.  Pakistan has been the number one test team in the world.  Younis Khan retired.  Shahid Afridi is still a handsome man.   So while I might not have too much cricket commentary for today, I will say congrats to Bangladesh for beating Australia at Mirpur, and hopefully they'll have a repeat victory this week!

But what will you eat during this test match?  Don't just bite your nails, eat these delicious biscuits/cookies that combine the best of Quebec, Ireland, and Pakistan.  These cookies will give you all the strength you need to shout for all those fabulous big sixes we're going to see!

Paddy's Irish Quebecstani Biscuits for Cheering Bangladesh Sixes

For those who don't know, Paddy is my French-Canadian/Quebecois husband with an Irish background who has developed a hankering for Pakistani food.  He helped me develop the recipe.  It is HALAL and gluten-free.

Younis Khan at a Press Conference Talking About How He Will Be Eating Paddy's Irish Quebecstani Biscuits at Tea-Time.  "I am smiling because they are very good and you should make some yourself", he told the crowd.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

1.5 cups black chickpea flour (also called Kala Chana flour, available at Indian/Pakistani grocers)
               If black chickpea flour is not available, regular chickpea flour can be used.
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
chocolate chips
walnuts
raisins (kishmish)
dried cranberries

Method
Pre-heat your oven to 350-360 F.  Cream the butter, adding both sugars gradually.  Stir in the peanut butter, then add the egg and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine the black chickpea flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar/peanut butter/egg mixture, and make sure everything is evenly distributed and smooth.  Add as many chocolate chips, crushed walnuts, kishmish and cranberries as you want, and combine them well.

Drop by the large spoonful onto a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 20 minutes.  Eat.  EAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!  But wait a minute or two first, they'll be really hot as they've just come out of the oven.  Blow on the biscuit a bit so that you don't burn your mouth.

Happy Baking, Happy Eating, and Happy Cricket!

Shakib Al Hasan's Pico De Gallo Salsa for Quesadillas

Yes, and a good evening/afternoon/morning to you wherever you find yourself today.  Yesterday I posted a quesadilla recipe, dedicated to the fabulous Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.  I didn't have the chance to post the recipe for the salsa that goes on top, so here it is now.

How DARE you forget the salsa, you even named it after me, you chowderhead!

Shakib Al Hasan's Pico De Gallo Salsa

Never use a store-bought salsa again.  Pico de gallo salsa, pronounced Pee-ko day ga-yo NOT gay-o, is a freshly cut, tart, spicy and salty sauce which can be put on top of meat, rice, chicken, roti or naan or can be used as a dip with tortilla or roti chips.  Furthermore, pico de gallo is fantastic on scrambled, fried or poached eggs. This is, like Shakib al Hasan, the perfect all-rounder.  Now go sharpen your knife because we're going to deliciousville.

Ingredients:

Some nice ripe red tomatoes, finely chopped

an onion,very finely chopped

a big bunch of coriander (cilantro), very finely chopped

green or red chilies according to taste, very finely chopped

juice of 3 or 4 limes

salt

Mix everything together, and let it sit for a few minutes to that all the flavours meld.  Pico de gallo can keep well in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

Right.  So that's Shakib Al-Hasan's Pico De Gallo Salsa; now go out there and impress your friends with your all-round cheffin' skills and blow their minds.  If Wisden's have a Cheffer of the year, with this recipe and the Quesadillas, you'd probably get nominated.

Happy Cricket, and Happy Cooking!

Spicy Shakib Al Hasan's International T20 Quesadilla

And a good day to you.  I know it's been simply ages, but I've had business to take care of.  Anyways,  lately I've made some very nice friends from Bangladesh, and I was asked to be local cricket team's photographer at a recent tournament.  My goodness, it was fun all round, as one can see from the photos...

Anyhoo, these nice gents have a bone to pick with me: in fact, they're cross that I hardly ever talk about Bangladesh cricket or Bangladeshi food.  So today, in order to remedy some of this blog's Bangla-deficiency, we're going to have a look at that hot hunk of burnin' sports love known as all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan.  Furthermore, in keeping with the international spirit of T20 cricket, we're going to make a Mexican-based classic light meal with some Bangladeshi ingredients that will please even the most fickle of palates.

Spicy Shakib Al Hasan's International T20 Quesadilla

Shakib Al Hasan is the #1 ranked all-rounder in Test Cricket and ODI's.  This package of awesome talent is only 25 years old and has already been Wisden's Cricketer of the year for 2009.   Hopefully we'll be seeing him break records and remain at his peak condition for years to come.  Well done!  Mr. Al Hasan, you deserve to have a dish named after you!

QUESADILLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!!!

A quesadilla (pronounced kay sa dee ya) is basically a cheese filled flour or corn tortilla, which is like a very very thin roti.  In its most simple form, cheese is placed on the tortilla, it's folded in half, and then it is heated up in a little bit of oil in a pan.  Many Mexicans will top their quesadilla with some thick cream and salsa (which I will describe in tomorrow's post.)  

Quesadillas, along with cheese, can also have a variety of fillings; pumpkin flowers, huitlacoche mushrooms, chicken, ham, whatever one wants.   Today's quesadilla will be a mushroom and cheese quesadilla, because apparently Bangladesh is an exporter of mushrooms.

Also, our quesadilla will be topped with a mexican pico de gallo salsa which is very similar to a Bangladesh topping of tomatoes, onions, lime juice and salt.  However due to time restrictions, the salsa recipe will be posted tomorrow.  But have no fear:  quesadillas are also delicious by themselves with no topping if one desires.  

But enough talk from me!  Put on an apron and sharpen your knives and stop wasting time!

Ingredients (to make 1 )

2 or 3 button mushrooms, sliced

about a handful of grated cheese, cheddar usually working the best

some sliced onion

some mustard seeds

some mustard oil

dried red chilies, roasted

a bit of salt

one flour tortilla or one very thin roti

some thick cream for topping (optional)

some pico de gallo salsa (optional and to be posted tomorrow)

Heat some mustard oil in a pan.  

Fry the mustard seeds and onions until golden.

Add the mushrooms, fry until the onions are very crispy and the mushrooms are thoroughly cooked

Remove the mushrooms and onions from the pan.

Quickly dry-roast the dried red chili directly on the burner

Replace pan on the burner, and place the roti in it, on medium heat.

Place the cooked mushrooms, onions and cheese on one half of the roti

Crush the roasted red chili on top of cheese and mushrooms

Fold the roti in half, and fry for a couple of minutes, then flip over

Fry until all the cheese inside has melted.

Serve immediately with a dollop of thick cream and a spoonful of pico de gallo salsa if you wish, and eat immediately.

EAT MY QUESADILLAS AND YOU'LL BE BIG AND STRONG LIKE ME

And that's Shakib Al Hasan's International T20 Quesadilla, a great all-round light meal or filling snack, great any time of day and tasty for everyone, whether vegetarian or carnivore.  Enjoy the cooking, enjoy the cricket, and enjoy life in general!

As they say in the old bayou, laterz gaterz!

PS Thanks gents for the lovely day at the cricket!  Let me know when the next tournament is :D

I Love My Pakistan Cricket Team, and You Will Love My Gazpacho

And a fan-flipping-tastic day to you!  Yes, I'm back after a long absence and I can assure it's not going to happen again!  Nothing can keep me away from my lovely lads of Pakistan, and look at all the gorgeousness they have achieved in the past year with that luscious lump of loveliness Misbah ul-Haq at the helm!

The Haq shows them who's boss when he sweeps spinners for big fat sixes!

 The saucy silent skipper has brought this squad of macho men up through the ranks and now they are giving the #1 rated team, England, the beating of their lives in the test series that is taking place in  UAE.

I took this pic of Anderson in 2010.  I don't think he's smiling right now.

We are all so proud of the handsome gents we call the Pakistan Cricket Team; through determination, honesty, hard work, practice and ridiculous good looks, they have come so far in the past 18 months.  From scandal and a near collapse, the lads, with their sheer strength of character, have made it through and are an inspiration for Pakistan, an inspiration for cricket, and an inspiration for EVERYBODY who has seen hard times. Well Done!

Awesome Ajmal, spin those English silly!!!

So, at the moment, Pakistan has won a three-test series, but the third test is still on and England need a staggering 300+ runs to secure their only victory.  That's right...Pakistan is close to white-washing England.  Will the English be able to cope with Saeed Ajmal or Abdur Rehman's spin?  With a crumbly pitch that's offering a bit of a bite,  Strauss and his gents had better put on their big-girl panties and hope they won't be totally spun to oblivion!

Strauss' first choice for spinners, Graham Swan, pretending to be happy to face  Ajmal's Doosra of Doom.

Anyways, because I've been hooked to my TV the past few days watching the drama unfold, I don't have time to cook a hot meal (and it's summer here in Melbourne anyways), so I'm going to make some Gazpacho for dinner tonight.  Maybe you should do the same, because you won't want to lose a minute while you're watching today's play.


Gazpacho is a traditional Spanish dish which is a great meal for hot weather, and a nice flavourful victory dish if you're watching your girlish figure.   If  you're living in the Northern Hemisphere, I know it's very cold there now with that crazy arctic front, but maybe all of the vitamin C and other nutritional stuff from this deliciousness will do you some good and help you face those -57 C days.  Right, go get your cutting board, an apron, and turn on your TV and we'll make this while we watch all the handsome guys on the Pakistan team crush the English the same way we're going to crush our tomatoes.  Watch and learn!


Gazpacho


About 5 tomatoes, roughly chopped
a cucumber, roughly chopped
an onion, roughly chopped
a red or green capsicum (bell pepper), roughly chopped
some extra virgin olive oil (you decide how much you want, more makes the gazpacho heavier)
about three tablespoons of white vinegar
a clove of garlic, chopped
salt to taste
crushed black pepper to taste
red chili powder (optional)
green chilies (optional)


Put everything in a blender, and blend until everything is smooth.  That's right, everything is raw and served cold, perfect for a hot summer night, or a cold winter evening when you're missing the tastes of summer!
Pour into bowls and serve immediately so you don't miss a minute of the action.


So while it's a few hours too early to declare a whitewash victory for Pakistan, I will say this...Good on ya, you beauties!  I love you, Pakistan Cricket Team, and keep it up!


Happy Cricket, Happy Cooking, and Happy Pakistan!

Canucks, Take Boom Boom Afridi's Advice and Have Some Pilao and Cuchumber

Bad day for Canucks fans, oh yes it hurts and my little eyes are so red from cryin'.  So on Monday, the Canucks lost to the Bruins by 7 goals, with the final score being 8-1 in favour of Boston, and then earlier today (I'm on Australian time, kidz) the Canucks got clobbered again by 4 goals.  Ugh!  This Stanley Cup final is getting to be too much for my poor little heart.

I just started to get into NHL hockey; and now I can see why so many people like it.  Especially Bruins fans.  Bah!   I like the Canucks because I'm from Vancouver Island, but man come on.  They need help.  They've lost their canuckiness.  Even my favourite cricketer, the ridiculously handsome Shahid Afridi, reacted to the news of the loss today:

The 'nucks lost?  WTF?

And I bet right now the Canucks are really regretting the terrible snacks and meals they've been eating.  You know how I know they haven't been eating well?  Because they didn't play as well as they could have.  They looked a little lethargic...and that's what happens when you drink pop and eat cotton candy and popcorn all day long!  Come on guys, this isn't a day at the fun-fair with your best girlie by your side!!!!  This is the Stanley Cup!  Macho up and take a tip from Shahid Afridi:  eat proper Pakistani food and just watch the scores accumulate in your favour. 

That's right.  Although this is a recipe I've posted before, it's necessary to spread that Pakistani love around again because this is an emergency.  Canucks, take a lesson from cricket:  eat some One Day International Pilao (named for the One Day International cricket matches) with Goaltender's Cuchumber.  And someone PLEASE get this recipe to Alain Vigneault on the double so that Luongo and the lads get it on time so they're fit and happy and win on home ice on Friday!

Pilao?  Oh yes please, I'd love some.

Proper One Day International Pilao with Goaltender's CuchumberMake the cuchumber first because it tastes better after resting for about 30 minutes.

Goaltender's Cuchumber
1 cup of finely chopped cucumber
1/2 very finely chopped onion
2or 3 very finely chopped green chilies
3 very finely chopped tomatoes (use more or less, according to how much you like tomatoes)
juice of 4 or 5 lemons or limes
lal mirch
salt

Toss everything together, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Pilao
1 chicken, no skin, cut in 8 or 10 (the butcher can do this for you)
1 onion, finely chopped
7 or 8 cloves of garlic, crushed or very finely chopped
3 cm piece of ginger, crushed or very finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 stick of cinnamon
1 black cardamom pod
1 star anise
5 black peppercorns
5 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon lal mirch (red chili powder)
salt to taste
3 cups of rice
4.5 cups of water
chopped green chilies to taste
chopped coriander for garnish
oil for cooking

1. Fry the onion until golden and a bit crispy, like you would for Basic Vegetable Salan.
2.  Add the cinammon stick, bay leaf, black cardamom, green cardamom, star anise, peppercorns and cumin seeds.
       You may notice that I do not grind the spices.   Cooking with whole spices is
        the old fashioned way and is how you get the authentic, subtle flavour. Do
        not take them out later on, just be careful when you're eating!
3.  Add the garlic and ginger, fry for a minute or two, but DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC!  Also you can add the chilies at this point.
4.  Add tumeric and lal mirch.  Fry for a few seconds.
5.  Add 4.5 cups of water, plus a little more (1/4 cup), bring to boil
6.  Add chicken and salt, let it boil about 10 minutes, so the chicken is just about cooked through.
7.  Add the rice, give it a stir
8.  When it boils again, turn down the heat to very low and cover.
9.  Let it cook for about 20 minutes or so, and add more water if the rice is still a bit hard.
10  Fluff up the rice, garnish with coriander,and serve with cuchumber on the side.

A quick note:  if you want a more flavourful pilao, ALWAYS use chicken with the bones in, and you can always add a few chicken necks.  Using only boneless chicken breast meat will give you a bland dish without all of the vitamins and minerals that come from the bones and marrow.  You may also use chicken broth instead of plain water.

Right, now there are absolutely no excuses for the Canucks to lose.  None!  So be good lil' kitchen helpers, make up some pilao and give it to your favourite Canuck.  I've already called dibs on Luongo, so the rest of you can cook for the other lads on the team.  Canucks, go out there and play some hockey and make us all proud!

Happy Hockey, Happy Canuckiness!

The PCB Can Get Stuffed, But You Can Enjoy A Lovely Stuffed Chicken.

You heard me!  The Pakistan Cricket Board can get stuffed!!!  I know this is old news, but it still hurts like a mofo.  Shahid Afridi has been unceremoniously DUMPED as Pakistan's limited-overs skipper if favour of test captain Misbah ul-Haq.  Bah!

Shahid Afridi has been magnificent as the T20 and ODI captain; he made that team gel together when it looked like it was all over for Pakistan cricket.  Last year, when the spot-fixing scandal broke and morale was at an all-time low, it was Afridi who kept the act together; and with every match they played those lads got better and better, eventually making it to the semi-finals of the World Cup.  Afridi's efforts, since before the World Cup, have been repaid with a sound kick to the pants.  First, the PCB refused to name him as captain of the WC squad until the very last minute, which must have caused him some sleepless nights; and now, after winning the ODI series in the West Indies, the PCB has just dumped him.  Like that.

As you know, I have no problems with Misbah ul-Haq, in fact, I really like him....as TEST captain, not so much for limited-overs.  Afridi the awesome all-rounder is still needed as the squad's skipper.  I know the info has been out for weeks now, but I'm still angry, and I will be for a long time.  You know what I say to the PCB for this?  I say:  GET STUFFED!!!!!

Now just because I want the PCB to go get stuffed, it doesn't mean you have to go hungry because I'm having a fit of pique.  That's right, while we send the PCB to go get stuffed, we're also going to stuff a  chicken with a delicious stuffing, roast it, and eat a meal that is fit for our King of Kricket, the recently unfairly deposed Shahid Afridi.  At first glance, this might look a little bland, but believe me, all that lovely juice from the chicken will infuse the stuffing with so much flavour you'll think you've died and gone to roasted chicken heaven.  Yes everyone, it's time to stop our bitchin' and get back in kitchen.

Yes, there will be Victory Fingers all around with this delightful yet simple stuffed roasted chicken recipe!

Stuffed Roasted Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken (do not remove skin)
salt
pepper

Stuffing
1 onion, grated
1 cup oats
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt
ground black pepper
red chili powder (lal mirch)
1 lemon, squeezed

First, preheat the oven to 375 F or 190 C.
Prepare the stuffing;  grate the onion, and mix all of the ingredients together.
Second, stuff the chicken.  Pack in as much of the stuffing as you can up the chicken's uhhhh...bum.
Rub salt and pepper all over the chicken and then put it on a roasting pan.
Put it in the oven and let bake for 1.5 hours at 190 C, and baste it 3 or 4 times while it's roasting with the fat which accumulates at the bottom of the roasting dish.

When done, cut into quarters, or remove the stuffing and put it into a separate serving dish and serve with carved slices of chicken.

And there's your stuffed roasted chicken, a perfect dish to serve to our favourite limited -overs captain Shahid Afridi...and the PCB, well they can GET STUFFED!

Happy Cricket, Happy Stuffin'!

My Lovely Lads of Pakistan Can Do No Wrong, Except Lose a Match or Two.

Yeah, yeah.  I know, it's been a while.   First things first:  My loveliest lads of the Pakistan Cricket Team have drawn the test series in their tour of the Windies.  YES!  Misbah ul-Haq, my bestest batting darling, banged out a big fat juicy 102 runs, but get this...Taufeeq Umar scored a gigantic 135 runs in the second innings before getting run out by Sammy.  OMGGGGGGGGGGG I am so ticked off that they didn't show this on TV here!  Why do I pay so much for cable when I can't see what I want?  Gah!

Anyways, the handsome fellas known as the PCT showed those Windies a lesson in test match cricketry by winning with a 196-run margin.  Good on ya my lovely lads!

So here's the summary of what's happened during Pakistan's tour of the West Indies:
In the first and only T20, the Windies won, but then Pakistan went ahead and won the ODI series 3-2.  Pakistan lost the first test, but won the second.  So all in all, not a bad tour, but there is always room for improvement.  Next stop for the lads is Ireland, and hopefully they'll show that on cable TV, but I'm not counting on it. 

Anyways, I'll just mention again how much I looooooooooooooove Misbah ul-Haq.  His batting is just so dreamy!

He walks in beauty, like the night
   Of cloudless climes and stars that shine at
 all that's best of dark and bright
   Meet in his aspect and his bat:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
   Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
(apologies to Lord Byron)

Right.  I'm posting twice today.  Because I have a lot on my mind.  Have a good one!