How to make food soar!
On the agenda today:
napkin folds, bonda ( baked recipe), pesto recipe & a giveaway!
May 13th: We shuffled all the names and Teresa was the lucky winner of this giveaway. Congrats to Teresa!
A huge giveaway from Bob’s Red Mill!
Bob’s Red mill is giving away a box containing several packs of different kinds of their stone ground flour to a lucky person out there. Yes, not just one but several! In order to win this awesome gift, just leave me a comment and voila this box will find its way to your door! Imagine all the nutritious and fun things you can bake and use in your stove top dishes with these superior products! For me there can be no other, so get with the “grind” you’ll, get with Bob’s Red Mill!
See also other recipes in previous posts using Bob’ Red Mill!
Thank you Bob’s Red Mill!
BTW, the winner of the spa soap basket giveaway was Jo, of Literally in the moment, as mentioned at the end of my previous post! I am working on another basket for yet another lucky person, so check back with me! Also there will be another giveaway from Bob’s Red Mill but you will have to come up with a simple recipe using their flour. I shall let you know more about this later!
Is this not a cute napkin? See the super easy “how-to” below! I swear your little child will be able to make this napkin fold!!! Guests will really find them amusing! Now, even the guests at the B&B are learning the whole’ napkin folding thing” and they often e-mail me, saying that they get rave reviews from friends and family when they put it into practice back home.
Baked potato bonda with chili & pistachio pesto. Typically, this hors d’ oeuvre is fried but here I put my own spin on it by rolling the potato dough into balls, poking a hole in it with the back of a wooden spoon & baking it. I did not mix the garbanzo flour with water like in the traditional recipe.
This crispy potato had a golden brown “skin” and a silky soft interior. The little hole was a perfect place to hide my tasty chili pesto. Yeah, potatoes are real peasant food, but when presented and baked in this chic way, will make even those food snobs stop looking down their snotty noses!
Made with Bob’s Red Mill stone ground Garbanzo bean flour!
Chili & pistachio pesto, (creamy, slightly spicy and a nutty accompaniment), I have coated shrimp, smeared under the skin of whole chicken and prepared several other meats & seafood with this pesto and then grilled or baked! Just thin out just a touch with water for this purpose! Use your culinary realm of imagination!
How to fold the napkin
- Iron the napkin
- Bring the upper & lower edges horizontally together to meet in the center
- Put finger on the center and open out each of the four corners diagonally from that center point like in the picture below
- Roll the left side of the napkin vertically toward the center point and place something on this fold, while you roll up the right side toward the left to meet in the center.
- Fold back the upper section to form the arms of the person.
- Turn the napkin over and gently pull the arms apart.
- Slide the handle of the spoon in the folds in the back of the little person like in the presentation above.
Please use organic ingredients when possible
How to make the baked potato bonda:
- 1 t pure pickle masala or Hungarian sweet paprika ( I always put about 2 teaspoons just because I am crazy for spice that way!)
- 1 t baking powder
- 2 lbs potatoes
- Kosher salt
- 3 T ” Tofutti” brand cream cheese( a soy product & available at Whole Foods and Sunflower Market) or you can use regular
- 2 T Tofutti sour cream
- 1/4 cup Silk soy milk or regular dairy
- 1 T unsalted butter (optional)
- 3 T chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons bell pepper seeds ( optional)
Do not overwork the dough!!! Just incorporate and be done with it! Do you want stiff balls , then practice being light-handed!
Mix the first 3 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water, until soft, drain the water, and put back on a low heat so that the potatoes are dry. Add the butter, cream cheese and milk and mash. Take off the heat and mix in the garlic,bell pepper seeds and cilantro and check your seasoning. Roll the mashed potato into little balls and poke with the back of a wooden spoon and place on a cookie sheet, see below.
Chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Brush with egg wash and lightly sprinkle with the garbanzo mixture. I put the garbanzo bean mixture in a sifter and sifted over the potatoes. This will ensure a lighter coating. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 45 mins until golden brown. Immediately fill the little cavities with chili pesto and serve
For the green chili and pistachio pesto:
- 1 x 7oz can green chilies
- 1 t pure pickle masala
- 1 jalapeno
- 3/4 cup Parmesan
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 c pistachios plus 1/4 c pine nuts
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 2 t basil
- 1 T fresh lemon juice
- 3 T salad oil
- a little kosher salt to taste.
Blend everything in a blender and refrigerate the leftovers!
Are these really pears?? See recipe on my old blog! You will be surprised to see what they really are!
Thanks for your visit! Don’t forget to leave the comment for the giveaway!
Much love,
Nazarina.
These baked potatoes are absolutely cutey:-))
I would to win some of the gorgeous flour too:-)))
And they sure have an awesome range of products there:-)
Me too ahving a giveaway:-)))
My first ever:-)))
http://brightmorningstarsfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-1st-sunshine-giveaway-thanxxx-aton.html
what a cute napkin, my girls would love that next to their dinner plat..love bob’s products..cute blog, came via tastespotting
sweetlife
I really enjoy reading your blog. I’m loving the recipes your shared on this post and can’t wait to try some. I have always been a big fan of Bob’s Red Mill products. I’ve only tried their Garbanzo Bean Flour so far, but can’t wait to try the others.
The potato treats are so adorable and look perfectly delicious! I love the napkin, so neat!
Nice! When I read about the \"little person\" napkin folds, I\’m not going to lie–I immediately thought that it was going to be a midget napkin, which was awesome.
Nazarina
Your creativity never ceases to amaze me! Love these potato-garbanzo balls; they look so cute! the napkins too but I will learn the skill when I have a few friends over!
Hi NAzarina,
Lovely to meet you, thanks for visitng my blog. These potato balls look so tasty and that napkin fold sure is cute
Nazarina, that napkin fold is adorable. Looks like a little soldier. I love it.
Well, those are adorable napkin people. The kid-lets are going to love them. Maybe they will finally grasp the concept of the usefullness of napkins.
Love your blog! I love all your beautiful/cute food! Thanks for visiting my blog, and for your nice comments!
Wow Nazarina,
You are so good at this….You are so artistic. The potatoes stuffed with beets are unique and very attractive. Great presentation. And napkin fold is really cute.
Hamaree Rasoi
You keep outdoing yourself Nazarina!! Your potatoe bondas look absolutely mouth watering! I was thinking that your pistachio pesto would also be excellent on fish! Your presentation always appealing and colorful! I remember your pear shaped potatoes, how creative you are! Cute napkin folds too! Take care and hugs, love, Jo ~
How on the earth do you do such creative things? with napkins with recipes..
That is a cute guy.
I LOVE the baked bondas and i am specially bonding with the pesto. What a neat idea.
Oh my, that napkin folding is just too cute!
great recipes, nazarina! i love bob’s red mill–they have so many great products and i like how you used some of them so uniquely.
Nazarina, first the folding of the napkin is awesome
and the potatoes with the chili and pistachio pesto looks so yummie…very cute 
Love the photos as well.
What a beautiful napkin fold! I’m just in awe over these delicious little baked potato bondas –they look like a perfect appetizer! Such lovely creations you have here.
I am lovin\’ this post. Those napkins are really clever and your recipes also sound delicious. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary
I love your photo of the pesto, and the recipe looks great. Thanks for sharing this!
I love these potato treats… looks so delicious:) The napkin, is so cleverly done:) Awesome.
Omgoodness! Those potato bondas look scrumptious! I had no idea there was even such a thing as garbarnzo bean flour. I love garbanzo beans. I’ve been trying to use them a lot more lately. Your site has so much to offer. Recipes, pictures, ideas, and more! I’m very glad I found it.
You’ll be seeing me around here more often.
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog. Nice to make your aquaintance.
How have you been Naz? The bonda and pesto looks very appetizing
Where do you get these ideas! What a fun post! Love the humor in the napkin and love the chick pea potato idea… and the pesto – so many wonderful ideas and such incredible inspiration. I find that here every time I visit!
Big hug,
Valerie
I love that napkin fold thanks for sharing how to do it with us.
Oooo…I love Bob’s Red Mill! So many great alternatives for people with food allergies!
I love the way you are folding your napkins, very elegant
Nazarina my friend. I’m sooo excited. Can’t wait to get the flour and bake some more bread. Thank you so much. Big hugs.
After a long time am back here and what a wonderful post…love the idea of baking the bonda…am going to try this soon and the napkin fold looks cute…
First time to ur beautifully creative space…luv de way u present ur food, isn’t it true we eat thru our eyes!!
Tis bonda is soo good, n the pistachio pesto makes it more interesting…awesome combination.
Also cud not ignore all the carving and napkin folding scattered all over the blog…simply fantastic.
BTW a fella cook n blogger fm down under.
Cheers,
Chetana.
Lov the pesto and napkin looks really cute.
First time here and boy am I glad!! You ve got an amazing space…