I
am travelling home tomorrow (27th june)and I am going to be there for quite a while.
Packing, cleaning, arranging stuffs, last bits of shopping everything is over
and here I am sitting totally exhausted, with least of energy to do anything.
But hey, I am not going to be sitting here all night typing out another
recipe in my lethargic mood but we have someone very special to share her
recipe with you. A very special person, Nisha of Kitchenantics (Look who's cooking too) is our special
guest today.
We’ve
known each other for a while and we have a lot on common. Since we both blog
from UK, we tend to notify each other anything blog related. I would have to par
with whatever she has said here because that’s exactly what I would want to say
as well. We communicate quite often, either by phone or messages. Our
conversation has mainly been of props, where to look out for them for a cheaper
rate, deals or offers or when we stumble up on interesting sites or blogs. She
is a very good friend of mine and is just the type of girl I would love to hang
around with. How I wish she lived nearby.
Nisha
is a wonderful person, very friendly, charming and full of energy. Her witty way of
writing and her open mindedness is what got me attracted to her. She claims she
is not a great cook and hasn’t got any patience. But you see, her blog will
prove otherwise. She’s got some great recipes, amazing photographs and
fantastic writing. Each of these takes real long time and it requires lot of
patience and interest. So And apart from all that, if I need to relax and have
something to read, I would go to Kitchenantics for a laugh.
That being said, I don’t read all blogs, but very very few, and Nisha’s blog
tops them all. Don’t forget to check her blog out. Nisha, Thank you so much for
doing this post for me, and I am so ever glad that you could it. Salad looks awesome, and I am sure to try it.
If there is one blogger I can say
I have a lot in common with, that is definitely Shabeena (Shabs as we fondly
call her) of Shab's Cuisine. I can’t remember how or when I
stumbled upon her blog, but she was the first UK blogger I started
following. It is a big deal because majority of the bloggers I follow are based
out of the US or India and discovering that Shab was from this side of the
pond was indeed something worth being excited about.
She has been blogging for many
years now and somewhere along the way I discovered I had a lot in common with
her. Thanks to Facebook, we send each other looong
messages regarding our blogs and have the longest chat sessions, that
too at 11 and 12 at night. From endless discussions about prop shopping to
charity store finds to ebay auctions to photography tips and new blog
discoveries, the topic is forever flowing. Sales and deals at stores are
immediately passed on and we make sure we check it out and get back with our
inputs. It’s like shopping with your girlfriends, but virtually :)
I recently did a birthday cake
for a friend and I must say that I couldn’t have done it without
Shab's help. I used to keep calling her up each and every time I had a doubt
about fondant, frosting etc and she would be such a sweetheart and help me out
whatsoever. It is indeed great knowing that I have a blogger friend just a
phone call away to solve all my doubts and more importantly to sit and talk
mindlessly about props and painting boards and photography, instead of forcing
the husband to listen to my blog issues. So I didn’t think twice when Shab
asked me about a guest post, because there was no way I was gonna pass. We
decided on a salad and so, here's an easy peacy summer recipe- A bean and
potato salad, which is a favourite over at our place.
We have picnics in the park
during summer and deciding on what to take is always an issue, especially
because only some parks allow barbecues and they are almost always the ones
that are far away which makes us think twice about heading there in the first
place. So food items that are super duper easy to pack and tastes good when
eaten cold are given priority. Sandwiches and salad mostly win after all the
discussion and this salad is my first choice. It is so easy to put together and
tastes so good, you would have to try hard to stop yourself from
eating spoonfuls while preparing it. It is also a very forgiving recipe
and you can add more ingredients or adapt them to your liking without
compromising on taste. It is great eaten warm or cold, so there is no issue
there. When I make it at home, I usually pair it with some grilled chicken and
its a perfect meal and quite filling, I must add.
So without further ado, here is
the recipe for a super delicious, easy-to-prepare bean and potato salad.
Bean and Potato Salad
Ingredients:
500 gms (2 large) Potatoes
300 gms Fine beans
1 small Shallot- finely chopped
3 tbsp Mayonnaise
3 tbsp Creme fraiche
1 tsp Mustard sauce
1 to 2 tsp Milk(optional)
1 tsp Vinegar
Salt and pepper- to season
Preparation:
1.Peel and slice the potatoes
into bit size cubes and pre cook it boiling water till they are soft and
tender, but not mushy and falling apart. Drain and keep aside.
2. Similarly, wash and trim the
beans and chop them to about 1 inch in length. Blanch them - bring a pot
of water to a rolling boil and tip in the beans. Keep boiling for about 3 to 4 minutes
after which you drain into a colander and run ice cold water over it to
stop the cooking process. This retains the bright green colour of the beans-
and keep aside.
3. In a bowl whisk together the
mayonnaise, creme fraiche and mustard sauce. If it's too thick, loosen it
up with some milk, adding only in instalments.
4. Season with enough salt and
pepper, give a stir and mix it all in.
5. Transfer the drained potatoes
and beans into a large salad bowl. Make sure they are not hot or the cream is
going to curdle.
6. Add the shallot and the salad
dressing and carefully fold it all in, making sure you don't mash the potatoes.
7. Do a taste test, add more salt
and pepper if needed and either dig in immediately or cover with a cling film
and refrigerate till ready to use.
Notes:
1. Additions to this salad would
be baby tomatoes, bell pepper, boiled egg and even cooked chicken.
2. If you have spring onion in hand,
use the white parts alone instead of shallot and it makes a world of a
difference.
3. Also, for a low fat version,
use Greek yoghurt instead of creme fraiche. You can also use double cream
instead of CF, although not necessarily a low fat version :)
4. Add a pinch of mustard if you
don't have the sauce, which is a less stronger version.
5. Once again, thank you Shab for
having me over and here's to blogging and shopping and above all the friendship
we have developed :)
