It isn’t water but it is tea that I need to put in my stomach first thing in the morning.More like recharging me to take all that the day has to offer, I suppose. At the crack of dawn not thinking much to snooze an alarm, I head to the kitchen to fill a sauce pan with water, add spoonfuls of tea leaves and sugar, some ground ginger, pour in enough milk and let it boil on the simmer for more than 15 mins so that the strong flavors expose every sense in my body and fuel me up for an effective day ahead. In the meanwhile, I finish other chores with eyes half open like brushing teeth, preparing breakfast, toppling over the house arranging for tiffins, fixing everyone’s demands and prep up for other cooking agendas that are on my mind for the day! The last two days have been very unusual though. You ask why? Because on the first day I ran out of the milk for my morning tea and on the second day gas went flat on me – very disappointing incidents for one who crave her morning cup of tea so much. I felt deprived but thankfully grocery and gas supply is just a call away in this ideally developed part of the world although those 30 minutes matter a lot, you see. I am in my late 20’s and still having a breakfast is pretty much very remote I often think of. Though you’d find me in the kitchen early cooking up a morning meal for husband and Little A, I’d skip eating it myself. Not very healthy, I know! This is why my new year resolution got to be eating more healthy food and not ignoring the most important meal of the day. I hope I succeed. To take me one step closer to my resolution, I started off with baking these savory muffins that goes perfectly with a cup of tea. Or coffee. Or to pack up as a snack in little one’s tiffin boxes.
I know I’ve mentioned this a dozen times, but since Little A has started nursery I literally spend my time thinking what will go in his box next day. Baking is one of the most relaxed therapy that I find very rejuvenating for my vigilant soul. This is one of the reason I keep my pantry stocked with basic ingredients like flour, baking powder, soda, yeast and cheese at all times. It makes it easier to put things together when in a rush for something delicious yet helps me in preparing quick snacks for Little A on impromptu demands.
That is when an idea struck to prepare a pesto the previous night and incorporate into the fresh muffin batter next morning along with some cheddar. And it doesn’t even involve too many processes or variety of ingredients. It’s a very basic recipe though you can always substitute or add ingredients that are available in your kitchen as per the taste that best suits you. Heavenly, isn’t it! It’s more divine when you bite into it while the cheese oozes out running down your chin. What’s not to like, right? For pesto, you can use a blender but I like my pesto a little chunky so I used mortar and pestle for that thicker consistency.
Parsley Mint Pesto :
Ingredients -
- Parsley – 1/2 cup
- Mint – 1/4 cup
- Olive oil – 1/4 cup
- Garlic – 2 cloves
- Pistachio – few, optional
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Method -
Using a mortar and pestle grind parsley, garlic and mint by adding oil in intervals. Add in salt, pepper and pistachio and give a good mix. Pesto is ready. You can store it in an air tight container for up to a week in a refrigerator but it always taste better when it is fresh. I used it next morning for muffins.
Recipe for Pesto Cheddar Muffins.
(Makes 6 regular muffins)
Ingredients -
- All purpose flour – 1 cup
- Vegetable Oil – 1/4 cup
- Egg – 1, large
- Baking Powder – 1 tbsp
- Sat – 1/2 tsp or to taste (pesto and cheese will have salt so add carefully)
- Pesto – 1/4 cup, as prepared above
- Cheddar Cheese – 100 gms, cut in squares.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – 1/4 cup
Method -
Preheat oven to 180 Degrees C and grease the muffin tray with oil/butter. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Keep aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk oil and egg. Add in pesto and give a good mix. Pour the dry ingredients over wet, throw in cheese and mix until well incorporated or until you don’t see the white flour. Do not over mix. Pour the batter in muffin moulds and sprinkle parmesan on top. Bake for 12- 15 mins or until the toothpick inserted come out clean. Serve warm.
