I feel really compelled to write tonight. I just had a really good friend over for dinner, someone I have known for years. I wanted to cook meat, as I know I don’t eat it enough and need to make time to prepare it. As my favourite cuisines are middle eastern I decided to do lamb and use the following base ingredients which are very prominent in this style of cooking: garlic; lemon; parsley; pomegranate; almonds; and cumin.
I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare anything amazing, so I had to think of something which was easy to whip up yet still impressive. My friend, Brad, was bringing over cous cous and greens so I figured I’d do a simple salad with the cous cous however, I couldn’t try to add to many flavours to both as they could possibly clash and overwhelm each other.
Once I went to the butcher to buy the meat I decided how to do the lamb. I bought lamb shanks (which I have cooked before Moroccan Style) and this is similar but Lebanese use a few different spice mix. While Moroccan is generally cumin, paprika, cinnamon, lemon, red chilli and olive oil, for a standard spice mix, Lebanese uses cumin, garlic, lemon, green chilli and olive oil. I also added green olives and let the shanks just braise for about an hour, till they were soft and the liquids had reduced to a thick sauce.
The cous cous honestly took about 7 minutes to prepare, quicker if I hadn’t forgotten about the almonds toasting in the griller….which I smelt after they were well and truly charred.
Such a simple, healthy meal which is full of amazing flavours, and is impressive if you have time constraints. I am so satisfied after enjoying it too, I didn’t even want dessert, which is very rare for me.
The one thing I did not do however, was take photos. I was enjoying the cooking and the conversation that I didn’t want to take time out to set up the shots this particular time….but don’t worry, I’ll be cooking tomorrow night and will definitely document that in images.
Lamb braised with garlic, lemon and green olives
3 cloves garlic
½ Spanish onion
1 green chilli, with seeds
2 lemons
Cumin
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 ½ cups Chicken Stock
3 lamb shanks
Method
1) Chop garlic, onion and chilli finely. Sautee in a pot with EVOO on a low heat until onions translucent.
2) Add lemon juice, cumin, stock to pot and then season. Add shanks and mix around so they get coated in liquid. Simmer with a lid on for at least an hour. (You must monitor the amount of liquid and every so often turn the shanks so they are immersed in liquid. If it starts to dry up, add extra water).
3) Serve with cous cous and greens (see below)
Pomgranate, Almond, Parsley and Lemon Cous Cous
½ pomegranate
1 ½ cups almonds
parsley
1 lemon, juiced
1 ½ cups cous cous
EVOO
Method
1) Clean Pomegranate seeds into a bowl.
2) Toast almonds until browned, then once cooled, crush or cut coarsely.
3) Chop up parsley very finely.
4) Put cous cous in a large bowl and add 1 cup boiling water, a generous drizzle of EVOO and lemon juice then mix until absorbed well. If it is too dry, add more water. Should be moist and fluffy.
5) Add pomegranate, almonds and parsley to cous cous and stir through, adjusting amount of lemon juice to your liking.
Showing posts with label Sides. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sides. Show all posts
Friday, May 1, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Taramousalata
My whole family is absolutely obsessed with my Yiayia's Taramousalata. No longer can we eat it from the supermarket, and many restaurants and cafe's just buy it in bulk from Attiki, which is thick, gluttonous and very strong in the fishy flavour.My Yiayia's, on the other hand, is light, fluffy, filled with the burst of lemon juice and has a much better balance of the fish roe flavour with all the other ingredients. Unlike many other recipes, she only uses potatoes to make the dip instead of bread, and I think the key to the lightness of the dip comes from her shredding the potatoes once cooked so they look like noodles, then folds them through the dip. It is a similar concept to stiffening egg whites and folding through a cake mixture, to achieve a lightness.
This is her recipe.
Yiayia's Taramousalata
Ingredients
200g Tarama Paste (available from middle eastern or European delis)
3 large potatoes
1 medium brown onion
1 cup olive oil (not extra virgin as it is too strong and will overpower the taste)
150mL lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Method
1. Peel 3 large potatoes and cut into quarters. Boil until cooked through but not mushy.
2. Grate 1 medium onion into a bowl on the smallest grate.
3. Add the tarama paste to the onion and mix together with a hand beater until combined.
4. Once the potatoes are cooked, mash or shred them, if you have the equipment.
5. Add the shredded potato to the tarama mix little by little with a hand blender.
6. Add the oil in ¼ cup increments and blend until combined.
7. Add the lemon juice gradually and then add the second type of olive oil. Be careful not to add too much liquid to make it runny.
8. Blend until smooth and creamy in texture.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tahinopita
I was really bored on Sunday and I did something new that day, I actually stayed home all day and only went outside to go for a walk around the block. To get through the day though I decided to whip up something new and after scrolling through Kopiaste.org, Ivy's amazing blog which has many traditional Cypriot recipes. Her blog brings back many memories of when I went to visit my relatives in the villages, and this is one of the things I have been dying to make for a long time.
See Ivy's Tahinopita recipe
Tahini, a lot of people mistake for tahina, which is a savory dip made from tahini which is a sesame seed paste. The dip also contains garlic, water, parsley and lemon juice and is a bit heavier than hummus but a great accompaniment to some nice fresh bread or with lamb kafta or shaftalia (Cypriot sausage).
See my savory tahina recipe
Tahinopita is usually made with a cinnamon dough which is then spread with a sweet tahina dip. It is then rolled and twisted into shapes.
Admittedly I did alter the recipe slightly, simply because I did not have any mastika or malheb, but I wanted to see what would happen it omitted, whether it would work, or just be a shear disaster. I made the dough, and as it was very wet, had to add a lot more flour to my mixture. I kneaded it and then let it rise for half an hour during which I made the sweet tahini dip from tahini, sugar and cinnamon (one of my favourite spices).
I cut the portions, rolled out each ball and spread the sweet tahina over it.
The next task is to successfully roll the dough into a sausage. Simple, some may thing, but as my tahina was quite thick, when I rolled it it ended up like a very large sausage which meant I was only able to twist them slightly. Usually when you make savory tahina you add water to make it thinner, so if you want a thin dip then add it, but I quite liked it thick. It was heavy but for people who actually like tahini, they will be able to handle it and really like it.
In my old school, non-fan forced, oven they took 20 mins to brown which was quite quick and I was very eager to try them. They were fat and looked like really nice knot rolls once baked. All crisp on the outside with a warm sweet filling, I was very eager to devour it. A bit too eager though as I went to bite into the staming hot bread, but because the tahina is also steaming hot, it actually burnt the top of my mouth which takes a couple of days at least to recover. I was then patient and let it cool down completely before eating the rest of it.
Once I did though it felt like being a kid again, going to the bakery and getting a nice cinnamon scroll, pulling it apart and eating it bit by bit. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and truth has it, they are addictive. Perfect all hours of the day. Not too sweet for breakfast, perfect for a snack and excellent with my long black in the arvo. They are very heavy though so my massive rolls were far too big for one portion, but even more reason to share with your family.
I hope you share them with yours too, but please don't burn your mouth as they are very hot.
See Ivy's Tahinopita recipe
Tahini, a lot of people mistake for tahina, which is a savory dip made from tahini which is a sesame seed paste. The dip also contains garlic, water, parsley and lemon juice and is a bit heavier than hummus but a great accompaniment to some nice fresh bread or with lamb kafta or shaftalia (Cypriot sausage).
See my savory tahina recipe
Tahinopita is usually made with a cinnamon dough which is then spread with a sweet tahina dip. It is then rolled and twisted into shapes.
Admittedly I did alter the recipe slightly, simply because I did not have any mastika or malheb, but I wanted to see what would happen it omitted, whether it would work, or just be a shear disaster. I made the dough, and as it was very wet, had to add a lot more flour to my mixture. I kneaded it and then let it rise for half an hour during which I made the sweet tahini dip from tahini, sugar and cinnamon (one of my favourite spices).
I cut the portions, rolled out each ball and spread the sweet tahina over it.
The next task is to successfully roll the dough into a sausage. Simple, some may thing, but as my tahina was quite thick, when I rolled it it ended up like a very large sausage which meant I was only able to twist them slightly. Usually when you make savory tahina you add water to make it thinner, so if you want a thin dip then add it, but I quite liked it thick. It was heavy but for people who actually like tahini, they will be able to handle it and really like it.
In my old school, non-fan forced, oven they took 20 mins to brown which was quite quick and I was very eager to try them. They were fat and looked like really nice knot rolls once baked. All crisp on the outside with a warm sweet filling, I was very eager to devour it. A bit too eager though as I went to bite into the staming hot bread, but because the tahina is also steaming hot, it actually burnt the top of my mouth which takes a couple of days at least to recover. I was then patient and let it cool down completely before eating the rest of it.
I hope you share them with yours too, but please don't burn your mouth as they are very hot.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Tahina
Preparation time: 5 mintues
Ingredients
- 1 cup tahini paste (available in the health food section of supermarkets, or any middle eastern grocery store)
- 3/4 cup warm water
- generous dash of lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- large handful of chopped parsley
Method
1. Combine tahini and water in a bowl and mix with a fork until combined well then add garlic.
2. Add lemon juice and extra water, if required, to obtain the consistency you require. (N.B. It will thicken up as it cools in the fridge)
3. Add parsley and stir through.
4. Fridge for a least 1hr before serving.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Naan bread
I have wanted to try making Naan for a while and felt today was the day. I attempted it a few weeks ago but as I used a recipe that obviously was not Indian because it did not work at all. I don't know why it didn't click to me when there was no yeast and no yogurt in the recipe, so I was a bit disappointed, even though it was my own fault.
Today however, I have researched a lot more, read many different recipes to try to find a common ground and gotten advice from my Threadist (an Indian technique of doing eyebrows). The two things I did not add last time were the two most important things.
I started early today, 7:30am, to allow my dough to rise for quite a long time. It had definitely more than doubled by the time I checked it at 3. Kneading it again, I found it was quite sticky so once I had separated the dough into balls I coated it lightly in flour to allow me to roll them out easily. Traditionally Naan is made in a teardrop shape do I rolled it out as best I can, but I think in terms of shaping......I'll leave that to the pros.
As I don't have a tandoora or a pizza stone, which is the proper way to cook Naan, I first put the dough in the fry pan (without any oil or butter) just to set it a bit before I put it under the griller.
It was amazing at how much the dough puffs up while under the griller. Once browned on one side I turned them over to brown on the other side.
I had to decide before cooking the breads what topping I wanted to put on them. A simple garlic sauce? Cheese?........or use some of the truffle salt I have sitting in my cupboard.......well knowing me I want to try a bit of everything, so that is exactly what I did. First the garlic, then the cheese and finally a truffle salt butter topping.
(N.B. I'm not obsessed with truffles and think they are the best thing in the world and go gaga over any recipe that has truffles in them BUT since I have the truffle salt I am just trying to find ways of using it, honest!)
Unfortunately I could not get the thumbs up from someone who is a connoisseur of Naan, but I know my Dad really likes it and so he was my taste tester. The piece he had was a bit thicker on the base so he told me to roll it out a bit thinner next time, which I agreed with after I tried his, but the one I had was perfect, thin, light and puffed up fantastically.
I suppose I will have to try again. When I do, apparently another delicacy is to slice potatoes and lay them on the inside of the Naan before they are cooked. This is a challenge I am willing to try soon.
Naan Bread
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Resting time: 4 hours (at least)
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 tsp dried yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 cups Plain Flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Pinch baking soda
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2 1/2 tbsp natural yogurt
2 garlic cloves crushed
150g butter
150g butter
1 tsp truffle salt
Method
1) Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and let stand for around 10 minutes until it is it starts to froth up.
2) Sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda together. Add the oil and yogurt and mix into a crumbly dough.
3) Add the yeast to the dough and knead for 10 minutes until soft and springs back.
4) Leave the dough to rise for at lest 4 hours in a warm place.
5) Once risen, turn on your grill so it gets nice and hot.
6) Separate your mixture into quarters. Roll each quarter out with a rolling pin to form a tear drop shape.
7) Wipe a little flour over the rolled out dough so it is not sticky, then heat slightly in a fry pan (without any oil or butter) for 15 seconds on each side so the dough sets slightly
8) Transfer the dough to a baking tray lined with baking paper and put under the grill. It will start to puff up, but once it is browned nicely on one side flip.
9) Repeat with other dough.
10) Top with your choice of butter. (I have included the garlic butter and the truffle salt butter but you can also top with cheese)
Today however, I have researched a lot more, read many different recipes to try to find a common ground and gotten advice from my Threadist (an Indian technique of doing eyebrows). The two things I did not add last time were the two most important things.
I started early today, 7:30am, to allow my dough to rise for quite a long time. It had definitely more than doubled by the time I checked it at 3. Kneading it again, I found it was quite sticky so once I had separated the dough into balls I coated it lightly in flour to allow me to roll them out easily. Traditionally Naan is made in a teardrop shape do I rolled it out as best I can, but I think in terms of shaping......I'll leave that to the pros.
As I don't have a tandoora or a pizza stone, which is the proper way to cook Naan, I first put the dough in the fry pan (without any oil or butter) just to set it a bit before I put it under the griller.
It was amazing at how much the dough puffs up while under the griller. Once browned on one side I turned them over to brown on the other side.
(N.B. I'm not obsessed with truffles and think they are the best thing in the world and go gaga over any recipe that has truffles in them BUT since I have the truffle salt I am just trying to find ways of using it, honest!)
Unfortunately I could not get the thumbs up from someone who is a connoisseur of Naan, but I know my Dad really likes it and so he was my taste tester. The piece he had was a bit thicker on the base so he told me to roll it out a bit thinner next time, which I agreed with after I tried his, but the one I had was perfect, thin, light and puffed up fantastically.
I suppose I will have to try again. When I do, apparently another delicacy is to slice potatoes and lay them on the inside of the Naan before they are cooked. This is a challenge I am willing to try soon.
Naan Bread
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Resting time: 4 hours (at least)
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 tsp dried yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 cups Plain Flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Pinch baking soda
2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2 1/2 tbsp natural yogurt
2 garlic cloves crushed
150g butter
150g butter
1 tsp truffle salt
Method
1) Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and let stand for around 10 minutes until it is it starts to froth up.
2) Sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking soda together. Add the oil and yogurt and mix into a crumbly dough.
3) Add the yeast to the dough and knead for 10 minutes until soft and springs back.
4) Leave the dough to rise for at lest 4 hours in a warm place.
5) Once risen, turn on your grill so it gets nice and hot.
6) Separate your mixture into quarters. Roll each quarter out with a rolling pin to form a tear drop shape.
7) Wipe a little flour over the rolled out dough so it is not sticky, then heat slightly in a fry pan (without any oil or butter) for 15 seconds on each side so the dough sets slightly
8) Transfer the dough to a baking tray lined with baking paper and put under the grill. It will start to puff up, but once it is browned nicely on one side flip.
9) Repeat with other dough.
10) Top with your choice of butter. (I have included the garlic butter and the truffle salt butter but you can also top with cheese)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Baking my bread
Now I can't think of anything better than waking up to the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven wafting through the house. It is my absolute favourite food and I love baking it.
The recipe I have been using for the past couple of years is a family recipe and is very highly regarded by family and friends who I bake it for, however I will not reveal the secrets BUT am happy to teach you if you ever want to come over.
The olive bread I make is not 'bready' like other olive breads but rather is crusty on the outside and then the inside reveals a very thick roll of the olive stuffing, which consists of pitted and chopped kalamata olives, a tonne of mint and brown onions. I saute the mint and onion first in some oil until so that the onions soften and start to brown, then I add the olives and saute some more until the olives are soft and the mixture is fragrant.
You can add garlic if you would like, and I know you are probably shocked I haven't as I love it so much, but I think it would overpower too much and take away from the flavours of the bread and olives.
The haloumi bread is quite different, it is more similar to a brioche and although the bread has no butter whatsoever in it, the natural oils in the cheese seep through the bread as it bakes and makes the inside very soft, moist and delectable.
So once the 'secret bread mixture' is made and kneaded like crazy for about 10 minutes you need to let it rise in a warm place for at least an hour. I put it in an oven which i I have turned on for about 30 secs then turned off.
This is the result. My mixture makes four loaves so I quarter the mixture and start to roll it out into a flat 'canvas'.
Now I am able to add whichever topping I want, and really you can add anything. I have only deviated from these two standard fillings a few times to make a sweeter cinnamon sugar and walnut bread, but as I know how much the olive and haloumi fillings are enjoyed, I generally just stick with what I know works................really not like me as I am always trying out new and interesting ingredients. I suppose because it is such a long process I just do what I know. If you have any requests however, I am more than happy to try them out for you and give you a taste test.
After I add the fillings and spread them across the whole dough, I try to roll without too much falling out the sides ( I really try to pack as much in as I can, it just makes for a nice bread). Once I have rolled it the bread needs to rise again for at least another half an hour. (I told you it was long).
NOW WE ARE READY TO BAKE..........another 40-50 minutes at 180 in a fan forced oven and it should be done. Now having said that it usually takes me anywhere between 50-70 minutes as I do not have a fan forced oven, it is a shitty 70's module that heats just from the bottom so to prevent the bread from burning I have to place a tray underneath and sometimes even turn the bread so it gets an even distribution of heat.
Well as long and strenuous the process is, I must say the result is definitely worth it. In my house the bread doesn't last more than a day as it is generally eaten straight away. My family start to nag when I take all the bread I've made to my friends.
If I could, I would bake bread every day, but first I need a larger kitchen and definitely a fan forced oven......any donors?
The recipe I have been using for the past couple of years is a family recipe and is very highly regarded by family and friends who I bake it for, however I will not reveal the secrets BUT am happy to teach you if you ever want to come over.
The olive bread I make is not 'bready' like other olive breads but rather is crusty on the outside and then the inside reveals a very thick roll of the olive stuffing, which consists of pitted and chopped kalamata olives, a tonne of mint and brown onions. I saute the mint and onion first in some oil until so that the onions soften and start to brown, then I add the olives and saute some more until the olives are soft and the mixture is fragrant.
You can add garlic if you would like, and I know you are probably shocked I haven't as I love it so much, but I think it would overpower too much and take away from the flavours of the bread and olives.
The haloumi bread is quite different, it is more similar to a brioche and although the bread has no butter whatsoever in it, the natural oils in the cheese seep through the bread as it bakes and makes the inside very soft, moist and delectable.
So once the 'secret bread mixture' is made and kneaded like crazy for about 10 minutes you need to let it rise in a warm place for at least an hour. I put it in an oven which i I have turned on for about 30 secs then turned off.
This is the result. My mixture makes four loaves so I quarter the mixture and start to roll it out into a flat 'canvas'.
Now I am able to add whichever topping I want, and really you can add anything. I have only deviated from these two standard fillings a few times to make a sweeter cinnamon sugar and walnut bread, but as I know how much the olive and haloumi fillings are enjoyed, I generally just stick with what I know works................really not like me as I am always trying out new and interesting ingredients. I suppose because it is such a long process I just do what I know. If you have any requests however, I am more than happy to try them out for you and give you a taste test.
After I add the fillings and spread them across the whole dough, I try to roll without too much falling out the sides ( I really try to pack as much in as I can, it just makes for a nice bread). Once I have rolled it the bread needs to rise again for at least another half an hour. (I told you it was long).
NOW WE ARE READY TO BAKE..........another 40-50 minutes at 180 in a fan forced oven and it should be done. Now having said that it usually takes me anywhere between 50-70 minutes as I do not have a fan forced oven, it is a shitty 70's module that heats just from the bottom so to prevent the bread from burning I have to place a tray underneath and sometimes even turn the bread so it gets an even distribution of heat.
Well as long and strenuous the process is, I must say the result is definitely worth it. In my house the bread doesn't last more than a day as it is generally eaten straight away. My family start to nag when I take all the bread I've made to my friends.
If I could, I would bake bread every day, but first I need a larger kitchen and definitely a fan forced oven......any donors?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
