Food Recipes

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2013-04-14T01:52:00.000+05:00

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Chicken Fried Rice

2012-03-07T16:03:00.000+05:00

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
1 pound chicken breast, thinly sliced into bite size pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 cup snow peas, cut in half
1/2 cups frozen peas
2 eggs
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 50 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and rice is tender. (This is best done the day before you want to make the fried rice.)
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Saute chicken for three minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil to still-hot pan. Add carrots and snow peas. Saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside with chicken. At this time you can put your frozen peas in with the reserved chicken and veggies. The residual heat will defrost them.
Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to still-hot pan. Break eggs into pan and scramble with a spatula. Add scallions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the brown rice that you cooked in step 1. Add the soy sauce and sugar. Stir well and continue to cook over medium-high heat. Now add the reserved chicken and veggie mixture. Stir well and cook until heated through.
Pour in the chicken broth. It will bubble and evaporate rather quickly. Give the rice one last stir. Take it off the heat and serve.

Bread-N-Butter Waffles

2011-12-16T17:12:00.000+05:00

Ingredients:

butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1 dash salt
6 to 8 slices of bread
Honey

Method:

Spread bread on both sides with butter.
Beat eggs slightly.
Add milk, sugar and salt.
Blend well.
Dip bread in egg-milk mixture.
Place on moderately hot waffle iron; bake until browned.
Add Honey.

Fried Rice serve with bake chicken Recipe

2011-12-16T17:00:00.000+05:00

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs-skinned-make a cut on the flesh.
1 1/2 tbsp carjun seasoning
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tbsp butter
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup chopped spinach
1/2 carrot. grated
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped onion
2 tbsp grind finely dried prawns
1 chilly-chopped
1 egg
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 -1/2 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp oil

Method:

Marinate chicken with carjun seasoning and lemon pepper for 2 hours .
Brush chicken with butter and bake in hot oven 250 C for 40 mins.
In a wok, heat oil, saute the garlic, onion, chilly and dried prawns till aroma.
Add the carrot and spinach. Stir till soft.
Add egg and scramble and then add rice. Stir to blend well.
Season to taste. serve with bake chicken.

Make 2 -4 serving

Chicken Patty Recipe

2011-12-16T16:52:00.000+05:00

Ingredients:

1 tbsp fast yeast
1 tsp sugar
6 tbsp warm water for yeast
3 cups flour
1/3 tsp vegetable oil
Salt
½ cup yogurt
Warm water
1 scrambled egg for surface

Stuffing:

240 gms chicken nuggets.
4 tbsp oil for frying.
¼ cup ketchup.
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coriander
1 egg

Method:

Mix the yeast, sugar and the warm water and keep it in a warm place.
Mix the flour, oil and salt well, add the yogurt and mix them well, add the yeast and warm water and mix till it becomes proper (does not stick to the hand) then leave it for 1 hour till it becomes ready.
Cut the chicken nuggets to small cubes, and fry in the oil till it gets a little red.
Add the ketchup, cumin, and the coriander to the chicken, mix them and leave it for 3 minutes on light fire, then remove and leave to cool.
Spread knead with a rolling pin until it becomes (1/2 cm thick) then use a pastry cutter or cup to cut it into round shapes.
Take each piece and put the chicken stuffing on half of it, then fold the other part making it as half a circle, fold the edges and press them by a fork to seal the chicken inside.
Make small holes on the face using the fork and place in an oven tray lightly oiled. Beat the egg, and brush the surface then bake for 15 minutes, then put on the upper heat until the face gets a red color.
Take it out, cover with a sheet of cloth to keep it fresh till it cools.

Chicken Nuggets Recipe

2011-12-16T16:47:00.000+05:00

Chicken nuggets make a great snack or even a great addition to a dinner or lunch. This recipe is very kid friendly… your kids are sure to be pleased with these chicken nuggets. The chicken is first rolled in flour, dipped in egg and then rolled in a bread crumb mixture. For the seasonings, you can tweak it to your taste. If you want a little heat, add some cayenne pepper or chili seasoning into the flour mixture. With this recipe I will give you two options of cooking the chicken nuggets – deep frying or baking in the oven. I deep fried them just because it’s faster but for those of you that don’t have a deep fryer, the oven works just as good if not better. Serve with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” chunks)
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup milk
1 egg
½ cup dry Italian breadcrumbs
1 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter (melted, if baking in the oven)
Oil (if deep frying)

Method:

On a plate combine flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a small bowl beat egg and milk. On another plate combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
Coat chicken strips first in the flour mixture, then dip in the egg mixture and then roll in the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat until all strips are coated.
If deep frying – Heat deep fryer to 360 degrees and deep fry chicken nuggets in batches for 6 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
If baking in the oven – Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips on a baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until strips are no longer pink inside.

(Makes 4 servings)

Greek Zucchini Fritters

2011-09-21T15:34:00.000+05:00

Ingredients

1 lb zucchini
1 medium onion, grated
1 1/4 cups feta cheese, crumbled
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs )
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
3 medium size eggs
1 cup sunflower oil
salt and pepper

Directions

Grate the zucchini and put it in a colander. Sprinkle salt on top and leave it to drain for 1 hour. Rise with cold water.
Beat the eggs lightly and place in a mixing bowl then add the rest of the ingredients (except zucchini).
Drain the zucchini well between the palms of your hands and add to the mixture; mix lightly.
Put the oil in a frying pan and heat well.
To make each fritter use a tablespoon to take a scoop from the mixture and with the aid of another spoon push it into the frying pan.
Fry the fritters for a few minutes until they are nicely browned. Drain on towels on a plate.

Syrian Salad

2011-09-21T15:21:00.000+05:00

Ingredients

6 cucumbers, diced
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and diced
5 green onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/3 cup chopped garlic
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup minced fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Directions

Toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, garlic, parsley, and mint together in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to serve

Baklava Cups

2011-09-21T15:19:00.000+05:00

Ingredients

1 (2 1/8 ounce) box frozen miniature phyllo cups
2/3 cup chopped mixed nut (Picked out the peanuts)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 -2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the shells on a baking sheet. Brush each shell with a little melted butter. Mix the sugar and chopped nuts and fill the shells Bake for 8 minutes or until the shells are lightly browned Mix the honey and water in a small bowl and drizzle over the nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.
If you want to get even more fancy and creative, top with a dollop of Nutella or chocolate fudge.

Moroccan-Rubbed Grilled Steak and Sweet Potatoes

2011-09-21T15:17:00.000+05:00

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 lb strips steak, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 4 portions
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total)
1 medium red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

Directions

Preheat grill to high. Combine allspice, cumin, ginger, salt, cinnamon, coriander and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle steaks with 4 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture.
Toss sweet potatoes and onion with canola oil, orange zest and the remaining spice mixture.
To make a packet, lay 2 24-inch sheets of foil on top of each other (the double layers will help protect the ingredients from burning); generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. Spread half of the sweet potato mixture in the center of the foil in a thin layer. Bring the short ends of foil together, fold over and pinch to seal. Pinch the seams together along the sides to seal the packet. Repeat with two more sheets of foil and the remaining sweet potato mixture.
Place the packets on the hottest part of the grill and cook, switching the packets' positions on the grill halfway through cooking, 5 minutes per side.
Place the steaks in the front or back and cook, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to plates and let rest while the packets finish cooking. Open the packets (be careful of steam) and serve alongside the steaks.

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

2011-09-21T15:14:00.000+05:00

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
salt and pepper

Directions

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2-quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans, and toss to coat.
Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks, and add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Apple Banana Bread

2011-09-21T15:11:00.000+05:00

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 banana, mashed (the blacker the better)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 apples, cored and chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, Chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Cream butter and sugars, and beat in eggs. Stir in sour cream, banana and vanilla.
In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, soda and cinnamon. Gradually add to butter mixture. Gently stir in apples and nuts. Spoon into greased bread pan and bake 1 hour, or until the fork comes out clean.

Cinnamon Bread

2011-09-06T22:44:00.003+05:00

I'm concerned, cinnamon bread was made for breakfast. I can't wait for morning! Yummy!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sour milk or buttermilk
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Method:

In a large bowl, blend shortening and sugar; stir in eggs and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to shortening mixture alternately with milk. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a cup; set aside. In a greased 9"x5" loaf pan, alternate four layers of batter and sugar mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cool on a wire rack. Makes one loaf.
I used butter-flavored shortening. It's all I had and it can't hurt, right? I blended the shortening and sugar together with a mixer.
Then, I stirred in two eggs that I beat in a measuring cup.
Stir together the shortening mixture and set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk to the shortening mixture.
I finally have an easy system down with this "alternating" process. I add 1/3 of the flour mixture.
Followed by half of the buttermilk. I repeat the step one more time and finish with the last 1/3 of flour.
This is a thick batter.
I mixed together the sugar and cinnamon. Yummy!
I started by adding 1/4 of the batter to the loaf pan.
Then, I sprinkled with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. I repeated the process three more times.
End with a nice coating of cinnamon-sugar. Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.
Allow to cool on a rack, if you can.
I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow!
Enjoy!!!

Honey Bun Cake

2011-09-06T22:32:00.001+05:00

I love the smell of honey buns in the morning. I occasionally buy a box of Little Debbie honey buns. They're delicious and I can throw them in my lunch bag for a quick breakfast at work. This recipe for honey bun cake has been around for a while and I finally got around to making it recently. I love recipes that serve as both breakfast and dessert. This cake would be perfect to serve a crowd at an early morning meeting. Just serve with some freshly brewed coffee and a fruit tray. This recipe is from Gooseberry Patch's Homemade Christmas, copyright 2010.

Ingredients:

18-1/2 oz. pkg. yellow cake mix
3/4 c. oil
4 eggs, beaten
8-oz. sour cream
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. milk

Method:

Stir dry cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream together until well mixed. Pour batter into a greased 13"x9" baking pan; set aside. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over batter; swirl into batter with a table knife. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Whisk together remaining ingredients; pour onto cake while still warm. Serves 12.
I started out with a butter recipe cake mix.
Add the oil.
Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add to the cake mixture.
Finally, add one cup of sour cream and stir the batter together until well blended.
Pour into a greased 9"x13" baking pan.
The topping ingredients: brown sugar and cinnamon.
Sprinkle on top of the batter.
Swirl, swirl, twist and twirl...jump up and down like a flying squirrel.
Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. I start checking for doneness at 30 minutes. While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. Spread the glaze on while the cake is still warm.
Breakfast and dessert are covered...
Enjoy!

Mutton Kabab

2011-09-06T16:20:00.000+05:00

Kababs are most quick to cook and very delicious food. which is basically Pakistani food, and used mostly in weddings and parties. You must try it at home first then you decide.

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Baking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredient:

1 lb Lamb meat (boneless - chopped into 1/2 inch cubes)
1/2 tsp ginger paste
4 tbsp oil
1 medium onion
2 to 3 green chilies
1/2 garlic paste
4 Almonds
4 tsp plain yogurt
3 tbsp water
A few leaves of coriander (finely chopped)
Salt to taste

Method:

First of all grind the almonds and green chillies and mix them with the garlic paste, ginger paste and salt.
Now add this mixture to the yogurt and stir it throughly.
Put cubes of meat in a bowl and mixed yogurt over it. Leave it for 1 hour to marinate.
Then pour oil on a tawa or frying pan and spread marinated meat over it.
Cut the onions and layer it over the meat.
Add 3 tablespoon of water and cover the pan. Leave it to cook for fifteen minutes on a low light.
Take the lid off and stir the meat, put back the lid and cook for more 10 minutes.
If the meat is golden brown and oil starts to come out, its ready to be served, otherwise cook for further 5 minutes or till you feel the meat is tender.
Serve with coriander chutney or ketchup

Corned Beef Hash

2011-09-06T16:05:00.000+05:00

Ingredients:

1/3 cup minced onions
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups diced cooked potatoes
2 1/2 cups chopped cooked corned beef
2 tablespoons fat

Method:

Brown onions in drippings in skillet.
Add pepper, potatoes and beef; mix thoroughly.
Shape into patties and saute in hot fat.
Serves 6

Fried Chicken

2011-09-06T16:01:00.000+05:00

Ingredients:

1 large bowl
1 tbsp Salt
1/2 tbsp Black pepper
3 tbsp of Crystal hot sauce.
1-1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp seasoning blend
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Method:

Here's my large bowl of chicken legs. I rinsed them under cold water.
I seasoned them with 1 tbsp. of regular salt, 1/2 tbsp. of course black pepper, and 3 tbsp. of Crystal hot sauce. I used my hands to make sure that all of the pieces were coated. Then, I refrigerated for an hour to allow the flavors to blend.
In a gallon-sized zippered storage bag, I added 1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. of my seasoning blend, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Even with the hot sauce and cayenne, this chicken wasn't spicy, just flavorful.
I coated the legs two at a time in the flour.
I don't have a cast iron skillet so I used my largest frying pan. I used canola oil and cooked the chicken on medium heat (number 6 on electric heat), ten minutes on each side for a total of 20 minutes.
Even with all the hot grease, I didn't have a lot of splattering and nobody got hurt, mainly me.
Drained on paper towels. The crust was crisp and the chicken was cooked all the way to the bone.
Fried chicken - done! Another item checked off the kitchen bucket list!
Enjoy!!!

Veg pizza in 2 versions (Normal & Low Fat)

2011-08-24T18:49:00.001+05:00

I was postphoning this pizza post just for the reason that I had to write more ;) Also I wanted to compile all the pics with stepwise, and the variation that I had clicked each time I made Pizza. And with no doubt this recipe is a keeper but I made adjustments here and there each time and finally found the recipe for perfect pizzas, So no more pizzas from restaurants. I have tried with 2 different toppings and here am giving u both for normal as well as low fat version.

Ingredients for Normal Pizza :

All purpose flour/Maida - 1 & 1/2 cups [My 1 cup measures 200 gms]
Active dry yeast - 1 tbsp [but not a heaped one]
Milk - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 tblsp
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

For the topping :

Pizza/Pasta Sauce - 1 tbsp
Tomato Sauce - 1/2 tbsp
Onion - 1/2 chopped
Capsicum - 1/2 chopped
Grated mozarella cheese - 2 tbsp or as required to cover the topping
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

For Paneer tikka marinating:

Paneer - 10 to 12 small cubes
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Curd - 1.5 tbsp

Method:

Boil the water first in a wide vessel and keep aside. Now add milk, oil, sugar, salt to boiled water and mix well till sugar dissolves. Now add yeast to the milk oil solution.

Mix well and keep aside for 5-7 mins stirring occassionally. After sometime you can see the yeast completely dissolved as shown below. Now add the flour.

After adding the flour, gather to get a smooth pilable dough. No need to knead completely just bring it together that is enough.Keep covered with a wet cloth till an hour or 2, preferably in a warm place for best results.

When u check after an hr, the dough would have been raised(I wouldnt say its exactly doubled) .Now again punch it down incase for any airbubbles and then keep aside. By the time cut paneer into small cubes add curd, salt, turmeric, chilli, coriander, garam masala powder and lemon juice - Marinate it for 15mins. I usually dont roast the paneer seperately but attimes when I have time in hand I do it and yes this time I toasted it in a tawa with little oil till golden brown. You can also just keep the paneer along with the topping to bake without toasting.

Grease a baking tray with aluminium foil [I didnt dust flour or add oil] . Keep the dough on the tray, Now roll the dough a little thick as 1 to 1.5 inches and fold the ends as shown in the below pic. Just fold the ends inside and press it till u get a small depthness.Prick the base with fork to make sure of even cooking [I forget it everytime ;)]. Spread the pizza sauce, I used the readymade maggi pizza sauce.

Arrange the toppings - I've used paneer, capsicum and onion here.Then grate the cheese till it covers topping.Just add tomato sauce on top this is purely optional but it tastes good with it. Then sprinkle pepper powder. Preheat the oven for 210 degree Celsius and bake for 15- 20 mins,till the base turns golden brown.If you cut a tiny area with a knife, u can see if its cooked fully by seeing the bread like texture.Mine gets done usually in 20mins, check at 15mins then proceed with the extra 5mins.

Cut the pizzas with pizza cutter/knife, make wedges and enjoy hot and yummy pizza :)

The topping combination is endless.To me pizzas are only if they served from Pizzahut but sure homemade pizzas changed my mind :)

Low Fat Version Ingredients :

Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Maida - 1/2 cup
Active dry yeast - 3/4 tblsp
Milk - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 tblsp
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

For the topping:

Tomato Sauce - 1tbsp
Onion - 1 chopped
Capsicum - 1/2 chopped
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp [You can alternatively use chilli flakes also]
Cheese - 2 tsp grated
Paneer cubes - 6 to 8

Low Fat version of Veg Pizza with thin crust/base

Except for the ingredients the method is the same just give an extra 3-5 mins while baking as wheat flour takes a little more time than maida.

Apple strudel

2011-08-24T18:29:00.000+05:00

This is a typical dessert from the Alto Adige region. Ideally, Renetta Ruggine apples should be used because they contain little water and do not soften the dough during cooking. Apple strudel is both a summer and winter dish.

Time

1 hour and 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For pasta

1 lb all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup water

For filling

2 lb apples
3 ½ oz breadcrumbs
1 ¾ oz butter
1 ¾ oz pine nuts
1 ¾ oz raisins
lemon zest, grated
2 teaspoons Rum
3 ½ oz sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Method:

40 minutes preparation + 40 minutes cooking

Step 1

Make a well in the center of the flour, place the egg inside and add the water.

Step 2

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Step 3

Make a dough which is smooth and solid.

Step 4

Melt the butter in a pan, add the bread crumbs and brown well.

Step 5

Cut the apples into segments.

Step 6

Mix the apples with the bread crumbs, pine kernels, raisins, grated lemon, cinnamon and the remaining ingredients. Leave it all to gain flavor.

Step 7

Roll out the dough and lay the filling on top.

Step 8

Close the dough by wrapping up the filling carefully, prick all over with a fork, brush with sunflower oil and sprinkle some pine kernels on top. Put the strudel into the oven for about 40 minutes at a temperature of 425°F.

CHEF'S TIPS

The filling must be made some hours before to exalt the flavor.

Seal the dough well and bake in a preheated oven.

Food History:

Even if people generally think that strudel is an Austrian dish, this sweet is originally Turkish. In fact, the precursor to the strudel is baklava, a Turkish dessert stuffed with dried fruit and spices. The Hungarians and Austrians were introduced to baklava during the invasion of Eastern Europe by the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. From 1526 to 1699, the Turks dominated the Hungary and, during these two centuries, the Hungarians adopted many different aspects of the Ottoman culture, including various Turkish recipes.
In 1699, when the Turks lost their power over Hungary to the Hapsburgs, the recipe for baklava spread throughout Austria and became known as strudel. Unlike traditional baklava, strudel was made with the apples that grew across Europe.
During the Congress of Vienna in 1816, Austria gained control of Venice and the surrounding region and strudel spread throughout Northeastern Italy.

Iced Coffee

2011-08-24T18:08:00.000+05:00

I didn’t know Aussie style iced coffee is “well known” around the globe until my brother-in-law visited us from Holland a few years ago.

His Dutch friends told him he had to go to Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach and try the iced coffee. He didn’t understand the fuss about it until he tasted it.

Iced coffee in Australia is pretty unique and iconic. It is like an unblended milkshake full with deliciousness: coffee, milk, ice cream, whipped cream and cocoa powder. Iced coffee can be ordered in most cafes and it is easy to make it at home. Here are the steps:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Espresso coffee or strong coffee, chilled
1/2 cup milk
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream (you can use sweetened or unsweetened)
Cocoa powder

Method:

First, you need 1/4 cup of chilled espresso coffee or strong coffee.
Fill a tall glass (it is usually served in a milkshake glass) with the chilled coffee.
Next, you need 1/2 cup of cold milk.
Pour the milk into the glass filled with chilled coffee.
Now, it is time for ice cream. To be exact, vanilla ice cream.
Add 2 large scoops of vanilla ice cream into the glass. Do not stir. Let it float.
Top it up with as much whipped cream (you can use sweetened or unsweetened) as you like.
Add the finishing touch: Sprinkle with cocoa powder.
Serve immediately with a straw and a long dessert spoon. Enjoy!

Pearly Vegan Mushroom-Barley Risotto

2011-08-23T22:16:00.000+05:00

Ingredients:

2 cups pearl barley
8-10 cups hot vegetable stock or hot water
3 cups of mushrooms, chopped (I used crimini and shiitake)
1 cup white wine
1 large onion, minced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 heaping tbsp vegan sour cream
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Method:

Heat the canola oil in a saucepan.
Add the onions and garlic and saute on a low heat until the onions turn translucent.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the dried basil.
Add the mushrooms and saute for a minute.
Now add the barley and stir for a minute until all the grains are coated with oil.
Add the wine and simmer on a low heat, stirring, until the wine has almost evaporated.
Add the water or stock, 1/2 cup at a time, to the risotto, stirring after each addition. Wait until most of the stock has been absorbed before you add the next 1/2 cup. Do this until the barley is quite tender but has a slight bite to it. This should take about an hour.
Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Add the sour cream and stir around to spread evenly through the risotto.
Turn off heat and mix in the parsley.
Serve.

Whole-Wheat French Bread

2011-08-23T22:10:00.000+05:00

Ingredients:

3 cups of durum whole-wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp + 1 tsp vital wheat gluten
(If you don't have vital wheat gluten, use 3 cups all-purpose and 2 cups whole-wheat flour and skip the gluten)
1 1/2 tbsp salt
2 cups of mildly warm water
2 1/2 tsp yeast

Method:

Mix the yeast, 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of water in a large bowl. Let stand for a few minutes until the mixture becomes quite bubbly, about 10-15 minutes.
Now add the vital wheat gluten, remaining flour, salt and remaining water. Mix to combine and then knead by hand about 10 minutes or in a stand mixer, on medium speed, about six minutes, until you have a very smooth, elastic and resilient dough.
Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, turning over once to coat the top with oil. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise at room temperature. (In winter, I'd leave it in a cold oven with the light on).
After two hours, the dough would have more than doubled. Punch it down to remove all the gases in it, then divide it into two. Let the dough stand, covered with a kitchen towel, around 10 minutes before shaping.
Take one ball of dough and punch it down with your fist to release all the gases and air. You will have a six-inch round when you're done.
Now, roll over more than half of the dough and, using your knuckles or the heel of your hand, press it down into the bottom.
Repeat two more times, rolling the dough over each time, until you have a cylinder. Each time, press in the seams with your knuckles or the heel of your hand. If needed, at the end, pinch in the seam with your fingers to seal it. You will now have a cylinder with tapering ends, about six inches in length.
Now using the palms of your hands and fingers and without applying any pressure, roll the dough until you have a roll about 12 inches in length. The roll should be even all over and taper off at the ends-- apply a little pressure when you reach the ends to create the tapering shape.
Repeat this with the other ball of dough.
Place the two loaves on a baking sheet lightly greased with oil and sprinkled with cornmeal, at least four inches apart because they will expand and rise.
Cover with a floured kitchen towel and set aside for an hour.
With a very sharp knife or razor, and very quickly, make three long, diagonal cuts in the top of the bread. (I used a serrated steak knife as you can see in the picture, but if you're not practiced at this, use a very sharp, thin razor blade because you don't want to deflate the dough)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Five minutes before baking, spray about 1/2 cup water into the oven to create a steamy environment. (The water helps create a crusty loaf and also it creates a moist environment where the bread bakes slowly, creating more flavor).
Place the bread in the oven and close the door. Five minutes later, spray more water into the oven.
Bake about 30 minutes until the loaves are golden-brown. Lift up the loaf to check that it separates easily from the baking sheet.
Let stand at least 15 minutes on a rack before cutting.

Salad Shirazi

2011-08-19T18:54:00.002+05:00

Ingredients

5 Persian cucumbers (or 2 English cucumbers, the idea is to use seedless cucumbers)
4 round tomatoes
1 medium red onion
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp dry mint
1 tbsp oil (optional)
salt & pepper

Method:

These three veggies are all you need for this salad! Here is the thing though, you have to small dice ALL of them and they have to be, give or take, the same size. Think of it as a Persian Pico de Gallo! Now let’s get choppin’!
Small dice cucumbers. Depending on the thickness of the cucumbers they can either be divided into 6 or 8 slices.
Dice onion…I didn’t use all of my onion as it was too much. You can see in the next picture the piece that I left out. You don’t want the onion to overpower the rest of the ingredients.
Do the same with the tomatoes. I would suggest doing the tomatoes last so that you don’t have to whip your cutting board dry after chopping them.
And Voila! Here they are all nice and chopped up! Season with salt, pepper and add dried mint.
Mix well, cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Make sure to taste the salad to make sure that there is enough salt.
In the mean time juice fresh lime. Homeyra says that oil is optional for the dressing.
If you would like to add oil, then add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
Pour lime juice and olive oil over the salad. Mix well and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Salad Shirazi can be served with any meal. YUM!

Salad Olivieh

2011-08-19T18:39:00.000+05:00

Ingredients

3 medium large potatoes, cooked
3 eggs, hard boiled
2 cups shredded chicken
2 cups frozen peas and carrots
19 oz can of Persian pickles
Dressing
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp mustard
1/8 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

Method:

First short cut: pick your favorite roast chicken. My local Albertson’s makes a delicious Lemon Basil roast chicken. You can cook your own chicken from scratch, but the added flavor from the roast chicken is really good!
Removed bones and skin and shred chicken. Also give it a rough chop to make the pieces a bit smaller.
Small dice the eggs and pickles.
Dice the potatoes as well making them slightly bigger in size than the pickles and eggs.
Short cut two: Buy a bag of frozen peas and carrots. In the traditional Salad Olivieh the peas and carrots should be cooked. Mela informed me that the secret to a good Salad Olivieh is to not cook the peas. So I took this advice a step further and also saved the time spent on cutting the carrots. I just throw the peas and carrots in my salad raw, straight out of the bag.
Place all ingredients in a big mixing bowl.
In a different mixing bowl prepare the dressing by mixing mayo, mustard, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. I personally have a love affair with Dijon mustard, but you can use regular mustard too!
Mix ingredients and dressing well.
Taste and check seasoning. Cover and let rest in the fridge for a few hours allowing the flavors to come together.
Salad Olivieh is an excellent addition to your appetizers table, a great side dish, and a fantastic choice for a picnic. It is also delicious in a sandwich form, either with pita bread or French baguette!

Roasted Cornish Hens with Saffron

2011-08-19T18:14:00.001+05:00

I absolutely love roast chicken. I have several different homemade rubs that I use. One great tip that I learned a few years ago what to roast the chicken at high temperature. You would think that the chicken would dry up, but every time the skin is perfectly roasted and the meat is moist and tasty!

Today’s recipe is super ease to make and the smell of it while it cooks will take over your whole kitchen and slowly travel through your whole home. Once it’s ready every bite is packed with the taste and scent of saffron!

Ingredients:

2 Cornish hens
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp saffron treads
1 onion
salt & pepper

Method:

Melt butter. Take the saffron treads and rub them between your fingers and drop them in the hot butter. Let rest.
In the mean time wash the birds and pat dry. Slice the onion in big chunks, peal and crush garlic.
Rub the inside of each bird with salt. Stuff with some of the onion and one crushed garlic in each.
Warm up the butter, which by now should have gone back to being firm. Layer the bottom of a oven safe dish with the remainder of the onion and garlic. Flip the birds over so that they are breast side down.
Brush the birds with butter infused with saffron. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the chickens on top of the onion breast side up. Brush with the rest of the butter all over. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in 400° oven for 40 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
And the end what you get is a gorgeous colored roast bird that taste delicious!