Actually rice is pretty much a given on a daily basis, for the majority -if not all- Egyptian families. The Egyptian rice is highly aromatic and has got a distinctive flavour not to be found in any other rice of any kind. As an Egyptian, very much “into” the foods & aromas of my childhood, I can assure you that I know my rice.
Unfortunately I can not get a hold of Egyptian rice where we live, so I use Basmati instead, and prepare it the Egyptian way.
Because of it being a daily staple, rice dishes present themselves in a variety of ways in the Egyptian cuisine. All depending of course on the dish that it is showing up to compliment.
For Dada’s Zucchini, I will use the rice w/vermicelli & pine nuts. No other reason than “just because” that’s how she served it!
You will find the recipe for the rice listed under what else?! “rice” of course. Anticipating that I shall be posting a variety of rice dishes as we proceed, I decided to give it a category of its own!
Now lets get on with Dada’s Zucchini dish.
A favourite way of cooking vegetables in Egypt is in tomato sauce. Sometimes meat is added in it to give extra flavour, but often without.
Dada’s Zucchini w/chickpeas in tomato sauce-1
Dada’s Zucchini w/chickpeas in tomato sauce-2
Dada’s Zucchini w/chickpeas in tomato sauce-3
Ingredients:
4 large zucchinis (or 6 medium ones) sliced. If too big, cut zucchini in half then slice.
1 onion chopped
1 garlic chopped
140 grs tomato paste (or 4 large tbsps)
2 cups cooked chick peas
2 cups water
1 soup cube
Dada’s Zucchini w/chickpeas in tomato sauce-4
Dada’s Zucchini w/chickpeas in tomato sauce-5
Dada’s Zucchini w/chickpeas in tomato sauce-6
Dada’s Zucchini w/chickpeas in tomato sauce-7
Dada’s Zucchini w/chickpeas in tomato sauce-finished product
Method:
saute onions in a bit of olive oil
add garlic
add tomato paste
add chick peas
add water
add soup cube
bring to a boil
adjust salt if needed
add sliced zucchini
simmer on medium heat until zucchini is done to your liking.
(you may need to add more water as its cooking, to ensure there is enough sauce in the end.)
Serve in a separate bowl, alongside the vermicelli rice.
Absolutely delicious, great for parties, and extremely easy. You can even cook the chicken the night before to save on time. Cover it really well to keep it moist, refrigerate, and just reheat when you’re ready.
Because of the super yummy sauce this rich marinade creates, I like to serve this chicken over rice. I often add a cup of frozen green peas to the rice before cooking it, the bit of green adds a nice colour to the dish. Just make sure you add an extra ½ cup liquid to the rice’s cooking water or broth to account for the peas.
Oriental Chicken cubes on Basmati-1
Oriental Chicken cubes on Basmat2
Oriental Chicken cubes on Basmati-3
Oriental Chicken cubes on Basmati-4
Ingredients:
500grs chicken breasts fillets
marinade:
2 tbsps oil
2 tbsps honey
3 tbsps soya sauce
3 tbsps vinegar
2 tbsps grated ginger
2 tbsps chopped parsley
1 garlic minced
Oriental Chicken cubes on Basmati-5
Oriental Chicken cubes on Basmati-6
Oriental Chicken cubes on Basmati-7
Oriental Chicken cubes on Basmati-finished product
Method:
cut chicken in small-ish cubes
mix all in ingredients of the marinade and pour over chicken
mix really well, cover, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight
when ready, pour the entire mixture including the marinade in a baking tray large enough that the chicken cubes sit in it in one layer
bake on 4th shelf from bottom in a 200centigrade preheated oven for 30-40mns or until nicely coloured. Make sure you take the tray out two or three times and give it a couple of stirs so that the chicken cooks well on all sides
when you’re ready to serve, put the rice first in the serving dish, spoon your chicken on to cover the surface, then pour your sauce over that.
There are certain vegetables that are always available in the market regardless of the time of year. They somehow manage to always look their best; bright, fresh, and inviting.
Good old dependable Eggplant is one of those.
Almost all cultures have numerous dishes centered around eggplant, and Greece is ofcourse no exception. This versatile vegetable shows up in dips, in appetizers, in main dishes, as well as in many new creative combinations that are popping up to surprise us all the time.
This delicious appetizer is fairly easy to prepare, providing you oven-grill instead of frying, and combined with a few black olives and some crisp fresh village bread, it is an ideal companion to a few glasses of ouzo and a nice conversation with friends.
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-3
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-4
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-5
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-6
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-7
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-8
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-9
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-10
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-11
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
olive oil to brush
sea salt
sauce:
2 green onions
2 tbsp tomato paste
Filling:
1 green onion chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
a large slice of feta
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-12
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-13
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-14
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-15
Eggplant rolls stuffed w/Feta-finished product
Method:
slice the eggplant into 3/4cm thick slices lengthwise
brush with olive oil
sprinkle with sea salt
place on oven tray lined with parchment paper & grill in a preheated oven till golden
turn the slices over and repeat (oil/salt/grill)
make sure you don’t grill more than 5mns per side, depending on your oven maybe even less, as it may surprise you & burn really fast!
while the eggplant is grilling, prepare your sauce:
slice green onions and saute in a bit of olive oil
add the tomatoes paste, some water, salt, and simmer to make a light tomato sauce
set aside to cool
mix your ingredients for the filling
lay the cooled eggplant slices on a flat surface, place some of the filling (as in picture), roll up, and arrange in a baking dish
spoon some sauce over each and bake in a preheated 200centigarde oven for 20mns
Personally I prefer it as an appetizer as mentioned above, but you can also serve it as a starter if you wish.
This has been one of my staple, fall-back-on dishes, to cook for parties, whether at our home or to take along to one, for many many years now! It absolutely never fails, it is delicious, and besides being easy to prepare, it is also different, and miles more impressive then the traditional party-salads that we are all used to seeing on a buffet!
Another huge competitor in the comfort food category! (what’s up with me? I’ve been making lots of these lately!!)
It is an all-time favourite with all our friends, and a special favourite of my nieces Maggie & Mona.
This dish can be made with the ground beef/pine nuts mixture, or without; totally vegetarian. It is equally delicious in both versions. The secret is in the quantity of cheese, and in the texture of the bechamel.
I use two kinds of cheeses: finely grated Parmesan as well as coarsely grated Emmental (or Gruyere).
I make my bechamel on the loose side, not too thick, as I like to serve it with Basmati rice, and want the bechamel to behave more like a sauce, rather than a set “pudding” like.
Ingredients:
1 large onion chopped
½ kg ground beef
8-10 medium size zucchini
½ cup pine nuts (roasted)
1 cup Parmesan
1 cup emmental
for the bechamel:
4 heaped tablespoons flour
olive oil
4 cups full milk
2 cups water
1 soup cube
Zucchini w/ground beef & bechamel-1
Zucchini w/ground beef & bechamel-2
Zucchini w/ground beef & bechamel-3
Zucchini w/ground beef & bechamel-4
Zucchini w/ground beef & bechamel-5
Zucchini w/ground beef & bechamel-6
Method:
saute onion in a bit of olive oil
add the ground beef, brown, cover and simmer till tender
mix in the roasted pine nuts
set mixture aside
P.S. I almost always forget to mention salt & pepper in my recipes, but I can assure you that I season my food well! I always use coarse sea salt, and coarsely ground black pepper. And I do my seasoning as I go along, layering the flavours as I proceed. Not in the end as some people prefer. I believe that the seasoning should be part of the gradual construction of the dish, and not come at its very end, almost as an added “after thought”!!!
back to our dish…….
chop the zucchini into fairly uniform rounds
saute in a bit of olive oil using two spatulas to mix (as if you’re stir frying). Keep an eye on it, and keep the mixing going until the bright green of the zucchini is somewhat “dulled”. Difficult to explain any better, just compare pictures 2 and 3.
add the ground beef mixture to the zucchini in the pot, add a tiny bit of water to cook further, until the zucchini is done to your liking. It is important that most of the liquid be gone before you pour the contents of the pot into your Pyrex dish, otherwise the excess water will affect the consistency of the sauce in the finished dish
set aside to cool
when cool, sprinkle 1/4 a cup of the grated Parmesan
Now for the Bechamel:
I find that the secret of a successful bechamel is to add enough fat (by fat I mean olive oil) in the start, so that the flour/fat mixture be “loose” in the pan, not lumped together like a ball. If you start with this consistency, you almost always end up with a successful bechamel, smooth and with no lumps whatsoever Ofcourse you can use butter instead of olive oil if you prefer, just keep to the loose flour/fat mixture principal. If for some crazy reason you end up with lumps in your bechamel, don’t panic, you can always use a hand mixer to smooth out the lumps.
Zucchini w/ground beef & bechamel-7
Zucchini w/ground beef & bechamel-8
Zucchini w/ground beef & bechamel-9
Heat your fat in the pot
add the flour
mix with whisk until mixture bubbles
add the milk and keep whisking
add the water and keep whisking
let thicken on medium heat
when you achieve the desired consistency, add ¼ cup of grated Parmesan, and ½ cup of emmental
mix well to incorporate
pour the bechamel on the zucchini mixture, making sure to cover all. Your bechamel is not thick at all, so it will penetrate through the entire content of the dish seeping through to the bottom
sprinkle the remaining Parmesan (¼ cup), and the remaining emmental (½ cup)
bake in a pre-heated 200centigrade oven, for as long as it takes for the mixture to bubble throughout, and for the top to be a nice golden brown.
Let cool for at least a ½ hour before serving to acquire a bit of a body, otherwise if you cut through while still too hot the whole dish will just run into each other and look like mush. It will still be delicious but mush nevertheless.
Last night we went to a huge house-warming party. Over fifty people were there! Was also present ofcourse, an overabundance of food and drink. Drink being the key word here!
This morning is so far, obviously behaving like a typical “morning after”…
Yes the fresh crispy Lagana bread was a huge plus for breakfast, but overall, head and tummy, are slightly leaning towards the “delicate” side, and in desperate need of gentle food. Preferably one that also qualifies as comfort food.
Sheppard’s Pie springs to mind and the thought settles well in my tummy. Sheppard’s pie it is then… And maybe a light green salad on the side. Yum yum …
Some people say that the original Shepherd’s Pie requires ground lamb. If you’re going to use ground beef then it is called Cottage Pie. Well!! I’ve always made it with ground beef! And since the Shepherd’s Pie police are not around today, I will continue using ground beef, and will continue calling it Shepherd’s Pie….
My kitchen, my rules!
Ingredients:
6 large potatoes (or 8 medium ones)
1 large onion chopped
½ kg ground beef
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp flour
1 cup grated Parmesan
Shepherd’s Pie-1
Shepherd’s Pie-2
Shepherd’s Pie-3
Shepherd’s Pie-4
Shepherd’s Pie-5
Shepherd’s Pie-6
Shepherd’s Pie-7
Shepherd’s Pie-8
Shepherd’s Pie-9
Method:
peel & cut up the potatoes, cover with water, and boil until tender. Drain & let cool
saute onion in a bit of olive oil
add the ground beef, brown, cover and simmer till tender
saute the carrots & peas in another pan, add the flour, stir, then add a bit of water to slightly thicken the mixture
combine contents of both frying pans, adjust seasoning, and transfer to your baking dish. Set aside to cool.
mash your potatoes really well, season with salt & pepper, and combine ½ cup Parmesan into the mixture
spread the potatoes on top of the beef mixture, making sure to not leave any uncovered holes
make markings with the edge of a fork
sprinkle the other half of the Parmesan
bake in a pre-heated 200 Centigrade oven until bubbly & golden brown
Unfortunately it is made and sold only once per year on Clean Monday, marking the start of Lent for Greek Orthodox Easter.
It is a huge flat bread, crispy, with sesame seed sprinkled on top. The bread is mostly crust which makes it absolute heaven to eat with just about anything! Traditionally it is eaten that day with Taramosalata, or any sort of a spread really. I love eating it even with just plain old olive oil with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt in it.
Did I mention that I just love this bread?!
Unfortunately the bread does not keep long as it goes hard very fast. But I’m not one to let go very easily of all things loved, so I do my absolute best to make it last as long as I possibly can.
Greek Lagana Bread-2
Greek Lagana Bread-3
We usually buy two loaves, one of which I slice and freeze. You can take the frozen slices and place directly in the toaster. I first cut it in half length wise, then proceed with the slicing. It tastes just as nice as the first day.
Yummm…………
Now on to slicing, followed by battling with the contents in my freezer for enough room to store this delicious chunk of heaven!
I may as well continue with my appetizer/finger-food spree. Last one today. I promise!
This is absolutely delicious, and the flavours are quite intense. It doesnt necessarily have to be hot (as in spicy), the heat entirely depends on your curry mix. You should be familiar with the strength of your curry powder in order to decide how much is needed. But you need to make sure that your mixture is well flavoured in order to answer as well as balance the sweet element of raisins in the filling.
Spicy Curried Chicken Mini Pies-1
Spicy Curried Chicken Mini Pies-2
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped left over cooked chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup frozen defrosted peas
1 cup chopped fresh mushroom
1tbsp flour
¾ cup raisins
1 cup hot water
curry powder
1 large sheet of puff pastry
1 egg beaten (for glazing)
Spicy Curried Chicken Mini Pies-3
Spicy Curried Chicken Mini Pies-4
Spicy Curried Chicken Mini Pies-5
Spicy Curried Chicken Mini Pies-6
Spicy Curried Chicken Mini Pies-7
Method:
cover your raisins with the hot water and set aside until plump
Saute onions in a bit of olive oil
add mushrooms
add peas
add curry powder
add flour
add raisins with their water
simmer for just a little bit until you have a guey mixture on the thick side
set aside till completely cool
cut your pastry into rounds to fit your mince pie tray (no butering needed, and no paper lining either)
Place rounds in the tray
add a generous amount of filling in each
cover with pastry lids (cut the same size as the bottoms)
press with your fingers, followed by the edge of a a fork, round each pie in order to seal the edges
brush with beaten egg
bake in a pre-heated 180centigrade oven until golden brown
pop out of the tray while still hot and place on counter to cool off
once cool you can freeze them if you wish and re-heat when needed before serving
I love this dip! It is quick, easy to prepare, and it goes so well in parties! It is almost always the first dish to disappear.
I first had this dip in my niece Mona’s house a couple of years back, in one of her Thanksgiving parties that she loves to host.
This present version that I got in the habit of making since, is not the original one. You might have guessed! I never keep to a recipe, and this one is no exception. Sorry Mona, that stick of butter just had to go! The chopped celery too, my husband refuses to eat it….
Shrimp & Cream Cheese Dip-1
Ingredients:
400grs Philadelphia cream cheese (room temperature)
400 grs frozen shrimp
4 green onions
a small knob of butter
1tbsp fish sauce
Shrimp & Cream Cheese Dip-2
Shrimp & Cream Cheese Dip-3
Shrimp & Cream Cheese Dip-Finished Product
Method:
Defrost shrimp in a colander to drain all excess water
squeeze with your hands just to make sure all the water is gone
heat the butter in a pan, add the shrimp, and give it a super quick whirl around just to firm up
remove from heat immediately and let cool
chop roughly
chop the green onions
add the softened cream cheese
add fish sauce
I also like to add a few drops of Tabasco to give it a kick, but that’s optional
I’m slacking off here, aren’t I? Not one post in well over a month!!
Nevermind, it is a blog after all. My own blog at that. Meaning no shoulds, or shouldn’ts. No demands, and certainly no deadlines! We all have plenty of those in our lives as it is, and creating new self-imposed ones, would not be the smartest thing to do.
Besides, this blog is about cooking yes, but it is also about healing. And God knows I’ve been doing lots of both. The cooking and the healing I mean.
There are no specific explanations as to how and when healing does happen, but I suspect its equal parts: time and choice. Yes choice. Sure time is needed to heal any sort of wound, but I’m beginning to think that choice has a lot to do with it as well. Having had enough of being at the bottom of the well, with hardly any air to breath, there comes a day when you say to yourself enough is enough, its now time to get back to “life”. That precious gift that we have all been given. Accepting it, consciously I mean, is both a privilege and an honour!
Back to cooking.
Yes, I’ve been slacking in the posting department, but never in my cooking. Its part of my life. A part that gives me immense joy! Since I started this blog, I got into the habit of taking pictures as I go along. I take the pictures on my phone, and then delete them as they’re posted. Not having posted in a while, means that I now have an over-abundance of pictures and recipes! Which should I post first?!
My big love has always been appetizers. And nibbles. All sorts of finger foods, that go well with drinks, and chats, and friends. And I’ve done quite a bit of those, these past few weeks. So let me start with that.
Beef & Walnut Pastry Swirls:
Actually the idea of this recipe, was inspired by the famous Lebanese/Syrian/Armenian Lahm-B’Ajeen. Its been a lot on my mind lately… This one is a lot faster ofcourse, not to mention way easier, but the taste is almost identical.
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-1
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-2
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-3
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-4
Ingredients:
¼ kg ground beef
1 medium onion
6 sun dried tomatoes
1 cup walnuts
1 large sheet of puff pastry
1 egg beaten (for glazing)
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-5
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-6
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-7
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-8
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-9
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-10
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-11
Beef & Walnuts Pastry Swirls-12
Method:
Chop onion and saute in a bit of olive oil till translucent
add ground beef, salt, pepper, and brown
set aside
chop sun dried tomatoes
chop walnuts medium ruff
open your sheet of pastry and distribute your filling one at a time,starting with the ground beef mixture, then the sun dried tomatoes, than the walnuts
roll up jelly roll fashion
wrap well and refrigerate for a couple of hours
slice into 1cm thick slices
place in a mince pie tray lined up with appropriate size paper holders
brush with beaten egg
bake in a pre-heated 180 centigrade oven until golden brown
pop out of the tray while still hot and place on counter to cool off
once cool you can freeze them if you wish and re-heat when needed before serving
I love to prepare nibbles ahead of time and freeze ready for unexpected company.
thehealingpowerofcooking 