Middle East
-
Continue readingToday, I share with you a Michelin-Starred chef Greg Malouf’s recipe, from his book “Suqar” which means sugar in arabic. It’s one of my favourites desserts and sweets books, the spirit of this book is about how to make a classic Middle Eastern desserts very modern with a European touch. I already shared with you “saffron – blood orange brûlée”, it was wonderful. We can say that the Muhallabeya, mahalabia or mhalabeya is the equivalent of “panna cotta” in the Middle East (without gelatine). This dessert is intrinsically simple in terms of ingredients and technique. One of the reasons why it’s a very popular homemade…
-
Continue readingIf you like spicy food, and you always keep a jar of harissa (Moroccan chilli paste) or jalapeños or the famous sriracha sauce in your fridge, this recipe is definitely for you. I made this recipe for my better half, he put hot sauce on everything, regardless of the food he’s eating. Shatta is a chilli paste that is quite popular in Middle Eastern and Egyptian cuisine. In Morocco we have the famous harissa, which looks like the shatta, but contains different ingredients and requires different technique. I never heard of shatta before I came to live here in Dubaï.…
-
Continue readingHummus is probably the most versatile dip, is a perfect snack for any time of day. You can eat it as it is or serve it topped with meat, veggies or like this recipe that I’m sharing with you today. A wonderful way to eat hummus. It’s not the authentic recipe of hummus for sure but it will probably be, if you try this. The grilled mushrooms with the delicious marinade, works beautifully with the creamy hummus perfectly flavoured with confit garlic. Add a salad on the side and it’s an amazing meal. You can skip the topping and have…
-
Continue readingI know that at the moment in some countries it’s very cold, but here in Dubai we spend a mild winter, blue sky and temperatures of 29C which allow us to enjoy the sea. Which is impossible during the summer when temperatures sometimes reach 48C. The recipe of the day is a Semifreddo with Middle Eastern touch, flavored with orange blossom, honey and baklava. It’s the perfect dessert to end a meal on a note of freshness and indulgence. What is the Semifreddo? Semifreddo, this Italian frozen dessert, was created around the 19th century, but only gained popularity in the early…
-
Continue readingWhat a wonderful dessert !! A silky, rich crème brûlée with an amazing golden yellow color, flavoured with saffron and blood orange juice. It might not seem like an obvious partnership, but it works very well. It’s mellowed by the creamy custard and rounded out by the sweetness of the layer of the caramelised sugar. Very simple, very well balanced and very complex at the same time. And that for me was spectacular. This recipe is from “Suqar” cookbook, it means sugar. One of my favorites sweet books. What is crème brûlée ? Crème brûlée also known as « caramelised cream » or…
-
Continue readingOnce again a success with this ottolenghi recipe. I don’t remember in which article I said, that I discovered a new way of cooking, thanks to this excellent chef. Now I use his books all the time, “Jerusalem – with Sami Tamimi”, “Simple” and “Falastin” are my favorites ones. Since I discovered him, I have never been disappointed with any of his recipes. The recipe may look complicated to make, don’t be fooled by appearances. It’s as easy and straightforward as preparing a dish of pasta with bolognese. Trust me, this stuffed aubergine is an easy recipe. So how to…
-
Continue readingthe simplest things are often the best, and the “sfiha” also called Arab pizza is one of my favourites recipes from “Falastin” cookbook. What is sfiha ? Sfiha or sfeeha in arabic صفيحة , is a dish consisting of flatbread cooked with a minced meat topping, often lamb flavored with onion, tomato, pine nuts, and spices. It’s traditionally found in the countries of the levant, and is closely related to manakish and lahm bi’ajin لحم بالعجين . The recipe of the day : In his book, Sami Tamimi call the “Sfiha” “open pie”. He proposes two toppings to choose, depending on if you’re a veggie or a meat person. I tried the…