Tuna & Bean Salad

All you need when the weather is hot is a cool salad. This salad here is quick and easy to prepare as we use beans from a can. Obviously you can use dried beans but you will have to soak them for at least 8 hours. Like this you can prepare it very quickly. We like to serve it with three different condiments mayonnaise/salad cream, balsamic vinegar and loads of extra virgin olive oil. You can use any beans you want. Serves 4. You will need...

• 1 large can butter beans
• 1 large can pinto beans
• 1 large can borlotti beans
• 2 large cans tuna chunks
• 4 Hard boiled eggs
• Half red onion, sliced thinly
• 4 small beetroots
• 4 small potatoes
• Handful of cherry tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Mayonnaise or Salad cream

Method

1. Drain the beans, rinse them and put them into a bowl. Then drain the tuna and add it to the beans.
2. Add the sliced onion, potatoes, tomatoes and some olive oil. Mix slowly.
3. Plate the salad and garnish with the eggs and beetroots.
4. Dress with more olive oil, balsamic vinegar and maybe some mayo.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Penne alla Norma

This is one of our favourite pasta dishes. It is so good...our secret is to use good quality extra-virgin olive oil as it gives it such a great flavour. As you can see from our blog, aubergine is one of my favourite veggies around. Originally, this dish is served with grated ricotta salata [Salty dried ricotta cheese] which is a Sicilian regional speciality but since I cannot find it here, I used Feta cheese. It is nowhere close to the ricotta salata but at least it is a salty cheese. Although I will try and do my own ricotta salata in the near future. Now some history on the origins of this dish. This dish originated in the Sicilian city of Catania. It got its name from Vincenzo Bellini's opera Norma. Some of the actors where eating at a restaurant after a performance and one of them said after eating this aubergine dish...''ohh this is Norma''  So there you have it, pasta alla Norma was invented. Give it a go and will definitely have the Mediterranean on a plate :) You will need...

• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 500g Aubergine, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 400g Penne pasta
• 175g Ricotta Salata or Feta cheese, crumbled
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

How to...

1. Put the aubergine slices in a colander and sprinkle with coarse salt. Leave to drain for about 30 minutes. This process is done so as to get rid of the aubergine’s bitter juices.
2. After 30 minutes, rinse the aubergine thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen towel.
3. Fry or grill the aubergines until soft.
4. In a pan put some olive oil and the crushed cloves of garlic.
5. Cook the garlic until golden, about 1 minute.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes.
7. In the meantime cook the pasta.
8. When both the pasta and sauce are ready, mix everything in the sauce pan and toss the pasta into the sauce.
9. Serve and garnish with Ricotta Salata shavings or cubed Feta cheese.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Couscous & Aubergine Stuffed Peppers

Arabic/Middle Eastern cuisine is one of the best on the planet. It is so full of aromatic flavours and most all it smells so wonderful when you are cooking it. These peppers are stuffed with lots of flavours from very hot [harissa] to sweet [raisins]. We served them with some seasoned natural yoghurt. One of my tricks is to put all the spices in a small jar or small container with a lid and give them a good shake so as when you use them the spices are distributed evenly into the dish. You can call the spice mix Ras El Hanout [which literally means shopkeeper]. This term is used in North Africa [mostly Morocco] to define spice mixes sold in shops/market, every shop/seller has his own spice blend...hence the name! This dish is 100% vegetarian and will  make our vegetarian friends very happy...so please do give it a go. For 4/5 peppers you will need...

For the stuffing

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized aubergine, diced into 1cm cubes
• 50g raisins
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon harissa
• Ras el Hanout spice mix *
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Extra water
• 200g couscous
• 200ml boiling water
• 4/5 Bell peppers, top taken off and deseeded

Ras el Hanout spice mix

* ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, pinch ground ginger, pinch ground cloves, sea salt (to taste).

Laban dip

• 250ml natural yoghurt
• Freshly chopped mint [or 1 tablespoon dried mint]
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

How to...

1. Fry the onion in some oil until soft and transparent. Add the diced aubergine & garlic and cook covered for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally adding a little water if necessary. Now add tomato paste, harissa, raisins, Ras el Hanout spice mix and some more olive oil. Cook for a further 10 minutes on low heat.
2. Prepare the couscous by pouring 200ml boiling water on the couscous. Stir with a fork and cover for about 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, separate the grains with a fork and add some olive oil and stir well.
3. Add the couscous to the onion/aubergine mixture and mix well.
4. Put the peppers (with the pepper top) in the microwave for 5-6 minutes on high. Take peppers out and carefully stuff the peppers tightly. Put the stuffed peppers in the microwave again and cook for a further 10 minutes on high. 
5. Alternatively, put the peppers in an oven dish and add some water or tomato sauce at the bottom of the dish. Bake in a 200°C preheated oven for about 40-50 minutes.
6. Mix the laban ingredients together.
7. Serve with the yoghurt and pita bread.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Sweet Surprise Pie

This pie was absolutely gorgeous. I just made a couple of these and used two small silicon heart shaped moulds. I made my own pastry but feel free to use ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry. The recipe for the pastry yields a good amount of dough, so just wrap any dough that you do not use in cling film and freeze it. Although I made these mini pies you can adjust the ingredients to make a large one. Serve this pie warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. You will need...

For the dough

• 350g plain flour
• About 200ml water
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 100g unsalted butter, in cubes and soft

1. Put the flour and sugar into a bowl and rub the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
2. Add the egg yolks and pour the water gradually until you get a very soft, pliable dough.
3. Knead well for a few minutes. 
4. Wrap in cling film and put into the fridge for about 20 minutes to set.
5. Any dough you do not use wrap it in cling film and freeze for future use.

For filling two pies

• 1 banana, sliced
• 2 tsp strawberry conserve or jam
• 2 tsp seedless raisins
• Honey
• Caster sugar, to decorate
• 2 small heart shaped pie moulds, although you can use any shape

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. 
2. Line the bottom of the moulds with pastry.
3. Spread the bottom of the moulds with the strawberry conserve. Neatly lay half a banana in each mould, sprinkle 1 tsp of raisins on the banana pieces and drizzle with honey.
4. Cover the moulds with pastry and trim any excess. Make sure that you seal it well.
5. Pinch the top of the pie with scissors and sprinkle with the caster sugar.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until done.
7. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!!

R&A

The 4 Tablespoon Honey Mustard Chicken

A family favourite, this chicken dish is just tasty and delicious. This is my mum's recipe which I happily inherited :) When you are doing this recipe, the kitchen will smell fantastic. It consists of very few ingredients and to keep the balance between the American mustard and the honey you will have to use the same amounts of both. We use drumsticks and thighs mostly, but it will definitely do well any thighs or even chicken breast. We always serve with some nice freshly mashed potatoes and I naughtily finish all the sauce left in the plate [and sometimes the dish as well] with bread :) Make sure you only use american mustard in this recipe as other types of mustard are too strong and obviously if you use too much of it, it will ruin the dish. Go on, give it a go...you and your family will love it...so, you will need...

• 8 pieces of chicken [like drumsticks, wings or thighs]
• 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp American mustard
• 250ml chicken stock
• 100ml (½ cup) single cream or crème fraiche
• Freshly ground black pepper, to serve

How to...

1. Make the sauce by mixing the honey, garlic, olive oil and mustard in a bowl and stir well.
2. Pour into a large skillet and heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Add the chicken pieces and on low heat brown on both sides, make sure it is on low heat as the honey/mustard mixture will burn. 
3. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered on a low/medium heat until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes.
4. When cooked remove the chicken pieces from the skillet and set aside. Add the cream and reduce the sauce on a low heat until you get a thick creamy sauce. Return the chicken to the skillet and heat for a couple of minutes.
5. Serve hot with mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Crab Mousse with Maltese Carob Liqueur

Saturday morning at the market, I could not resist the urge I had to buy fresh crabs from the fishmonger as soon as I saw the size of them, they looked awesome. So if you manage to get your hands on a fresh crab it would be great but if you cannot find it use canned crab meat instead. Obviously do not use surimi sticks which are erroneously called crab sticks. In this recipe you can see that I used light and dark crab meat, the light crab meat coming from the legs and claws of the crab whilst the dark crab meat comes from the body cavity of the crab. I also used a Maltese Carob Liqueur which gave this mousse a wonderful carob scent. If you do not have or cannot find it, you can use good quality sherry instead. It is a pretty easy recipe as all you need to is blend all the ingredients. So, here is what you will need...

• 60g light crab meat
• 60g dark crab meat
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 190ml double cream
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• 2 tsp Maltese Ħarruba (Carob) Liqueur or Sherry if not available
• Few leaves fresh thyme or a pinch of dried thyme

How to...

1. Lightly grease 3 ramekin dishes or small glass tumblers.
2. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
3. Blend all the ingredients in a blender until you get a smooth velvety mixture.
4. Pour the mixture into the ramekins/tumblers and place them into a deep oven dish.
5. Pour boiling water in the dish up to about ¾ of the outside of the ramekin/tumbler.
6. Place in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.
7. Serve with some wild rocket or salad of your choice and some crunchy grissini or Maltese galletti.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Ragù al Cioccolato Amaro - Pork Ragù with Dark Chocolate

Oh dear...what an explosion on your taste buds this pasta sauce is!! The secret of every ragù is to simmer it on a low heat for a long period of time, but this only takes an hour. I mean only because a proper ragù can take more than 3 hours. It is also very important that you use good quality dark bitter chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids (I used Lindt 90% Dark Chocolate) because if you use any sweet/milk chocolate, it will ruin the sauce. So if you feel adventurous, as I always am give this a go, You will need...

• 300g pork mince
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste/puree
• 15g dark chocolate [minimum 70% cocoa solids]
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 200ml good red wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 200ml boiling water
• Sea salt & ground black pepper
• Grated parmesan, to serve [optional]

How to...

1. Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft and transparent. Add the minced pork and cook for about 15 minutes.
2. Add the wine, bit by bit, evaporating it all in the process. When all the wine is used, water down the tomato paste in the boiling water and add it to the meat & onion mixture. Add the sugar, cinnamon, chocolate and season with salt & pepper. Give it a good stir and cover the pan and simmer on a very low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. If needed add some boiling water to the sauce.
3. When the ragù is done, turn off the heat and add the chocolate, sugar and cinnamon.
4. Serve the ragù on the pasta or, alternatively mix the ragù with the pasta. Sprinkle with grated parmesan.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Ramanda's Cooking

Ramanda's Cooking, a set on Flickr.

Chicken in a Sweet & Spicy Peanut Sauce

Satay chicken is a common favourite amongst oriental food lovers. This recipe is very similar to Satay. In our opinion it tastes better :) So if you are a fan of Satay, you would love this!! There may be lots of ingredients but this sauce is very easy and quick to prepare. We roast the chicken in the oven and then throw it in the pan with the sauce so the meat can suck up the sauce...yum yum...finger licking good!!! We serve this with Peshwari Naan [Indian Naan bread with coconut and sultanas], but you can serve it with boiled Basmati rice, mashed potatoes or even noodles. So here is what you will need...

• 4 large chicken legs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil or vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 5 tbsp runny honey
• 2 level tsp Dijon  or wholegrain mustard 
• 2 cardamom pods, crushed with a knife
• A dash of chilli sauce
• 1 tsp medium curry powder
• 200ml chicken stock
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 190°C.
2. Cut the chicken legs in half so as you have 4 drumsticks and 4 thigh pieces. Put in an oven dish, baste them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in the preheated oven and cook for about 45 minutes.
3. When the chicken is nearly ready, about 15 minutes from the end of cooking time, start preparing the sauce by melting the butter and frying the onion and garlic until soft and transparent. Add the honey, crushed cardamom pods, curry powder, mustard, chilli sauce and chicken stock. Stir well and cook until the mixture starts bubbling.
4. Now turn down the heat and add the peanut butter and stir well to incorporate the peanut butter into the mixture. 
5. The chicken pieces should be done by now. Take them out of the oven and carefully put them into the pan with the sauce. Cover and simmer on low heat for a couple of minutes, turning once. 
6. Turn off the heat and serve.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Classic Pancakes

Pancakes are surely everyone's favourite. They can be served and eaten with a myriad of ingredients from savoury to sweet. In Canada & the USA they like to take theirs with maple syrup & butter, whilst here in the UK the tradition is to have them with lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar. We always like ours sweet and amongst our favourite toppings are Nutella™, sliced bananas, chopped nuts, honey, maple syrup, marshmallow fluff, strawberry jam/conserve, chocolate flavoured syrup and loads of others. If you prefer them savoury you can fill them with chopped cooked ham or bacon, grated cheese and whatever your taste is. Very easy to do prepare and cook, the secret is to have a very very hot lightly greased pan. The consistency of the batter should not be runny but should not be stiff. For 4 small thick pancakes you will need...

• 1 cup/115g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch salt (optional)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup/240ml whole milk or water
• Butter or a little oil to grease the pan

How to...

1. Sift the flour, salt & baking powder...mix them up in a bowl with a fork.
2. Add the milk, beaten egg, and oil and beat well with a whisk by hand  until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Grease a non stick pan with a knob of butter or by adding a tiny bit of oil to the pan and spread across the pan with a piece of kitchen towel.
4. Heat up the pan on a medium heat until well hot, drain any excess oil.
5. Always on a medium heat, ladle the batter into the pan and leave to cook until the pancake starts producing bubbles on top. When the surface is bubbly and pancake looks set, flip the pancake and cook for a couple of seconds. Repeat until all batter is used.
6. Serve while still hot with the topping of your choice.

Enjoy!!
R&A

Penne alla Carrettiera

This unusual pasta dish is a typical Roman dish and literally means Cart Driver's pasta. It consists mainly of Porcini mushrooms, pancetta or bacon and tuna, It is very quick and easy to prepare. It was the first time that we prepared this dish and it turned out so good that we cannot wait to do it again :) It is definitely worth a try as the combination of the ingredients is ever so unique. You will need...

• 300g Penne or Spaghetti
• 100g pancetta or bacon, diced
• 1 large can tuna, drained
• 40g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes
• 1 clove garlic, unpeeled and crushed
• salt & pepper
• Grated Pecorino Romano

1. Put a pan of water for the pasta on the boil.
2. Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil and add the pancetta or bacon and cook until brown.
3. Add the crushed garlic clove, salt and pepper and add the porcini mushrooms. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the tuna and another 2 tbsp of olive oil and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the garlic close.
5. While cooking the sauce, cook the pasta until al dente.
6. When everything is done, toss the pasta in the pan with the sauce and toss gently.
7. Serve with drizzles of olive oil and grated Pecorino Romano.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Ramón's Smooshake

This is one of my favourite Smooshakes [I call it that because it is a cross between a milkshake and a smoothie] that I have been having as a kid. My mother used to do this for us after our return from school. I just love it...this will serve about 4 small glasses or a good pint sized mug, which is usually the case for me :) You will need...

• 1 banana, cut into 4 pieces
• Half a punnet of strawberries, cored and halved
• 5 fresh mint leaves
• 300ml whole milk, well chilled

How to..

Just blend all the ingredients in a blender, pour into the glasses and garnish with a couple of mint leaves.
Enjoy!!
R&A

Basic Bechamel - La Béchamel

Here is a recipe on how to make a basic Béchamel sauce. You can use this sauce in a large number of dishes such as lasagne, macaroni cheese etc. For best results you have to stir constantly and always make sure that you do not burn the roux [flour and butter mixture]. Here is what how to do it and what you will need...

Makes about 1 litre of sauce

• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 1 litre whole milk, at room temperature
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• Ground black pepper, to taste

How to...

1. Start by warming the milk with the nutmeg and pepper in a separate pan. Do not overheat and/or boil as the sauce will curdle. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter and add the flour on low heat. Stir constantly until you get a golden but not brown roux.
3. Now, start adding the milk to the roux gradually, make sure you keep stirring all the time so as not to get any lumps. Keep stirring until you use all the milk and until you get a thick silky sauce. 
4. Use in any recipe!

R&A

Asparagi alla Milanese - Asparagus Milan Style

This dish is so good that you will need some bread to make sure you swipe clean the plate. It is so easy and quick to prepare. Here in England it is asparagus season and currently you can find purple tip asparagus at very cheap prices. Purple tip asparagus have a slightly better taste than the green ones but any one of them will do. Enjoy this as a quick snack, breakfast, or as a starter to a main meal. So to prepare this dish for 2 people you will need...

• A bunch of asparagus
• 2 eggs
• Generous knob of butter
• Grated parmesan cheese

Method

1. Firstly, to remove the woody part of the asparagus, take one asparagus and bend it slowly until it snaps from the lower end. The small bit left is the woody part. Discard it. Now take a knife and cut the same part for the rest of the asparagus.
2. Put the asparagus in a pan of boiling water and boil for about 5 minutes.
3. While the asparagus are boiling, melt the butter in the pan and when all the butter is melted and bubbly, slowly crack the eggs. Be ever so careful not to break the egg yolk.
4. Fry the eggs until egg white is set but yolk is still runny and bright yellow.
5. Put the asparagus on a thick piece of kitchen paper, so as they absorb excess water. 
6. Put the asparagus on the plate, slide an egg on top and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
7. Drizzle the remaining butter from the pan around the asparagus and enjoy!!!!

R&A

Ramanda's Chorizo & Chicken Frittata

I love egg dishes....in fact this is our second second frittata on this blog. The Frittata Primavera was a hit with you guys, so here is another creation of ours. The secret of egg dishes is to cook them possibly covered and on a low heat. We used spicy dry cured Chorizo Casero and fresh chicken breast in this dish which turned out to be delicious. Give this a go...this what you will need...

• 6 eggs, beaten
• 200g dry cured chorizo sausage, casing removed and diced
• 1 chicken breast, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 green pepper. finely diced
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• Pinch of dried marjoram
• Fresh chives, snipped
• 4 cherry tomatoes, diced
• Olive oil

Method

1. Start by seasoning the chicken breast with olive oil and ground black pepper and grill under a medium grill until cooked. When cooked, dice into small pieces. Set aside.
2. Preheat a large empty non-stick 28cm frying pan, when hot enough, add the chorizo and green pepper and cover. Cook for about 5-10 minutes on a medium heat until the pepper is soft and the chorizo has a nice deep red colour.
3. Add the chives, marjoram, tomatoes and chicken breast, stir well and add the beaten eggs slowly so you can cover all of the pan.
4. Cook covered on a low heat for about 10 minutes. When done, slowly slice onto a plate and serve.
5. If the top of the frittata is still a little runny, pop under a hot grill for a couple of minutes.

Enjoy!!
R&A

Broccoli & Stilton Soup

This soup is the wife's favourite and to be honest broccoli were never one of my favourite vegetables but as I grow older it is definitely becoming one of my favourites. The better quality Stilton cheese the better soup you get but if you do not find Stilton you can use you Danish Blue cheese. Get the best broccoli you can get, greenest and freshest ones possible. It is quite easy to prepare. You can serve it with buttered crusty bread, grated Parmesan cheese or a dollop of cream. For 6 to 8 servings you will need...

• 1kg broccoli, flowers separated and stalks peeled and chopped
• 200g Stilton cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• Knob of butter
• 250ml whole milk
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 litres of water
• 2 vegetable Knorr stock pots or cubes
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Crusty bread, to serve

How to...

1. Melt the butter and fry the onion until soft and transparent.
2. Add the broccoli, water and stock cubes and cook on a medium heat until the broccoli are tender stirring occasionally. When broccoli are tender add the cheese and stir again
3. In a small separate pan put the milk and flour and slowly bring to the boil stirring all the time vigorously until you get a thickened sauce. When it boils remove from the heat and add the broccoli mixture. Give it a good stir.
4. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool down a bit.
5. Blend the soup with a hand-held blender or into a standing blender in batches and serve with some buttered crusty bread.

Enjoy!!
R&A

Couscous à la Tunisienne - Tunisian Style Couscous

Here goes another favourite recipe of mine. My mother got this recipe from a Tunisian family during one of her  visits to Tunisia...it bursts with flavours...succulent lamb, aromatic spices, tasty vegetables...so genuine...the best part of it...you must eat this dish with your right hand's first three fingers to get the Arabic feeling!!!! According to Arab culture, if you use less than three fingers to eat you are showing arrogant manners, whereas if you use both hands that is an indicative of an overpowering greed. This is one of the reasons that the vegetables in this dish are cut into big chunks so as they can be picked up. Anyway, you can eat this with a fork as well mind you! :) Me being a massive xenophile [in love with different cultures] I just feel like I have to eat it like that. Oh and you definitely need a massive pot...we use a thick-bottomed 6L pot. 

You can do this dish for a dinner party or when you have friends over and you want to impress.  In this recipe I use shoulder of lamb but if you cannot find any, you can use lamb shanks that can be found everywhere. If you do not fancy lamb you can use chicken or if vegetarian you can omit the meat. Harissa paste is a chilli paste coming from Tunisia, this can be found in most supermarkets [It is very hot so be careful of the amount you put in] Click on the name in the ingredients list to see which one is it. You will see in the ingredients list that there is a long list of ingredients but most of it is vegetables, so do not give up. So come on, do give it a go!! You will need...

• 1kg bone-in shoulder of lamb, trimmed of all fat
• 500g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into large pieces
• 1 large leek, cut into large pieces
• 2 green peppers. quartered
• 2 onions, quartered
• 3 gloves of garlic, crushed
• 5 small potatoes, cut in half
• 1 large marrow [like the one in the picture or 4 small ones], cut into large chunks
• 1 turnip, quartered
• 5 carrots, cut in half
• Olive oil
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• Salt & ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 500ml water
• 1 tin chick peas
• 250g couscous

How to...

1. In a large pan, fry the lamb in olive oil, add the garlic, salt and pepper, stirring all the time until golden. 
2. Add the onions, tomato paste and harissa and stir well. Add a little water at a time. 
3. Add all the other vegetable chunks and sprinkle the cumin. Add the remaining water and cook until the meat is tender about 1½ hours covered but make sure you stir the pot every once in a while.
4. Add the chick peas and give the pot yet another good stir.
5. Remove the meat from the pot and add the couscous and some extra olive oil. Remove the pot from the heat and cover tightly and leave for 5 minutes.
6. Mix the pot well and serve hot.

Enjoy!!
R&A

Ħelwa tat-Tork bil-pistaċċi - Sesame & Sugar Confectionery with Pistachios

Ħelwa tat-Tork or Halvah hails from the Middle East but many many years back it was imported to Malta and ended up as one of the national confectionery must haves in all the sweet shops around the island. I remember my grandparents having a slice of Ħelwa tat-Tork and a piece of plain Maltese bread. My grandma used to say that is it just balances the sweetness of it all. I must say that when I had it with bread it did taste wonderfully good...although I think it must be Maltese bread or other rustic hard crusted bread. It is very easy to make as it consists only in 2 major ingredients...sugar & tahini [sesame paste]. All you need to get it right is a kitchen thermometer and a thick based pan as the temperature has to be perfect. It is usually served plain but feel free to add any roasted nuts to it....although best ones to use are pistachios. Almonds and hazelnuts are fine as well. So give it a try and always be careful when handling boiling sugar syrup....it is very very HOT!! You will need...

• 200g granulated sugar
• 260g Tahini [Sesame paste]
• 12 tbsp water
• Pistachios [not salted], roasted, shelled and skins removed
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. In a thick bottomed saucepan put the sugar and the water over very slow heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir slowly until it boils. Do not stir while and after it boils.
2. Let it boil until the thermometer reaches a temperature of 140°C or 284°F.
3. Meanwhile in a heat proof container mix the tahini, pistachios [or any other nuts you might have used] and vanilla essence.
4. When the sugar mixture reaches the required temperature [140°C or 284°F], pour it onto the tahini mixture in a slow steady stream whilst mixing well.
5. When done just leave it cool until solidifies. When cool, you can store it in tins or cut it in slabs and wrap them in greaseproof paper.
6. After storing, some sesame oil may be found around the confection, this will not interfere with the taste. You can always pat it dry with some kitchen paper.
7. 
   
8. Enjoy!!! [with some Maltese bread maybe!!]
9. 
   
10. R&A
11. 
    

The Brunch

I came up with this idea...when we felt like something light but filling for our brunch...keeping in mind that it was about 10 o'clock and no sign of breakfast for us yet!!! So I prepared this quick brunch for us. I started by thinly slicing a couple zucchine lengthwise [you always slice them in rounds if you please] and sauté them in a little butter or olive oil. Scramble a couple of eggs, a couple of grilled multi-seed bread, buttered and sprinkled with grated Grana Padano cheese and a nice salad dressed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. You will definitely start the day by having in one plate your 5-a-day!! It may seem loads to do for a morning but believe me it is quick and easy. If it is still too much you also serve it as a light lunch :)....Give it a go....you will need [for 2 people]...

• 2 zucchine, thinly sliced lengthwise
• Pinch of dried mixed herbs
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 4-5 eggs
• Olive oil
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 4 slices bread [We used a multi-seeded bloomer]
• Grated Grana Padano cheese
• Half a bag of prepared salad [We used a beetroot and spinach leaf salad but any salad will do]
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar, for the dressing

Method

1. Start by sautéing the zucchine in a couple tbsp of olive oil in a pan*[see note at the bottom]. Add the mixed herbs and ground black pepper, cover. Sauté the zucchine until soft.
2. While the zucchine are cooking, butter the bread and sprinkle with the grated Grana Padano cheese. Set aside.
3. When the zucchine are done put them on the plate and add a little butter to the same pan and crack the eggs and scramble them until cooked. You can add salt & pepper as well.
4. Put the bread under the grill until cheese is bubbly and  golden.
5. Plate the salad,tomatoes, eggs, bread and zucchine.
6. Dress the salad with some Balsamic Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Enjoy!!

R&A

*[DO NOT PREHEAT THE OLIVE OIL AS IT HAS A LOW SMOKING POINT AND IT WILL EVAPORATE EASILY AND YOUR FOOD WILL BURN]

Moussaka - Μουσακάς (Greek Version)

Moussaka is a great recipe made in various ways. It hails from different areas of the Mediterranean area namely, Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans and the Middle East, hence the different versions. My favourite version is definitely the Greek one which consists of aubergines, minced lamb and a nice thick white sauce. The meat is spiced with ground allspice and cinnamon which gives the meat a very tasty flavour. The aubergine slices are fried but if you want to go for a lighter version, you can always grill them! The best lamb cut for this recipe is the shoulder of lamb but if you want to use already minced lamb you can. If you opt for the shoulder of lamb, get your butcher to mince it for you. So try and give this one a go, it is so tasty...you will need...

• 700g shoulder of lamb, minced
• 700g aubergine, sliced into 1cm slices
• 1 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 500ml Béchamel Sauce
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• Large pinch of ground nutmeg
• Grated Kefalotiri or Parmesan, to taste
• Olive oil, for frying

How to...

1. Put the sliced aubergines in a colander across each other and sprinkle with salt between the layers. Put the colander in a bowl or sink and leave covered with a plate for about 45 minutes to remove the bitter juices from the aubergines.
2. After the 45 minutes, wash the aubergines from the salt and pat them dry. 
3. Start to fry the aubergines in batches in the heated olive oil until golden, turning once, if necessary top up the oil between the batches, when all ready, set aside.
4. Drain the oil from the pan and leave just around 2 tbsp of oil. Heat again and fry the onion until browned.
5. Add the meat to the onion and fry until cooked.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
7. Add the tomatoes, allspice, cinnamon, parsley and pepper and cook covered for about 25 minutes.
8. When everything is done, start by alternately layering the tomato & meat mixture and aubergine slices in a deep oven dish.
9. When all the tomato/meat mixture & aubergines are all used up, add the yolk and nutmeg to the béchamel sauce and stir well.
10. Now, pour the béchamel sauce over the dish and top with the grated cheese.
11. Baked into the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the top is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Smoked Salmon & Prawn Paupiettes

This particular dish here has been a staple dish on my mother's Christmas menu for years. She does it as a starter before the turkey. It is very easy to prepare...the trickiest part is when you roll it! Calmly and slowly you will master it though :) We fill ours with fresh prawns and great Marie Rose sauce. So if you need a starter for your meal or as a main course served with a crispy salad give this a go. You can prepare it in advance and put it in the fridge and before you serve it try slicing it :) You will need...

• 1 200g packet Smoked Salmon
• 300g cooked prawns
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• pinch of sweet paprika
• A small glug of brandy
• few drops of Worcestershire sauce
• few drops of lemon juice
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Prepare the Marie-Rose sauce by mixing in a bowl all the ingredients except the prawns and salmon.
2. Put the prawns in the sauce and blend well. 
3. Put a slice of smoked salmon on a large piece of cling film and spread some of the prawn mixture onto it (do not overdo it).
4. Now slowly lift the cling film with the salmon and start rolling the roulade until you get it like the one in the picture.
5. Wrap the roulade tightly in cling film and put aside.
6. Repeat steps 3, 4 & 5 until you use all the prawns and salmon.
7. If you want to slice them (we leave ours whole), before serving put them in the freezer for about 2 hours and slice into rounds and leave to stand for about 30 minutes before serving.
8. Serve with a wedge of lemon and some salad!

Enjoy!!

R&A