Arayes - Chef Marwa (Jordan)

Arayes - Chef Marwa (Jordan)

Ingredients :
- ½ kg minced lamb meat
- ½ kg tomatoes ( finely shopped )
- Pita bread
- 1 medium onion
- 2 gloves of garlic
- ½ of green pepper
- Pinch of salt
- Spices ( you can use shawarma spices ).


Preparation :
-  Mix the onion, garlic and the green pepper with the food mixer
- Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and the spices and mix well
- Open the pita bread in half and spread the meat mixture in the middle ( ½ cm thick).
- Grill the sandwiches until its cooked .

P.S. you can use chicken instead of the meat.

Bon appétit

Fatet Shawarma - Chef Marwa (Jordan)

Fatet Shawarma- Chef Marwa (Jordan)

Ingredients

- ½ kg chicken or meet shawarma cooked in a pan with a little bit of sauce.
- ½ kg cooked white rice.
- Pita bread (chopped into small squares and toasted).
- For the white sauce, mix well
• 6 boxes of yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons tahini sauce
• juice of one lemon
• pinch of salt

Preparation :
In a plat put in layers
- toasted bread
- then cover it with the shawarma sauce.
-  rice .
- the last layer is the shawasma meat or chicken .

As a garnishing sprinkle some toasted pines or almonds with some shopped parsley.

Bon appétit

Chicken and meet shawarma - Chef Marwa (Jordan)

Shawarma

Chicken and meet shawarma 

Ingredients :
- (one boneless chicken) or ( ½ kg beef or lamb meet), cut into thin strips .
- 2 tablespoons of shawerma spices.
- 1 chopped onion.
- 2 chopped garlic gloves .
- Zest and juice one lemon.
- Zest and juice one orange.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- 2 tablespoons vinegar.
- 1tablespoon (tomato past for chicken) or (tahini for meat).
- 1 box of yoghurt (yaourt nature Brassé-Roer).

Preparation :
- Mix very well all ingredients together and leave it to marinate at least 2 hours.
- Fry or grill the meet or the chicken until it become golden.
- Serve it with shawarma sauce.

 Bon appétit

Shawarma Sauce - Chef Marwa (Jordan)

Shawarma Sauce - Chef Marwa (Jordan)

For Chicken
Mix 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise + 1teaspoon of dry garlic + 1 box of yoghurt.


For Meat
Mix  2 tablespoons of tahini + 1teaspoon of lemon juice+ 1 box of yoghurt.

Shawarma spices - Chef Marwa (Jordan)

Shawarma spices - Chef Marwa (Jordan)

Ingredients :
- 1 tablespoon grounded cardamom
- 1 tablespoon grounded cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried coriander
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric (curcuma)
- 1 teaspoon grounded ginger
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon grounded cloves
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon grounded cinnamon

Mix all the spices very well in a container and keep
them in a dry place.

Tarte Tatin (France) - Chef Marina (Ireland)

Tarte Tatin (France) - Chef Marina (Ireland)

Ingredients

10 apples

200g of sugar

80g of butter

Pie crust (already done or homemade)

fry pan (that can go into oven)

 

Preparation

Preheat the oven (180C).

Peel the apples and cu them in quarters.

 In a fry pan (that can go into oven) put the sugar and let it melt. Don't mix until it starts to melt. when the sugar is all melted add the butter and mix until get a homogeneous mix. 

Put the quarters of apple on the sugar mix. Cover with pie crust pastry (from the supermarket or homemade )









Cook on oven (180C) until get gold color.

Let it cool for some minutes and turn it to a plate.

Can be served with whipping cream and-or ice cream.



Bom apetite!!

 

Marina's Mexican Lasagna (Ireland)

Marina's Mexican Lasagna (Ireland)

Ingredients 

500g ground meat

2 peppers different colors (sliced)

1 onion (finely cubed)

1 garlic clove (finely chopped)

3 soft tortillas 

1 tsp of cumin 

1 tsp of oregon

1 tbsp of  paprika

1 can of red beans

1 can of chick peas 

250g tomato sauce 

1 full cup of shredded cheese (your choice) to cover the top of lasagna 

thick cream 

The beans and chick peas can be substituted by mushrooms.

 

Preparation 

Preheat the oven (180C) Slice the peppers.  Chop the onion and garlic. Mix the shredded cheese with the cream.

Fry the meat (do not add anything). Then keep it aside. 

Fry, in the same pan, the sliced peppers with the onion and garlic. Season them with 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of Oregon, 1 tbsp of  paprika. Let it cook for around 10 minutes. Add the meat, the tomato sauce and mix well. Mix also the beans and the chick peas.

Cover the bottom of the oven tray with meat then cover the meat with tortilla sheets. Repeat the layers one more time.

Finish with tortilla and cover it with a mix of shredded cheese and thick cream.  At the end cover with crunched tortilla chips. 

Cook on oven (preheated 180C) for 25 minutes.

Parsnips Soup - Chef Marina (Ireland)

Parsnips Soup - Chef Marina (Ireland)

 Ingredients
1 Chicken stock
2 tbsp of olive oil
salt
pepper
1 onion
6 parsnips
2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp of cream

Procedure
Chopped the onion and the parsnips in slices. Put them in a pan together with the chicken stock, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and salt. Cover with water and let it cook until soft. Turn it in puree with the mixer and add 2 tbsp of cream and water if needed.
When served add some pepper.

Bom apetite!!

Bolo de Chocolate Facil e delicioso - Easy Delicious Chocolate Cake (Ana Sereno - Portugal)

 Bolo de Chocolate - Facil e Delicioso (Ana Sereno - Portugal)

Ingredientes

150 de chocolate em barra (mas na maior parte das vezes ponho a barra inteira, 200gr - tal como hoje!)

150 manteiga

125 farinha

200 gr açúcar

5 ovos

1 colher chá de fermento

Derrete-se a manteiga com o chocolate em banho  maria e em seguida mistura-se o açúcar. Depois juntam-se os ovos inteiros, um a um, e por fim a farinha e o fermento.

Vai ao forno 180 graus, em forma (sem buraco ao meio, senão seca), untada e polvilhada com farinha. Deve ficar ligeiramente mal cozido (vou vendo com um palito, não sei o tempo, sorry ...).

Para bolos de anos fica óptimo, é o que me pedem sempre ;)
                                                                                                              Ana Sereno

Easy and Delicious Chocolate Cake (Ana Sereno - Portugal)

Ingredients
150 chocolate bar (in most cases I use the whole bar, 200gr )
150 butter
125 flour
200 gr sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon yeast

 
Melt the butter and the chocolate in bain-marie and then mix the sugar. After add the eggs, one by one, and finally the flour and the yeast.
Bake in the oven 180 degrees, (pan without hole in the middle to not dry), greased and dusted with flour. It should be slightly undercooked (I check with a toothpick, I don't know the time, sorry ...)

Is the perfect cake for birthday parties, is always requested for kids :)

 

Pineapple, banana and spinach smoothie

Pineapple, banana and spinach  smoothie (Vera Portugal)

Ingredients
Hand full of fresh spinach
1 or 2 bananas
1 or 2 slices of pineapple

On a blender mix all ingredients.

It's one of my favorites. Thank you my friend Vera!
The flavor of the spinach flavor is annulled by mixing banana.

ALMOND CAKE- Chef Nieves (Spain)

ALMOND CAKE- Chef Nieves (Spain)

Ingredients:

100 gr melted butter
200 gr of sugar
200 gr of mixed almonds
4 eggs


Mix everything and put it in an oven mold for 25 minutes at 200°C

FISH PUDDING- Chef Nieves (Spain)

FISH PUDDING- Chef Nieves (Spain)

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
Salt
Garlic
1 Onion
Tomato from can
2 potatos
Whiting fish (around 300gr)
3 Eggs
1 can of Tuna fish
Peas (around 100gr)
Shrimps (around 300 gr)
3 Pimiento del piquillo
Smoke salmon (4 tranches)
Mayonaise


Bake the onion, garlic and tomato in the olive oil. Apart cook the potato and the white fish. In a bowl add the cook fish and potato, the fried onion, garlic and tomato, also the tuna, peas, pimiento del piquillo and some of the gambas, you also add three beaten eggs and salt, mix it well.

In a round buttered oven plate place the salmon covering the bottom part, then add the mix. Put it in the oven ‘au bain marie’ until is done. Once is done let it cool down and turn it in a plate. Decorate it covering with mayonnaise and shrimps on top.

EMPANADA- Chef Nieves (Spain)

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Salt
2 x Pie crust pastry (Pate brisée)
1 can of tuna in olive oil
1 hard boiled egg
1 onion
3 ‘pimientos del piquillo ‘
Green olives
Fried tomato

Preheat the oven to 200 C


Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onion and peppers. Let it cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato and salt. Stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the tuna and hard boiled egg. Remove from heat and set aside.
Lay one sheet of the pastry over a flat round oven plate and fill it with the tuna mixture. Close it with the other sheet of the pastry. Brush the top with beaten egg. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 Minutes until pastry is golden brown.

PAELLA- Chef Nieves (Spain)

PAELLA- Chef Nieves (Spain)

Ingredients

1 Red pepper
4 garlic gloves
Chicken
Squid
1 Tomato (cut in small pieces)
Mussels
Green beams (optional)
Prawns
Rice (one cup per person)
Saffron
Water (double of water than rice)






Fry the red pepper and the garlic in olive oil, take it apart in a plate.
In the same oil bake the chicken and put it apart in a plate.
In the same oil, bake the squid. Add the chicken to the squid as well as the green beans and the tomato. Stir for few minutes.
Add the water, the saffron and let it boil. Add the rice and let it cook for 20 minutes.
In between ( 5 minutes after you add the rice) add the mussels, prawns and the red pepper
Let it cool down for 5 minutes covered with a wet cloth.

TORTILLA DE PATATA (SPANISH OMELET)- Chef Nieves (Spain)

TORTILLA DE PATATA (SPANISH OMELET)- Chef Nieves (Spain)


Ingredients


4 Potatos
1 small onion
4 eggs
Salt
4 tbs of olive oil





Peel de potatoes and cut them in pieces.
Fry them in a pan with some olive oil. After 5 minutes add the onion, previously sliced. Let it fry until the potato gets soft.
Beat the eggs and add the potato with the onions (not the oil). Add salt.

In a pan, add the potatoes with the eggs, let it cook and turn it around to cook the other side.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS - Chef Denise (USA)

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS - Chef Denise (USA)

Step 1 : Base
6 chicken breasts,in large pieces
3 qts. water ( about 3 liters )
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, halved
1 stalk of celery
2 bay leaves
garlic powder or 4 garlic cloves
salt & pepper
2 sprigs of fresh parsley


Step 2: Thickener 2 chicken bouillon cubes
2-4tbs corn starch plus 1/4 to 1/2 c warm water


Step 3: Dumplings 2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup ( or more ) very cold water



In a large pot, add all Step 1 ingredients. Over med-hi heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE- Chef Denise (USA)

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE- Chef Denise (USA)

Ingredients

1 can ( 10.75 oz ) Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup ( sold at Monoprix or Little Britain )*
* can substitut bechamel sauce
1/2 c milk
1 tsp Worcestershire or Soy sauce
2 cans green beans ( about 4 c )
French-fried onions ( sold at Grand Frais ), to taste
( about 2 c )



Mix first 4 ingredients in a 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish, plus 1 cup ( plus ) of crushed up French fried onions. Sprinkle remaining onions over the top. Bake at 175 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

HOPPIN’ JOHN ( Healthy Version )- Chef Denise (USA)

HOPPIN’ JOHN ( Healthy Version )- Chef Denise (USA)

This is a traditional New Year’s Day soup that you eat in the South for good luck for the New Year.


Ingredients
2 jars black-eyed peas,rinsed & drained (800 g)*
*( Simply/Auchun has them in international section )
1 pack turkey sausage ( or sausage of your choice )
2-4 carrots, sliced
4 cloves garlic , finely chopped
water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 can chopped green chilies, 127 g*
*(OR 1 piment vert,finely chopped )
1 tsp dried marjoram
fresh spinach, cut up
rice of choice



In a large pot, mix all ingredients except rice and spinach.
On med-hi heat, bring to a boil; let simmer 15 minutes.
Add spinach and cook about 15 more minutes.
Serve over rice.

Cinnamon-Apple Cake (suggested by Rosa - Portugal USA)

Cinnamon-Apple Cake (suggested by Rosa - Portugal USA)

Broccoli Salad - Chef Nieves (Spain)

Broccoli Salad - Chef Nieves (Spain)

Ingredients

Broccoli

Strawberries

blueberries

little onion

pine nut (fried on a pan with a (very) little bit of oil)

raisins and/or canberries

olive oil 

vinegar balsamic (I used) or framboise vinegar (recipe) 

salt

one little spoon of honey

Rice and Meat with Pine (Maya)

Rice and Meat with Pine (Maya)

Ingredients
250 g minced meat
Half cup of pines seeds
Medium onion chopped in small pieces
Salt and pepper
Half cup of sugar
Rice

Fry the pines seeds  with vegetable oil and butter, when golden, put it apart.
Use the same oil to fry onions and meat.
Add salt and pepper
Burn sugar then add boiled water and bouillon of meat. Cook the rice in this mix. When cooked add the fried pines seeds.
Bon appetit!!

Roasted turkey leg (Chef Ela- Poland)

Roasted turkey leg (Chef Ela- Poland)

 Ingredients:

1 big turkey leg

Marinade
1 stock cube (vegetarian) -crumble
1 tbsp  oil
2 tbsp  soya sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
2 cloves  garlic (chopped)
1 tbsp marjoram
1 tea spoon  thyme

Marinade has to be very salty. If you decide you can add some more salt. 

Keep meet in this marinade for min. 24 hours, better 48.

Place the leg into a baking bag.

Bake for the first 20 min in temperature 220C, than reduce temp. to 170C and bake for about 2h.

Cheese with Walnuts and Jam - Irish Recipe (Ireland)

 Cheese with Walnuts and Jam - Irish Recipe (Ireland)

Apple Pie - Chef Marina (Ireland)

Apple Pie - Chef Marina (Ireland)

 

Tarte aux Noix (Walnuts tart) - Chef Françoise (France)

Tarte aux Noix (Walnuts tart) - Chef Françoise (France)

Ingredients:
1pie crust pastry (pate brisee (fr) or massa quebrada(pt)) Homemade pie crust pastry
200g walnuts
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
200ml cream (creme fraiche)

Preperation:
Preheat the oven - 200C
Finely ground the walnuts in a food processor.
Mix the eggs with sugar. Add the cream and then the walnuts. Mix again.
Cover the tart tin with the pate brise and fill it with the walnut's cream.
Put it in the oven for around 25 minutes.

Homemade pie crust pastry - Chef Françoise (France)

Homemade pie crust pastry - Chef Françoise (France)

Ingredients:
250g flour
125g butter
1 egg yolk
50ml water
25g sugar

Procedure:
In a bowl mix together the flour and the butter cubed in small pieces.
Add the sugar, the egg yolk and the water. Mix until you get a ball that holds together.
Wrap it in cling wrap.
Keep the dough refrigerated for 1 hour.

Cream soup with smoked salmon - Chef Ela (Poland)

Cream soup with smoked salmon - Chef Ela (Poland)

Ingredients: 

2 big leeks (sliced) 

2 carrots (sliced) 

5 potatoes (cubed) 

Celery root, the size of a small potato  

2 liters of vegetable stock 

Creamy cheese 

Smoked salmon 

Dill, salt, pepper 

1 spoon butter 

Heat the butter in a large pan and add the carrots , potatoes and leeks. Cook for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften. 

 Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Season well and simmer until the vegetables are tender. 

 Whiz with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth. Reheat in a clean pan, stir in the cheese heat through, decorate with salmon, dill and serve. 

Cherry Cup Dessert - Chef Ela (Poland)

Cherry Cup Dessert - Chef Ela (Poland)

Ingredients:
1 package of mascarpone cheese
3 vanilla yogurts 
Icing sugar (up to taste)
10 chocolate cookies (crispy)

2 bananas
1 tea spoon of butter 
2 table spoons of brown sugar 

Fruit topping:
1 jar pitted cherries: 1 cup cherry juice from the jar and fruits as much as you like.

2 table spoons of Kirsch (optional)
1 table spoon of sugar
1 heaped tea spoon of maizena

Procedure:
Make a cream with mascarpone cheese, yogurt and icing sugar.
Caramelize sugar in a pan, add butter and place on it sliced banana. Mix gently; not to squash the fruit.    

Save ¼ cold cherry juice and mix with maizena.
Boil in a pan the rest of the cherry liquid, sugar, fruits and alcohol (Kirsch ). Once boiling, add the maizena's mixture , keep boiling for 2 minutes.
Cool down.

Before serving put in the glass following layers: cream, crumble cookies, cream, banana and finally fruit topping.

Bom Apetite!

                                                 

Irresistible Lasagna (Anita)

Irresistible Lasagna (Anita)

Ingredients
Precooked lasagna pasta sheets

600g Ground beef
oil to fry onion, garlic and beef
1 small onion
1 clove garlic

3 tbsp of tomato sauce
Paprika (as you wish)
Oregano  (as you wish)
cumin (one pinch)
Salt
Half of a beef stock "knorr"

4 tbsp of olive oil
Around 2 cups of béchamel sauce  or white sauce
6 slices of Ham
slices of cheese to cover 2 or 3 layers
Shredded cheese to cover the top

Procedure
On a fry pan fry the onion and garlic (finely chopped) with some oil. When gold add the ground beef, salt, cumin, paprika, and half beef stock. Let it fry until beef is cooked.
Add the 3 tbsp of tomato sauce and let it fry for 5 minutes. Cover with water (3 fingers above the meat) and let it cooked for some minutes. Keep it aside.

On a oven tray, put around 4 tbsp of olive oil and a bit of béchamel sauce  or white sauce. Cover the bottom of the tray with lasagna pasta sheets, then a thin layer of meat, meat sauce, ham and cheese. Repeat one or two more times in the same order. At the end cover the top with béchamel sauce  or white sauce and at last with shredded cheese.

Put the lasagna (covered with aluminum paper - shiny part turned down to food) on oven (200C - 220C) and let it cook for 25 minutes. Take the aluminum paper and let the cheese get toasted.

Bom Apetite!!




 

Salmon in a shrimp sauce - (Chef Ela- Poland)

 Salmon in a shrimp sauce  - (Chef Ela- Poland)







Marinate salmon for 2 hour in:
3 table spoons vegetable oil,
1 table spoon lime juice, 
1 tea spoon honey,
garlic,
2 cm grated ginger,
lime zest,
small chili,
salt






Place the fish in casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven, about 18 min. temp.180ºC .



Shrimp sauce:
20 peeled shrimp
1 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup white wine (optional)
½ tea spoon wasabi
Pinch of sugar
1 shallot finely chopped
1 table spoon butter
1/3 cup cream (30%)
3 stalk lemongrass.

Heat butter in a deep frying pan, add shallot finely chopped and cook for about 2 min.

 

Add shrimps, wasabi and the lemongrass. To get the flavor from the grass, you have to smash the stalks with the back of a knife.





After 1 min. pour in the broth and wine. Cook about 5 min.
Next, pour in the cream and bring it to a simmer. Cook until cream begins to get thicker.
Serve the sauce with the salmon and mash potatoes. 


Bom Apetite!

 

 

Couscous Salad (Chef Ela- Poland)

Couscous Salad (Chef Ela- Poland)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup couscous
1 table spoon vegetable oil
1 cup vegetable broth

 

sauce:

mix

3 table spoons mayonnaise
2 table spoons yogurt
fresh parsley, salt, pepper : to taste

 

1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 big pickles
1 can corn

 

2 big chicken breasts (marinated 3 hours or the day before)

Marinate: 

1 tea spoon harrisa sauce, 

1 tea spoon honey,

2 tea spoons  Worchester sauce, 

2 table spoons coca cola,

1 table spoon lime juice,

1 table spoon ketchup,

1 tea spoon Tabasco (optional),

1 sliced  onion,

2 chopped cloves of  garlic,

1 tea spoon mild pepper,

1 table spoon chopped parsley,

3 table spoon vegetable oil.

 

Preparation:

Marinate the chicken breast 3 hours or the day before.

Prepare the sauce - mix 3 table spoons mayonnaise, 2 table spoons yogurt, fresh parsley, salt, pepper : to taste.

Pre heat the oven (180ºC)

 

 

Put all the marinated ingredients in a bowl and mix them. After drop the marinate on top of the chicken breast. Cover the recipient very well and place it into the refrigerator: minimum 3 hours, better if overnight.  

 

Procedure:

Heat the pan, when is hot place the chicken on it and fry for about 2 minutes per side.  To finish cooking, place the breasts on casserole dish, cover with wet baking paper, put into the oven for about 20min.

Prepare couscous with vegetable broth and oil.

 

 

 

 

 

After cold, sliced the chicken breast and then cut in small cubes. keep them aside.

Cut 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, and 3 big pickles in cubes.
Add 1 can corn.

Put together the vegetables, the couscous, and the chicken.

At the end, add the sauce (3 table spoons mayonnaise
2 table spoons yogurt, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper - quantities depend on your taste) and mix well.

It is ready to serve! Bom apetite!

 

 

 

 

Rice -cabbage meat balls - Chef Ela (Poland)

Rice -cabbage meat balls - Chef Ela (Poland)

                          

Ingredients: 

600 g minced beef 

2 cups of rice, cooked in 2.5 cups salty water 

2 onions 

¾ chopped (grate) cabbage  

Salt, pepper, mild and hot red pepper (optional), tomato sauce, herbs (oregano, basil) 

Fry chopped onions in 2 tablespoon butter till gold. 

Chop cabbage, put into boiling water for 3 min. Drain well. 

In the big bowl mix together meat, rice, onion, cabbage and spices for taste. Form the meat mixture into balls. Place meatballs into the casserole.   

Mix about 600ml “puree de tomates” with salt, pepper and some herbs to taste. You can add also a bit of water. 

Pour this sauce over the meat. 

Bake in the preheated oven (200 ºC) about 45 min