Hungarian Strudels or ReTes TeSzta

The dough is folded several times, creating several layers, hence the name. Rétes is the "King" of pastries in Central Europe. Hungarian Rétes is similar to the Vienna Strudel, except it is a bit thinner. Rétes is a Hungarian peasant cake and is used to be a part of every celebration feast in the Hungarian lowlands. Today, it is prepared all over Hungary.

There is a definite family resemblance between Strudel Dough and the Greek Phyllo. The Hungarians first adopted the incredibly thin strudel dough from the Turkish pastry Baklava. This famous dessert is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. Also, Greeks use spinach as well to create their Spanakopita or spinach pie is a Greek savoury pastry in the burek family with a filling of chopped spinach, feta cheese. It is not rolled the same as the strudel - rather folded neatly into a triangular parcel, but the dough preparation is identical. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empireand much of central and southwest Asia. Phyllo of Filo actually means "leaf" in Greek, but according to the food historians, it is of Turkish origin. Countless Turkish dishes have been adopted into Hungaryfrom these people (after all - they did rule the land for 150 years.) The flakey, flavourful, layered sheets of tissue-thin pastry are simply delicious and can be used in countless savoury and sweet recipes alike. Thank you Turkey!

And, while the German and Austrian varieties tend to be a little heavier and sweeter, Hungarian Strudel is much lighter and flavourful without being overly sugary. An important note to make is that the traditional Austrian Strudel pastry is different from strudels served in other parts of the world and are often made from Puff Pastry.

"Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels"...taken from the Sound of Music is a very Austrian tradition. To many people, Apple Strudel is the most famous of all strudels as well as the most famous of all Austrian pastries; it has always been closely associated with Viennain particular. However, we must clarify an important point right from the start - it is generally accepted that the dessert did not originate in Austriaat all. So, the origins mystery of this fine pastry dough remains unsolved.

The warm, sugar-dusted strudel is often associated with cafés of central Europe. But even after close examination of each of those country's' strudel, not one is the same nor are the names consistent. In Hungaryit is known as Rétes. In Sloveniaas Strudel or Zavitek. Tthe Czechs and Slovaks call it Závin or štrúdl. In Romaniait is known as Strudel and finally, the Croatians use a similar name and call it štrudla or Savijača.

History differs on exactly how this Hungarian strudel arrived in Vienna, but the general theory is this: with the departure of the Ottoman invaders (the Ottoman Empire at its height included Vienna), the now unemployed Turkish and Hungarian cooks took their skills and specialties (and certainly strudel was among them) to the kitchens of the Viennese aristocrats in the new Austro-Hungarian empire.

Although the origins of strudel still seem to be fuzzy and many countries would want to lay claim on this delightfully light and versatile pastry, we cannot say with certainly that we have zeroed in on the origins. The key piece of information is that recipes for strudel differ from country to country. Now, a little research yields the following: the oldest recipe found dates back to the late 1600's, a handwritten one at that - and found in Viennaat the city library - The Wiener Stadtbibliothek. From this recipe, the pastry is believed to have its origins in the Byzantine Empireor Middle Eastern pastries. Some guess that the strudel entered Austrian kitchens via Bosniaand Croatiaand thus is derived from Börek. Börek (also called Burek and other variants) is a family of baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as yufka (or phyllo). It is often filled with assorted cheeses- feta, sirene or kaÅŸar. Others are filled with minced meat or vegetables. Now these are thought to have been invented in Central Asiaby nomadic Turks, it became a popular element of Ottoman cuisine. (Ref: Wikipedia)

We may never solve the mystery fully, but let's put the origins issues aside and let's focus on the actual pastry itself - the structure, the creation, the ingredients - shall we? The traditional Strudel pastry dough is very elastic. It is prepared from flour with a relatively high gluten content, egg, water and butter. The flour is often called by the same name - Strudel Flour (or hard flour). The dough is worked quite vigorously, then rested and finally rolled out and stretched by hand so thinly over a large table covered with a crisp white tea towel, that is resembles paper. I recall reading an anecdote quoting that "...it should be so thin that a newspaper can be read through it." Legend has it that the Austrian Emperor's perfectionist cook decreed that it should be possible to read a love letter through it. After the dough has been fully stretched, melted butter or fine oil is then brushed across the surface carefully as not to tear the oversized thin sheet. The final preparation is the filling, which can range from sweet fillings like; apples and cherries and walnuts and poppy seeds to farmer's cottage cheese plump with raisins to the savoury versions with combinations incorporating spinach, cabbage, pumpkin, sauerkraut and meat. The filling is evenly dotted across the top layer; the dough is then carefully rolled with the help of the tea towel, brushed with more melted butter and then finally baked in the oven to a golden light brown.

The papery thin strudel dough is complemented by a variety of typically Hungarian fillings:

The Hungarians fill the papery thin strudel dough with; tart green apples, tiny black poppy seeds, crunchy walnuts, bright red cherries, ride pudding, sweet noodles, cabbage or farmers cottage or curd cheese dotted with plump raisins and whatever cake or bread crumbs are on hand. The number of different strudel fillings now-a-days, is almost limitless and includes both sweet and savoury fare. The savoury varieties are especially popular among eastern Europeans and in fact were a staple food for the majority at one time in places such as Hungary, Turkeyand Greece.

Find Famous Filipino Food Recipes At Www.lutong Bahay.com

If you have long been searching for the most famous Filipino food or pagkaing Pinoy recipes online, you do not have to go farther than www.lutong bahay.com. This is different from lutong pinoy.com. When going to www.lutong bahay.com one can find hundreds of Filipino lutong bahay foods, featuring the Pilipino cuisines free recipes with pictures from the Philippines. This ranges from Pinoy breakfast recipes to viands or lutong ulam recipes to snacks or merienda recipes.

Filipino or Pinoy cooking is so diverse and produces a large variety of Filipino dishes that one can spend months trying out all of them. Philippine or Pilipino foods recipes are also always guaranteed to be mouth watering.

Homecooking in Filipino is called mga lutong bahay or lutuing bahay. Filipino cooking is referred to as mga lutong Pinoy or lutong Pilipino. These lutong bahay free recipes or lutong Pinoy free recipes from the Philippines represent the best healthy and easy Filipino foods recipes that can make up an extensive lutong Pinoy menu covering all regions including Ilocano, Pampanga, Tagalog and Visayan foods, dishes and recipes, among others.

One can find, for example, the famous Batangas bulalo recipe. Bulalo is, after all, the specialty of Batangas. Those with roots in Lucena can search for the pancit chami recipe. The pigar pigar recipe which is the specialty in Dagupan, Pangasinan is available, too. One can even find a saluyot recipe if one is craving for this slippery farm vegetable. Other vegetable recipes such as the simple ginisang togue can be found, as well as various types of sinigang like sinigang sa bayabas and sinigang sa miso.

Those who are avoiding beef, pork and chicken can focus on Filipino fish and seafood recipes such as the unusual seafood kare kare recipe, the popular sweet and sour lapu - lapu recipe, the Spanish sardines recipe, the rellenong pusit recipe, the ginataang tilapia recipe and the crab Maritess recipe. The ginataang tilapia recipe is best cooked in a palayok or earthen pot but even without this any other cooking pot can do.

For people on the go, the Mama Sita recipes are the most convenient recourse. Instead of doing everything from scratch, the ready mixes enable anyone to recreate well loved traditional Filipino recipes the easier way.

People who love to eat out in the Philippines will always have a craving for the favorite Jollibee spaghetti they grew up with, or even the special siopao sauce they had been used to. Fortunately, www.lutong bahay.com has free recipes which include the Jollibee style spaghetti recipe and the Philippine style siopao sauce recipe.

For snacks or dessert, there are favorite Filipino recipes for sweets such as the best ube chiffon cake recipe, the hopia recipe and the sylvanas recipe.

Aside from cooked food, Filipino food is also richly enhanced by the wide variety of fresh fruits available in the country. Mangoes and lanzones are among the most popular and most loved of these fruits. People can have their fill of lanzones especially during the Lanzones Festival 2010 celebrated in the third week of October in Camiguin Island. This is where the sweetest lanzones in the land can be found.

Grilled Veggie Hummus Wrap Recipe

Photo: Grilled Veggie Hummus Wrap Recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Grilled Veggie Hummus Wrap Recipe. Enjoy the Arabic Cuisine and  learn how to make Grilled Veggie Hummus Wrap.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield 2 servings

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise.
1 medium yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium green bell pepper
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil
1?2 cup shredded fresh spinach leaves
2 8-inch herbed or spinach flavored wraps
2 tbsp. Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus

Directions

Drizzle squash and peppers with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill, turning frequently until outer skins of peppers are charred and squash is almost cooked through. Remove from grill and allow to cool.

Spread each wrap with 2 heaping tbsp. of Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus. Sprinkle evenly with chopped spinach leaves.

Peel roasted peppers and remove stem and seeds. Slice into thin strips and set aside. Slice squash thinly on the diagonal.

Divide grilled vegetables in half and arrange over Sabra Hummus and spinach in center of wraps.

Roll one end in and tuck both sides while rolling. Squeeze as you roll to keep shape. Secure with toothpicks and slice in half on the diagonal.

More Arabic Food Recipes: 

Middle Eastern Platter
Harissa lamb & houmous flatbreads
Falafel & halloumi stacks
Spring green fattoush
Lamb couscous burgers with hummus and couscous tabouli
Spicy Hummus: Quick Chickpea Spread

Save and Share Grilled Veggie Hummus Wrap Recipe

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Krem od bundeve (Pumpkin cream)

Sastojci: 400g kuvane bundeve, 80g meda, 60ml mleka, 100g mlevenog keksa, 3 kasike slaga.


Priprema:
1. Bundevu, med i mleko dobro izmiksirati.
2. Dodati mleveni keks. izmesati.
3. Postepeno dodavati slag i mesati. Dobro izjednaciti masu.
4. Krem sipati u odgovarajuce case i po zelji ukrasiti.



Ingredients: 400g cooked pumpkin, 80g honey, 60ml milk, 100g plain ground biscuits, 3 tablespoons of whipped cream.


Preparation:
1. Put pumpkin, honey and milk in food processor and mix well..
2. Add ground biscuits. Stir.
3. Gradually add cream and mix well after each addtion..
4. Pour cream into the appropriate glasses and decorate if desired.

Kesten kocke (Chestnut cubes)

Sastojci: 1 kg mlevenog kestena, 250g margarina, 300g secera u prahu, 100g cokolade za kuvanje, malo ruma, za preliv - 100g cokolade, 1 kasika ulja.


Priprema:
1. Malo omeksati margarin, pa izmesati sa kestenom. Dodati secer i rum i dobro umesiti.
2. Razviti na dasci debljine 2-3 cm.
3. Za preliv - cokoladu otopiti i dodati kasiku ulja.
4. Vruce preliti preko kestena i nozem brzo rasiti po celom kolacu. Ostaviti da se stegne.
5. Pre sluzenja iseci na kocke.



Ingredients: 1 kg minced chestnuts, 250g maragarine (butter), 300g powdered sugar, 100g dark chocolate, a little rum, for topping - 100g dark chocolate, 1 tablespoon of oil.


Preparation:
1.  Soften butter first, then stir in the chestnut. Add sugar and rum and knead well.
2. On the board, develop chestnut, thickness of 2-3 cm.
3. For topping - melt chocolate and add the tablespoon of oil.
4. Pour hot topping over chestnut and quickly spread evenly with a knife. Allow to tighten.
5. Before serving cut into cubes.

Oblande sa alvom (Wafers with halva)


Sastojci: 500g alve, 250g secera, 1 casa vode, 200g samlevenih oraha, 10g vanilin secera, 1 pakovanje manjih oblandi.


Priprema:
1. Uspinovati secer kao za slatko, dodati alvu i kuvati da bude gusto. 
2. Skloniti sa sporeta i umesati orahe i vanilin secer.
3. Toplom masom filovati oblande. Prekriti najlon kesom i poredjati knjige.
4. Ostaviti da se stegne i seci zeljene oblike.



Ingredients: 500g halva, 250g sugar, 1 cup water, 200g ground walnuts, 10g vanilla sugar, 1 package of small wafers.


Preparation:
1. Cook sugar and water (about 5 minutes), add halva and cook until thickened.
2. Remove from stove and stir in walnuts and vanilla sugar.
3. Fill wafers with warm fill (spread evenly). Cover with plastic bag and arrange the books.
4. Allow to tighten and cut the desired shapes.

Pork and pear forcemeat stuffing (gluten free)

I made this stuffing as a variation on the traditional pork and apple as I was out of apples and none of us could face the thought of the supermarket on Christmas eve! I'll have to wait and comment on the success or otherwise after tomorrow.

900g pork mince (you can use sausage meat if you like - I bought a cheap joint and minced it)
4 slices gluten free bread
2 pears, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tsps mixed dried herbs (I used sage, thyme and basil)
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

Mince the meat if not already done (my cheap plastic hand mincer works fine for this). Mix with other ingredients and put into a buttered oven dish or roll into balls. Cook in the oven for 10-30 minutes, until cooked through.

Edit. This was a tasty, light and sweet stuffing. It was popular with every one, although I thought it needed a little extra something to give it some zing. Will experiment with it as no one will mind seeing it again!

Christmas ham

I'm making a glazed ham as part of a buffet on boxing day. This recipe does use quite a lot of sugar but the amount in each serving is small and it's very tasty. I'll also be making smoked salmon crust-less quiches, dips with crudites, king prawns with garlic mayonaise, a big salad, a trifle, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.

A ham large enough for all your guests
About 10 cloves
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar

Boil the ham for 25 minutes per pound, plus 20 minutes in a large pan of water. You can do this in advance to save time. When the ham is cooled, push the cloves into it, spread around all over it. Score any fat on the top. Mix the honey, sugar and mustard together. Put the ham into a roasting pan lined with foil (this is important - believe me!), and spread the honey mustard glaze over the top and sides. Roast the ham for about half an hour (keep an eye towards to end to make sure it doesn't burn). When cooled you can slice and enjoy.

Moroccan Lamb and Vegetable Pastries Recipes

Photo: Moroccan Lamb and Vegetable Pastries Recipes

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Moroccan Lamb and Vegetable Pastries Recipe. Enjoy the Arabic Cuisine and  learn how to make Moroccan Lamb and Vegetable Pastries.  

Yield: 12

Ingredients

For the Pastries

1 lamb leg steak (170 g/6 oz), trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips
45 millilitres (3 tablespoons) olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and finely julienned
1 onion, finely chopped
115 grams (1/4 lb) button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) ground cumin
1 millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) ground coriander
1 millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) ground allspice
500 millilitres (2 cups) chopped cabbage
45 millilitres (3 tablespoons) lemon juice
60 millilitres (1/4 cup) chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 egg, separated
45 millilitres (3 tablespoons) water or milk
2 pieces (200 g / 1/2 lb each) puff pastry dough

For the Yogurt Sauce

250 millilitres (1 cup) plain yogurt , 10% fat
45 millilitres (3 tablespoons) lemon juice
1 millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) ground cumin
1 millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) ground coriander
Salt and pepper

Directions

For the Pastries

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the lamb in half the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In the same skillet over medium heat, soften the vegetables and spices in the remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cabbage, lemon juice, parsley and reserved meat. Adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or chill in the freezer for about 45 minutes.
With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the egg wash: In a bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk with the water or milk. Set aside.
On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 20 x 30-cm (8 x 12-inch) rectangle. Cut each piece into 6 squares, 10 cm (4 inches) per side.
For each puff, lightly brush half a dough square with egg white. Spoon 45 ml (3 tablespoons) of filling onto the centre. Fold up 2 opposite sides of the pastry, forming a purse. Pinch the ends firmly to seal but leave an opening in the middle. Spoon 15 ml (1 tablespoon) filling into the opening to finish filling the purse. Arrange the pastries on the baking sheet and brush with egg wash.
Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

For the Yogurt Sauce

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with the hot pastries.
Note: For a vegetarian version of this recipe, omit the lamb.

Courtesy of Ricardo Larrivée - Ricardo and Friends
ِfoodnetwork.ca

More Arabic Food Recipes:

Lamb and olives pies (fatayer)
Puff pastry with sausage
Sambosa
Feteer Meshaltet "Arabic Pie"
Phyllo with minced beef
Baked Borek

Save and share Moroccan Lamb and Vegetable Pastries recipe

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The Sweeter Side of Austrian Cuisine

Austria's cuisine comes from the Austro-Hungarian cuisine and it has Italian, Bavarian, Hungarian, and Czech influences. Austrian pastries are famous and it is true that the people there love desserts. Vannilekipferl is a Christmas dessert and these are little, crescent-shaped cookies which are made with ground hazelnuts or almonds. These little snacks are flavored, often with vanilla, and they have powdered sugar on top. They come from Vienna.

Tortes and chocolates are also popular in this cuisine and the Sachertorte is especially renowned. Sachertorte consists of chocolate sponge with apricot jam in the middle. The frosting is made of dark chocolate and there are also chocolate flakes decorating the sides and top. This tasty treat is often served with unsweetened whipped cream. Another famous Austrian cake is the Zwetschkenfleck, which is a plum and cinnamon-topped, upside down cake. Marzipan is used a lot in Austria's dessert recipes and this ingredient is made with almond meal and sugar.

Hot chocolate with whipped cream is a beloved comfort food. So, what about American dessert recipes? Perhaps jello recipes are not so common in the country as they are in the United States and sometimes it is nice to take the time to make an authentic Austrian dessert. At other times, when you are more in a hurry, jello recipes can save you time and effort and they are sure to taste good. As for American apple pie, Austria's capital, Vienna, has apple strudel, which is similar.

This typical Viennese dessert is a rectangular pastry containing apples, raisins, cinnamon, breadcrumbs, and sugar. Sometimes a tot of rum is added to it. Walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds are optional ingredients. It is important to make apple strudel pastry very thin.

Recipe for Zwetschkenfleck

There are three kinds of Austrian plum cakes, which are cookie-type cakes, cake-type cakes and yeasty ones. The following recipe makes a cake-type recipe and you will need to have a mixer to make it. The eggs must be beaten until they are fluffy and light, else the batter will not have the right consistency.

You can either do this by beating the eggs and sugar together for about ten minutes, by separating the whites and yolks and beating the whites, then adding the yolks alternating with the sugar, or by beating the whites until they are stiff and then beating the yolks with sugar, before combining the whole lot.

What you will need:

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 lb pitted plums, cut in quarters or halves
  • 1/2 lb all purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 oz melted butter
  • 3 1/2 oz water
  • Powdered sugar, as needed

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cream the sugar with the eggs using your electric mixer. Slowly add the oil, then spoon in the flour gradually, alternating with the water. When the mixture is smooth, spread it into a parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan or a rimmed baking sheet. Leave a one inch border around the outside.

Cover the dough with the plums, skin side down and bake the cake for half an hour or until the fruit is soft, and the dough is golden brown. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the zwetschkenfleck and cut it into squares. Serve it with unsweetened whipped cream.

Beef stroga-not with matchsticks

I read a recipe for beef stroganoff this morning and really fancied making it for tea. Unfortunately I was lacking some of the ingredients but I improvised and came up with something very tasty!

1 large potato
Beef dripping for deep frying
150g mushrooms
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp paprika (hot or mild)
800g minced beef
1 cup stock (anything but fish - I had chicken)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup soured cream/creme fraiche/Greek yogurt
1 tbsp butter

Cut the potato into matchsticks (this link is useful for this). Put them into a bowl of cold water and set them aside. Then finely chop the onion and fry that and the paprika in the butter over a low heat. When the onion is translucent, add the garlic and sliced mushrooms and fry gently for another 5 minutes. Switch off the heat and set aside.
Rinse and drain the potato matchsticks then dry them using a clean tea towel. Heat the beef dripping (or whatever fat you are most comfortable deep frying in) in a very deep pan until a cube of bread turns golden and floats quickly. Add the matchsticks in small batches and fry until golden brown and crispy. Put them on a plate lined with kitchen paper and keep them warm in the oven until you're ready to serve.
Take the onion and mushroom mixture out of the frying pan and set aside. Season the mince and form into meatballs. Heat some cooking oil in the pan and brown the meatballs, in batches if necessary. Pour off the excess oil in the pan if your meat was fatty and then de-glase it with the stock. Put the meatballs back in and cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the meatballs are done. Remove the lid and put the meatballs in a dish in the oven to keep warm. Reduce the stock until thick at the bottom of the pan. Add the onion and mushroom mix and turn off the heat. When it has come off the boil add the lemon juice and add the soured cream slowly, mixing into the sauce. Taste to check for seasoning.
Pour the sauce over the meatballs and serve topped with the potato matchsticks.

We all really liked this although I would have preferred the sauce a little sharper. You could also add a dash of brandy to the stock while making the sauce. Another thought I had was to do mixed root vegetable matchsticks instead of just potato. I can see this recipe being made a fair few more times and tinkered with! But as it is it's very tasty.

Paleo friendly breaded chicken

Today's lunch is baked 'breaded' chicken from Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso. I can highly recommend this book - we've enjoyed every recipe we've tried so far and the exercise tips are great - the whole family has used them.

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
1 tbsp garlic powder
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 eggs *

Mix the flours, garlic powder and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, let the excess drip off, then press into the flour mixture. Turn over and press in again, making sure that it's well covered. If I have any mixture left over I tend to press it onto the tops of the chicken before baking as it's so tasty! Put the chicken pieces onto a greased baking tray and cook in the oven at 180 oC for 35 - 40 minutes (until the chicken is cooked through and juices are clear).

* to make this recipe egg free you can use melted butter instead. It tastes amazing and sticks just as well but isn't strictly paleo.

Custard

Homemade custard is nice and easy and very tasty. You can make it without the flour but it's slightly tricker and you need to cook it over a double boiler. I tend to make this cheaters version!

10 fl oz cream
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp splenda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cornflour or arrowroot

Put the yolks, cornflour and sweetener in a bowl and mix. Heat the cream and vanilla to near boiling. Pour a little of the hot cream into the yolk mixture and stir quickly in. Keep adding the cream a little at a time until it's all combined. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and gently heat until thickened.

Gluten free banana bread

This recipe is slightly adapted from the paleo banana bread recipe here. We had it for a Solstice breakfast with hot custard. It was easy to make and really tasty! Mine isn't so paleo as I used sweetener instead of honey and butter, but still lovely and much healthier than standard grain based cake. My eldest son made this more or less by himself - it's quite a kid friendly recipe.

3 ripe bananas (riper the better)
4 eggs
2 tsp vanillla extract
60g butter or coconut oil (1/4 cup)
1 tbsp splenda
2 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Line a loaf tin (I love those nifty premade loaf cases that are like cupcake liners) and preheat oven to 160oC. Slice the banana and put into a food processor. Crack in the eggs and add the butter/oil and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth. Add the sweetener, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Briefly blend to mix. Pour batter into tin and bake for 50 - 60 minutes - until a skewer comes out clean.

I think next time I'll add some dark chocolate chips just to make this extra indulgent! But it was sweet, moist and very tasty.

Spicy Stuffed Chicken

We had these for dinner last night. They were delicious but not perfectly shaped - you need to wrap them extremely tightly and use plenty of clingfilm. I served them with salad and raitha.
Makes 5.

6 chicken breasts or boneless thighs- skin on.
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 small onion
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp passata
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp coconut flour or dessicated coconut
salt and pepper
coconut oil or ghee for frying

Remove the skin from one of the pieces of chicken and cook (either fry, microwave, steam - whatever's easiest). Chop the onion and fry until translucent in the oil. Add the spices and fry for a minute. Then add garlic, ginger, passata, lime juice and chicken and cook for another minute. Add the coconut. Set aside to cool a little. Put the mixture into a food processor and pulse into a rough paste.
Put the chicken pieces one at a time between two pieces of clingfilm and hit with a pan or rolling pin until about 4mm thick. Divide the mixture between them, putting it in a line along the middle of the meat side. Using a large piece of cling film, roll each chicken piece into a sausage, skin side out, wrapping tightly in cling film and twisting the ends to form a sealed package. Put the wrapped sausages into the fridge to cool for at least two hours. Heat a pan of water to the boil and add the sausages. Simmer them for 20 minutes. Take out of the water. Carefully unwrap then packages and put the rolls into a pan with a little coconut oil to crisp up the skin. Serve sliced thickly.

Edit - you can also use 5 chicken pieces and left over cooked chicken or turkey. I did this with a small amount of left over turkey after all the curries and soups for some variety!

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

2cups boiled Rice
1/3rd cup Lemon Rice
6Tbsp Oil
1/2tsp Black Mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
3-4 green chilies
Salt to taste
1/4th tsp. turmeric powder
1/4th cup peanuts

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, allow to splutter.
  2. Add turmeric powder and peanuts, fry till brown.
  3. Now add green chilies, curry leaves, salt and fry for 2 minutes.
  4. Take it off from the flame and add lemon juice and mix well.
  5. Now add this to the boiled rice and mix well. Lemon rice is ready to be served.

Baked Eggs Recipe

Photo: Baked Eggs Recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Baked Eggs Recipe. Enjoy the Arabic Cuisine and  learn how to make Baked Eggs. 

Yield 4 Servings
Special equipment: 4 (6 oz.) ramekins

Ingredients

¾ cup Sabra Classic Hummus
4 extra large eggs
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 medium tomatoes (diced)
4 olives (diced)
1 teaspoon parsley (finely chopped for garnish)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven at 400.

Oil each of the four ramekins with olive oil.

Spread hummus into the ramekins making an indentation in the middle of each.

Arrange ramekins on a shallow baking dish.

Crack an egg into the center being careful not to break the yolk.

Sprinkle with diced tomatoes and olives.

Place in the oven for 15-18 minutes. (According to desired consistency of the yolk.)

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy warm!

Chef's Note This can also be cooked in an ovenproof skillet all in one.

sabra.com

More Arabic Food Recipes:

Pickled Cucumber
Lamb and olives pies (fatayer)
Puff pastry with sausage
Sambosa
Feteer Meshaltet "Arabic Pie"
Phyllo with minced beef

Save and Share Baked Eggs Recipe

Want to share this recipe with your family and friends? Click the button below to send them an email or save this to your favorite social network.

Potato wedges

Ingredients
Dip:
½ tsp paprika
3 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
1 tsp tomato purée
½ lime, juiced
2 spring onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
3cm piece cucumber, deseeded and finely chopped
Black pepper

3 medium baking potatoes (about 600g total), scrubbed
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp mixed dried herbs

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Cut each potato into 8 wedges. Drop into a pan of boiling water and cook for 8 minutes. Drain. Leave in the pan in a warm place.

Meanwhile, combine all the remaining ingredients (not those for the dip) in a bowl. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, coat each of them in the spicy paste. Place on a baking sheet, skin side down.

Bake the potatoes for 25 minutes or until brown and crisp. Meanwhile, make the dip by mixing together all the ingredients. Serve the wedges hot with the dip.

Creamy chicken crepes (Gluten free)

This was today's lunch made with left over roast chicken and went down a treat. It's very rich and filling with a nice salad. It served two adults and two kids who were all really hungry!

6 eggs
1 + 1/3 Cups cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
30g butter + a little more for frying
1-2 cloves of garlic (I used two but then I adore garlic!)
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley to serve

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add 1 cup of the cream. Simmer very gently for about 5 minutes to reduce it and make it thick. Add the Parmesan, crushed garlic cloves, and season with salt and pepper. Stir over a low flame until the cheese is combined. Add the chicken and set aside for a few minutes (you might want to heat the chicken separately until it's hot through if it isn't freshly cooked).
Beat the eggs with the remaining 1/3 C of cream and season the mixture. Heat a little butter in a frying pan and when hot, pour in a small amount of egg mix - just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Swirl it around to cover the pan evenly and leave until set on top. Then up-end the pan over a plate and let the pancake drop out (flipping them tends not to go too well...). Continue until mixture is used up. Then divide the chicken sauce between the pancakes, sprinkle with chopped parsley and roll up.

Almonds Basbosa Recipe - How to Make Almonds Basbosa

Photo: Almonds Basbosa Recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Almonds Basbosa  Recipe. Enjoy the Arabic Cuisine and  learn how to make Almonds Basbosa.

Ingredients

For Sugar Syrup 
2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves

For Basbosa 
3 cup fine semolina flour
1½ cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoon ghee or melted butter
1½ cup yogurt
½ cup coconut (optional)
1 tablespoon tahini past (sesame seed past)
½ cup almond slivers(optional)   

Method

For Sugar Syrup
- Place sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat till boiling.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (you can add vanilla or rose water optional).
- Leave it in the oven for 10 minutes or until it is ready, make sure to use it warm.

For Basbosa
- Mix together semolina flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Add the melted butter, rub with finger tips till crumbly.
- Add the yogurt and mix it well until you get soft dough.
- You can add coconut to the dough.
- Coat a baking pan with tahini.
- Spread dough evenly on the prepared pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven to 175˚C for 15 minutes.
- Arrange almonds over the soft dough while pressing on the surface.
- Place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.
- Pour syrup over the hot Basbosa.
- Return to the oven for 5 minutes, let cool at room temperature.
- Serve with whipped cream.

More Dessert Recipes:

Butter Cookies (Ghorayeba)
Citrus Ginger Cake with Spiced Orange Compote
Chocolate Coconut Meringues
Biscuit baubles
Make Your Own Gingerbread House for Christmas
Abby's cookies in a jar

Save and share Almonds Basbosa  recipe

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Pickled Cucumber Recipe - How to Make Pickled Cucumber

Photo: Pickled Cucumber Recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Pickled Cucumber Recipe. Enjoy the Arabic Cuisine and  learn how to make Pickled Cucumber.

Ingredients

1 kg small size cucumber
¼ cup salt
3 cups water
1½ cup vinegar
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cloves grains
10 black pepper seeds
2 TBSP crushed garlic

Method

- Wash cucumber, put in sterile jar.
- Dissolve salt in water.
- Put water, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper in a pan on medium heat till
- boil. Leave to cool and saturate all the herbs flavor.
- Add garlic to cucumber. Pour the water mixture till the cucumber is fully covered.
- Keep the cucumber jar for two days until infuse all flavors.
- Remove froth if appears.

* keep cucumber in the fridge after use.
* For large sized cucumber, cover with salt for one day in the jar, until absorb the most of water.

More Arabic Food Recipes:

Lamb and olives pies (fatayer)
Puff pastry with sausage
Sambosa
Feteer Meshaltet "Arabic Pie"
Phyllo with minced beef
Baked Borek

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Almond flour waffles

The blogger who posted this recipe for waffles has earned a place forever in the hearts of my children who are all in favour of sweet things. And also breakfast. These, topped with a pat of butter and some crisp bacon are the current best thing that can happen to them before 9am apparently!

1 1/2 cups almond flour (I get mine here)
2 tbsp xylitol
2 tbsp vanilla flavoured whey powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs
6 oz Greek yogurt
3 tbsp melted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup milk

Grease a waffle iron and heat up. I found this works best with my iron set to about a third of the possible heat but they're all different! Separate two of the eggs and beat the whites to stiff peaks. Mix the almond flour, xylitol, whey powder, baking powder and soda, xanthan gum and salt in a bowl. Beat the egg yolks, remaining eggs. yogurt, milk and butter/oil together. Mix into the dry ingredients and then gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Spread onto your waffle iron roughly two spoonfuls at a time (doesn't spread out like thinner wheat batters I've used) and cook for 3-4 minutes. Makes about 10 in my waffle maker.

Gluten-free trifle

I made this for a big family buffet yesterday and it was very popular. The texture of the sponge fingers was fine in the jelly and they taste rather good out of it too!

1 pack of sugar-free jelly (or you could make your own with fruit and gelatin which would be even better!)
250 ml whipping cream (or double cream)
3 egg yolks
250 ml double cream
1 tsp corn flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp splenda (or other sweetener)
5 egg whites
1/2 cup vanilla flavoured whey protein powder
1 tsp cream of tarter
1 banana and any other fruit you like
2 tbsp chopped mixed nuts
1 tbsp grated dark chocolate

I got the recipe for the sponge fingers from this tiramisu recipe which is next on my list of things to make! Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks (tip the bowl and if they don't start to fall out then you're good) then fold in the cream of tarter and whey powder. My whey powder needed sieving before hand. It is also quite sweet but you might want to add a little sweetener here. Pour the mixture into a greased 9 inch pan and then bake at 160 oC for about 25 - 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Make up your jelly according to instructions and then leave to cool for a while, until luke warm but not yet setting.

Slice the sponge fingers into strips about 2cm wide and arrange in your trifle dish. Pour over the jelly mixture. One problem I had with these fingers over cake was that they float so you might want to weigh them down with something while the jelly sets. You can also add other fruit like raspberries or strawberries to the jelly (but not kiwi, pineapple or papaya or it won't set). Put the dish in the fridge to set.

In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, corn flour, vanilla extract and sweetener. Heat 250 ml of double cream in a saucepan until almost simmering then pour a little into the mixture in the bowl. Whisk it smooth then add a little more of the hot cream. Repeat until it's all combined then pour back into the saucepan and heat very gently until it starts to thicken. Take off the heat and keep stirring for a few minutes to keep it lump free. Set aside to cool.

Whip the cream with a pinch of sweetener if you like. Then assemble the trifle. I put a layer of sliced banana, then the custard, then whipped cream and top it all with the nuts and grated chocolate. If there are any kids in the kitchen then hundreds and thousands tend to happen too...

What Are Baked Cookies?

Baked cookies as the name implies are baked to perfection so that they remain crisp yet soft. Cookies have been a favorite with most people of all ages and these cookies can easily be even made at home. They are extremely delicious and can be made from an assortment of ingredients and in different flavors. There are different types of cookies and some of the most popular variations include chocolate chip cookies, black and white cookies, rainbow cookie, fortune cookie, Tim Tam, shortbread, peanut butter cookies etc.

List the Baked Cookies
Cookies in India consist of baked cookies and contain two types where one lot of cookies is the universal favorites while the second lot of cookies is the ones that are a local variation. The local cookies are of different kinds and some of the most popular ones include Khari, Khakra and Toast. They are practically made at most local bakers and have been enjoyed for years down the line. All these cookies are made with different types of ingredients and are baked and not fried thereby ensuring they have low calories. There are many manufacturer of cookies in India who are involved in creating a range of specialty cookies that are ideal to keep as snacks at home or even gifted it on special occasions. Some of the most popular baked cookies besides the local variation consist of the following:

Sweet Hearts: These delicious specialty cookies with a hint of sugar are baked perfectly to offer a delicious treat. It is made from an assortment of ingredients including wheat flour, sugar, margarine, shredded coconut, vanilla and sugar.

Coconut Almond Cookies: These baked cookies contain the flavors of coconut and are topped with an almond. It can be made from a host of different ingredients and flavors.

Cashew Cookies: These cookies are filled with the richness of cashew nuts and a topping of chocolate glaze. Some of the flavors available include cocoa, walnuts, peanuts, almonds and cinnamon.

Coco Jelly: These are sumptuous little crispy cookies that are extremely popular and well loved.

How baked cookies is useful as health conscious
Baked cookies are any day better than other type of cookies or even snacks because they are extremely healthy and are low on cholesterol and fat. Specialty cookies are ideal for any occasion or even as a tea-time snack or between meal snacks because they ensure you dont stay hungry at the same time they are completely healthy. There is no cholesterol and everyone can enjoy these delicious cookies without having to worry about putting on weight. Since these crispy cookies dont contain any sugar hence it makes it ideal for people suffering from diabetes or those who dont exactly have a sweet tooth. These baked cookies are completely vegetarian and are low in saturated fats and doesnt contain any no trans fat. These are just some of the reasons on why these crunchy cookies absolutely delicious yet very healthy.

Moroccan spiced lamb with almond couscous recipe

Photo: Moroccan spiced lamb with almond couscous recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Moroccan spiced lamb with almond couscous Recipe. Enjoy the Moroccan Cuisine and  learn how to make Moroccan spiced lamb with almond couscous.

Preparation Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 18 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 (250g each) lamb backstraps
1 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and paprika
1 1/2 cups (300g) couscous
70g flaked almonds, toasted
1/2 cup firmly packed flat-leaf parsley
4 fresh dates, pitted, cut into strips
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Method

Combine 2 tsp oil and garlic in a bowl. Brush mixture over lamb. Season to taste with salt and pepper then scatter with combined ground spices. Heat a char-grill pan over medium heat. Cook lamb for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking. Transfer lamb to a plate. Cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place couscous in a heatproof bowl. Add remaining oil and 1 tsp salt. Pour over 300ml boiling water. Stir to combine. Cover and stand for 10 minutes. Combine almonds, parsley, dates and lemon rind in a bowl then add Â1/2 mixture to couscous, together with lemon juice. Season to taste with pepper. Using a fork, stir to combine.

Divide couscous among shallow bowls. Slice lamb diagonally and place over couscous. Top with remaining almond mixture. Serve.

Notes
Cook's tips: You could replace the lamb with 500g chicken fillets or 4 small fish fillets.

Source
Notebook: - November 2005, Page 129
Recipe by Sophia Young

More Arabic Food Recipes:

Moroccan chicken with almond & spinach couscous
Moroccan Meatballs
Lamb tagine with chickpeas
Winter vegetable tagine
Moroccan Skirt Steak with Roasted Pepper Couscous
Baked Moroccan chicken and rice

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Moroccan chicken with almond & spinach couscous recipe

Photo: Moroccan chicken with almond & spinach couscous recipe

The Arabic Food Recipes kitchen (The Home of Delicious Arabic Food Recipes) invites you to try Moroccan chicken with almond & spinach couscous Recipe. Enjoy the Moroccan Cuisine and  learn how to make Moroccan chicken with almond & spinach couscous.  This flavoursome dish is truly satisfying.

Preparation Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 corn-fed single chicken breast fillets
Olive oil spray
3 tbs Spencers Moroccan Seasoning
1 tbs olive oil
1 small red capsicum, deseeded, finely chopped
40g (1/4 cup) slivered almonds
45g (1/4 cup) sultanas
375ml (1 1/2 cups) chicken stock
290g (1 1/2 cups) couscous
60g baby spinach leaves

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray both sides of chicken with olive oil spray and sprinkle with Spencers Moroccan Seasoning. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer to a baking tray. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the capsicum and almonds, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the sultanas and stock and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add the couscous. Use a fork to combine. Cover and set aside for 3 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Use a fork to separate the grains. Fold through spinach until just wilted.

Spoon the couscous among serving plates. Top with sliced chicken to serve.

Source
Good Taste - September 2006, Page 117

More Arabic Food Recipes:

Moroccan Meatballs
Lamb tagine with chickpeas
Winter vegetable tagine
Moroccan Skirt Steak with Roasted Pepper Couscous
Baked Moroccan chicken and rice
Moroccan mince pilaf

Save and share Moroccan chicken with almond & spinach couscous recipe recipe 

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Patatim





Patatim’s main ingredients are similar to Adobo except that some includes Banana blossoms. To be honest, I don’t know the difference between having it and not having it. Since that ingredient is rare to find, I cooked it without it. Others use Pork Braised Legs and some are hind legs. For this particular moment, I used hind legs.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup of vinegar

2 Pork bouillon cubes

2 pcs small pork hind legs, cut into 1 1/2 inch thick

1 tbsp cornstarch

Fish sauce
5 pcs bay leaves
1 tsp ground pepper (you can also use peppercorn)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 whole garlic, minced
1 whole onion, minced

Cooking procedure:

1. Boil the pork hind legs, when almost tender set aside.
2. In a casserole, sauté minced garlic and onions with the oil.
3. Add fish sauce, then pork leg and the rest of the ingredients.
4. Bring to a boil and slowly simmer for half an hour or until tender.

Voila! Simple way to cook patatim.

Christmas Frosty Pudding Recipe

Christmas Frosty Pudding

  • Serves 6
  • Intermediate
  • 45+
  • 10 Rating(s)
Christmas Frosty Pudding

Ingredients

  • 300 ml (2-Jan pint) milk
  • 15 g (2-Jan oz) cornflour
  • 25 g (1 oz) plain flour
  • 25 g (1 oz) caster sugar
  • 1 medium egg
  • 25 g (1 oz) butter
  • 150 ml (4-Jan pint) double cream
  • 50 g (2 oz) raisins
  • 50 g (2 oz) currants
  • 50 g (2 oz) glacé cherries, fineley chopped
  • 25 g (1 oz) blanched almonds, finely chopped
  • 2-Jan tsp Schwartz Cinnamon Ground
  • Angelica and glace cherries for decoration
Christmas Frosty Pudding

Method

STEP 1

Heat the milk gently. Place the cornflour, plain flour, sugar and egg into a bowl and blend them thoroughly. Pour the warmed milk into the bowl, stirring well. Return the mixture to the pan and cook it over a low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and just begins to boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Beat the custard until smooth. Cut the butter in small pieces and add it to the custard, stirring until it is completely melted and blended in. Leave the custard in the refrigerator until it is completely cold.

STEP 2

Whip the cream lightly. Stir into the cold custard with the raisins and currants. Add the cherries, almonds and Cinnamon. Spoon it into a 900ml (1½ pint) pudding basin or mould.

STEP 3

Place the basin in the freezer for about 2 hours when it will be lightly frozen, firm and ready to serve, possibly as an alternative to the traditional Christmas pudding. Decorate with angelica and more glacé cherries. If it is not required immediately, the pudding can be left in the freezer
 
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