Mouloukhieh

Put 1 chicken (I like best the organic free range type) in a pot, fill with water to cover the chicken,and add the ingredients below to make the broth:

1 onion with two cloves in it
A couple cloves garlic
Juice of half a lemon
2 Maggi cubes (bouillon cubes) or whatever you use to make a chicken broth

Spices:

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• a few peppercorns
• a few sweet peppercorns
• Allspice
• 7-spices
• Ground coriander

If you don't have all those spices, don't worry about it. the idea is to make a good aromatic chicken broth. Use the "middle-Eastern spices" you have.

Boil until the chicken is cooked.

When the chicken is done, pass the broth through a sieve and "debone" the chicken, then set all the chicken pieces aside.

Frozen mouloukhieh leaves may be found in middle-eastern groceries. Put two packages of frozen mouloukhieh leaves in the sieved broth and bring to a gentle boil. Don't let it boil too much.

Take a big bunch of cleaned fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), and finely chop it together with 7 or 8 cloves garlic. Gently fry the mixture in some olive oil (or neutral sunflower seed or grapeseed oil). It smells heavenly :-) After a few minutes, pour the whole thing in the mouloukhieh broth. Add the chicken pieces to the pot, then adjust the taste with salt and lemon if needed.

Lentil patties (vospov kofte)

2 cups red lentils
4 cups water
1½ cups fine bulgur
1 tsp salt
1 onion, finely chopped
Olive oil, for frying the onions.

Another onion and a small bunch of parsley for serving.
Or some thinly chopped spring onions.


Pick the lentils for any small stones and rinse thoroughly.
Boil them in water until very soft. About 30-40 min (or 10 min in a pressure cooker). The mixture should be thick.
Turn off the heat, add the bulgur, salt, stir and allow to stand.
You can add a teaspoon of ground cumin and one of paprika to the mixture if you like.

Cook the onion in oil until soft.
Add to the cooled lentils and bulgur.
Knead to mix the ingredients well together when they have cooled down.

Shape into oblong patties with your hands (it helps to dip your hands in cold water every once in a while) and arrange on a plate.

Finely chop the other onion with the parsley and serve with the patties to dip in to eat.

These patties go very well with a salad of finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, onions, parsley and mint, condimented with a tablespoon of sumac, the juice of one lemon and a a couple of tablespoons of water. And salt and pepper.

Tea and caffeine

Want to drink more tea but want to avoid the extra caffeine?

Caffeine is more readily soluble in water than the phytonutrients in the tea are. So steep the tea leaves for 30 seconds, discard that water then steep the tea again as you normally would. This shouldn't affect the flavor or the antioxidant quality the tea.

(Read in Dr. Andrew Weil's Healthy Aging)

Nutritional Information

I just found this great tool to find out the nutritional information of any recipe you make. It's called the Recipe Calculator from the SparkPeople.

After you type in each ingredient, its amount, and how many servings your recipe makes, you get a rundown of the amount of calories in the dish, the fat types and contents, the cholesterol, sodium, potassium, carbohydrate and protein contents, as well as the percentage of daily values of several vitamins based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thank you SparkPeople!

Zucchini egg cakes

My Mom usually makes a version of these with the pulp after she has hollowed out zucchini to make dolma.  This version uses a raw grated squash.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized green squash
6 eggs
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2-3 spring onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, shredded or mashed
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablspoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients together.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Add a tablespoon of the mixture at a time.
Turn when golden on the one side and fry on the other.

These also taste good cold.

Bon apetit!

Salmon steaks, potatoes, asparagus and salad

I was looking for a recipe with Salmon steaks, but got distracted and ended up having to improvise. It turned out quite well, so I'm sharing the recipes with you (whoever is reading, thank you :-) )

Start with the potatoes, as they take longest. But all in all it will be a quickly prepared dinner.

Peel and cut up some baking potatoes.
Boil until half done. Drain. Place in an oven dish.
Add olive oil, salt (Maldon salt is quite good here), black pepper and paprika and mix well.
Scratch the potatoes with a fork.
Place in the oven (220 degrees C or high) and let them get golden.

Make a green salad to your taste. Hold the dressing until ready to eat.

Prepare some asparagus by breaking off the tough edges, rinsing the tops and placing them in a pan, barely covered with water, until they are ready to be boiled.

For the salmon steaks, make a marinade with:
1 tsp mayonnaise
½ to 3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
Juice of half (or a whole) lemon
A good splash of Soy sauce (about 2-3 Tbs)
A heaped tablespoon of sesame seeds

Whisk it all together.
Pour over 4 salmon steaks (with skin) and let them sit for a little while. I only had 10 minutes to spare, and that worked out fine.

When the potatoes are kind of done (you can eventually just turn off the oven and leave them in there. This is not an exact science :-)), boil the asparagus for a very few minutes (about 3-4).

Heat a frying pan, coat it with a tiny bit of olive oil, take up the salmon from the marinade and fry, skin side first. Check for doneness by checking the colour inside the flesh side. Do no overcook. When the steaks are done, pour the rest of the marinade in the pan, it will rapidly come to the boil. Remove to a serving dish.

Dress the salad with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper (or anyhow you like). Serve everything.

Bon Apétit!

Bar-b-q time

The weather is finally warmer and sunnier again here in Denmark, so a very pleasant time to grill.

Remember that in addition to meat, all kinds of vegetables or bread brushed with interesting toppings can be also grilled.

Here I used one little batch of this mixture on wedges of pita bread, and another batch of the same mixture to marinate some pork chops in. I also used some organic ground beef, mixed with finely chopped onions and parsley, plus salt and pepper (called kafta in the middle east).

Make a salad of herbs, for example parsley, cilantro, mint, and red onion. Add tomatoes and cucumbers and avocado if you like. Toss with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice and some salt and pepper.

Bon appetit!

Klourig Soup

Klourig, in my grandmother's language, means "little rounds" or "little balls". This is a very satisfying and quite quick soup (if like me, you get you husband to form the meatballs :-) ). They should be the size of marbles.
Here's how it's done:

Ingredients for the meatballs:
500 g ground beef
1 cup fine bulgur
Spices, about ½ to 3/4 teaspoon  each: sweet pepper, 7 spices, cumin, coriander, allspice
A pinch each of cinnammon, nutmeg and cardamon
Salt and pepper
(Note that you can mix and match the spices as you like).

Soak the bulgur in water for 5 to 10 minutes.
Press the water out of the bulgur with your hands, and add it to the meat. Add the spices.
Mix the whole thing really well.
Form into small balls the size of marbles.

Ingredients for the soup part:
1½ liters bouillon
1 large onion
1 small can tomato paste (approx 2 tablespoons)
1 head of garlic, peeled and crushed in a mortar with some salt.
The juice of 1 lemon.
A small handful dried crushed mint.

For the soup part, finely slice one big onion (or 2 small) and let them become translucent in some olive oil in a pot. Pour 1 ½ liters of bouillon on the onions, dilute one can small tomato paste in it and bring to a boil.

Add the meat balls. They will cook quite quickly (a few minutes).

Add the crushed garlic and lemon juice.
Sprinkle with dried crushed mint.

Serve and enjoy!

Fish filets with potatoes and spinach

This came to me as last minute inspiration. I had frozen red snapper filets, frozen spinach and soy cream and we had to eat :-)

- 3 to 4 big potatoes
- 5 to 6 cups frozen spinach (or even better, equivalent in fresh)
- 1 big onion
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- Enough broth to cover potatoes while cooking
- Breadcrumbs
- Fish filets (enough for 4)
- 0,25 liters soy cream (this can probably be left out. Then just use more broth and a little bit more flour for thickening).
- ½ tablespoon flour dilutes in ½ cup water for thickening
- Salt
- Pepper
- Nutmeg

Peel and slice potatoes thinly.
Cook them in the broth until tender.
You can add pepper and nutmeg in the broth already here.
Take them up with a slotted spoon and spread in an oven dish.
Cover with a thin layer of breadcrumbs.
Peel the onion, cut it in half and slice.
Peel the garlic and slice them
Add the onion and garlic to the broth the potato has cooked in.
Take them up after one minute and spread on the potatoes
Defrost the spinach, press the water out of it and spread on top of the potatoes and onions.
Place the fish filets on top of the vegetables in the oven dish.
Add some cream to the broth if desired,thicken with the flour solution salt to taste if needed and pour on top of the fish.
Cover with another thin layer of breadcrums and cook in the over on high - medium high until the fish is done.

Serve with brown rice.

Canellini bread spread

1 can canellini beans, drained
1 small onion, finely chopped
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Sauté the onions in a little olive oil. Add the beans. Keep sautéing until warmed through. Sprinkle with some parsley and a splash of lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a potato masher or with a fork.

Enjoy on top of a grilled slice of whole wheat bread.

Lentil Soup - 2 versions

This is how my mom makes mergimekli chorba (lentil soup)

1 cup red lentils,cleaned from small stones and impurties (but maybe your lentils don't need this step) and well rinsed.
1 potato, grossly diced
1 carrot, grossly diced
1 zucchini, grossly diced
1 large onion, chopped
some garlic (4-5 cloves)
Bouillon (I guess about 8 cups)
Cumin
salt and black pepper

Boil everything together until lentils and vegtables are very soft.
Blend (easiest with a hand blender) and serve, sprinkled with ground cumin.
As an extra treat, you can fry some flat pita pieces in oil until golden, and serve with the soup (sprinkle it on each bowl just before eating).

There is also this version, which is maybe more Lebanese, but also very good. It is Lentil soup with Siliq (swiss chard)
Here you use brown lentils.

1 cup brown lentils, picked and rinsed
2 big handfuls siliq rinsed and coaresly chopped
Bouillon
1 large onion
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 handful fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
Juice of ½ or whole lemon
salt
pepper

Bring the lentils to a boil
Add the swiss chard
Fry the onion in some olive oil until wilted. Add to the soup.
Gently fry the garlic nd coriander (heavenly smell). Add to the soup.
When the lentils are done, add lemon juive, cumin, salt and pepper to taste.

Bon apetit!

Lebanese green beans (Loubieh bi zeit)

This is a delicious way of cooking green beans which my friend Zaza taught me.

I usually use flat beans for this recipe, but I'm sure it will also work with "haricots verts".

- Clean and string the green beans if necessary (about 700 g)
- Clean 4 big ripe tomatoes. Peel them if you have the patience :-) and cut them in large boats
- Peel 10 to 12 garlic cloves. Keep them whole.
- Fry the garlic cloves in a little olive oil just to the point when they will start to brown (but don't let them brown).
- Add the green beans and fry them for about 5 min.
- Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, cover and simmer on low heat until the beans are done.

Very simple and very delicious.

Green bean salad

It's been ages since I posted, so here's a quick recipe which I'd already typed up.

This salad is very easy, quick and delicious. And if you always keep green haricots verts in your freezer, you can always serve an easy healthy accompaniment with you meal.

Green beans (fresh or frozen)

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Toasted sesame oil

Soy sauce

Lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Boil the beans until just crunchy (don’t let them go totally limp).

Drain. Season with above ingredients.

Rice pilav

This is rice like my mother taught me.

For 4 persons

1½ cup basmati rice
2 to 3 Tbsp oil
1/4 thin vermicelli
Black pepper
2½ cups chicken broth

- Soak the rice in boiled water (anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on how much time you have).
- After soaking, rinse the rice in plenty of fresh water (until the water runs almost clear) then let it drip in a colander.
- While the rice is dripping, heat the oil in a pan on medium and add the vermicelli (if it looks like a nest when you buy it, just crush it in your hand). Keep stirring until the vermicelli turns light brown. Watch it closely, as it takes only a second for it to turn from done to burnt.
- Add the rice to the pan, and stir to coat all the rice with oil.
- Add plenty of freshly ground pepper.
- Keep stirring for a few minutes until the rice becomes almost transluscent.
- Add the boiling water (be careful, it will splatter).
- Lower the heat to very low, cover the pan tightly and let it be.
- It is done when all the water has been absorbed by the rice (10 to 15 minutes).

Chicken with garlic and fresh coriander (cilantro)

There are many recipes I make with chicken filets, and the common denominator with all of them is that they are quick and easy.

The following one is with my favorite flavors, fresh coriander, garlic and lemon.

350-500 g of chicken fillets
Olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped.
Juice of one lemon
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Chicken broth

- Slice the chicken in bite-size strips.
- Fry them in some olive oil.
- Remove to chicken from the pan when done and keep it warm aside.
- Mix the chopped garlic and cilantro and add them to the pan. Cook over medium to low heat for a few minutes. Don't let the garlic burn. When it's close to having enough, it will smell quite heavenly.
- Add the chicken back to the pan.
- Sprinkle with the cornstarch and mix well.
- Add the lemon juice, stirring constantly. The mixture will bubble. (if you don't like it too lemony, you could add only half the juice)
- Add the broth, stirring constantly. Add enough broth to cover the chicken, about 1 to 1½ cups.
- Cook a few minutes, stirring, and bring to the boil.
-Voilà. Serve with rice and some green salad.

The same procedure can be used with parsley instead of the cilantro.

Enjoy!

Tomato paste spread / marinade

This is an idea from my mother who makes the most wonderful barbeques. She marinates the meat in tomatoe paste, olive oil, garlic and lots of pepper before grilling. She also uses it to marinate pieces of filet before frying and serving.

Today I served this mixture as a spread on the walnut bread my husband brought home.

• 1 small can tomato paste (70 g)
• 1 small clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• a dash of onion powder
• Salt
• Pepper

Just mixed everything thoroughly.

Spread on bread, or rub on meat as a marinade, etc...

Potato Spinach frittata

This was inspired by my mother-in-law. We were at her birthday party the other day and she served - among other yummy things -a frittata with spinach. It was delicious, and the kids couldn't get enough of it. Today I decide to make a meal out of it and added some potatoes.

Here is how I made mine:
(For 4 people)

• 2 medium onions (yellow, red...whatever you like), chopped.
• 2 big potatoes, thinly sliced (It had to go quick today, so I pre-boiled the potatoes then sliced them).
• Whole leaf spinach (I used one 450 g bag of frozen spinach, thawed)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
• 8 eggs, beaten.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Now that I think of it, some crumbled feta would have gone very nicely with this.


- Soften the onions in some olive oil.
- Add the sliced potatoes. Until done, if they are raw.
- Press all the liquid out of the spinach and add to the pan.
- Add the chopped garlic.
- Make sure everything is evenly spread in the pan.
- Add the egges, beaten with some salt and pepper.
- Cook on a gentle heat until eggs are set. (As this was a rather large portion, and it was difficult to turn the fritatta to cook on the other side, I chose to cover it to let the top cook by the steam. If I had more time, I would have probably cooked it in the oven. 160 -180 degrees C, about 20 minutes?)

Bon apetit!

Baba Ghannouj

... or aubergine caviar, or eggplant purée...

This one is for Anna.

Baba ghannouj is a typical part of a mezzé. It is traditionally made with tahini, but it can also be made with yoghurt, for a milder flavour.

1 (big) eggplant
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tahini
Juice of (approximately) half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Grill the eggplant, either in the oven, under the grill, or on the flames of a cooker, until the skin is blackened and the inside is very soft.
When it is cool enough to handle, peel the skin (and discard the top).
It is probably a good idea the drain the flesh for a few minutes so that the end product is not watery.
The flesh will be soft enough to mash with a fork.
Combine all the ingredients very well together.

Serve in a deep dish, topped with some olive oil and sprinkled with chopped parsley (it is traditionally eaten by scooping with wedges of Arabic bread).

To make the baba ghannouj with yoghurt, replace the tahini with yoghurt and reduce lemon (to taste).

Yoghurt soup

This recipe is for my cousin Gemma (sorry it took so long, Gemma).

Yoghurt soup is also a great hit in our house. It is easy and quick, and can be varied as to what you put in it, so it can stretch from a light and warm starter, to a full and satisfying meal.

Choose a yoghurt with a degree or tartness you like. I like it not too acid, but not completely lacking acidity either. The consistency should be quite liquid. Of course the thicker the yoghurt you use, the more water you will need to add. And vice versa. (Here in Denmark, yoghurt is traditionally quite liquid, but recently, all kinds of more creamy and thick yoghurts can be found on the market, usually sold as Greek or Turkish yoghurt).

Although I have decided to cut down on the use of bouillon cubes, it does give the flavour a distinct plus in this recipe.

As to the type of "filling" that can be used with the soup, the simplest is probably cooked round rice. But also cooked tortellini, meat cubes, chicken cubes... anything your imagination fancies. Unless whatever you decide to "fill" the soup with cooks almost instantly, I would recommend the add it in at the last minute, after the soup is cooked, to heat through, then serve.

So here is how to make it. I would be happy to hear how it works for you.

1 Tbs olive oil
4 to 8 cloves garlic (or one, depending on your taste), crushed.
1 chicken bouillon cube (I use one Maggi or Knorr bouillon)
1/2 liter (thick) yoghurt
1 liter water
1 Tbs maïzena (cornstarch), diluted in 1/2 cup of cold water (it prevents the yoghurt from separating as it heats).
Crushed dried mint - a little handful

-Dilute the bouillon cube over medium heat with half the crushed garlic. (don't let the garlic brown)
- Add the yoghurt, the water and the cornstarch.
- Keep stirring (best with a wisk) and bring to a boil. Add the rest of the crushed garlic.
It's ready!
- Add rice, cooked tortellini, etc... and sprinkle with the dried mint

Enjoy!

My favorite breakfast of the hour - Oatmeal

Yes, oatmeal. With a little twist.

My kids love this for breakfast, without the walnuts, with extra raspberries.

1 cup oats
1 tablespoon flaxseed (crushed, if you have the time)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Frozen raspberries (or any berries, really), about 1 cup
Water to cover, plus about 2 cm on top.

Here in Denmark we have two kinds of oats, 'fine' and 'rough'. Both work well. I prefer the 'rough' type, where the oats are bigger, and I always buy them organic.

Just put the oats, flaxseed, syrup, raspberries and water in a pan on medium heat. Stir for a few minutes after it boils.

Serve and enjoy.