Baked Hammour (Grouper)

I like to replicate dishes which I have enjoyed at restaurants and few weeks back I had a baked Hammour (Grouper) at Bice which I have posted about. It was such a delicious dish and very simple in flavor.
I was inspired to do my own version and add some of the flavors I like to add when I'm having fish.





First I chopped the Hammour fillet into chunks, washed in cool water then added about a half tsp of Turmeric mixing it well with the fish chunks and let it sit for half hour.
Mean while I grated 1 carrot 1 small potato mixed them together in a bowel and added 1 tsp olive oil, 1 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese, Mackomric Italian blend herbs, pinch of salt and pepper.







Then I prepped my second marinade, grated rinds of 1 lemon, 1/2 lemon juice, 1 garlic clove crushed, 1 Tbs of chopped parsley and coriander, pinch of salt and pepper.
Wash the fish again from the Turmeric very well. make sure there isn't much water left then add it to the marinade, mixing it well.
Transfer the mixture to an oven dish and topped with the grated potatoes mix. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180*



Enjoy!!!
My portion is enough for two people. Double the ingredients if you want a bigger serving.






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Gelato Italiano Indulgence

I woke up yesterday from a very restful nap craving some Gelato. My freezer was empty of gelato, I had few containers but they were all experimental flavors.
I was craving the chocolate gelato with the 70% cacao Swiss chocolate chip and the vanilla bean gelato. So I called the store asked them to prepare for me a 1/2Kg and sent the driver to pick it up.



The best part about gelato is you pick the flavors you like and get inventive in the comfort of your own home ;) And indulge as much as you like ;p



Earlier that day I was at TSC and picked up the Daim nuggets and Flake 99 thinking about treating the boys since they didn't have any sweet treats all week.



Et Voila! Vanilla with double chocolate Gelato Italiano topped by home made salted caramel sauce Daim nuggets and chocolate Flake!!! Yum! Yum! Yum!

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Christmas Gifts

 The boxes, the cookies & of course the cards.

This one is signed by Ahmed.

Abdulaziz didn't show me his cards.

Every Christmas I try to think what to get to the teachers as gifts. I don't want to get just anything that I'd expect other parents will get. As usual I was looking for something different, and at the same time get the boys to participate in making them.



I was inspired by Martha Stewart, a cute box filled with cookies…right? What do you think? Crazy idea! Because after getting back home from work I had to start on them, especially that my main oven isn't working and I only had the small oven which only takes one tray at a time :s It was exhausting!


Few days before I prepared my list of things to do and prepare for. Then with the help of the boys (a bit chaotic at times) we started our baking after the homework and revision were done.


The cookies we made: Sugar cookies with colored sugars, candy cane chocolate chocolate chip cookie squares, chocolate & peanut butter chip cookies, Ginger sugared cookies. I also wanted to add something Kuwaiti so I placed an order from Homemade for their famous pistachio Ghraiba.


I really hope the teachers appreciate this labor of love. I know that my kids and I really enjoyed making them and so did my family and friends who I sent for them some of the cookies to try out ;)

 I'm thinking of introducing this cookie at Gelato Italiano.

Would you buy it?

 Note: I don't have pics for Abdulaziz,

because he is like a Tornado in the kitchen.

He doesn't give me a chance to think of snapping a pic of him.

Homemade Ghuraiba

Um3azoz's Kitchenette: Pistachio Meringue with Pomegranate Syrup

Meringues are such elegant desserts. You can make them and

shape them anyway you like. For Ramadan I infused some

Arabic flavors in this Meringue, Pistachios and Orange Blossome water, with a sweet and sour Pomegranate syrup.

Very Yummy!

This recipe is from Martha Stwart which I've been using it forever.

It is crusty from the outside and mellow from the inside.

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites

3/4 cup of sugar, (I use a little less of sugar)

Pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla essence

(in this recipe I used 1 Tbs Orange Blossom water,

and 3 Tbs ground Pistachios)

-Preheat oven to 100c. Line a baking with paper

- In a heat proof bowl, set over pan of simmering water and whisk

the egg whites with sugar and pinch salt, with an electric mixer.

Mix constantly until sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are

warm to the touch, about 3 minutes.

Remove from the simmering water and continue

to whisk on high speed until it forms stiff peaks.

- Add flavoring and mix then the pistachios

and mix with a table spoon.

-Spoon the mixture with a spoon. you want to make them bite size or a large size. With the back of the spoon make a small well.

- Bake in the oven until it is dry on the outside but still soft in the inside. Cool on a wire rack to cool.

Pomegranate Syrup

4 Tbs  water

3 Tbs Sugar

1/2 cup Pomegranate pulp

a squeeze of lemon (optional)

-Stir water with sugar in a sauce pan over medium

heat until sugar dissolves.

-Bring to boil for 4 minutes

-Add half the pulp and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the half with a tiny squeeze of lemon. Put aside to cool.

Serve the meringue topped with the Pomegranate and whipped cream on the side :)

Enjoy!

Um3azoz's Kitchenette: Chocolate Bread Pudding

 This is a very easy recipe and very decadent. It is for those who are chocolate lovers like me! W ye7boon alsa7na ;p

Ingredients:Croissants. Cut into pieces. What I do sometimes is cut the croissant into half, smear it with nutela or peanut butter, then chop it into pieces.

1 3/4 cup of whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cup (300g) semi sweet chocolate.

1 large egg

1 tsp of vanilla essence

                                   
 

- Heat the whipping cream, sugar and milk in a sauce,

until it starts to boil and the sugar incorporated.

- Add the chocolate and mix until it is melted.

- Crack the egg in separate bowl mix it then with the chocolate mix and leave it for 1-3 minutes until you feel the mixture is getting a tiny bit heavy, then add the Vanilla.

- Place the chopped croissant in an oven proof plate and pour the chocolate mixture on top and let it soak for a moment.

- Place the plate in a preheated oven 180 and bake it for 30-40 minutes.

Best served with a Vanilla Gelato,

or even better Peanut butter Gelato!!!

Lunch!

My family has just moved into their new house, and the kitchens are still not installed. So I sent them lunch today. I let John, our cook, handle the heavy stuff, marag deyay (chicken stew) w mash5ool (not pictured). I did the Salad, lasagna and chocolate pudding.

 Falafel Salad.

Basically it is a falafel sandwich without the bread ;p

The dressing is a mix of yogurt, tahina and other stuff...

will post the recipe later on.

My famouse Lasagna!  

Although I was missing a couple of ingredients

 but it turned out well :) according to my sister

It was gone within minutes! :)

And the piece de resistance!

My chocolate bread pudding!

Will post the recipe later ;)

Chocolate Rahash Cake

Chocolat Rahash Cake is a ticking BOMB!

Qatuliya! (Killer!)



I'm going through most of my cooking books, marking pages of interesting recipes I want to try during Ramadan. It isn't a grantee I'd cook all of them, but I'll try some nevertheless. Actually I've already started, I've been spending a lot of my free time in the kitchen lately, trying out new soup recipes and others such as main meals and desserts.

One of the recipe I tried is this yummy "Qatuliya!" Rahash Chocolate Cake from AlThawaqa cook book.
Here are the ingredients:
3 packs of chocolate pound cake (I used 1 1/2 pack)
250g Rahash (I advice you use good quality rahash sold at AlWatan Sweets instead of the packed one sold at super markets.)
300g Nutella
11/2 cup of chopped pecans (I used sugared hazelnut which we use at Gelato)
1 1/2 cup of Thick Cream (KDD Qaimar)
Chocolate Syrup (I didn't use)


- Crumble the Rahash in a deep dish with a fork then add the Nutella and thick cream.
- Cut the cakes into slices and line them up side by side in a serving dish, pour 1/3 of the chocolate rahash mix and spread evenly, add some little pecans.
- Line up on top the remaining cake and spread some the remaining chocolate rahash mix and garnish with the rest of the pecans and decorate with chocolate syrup.


Note: Rahash is a sesame seed sweet. In this recipe I used a trifle bowl instead of serving dish, and I used regular pound cake instead of chocolate pound cake just to ease on alsa7na (density of the chocolate on chocolate).

Home Made Pesto

Yesterday I made pesto for a soup for my lunch. The pesto was soo good I couldn't wait for my soup to be ready and slathered some on milk rolls and it was so pungent and full of flavor!



I used Kuwaiti basil (rai7an) for this recipe which is a bit stronger in flavor than the regular basil.

2 tbsp pine kernels (toasted with olive oil)
5 tbsp olive oil ( you may need more)
2 bunches basil, stems removed
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated parmesan

But everything in a food processor and whizzzzzzz!

Lamb and Prunes

This one was sent by my friend Monmon

The meat is so sweet and tender. It is pure indulgence!

My friend Glamorous Monmon, has one of the best cooks anyone is lucky to have. The food she sometimes sends me is just pure pleasure to eat, and no, I do not share it with anyone. So I call her one evening, asking her for the recipe of a leg of lamb with prunes recipe. She gives it to me and she surprises me the next morning by sending me a platter of it. Few days later I give the recipe a try. It is easier than it looks. 1 onion chopped 2 garlic cloves crushed 1 small leg or a shoulder of lamb. 1 tbsp of Turmeric 1 tsp of Cinnamon powder. 4 Tbsp of sugar 1 cup of good quality prunes 1/2 cup of toasted almonds 1/4 cup of toasted sesame seeds - Fry the onions with garlic until soft. Add the spices and mix a little bit more than add the leg of lamb sear it on every side, but do not cook it thoroughly. Add around 8 cups of water and let it simmer until the water reduces. - When the 3/4 of the water reduces, add the sugar and the prunes until there is barely and water left, about 3/4 cup of water more or less. - Turn off the heat and let the meat rest for few minutes before transferring it to a serving plate and garnishing it with the almonds and sesame seeds. Bon appétit.

This is the one I made. Wasn't that bad, but the one sent

by Glamrous Monmon was better ;)

Lemon Butter Sauce

I love fish...actually I'm craving fish as I'm writing this post ;p

I love Hamour filet, Sole and other white fish.

This is a frozen breaded sole from M&S... I do not fry it.

I just spray it with a little oil and bake it in the oven with steamed vegetables.

On top is one of my favorite lemon butter sauce which over the months

I tried to perfect ;) Hope you'll like it

1Tbs white vinegar

Juice from 1/2 to 1 lemon depending on how sour you like it.

2 egg yolks

1 clove of garlic crushed

1 tsp of Dijon mustard

150g of butter

pinch of salt & pepper

3 Tbs cream

you can add chopped herbs of your liking if you desire

- combine vinegar and juice in heatproof bowl, place bowl

over pan of boiling water. Whisk egg yolks, mustard and garlic. Gradually add

butter, few pieces at a time. Add salt & pepper and then add the cream.

serve hot with your fish ;)

For a guiltless sauce, I use light cream and butter ;)

The sauce when its done ;)

My Risotto

This Risotto is a favorite in my home. Fahad requests it for his birthday each year and the kids just love it. It is a bit heavey, but you can also use low fat ingredients such as light butter and if you're lucky to find low fat parmesan ;) Yesterday I only ate the risotto for my fotur and skipped the other food on the table, and for my suhoor I only had a green salad.

My Risotto which I made yesterday ;)

The ingrediants for a Milanese Risotto :

2 good pinches of saffron threads soaked in 3-4 Tbs of boiling water. 1 large onion, chopped finely 2 garlic cloves crushed 100g of butter 1 2/3 cup of Arborio rice 2/3 cup of white wine ( I used non alchohlic wine bought from Sultan) 5 cups of boiling stock (I used 2 low salt Maggie chicken stock cubes mixed them with the boiling water) 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese

** Quick tips: Sometimes I add sliced button mushrooms, or chicken cut in small chunks and cooked before frying the onions, then I add put it back with the chicken broth.

- Fry onions and garlic with 50g of butter until soft but not colored, then add the rice and continue to cook for few minutes until all grains are coated in oil and begin to color lightly. - Add wine to the rice and simmer gently, stirring from time to time until it is all absorbed. - Add the boiling stock a little at a time about 2/3 cup, cooking until the liquid is absorbed before adding more, and stirring frequently. - When all the stock is absorbed the rice should be tender but not soft and soggy. Add the saffron liquid, Parmesan, remaining butter.

I made this Risotto last Ramadan ;)

Warning this is a Food Post!

Bolognaise Spaghetti

Rocket & White Bean Salad My own home made chewy gooey brownies

Mixed Berries

Meringue topped with chocolate ganche almonds or berries

My Maglouba

My Maglouba was a success! Fahad ate only from it!!! and warmed my heart of course by doing so :) I didn't follow the recipe as it is written in the book ( I got it from Senses 2 the KFMB cook book for this Ramadan), I had to add my touch to it and from what I remember of the Maglouba I used to have at my parents home. The extra ingredients in bold is what I added to the recipe. 2 eggplant cut into round slices. ( I used only 1) 2 1/2 cup of Basmati rice washed and soaked 2 medium onions chopped 1/3 cup of oil, you can add more if needed 1/2 kilo of lamb stew meat. (I sliced off the extra fat and sliced the meat into smaller pieces) 1 tsp of sweet spice 1/2 tsp of black pepper 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder 1 can of green peas 4 1/2 cups of hot water 1 can of chopped tomatoe in juice (Del Monte) 2 tbsp of tomatoe paste 4 garlic chopped 2 maggi chicken stock cube (which I put in everything I cook ;p) extra salt to taste - Mix spices with meat and set aside - Fry eggplants until browned and set aside. Remove excess oil, just keep a little. - Fry onions and garlic until soft. Add the meat cook for a couple of minutes, then add 1/2 cup of hot water with maggie cube. let it simmer on low heat for 3o minutes. -Add tomatoe paste and canned tomatoe and peas, let it cook for 5min then add the eggplants. -Add the rice on top of the meat & eggplant mixture, slowly add 2 cups of water, let it cook until the water gets low, then add 1 cup at a time or until the rice is cooked. I advise that you check on the rice regularly. Have a bowl of yogurt with chopped Cucumbers on the side as sauce with the rice ;)

Next time I will try a chicken Maglouba ;)

Oh!!! On my way out I passed by AlMu3alem to buy a Qancha. I saw one of my relatives, an old lady allah yehadeeha, and she peeked into the trolly I was pushing and was confused to find a round stainless steel Qancha. She looks up at me.

"7ag shino hathi?"

"I'm making Maglouba today for fotur."

"Mashallah 3alaich! yegoloon 6aba'7a! "I give her big grin, but then she continues, "Basich bal3a yal ba6a! la te9eereen mithl yaditich allah yer7amha!"

My whole expression crumbles. Ba6a! Ba6a??? ana Ba6a??? My grandmother allah yer7amha, who passed away before I was born, was obese.

"Mshkoora! Hatha min thouqich!" Humph!

However I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

Maglouba

No…I didn't do this, I found the picture on the net (I just hope the owners don't mind me using it as an example). I'm trying to do something similar like this Maglouba today. So wish me luck ;p I had a hard time trying to explain to Fahad I want that round plate what you call it? The one where we put the rice on it?

Fahad shakes his head and gives me "Are you sure you're a Kuwaiti?" look ;p "Qancha! Qanch ya mara!" "Oooh! Yes Qancha. I want a round old fashioned Qancha for my Maglouba" ;p

I just hope he gets me one on his way home :)

And if it works out I'll post the recipe inshallah :)

Chocolate Cheese Cake

Chocolate and Cheese.... Cheese and Chocolate! my two favorite ingredients in dessert. I have few of them which have this delicious combination. This recipe is very easy to make. It took me less than twenty minutes to do it.

Crust

150g oreo cookies, grind

50g butter, melted

Filling

400g cream cheese

150g sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp Vanilla essence

150ml double cream (gaimar)

250g cadbury's chocolate, broken into pieces and melted.

- pour the melted butter over the crushed biscuits and mix well. Press the mixture into the base of 20cm spring form cake pan.

-Beat the cream cheese, the sugar, the eggs, the vanilla and cream until combined. Spoon about 2/3 of the mixture into the melted chocolate and mix well until combined.

-Pour the cheese mixture in cake pan, then place spoonfuls of the chocolate mixture over it and twirl with a knife, swirling the mixture together.

-Bake in a preheated oven of 150 for 30-40 minutes.

Simply divine! The sweet aroma filled the room. Everyone loved it! Even picky Abdulaziz.

It is delicious, moist and full of flavor. The Chocolate is there, not lost by its combination with the cheese.

Yum! Bon Appetite!

Cheesy Ravioli

So what have I been cooking since Ramadan started? Actually nothing from scratch ;p I'm just being plain lazy.

I got some frozen ravioli from Marks & Spencers.

Put them in boiling water for 5 minutes and they're ready

Slice some mushrooms and onions, cooking them with a little bit of heated oil until soft, and then added Ragu's cheesy Sauce, a little bit of pepper and a tiny pinch of salt et Voila!!! Garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley Honestly? Divine!!! It was gone! gone! gone!!!

What's Your Soup?

Oh yes!!! Ramadan is knocking and the only thing on peoples minds is food!

I've talked to three of my friends today and the main topic of our discussion is food and cook books.

I Love Soups! Our cook makes a big batch of Lentil soup, but I don't like the way he does it. So I make my own purees of soups and freeze them and when ever I take out a pack I only have to add water, cream or milk ;)

My two favorites are Roasted Vegetables and Creamy spinach and chicken soup. I also enjoyed Maggi's Excellence in the three flavors they introduced last Ramadan, Mushroom, Broccoli and Asparagus. This year I want to try two new recipes and inshallah I will share the recipes ;)

So what's your Soup?