CHILLI PICKLE

Ingredients:

Green chillies ... 10-12

Mustard seeds ... 1 tsp.

Methi seeds ........ 1 tsp.

Cumin seeds ....... 1 tbsp.

Turmeric powder ... 1/8 tsp.

Asafoetida ............ 1/8 tsp

Salt ...................... to taste

Vinegar .............. 4-5 tbsps.

Jaggery .............. a small piece

Oil ..................... 6-7 tbsps.

Method:

1. Wash and cut the chillies, make a slit and cut them into 1 inch pieces.

2. Dry roast and grind the cumin, mustard and methi seeds.

3. Mix the roasted masala and all the other ingredients into the chillies.

4. Heat the oil and let it cool a little. Mix it well into the chillies.

5. Store it in a clean and dry bottle.( the pickle will be ready to consumed in 10-15 days)

Apples in Shiraz & Cinnamon Doughnuts

An apple a day keeps the doctor away! True to that saying, I have made a lot of desserts made of apples---aside from the fact that I am eating them fresh most of the time. I love desserts and I think I was inspired to interpret apples in the form of doughnuts by a fellow blogger Ellie. This is actually my second doughnut attempt and I think I am pretty much alright. The first one was when I did the French Toast Doughnut of Nigella. That doughnut is sinfully good even though it's not the traditional round one but instead a typical French toast bread.

After Women's day celebration, days swiftly passed by and I couldn't notice whether it's weekend or weekdays already. I spend my time at work as an art-based creative during Mondays thru Fridays and as a chef in a small cafe on Saturdays and Sundays. I sometimes feel tired but most of the time I am happy with what I do so I hardly complain. The rewarding part of being busy rather than being idle is... the inner joy that comes from within. There will be a lot of upcoming events in Geisha Cafe where customers reserved the place for a celebration function. I am excited about it. Can't wait to train my cooks in the kitchen to get ready of this big task ahead. In the meantime, let me share this simple yet oozing dessert of mine.

APPLES IN SHIRAZ & CINNAMON DOUGHNUTS

Ingredients:

• Large apples (peeled/seeded/cut like the doughnuts)
• Shiraz wine
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon powder
• Brown sugar
• Flour
• Eggs
• Milk
• Baking powder (tiny portion)
• Confectionery Sugar
• Caster Sugar
• Oil (for frying)
• Butter (of course)

Procedure:

Heat pan with butter and fry the doughnut shape apples then add sugar and wine. Let the sugar melts and liquify then add vanilla extract and cinnamon. Simmer the mixture until the liquid thickens and evaporates. Wait for a few more minutes until the apples soften. Let it cool and set aside. Prepare a mixing bowl. Then add flour, eggs & milk then beat them all together. Add few cubes of butter, caster sugar and tiny portion of baking powder. Mix very well like a thick batter mixture. Then prepare a large Teflon pan fill it with oil. Let it heat then ready the cooked apples and batter mixture. Dip one apple at a time in to the batter mixture then fry. When finish frying let it cool on paper tissue to reduce oil. Then serve it on a plate and dash it with some confectionery sugar.

Looking forward doing Tiramisu or Pavlova next time...
Ciao mates!

big hug,
joanie xxx

Juxtaposition

US leadership on Libya.

Time was running out for Libya's revolution last night as Muammar Gaddafi's forces routed rebels in the east of the country, driving them into retreat from the town of Brega under a rain of rockets and shells, and opening up the road to the principal opposition stronghold, Benghazi.

With western countries paralysed by disagreements over military intervention, the exhausted and terrified rebel army piled into pickup trucks with machine-guns mounted on the back or towing anti-aircraft guns and raced away from a sustained assault by rocket launchers and artillery to which they were ill equipped to respond.

The US Navy.

Maybe Obama is waiting for just the right moment to strike, but it sure doesn't seem like it. I hope I'm wrong. The whole thing is bizarre. The combat is all going on right on the coast. Libya's only threat to our carriers would be from submarines and they don't have any that can put out to sea. All this chatter about no fly zones is just silly. If you used our Naval air power as ground attack for the rebels, Gaddafi would lose almost instantly.

TOMATO PICKLE

Ingredients:

Tomatoes ..... 6-8

Tomato Puree .. 1 cup

Red chilli powder ....1tbsp.

Oil ................. 1 cup

Salt ................ to taste

Jaggery ....1tsp.

Garlic ..... 1 pod
(Dry Roast and grind)

Jeera seeds ....... 1tbsp.

Methi seeds ........ 1 tsp.

Mustard seeds.... 1tsp.

3-4 dry red chillies

For tempering:
Mustard seeds ..... 1tbsp.

Dry red chillies ..... 2-3

Curry leaves ......... 1 sprig

Hing .................. a pinch

Method:
1. Wash and cut the tomatoes into small pieces.

2. Heat oil and add the crushed garlic. Saute and add the tomato pieces, salt and simmer.

3. Add the dry ground masala, jaggery and the puree.

4. Stir fry till the oil seperates, add the tempering.

5. Let it cool and store in the refrigerator.

MANGO PICKLE

Ingredients:

Raw mangoes ... 2 (select small and tender ones)

Coriander seeds .. 1 tbsp.

Cumin seeds ....... 1 tbsp.

Methi seeds ....... 1 tsp.

Mustard seeds ... 1 tsp.

Dry red chillies .... 6-8

Turmeric powder ... 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder ... 1 tsp.

Salt ... 1 & 1/4 tbsps.

For tempering:

Oil ............. 1/2 cup

Asafoetida .. 1/8 tsp

Mustard seeds .... 1 - 2 tsp.

Garlic ................. 8-10 cloves

Method:

1. Wash and cut the mangoes into very small pieces. Mix one tablespoon salt and leave it at least for a day. If you have sunlight you can keep it out in the sun or you can refrigerate it.

2. Dry roast and grind the red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds and mustard seeds.

3. Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Add one tsp. salt and check it as the mango pieces are already salted.

4. . Mix this masala well with the mango pieces.

5. Heat about half a cup of oil. Let it cool a bit and add the asafoetida, mustard seeds and the whole garlic.( you may even crush the garlic coarsely if you like)Pour it into the mango masala mix.

6. Mix the pickle well and let it cool. Store in a clean dry jar.

Moroccan Spiced Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Rick Stein is my favourite celebrity chef, among the many I enjoy watching and learning from. It is his genuine passion for fish, seafood and simple, natural ingredients (which I share) that I most admire. When I came across a video on YouTube today of him preparing Moroccan spiced meatballs, I knew it was something I had to try. I have changed the recipe slightly here but the principal difference is that I did not have access to a tagine, the traditional Moroccan cooking pot, so I simply used a deep frying pan with a lid. I was so happy with the results, I am definitely going to be adding a tagine to my kitchen appliances in the very near future! (See bottom of post for further details.)

Ingredients for Two People

1/2lb minced/ground beef
1 medium onion
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp paprika
2 eggs
Handful of fresh coriander leaves/cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Fresh bread for serving as an accompaniment

Method

The first step is to prepare the meatballs. The onion should be peeled and finely chopped. Half of it only should be added to a bowl with the beef and half of the roughly chopped coriander. The cumin seeds should be lightly toasted in the dry frying pan before being ground in a pestle and mortar. Half the cumin should be added to the bowl, along with one teaspoon of the paprika. Season with salt and pepper.

The most effective way of mixing this combination is by hand. Be sure to mix it thoroughly and squeeze all the different ingredients and flavours together. The mixture should then be split in to six equal portions and rolled in to balls, approximately equivalent in size to golf balls. The vegetable oil should at this point be added to the frying pan, brought up to a medium heat and the meatballs browned all over. Remove the meatballs to a plate and set aside.

The remaining half of the chopped onion should be added to the frying pan, along with the remaining spices, the very finely chopped garlic clove and some salt and pepper. This mixture should be gently heated and stirred with a wooden spoon for two to three minutes. The chopped tomatoes should then be added and brought to a simmer.

The meatballs should at this stage be re-added to the pan to simmer for twenty minutes, turning them half way through. The meatballs should then be moved to the side of the pan. The eggs should be broken one at a time in to a small bowl and gently poured in to the pan, separate form each other. It is at this time the pan should be covered and left for four to five minutes for the eggs to poach in the sauce.

While the eggs are cooking, the bread should be sliced and placed on a serving plate.

When the eggs are cooked, the remaining coriander should be scattered over the dish and it may be transferred to plates for immediate service.

Tagines and Moroccan Cooking

As I said at the beginning of this post, I was so impressed with this dish that I am definitely going to purchase a tagine and prepare more Moroccan recipes. In this connection, I searched Amazon (where all the best bargains are to be had) as to what was available and found dozens of possible purchases. Below are some tagines and Moroccan cooking ideas from both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk which, like me, you may wish to consider if you like the look and sound of Moroccan cuisine.

Tagines



Moroccan Cooking

Things That Make Me Smile

Here is an explanation of this series of posts.

Momma Daisy.

Egg Maker

15 Maret 2012, selasa

Pagi ini ngebuatin anak2 telur dadar pake egg maker tools, praktis n gampang banget deh. Buat pagi yang sibuk menyiapkan sarapan pagi anak, cukup dengan alat ini. Dengan 1 telur, bisa buat telur dadar ato telur matasapi, yang bentuknya hearts n star, bisa 2 macam size, besar 2, kecil bisa 4 buah. Cara gampang cuman aduk rata telur n 2 sdm susu ato air, tuang ke cetakan, panaskan dalam microwave selama 2 menit. Di resepnya si tulis cuman 50 detik, tapi kok masih cair? blom jadi, jadi ditambah waktunya deh. Udah kayak promosi deh gw. Kalo mau nitip beli alatnya, boleh hubungin gw ya.

Tired of hearing

I'm tired of hearing...

1) It will happen when it's supposed to
2) Dont stress about it, it will make it worse
3) Your time will come
4) Maybe you should "stop" trying so hard
5) Just have fun with it!

There I said it, so what. I'm in a sour mood.

On another note, I do appreciate all of the encouraging words from friends and family. I'm just so damn frustrated!

(Economic) Salvation Is Individual, Not Collective

... and that's what we're finding out all over the developed world as socialism crumbles like it always does. Portugal is experiencing youth protests over a lack of job and career prospects.

Portugal, western Europe's poorest country, is producing the best-qualified generation in its history, thanks to big investments in education.

But after a decade of feeble economic growth and a huge debt burden that has forced the government to enact crippling austerity measures, Portugal's economy can't deliver the opportunities that trained young people are seeking.

Socialist central planners in Portugal did exactly what they wanted - spent more on education and social programs - and they've ended up with no jobs, no growth and no money. They should have spent more time with Milton Friedman and less time with Karl Marx. Sadly, they've taught their children to turn to politics for answers.

Chanting for jobs in Coimbra, Portugal.
Once that crowd is done chanting and they go home, they'll have ... what? They're still looking for collective answers.

"People's well-being has taken second place to financial matters," said Luis Santos, a 28-year-old out of work since graduating from Lisbon University three years ago.

Well, Luis, it's like this. You're responsible for your well-being. You always were. Handing that job over to someone else has never worked. The socialists acted out of kindness, but that kindness was misplaced. The only sustainable and effective way to help others is to do it yourself.

Waffle Sunday. Every Sunday.

Every Sunday its the same Sunday breakfast in our house.

You will not see:

pancakes

crepes

biscuits

omeletes

Or, any such alternative breakfast options

It is...

Patrick's Waffles

They are melt in your mouth delicious.

A little crunch on the outside

Soft and warm and egg-y on the inside.

We've upgraded waffle makers several times over the years.

Each time to his great delight.

Under the Christmas tree is usually a new bottle of quality maple syrup.

Father's Day might have had a few golf shirts here and there.

But, bring home a new waffle maker.

And you will see a man in pure delight!

Patrick's Yummy Waffles:  

(No official recipe.  I had to pin him down to get this.  Actually he was thrilled.  He is so happy to be "highlighted"  for a "feature" in my little world of pretend big-time magazine editor!!  You would think he is being featured in Bon Appetit or something...) 

2 c. of flour
3 Tsp baking powder
Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs separated into yolks and whites
2/3 c. oil or butter (melted)
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. milk

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Combine egg yolks, oil (or butter), vanilla, and milk in another bowl.

Combine dry mixture and wet mixture together.  Be careful not to over mix.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold batter gently into the egg whites.

Ready to go!  Bake in your favorite waffle maker.

Yellow

Caramel Apple Loaf Cake

With the snow falling outside and temps down to 1C, what better  to warm the heart than a delicious teacake made from seasonal  ingredients such as apples and walnuts combined with natural yogurt? This is indeed the time of year in which to invite friends who live locally or those neighbours that you’ve been putting off as indeed I am guilty of not doing, to tea as all other activities especially in Istanbul when you have to trek to the other side (of the Bosphorus) either by car and risk massive traffic, or take a minimum of three modes of public transport, are out.  This latter is all very well but not when it is absolutely miserable out there.

This cake is the one I made when Son Cem was coming recently. It is a very moist cake thanks to the apple but what makes it is the delicious sweet topping made by drizzling toffee sauce mixed with a bit of cream over the finished loaf.  Every bit as good as it sounds, believe me! The recipe comes from BBC Good Food Magazine http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/  - such a great magazine and website.

Ingredients for Caramel Apple Loaf Cake

Cuts into 8-10 slices

175g/6oz soft butter, plus extra for greasing

175g/6oz golden caster sugar (in Turkey just use normal toz şeker)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

225g/8oz plain flour

½ tsp cinnamon

4 rounded tbsp plain yogurt

2 eating apples

50g/2oz walnuts, very roughly chopped, plus 1 tbsp extra, chopped

50g/2oz soft toffees/karamel

2 tbsp double cream (in Turkey use cream from those little packets eg Pınar or Tikveşli)

Method

· Pre-heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line the base and ends with a long strip of baking paper.

 

· Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale, then beat in the eggs, one by one. Tip in the flour, cinnamon and yogurt. Peel, core and chop apples into small chunks, then add to the bowl and mix everything together with a wooden spoon.

· Scrape into the tin, smooth the top and scatter the walnuts down the middle. Bake on a middle shelf for 1hr 20-30 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool in the tin.

· To decorate, put the toffees in a small saucepan with the double cream. Gently heat, stirring until toffees have melted into a smooth caramel sauce. Cool for about 1 min while you gently turn out the cake. Slowly drizzle the toffee sauce over the top of the cake. Scatter immediately with the extra walnuts – they should stick where they hit the toffee. Leave for 10 mins before serving.

·  Best fresh but will keep in an airtight tin for 3 – 4 days. Also suitable for freezing before decorating.

Tips

1. This cake does take a long time to cook.  Make sure you test it before removing from oven. I gave mine two extra lots of 10 mins as it was still coming out too moist.

2. It may sound like a drag to have to line the tin but there is always a reason when a recipe states this. It means that any potential disaster like the cake sticking to the tin at the end will be avoided. So I always do it. I would hate my cake to collapse after all the effort of making it!

3. I used a caramel bar not toffees. This was actually fine: as it was a chocolate caramel bar it melted perfectly. But toffees are easily available here and really it would be better without the extra taste of chocolate. Yes , I mean it!

Afiyet Olsun!