Icebox Cookies

Here is an addition to your cookie/biscuit collection. The convenience of these alone are worth the little effort it takes to prepare them. You can prepare your dough and bake it after a couple hours in the freezer or simply freeze it and slice and bake them when guests come round.

I have made this recipe from "Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking". I highly recommend the Cook's Illustrated books or America's Test Kitchen series if you want to become a better cook. They are all about acumen and troubleshooting and their recipes are generally foolproof. I made my cookies with a cinnamon sugar variation but you can bake them plain or if you would like to do chocolate biscuits then simply reduce the flour to 2 cups and add to it 1/4 cup of sifted Dutch processed cocoa. Add 2 ounces of melted and cooled semisweet chocolate to the batter along with the yolks and vanilla. Enjoy!

Vanilla Icebox Cookies (recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp table salt
16 tbsp (8oz) unsalted butter, softened but cool
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Whisk together flour and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
2. In bowl of electric mixer, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape the sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add yolks and vanilla and beat until incorporated, 15 to 20 seconds. Add dry ingredients and mix at low speed until dough forms and is thoroughly mixed, 25 to 30 seconds. (Dough will be soft but not sticky. If dough is sticky, chill for 10 to 15 minutes).
3. Divide dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll dough on clean work surface into log measuring about 6 inches long and 2 inches thick. Wrap each log in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. (Dough can be frozen up to 1 month. Wrap logs in plastic wrap then foil before freezing.)
4. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Unwrap dough logs one at a time and with sharp knife cut each dough in half, then into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices on baking sheets, spacing them 1/2 to 1 inch apart.
6. Bake until edges begin to brown, about 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack with wide metal spatula.

Variation : Cinnamon Sugar Icebox Cookies
Save the egg whites when separating eggs for the dough. Follow the recipe brushing the chilled logs with the beaten egg whites. Roll logs in mixture of 3 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon.

Arabesque Braised Beef

Sunday lunch is always a conundrum as to what to serve. Lately, I have been revisiting some of my beloved Middle Eastern cookbooks. My prized possessions are Claudia Roden's New book Of Middle Eastern Food, Recipes And Remembrances by Sonia Uvezian off the top of my head but I own many more.  What I adore about this type of cuisine is the gentle fragrance of the lightly spiced food. You can detect spices but somehow your palate is not overwhelmed by them.

So with that in mind my lunch table today was very arabesque. I prepared beef braised with carrots in a spice scented sauce and to partner with I prepared green beans with tomatoes. I felt the two worked magically as the tomato flavour of the beans complemented the spicy beef. I suppose this can be similar to a tagine or a khoresht but I felt that it really was neither of the two in the end. Not quite a tagine because I sometimes feel a tagine should also include nuts or fruit and definitely not a khoresht because of the absence of dried limes and saffron. However, what it does have in common with the Moroccan and Persian stews is the technique. The fact that it is a braised dish and beautifully balanced with the right amount of spices.

This dish is a nice starting point for you if you are curious about Middle Eastern cuisine. Although I have posted a recipe I do hope you simply use it as a guide and try to improvise in whatever way you wish. For instance if you feel you want to add more of any of the spices then do. If you require more chilis then add. All you need to understand from the recipe is the technique. It is a braised dish which requires a small amount of liquid to cook the beef and a low and slow cooking time. I urge you to pair this dish with the grean beans and tomatoes and of course the quintessential side dish of the Middle East - basmati rice.

Arabesque Braised Beef

Ingredients:
2lbs cubed beef clod/chuck
1 large onion thinly sliced
6 cloves of garlic minced
1 large carrot sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 red chilis (or to your taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
pinch of sugar
juice of 1 lime

Spice Blend:
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

Heat the coriander seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant then blend in a grinder with the other spices. Set aside.

To make the Beef:
1. Heat the oil in a fairly large pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and the garlic with a little salt. Add to the spice mixture about 3 tbsp of water and add that to the onion mixture.
2. Once the water has evaporated from the spice mixture then add the beef and saute. Season the meat well with salt and pepper and add about 1 cup of water. Add the carrots and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it has come to a boil reduce to a simmer on a gentle heat and let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours. Check the pot and stir it every 30 minutes or so. I doubt you would require more water - I didn't.
3. Once the meat is tender, turn off the stove and just let the meat sit until it is warm. Do not eat this dish piping hot as the flavours meld better as it cools. I did not have fresh chopped coriander which I usually garnish with but I urge you to garnish with it as the coriander further enhances the flavour of the dish. Enjoy!

Green Beans With Tomatoes
Ingredient:
1/2 lb green beans ( I always cut mine in half lenghtways)
4 medium tomatoes chopped
1 medium onion sliced
4 cloves of garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of sugar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat then add the tomatoes, onions and garlic. Let this mixture cook for about 10 minutes adding salt, pepper and a tip of sugar to reduce the acidity of the tomates. Once the tomatoes have softened and released their liquid add the green beans and more salt to taste. Let this cook for a further 10 minutes or until the beans are soft enough for your taste. Enjoy!

Fork Biscuits

We live in a very different world today. There is all this talk of GMO foods, pesticides, organic, natural etc that I think can send a mother crazy. Anxiety rises as to what snacks to feed my child. I obviously want him to be as healthy as possible but at the same time he is a growing child that needs to enjoy life. Eating should be pleasurable so I think it's about allowing my child to snack but mostly on snacks I prepare for him.

I always feels if we eat food that is as "real" as possible then that's the ideal. What I mean by real is to limit genetically modified foods. Those are foods derived from sugar (created from gmo beets), soy and corn. So I choose sugar derived from cane and olive or coconut oil instead of vegetable soy based or corn oil. These genetically modified ingredients are actually quite common in processed foods. So for example if you buy a packet of your favourite chocolate biscuits chances are they were made with corn syrup and vegetable oil. Don't get me wrong, we can't totally abstain from these foods because we may have the occasional snack with it but we can certainly try our best to prepare our own snacks.

So this brings me to my recipe today which is fork biscuits. I make these frequently for my son, and you would too if you knew how simple they are. Three ingredients : caster sugar, flour and butter. Did I mention how fast it's made? Try 15 minutes to prep then about that same time in the oven. So even if you are a busy mum you can always spare the time to make this scrummy biscuit. Enjoy!

Fork Biscuits (Recipe from Mary Berry's book Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book 2nd edition)
4 oz(100g) butter softened
2oz (50g) caster sugar
5 oz(150g) self rising flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius/350 degree F/gas4. Lightly grease 2 baking trays.
Measure the butter into a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon. Gradually beat in the sugar and then mix the flour. Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough. Form the dough balls about the size of a walnut and place on the prepared baking trays. Dip a fork in a little water and use this to flatten the biscuits.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 15 - 20 minutes or until very pale golden. Lift off baking tray and leave to cool completely on wire rack.

A note on a few adaptions I made. I added vanilla extract to the dough and I chilled my dough so as to avoid over spreading in the oven.

Happy New Year!

I know it has been a while since my last post, but I was so busy for Christmas with all it's festivities. I sincerely wish all my readers had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a very happy, healthy and successful New Year. I hope we all stick to our goals and resolutions for this new year and that everyone feels a sense of achievement at the end of it. I know one of my goals is to write on this blog more frequently. So until then, be safe and enjoy life.

Bagels

As I have stated before I am an avid recipe hoarder. I scour books, magazines, television and the internet for ideas and recipes. If you look at my section on the blogs I love, you will see a link for foodwishes. I can't live without foodwishes, really I can't. I may be sounding a tad dramatic but I really am entertained by the wit, humour and expertise of chef John. I started watching his youtube series a few years ago and have been a fan since.

So today, I attempted bagels which I had never made before. I love bagels but they need to be really fresh and crusty on the outside but soft on the inside. This recipe delivered that and the added bonus is that the bagel tastes divine the next day as well. I saw chef John's video a few weeks ago and decided I needed to try his bagels which were San Fransisco style bagels. He explained that these are different from the conventional bagels in that they were less dense and lighter. They are also less calorific than the conventional type bagels which is never a bad thing. The other incredible point about this bagel making process is that it is easy! Actually, I would say it's almost foolproof as are most of chef John's recipes.

So I urge you to take an adventurous step and prepare some fresh, home made bagels. This will be your go to recipe for bagels..seriously. Enjoy!

The recipe for the bagels can be found here :

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/San-Francisco-Style-Bagels/Detail.aspx

Da'ud Basha

As you can see in my profile information I mentioned that one of my favourite cuisines is that of the Middle East. I have a predilection for the use of spices in cooking. I love the fragrance of spices such as cardamom, coriander, cinnamon and cloves. That being said, I am also a huge fan of Indian food but I find that with Middle Eastern food the level of spice is just enough. Subtle enough that you get just the hint of it without feeling overwhelmed by spices as you can sometimes feel with Indian food.

Now I have learnt a few things about authentic Indian food so let me say in defense of Indian food that I believe it is the West's perception of Indian food that created the polemic of it being overtly spicy. There are numerous regions in India where spice is very muted, such as the cuisine of the Nawabs in Lucknow. However, generally speaking one does associate Indian food with being highly spiced. So I tend to find that Middle Eastern food is a good nexus between overly spicy and not at all.

So today I prepared Da'ud Basha named after the first governor of autonomous Lebanon. He was not however Lebanese but Armenian and it is claimed that this dish was very endearing to him. It is the Middle East's answer to meatballs, spiced well seasoned ground lamb meatballs with pine nuts served in tomato sauce. I serve this dish with vermicelli rice but you can serve it plain steamed basmati rice. Remember to always have plenty of fresh coriander on hand when preparing this dish as the freshness of the herb elevates the flavour of it.

Da'ud Basha
12 oz fresh ground lamb
4 cloves of garlic chopped
Scant 1/2 cup chopped coriander
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground allspice
Salt and chili flakes (or finely chopped chili)
Extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the spices into a dry skillet and toast them until you start to smell their fragrance. Place into a spice grinder and grind until fine. Alternatively, if you do not own a spice grinder you can simply grind the spices with a mortar and pestle.
2. Place the ground lamb into a bowl and add to it the spices, salt and chili pepper to taste and the garlic and coriander. Leave this to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. On the day of preparing the meatballs, place the lamb mix into a food processor along with the egg yolk. Process until the mix forms a rough ball. Gently form meatballs about golf ball size.
4. Brown the meatballs with a little bit of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. The pan has to be hot enough to really brown the meatballs. You are not cooking them fully, just browning the. Set aside and prepare the tomato sauce.

Tomato Sauce:
Ingredients
2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
4 cloves of garlic chopped
Chili pepper chopped
Currants about 3 tbsp or to taste
Toasted pine nuts same as currants or to taste
Fresh chopped coriander
Olive oil

1. Heat a skillet to medium heat and saute the onions and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes with about 1/2 cup of water and saute for about five minutes stirring all the time. Cover the pan and let the tomatoes simmer for about 1/2 hour. You can add the currants and pine nuts to the tomatoes during that time.
2. Taste the tomatoes and adjust the seasoning, I always add a pinch of sugar to sweeten the tomatoes acidic taste. Place the meatballs into the tomatoes and simmer them for about five minutes or until cooked through. Be careful at this point, you do not want the meatballs to overcook and toughen. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve with rice.

Vermicelli Rice
Scant 1/2 cup vermicelli broken into small pieces
11/2 cups basmati rice washed
Extra virgin olive oil or butter or a combination of the two
Salt and chili flakes

1. Saute the vermicelli until browned but not burnt in some olive oil or butter or the combination of the two. Add the rice and saute well for about 1 minute then add 2 cups of water. Let the water come to a boil and add salt and chili flakes and cover the pan with foil.
2. Set the pot on the lowest heat possible on your hob and leave the rice to steam for about 14 minutes. Once this time has elapsed uncover the rice and stir with a wooden spoon gently. Add melted butter for extra flavour if you wish.
Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

My love for  Mediterranean cuisine stems from it's simplicity. I believe I heard a quote once from Julia Child stating that Italian food was sometimes, too simple. Well one man's meat is definitely another's poison because it is the very simplicity of Italian food that I adore.

Take for instance humble ingredients such as basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. You pound it all up and the world is gifted with pesto. Pesto that probably to the annoyance of the Italians has ended up taking starring roles in that cafe bought chicken sandwich, the gourmet soup in an upscale restaurant and even simply bought from the supermarket ready to be tossed with linguine. What was meant as a means to utilize the fruits of the land became Italy's largesse to the world. And what would we do without it?

So today, I picked up fresh basil, parsley and sweet peppers and decided our fridge needed to be stocked with some roasted red pepper basil pesto. Again, that's the beauty of the gift of pesto the Italians gave us. They gave us the dish but also a method in which to create a myriad of flavours. The classic is great but why not enhance it and put your own signature on it? So I have chosen this combination because I love the sweetness of the charred peppers infused with that unmistakable fragrance of the basil. This is superb on a crostini for a starter or simply snacked on with some crusty bread. Beware, its addictive and you will not be able to avoid gobbling it all up. Might I also add, it's a scrummy gift to give to family or friends. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 meaty red bell peppers (large)
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 scant cup basil leaves
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and chili flakes
Parmigiano reggiano cheese finely grated

1. Preheat your broiler. Once preheated, rub the peppers with oilve oil and broil them for about 15 to 20 minutes until their skins turn black. Place them into a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to cool slightly then peel the skins off of them. It is important that the peppers stay relatively warm while you make the pesto as this allows them to break down easily.
2. Place the peppers into a food processor along with the chopped garlic, basil and pesto. Add a splash of olive oil then process until it's the consistency you like. I like my pesto slightly chunky for texture. Pour the pesto into a bowl and add the grated cheese and more olive oil to taste. Season with salt and chili flakes.

To store this pesto place it into a jar with a lid and cover the pesto with a film of olive oil. This is allow to keep fresh for a few days.