Ragin' Chocolate Fondant

Hello Food Lovers,

It's been a while since our last post. Even though we photograph almost everything we eat, we never seem to have the time to blog about it any more. We promise to get our act together to bring you all the latest as often as possible. For now, we have a very special recipe to share - our chocolate fondant which we made for the Muguiro family in Biarritz last week! This is one of our favourite desserts and very popular among our friends too. Thanks for a great weekend Carla, looking forward to many more!

Recipe for 6 people

Ingredients

- 150gr chocolate (min 70% cacao)
- 40gr butter
- 5 eggs
- 120gr sugar
- 80 gr flour
- Ice cream

Method

Pre-heat oven to 220°C

1- Melt chocolate and butter together in a pan over low heat
2- In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, flour and eggs until you get  a shiny consistency. 

3- Add the chocolate to the mix
4- Grease 6 x ramekins with butter, pour the mix in and cook at 220°C for    7-8 mins
5- Allow to rest a few minutes then serve with ice cream of your choice (almond or pistachio highly recommended)

6 - Indulge! 

The best pecan pie ever!

Hello food lovers,

Do you love pies? Do you love pecans? Well you're in luck because our friend Mahmoud makes the best pecan pie you will ever taste and he has agreed to share his famous recipe with us! Although originally Jordanian, Mahmoud studied in the US for many years and brought this recipe back with him all the way from Nebraska. We have to admit, if you're looking for something light this isn't for you but you will be sorry if you don't give it a try. It certainly changed our lives forever! Thank you Mahmoud, your pie rocks!  Scroll down for full recipe.  

Mahmoud's pie before baking

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

The pie, or what's left of it!

Mahmoud sampling his dessert. Verdict: yum!

Ingredients (serves 8)

3 large eggs 
1 tsp of vanilla extract 
1 cup of dark brown sugar 
1 cup of dark corn syrup 
2 tbsp melted butter 
1 cup of pecans 
1 roll of pie crust 
 
Method:
1) Stir the first 5 ingredients thoroughly
2) Add half of the pecans to the mix 
3) Pour the mix into the pie crust 
4) Add the rest of the pecans  
5) Bake on center rack for 60-70 minutes at 180C / 350F
Cool for 2 hours and serve with vanilla ice cream 

Fondue Night

Hello food lovers,

Looking for a fun way to stay warm in those freezing temperatures? Then look no further because we've got the answer for you: a classic cheese fondue. It's the perfect meal to share around a table with friends, fresh cold cuts and red wine.  With such an easy recipe, you're guaranteed to impress and your friends will thank you for it! Just serve with a fresh green salad and French baguette. Scroll down for full recipe.

Cheese Fondue (serves 8)
400g Comté
400g Gruyère Suisse
250g Emmental
30cl dry white wine
1 tsp corn starch
1 shot glass Kirsch (cherry liqueur)
Pepper

1) Cut the cheese in cubes.
2) Mix the corn starch with water in a glass and set aside.
3) Pour the white wine in a non-stick casserole on medium heat. Once the wine starts to simmer, add the cheese little by little and keep stirring.
4) Once the cheese has completely melted, add the corn starch and the glass of Kirsch and continue to stir until you get a creamy consistency. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.
5) Pour the content into a fondue pot and turn gas flame on low heat. Serve immediately with baguette. Bon appétit!

Yummy Berry Tart

Hello food lovers,

In our house, Sunday is synonymous for lazy day. However it is also a day where we take our time in the kitchen and cook meals for our friends. This weekend was slightly different; we decided to cook up a storm on Saturday and when Sunday came around, we were still eating leftovers so I decided to bake a tart instead. Considering the amazingly mild weather we have been experiencing these past few weeks, I got inspired to make a berry tart. This is probably the easiest tart you can bake, just make sure you get the freshest berries available!

Yummy Berry Tart (serves 6-8 people)

1 pack of puff pastry
250ml half fat creme fraiche
100g raspberries
100g strawberries (sliced)
100g blueberries
4 figs (sliced)
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon icing sugar (optional)

1) Preheat your oven to 180 degrees
2) Wash all the fruits except for the raspberries (they tend to get soggy if you put them under water)
3) Roll the puff pastry in the shape of a rectangle or circle depending on your pan about 2cm thick
4) Using a fork, gently pick the dough all throughout then brush the egg yolk, including edges and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.
5) Once the dough has cooled off, mix the creme fraiche with the sugar and spread on top of the dough.
6) Add the berries.

Optional: you can add a tea spoon of icing sugar as a topping

Serve with a cup of tea, bon appetit!

Yummy Berry Tart

Paulo's Seafood Paella

With last weekend hitting summer temperatures, Clem and Paulo invited us to a chilled break in the French country side. On Sunday Paulo cooked a beautiful seafood Paella to feed the hungry men that went hunting in the wild that morning and for the lazy ones that had been chilling by the pool. 

The Paella was packed with flavours, from locally picked tomatoes to fresh seafood and herbs. The giant prawns were yummy, very moist and juicy. The chorizo also added an extra kick. 

Thanks for such a lovely lunch guys , it was great !!!

Summer Cocktails for the Hot Days

Hello bloggers,


You will be pleased to know that we have been testing a few cocktail recipes over the weekend (but only because we wanted to blog about it)! The first one we tried out was Pimm's, a British summer classic invented in 1823 by an English farmer. Made of gin with added spices, fruits and herbs, Pimm's is a very refreshing and colourful cocktail to try at home. Simply add slices of seasonal fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, cucumber, strawberries and mint leaves) and a soft drink of your choice (we used lemonade) and serve over ice.

Pimm's

Now that we shared a classic cocktail with you, let's also show you our latest concoction (yes it's been a very rough weekend for us): a mouthwatering drink made with fresh passion fruit, strawberries, mint, passion fruit juice and vodka. For 5 drinks, simply slice a handful of strawberries, scrape the seeds of 3 passion fruits, toss in a few mint leaves and gently crush together using a wooden pestle. You just want to extract the flavours so make sure you don't end up with a paste. Then add 5 shots of vodka (or less depending on how strong you like your drink) and fill the rest of the jug with passion fruit juice. Stir and serve over ice. Enjoy!

Our summer cocktail 

Malfoof - Rolled Cabbage Leaves

Hello food lovers,




Foodscape was asked to participate in a fundraising day at the A.M. Qattan Foundation in London to help raise funds for 'Bait Al Karama' the first international cookery school project launched by 3 fantastic Italian women opening in Nablus, Palestine (more details to come). In order to get my Middle Eastern food repertoire back on track, I recently purchased a cookbook of classical Palestinian cuisine and have been obsessing about it for the past few weeks. It must be nostalgia because as I flip through the pages, each recipe takes me back to my childhood years when my sisters and I used to spend our summers in the scorching hot Jordanian capital. Needless to say all my aunts are excellent cooks and we were fed like queens, daily. 
I didn't particularly enjoy meat when I was younger but I specifically remember loving one dish, Malfoof, literally meaning 'rolled' cabbage leaves with lamb and rice stuffing. This dish is best served with a fresh 'baladi' salad (which comes from 'country' in Arabic and usually refers to locally grown produce) made of chopped cucumbers and tomatoes. Add to this some plain yoghurt on the side and you're set for a full meal.... Well you'll have to cook the Malfoof first which can be long and tedious so I recommend cooking this dish on a weekend. 

Malfoof (serves 5-6 people)

1 large white cabbage (2kgs)

400g minced lamb (or beef, or half of each)

1.5 cup of short grain rice

1 onion (finely chopped)

8 garlic cloves (5 crushed + 3 whole)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp seven spices

1 tsp butter

Salt & pepper

Instructions:

Carefully cut the cabbage heart out using a sharp knife and place in a large pot of boiling water (with a dash of ground cumin) until the leaves become slightly translucent. This should take about 15-20mins depending on the size. The leaves should be soft but be careful not to over cook them as they will break when folding them later. 

While this is cooking, prepare the mince: mix the meat, rice, chopped onion, crushed garlic, butter and spices together. Make sure to clean the rice before mixing it all. Set aside.

Remove the cabbage from the pot and run under cold water for a few seconds. Gently peel the leaves off one by one and cool on a rack (try not to stack them). As you get closer to the core, if the leaves are still too hard, put the cabbage back into the water and cook for another few minutes. 

Folding: on a flat surface, take each cabbage leaf and gently scrape the end bit to get an even thickness. You have to do this with each leaf - otherwise you'll have a hard time folding them because the end bit will break off and you'll end up very frustrated (that's precisely what happened the first time I tried to make it). 

Place 1 tsp of mince at the edge of the leaf. Fold once over, then over from each side, then roll all the way like a cigar. Repeat this step for each leaf. Stack the rolls as tightly as possible in a large pot - make sure to put any bits of left over cabbage at the bottom of the pot so the rolls won't stick to it - and cover  3/4 with water. Toss in the garlic cloves, cover and cook on high heat until it starts to boil, then lower heat and cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve with a Baladi salad (chopped cucumber and tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil) and plain yoghurt on the side. Slice a few lemon wedges and serve all together.

Sahtein! 

Lentil & Quinoa Salad

Hello Foodscape Followers!

We've got another salad recipe to feature this week. With only a few weeks to go before bikini season starts, this is a simple, healthy option packed with protein and essential amino acids. We used ingredients that were already in our fridge, however you can try different variations using what you like. Here we used quinoa and green lentils, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, an onion, fresh mint and feta cheese. For the dressing we kept it simple, olive oil and lemon juice as it goes very well with the fresh mint.

Lentil & Quinoa Salad

Ingredients (3-4 people)
1 cup uncooked lentils
1 cup uncooked quinoa
10 cherry tomatoes
1/4 large cucumber
1 small onion
crumbled feta for topping

Dressing: juice of 1 lemon mixed with 4 generous tablespoons olive oil, salt & pepper

Preparation:
1) Cook the lentils in 2 cups of boiling water for about 20 minutes or until soft. Once cooked, drain excess water and set aside to allow to cool.
2) At the same time, separately cook the quinoa in 2 cups of boiling water for about 15 minutes. Once cooked, drain excess water and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
3) While the lentils and quinoa are cooking, finely chop the onion, the mint and the cucumber. Cut the cherry tomatoes in quarters and place all the ingredients in a large bowl.
4) Once the lentils and quinoa have cooled off, add to the ingredients and drizzle with the dressing.
5) Optional: we topped off the salad with crumbled feta to give it extra flavour

Torta de Frango (chicken tart)

Spring time !!!! Does that mean picnics and brunch “al fresco”?

Here is a great tip for a quick and easy homemade delicious chicken tart that you can prepare in just under 40 mins. Once ready, just cut in small pieces - it’s a great snack that you can easily take out on a picnic,  at your friend’s house or serve with other bites. 

This recipe is tasty, practical and it goes down like a treat.  The good thing about this mix is that you can get as creative as you like with the filling: either by adding ingredients of your choice or simply by turning it into a vegetarian snack. 

If you prefer, you can also serve it as a meal with a fresh salad on the side, the combination works beautifully.

Enjoy it

Ingredients :

For the dough:

- 2 eggs

- 2 cups milk

- ½  cup vegetable oil

- 2 cups flour

- 1 tbsp (tablespoons) baking powder

- Salt to taste

- 125gr parmesan cheese (grated)

For the Filling:

-  Shredded chicken

- 3 tomatoes, chopped

- 1 can of peas

- Olives (handful)
- 1 red pepper (optional)

- Mushrooms (handful)

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preparation 

For the dough:

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and set aside.

For the Filling:

Heat the olive oil in pan and toss in the shredded chicken (already cooked and seasoned). Stir for a couple of minutes and add the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, peas, onions, olives, mushrooms, etc). Don’t cook it for too long, all you need is to give it a little bit of colour, then set aside.

Mounting:

In an ovenproof baking dish (greased and floured), pour half the dough and cover with all the filling.

Pour the remaining dough on top and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Place in a preheated oven at 180C temperature and cook for 45mins or until golden/brown.

Serve warm or cold

Tip : if you want to serve it as snack bites, make sure the pie cools off before cutting it. 

Summer salad & Fettuccine Alfredo

Hello food lovers,

We had the most amazing weather over the past week, quite unusual for this time of the year in London. This has inspired us to make simple, yet very colourful dishes using seasonal ingredients. We had a great time putting this meal together, you'd be surprised how easy it is to make. A simple rocket salad with red fruits and vegetables (pomegranate, tomatoes and radishes) and for the main course, Fettucine Alfredo with Kalamata olives and fresh basil.  

Summer Salad:

Simply mix together thinly sliced radishes, cherry tomatoes and pomegranate seeds on a bed of rocket leaves. Season to your taste, balsamic vinegar and olive oil works very well for this. Another alternative is a dressing I make for Fatouche (a popular Lebanese salad), which is the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 tsp pomegranate molasses, 3 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp Zaatar and 1/2 tsp sumac. Simply mix the sauce together, add salt and pepper et voila!

Summer Salad

Fettucine Alfredo 

Alfredo sauce: 
Alfredo is probably the easiest sauce you could ever make for a pasta dish but it doesn't come short on calories. So to reduce damage, I usually make it with half fat crème fraiche, a thick French style sour cream. Melt 50g of butter into a saucepan on low heat. Add 200ml of crème fraiche and stir until butter has melted. Add 80g of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and keep stirring until the sauce has slightly thickened and all the parmesan bits have melted (approx 20mins). Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately over pasta of your choice. Optional: add chopped Kalamata olives and fresh basil to give your dish extra flavour.  

Apple Tempura

Hello bloggers,


Yesterday we decided to cook dinner for Maria who is leaving after being with us for four months.
I wanted to cook Asian food for a change and I was set on the entire menu except for the dessert part. I looked in the numerous cook books that we have but nothing stood out enough - I wanted to make something light, with an Asian influence to complement the rest of the dinner. And then it came to me: why not try something completely new and original... What if I were to make tempura for dessert? So I looked inside my fridge and found beautiful red English apples. That's when I decided to make apple tempura. I had absolutely no idea how it would turn out but I knew it needed something sweet on the side. I originally wanted to make a cinnamon sauce for dipping but once we finished dinner, which included a rice noodle salad with grilled peanuts and coriander, a teriaki halibut with sesame seeds and green vegetables on the side, I was a bit reluctant to make a cinnamon sauce considering it is made of condensed milk, butter and sugar.... I thought I'd better stay away from that for now since we're a few weeks away from bikini season (girls I know you understand my point here), which is why I simply decided to sprinkle icing sugar and ground cinnamon instead.
The result: it was simply delicious, the tempura was fluffy and very crispy - just the way you want it to be. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take the calories out this time, that's why a 10km jog was added to my schedule this morning... Definitely worth every bite!

Apple Tempura

Apple Tempura for 4-5 people
Ingredients
3 apples (medium size)
Icing sugar
Ground cinnamon

Tempura Batter
2 egg yolks
350ml iced water
1 teaspoon cornflower
200g flour

Method:
1) Peel the apples and cut in thin slices - set aside
2) To make the batter, simply mix the eggs with the iced water, then add the corn flour and flour, then mix.
3) Soak your apples in the batter.
4) In a hot pan, deep fry the apples using vegetable oil. Make sure the oil is very hot so the tempura doesn't get soggy. Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden.
5) Remove from the pan and rest on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
6) Sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon to taste.

Coconut Muffins

Hello Bloggers and Friends

 With the weekend approaching and the sky looking so grey, why not a tip for the weekend? Baking ...?

Felipe will be hosting a breakfast on Sunday  and I’m already thinking of what tI can make to bring to his house… Until I figure it out, here is our last Sunday baking session, a beautiful and moist coconut muffin, it’s so easy to make and its perfect for an afternoon tea.

Watch the space for Felipe’s breakfast on Sunday, we have been promised a “Brioche a la Flip”, looking forward to i!

Have a great weekend all!

Makes 12

Ingredients

4 eggs

2 cups of sugar

3 cups of all purpose flour

1 cup orange juice (250ml)

2 tbspoon of grated coconut

50gr butter

1 teaspoon of baking powder

For the covering:

1 small can of coconut milk

1 can of condensed milk

125gr of grated coconut ( fresh works best)  

Preparation

1.Using a food processor whisk the egg whites until snow forms

2.Add the sugar and butter and continue to whisk for another 3 minutes until smooth

3.Add the egg yolks, the flour , the juice and continue beating until forming a homogeneous mass

4.Add the baking powder last and whisk it for 40 seconds to mix it all together  

5.In a muffin tray place the baking cups and add the mix up to ¾

6.Bake at 180 degrees for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until golden  

Topping:

1.In a bowl mix the coconut milk and condensed milk, add 3 tbspoon of water and the coconut for last

2.Reserve

3.As soon as the muffins are baked, remove them from the oven and pierce the top with a fork to allow the topping to penetrate to make the muffins very moist.

4.Pour the covering onto each muffin while hot and sprinkle some fresh coconut on top

5.Let sit in the refrigerator for approximately 2 hours before serving

3 Course dinner - Catching up with old friends

Preparing a 3 course dinner on a week day after work can be quite hectic , but there are many simple things you can make that can really impress your guests and you can still eat at reasonable time. We love picking up ideas from our cook books and I must say the Jamie Oliver 30 min meals is great , I love how simple and delicious his dishes are !!! This time I picked up the chocolate Ganache from his book  and it was just what I was looking for: quick , tasty and beautiful (you just can’t go wrong with chocolate).
I hadn’t seen Monica and Patricia in a long time and Monica always says how much she misses my food ,so I was on a mission to make something that would remind her of why she missed it , something simple but full of flavor. I went for a pan fried scallops  with chili sauce served with rocket salad, followed by a spicy crusted cod fish served with butter beans and crunchy purple broccolis. Then to finish the meal off, chocolate Ganache … 

Everything went well, the food was delicious but there was one little disaster: I used a super hot chili for the fish crust and for those who can’t take hot spices, I certainly wouldn't recommend it, it was burning hot … so be careful when choosing your chili peppers , make sure you know how hot they are .

pan fried scallops with chili sauce



purple broccolis with garlic




spicy crusted cod with butter beans





chocolate ganache



Pan fried scallops with rocket and chili sauce

Scallops (3 per person)

For the sauce :

1 tblspoon Coriander

1 Lemon

2 Chilies ( red and green)

Olive oil , salt and pepper for seasoning

Rocket leaves for serving

Place the scallops on a paper towel to absorb the moist, meanwhile prepare the sauce: finely chop the coriander and the chili,  add to a small serving bowl, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and drizzle some olive oil on top. Add a little bit of salt and pepper to taste . Once it’s  ready, put aside.

In a hot frying pan , drizzle some olive oil and gently pan fry the scallops, turning only once , leave it until its golden 5-7 min depending on the size

For serving , place a few rocket leaves on a plate and place the scallops on top , drizzling some of the sauce on top , ready to serve

Spicy crusted cod with butter beans

Fish

Fillets of Cod (without skin )

100 g crusty bread

100 g corn flour

½  leek

1 spring onion

½  celery

1 chili

1 onion ( finely chopped)

2 lemon

1 tomatoes

Small bunch of fresh coriander

Using a roasting tray , place the cod and drizzle olive oil , salt and pepper and the juice of 1 lemon , rub and toss the fillets in the flavours ,then put it under the grill in the middle tray of the oven for 5 min while you make the topping

For the topping :

using a food processor :

mix 1 - whiz onions , celery , spring onions and leek . put it aside

mix 2 - repeat process with the chopped bread making the crumbs adding the corn flour in the end . put it aside

in a large frying pan with high heat drizzle some olive oil and add mix 1  gently fry it until golden

In a large mixing bowl add mix 1 and 2 together and the chopped tomatoes,  squeeze the lemon of 1 juice and mix it all together you should get a moist crumb past.

Get the fish out of the oven and spread the mix on top of the fish , drizzle some olive oil and put it back in the oven for another 10 min , until crumbs are golden and crispy

Beans

150gr pancetta

2 tomatoes

1 x 400g tin of butter beans

Some fresh herbs , coriander or parsley

1 finely chopped onion

In a sauce pan drizzle some oil and add the pancetta , with medium heat , toss occasionally until it’s crispy , leave on the side

Using the same pan (fremove the extra oil from  the bacon put aside) fry the onions with a drizzle of olive oil and add the chopped tomatoes, with the onions golden, tip in the beans and their juices and the bacon let it simmer gently to cook the liquid down . sprinkle some coriander on top and ready to serve  

Broccolis

400gr purple broccoli

3 cloves of garlic ( finely sliced )

1 red chili  ( finely sliced)

Seasoning

2 tbsp Cider vinegar

2 tbsp Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Juice of half lemon

Put the broccoli into a pan of boiling water cook for a couple of minutes until tender , don’t cook it too much , you want to keep it quite crunchy , once cooked drain the water and place it in a serving platter

For seasoning using a small frying pan add the finely sliced garlic with a drizzle of olive oil , tossing occasionally until golden brown . 

For the sauce , mix olive oil , cider vinegar and the lemon , shake it until it all mix together

On the platter dress the broccoli with the sauce and toss quickly so it spreads through , sprinkle the garlic and chili on top

Ganache

2 x 100G bars of good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

A large knob of butter

300ml single cream

2 clementines

Some biscuits for serving

Pour boiling water into a deep cooking pot and place a large bowl on top (bain marie)

smash up the chocolate bars into the bowl and add the butter and cream with a pinch of salt . Finely grate in a zest of 1 clementine, gently stir and leave it to melt

once melted, give the chocolate a good stir and divide them into small serving bowls or espresso cups  , arrange the Clementine and biscuits on a platter and ready to serve

Carrot cupcake for Amani's Birthday

Following Amani’s birthday party “Barrio Latino@Minories” her birthday celebrations was not quite completed without the cake

On Tuesday (her actual birthday) I decided to surprise her by baking my most “famous” carrot cake (“famous” simply means everyone has heard me talking about it but no one has had it for at least the past 13 years) … after baking so many carrot cakes for a Brazilian café I worked  when I first arrived in London, somehow I had a super block and could never bake it again

…Until I decided to leave my fears behind  and try again … this time I swapped the traditional round tray for cupcakes which was much more fun, I also changed the recipe slightly from the old one , and frankly it turned out much better, especially with the lighter icing with some twist on the original recipe, instead of full cream cheese you half the measures with yogurt …hmmm (see below full recipe)

So now I’m back in the game , I can officially bake carrot cakes again ...

Makes: 12

Ingredients

Cake

2 large eggs

175g golden caster sugar

150ml sunflower oil

200g self-raising flour, sifted

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

2 medium carrots, coarsely grated

1 tsp vanilla extract

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons  (save some for topping )

Icing     

150g Light Soft Cheese

150g natural yogurt

100g icing sugar, sifted

Preparation

Step 1.Preheat the oven to 180°C . Place 12 paper muffin cases in a  muffin tin

Step 2.Put the eggs, sugar and oil in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy

Step 3.Using a baking spatula gently fold in the flour, spices, grated carrot, vanilla extract and the lemon zest, until thoroughly combined. Optional you can add some nuts of your choice

Step 4.Divide the mixture between the muffin cases then place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

For the icing :

Beat together the soft cheese , yogurt and icing sugar until smooth. Chill for 10-15 min in the fridge until ready to use.

Using a food pipe spread the icing over the cooled cakes and top with the remaining zest and some nuts

Kafta & Salads

Hello Bloggers and Friends

I’m sure many of you have made this dish or have eaten it somewhere, but it’s always good to add a piece of your imagination with very simple ingredients found in your fridge or cupboard. One of the things we find absolutely essential to have in our kitchen  is a full shelf of different spices and herbs. The amazing flavors and smells add character to the dish and compliment meats and vegetables so well, it’s a combination made in heaven.

Today , we have Lebanese Kafta marinated with different spices and love, Potato salad with yogurt sauce and Cucumber and Chili salad. This is not a heavy meal and can be prepared in just 30 mins. It can also be a great suggestion for casual dinner parties so you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen. 

Enjoy!

Tip : stock up your cupboard with amazing spices from all over the world , it will give you a taste of adventure. 

Serves 4 people

Kafta

Ingredients :

½ kilo of lean ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2  teaspoon of cumin seeds and ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

1 slice of bread of soft bread (cut the borders and moist with a bit of water )

Optional : 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley or coriander

Preparation :

Step 1 : In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients until evenly blended (onion, parsley, spices, salt, pepper and the moist slice of bread). The bread will help the meat and the spices stick together.

Step 2 :  Divide into small portions, and press around one end of the skewers to form a log shape

Step 3: Preheat the grill for high heat or If using  the pan sprinkle some olive oil on it (you may have to remove the skewers depending on the size of the pan )

Step 4 :Grill for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until meat is golden brown

Potato salad

Ingredients :

½ kilo of new potatoes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

200gr natural yogurt

1 tablespoon of fresh parsley or coriander finely chopped

1 to 1 ½  tablespoon of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste  

Preparation :

Step 1 :leaving the skin on place the potatoes in a sauce pan and bring it to boil until its tender. Let it cool down for 15 min.

Step 2 : cut the potatoes in half in half and place it in a large bowl

Step 3: adding the olive oil , salt , pepper and for last the yogurt

Step 4 :mix it gently and sprinkle the fresh herbs on top

Cucumber salad

Preparation :

Cut the cucumber in fine slices , add some finely chopped chilies and dress it with olive oil and lime juice

Tip: you can also add on top some fine slices of onion marinated in balsamic vinegar  ( drain the vinegar before serving ) , the balsamic vinegar reduces the acidity of the onion and gives a fabulous flavor