Nicoise Salad

I simply LOVE LOVE LOVE  this salad, especially when is served in a nice sunny day with a glass of chardonnay....:-) 

1 small baguette (1-2 days old preferably)
2 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 large eggs
20 green beans, trimmed and tailed
4 small tomatoes (fresh, semi-dried or confit)
4 small kipfler potatoes, boiled and sliced into discs
4 teaspoons lilliput capers
1 red onion, cut into 5 mm (¼ in) rings
50 g (2 oz) olives
200 ml (7 fl oz) olive oil
40 ml (1½ fl oz) sherry vinegar
4 x 100g (3½ oz) fish fillets (tuna, red mullet or kingfish)
4 tablespoons baby rocket
1 lemon, halved

1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Slice the baguette into 1 cm (½ in) thick slices and lay on a flat baking tray. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 5-6 minutes, then remove from oven and rub slices with the garlic clove.

2 Put the eggs in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Take out after 6 minutes, when the yolks will still be soft. Set aside and keep warm.

3 Place another pan on the stove, fill with 2 litres (5 pints) of salted water and bring to the boil. Add the beans and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove beans and refresh by placing in iced water for 2 minutes, until cold.

4 In a stainless steel bowl combine the croutons, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, capers, onion and olives, season well.

5 In a separate bowl or jar, mix 200 ml olive oil and sherry vinegar well.

6 Preheat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Season the fish and brush with more olive oil. Reduce heat to low, place the fish skin side down in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn fish over and cook for a further minute.

7 Toss the salad together with the dressing.

8 To serve, set out 4 flat bowls or plates and place a fillet in the centre of each. Arrange the salad neatly around the fish. Peel the eggs carefully, cut in half, season them and arrange on top of the salad. Scatter baby rocket over and serve with a wedge of lemon on the side.

Baby Pecan Pies

These are delicious served warm as a dessert or can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. They also freeze well. It's best not to double the recipe, if you want to make more just make a second batch after the first.

 For the pastry:

• 125g butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• For the filling:
• 1 cup pecan nuts
• 60 g butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup soft brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method: Spray two 12 cup mini muffins tins with non stick baking spray. Place ingredients into a food processor and run machine until the pastry clumps around the blade. Divide pastry into 16 small balls and, with floured hands, press into the bases and up the sides of 16 muffin trays. Place the pastry-lined tins in the freezer to chill for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is really firm and hard. Divide the nuts between the pastry-lined cups, breaking the nuts in half if necessary. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C. Melt the butter, whisk in the egg, brown sugar and vanilla essence until smooth but somewhat gluey. Using a small jug, pour approximately a teaspoon of this mixture into each nut filled cup and bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling set and crisp. remove from the oven for 5 minutes in the tins, until the pies are cool enough to handle. Give each pie a little twist to loosen the bottom, then carefully lift out to cool completely on a wire rack.

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Thai style shrimp and Avocado in Tamarind Sauce

Have you ever thought of exploring other cuisines without even look for a recipe or ask some one to guide you how to make it? Well...It can happen....all you need to do is to open your cupboard and look around, see what you can find to create some thing dynamic....some thing that you can develop and be proud of to show and serve....well, this is what happened to me last Sunday and I came with this recipe that WOWED every body in the neighbourhood..... Try it and you'll see...

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced and separated into rings
• 1/4 cup tamarind pulp (from a pliable block)
• 1/2 cup boiling-hot water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 firm-ripe California avocados
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 (1 1/2- to 2-inch-long) fresh Thai chiles or 1 serrano, stemmed and minced (including seeds)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 lb large shrimp in shell (21 to 25 per lb), peeled, leaving tail and first segment of shell intact, and deveined
• 1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts, 

Preparations: 

• 
  
• choppedFry shallot and make tamarind sauce:
• 
  
• Heat oil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then fry shallot, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain (shallots will crisp as they cool). Reserve oil.
  Soak tamarind pulp in boiling-hot water in a small bowl until softened, about 5 minutes. Force pulp through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Add sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice and stir until sugar is dissolved.
  Cut avocados and cook shrimp:
  Halve, pit, and peel avocados. Cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks and toss with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice in a bowl.
  Transfer reserved oil to a 12-inch heavy skillet and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté ginger, garlic, chiles, and salt, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and sauté, turning over once, 2 minutes total. Stir in tamarind mixture and simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
  Spoon shrimp and avocado over rice, then sprinkle with peanuts and fried shallot.
  
  
  Bon Appétit
  
  
  
  

Persian Pistachio Nougat (Gaaz)

Nougat or Gaaz is a traditional recipes features the flavours of crunchy pistachio and delicate rose water.

it is also very popular in Iran...almost every bakery or sweet shop carry this nougats. The possibilities of using other nuts are endless, so use your taste buds and your imagination and create your own.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp rose water
• 1 cup toasted pistachio or almonds or mixture of both

Directions:

1. Line a 8x8 square pan lining with aluminium foil and cooking spray, set aside.
2. In a large clean bowl or stand mixer whip the egg whites until holds stiff peaks.
3. Combine water, corn syrup, salt to boil on medium high heat, until sugar dissolved and the temperature reaches to 250 degrees.
4. At this point remove the syrup from the heat and slowly in a very thin stream while the mixer is running pour 3/4 of the syrup and keep whisking until mixture holds its shape.
5. Return sauce pan with the sugar syrup back on the stove and continue to cook over medium high heat until it reaches to 300 degrees. ( hard cracking stage)
6. With the mixer running add the rest of the surup slowly until the mixture becomes thick.
7. Add the rose water and nuts and beat until is just combined.
8. Spoon nougat in prepared pan and smooth up the top. leave in the fridge until it sets completely.
9. Take out of the mold and cut into squares. 
10. Store the nougats in air tight container and keep it in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Enjoy... :-)

Tequila-Infused Queso Fundido

I have lots and lots of Latino friends, I love and so proud of them...
This old recipe is one of my favourite that I had to beg my Columbian friend to share it with me about 15 years ago.... I tried it in one her parties and instantly got hooked....perfect for the weekend crowd to enjoy with your family and friends...


Love you Adelida where ever you are!

                                                                   
Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive or vegetable oil 
1 large ripe tomato, cored, seeded (if you wish) and cut into 1/4-inch pieces 
1 medium white onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces 
Hot green chile(s) to taste (roughly 1 large jalapeño or 2 large serranos), stemmed, seeded (if you wish) and finely chopped 
3 Tbs. tequila, preferably a silver tequila 
8 oz. Mexican melting cheese (such as Chihuahua, quesadilla or asadero) or Monterey Jack, mild cheddar or brick, shredded (you'll have about 2 cups) 
1/2 cup (loosely packed) chopped cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off) 

Direction:

Prepare the flavorings. Heat the oil in a large (10-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add the tomato, onion and chile(s), and cook, stirring nearly constantly, until the onion begins to soften and brown, about 7 minutes. Add the tequila and cook, stirring, for a minute or so, until reduced to a glaze. (If you tip the pan toward an open gas flame, the tequila will ignite. If you choose this route, simply shake the pan back and forth until the flames subside and the tequila has reduced to a glaze.)

Finish the queso fundido. With the skillet of tequila-infused vegetables over medium-low, sprinkle in the cheese. Stir slowly and constantly until just melted-too long over the heat and the cheese will become tough, oily and stringy. Scoop into a warm dish, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve right away with tortillas for making soft tacos or chips to dip.


Bon Appétit 

Country Style Corn Bread

Well, here is another recipe to inspire you on Sunday morning with your PJ on, yawning or may be a little hangover from last night partying..... take a sip of your coffee, roll up your sleeves and walk to your kitchen. Grab your skillet, your ingredients and make a special day for you and your loved ones..... enjoy a warm, crusty, aromatic, fresh cornbread! Make an another memorable Sunday.... :-)

A golden crusty finish makes this a favourite. 

• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups cornmeal
• ½ cup of unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ½ cups of buttermilk
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen Ontario corn
• ¼ cup of chopped chives
• 1 tbsp jalapeno pepper chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place a cast iron pan (preferred) or any pan that can be placed in the oven, on top of a medium heat burner and heat the oil. Ensure that all the sides are coated.  Saute the onion till soft about 5 minutes. In the meantime, prepare your batter. Stir the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients and then pour into the flour mixture and stir well. Add corn and chives and mix. Pour into hot pan with onions and then place into oven for about 30 minutes (bake till golden brown on top). Cut into wedges and serve warm with butter or red pepper jelly.


Happy Baking!

Indian Spiced Chickpeas & Spinach (Chana Masala)

When I was in India so many years ago, I was fascinated by the variety of the spices and the colours and the aroma of each and every one of them. Unfortunately I wasn't there long enough to explore more about their cuisine, but for the few days that I had to be there I was fortunate enough to experience some of their desirable dishes. This recipe is one of my favourite among so many, I just fell in love with the simplicity yet so powerful that the taste stayed with me until today. I hope you enjoy it as well....

1/4 cup (60 mL) vegetable oil
3 tbsp (45 mL) cumin seeds
2 tbsp (30 mL) minced garlic (about 6 large cloves)
1 Tbsp ginger paste
1-1/2 tbsp (22 mL) each: garam masala, ground cumin
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 tsp coriander seed powder
1 tsp curry powder
Pinch pure chili powder
2 yellow onions, diced
28-oz (796-mL) can diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
1/4 cup fresh or frozen spinach (optional)
Two 19-oz (540-mL) cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed
Sour cream and parsly for garnish
Cooked Basmati rice (optional), for serving


Directions:
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high. Add cumin seeds and garlic and ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add all the spices at once into the saucepan. Cook, stirring for about a minute. Add onions; cover. Cook, stirring every minute, 3 minutes to soften. Add spinach and tomatoes with juices. Reduce heat to medium. Cover. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chickpeas and reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer 20 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Garnish with dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Serve over rice or Nann bread, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.