Ingredients
- 1 recipe tomato sauce
- 1 recipe cheese sauce
- 4 large red peppers
- 3 medium or aubergines
- 500 grams Lasagne sheets
- 50g parmesan freshly grated.
Tomato sauce
- 2 cans of chopped tomatoes
- 30ml Olive oil
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- Pinch of sugar
Cheese sauce
- 1 liter of milk
- 1 heaped tablespoon of flour
- 50g of butter
- 200g of grated cheese, a good melting cheese such as gouda, emmental or cheddar.
- 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg.
Instructions
- Tomato sauce: place the chopped tomatoes, half the oil, the garlic, basil and sugar into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer a little longer until the sauce is slightly concentrated. Cool.
- Cheese sauce: Put the all the ingredients except for the cheese in a saucepan and bring to the boil slowly whisking all the time. Once thickened, remove from the heat and leave for a minute or two to cool. Add the grated cheese and stir until melted into the sauce.
- Cut the peppers into quarters, brush with a little oil and grill for 5-7 minutes each side until charred and tender. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cover the bowl tightly with clingfilm (cellophane wrap). This will loosen the skin of the peppers.
- Cut the aubergines lengthways into thick slices , brush with oil and grill for 5-7 minutes each side. Leave to cool.
- Peel the cooled peppers.
- Grease a large oven proof dish with a little oil and begin layering your lasagne. Start with tomato sauce, then aubergine, red pepper, lasagne sheets and cheese sauce. Finish with lasagne and a coating of cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan.
- Bake in the oven at 200 C for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling and golden.
- Leave to cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Variations
Serve with garlic bread and green leafy salad.
Cooking time (duration): 60
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: lunch
Culinary tradition: Greek
My rating:4 stars: ★★★★☆
Ingredients
- 500 grams carrots (mincely chopped)
- 100 grams onions (mincely chopped)
- 2 tsp fresh ginger (grated)
- 6 cups stock
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- saltand black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a soup pot, on medium low, add butter, oil, onions, carrots and salt.
- Saute until vegetables are soft.
- Add ginger and cook for a minute or two more. the add the stock to the mixture and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Puree the soup mixture in a blender until smooth.
- Add lime zest and juice. Chill and serve.
Cooking time (duration): 20
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: supper
Culinary tradition: Chinese
My rating:3 stars: ★★★☆☆
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 kg entrecote
- 1 kg shrimps
Instructions
- Blend all the mixture except for the meat and shrimps till you get a puree.
- Spread the mixture over the meat and shrimps.
- Pre-heat the oven to 250 C.
- Grill steaks until cooked to desired doneness ( 6 minutes each side for a medium rare).
- Grill shrimps till they get reddish (about 10 minutes).
- Serve with lots of cocktail dip and fresh minted-lemonade, a mojito or a good ol’ sangría.
Variations
A good season salad with some baby corn, palmetto and avocado.
Cooking time (duration): 40
Number of servings (yield): 6
Meal type: lunch
Culinary tradition: USA (Nouveau)
My rating:4 stars: ★★★★☆
Authentic taste from Lebanon
Ingredients
- 2 kg lamb or beef meat (thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper
- 1 tsp Mastic
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 medium sized tomatoes
Instructions
- In a Bowl, mix all the peppers and salt together, add to the meat and the vinegar and olive oil and marinate before hand, at least 3 hours before cooking time (preferably overnight).
- Place the marinated meat in a non-stickable cooker, and cook for about 20 mins till the meat is browned but still juicy.
- Turn off the heat, add the tomatoes to steam them in the cooker for few mins before serving the delicious shawarma.
Quick Notes
serve with Tahini, and a mixed onions/parsley minced vegetables.
Variations
you can replace meat with chicken or turkey.
Cooking time (duration): 40
Number of servings (yield): 6
Meal type: lunch
Culinary tradition: Lebanese
My rating:4 stars: ★★★★☆
Recipe: little tastes of Venice!
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups almonds (blanched)
- 2 egg whites
- 1½ tsp cornstarch
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp amaretto
- ½ cup brown sugar
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 190 C degrees. Using a food processor, pulse the almonds, cornstarch and confectioners’ sugar until the almonds are very finely chopped.
2. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and add the salt. Beat the whites until foamy and light. Gradually add the granulated sugar in a steady stream, and beat until the whites are somewhat stiff and glossy. Beat in the almond extract and amaretto.
3. Gently fold in the ground-almond mixture. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar.
4. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are pale golden and begin to crack slightly, about 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 100 degrees. Leave oven door ajar and let cookies stand in oven until completely dry and crisp, 25-30 minutes more. Let cookies cool briefly on baking sheets, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Cooking time (duration): 50
Number of servings (yield): 40
Meal type: dessert
Culinary tradition: Italian
My rating:4 stars: ★★★★☆
Munch Upon a Time is throwing a giveaway this coming March 2010 to welcome the spring season.
All what you have to do is to comment and send your recipes through Munch Upon a Time comment box.
There will be 2 winners for “best recipe” and “best comment”. The winners will be chosen by Ghassan (see his photo on the left pane 
).
Prize: Moleskine Passions Journals (http://bit.ly/b91B7r)
How Many Winners: 2 winners
End Date: 21/03/2010
Delivery Date: 30/03/2010
Can Be Won: Worldwide
Prize From: Munch Upon a Time (http://ghassandeeb.com)
Don’t miss those lovely Journals and as always have a nice easy day .
Recipe: Green and Tasty!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp shallots (minced)
- 1 anchovy fillets (finely chopped)
- 50 grams chicken liver
- 1/4 cup broth (chicken or beef)
- 3 tbsp butter (unsalted)
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chervil (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (finely chopped)
Instructions
- In a pan or skillet, brown the chicken livers until well cooked and then puree them.
- Add white wine, stock, shallots, anchovies, to the mixture; Simmer until the liquid reduces to a glaze.
- Remove from heat, whisk in the butter.
- Finally, add the rest of the herbs.
Quick Notes
best served with a steak.
Cooking time (duration): 15
Number of servings (yield): 2
Meal type: hors d’oerves
Culinary tradition: French
My rating:3 stars: ★★★☆☆
You don’t want to miss that!
Ingredients
- ~5 kg Gigot (bone removed)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 medium sized onion
- 500 grams carrots
- 1 kg potatoes (preferably small bites)
- 4 tbsp mustard
- 2 leaves fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Marinate and smear your “baby” Gigot (leg of Lamb) in a mixture of mustard, olive oil, black pepper and salt and some rosemary overnight.
- Preheat oven to 190C degrees.
- In the leg, with a knife, poke the leg and stick some garlic cloves in it.
- Place the leg in a oven ready bag with the onion, potatoes, carrots and rosemary leaves.
- Place in a roasting pan and put into oven. Roast for about 3 hours.
- Remove and allow to rest 10 minutes before carving.
Quick Notes
serve with some pesto tagliatelle and red wine.
Variations
replace potatoes and carrots with any fruits, nuts or vegetables you like.
Cooking time (duration): 200
Number of servings (yield): 12
Meal type: supper
My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★
Pizza with ham and figs
Ingredients
- 500 grams of pizza dough
- 250 grams ham often cut into strips
- 250 grams fresh mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- extra virgin olive oil
- 14 fresh figs
- salt and fresh black pepper.
Instructions
- Roll out the dough into a thin sheet with a rolling pin or your hands.
- Put the dough in an oiled baking sheet, brush with oil also the
surface of the dough, sprinkle with the fennel seeds.
- Peel and cut the figs, place them over the pizza dough.
- Place cutted mozarella cheese on top.
- Season with olive oil, fresh black pepper and salt.
- Cook in oven at 250C degrees for about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with ham.
Quick Notes
Serve with rose wine.
Cooking time (duration): 40
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: lunch
Culinary tradition: Italian
My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★
Recipe: Chestnut Soup
Ingredients
- 500mg chestnuts (pre-roasted and peeled)
- 4 cups broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup cream (full fat)
- 1 medium onion (minced)
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper and thyme
Instructions
- Sauté the onions and thyme with a pinch of salt in the olive oil in a heavy bottom sauté pan until the onions are golden. (make to not burn the onions)
- Add half cup of water then after it evaporates a little, add the milk and broth and simmer.
- Add chestnuts and simmer until chestnuts are falling apart.
- Remove soup from heat and stir in the heavy cream.
- Puree the mixture until it is blended and smooth, strain it for a smooth mixture.
- Add black pepper and salt to taste.
- Enjoy
Quick Notes
If the soup feels too thick for you, add milk or cream to thin it out.
Cooking time (duration): 30
Diet type: Vegetarian
Number of servings (yield): 6
Meal type: lunch
Culinary tradition: USA (Nouveau)
My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★
