With the Compliments of...

Posts Tagged ‘pepper’

Red pepper & Aubergine Lasagne

Guest Recipe (Liz Zachopoulos)

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Cut the aubergines lengthways into thick slices , brush with oil and grill for 5-7 minutes each side. Leave to cool.
  5. Peel the cooled peppers.
  6. 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.
  7. Bake in the oven at 200 C for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling and golden.
  8. 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: ★★★★☆

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (4) Interesting (0) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)
Posted: March 7th, 2010
Categories: Greek
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: No Comments.

Carrots Ginger Soup

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

  1. In a soup pot, on medium low, add butter, oil, onions, carrots and salt.
  2. Saute until vegetables are soft.
  3. Add ginger and cook for a minute or two more. the add the stock to the mixture and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  4. Puree the soup mixture in a blender until smooth.
  5. 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: ★★★☆☆

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (0) Interesting (0) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)
Posted: February 26th, 2010
Categories: soup
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: No Comments.

Express Shawarma

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

  1. 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).
  2. Place the marinated meat in a non-stickable cooker, and cook for about 20 mins till the meat is browned but still juicy.
  3. 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: ★★★★☆

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (4) Interesting (0) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)
Posted: February 21st, 2010
Categories: Feast, Lebanese
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: No Comments.

Roasted Gigot

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

  1. Marinate and smear your “baby” Gigot (leg of Lamb) in a mixture of mustard, olive oil, black pepper and salt and some rosemary overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 190C degrees.
  3. In the leg, with a knife, poke the leg and stick some garlic cloves in it.
  4. Place the leg in a oven ready bag with the onion, potatoes, carrots and rosemary leaves.
  5. Place in a roasting pan and put into oven. Roast for about 3 hours.
  6. 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: ★★★★★

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (0) Interesting (0) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)
Posted: February 12th, 2010
Categories: Feast
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: No Comments.

Pizza con Prosciutto e Fichi

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

  1. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet with a rolling pin or your hands.
  2. Put the dough in an oiled baking sheet, brush with oil also the
    surface of the dough, sprinkle with the fennel seeds.
  3. Peel and cut the figs, place them over the pizza dough.
  4. Place cutted mozarella cheese on top.
  5. Season with olive oil, fresh black pepper and salt.
  6. Cook in oven at 250C degrees for about 20 minutes.
  7. 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: ★★★★★

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (0) Interesting (2) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)
Posted: January 29th, 2010
Categories: italian
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: 1 Comment.

Chestnut Soup

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

  1. 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)
  2. Add half cup of water then after it evaporates a little, add the milk and broth and simmer.
  3. Add chestnuts and simmer until chestnuts are falling apart.
  4. Remove soup from heat and stir in the heavy cream.
  5. Puree the mixture until it is blended and smooth, strain it for a smooth mixture.
  6. Add black pepper and salt to taste.
  7. 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: ★★★★★

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (0) Interesting (0) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)
Posted: January 28th, 2010
Categories: soup
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: 1 Comment.

Spanakotyropita (Spinach Pie with Feta Cheese)

Ingredients

Spinach & herb mixture:

  • 2 kgs of fresh spinach,washed, trimmed, and chopped
  • 2/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onions, chopped
  • 1 bunch of fresh dill, stems removed, chopped
  • 1/3 cup of water

Pita mixture:

  • Cooked spinach and herb mixture (above) at room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • 300 grams feta cheese
  • black fresh ground pepper
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 500 grams phyllo sheets
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions

Spinach and herbs

  1. Over medium heat, sauté the onion with dill.
  2. in olive oil in a large soup or stew pot until soft.
  3. Add water and spinach and bring to a boil.
  4. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Put in a colander to drain.
  6. When cooled, cover and continue to drain in the refrigerator overnight.

Pita Making

  1. Remove spinach from the refrigerator and keep in the colander over a bowl while allowing it to reach room temperature. As ingredients are added, it will continue to drain.
  2. Preheat oven to 175C.
  3. Beat the egg with a fork and add to the spinach.
  4. Crumble the cheese and add to the spinach, and toss with one or two forks until evenly distributed.
  5. Unroll the phyllo and count the sheets.
  6. Oil a pan measuring the same or slightly less than the phyllo sheets with 2 tablespoons of oil using a pastry brush.
  7. Lay half the phyllo in the pan, and fold in any overlap toward the
    center to fit the dough into the pan.
  8. Brush the top of the phyllo with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, covering
    it from side to side.
  9. Pour the spinach mixture into the pan and use a fork to spread it
    out evenly over the dough. Lay the other half of the phyllo sheets
    on top of the spinach, and fold in the overlap so the sheets fit in
    the pan.
  10. With a sharp knife, cut into 20 pieces, cutting all the way through
    to the bottom. Use your hand to sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water
    evenly over the top. Work with small amounts of water to
    distribute evenly. Do not touch the dough with wet hands.
    Bake at 170°C for 40 minutes until golden brown.
  11. Cut and serve.

Cooking time (duration): 70

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 6

Meal type: lunch

Culinary tradition: Greek

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (0) Interesting (0) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)
Posted: December 27th, 2009
Categories: Greek
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: 2 Comments.

Octopus, Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche

Ingredients

  • 100 grams octopus (semi-cooked)
  • 100 grams shrimps (21-25 preferable semi-cooked)
  • 100 grams scallops (semi-cooked)
  • 2 medium tomatoes (finely chopped)
  • 1 red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 small chili pepper (finely minced)
  • 1 small yellow bell pepper (finely minced)
  • 1 small jalapeño pepper
  • 2 kg limes (juiced)
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of fresh cilantro
  • salt, black and red pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cut the seafood ingredients into munchies (bite-size) pieces then mix them together.
  2. Cut the onion a la julienne.
  3. Cut tomatoes, red and yellow and green bell peppers into small squares.
  4. Mix the onion, tomatoes, lime juice, bell peppers, jalapeño, cilantro , olive oil, salt and pepper, then add them to the seafood mixture.

Quick Notes

Serve fresh with a good chilled mojito or beer.

Cooking time (duration): 25

Diet (other): Low calorie

Number of servings (yield): 6

Meal type: hors d’oerves

Culinary tradition: Central American

My rating:5 stars: ?????

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (0) Interesting (0) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)

Tsatziki

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber (finely sliced)

  • 2 cup yogurt
  • 2 clove garlic (mashed)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • pepper and salt to taste
  • 1 pinch of mint (thinly sliced)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Mix in the cucumber and yogurt with all other ingredients.

  2. Serve Cold.

Variations

Add some Dill to taste if available

Cooking time (duration): 10

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 4

Meal type: hors d’oerves

Culinary tradition: Middle Eastern

My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (0) Interesting (0) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)
Posted: December 18th, 2009
Categories: Amuse-Bouche/Hors-D’œuvre, mezza, tapa
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: No Comments.

Hindbeh Bi Zayt (Dandelion in Oil)

Ingredients

  • 1 kg hindbeh (dandelion)

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 5 onions sliced
  • 2 red bell peppers sliced
  • salt to taste
  • fresh black pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Remove yellow leaves from hindbeh. Wash well. Chop to smaller pieces.

  2. Bring water to a boil, add hindbeh leaves and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
  3. Drain and rinse in cold water.
  4. Squeeze until dry.
  5. Fry onion until golden with hindbeh for 15 minutes.
  6. Add garlic, bell pepper, black pepper and salt and fry for 5 minutes.
  7. Serve cold with lemon juice.

Quick Notes

Fry some almonds or pine-nuts and sprinkle while serving.

Cooking time (duration): 40

Diet type: Vegetarian

Number of servings (yield): 4

Meal type: hors d’oerves

Culinary tradition: Middle Eastern

My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★

Did you dig this munchin??
Awesome (0) Interesting (0) Useful (0) Boring (0) Sucks (0)
Posted: December 5th, 2009
Categories: Lebanese, mezza, tapa
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments: No Comments.