Chili Hot Dogs

Hello everybody.

it’s been a long time since my last post , well let’s agree that it’s been a crazy weird year ,busy days and lots of work i couldn’t find time to my blog at all.

Anyway hoping this year i’ll go back to posting more regularly.

Today as every Friday we cook outdoors , chili sauce with hot dogs and noodles .

for the sauce i used

500 gm minced beef

250 gm sausages

1 chopped onion

1 large chopped tomato

1 can red beans

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumen

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup water .

saute meat then sausages in some oil

add onions and spices

add tomatoes then beans and water.

leave to simmer till thick

serve with pasta and cheese or with grilled hot dogs

Biscotti

Hello everybody,hope you all enjoyed your weekend.

Friday was fridge cleanup day, result was bits and pieces of different ingredients that called for something sweet. After some thinking I decided to make a selection of bicottis ,they’ll be a nice Christmas present for our friends.

Basic ingredients for all types are the same, butter ,sugar, eggs and flour but you can play with the flavor as you wish .I made tahini molasses,walnuts and coconut, chocolate with candied oranges and cranberries and anise ( this one doesn’t have butter only olive oil)

I prepared dough and kept it in fridge till the next day ,well covered with nylon wrap of course.

Ingredients :

100 gm or 3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sodium bicarbonate

Now the flavors

add 1/4 cup tahini and 2 tablespoons molasses , pinch of cardamon for tahini flavor , cover roll with sesame before cutting.
add 1/2 cup of roasted coconut and 1/2 cup of crushed walnut for an Italian cream cake flavor.
add 1/2 cup of cocoa,2 tablespoons of candied oranges cut to pieces and some cranberries for a chocolaty flavor.
for the anise ones ,omit the butter and add 3/4 cup olive oil , 2 tablespoons of each anise seeds and powder .

*method is same for all

beat butter or oil with sugar very well
add egg and vanilla
add the flavor you like
add dry ingredients and beat till dough holds together well
Note: you might need a bit of extra flour to make the dough not so sticky
wrap dough in nylon and cool for few hours.
now shape it to flat cylinders,cut to one inch slices then put them on a pan with wax paper
bake in medium heated oven (160 c) for 10-13 minutes.
leave to cool completely then store in an air tight container.

Buche De Noel.

1933

Merry Christmas everybody.

Hope you all are enjoying your holidays with family and loved ones.

Well today we had Mansaf for lunch but unusually dessert wasn’t Knafeh as usual, since it’s Christmas and my brother’s birthday is after tomorrow i decided to bake a lovely Buche de Noel or Yule Log as some call it.

After a quick search in several pages I did my own version, same ingredients of Cherry Cake but added cocoa powder and omitted the lemon juice, turned out really good.

1957

Ingredients and method:

* 5 eggs ( used 6 cause they were small)

* 1 cup sugar.

* lemon zest,vanilla and 2 tsp baking powder.

* 1/4 cup vegetable oil.

* 1/2 cup cocoa.

* 1 cup flour.

* whipping cream.

* any kind of filling you like like coconuts,crunch,strawberries,blueberries…e

* Separate eggs whites from yolks and beat well till stiff and white.

* beat all other ingredients well till creamy.

* fold in the egg whites slowly till all mixed together.

* pour in a greased rectangular baking tray ,cake layer must be thin.

* bake in a medium hot oven for 30-35 minutes.

* while still warm flip the cake on a clean kitchen towel sprinkled with icing sugar then roll it and leave to cool.

*unfold cake then fill with cream and blueberries like i did today then roll it back.

* now cut ends and put it alongside the roll so as to look like a bark

* top it with cream and leave to cool

1958

Now make some gananche ( half cup of heated heavy cream with half cup of chocolate chips ) put it on top of the roll and make lines .

* Decorate with icing sugar and any Christmas decorations available.

1934

Zalabya.

150

Hello everybody.

Today’s dessert is a very old traditional one that our Grandmas usually made when new olive oil is in cause it’s basically a dough fried in pure olive oil though I prefer to mix it with vegetable oil so as not to burn quickly.

As for presentation you can either eat it as is with sweet cheese and olives or dusted with caster sugar or simple syrup.

155

Ingredients and method.

*5 cups flour ( I mixed 3 white and 2 whole wheat)

* 1 tablespoon aniseed powder.

* 1 tablespoon fennel powder.

* 2-3 tablespoons sesame seeds.

* 2-3 tablespoons black seeds.

* 1 tablespoon instant yeast dissolved with some sugar and lukewarm water.

* 1/2 cup sugar.

* enough water to knead the dough.

* Mix all ingredients and knead well till you get a kind of soft dough.

* leave to rest and rise then form equal small balls and leave to rest for 30-40 minutes.

* heat oil very well then spread each ball to a thin round flat bread .

* remove carefully and fry till golden.

* sprinkle with icing sugar or honey before serving.

155

Pavlova

Hello everybody.

I know it’s been such a long time since i posted in my blog, well actually catering and taking orders took lots of my time and effort but I’m back again people, with new recipes more professional photos and lots of enthusiasm and love.

Will start with this festive full of love Pavlova that i took with me to a friend this morning, topped with cream berries and strawberry sauce.

Pavlova,a meringue based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova, crisp crust ,soft light inside ,origin of this is debatable between Australia and New Zealand but formal research indicates New Zealand as the source.

Ingredients and method :
* 6 egg whites (at room temperature)
* 1 1/2 cups sugar.
* 1/2 tsp lemon juice.
* 1/2 tsp white vinegar.
* 1 tsp vanilla.
* 2 table spoons corn flour.

* whisk egg whites till frothy white and stiff. (6-7 minutes)
* add sugar gradually then rest of ingredients.
* on a piece of wax paper drop the mixture in a heap circular shape and try to make peaks.
* bake in a low heated oven for 1 1/2 hours.
* keep the pavlova in the oven till it cools completely.
* beat 1 pack of fresh cream with a pack of whipping cream or sugar till it double in size.
* top cream over pavlova then add fruits like strawberries, kiwi,pomegranate or berries then serve immediately.

August,the month of cakes.

Hello everybody.

I know I’m becoming terribly lazy in posting new recipes ,seems like catering and blogging don’t work well together, no time at all to try new recipes at all.

But definitely catering took me to another level specially in baking and decorating cake, since August was full of parties and birthdays I had a chance to take new challenges and creations.

Here are the cakes I did through these two months, they vary in flavors and fillings according to client wishes.