Pomegranate Festival In Irbid.

Hello everybody.

Headed up North to my hometown Irbid yesterday with some friends to visit the annual pomegranate festival usually held this time of the year.

Of course a stop at one of my cousin’s for coffee is a must, which means lots of yummies with it !

Festival was very nice full of various kinds of pomegranates ,sweet and sour . We also bought molasses and vinegar .

On our way back, another ritual again, we stopped for some fresh ewe yogurt, labaneh and bread.

A beautiful day out for sure.

Successful Catering Job.

Hello everybody.

Today I was honored to cater a workshop at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation for a group of Dutch experts.

I can proudly say it was a job well done, everything was perfect and work went on smoothly.

I did assorted cookies and snacks for the coffee break then followed by burgers, shawerma and falafel for lunch.

Along with zatar and cheese puffs all with veggies and olives.

Grand finale was a beautiful lemony cake topped with berries and ganache.

Kazandibi (Caramelized Pudding)

Hello everybody.

A friend of mine sent me a photo of this dessert after I posted the Turkish dish Iskander kebab,guess everybody got into the Turkish cuisine mood that day.

After some research I found the easiest recipe and made it yesterday, kept it in fridge all night to settle and served it with coffee this morning for my guests.

Feedback was all positive, taste is so yummy but my critical self thought it needs some adjustments, less sugar in pudding mixture and a bit more cornflower so as it’ll be easier to roll it when served.

Guess it’s okay for a first trial, hope next time it’ll look nicer.

Ingredients and method :

# 4 cups of milk.

# 1 pack of cream ( علبه قشطه صغيره)

# 1/2 cup of sugar.

# 1/2 tsp mistaka.

# 1 tsp rose water.

# 3 tablespoons cornflour.

# 3 tablespoons rice flour. (or all 6 cornflour will do)

# some butter and sugar for caramel.

#mix cold milk, cream with sugar, cornflour and rice flour well.

# boil till mixture is thick and creamy.

# add crushed mistaka and rose water.

# leave to cool.

# cover a wide non stick pan with butter then coat it with a layer of sugar.

#slowly add the pudding over it.

#over a medium heated gas place the pan and keep rotating it till pudding is bubbly and all sides are golden and caramelized. (about 20 minutes)

# directly put the pan in a tray full with iced water.

# leave to cool and settle in fridge.

# with a sharp spatula remove a piece with caramel bottom, flip and make it as a roll on serving dish.

Can’t say that last step is easy but I’m sure you’ll get it with practice, I’ll sure will try it again.

Brown Lentils With Pasta.

Hello everybody.

Did this old traditional dish today for a friend, only difference this time was that I used fresh pasta done by my dear friend Maysa and result was so good.

I think fresh pasta gave it the exact richness and texture it needed.

Ingredients and method:
* 1 cup brown lentils.
* 2-3 cloves garlic
* 3-4 onions.
* bunch of coriander.
* 1/2 cup lemon juice.
* 2 spoons pomegranate sauce ( دبس رمان ).
* 1 cup small size pasta.
* cubed fried pitta bread.
* salt, pepper, cumin powder.

* wash lentils then boil in 4 cups of water , add salt and 1 spoon cumin.
* add the pasta and leave to simmer till done.
* add lemon juice, pomegranate sauce.
* fry the onions in oil till golden.
* crush garlic and chop coriander then saute them in some oil.
* add half the amount of onions and garlic to lentil pasta mixture. Leave to simmer till it thickens and homogeneous. You might need to add some water.
* upon serving,, in a deep dish put some of the bread in the bottom.
*add the lentil mixture.
* decorate with the rest if garlic, onions and bread cubes.
* serve hot.

I also poured it in small cups, very cute presentation.

Mini Halaweh Tarts.

Hello everybody.

Saw this amazing tart photo on Instagram last week, looked really yummy. Though I sent the site asking what’s the filling but didn’t get an answer so I kind of figured out something today that goes along with the taste

Result was so good and light cause I made them as mini tarts or bites and filled them with cream and pistachios.

aren’t they cute?

Even made some with Nutella and strawberries and others with caramel and figs.

Perfect assorted desserts, problem now is that I’ll either take them to somebody or I should call friends to visit so that I won’t eat them alone.

Ingredients of tart crust :

3/4 cup butter.

1/2 cup sugar.

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla.

1 3/4 cup flour

Pinch of salt.

Optional for this tart: pinch of cinnamon and cardamom.

Beat butter and sugar well till creamy.

Add egg and vanilla.

Add flour and salt then water.

Knead well till you get a smooth dough

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll and shape as you like then bake in mini cupcake pans for 13-15 minutes in a medium heated oven.

When cooled fill with cream then topped with halaweh and pistachios.

Other option Nutella and strawberries or caramel and figs.

Cream Caramel Cheesecake with Berries.

Hello everybody.

Had guests last night for an early dinner,sorry no photos cause I was so busy!

Dessert was a chiq new recipe,tries it last week at a restaurant so I kept digging till I found it.

It’s a combination of flan and cheesecake together with berries sauce on the side. Sweetness of cheesecake is perfectly balanced by the sour taste of berries.

Ingredients and method :

Crust :

#half cup of roasted finely crushed almonds.

# 1 pack crushed biscuits.

# 3 big tablespoons butter.

* mix all together till crumbly then press in a spring pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Flan Cheesecake batter :

# 2 packs cream cheese.

# 1 can sweetened condensed milk.

# 5 eggs.

# 1 small pack heavy cream.

# 1 tsp vanilla.

# 1 tsp lemon zest.

*Beat cream cheese well then gradually add condensed milk.

* add eggs one at a time and keep beating mixture.

* add cream and vanilla.

* add lemon zest.

Pour mixture over crust then back into a medium heated oven for 40 minutes.

Note: I placed the pan in a water bath guess it’s better.

Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar heated till you get the right color then slowly add 3/4 cup heavy liquid cream.

Stir well till you get a thick sauce.

When cheesecake is done cool for 3-4 hours then add caramel sauce on top.

Berries sauce:

1 cup frozen mixed berries with 3/4 cup sugar dissolved then boiled till sauce is thick.

Cheese Zatar Rolls.

Hello everybody.

Thanks to a member in Banan Cooking group that made realize that i didn’t post recipe of these yummy rolls that are now a basic item in my menu. So light and perfect for a snack or even breakfast.

Sorry for my laziness again in posting new recipes, it’s been really the craziest summer ever , hope life will go back to it’s normal routine soon.

Ingredients and method:

* 3 cups flour.

* 1 tsp salt.

* 1 cup yogurt.

* 2 teaspoons instant yeast dissolved in a cup of warm water and 1 tsp sugar.

* 1 tablespoon butter.

* 1 egg.

* a drizzle of olive oil to coat dough .

Stuffing:

grated white cheese.
2 tablespoons feta cheese.
zatar.

*Mix flour with salt , yogurt and butter.

*When yeast foams add it with the water to flour and knead well for 5 minutes.

*Dough will be very soft, leave to rise then roll it to a big rectangle on a flour dusted surface.

*Add stuffing and roll it,

*Cut to pieces then flip it on the side and shape then into circles on n oven pan

* Bake them in a well heated oven till bottom is golden.

*Roast surface as well, you can drizzle olive oil on top at this step .

New Banan Cooking Trend.

Hello everybody.

Seems like each month since Banan Cooking started has a star order or trend, not that I intended this but it’s just the way it goes.

August’s star was the fig coffee hazelnut cake, a big winner for sure. This month’s super star are the party boxes I’m making, contents are simple mini appetizers like burgers, shawerma and falafel rolls but it’s the wrapping that gave them a kick.

Each personalized according to customer’s taste or preference according to event or setup.

End up results are very cheerful and elegant, most importantly all customers are really happy.

Crazy August!

Hello everybody.

Feel so bad that I’m not posting like before but it’s been a real crazy month, actually since after Ramadan. So many orders, events, weddings, gatherings and outings. Though I cooked many many things but unfortunately hadn’t got the time to show you.
Here are some of this month’s dishes

Fruit cake.

Shawerma, burgers and kibbeh.

Cheese rolls and falafel.

Daisies cake.

Jam cookies gift basket.

Orange poppy seed cake.

Eggplant tower.

Kofta in tomato sauce.

Small gathering snacks basket.

Eggplant Tower.

Hello everybody.

So sorry I’m not posting everyday like before, well it’s the craziest Summer this year full of events and occasions. I even didn’t make any new recipe since the fig coffee hazelnut cake.

Today at lunch I did a cute quick appetizer cause lunch was fettuccine with chicken broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes and my hubby is not a big fan of chicken these days.

Fried eggplant slices then topped them with chopped tomatoes, green onions, garlic,summaq, mint, lemon juice and feta cheese.

Them I added another layer on top of the same stuff. Cool and light dish, I might grill eggplants instead of frying next time for lighter results.

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

Author: Banan Gharaibeh

Pomegranate Festival In Irbid.

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Successful Catering Job.

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Kazandibi (Caramelized Pudding)

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Brown Lentils With Pasta.

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Mini Halaweh Tarts.

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Cream Caramel Cheesecake with Berries.

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Cheese Zatar Rolls.

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New Banan Cooking Trend.

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Crazy August!

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Eggplant Tower.

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