Double Meat Pasta.( معكرونه بالسجق والدجاج)

Hello everybody.

Grocery shopping today, had to think of something quick to make cause boys were hungry and I had no time so I bought stuff for this recipe my cousin made yesterday , it was absolutely delicious, so from now on it’s Manal’s Pasta.

This dish is suitable for meat lovers cause it contains both beef sausages and chicken with lots of garlic,a rich tasty combination.Of course you can use one kind alone up to you but both together are very homogeneous <3

Ingredients and method:

* 1 cup chopped sausages.

* 2 pieces chopped chicken breasts.

* 4-5 cloves of garlic.

* 1 bunch finely chopped fresh coriander.

* 1 pack or bottle pasta sauce.

* 1 pack (500 ml) fresh cream.

* pasta of any shape.

* salt,pepper and chili powder.

* grated Mozzarella cheese.

* saute sausages in olive oil till tender and brown in color.

* add chicken, salt,pepper and chili and saute alongside till almost done.

* add garlic and saute with them.

* add salt,pepper,chili and some garlic powder if you want a stronger garlicky taste.

* add the tomato sauce over all meat mix.

* add the cream,stir and mix till bubbly.

* add the boiled pasta and mix well.

* cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.

* add cheese on top and roast in the oven till golden.

Thank you dear Manal for the easy solution,I’m sure many housewives will consider this one frequently.

cream tomato meat mixture.

Hot spicy sharp tasting result:)

Fava Beans in Yogurt.

Hello everybody.

Found these fresh small fava beans in the supermarket early this morning so I changed my plan at once,intended to make shushbarak cause I have some Ewe yogurt that must be cooked but couldn’t resist the beans though not everyone at home loves it but personally this is one ofmy favorite dishes.

You simply cook the beans with some onions, salt and pepper then add cooked steaks or lamb cubes and leave to simmer then add cooked yogurt on them and leave on low heat till done.

I also made some fava beans with olive oil,garlic and coriander,really yummy.

Stuffed Spleen.(طحالات محشيه)

Hello everybody.

Sad day for me and my friends cause we lost this morning a very dear and loving uncle,unique character, generous,caring,knowledgeable and who always welcomed us all with a big smile,kind heart and open house anytime since we were in school till his last days on this earth. May your soul rest in peace 3mmo Abu Mustafa and may God give his dear family patience,you’ll always be in our hearts.

Lunch today was not my specialty as I mentioned once before,actually my husband’s kind of food,sheep pluck cooked in olive oil and stuffed spleen.

Sorry I couldn’t take lots of photos of cooking steps.Spleens are first washed well,boiled a bit to be tender and all blood goes out then stuffed with garlic,coriander,pine nuts,salt and pepper .

Bake spleens after brushing with olive oil in a medium heated oven for 40_50 minutes.

Chicken Tikka Masala.

Hello everybody.

No escape from cooking today I guess,though I was confused what to do after grocery shopping,I bought many vegetables and stuff so I have many options.

After family discussions I decided to do this recipe sent to me by my friend’s niece Hanin whom I saw the other day and everybody in her family recommended it, so chicken masala it is,since I have all ingredients which is the most important thing,sometimes I do cancel the whole dish cause one ingredient is missing,don’t you?

This is an Indian recipe of course,most Indian food is usually hot and spicy,well today I made it medium so that all can eat with comfort,it turned out very delicious and easy.

Ingredients and method:

* 2 large chicken breasts ( original recipe says thighs but nobody in my family loves them,but breasts were good also),cut to big chunks.

* marinate for chicken:

* 1 cup yogurt.

* ginger garlic paste ( 1 tablespoon fresh ginger with 3 cloves garlic pressed or finely chopped together)

* 1 tsp salt.

* 1/2 tsp pepper.

* marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes or overnight if you can.

*Sauce:

* 2 tablespoons olive oil.

* 2 tablespoons butter.

*1/3 cup ginger garlic paste.

* 2 hot peppers (didn’t have any so I used hot dried chili )

* 2 tablespoons tomato paste.

* 1 tablespoons gram masala spices ( Indian spices bought ready or homemade by mixing special spices including : 2 tablespoons cumin seeds,2 tablespoons coriander seeds,1 tsp pepper seeds,2 tsp cardamon seeds,1 tsp cloves,1 tsp fennel seeds,1 cinnamon stick,3 bay leaves,1/2 tsp fenugreek (حلبه) ,pinch of nutmeg. you roast all seeds except nutmeg very well then grind then to fine powder and add nutmeg)

* 2 tsp paprika.

* 8 small tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes.

* 1 1/2 tsp salt.

* 1-2 cups water.

* 1/2 cup heavy cream.

* minced fresh cilantro for garnish.

* cooked rice or naan bread for serving.

* making sauce and cooking:

* heat oil and butter then add ginger garlic paste and stir,then add hot peppers.

* add tomato paste and cook till brownish then add masala,paprika and saute for 3 minutes.

* add tomatoes,saltand water and simmer till sauce is thickened,you may need more water if it dries.

* meanwhile grill the chicken in some hot oil,try to shake excess marinate .

* cook till golden on all sides.

* now blend the sauce with hand mixer or blender.

* add chicken pieces to sauce and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

* add cream and stir then at the end add chopped coriander.

* serve with rice or bread.

Very tasty savory dish,not a piece left ,thank you dear Hanin,now it’s officially Hanin’s Chicken in my cook book 🙂

Shrimps with Tomatoes and Lemon Risotto.

Hello everybody.

Went this morning to a short fruitful meeting at Foollve offices, always a pleasure to see them.

I parked opposite Ocean fish store so I passed by and got fresh medium sized shrimps, I made them with Italian tomatoes and thought to try to make a kind of risotto for a change, I also made mozzarella sticks dipped in eggs and Knorr coating mix, turned out a big success cause they usually melt when I fry them 🙁

Ingredients and method:

* Shrimps:

* 1 kg medium or jumbo shrimps.

* 2-3 garlic cloves.

* chopped sweet peppers.

* 1 can chopped Italian tomatoes or fresh ones.

* bunch of coriander.

* salt,pepper,and some chili powder.

* saute garlic and peppers in some olive oil.

* add shrimps and stir till color changes then add salt,pepper and chili.

* add tomato can and a bit of water then leave to simmer on low heat till sauce is thick.

* add chopped coriander and cook for another 5 minutes.

* Lemony Risotto:

* 2 cups Italian or any rice ( I used Sun white)

* 3 cups chicken broth.

* 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

* 2 tablespoons lemon zest.

* one small chopped onion.

* 1 tablespoon butter.

* some Parmesan cheese if desired.

* saute onion in butter then add washed rice.

* add lemon juice and zest to chicken broth and boil.

* start adding boiled broth to rice in small quantities,keep mixing on low heat then when water is dry add another amount, keep doing that till rice is done,but you have to be careful not to let it dry, this will take approximately 35 minutes.

* add zest or Parmesan on top of rice when served.

Absolutely delicious meal 🙂

Fava Beans Fatteh ( فته فول).

Hello everybody.

Till late this morning I had absolutely no idea what to cook, I still have some pasta so I needed something with it.

Then,after lots of thinking, decided to do this light fatteh which I learned from my dear friend Reham, people usually make it when they have fava beans with rice leftovers,but you can do it from scratch,very delicious specially if you’re a fava bean fan as I’m.

All Fatteh recipes have basic ingredients,fried or toasted bread, tahini sauce,nuts and minced meat on top. Fillings in the middle are various like hummus,eggplants,fava beans…etc.

* Ingredients and method:

* fava beans boiled till tender then cooked with a little amount of rice ( 1/2 kg needs 1/2 cup of rice), I added maggi cube,pepper,all spice,cinnamon and a bit of cardamon when boiling the beans.

* fried or toasted pitta bread.

* cooked minced meat.

* crushed roasted garlic.

* roasted almonds or pine nuts.

* fresh coriander leaves.

* tahini sauce ( tahini with yogurt and lemon juice) .

* put pitta bread in a bowl or wide serving dish then add a layer of beans and rice.

Note: if you have some chicken stock you can a bit on the pittas to soften but it’s an option.

* add tahini sauce on top then garnish with meat,nuts,garlic and chopped coriander.

I usually make it in one big Pyrex or bowl but today we were only two at lunch time so I made 2 small bowls for each so as bread won’t become soggy for late comers.

Very healthy light option,will be good to do in Ramadan,right?

Okra (باميه بالفرن)

Hello again.

This recipe was the first on the blog,that was four months ago, can’t believe it’s been that long!!

The earlier post “ Okra in the oven ” has the ingredients and method but no photos so I’ll add them today.

Hope you’re all enjoying my blog so far 🙂

Cooked Brown Lentils (حراق اصبعه )

Hello everybody.

We’re ordering food today but thought I’ll do a side dish this is a Syrian appetizer, I always thought it’s hard to make or needs too much ingredients and steps..but then I found this basic recipe in an old book called ABC of cooking ( الف باء الطبخ),, been doing it since then by the book, very easy and nutritious.
Lentils are rich in iron and protein, can be a very good substitute for meat to vegetarians.

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.

final result.

Enjoy ♡♥♡♥.

Cooked Brown Lentils (حراق اصبعه )

Hello everybody.

Enjoy ♡♥♡♥.

Shushbarak (شيشبرك )

Hello everybody.

Lunch today is Shushbarak. I’m sure western people never heard of it.
This dish is very famous in the Middle East and Turkey as well. It’s simply a dough without yeast filled with minced meat and cooked in thickened yoghurt.
To be honest I usually buy them ready made. A plate with 50 pieces. Much more easier and quick to cook. But today I called the place I usually buy from it, they told we have non till tomorrow. So I decided to make them at home , it’s not difficult but takes some time.

For the dough you need :
* 2 cups flour.
* 1 spoon salt.
* 1 cup water or enough to make a firm dough.
* mix and knead then leave to rest a while.
* cook minced meat add salt, pepper, all spice and some chopped parsley if you like.
* For the yoghurt you need 1 kilo Ewe yoghurt (لبن نعاج ), a small bottle shaninah or buttermilk. Mix them together then add one litre water.
* Add 2 big spoons corn flower, 1 big spoon ghee or butter, salt and pepper.
* Mix well with hand mixer then heat till it boils and thickens.take care while you do it, keep stirring so that it won’t stick or clott.
* Simmer on low heat.
* Now cut the dough to small balls
* sprinkle with flour .
* spread till very thin by using pasta machine or roller.
* fill with meat then close and form it like a hat or ravioli.
* I usually bake them in the oven a bit or freeze if not cooked right away.
* Now dip the shushbarak in the yoghurt one by one and leave to cook for 30-40 minutes. Don’t stir too much or else they’ll open.
* In a bit of oil toast some crushed garlic and freshly chopped coriander leaves.
* Sprinkle on top of shushbarak when served.