italian food

Cheese and Capsicum Steak Stacks.

Hello everybody.

Today is meat day for protein source in the diet.

For a change I looked through my cookbooks for something new and came across this one, personally I loved it meaning not all family members found it unusual but it was worth trying.

It’s basically two thin slices of steaks stacked together with cheese, onions and blackened or roasted capsicum or sweet red peppers.

You then wrap them as a parcel then grill on both sides till golden. Leave in the oven covered for half an hour later on in very low heat.

I did some mushroom risotto and sauce on the side.

 

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  original photo in the cookbook.

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Lemon Granita.

Hello everybody.

Another Granita trial today, lemon flavor and I think this is the best one till now.

Ingredients :
# 1 cup sugar.
# 3 cups water.
# juice of two lemons.
# 1 tablespoon lemon zest.
# bunch of fresh mint.

#boil sugar and water till all dissolved.
# add lemon zest and mint,leave to simmer for 3 minutes.
# cool a bit then add lemon juice.
# remove mint leaves.
# pour in a metal pan and freeze.
# after one hour start scratching iced parts and continue doing that every 20 minutes till you get a slushy mixture.

# المكونات
3/4 كوب سكر.
3 كوب ماء.
عصير ليمونتين
ملعقه كبيره برش ليمون
بعض اوراق نعنع

يغلى الماء والسكر مع بعض على النار ثم يضاف برش الليمون والنعنع ويترك على نار هادئة لمده ثلاثة دقائق.
نزيل اوراق النعناع ثم يضاف عصير الليمون ويحرك.
يصب في صينيه معدنية ويوضع في الفريزر.
بعد ساعه نبدا بتحريك المزيج بواسطه شوكه ونستمر بعمل نفس العمليه كل 20 دقيقه حتى نحصل على مزيج مثلج او سلاش جامد.ويقدم.

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Watermelon Granitta.

Hello everybody.

As I mentioned and I seriously mean it I’ll try to make as much as I can of granitta flavors this Summer.

Today’s pick is watermelon,upon my son’s advice which turned out a big add up to the recipe I added some cranberry juice, soooo yummy.

Ingredients and method :
# 4 cups of watermelon cubes.
# 1/2 cup of sugar.
# juice of half a lemon.
# 1/2 cup cranberry or berry juice ( optional)
# mix all ingredients in the blender.
# pour in a big metal pan.
# freeze for 1 hour then start scrapping edges every now and then till you get crystals or slushy mixture.

Enjoy this amazing world of iced desserts, I’m so sorry I didn’t know about it long time ago. One really live and learn.

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wpid-wp-1438273359831.jpg wpid-wp-1438273374084.jpg so good please try it.

 

 

Melon Granita.

Hello everybody.

Saw this recipe on Fatafeat cooking channel the other night, when I searched the net I found a big variety of recipes of the basic one but with many flavors either fruits or coffee.

First trial was with melons and it turned out really good,refreshing and light I even liked it more than ice cream, definitely a winner!

Ingredients and method :
# 1/2 cup sugar.
# 1/2 cup water.
# 10 ice cubes.
# 1 melon cut to chunks.
# 3 tablespoons lemon juice.

# dissolve sugar with water and boil for 3 minutes then add ice cubes,leave till they melt.
# in a blender mix syrup, melons, lemon juice all together.
# pour mixture in a big metal pan and put in freezer.
# after one hour begun scrapping edges and mix all together.
# keep doing this every now and then till you get a crystal or slushy mixture.
# Serve with fruits or alone.

Note: you can blend mixture a bit if it gets too hard next day.

 

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wpid-wp-1438162467060.jpeg granita before icing.

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Shushbarak in Tomato Sauce.

Hello everybody.

How are you all doing in this heat?  Guess hot fatty dishes aren’t desirable in this weather though many made mansaf or maqloubeh nevertheless.

Well a last minute decision cause all woke up late was this long time no cook dish. Shushbarak with tomatoes, I added mushrooms black olives, pesto, oregano and a bit of feta cheese over ready made shushbarak pieces then all topped with mozzarella.

Yummy cool and fulfilling, fake ravioli my kids call it.

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wpid-wp-1437749236514.jpeg wpid-wp-1437749247121.jpeg lovely colorful mix.

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Eggplant Salad with Ricotta Cheese.

Hello everybody.

Had a big dinner yesterday so I have too much food left.

A small side dish was the same eggplant salad I did once before but I added some Ricotta Cheese from the ones my cousin brought me from Rome on top, yummy yummy.

I also did fresh mushroom soup from the pack of dried ones, again yummy.

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wpid-wp-1436195317047.jpeg eggplant salad.

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wpid-wp-1436195341515.jpeg typical Mediterranean dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potatoe Cheese Frittata.

Hello everybody.
After a busy morning preparing the final touches for my son’s graduation party I went home with the intention of not cooking anything.

Well my plan didn’t work cause yesterday’s leftovers were not enough so I made a mix of potatoes,cheese, egg and flour with a bit of parsley and baked a delicious frittata, see cooking isn’t hard when you think a bit :mrgreen:

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wpid-wp-1433342008663.jpeg a great mix !

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Lasagna and Pan Garlic Bread.

Hello everybody.

Another busy Saturday, I think I should change my schedule sometimes I really wish to have a real lazy weekend, always failing to do so.

Well lunch today was lasagna with mushrooms and spinach inside,a bowl of Ceazar salad and I did the same pizza procedure as yesterday but with garlic powder, oregano, salt and a drizzle of olive oil on top, really yummy and crispy.

Guess this pan pizza will be on my easy to do stuff list.

wpid-wp-1432394918033.jpeg lasagna and garlic bread.

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wpid-wp-1432394949752.jpeg Ceazar salad.

wpid-dsc_0524.jpg pan garlic bread.

wpid-wp-1432394907994.jpeg successful Italian lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple One-Pot Pasta.

Hello again.

Lunch was a first trial, just saw this recipe on Pinterest last night and couldn’t wait till morning comes out to make it, looked so interesting and exactly that’s what it turned out.

You can find lots of versions of this dish but all have the same principle, you simply add whatever you want of veggies,meat,chicken or sausages to raw pasta ,add herbs,salt pepper,oil and water then leave to cook till done !! that’s it.

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Ingredients and method:

* chopped courgettes,mushrooms,onions,garlic, cherry tomatoes,chives,basil and black olives.

* 1 pack pasta.

* salt, pepper, oregano and some olive oil.

* 4 1/2 cups water.

* Note: I added a cube of chicken stock also.

* some cream or milk if you like added when pasta is done.

* Parmesan cheese upon serving.

* Put all ingredients together in one pan then add water.

* boil then leave to simmer on low heat for 45-60 minutes or till all done.

* add cream and cheese then serve.

20150411_153614 all ingredients.

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Absolutely amazing,everyone should try it.

20150411_175703 yummy result.

Canelloni with Spinach and Pavlova.

Hello everybody.
It’s always a pleasure to cook a pasta dish, last night’s Italian aromas are still lingering in my mouth so I decided to cook cannelloni today.

Did it as my friend once told me,tomatoes in the bottom not on top of stuffed pasta, really yummy.

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Dessert was another pavlova cause first time it was eaten quickly and we had guests so my kids ate only the leftover crumbles, love this dessert so easy to do and really good looking, seriously it’s very elegant.

 

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wpid-wp-1426435467101.jpeg isn’t she a beauty?

Cannelloni recipe:

Ingredients and method:
*1 pack cannelloni.
* 1 can chopped tomatoes.
* 1 spring onion or leek.
* 2 big ripe red tomatoes.
For cannelloni filling:
* 2 chopped chicken breasts.
* 1 cup spinach.
* 2-3 cups thick white sauce ( 2 big spoons butter,  2 big spoons flour, 2-3 cups milk.)
* cube of white or fetta or ricotta cheese.
* some grated parmesan.
* mozzarella or kashkaval chesse for topping.

* start by making the filling cause it must cool before you use it.
* sautee chicken pieces with some oil.add salt and pepper till golden.
* make the white sauce by adding flour to heated butter, stir well till golden then add milk slowly and whisking at the same time.take care cause it may clott , if so use electric whisker to make it creamy.
* add spinach and chicken, cheeses then season to taste.
* keep uncovered to cool.
* make the tomato sauce by frying chopped onions, adding tomatoes (2 kinds) and salt, pepper, chilli, paprika as you like.
* leave for 15-20 to cook.
* stuff cannellonis with filling with a small spoon or as I do….wear a disposable glove and stuff..much more quicker:)
* arrange over tomatoes then put them covered in a medium heated oven 45-50 minutes.
* note: I actually added a bit of water on top  during baking cause I felt pasta is drying.
* sprinkle with cheese and roast till it melts.

 

 

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