all the recipes
Did you know that if you SMASH your cucumbers instead of slicing them perfectly, you will experience not only a different texture but also a different taste experience ? Well, I just found this out in an Asian restaurant the other night and it was perfect … and I’m someone who has grown up with cucumber in salads. You would think...
A little bit of this, a little bit of that, put it all together, top it all off with a little bit of this and maybe a little more of that and what you have is an easy green tomato pita PIZZA ! Until I figure out and complete my pizza dough experiments,I think this could be a nice and easy and quick option ! Of course I'm referring to my...
Back to the basics and traditions (or at least my traditions) ! … Last May, I made the the vegetarian and vegan version of this oven-baked dish with zucchini and rice and fresh herbs. Now it’s time to remake my mother’s (and other mothers’) original Greek stuffed bell peppers with a mix of rice, herbs and ground beef ! The...
The story begins here... mahlepi or mahlab or mahalab is an aromatic spice made from the seeds of a species of black cherry, with a flavour similar to a combination of bitter almond and cherry. As I was cleaning out and checking out what was in my pantry and discovered some leftover mahlepi kernels and ground powder too. By the way, this spice is...
Just a small summer dessert with halved apricots and whole almonds and an extra special touch with some rosemary sugar that gives it an extra zing ! And why should these apricot and almond and rosemary cakes be upside-down ? Because they look great when right-side up, just like a “tarte tatin” or an upside-down caramelized apple tart !...
A SUITCASE full of fresh fruits and vegetables from a friend coming back from a vacation is both wonderful and magical and a bit crazy ! And what’s crazier is when they’re a gift for you because you enjoy cooking. An obviously wonderful gesture (because someone is thinking of you) but also the type of gift that is stamped with an...
I’m doing (or preparing to do) a lot of experimenting with pizza dough ingredients ! Unfortunately, I haven’t quite decided how many, maybe 6, or 18 or 36 experiments ! In the meantime, just a little experiment with pita flatbread dough. I’ve decided to create my own flour mix using regular all-purpose flour with the addition of...
Like with every series, a new character arrives to stir up some trouble and add some excitement ! The cone ! Just an extra touch to enjoy your ice cream in a hand-held way and quite easy to make. Brik pastry sheets, used in North African countries for preparing dishes is similar to filo pastry sheets but much thicker and sturdier and easier to...
Why would you make iced coffee with hot coffee that has cooled down and isn’t very fresh or a cooled and watered down version using ice cubes ? I grew up with “frappé” iced coffee with was a simple easy thing to make with instant coffee, cold water, ice cubes and a shaker … and I loved it ! But let’s be...
Laziness can sometimes be a good motivator to do one thing just so you don’t have to do other things. This was the reason behind making pickled and marinated vegetables ! Sometimes you’re just too lazy or tired or don’t have enough time to ccok up something, and with just a little effort and very little money, you can prepare...
When I say “sour”, I mean “tangy” like sweet jelly beans and sour jelly beans ! Ha, ha ! Anyways, looking inside my refrigerator, I decided to use up all my already opened dairy leftovers. I had plain greek-style yogurt, I had evaporated (or unsweetened condensed) milk, I had sweetened condensed milk too (I love that) and...
Did you say tomato leaves ? YES ! Green tomatoes ? Why not ! Of course there are many other tomatoes that are more appropriate for purée, sauce & paste, but I couldn’t resist the vibrant green colour. The taste of the green tomatoes, whether as a purée, sauce or paste is quite different from red tomatoes, it’s...
So here we are with recipe number 2 of the 3-part cherry-almond-mahlepi love story and now celebrating these 3 ingredients in the form of ice cream. I have several recipes and methods for making ice cream and frozen desserts. The traditional version uses a custard with egg yolks, another uses sweetened condensed milk (this is the easiest and...
I didn’t have much of a choice, it’s been a zucchini year, so here’s another recipe (a simple one) for a light lunch or dinner ! You can always make a regular omelette and just toss in chopped vegetables and cheese and whatever else makes you happy, but this is an impressive way of making individual omelette bites or parcels and...
Back to salted cod again ! I can’t help myself ! This recipe is an adaptation of my oven-baked bacalhau salted cod with vegetables dish, yet different in texture, a more compacted and crispier version, almost like a barbecue (but not quite) because the skewers are baked and then grilled in the oven. Of course, the extra touch which consists...