Mast-o-Khiar – Persian Yogurt Dip

ماست و خیار Mast-o-khiar is a delicious, cooling and very popular Persian dish that is served with most meals. You will find the combination of yogurt and cucumbers in Greece (Tsatziki), but also in many other Balkan and Arabic countries and as well from Turkey to India (Raita).

The use of rose petals (fresh or dried) and rosewater for cooking was popular all over the Middle East and spread to Europe during the Middle Ages.  However rosewater had been replaced by vanilla once world exploration had been brought from America to Europe. 

About 20 years ago we planted in our garden a very strong scented white and red striped rose, since then its petals had been used in our cooking for several sweet recipes and we prepared hundreds of rose jam jars.

The basic ingredients for Mast-o-Khiar are yogurt, cucumber, mint, rose petals, salt and garlic. Other herbs can be added as well as chopped walnuts and raisins.

Tip: skip the cucumber for a delicious sauce for salad.

• Servings: 4
• Time: 20 min working time +resting time
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

Dip:

• 1 cup Greek or Balcan yogurt ( better 7-10% but you may also use the 2% fat reduced quality)
  • 100 g (about ¾ cup) chopped cucumber
  • 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (I use the “Diosmos” Greek mint for this dish)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (optional)
  • 1 garlic clove pressed or/and 2 tablespoons fresh chives finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons dried rose petals, crushed or minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped raisins (optional)

Topping (as desired):

• dried or/and fresh rose petals
  • dried or/and fresh mint
  • dried or/and fresh dill
  • chopped walnuts
  • raisins

Procedure

1. Combine well all the ingredients for the dip and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
2. Pour the mixture into a serving bowl or dish. Refrigerate for at least one hour or best to allow the flavors to blend.
3. Just before serving, sprinkle the ingredients for the topping with a nice geometrical pattern or simply randomized.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

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See also:

Bombay Karachi Halwa – Microwave Recipe

Glyko Triantafyllo– Greek Rose Petal Jam

Day 39 Stay at Home or In the Garden: Green Bean Terrine

Make a surprise to your family serving a slice of this vegetable terrine with some spiced sauce as the Canary mojo rojo. This served with a hunk of crusty bread, any salad greens, cheese, cured meat, smoked salmon or what you like, makes an elegant brunch or a light meal for warmer days.

Green Bean Terrine

• Servings: 4
• Time: 60 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

• Salted water
• 400 g grean beans (I used the flat ones), trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 small tin of mushrooms (200 g drained)
• 4 eggs
• 100 ml heavy cream
• 5 tablespoons cooking liquid from the beans
• 2 teaspoons ginger, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C-
2. Boil the beans in salted water add the green beans and cook for 10 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain the beans.
3. In the meantime fry onion and garlic with the oil until just tender, then add the drained mushrooms. After one minute, remove from the heat.
4. Whisk the eggs with the cream and with the cooking water. Season with the ginger, salt and pepper.
5. Line a terrine with aluminum foil and coat it with oil.
6. Pour a few spoons of egg mixture, arrange over this first half of the beans, then the mushrooms mixture, after this the second half of the beans and finally pour gently the remaining egg mixture.
7. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until firm and until the tip of a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from the foil Serve warm or cold.

 Note: Traditionally this kind of preparations should be cooked placing mold of the terrine into a bigger mold (roasting pan) with boiling water. I did not do it in this way and the simple baking in the oven worked well for me.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

Day 11: Stay at Home or In the Garden: Spinach and Feta Muffins

As most muffin recipes, they are easy and quick to be prepared; for this reason they can be served for a week dinner as well, we served these instead of bread together with meat balls.

You can adapt the recipe and for example add grated carrots instead of fried spinach.

If you are using an acid ingredient, as in this case the feta, baking soda will be enough, if not, please use a mixture of baking soda and baking powder.

These muffins can be prepared in advance and reheat for about 3 minutes before serving.

Spinach and Feta Muffins

• Servings: 12 pieces (6 cm wide)
• Time: active time=25 min cooking=25 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 mall onion, chopped
• 200 g spinach, washed and chopped or only young leaves
• 200 g flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 150 ml milk
• 1 egg
• 100 g feta, crumbled
• 50 g walnuts, chopped (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder, to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sesame seeds for topping, to taste and optional

Preparation

1. Heat oil and fry the onion until translucent. Add spinach and sauté until just soft ad water adsorbed. Remove from the heat.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C
3. In a bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.
4. Add milk and egg. Stir until just combined.
5. Fold in feta, walnuts and sautéed spinach.
6. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste.
7. Scoop the mixture in muffin molds (I used 6 cm wide silicon molds).
8. Sprinkle with sesame seed or more walnuts.
9. Bake at 180°C for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and done.
10. Best serve them lukewarm.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

Day 7: Stay at Home: Filo Twisted Spinach Pie from Scratch

I made this Greek spinach pie in about 30 minutes working time, thanks my kneading machine. I did not measure the exactly amount of the ingredients for the filo. While the kneading machine was working/kneading, I had the time to prepare the filling. At the end, it was a very simplified version of my post  Spanakotiropita with Homemade Filo Dough.  I could have used more ingredients, but at these times, I preferred to skip some and for example save the feta and eggs for other recipes. No shopping excursions now! I will simply list the ingrediens and the procedure. We miss Crete so much!

Filo Twisted Spinach Pie from Scratch

• Servings: 2-4
• Time: 60 min
• Difficulty: medium
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Ingredients:

Filo

• 1 1/2 cups four
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespona ouzo
• about 1/3 cups water water

Filling

• olive oil
• 300 g spinach, whashed
• 1 big onion, sliced
• mint, chopped
• dill, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Topping

• 2 tablespoon water
• 2 tablesppons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon flour
• salt to taste
• sesame and nigella seeds

Procedure

1. For the filo combine flour, oil, salt and ouzo in the kneading bowl. While kneading add water until you see the dough forms, turns smooth and elastic. Let kneed while you prepare the filling.
2. Fry the onion in about 2 tablespoons olive oil until translucent. Add the other ingredients and let cook until spinach turn soft and the liquid is adsorbed.
3. Roll out half of the dough to a rectangle of about 20 to 40 cm. Stretch with the back of our hand until about 30 to 60 long.  Brush with oil. Spoon the filling (on the shorter side of the rectangle) but do not go all the way to the edges so that the pastry sheet margins could be folded in slightly. Roll or pack lengthwise. Place the roll in spiral in your round baking tray ( 28 cm diameter). Repeat with the second portion.
4. Combine the water, oil, salt and flour for the topping. Brush the spiral with this and top with seeds.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes at 190°C until golden and crispy.
6. Enjoy warm, lukewarm or cold.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

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Carciofi alla Romana – Roman Style Artichockes

This is a traditional Roman (Italian) dish which can be severved as appetizer or as a side dish.

Now, that we are approaching the spring and in southern Countries the spring is already there, artichokes appear in the shops and I really don’t want to miss them!

The kind used for this preparation is called “Mammole”, they are quite big sized artichokes and the leaves are rounded shaped.

The mint used for this dish is usually the “mentuccia romana”, in my case I used Turkish mint in my garden, from which I can find some leaves even in winter. I think that the Greek mint (diosmos) would fit also perfectly; for this preparation I would avoid pepper mint, chocolate mint or mint kinds intended for drinks or cocktails. Spearmint would be good as well.

I prepared 3 artichokes, but give you the recipe for 4 of them.

• Servings: 4
• Time: 60 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 Artischockes (Mammole kind)
• 100 ml olive oil
• 200 ml water (more or less)
• 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. In a small bowl combine the herbs and the garlic, add ½-teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
2. To clean the artichokes prepare some lemony water (using the juice of half lemon) and rub your and with some lemon as well in order to prevent blackening.
3. Remove the outside leaves which appear woody and without pulp. Peal the stem and cut it but leave a small piece. If the remaining stems appears soft, do not discard them, but add it to the preparation.
4. Cut the top of the artichokes (depending on the size, about 4 cm). Open the center of the artichokes and remove the filaments with spoon, a knife or better with the vegetable carving instrument. Place the artichokes in the lemony water; this will prevent them from darkening.
5. Open the artichokes with your fingers and stuff them with the prepared herbs mixture.
6. Place the artichokes head side down in pot where they can fit tightly. Add the stems.
7. Pour the remaining olive oil and the water.
8. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, open the lid and let reduce the liquid.
9. Serve them hot n on a serving plate.

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Okras with Vegetables from the Oven

The plant and its seed pods are also known as “lady’s fingers” and in Greece this dish is called “Bamies sto fourno” (Μπάμιες στο φούρνο). The Greek name come from the Arabic name, bamyeh.

While in central Europe, we can get this fresh vegetable almost only in Turkish shops, in Greece we can find it in almost all supermarkets and farmer markets!

Okras could turn slimy ant to prevent this we should cook it whole, after tossing it with salt and vinegar and marinating for at least 30 minutes.

In Greece this dish is very popular ad for the recipe the quantity of oil is at least 3 fold of what I suggest her with my recipe.

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 2 hr
• Difficulty: easy
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Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

You need

• 1 kg okra, trimmed and washed
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 onions, peeled and diced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 red peppers, seeds removed and diced
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups ripe tomatoes, diced into 1-2 cm pieces
• 2 strips orange zest (about 5-5 square centimeters J )
• 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, coriander or dill chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Trim the stems off the okra, and place in a large bowl. Add the vinegar, toss and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Drain the okra, and rinse thoroughly. Place these in an oven safe baking mold.
2. Preheat the oven at 180°C.
3. In the meantime heat the oil in a skillet, add onion, garlic and red peppers. Fry until fragrant. Combine water and tomato paste. Add this to the skillet as well as the tomatoes and orange zest. Heat thoroughly. Add herbs and adjust salt and pepper.
4. Pour the sauce over the okra, cover with foil or lid and place it for 1 hour and 30 min in the oven. The last 15 min remove the lid to allow the food to get a bit of color.

Juicy Prune Compote with Spices

This year we had been blessed with a lot fruits from the garden and now the plums (European plums or prunes) are just ripe enough.

I decided to create a side dish, which goes with meat (for example roasted pork, chicken or game), but now I think that this (perhaps with less salt, and adapting the spices to your taste) would be lovely as a dessert with vanilla ice cream, Greek plain yogurt or over your morning muesli (or cereals) . Next time…

For the preparation, I used allspice, finely crushed coriander and pepper, but other combinations would work as well. Alternatives could be cinnamon, cardamom, ground ginger, cloves, grated orange zest, garam masala and so on.

• Servings: 3-4
• Time: 20 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

You need

• 12 prunes
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 pinch pepper
• ½ teaspoon finely crushed coriander seeds
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoon brandy (or grappa, whisky, …)
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Procedure

1. Wash the prunes, cut into halves and remove the pits.
2. In a small bowl combine sugar spices, salt, water and brandy
3. In a non-sticky frying pan, heat the butter at medium heat and fry the prunes on the skin side for a few minutes until you see that the skin begins to brown.
4. Pour the mixture over the prunes and turn the prunes cut side down.
5. Cook until the juice reduces to a thick medium thick sauce and the cut side of the prunes begins to turn brown. Don’t let burn the sugar!
6. Immediately remove from the skillet and place in a serving plate.

 

Lotus Onions

Cooking is fun form e and trying to get special results and good looking, makes me feel happy and finding the way to serve stunning food let me feel enthusiastic.

WOW! Such cute flowers, so good and so easy to prepare! This is one great technique which I was looking for!

We enjoyed these impressive onions as side dish to grilled meat, but as an addition to a salad, they would be perfect as well.

Note: baking time may be different according to size of the onions. For big onions you should increase the baking time  or the temperature of the step “6”. Mine were medium sized (about 7 cm wide).

These “Lotus Onions” may be served hot or cold, I think they would be great also to cheese-raclette!

• Servings: 2-4
• Time: 1 hr
• Difficulty: easy
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You need:

• 2- 4 onions, red, yellow or white, if possible a sweet kind
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Fine salt
• 2-4 teaspoons Sesame seeds

Procedure:

1. Cut the bottom root off the onion off but just enough to keep it from rolling around and peel the onion.
2. Carefully make four vertical cuts making 8 wedges but keep the bottom intact. Be very careful not to cut through.
3. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Place the onion in the bowl and turn from time to time letting the liquid get into the core of the onion.
4. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (this would work to 180°C/350°F in a fan forced oven as well) .
5. Arrange onions root end down in to you baking dish and spoon remaining marinade into the onions.
6. Bake covered for 20 minutes, remove the cover reduce heat to 180°C/350°C and bake for other 20 minutes or done.
7. In the meantime, roast dry (without oil) the sesame seeds in a non-stick skillet.
8. Rearrange onions on a serving dish so that their petals open, and drizzle with the juices from the pan.
9. Sprinkle the centre of the onion with the roasted sesame seed.

Author: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com

 

Golden Millet with Preserved Lemons

 

Today we planned two delicious dishes (chicken with balsamic sauce and zucchini parmesan), but I needed one side dish more for some carbs. Checking my pantry I saw some millet which I found perfect for a quick side dish!

In order to make it easy I opted for some ready fried onions and for a special test some preserved lemons from the jar which I prepared last year.

For this preparation I use a double wall saucepot, which retains the heat and I can even turn out the heat, but in general it’s sufficient to use a big pot with will prevent dripping out the liquid while boiling. The cover is necessary!

• Servings: 4
• Time: 35 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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You Need

• 1 cup raw millet
• 2 teaspoons Moroccan Spice mix
• 2 cups water (or broth, if you’d prefer)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fried onions
• 1/2-1 red sweet pepper, chopped (quantity to taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or butter to taste)
• 1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon
• 1/2 tablespoon preserved lemons, sliced for topping (optional)

Procedure

1. Prepare your ingredients
2. In a big saucepan at medium heat roast the millet with the spices mix for about 3-4 minutes until spices it turn fragrant.
3. Add water, salt, onions and red pepper. Give a good stir. When it comes to boil reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. At this point switch out the heat, open quickly the pot, add olive oil and preserve lemon, stir well and cover immediately. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
5. Fluff it with the fork, add more salt if needed and serve with the sliced lemon.

Notes

If don’t have preserved lemons, you may use 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest.

If you don’t have the Moroccan spice mix ready you may combine:

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric ground
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander ground
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon ground
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin ground
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika ground

 

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/

Jeera Rice – Indian Cumin Rice

This is a very popular Indian side dish, which can be prepared with raw rice, but it is also a way to upgrade white rice leftovers and give them a new dress.

Jeera means cumin, but in this recipe more spices are added and this version is very much appreciated in my family.

• Servings: 3-6
• Time: 40 min
• Difficulty: easy
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You need

• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 2 tablespoons ghee or pure vegetal oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 -3 green cardamoms, lightly crushed
• 2 cloves
• 1 small piece cinnamon stick, about 1 cm
• 1 star anise (optional)
• 1 black cardamon (optional)
• 1tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups water

Procedure

1. Rinse the rice until the water run out clear and soak the rice for 30 water in cold water. Drain
2. In a pot heat the ghee or oil over medium heat until hot.
3. Add cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and black cardamom. Roast until the cumin begins to crackle. Add bay leaf and stir quickly.
4. Add the rice and cook stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.
5. Add water and salt increase the heat and bring to boil again.
6. Reduce the heat, cover and let cook until water is adsorbed.
7. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: If using rice leftovers, simply roast the spices in ghee/oil, add the cold cooked plain rice add 2-3 tablespoons water and stir well to combine. Cook stirring constantly until the rice is warm, remove from heat, cover and let rest a few minutes before serving.

Autor: https://artandkitchen.wordpress.com/