Friday, 5 September 2014

Autumn is Here! Easy Mushroom Risotto





I love rice, and I love mushrooms. This dish is a very simple take on the fancier Risottos you can get in most higher end restaurants. Risotto calls for Arborio rice, but I used Calrose rice, the Egyptian staple and easier to find version! Use the recipe as a guideline to make your own version with your favorite flavors. I also love adding grated carrots and frozen peas for a more colorful dish. What is your favorite Risotto flavor?




1 cup Calrose Rice
4 cups Vegetable Broth (or any other kind of broth or water)
1 Whole Onion, Diced
2 cups Sliced Mushrooms
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp Butter

Saute onions and mushroom with salt in the butter until soft and the onions are translucent. Add in the rice, and stir until coated. Add in the broth, lower heat and stir. Add in the pepper and continue stirring on and off for 20 mins. Add in the cheese right before serving. Viola!  


Thursday, 17 July 2014

Ramadan 2014

Happy Ramadan everyone. Yes, it's that time of year where Muslims around the globe fast from sunrise until sunset.

It's been a hectic year, moving to a new country, (trying) learning a new language and now moving to anew apartment again in a few weeks.

I was able to do an all time favorite, Konafa.

It is a dessert which is widespread across the Middle East and Turkey. Long thing hair-like strings of semi cooked dough which we press with butter and layer in the middle nuts or cream.

Here are the pics I was able to take. Follow me on Instagram @theseriouseater for more updates and daily pictures of what I am (or am not) up to!






Take a look at these Ramadan classics:

- Karkadeh, the ultimate Ramadan drink.

- Omm Ali, Egyptian bread pudding with a sinister history.

- The best Yoghurt Breakfast for Sehour (Pre-Dawn meal)

- Save time during the next ten days which are left in Ramadan by stocking up your freezer this weekend.








Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Basic Coconut Fruit Energy Bars **Vegan** **Sugarfree**







I have been experimenting with making my own fruit bars, partly because they are pretty expensive to buy here in Europe and partly because I am so picky and want to make some with flavors I love. The chance came along when I was making a batch for my German class, and I had a special request to make something diabetic friendly. So, I figured no added sugar meant I could use some dried fruit, like apricots. Dates would be too dense.

This came out very mild yet tasty. Also seems like a great idea for a raw dessert base. Imagine whipping up some cream topping and making little pie squares.


These are very easy, HOWEVER a key ingredient is coconut butter (my new found lover!). It keeps them together at room temp, and adds in healthy fat. I think these are great for kids to snack on, especially since you can tweak it to your child's preferences.


Ingredients:

- 1 cup oats (not the instant kind!)
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 200 gm dried apricots
- 4 Tbsp boiling water
- 1 cup almonds
- 120 gms coconut butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon



Preparation:

Chop the apricots by hand then place in boiling water to soak. In a blender, blend the oats until as fine as possible. add in the cinnamon, coconut and almonds and blend until fine. Add in the coconut butter and the apricots and blend again until well incorporated. The mixture should turn into a ball in the blender.

Place the mixture in a square pan and press down. Try to make it as even on top as possible. Cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge to set.

Enjoy!

Thursday, 8 May 2014

Feature in MugLatte: The Serious Eater Recipes in Arabic

Taken from www.MugLatte.com
The Serious Eater's Chicken Soup recipe was featured in the new online women's magazine MugLatte. MugLatte is an Arabic online magazine, aimed for the Arab woman, and is one of a kind. They cover issues that affect the daily family life, such as, Children, Marriage, House and Garden, and - of course- a Recipe section. My Arabic speaking followers, I suggest you go check it out yourself! And keep an eye out for more TSE recipes in Arabic yet to come. I wanted to thank my friend Sarah Taher for translating the recipe and I wanted to thank the whole team of MugLatte. It makes me very happy that more people can now try out my recipes.

As we say in Egypt, Shukran! Thank you!








Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Banana Walnut Muffins **Vegan**




My first encounter with Dr. John Garcia was when I was 4. On what was on my first trip to Egypt, I was smothered with lots of homemade food, love, more food, kisses, even more food, and presents. Being an adventurous eater at a young age, I devoured the culture. Literally. My aunt, bought a huge stalk of 'Balady' bananas. Balady meaning local, so these were a breed I had never seen before. They were sweet, small, very yellow, with a thin skin. Baby bananas, or bananas for little kids!  In the midst of the chaotic dinner party, I was eating banana after banana, peeling them in different ways. Humming, and poking at them, I continued to eat. Amazed at this new baby version of a much loved fruit. Eating them happily. All of them.

That was the beginning of the end.

Later that night, the bananas came out the same way they went in. All of them.

And I haven't eaten a banana since.


I don't think it's fair to have all my friends and family suffer from childhood psychological trauma from bananas, so I do buy them and incorporate them into my bake every now and then.

But if you are visiting me, don't you dare leave a banana peel just lying around. They make kitchen garbage cans with lids for a reason.


Ingredients:

- 4 ripe bananas
- 100 gm Coconut Butter (You can use same amount normal butter, but then it is not vegan )
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts. I prefer to soak them whole for a while, this allows the very dry peel to come off.
- 1/2 cup sugar (I use less, but many people find it not sweet enough, depends on bananas)
- 11/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking powder




Preparation:

Preheat oven to 180 Celcius

I made them into muffins for the sole reason that my oven in this rental apartment is crap. Usually, I would prefer to make it into a loaf, but muffins are the only way I get any baking done these days.


The absence of the egg makes these less fluffy and not rise as usual muffins would. This is normal.

Smash the bananas until they are watery, add in the rest of the ingredients, the flour being the last one.

Pour into the muffin tins, and bake for 20-25 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Once they are out, allow to cool for 10 mins and then cover in plastic wrap. These muffins, like most loaves, need to sit to reabsorb some of the moisture. If you eat them straight out of the oven they will stick to the paper. They keep well and stay soft when wrapped in cellophane.

Enjoy.


Wednesday, 2 April 2014

What's for Dinner Wednesdays [WFDW]: Veggie Linguine



Trying to get in shape for summer, I've had to ditch my carbs. These 'mock' linguine noodles, made out of raw carrots and zucchini shredded with a potato peeler, do just the trick. Sautee them in olive oil with chili and garlic, or add a meat sauce on top.

I'm going to the kitchen for seconds now!



Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Whats for Dinner Wednesdays [WFDW]: Spicy Egyptian Sausage (Sego2 Masry)




One of the things which is great about living in Berlin, is the people you meet. Some people, you may already know! This is the case with our old college friend, Ali. And the cherry on top of the sundae is that he loves to cook, and is good at it!  Ali made for us traditional spicy Egyptian sausage. The sausage is bought from an Arabic supermarket, then chopped, and sauteed with garlic, onion, a tomato, colored peppers and some chili. You could do this with any sausage, preferably a spicy kind. Wrap it in a sandwich and go!

* The cheese on top was then later added on by a cheese addict in our group...

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

WFDW: Eggplant!



Since my husband has become a vegetarian/pescetarian six months ago, we have been more creative in the kitchen. Recently, he has asked me to show him some of his favorite recipes. Now this has had me over the moon for the past week, since his idea of cooking was sandwiches or pasta. Today we made this all-time favorite eggplant dish with Egyptian rice.

The recipes in details are HERE for the EGGPLANT and HERE for the RICE.

What are you having for dinner today?

Wednesday, 5 March 2014

WFDW: Burrito Filling! BBQ Mexican Chicken with Beans and Avocado



This has quickly turned into my favorite low-carb dish! I had some leftovers; chicken breasts which were already grilled in a Mexican themed spice mix (Paprika, Chili, Cumin, Salt, Oregano, Garlic Powder). I just cut them up, opened a can of kidney beans, two tablespoons of BBQ sauce and heated. Then I added that heavenly mixture on top of a smashed avocado. AMAZING!


Saturday, 1 March 2014

Raw Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting





After being invited to a raw-vegan potluck, I decided to get creative and try out some ideas I had. Raw fruit balls are a new addiction of mine, after overcoming my dislike of dates.Finding these store bought ones, which are absolutely divine, had me thinking of making my own version. These 'cupcakes' were not only simple but yummy as well. Recipe is an approximate, feel free to play around with it.

Ingredients:

- Dates
- Cocoa powder [3/4 cup approx]
- Cashew nuts
- Almonds
- Avocado
- Honey or Maple Syrup
- Dried coconut flakes
- Boiling water


Preparation:
For this I used approximately 100 gms of dates, pitted and roughly chopped. Add into a food processor with two tablespoons of boiling water. Add in some almonds and the cocoa. Make sure everything is well mixed. If it is very sticky, add in more almonds.
Shape into balls, and roll in coconut flakes and some cocoa powder.

Allow to set in the fridge.

For the frosting:
Puree the cashew nuts, they will make a nice paste. Add in an avocado, 1/2 cup cocoa and some honey or maple syrup. Blend well. Allow to chill, then pipe like you would normally pipe frosting. 


Hope you are inspired to make some of your own raw foods!

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

WFDW: Grilled Kofta and Salad



With the weather being absolutely superb, there's no excuse not to get more fresh air and start getting back on the 'healthy' track. Trying to shed those winter pounds, I opted for a simple grilled kofta and salad lunch today. To help save time, I made extra kofta and froze them raw. This is great for days I'm tired but want a good lunch. What did you have for dinner today?

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

WFDW: Stuffed Pumpkins



What's For Dinner Wednesdays



These are stuffed Hokkaido pumpkins with a bechamel sauce. Half were  vegetarian ones with spinach and mushrooms sauteed with garlic and pine nuts, and half were stuffed with ground beef sauteed in carrots, onions, and tomatoes. The fillings were put into raw halved and cleaned pumpkins, and then I poured the bechamel sauce on top. I kept them covered with aluminum foil for about 30 min, then uncovered for 15 mins to brown the tops. We ate them skin and all, and this spontaneous recipe that was just thought up is definitely a keeper!



Monday, 17 February 2014

THE Chicken Soup Recipe



Feeling sick? Needs some comfort food? We all get sick and start feeling sorry for our miserable, stuffy-nosed, sneezing selves. This soup is exactly what you need to remind us of our cozy childhood beds and back-rubs from our moms. Make a large batch and freeze to be sure it's there for you when you need it.

The recipe is a fusion of the traditional American chicken soup I was raised on with the Egyptian version of this [Shorbat Lessan Asfour, or Egyptian Orzo Soup] I fell in love with as an adult.


Ingredients:

- Whole Chicken, thawed
- Black pepper corns [ground black pepper works just as well]
- Carrots [1 whole one, and about 1 cup chopped]
- 1 cup Thinly sliced celery.
- Celery leaves (or whatever pieces of the celery you didn't use for chopping)
- 1 Onion whole
- 1 Onion diced
- 1 Tbsp Cardamom
- 1 Tbsp Coriander seeds
- 4-5 Bay leaves
- Salt
- 2 Tbsp oil
- Half a bag of egg noodles, or any noodles to your preference.
- Lemon wedges for serving



Preparation:

- Clean the chicken good, I usually use salt and vinegar and rinse the bird with cold water.
- In a big enough pot, put the chicken, the whole onion, the whole carrot, bay leaves, salt, pepper, cardamom, coriander, celery, immersed in water and boil for 1.5- 2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through. This will depend on the size and the type of the chicken. Make sure the chicken is cooked through. The joints should be very easy to move not stiff, and poking it should produce no reddish juices, but clear.
- Once the bird is cooked, take it out and put it aside. Strain the chicken stock into a bowl. This is your liquid gold right there. Fresh chicken stock.
- Now in a pot [I just use the same pot to save dishes] add in the oil and the diced onions and celery. Saute them on a medium heat. Add in the carrots, set aside.
- In a separate pot boil your chosen pasta approx half way, then rinse with cold water. If you cook through the pasta will get very mushy in the soup.
- Chop the chicken meat, removing all skin and bone.
Now assemble! Add in the pasta, the chicken pieces to the sauteed veggies, and add in stock. You may not need all the stock and I recommend keeping some in the freezer for other uses.
- Bring to the boil, then serve with a lemon wedge!


Now enjoy, with a box of tissues and a Rom-Com on the tv!







Thursday, 13 February 2014

Valentine's Day Kitchen: 6 Sweet Recipes for Your Sweets



Does your Valentine's Day routine need new ideas? Keep it simple this year with these 6 mouth-watering dessert recipes which look as good as they taste!

1- Chocolate Fudge Cake

What's Valentine's Day without chocolate? Here you will find the recipe for my favorite chocolate fudge cake.

2- Vanilla Cake

Simple and sweet. Easy baking gives you time to decorate. This is THE vanilla cake recipe you need.

3- Chocolate Pudding

A classic that works for all occasions; chocolate pudding my go to comfort dessert.

4- Biscuit au Chocolat

No oven required for this No Bake dessert.

5- Linzer Cookies

Something non-traditional for the baker who wants a challenge. These cookies are so pretty and fun to bake.

6- Chocolate Roll-out Cookies

Chocolate perfection in a cookie. Nothing more can be said!



"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  - George Bernard Shaw


Happy Valentine's Day from The Serious Eater 

The Perfect Chocolate Rollout Cookie - Valentine's Day Special!



I'm picky about my chocolate. I love chocolate but refuse to eat candy bars and just 'anything chocolate'. I'm picky about cookies. Rarely will I buy store bought cookies. I prefer bakery cookies or homemade. Homemade! What a waste of time! Not with this recipe. Making cookies takes more time than making a cake for example BUT it yields a LOT of cookies, they can last for up to two months without going bad, and they are just so much fun to make.

This recipe is after years of experimenting and adjusting to finding the simplest, easy to remember ratio possible without compromising taste. I use no rising agent, since I find that it ruins the shape of the cookie, I just eliminated it. It is also a very forgiving recipe, so feel free to fool around with it.


Ingredients:

- Big block of butter (approx 250 gms) [This is easier for me to remember than in cups or in grams, and I have used a little less or a little more, depending on how the block of butter is sold in where I am at the time.]
- 1 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2/3 cup Cocoa
- Pinch of salt
- 31/2 cups Flour

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)

Cream butter, add in sugar, salt, add in eggs, cocoa powder, then SLOWLY add in the flour, until you need to start kneading with your hands. Knead until all incorporated. DO NOT add more flour if you feel it is too wet or more liquid if you feel its too dry. Once it is all mixed, pat into a ball and allow to sit for a few minutes. The consistency changes a bit after everything is well absorbed.

Check on the dough, if it is very sticky then pat your hands in flour and add in small amounts.

The consistency should be soft, but not melting, it should hold form.

Chill the dough for 10 min, then roll out in a sheet. The thickness depends on how toy like your cookies. Optimal thickness is approx 1/2 a cm. For softer, chewy brownie like cookies make them thicker.

Use your cookie cutter and then transfer cookie shapes onto a baking sheet.

Chill for 10 mins before baking. (This is to preserve the shape, otherwise they may spread a little, but if you are in a rush, and need cookies NAO! then feel free to skip this)

Bake for 6-8 mins. If you have thicker cookies they will need longer to be crispy, or if you like them chewy
then 8 mins should be enough.

Allow to cook before transferring.

ENJOY!

Tuesday, 11 February 2014

"Chocolate is Love" Fudge Cake - Valentine's Special!


Who can go wrong with this ultra moist chocolate cake for Valentine's Day? This is my go to cake for chocolate lovers. Chocolate never lets you down. Chocolate is always there for you. Chocolate is love.


Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup oil
1 cup warm water
pinch of salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 180 Degrees C [350 F]

Mix all dry ingredients.

Mix in eggs, oil, water slowly into dry ingredients until well incorporated.

Pour into pan, allow to bake for 40 mins, checking with a toothpick after 30 mins.

Allow to cool for 30 mins before transfer, this is a soft cake and will break if removed from pan too early.

Also, because it is so light, I would not use this cake for stacking.






Sunday, 9 February 2014

Basic Vanilla Cake for Valentine's Day




I like the idea of Valentine's Day. I like reminding the people I love, how much I love them. And I usually like to do that with food. This simple vanilla cake, is not only easy to make, but melt in your mouth good as well. It's perfect for decorating as it is denser than box cake, but just as easy to make!

This cake is so versatile yet easy to make. It's dense enough to fill, layer and stack yet not dry.
Also, I use this as a base recipe when I'm experimenting with different ideas, like this orange cake and these marble cupcakes



Ingredients:

- 2½ cup Flour
- ¾  cup Oil
- 1¾ cup Sugar 
- 4 Eggs 
- 1 cup Milk
- 2½ tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract


Preparation (Aprrox. 10 mins):

Preheat the oven to 180°C. (350° F) Grease a cake pan or cupcake pan.

Mix the sugar and eggs, and beat until well incorporated and the mixture is light.

In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. 

Mix in the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, add in the vanilla, oil and milk, and mix only until well incorporated.

Pour into your pan, and put into the oven for 40-45 mins, checking after 35 mins with a toothpick.



Decorations: 

Decorations in the pictures are done using marshmallow fondant, icing, colored sugar and the cake is covered in a powdered sugar glaze.  

To make a glaze, add 1 Tsp of water to 1 cup of powdered sugar, and a drop of food coloring needed. Add water as needed but using a teaspoon for accuracy.  You can also make the glaze lemon flavored by adding lemon juice instead of the water and lemon zest as well. 

The fondant is store bought and i used cookie cutters to cut out the shapes.

The glitter sugar is made by putting one drop of food coloring in a plastic bag with half a cup of sugar and mixing it well, then letting it dry for a few hours. 

Play around with different ideas and experiment with this simple recipe! 



Wednesday, 5 February 2014

Linzer Cookies (Jam Sandwich Almond Cookies)




If you go to Linz, Austria you will not find these cookies under the name Linzer cookies, but you will find the famous Linzer Torten. Moving to Germany inspired me to try out these cookies and I was not dissapointed. The nutty flavor with the cinnamon, lemon zest is just divine. Combine with your favorite jam.   

Perfect idea for Valentine's day. 


Ingredients:

1 cup ground almonds/ or almond meal
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Lemon zest (from one lemon)
1 cup Butter room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 Eggs

Jam of your preference
Powdered sugar for presentation

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
Mix flour, almond meal, cinnamon and salt together.
Cream butter (with an electric mixer), add in sugars, then eggs.
Slowly add in flour, until mixture is almost mixed, then continue with your hands.
Knead until well incorporated.

This dough was a little hard to work with, I think it was because of the almonds. I suggest dividing the dough in half, and chilling for only 10 mins, then work with it.

Remember, they will be sandwich cookies, so you don't want them too thick. Choose a shape and prepare the cookie dough.
Use a small shaped cutter inside the bigger shape you choose. Be sure to have the right amount of 'tops' and 'bottoms'.

Bake for 6-8 mins.

Allow to cool down totally before filling with jam. Dust the 'tops' with powdered sugar. Use less jam than you think you need of jam to prevent overflow (I was a little jam-happy and has overflow in some of the cookies). About half a teaspoon is enough. 

Enjoy!

Tuesday, 4 February 2014

... and We're back!



We're back! After a year, The Serious Eater is back in business. It was a rollercoaster ride, moving to a new country, quitting my day job and settling in, but now I'm pumped and ready with new ideas and posts.

Thanks to all my old followers and Hello to all the new ones!


Now, who's ready for Valentine's day?


Tuesday, 25 December 2012

Second Time's the Charm: Creamy Twice Baked Potatoes




When I saw this post by Chef John, I knew this was exactly what I was going to make for my sister and her husband when they were over for dinner. I was surprised on how easy they were, although time consuming to bake large potatoes. They are so versatile and I made two flavor mixes, one was with dill and one with cheese chives, and chili powder, my fav mashed potato mix. I wanted to try a garlic one, but the rest of the food was very garlicky and I had spring onions I needed to finish up.

These are very nice when you have a small number of people over and can make 1 potato for each person. I loved that they looked so fancy after they were baked and tasted phenomenal. These were as big a hit as my roasted sweet potatoes
Ingredients:

- Baked potatoes, as many as you need
- 1/2 stick butter [I used this for 6 potatoes, adjust to your amount]
- Salt, pepper and any flavorings you like

Some flavoring ideas are:

- Garlic, paprika
- Spring onions,  cheese and chili [I've tried this!]
- Dill, and onions
- Mushrooms, onions and celery [sautee them first], this would be a good gluten free 'Stuffing' flavored option.


Preparation:


 
Bake the potatoes in the oven, in foil, make sure to make slits in the potato so they don't explode. They will take time in the oven, and the larger the potato the longer it will take.

After they are ready, allow to cool until they are easy enough to handle, and cut off the tops, so about 1/4th of the potato. Keep the tops.

Carefully, scoop out the insides in a bowl, mix in the rest of the ingredients and mash well.

Place the tops back in the bottom of the potatoes then scoop in the mix, and put them back in the oven to brown the tops.

Enjoy!

What is a fancy potato dish that you like?