SALAD VERDE WITH RED VINEGAR AND MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE AND POMEGRANATE SEEDS

This salad is extremely easy to make and quick to assemble (there is no cooking per se), it involves minimum of ingredients and most of all, its tangy test and fresh crispiness of the ingredients are a great accompaniment to almost any dish you cook whether it is vegetarian, meat, fish or poultry.  

You need:

2 heads of baby cos lettuce

2 medium cucumbers

A handful of chopped fresh herbs (coriander, dill or parsley depending on your taste)

Pomegranate seeds to serve

 

For the vinaigrette:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp red vine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp honey

Salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Method:

Remove the stems from the lettuce and then slice each lenghtwise into quarters and arrange on a plate.  

Using a potato peeler, remove the skin from the cucumbers and continue peeling off the ribbons until you reach the seeds that need to be discarded.  Place the cucumber ribbons over the lettuce.

Finely chop the herbs and sprinkle over the salad.  Take a whole pomegranate, slice it in half, place one half into the palm of your hand seeds down and holding it over the salad, start beating it with a wooden spoon.  This method should easily release the seeds with minimum damage to their shape.

Place all the ingredients for the dressing into an air-tight container and give it a good shake, taste and adjust the seasoning.

Once satisfied, pour the dressing over the leaves and serve alongside a Whole Roast Chicken or use it as a base for Stuffed Mushrooms.

WHOLE ROAST CHICKEN + YOUNG POTATOES

Who does not like roast chicken? It must have been one of the most often cooked dishes of all times.   It is definitely very popular in my neighborhood considering that there are three chicken shops around the corner where we live, all within 100 steps from each other, all doing very well selling roast chickens to the hungry crowd, or so it seems.

I, on the other hand, like to eat the one that is cooked in my own kitchen.  It could be because it is not such a difficult thing to do or because I like the delightful aromas that fill our house tantalizing our taste buds and firing up our appetites.  And if you have never roasted a chicken in your life, I strongly suggest you try.

Preparation:  20 min, cooking time:  1- 1.20 minutes

To feed 6 people you need:

1.5 kg corn fed whole chicken

1 fennel bulb

50 ml olive oil

50 go butter chopped into small pieces

1 lemon

1 garlic head

1 kg small potatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Remove the bird out of the fridge half hour before cooking.

Pre-heat the oven to180C.  Wash and pat to dry the chicken, remove all the bits from its cavity, snip off the wing tips and pluck out any remaining feathers.  Gently pry the skin off the breast meat and bone and carefully slide pieces of butter under the skin spreading it evenly.

Cut off the tips from the fennel bulb and place them inside the chicken’s cavity.  Slice the fennel into rounds about 1 cm thick and spread them on the baking tray.  Place the chicken on top, pour over olive oil and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Separate the garlic head and using the flat side of your knife, flatten each clove and then place them into the bird’s cavity.  Slice a lemon in half, squeeze the juice of one half all over the chicken and massage it into the skin so the olive oil and the seasoning are well spread.  Slice the other half into rounds and place them around the chicken.

Wash and pat dry the potatoes and place them in a plastic bag.  Add some olive oil, salt and pepper and give the potatoes a good shake and mix and then arrange them evenly around the chicken.

Pour one cup of hot water into a tray and place it in the oven.  When the chicken skin on one side is started to get brown, reduce the temperature to 150C and let it roast basting occasionally using the liquid formed on the bottom of the tray.  Also don’t forget to move the potatoes around so they get a nice crispy skin all over.

I like my chicken to be brown on all sides, so after cooking it for half hour, gently turn it over to cook the other side and continue basting it every now and then.

After cooking the chicken for one hour, insert a skewer into the thigh and if the juices come out clear, the bird is cooked.  If the juices are still running slightly pink, continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes.  If by that time the skin of the chicken gets too brown, cover it with foil to prevent from burning.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and rest for about 10 minutes covered with foil.

Carefully slice the bird, place it in the middle of a big serving plate and arrange the potatoes and fennel all around it.  Pour over the juices and serve with a simple green salad on the side.

Enjoy!!!

SPICY CARROT SALAD WITH PISTACHIOS AND CRANBERRIES

Fragrant spices, bright colours, exotic flavours – this Middle Eastern style salad ticks all the boxes and tantalises your taste buds. I often serve this salad alongside my Moroccan Lamb Stew or other main dishes with similar flavours.  Having said that, it could be served next to other dishes with rather subtle and delicate tastes by way of contrast that helps you to appreciate the different textures and flavours.

To feed 6 people, you need:

8-10 medium carrots

1 big red chili, de-seeded

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated

½ cup of dried cranberries

½ cup of mint leaves torn

1 tbsp of coriander leaves chopped

3 tbsp pistachio nuts, slightly toasted

For the dressing:

½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Peel the carrots and grate them either with a grater or using a food processor, whatever is available and easy to use.  Finely chop the chilies and add to the salad together with garlic and cranberries.

Using a small jar with an air-tight lid, combine all the ingredients for the dressing and give it a good shake, have a taste and adjust so that you are happy with the balance of sweet and sour with a slight tang coming from the mustard.  Also bear in mind that the cranberries will add some sweetness too.

Pour the dressing over the salad, add nuts and mint and coriander leaves and mix quite well, give it a taste and adjust the seasoning.  Keep the salad in the fridge until serving.

The flavours of this salad are quite bold; however they should complement each other nicely.  And don’t worry that it might be too hot because of the chilies, the mind leaves are there to keep the heat under control.

Enjoy!!!

MOROCCAN LAMB STEW

A delicious winter dish full of the exotic flavours of the Moroccan souks that will fill your kitchen with wonderful aromas and put happy smiles on the faces of your fellow diners. 

Although it is extremely tasty when just cooked, however, prepare it the day in advance to let the flavours develop and penetrate deeper into the lamb.

To feed 8 people you need:

1.2 kg of lamb shoulder deboned

50 ml olive oil

1 big brown onion cubed

5 garlic cloves peeled and lightly flattened

1 small red chili deseeded

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp coriander seeds

½ tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp sumac

5 cloves

3 star anise

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Topping:

3 tbsp coriander chopped

3 tbsp almond flakes for extra crunch

3 tbsp pomegranate seeds (optional)

Method:

Cut the meat into similar sized cubes around 6cm each.  Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan on medium-high heat (I use one that I brought with me from Russia many years ago) and fry onions until they turn dark brown but make sure you don’t burn them.  The dark colour is vital because that’s what gives the whole dish a dark rich brown colour.

While the onions are cooking, warm up a small frying pan and gently fry coriander and fennel seeds for about 5 minutes until they release their flavours, then grind in a pestle and mortar and add to the onions together with all other spices and mix well.

Once the onions are dark, add the meat, stir and let it release the juices, turning over as it gets darker.  Once all the liquid is evaporated, reduce the heat and add about half a cup of water and cover with the lid but place it slightly askew to let the steam out.  It will help to brown the meat and thicken the sauce.  After cooking it for about 20 minutes, check the seasoning and adjust to your taste.  It is very important to get the taste right while the meat is still cooking.  Make sure that the sauce is salty enough for meat to absorb.  When the meat is almost cooked, throw in the garlic

After cooking it for about 20 minutes, check the seasoning and adjust to your taste.  It is very important to get the taste right while the meat is still cooking.  Make sure that the sauce is salty enough for meat to absorb.  When the meat is almost cooked, throw in the garlic. 

Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and topping up with some water, leaving small tips of meat uncovered.   Continue cooking until the meat becomes very soft and quite dark.

When the meat is cooked and you are ready to serve, ladle it on an attractive looking big plate or a bowl (think about presentation) and place in the middle of a table for everyone to share.  To add some nice crunch and texture to the dish, sprinkle over with freshly chopped coriander, lightly toasted almond flakes and pink jewels of pomegranate.  

This dish is traditionally served with fluffy couscous but a creamy mash potatoes or your favourite pasta work equally well with the meat.

I also like to serve it with a Spicy Carrot Salad that beautifully complements the flavours of the main dish.

Enjoy!!!