SAVORY CAKE

SAVORY CAKE

This recipe belongs to me.  It can be eaten for breakfast or afternoon tea. Also it is a good  choose for party food. Cut the cake into small squares and serve. It is delicious when hot but it can be eaten cold.


INGREDIENTS
2   eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk
3 cups  self raising flour
1 teaspoon salt
1  teaspoons baking  powder
125g ,feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons dill, chopped

PREPARATION
Mix eggs, yogurt, milk, oil and cheese in a  bowl with fork or a stand mixer.  Add flour and baking powder. Continue to mix until it mixes well.. Add dill. Place in a well greased baking tin. Bake at 180C-375F for 35 minutes or until  inserted skewer comes out clean and  top  is light brown.

GOAT CHEESE , PEAR AND PURSLANE SALAD

              

GOAT CHEESE, PEAR
               AND
PURSLANE SALAD

This salad can be made with any green, like purslane, baby spinach, rocket or watercress.

INGREDIENTS


 1 bunch of purslane or rocket or baby spinach
 150g goat cheese
 1/2 cup walnuts

3 pears
2 teaspoon sugar
1 cinema stick
1 orange zest and juice
1 cup red wine

Dressing:
1 small onions chopped
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Peel the skin of pears, cut into cubes. Combine wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, orange zest and juice
let it boil add pears simmer 10 minutes and then drain.
Blend all ingredients until thickened.
Place purslane leaves on a serving plate. Top with cooked pears, chopped walnuts and crushed goat cheese.Drizzle with dressing.




 

 

 

 

 

 

FANCY CUPCAKES

         FANCY

                            CUPCAKES

 

The cupcake is a small cake to serve one person which baked in a cup size  mold  and decorate with icing and cake decorations.

The history of cupcakes goes back to 1796. The term 'cupcake' was first mentioned in Eliza Leslie's  cook book' Receipts' in 1828. 

 It was called cupcake because of two different reasons...first cupcake was baked in individual pottery cup, secondly ingredients were measured by a standard sized cup. 

In the early 21st century these nostalgic cupcakes were re presented by some New York bakeries.

Recently cupcake is very popular after appearance on popular television shows.. It is served at all kinds of parties, specially at weddings.  

 





 

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

3/4 cup sugar

a pinch of salt

1 tablespoons baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

 

 

BUTTER ICING

125g-4oz butter

250g-8oz icing sugar

2-3 drops of food coloring

3-4 tablespoons milk

 

Mix all dry ingredients. Place egg, milk and vegetable oil in a bowl. Pour this mixture into dry ingredients and stir. Share mixture into 12 lined a hole muffin tin with  cupcake cases.  Fill cups 1/2 full with batter.

Bake about 180C-375F for 20-25 minutes in preheated oven until golden brown. Let aside to cool. Decorate the cupcakes with the butter icing and sugar shapes for cakes.

For topping

Beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Stir in the icing sugar and continue to beat, add milk and food coloring beat well until mixture is smooth. 

 

 

 

SYRIAN RICE

                   SYRIAN RICE

 

 

 

 





 

 I learned this recipe from my dear friend who passed away a year ago. I missed her and our conversations about food. This recipe is for her memory.

  She had told me that  she also  learned it from a Syrian friend. When I search  for Syrian rice pilaf I have found  many different  recipes which is called Makloubeh- means upside down. All of them are cooked with fried eggplant and cooked on  the stove and spicy. 

My recipe is  different from them; using raw eggplant and cooking in the oven. I can  guarantee that the taste is so good. 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

6 medium onions, sliced and sauteed

500g ground-minced beef

1 onion , chopped

6 tomatoes, sliced

3 medium size eggplant- aubergine, sliced

1 1/2 cup rice

 1 1/2 pint chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

 

Soak rice in salty water 30 minutes, drain , wash under running water and drain again.

 Soak eggplant in salty and 1 teaspoon flour added water 15 minutes, wash well and slices.

 Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan, fry sliced onion until lightly brown. Slice tomatoes.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan add ground beef, cook until brown, add chopped onion, continue to stir further 10 minutes. 

For to prepare: 

In a dip casserole lay the ingredients. Start first with 1/3 of onion then 1/3 ground beef, then 1/2 of rice then 1/3 of sliced eggplant and sliced tomatoes. Repeat until all ingredients are used. Last layer must be tomato.

Pour hot chicken stock over very slowly . Bake about 180C-375F for 30-35 minutes or until rice is cooked.

Let rice set 10 minutes, run a spatula around the edge of the rice. Then place a serving dish upside down over the casserole.       

 

 

 

DEEP FRIED CALIFLOWER

DEEP FRIED
CAULIFLOWER

 
Deep frying is a fast cooking method  and also delicious. Unfortunately I can't say 'it is healthy'  when the subject is health. But I think we all have the right to  dodge time to time. You can try this recipe such a time like this.
There are many fried vegetable recipes in the world cuisine. The best known are Japanese tempura and Indian pakora.
 In my recipe I use beer as liquid for to make batter. It makes crunchy and tasty. You can make also fried carrot and zucchini using the same batter.
 

   

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 medium size cauliflower

3 tablespoons  self raising flour

125ml  beer

1/2 teaspoon salt

vegetable oil for frying

Yogurt
1 clove garlic , crushed (optional)

 

Cut cauliflower into medium florets.Cook cauliflower in boiling salted water for  3-5 minutes. Then drain.  Whisk flour, salt and beer. Let batter to rest 10 minutes.

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan.  Dip the cauliflower florets into batter. Shake off excess batter.

Fry into heated oil until golden. Transfer on kitchen towel. Continue with the rest. Serve with yogurt.

 

MOROCCAN LEMON CHICKEN

  



                   MOROCCAN
           LEMON
           CHICKEN

              

 

 

Lately my interest is Mediterranean cuisine. Mediterranean region contains many different cultures. The historical connection of these countries have led common cuisine. It is also very convenient to my way of cooking ...more vegetables and olive oil.

This lemon chicken recipe is from Morocco. As usual I have changed little bit. In original recipe pickled lemon been used . I made it with fresh lemon.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

8 chicken pieces, skinned

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, chopped

1 cup white vine

2 fresh lemons, halved

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

11/2 cup hot water or chicken stock

2 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped

2 tablespoon parsley, chopped

 

   

 

Mix all the spices in a bowl. Coat the chicken pieces with spice mixture .Let  to marinate 1 hour.

Heat olive oil in a pan or casserole. Add the chicken pieces and cook until browned. Lower the heat add garlic and onion. Stir 10 minutes.

Add vine, lemon halves, coriander and stock. Reduce the heat low, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes until chicken is tender. Spread chopped parsley and serve with rice.

 

 

 

 

 



CHEESE BISCUIT

           
                       CHEESE BISCUIT

 

 

 

 Afternoon tea parties are very  common among ladies in Turkey. Turkish coffee is well known all over the world. Everyone thinks Turkish people drink coffee more then tea. But it is not true. In reality tea is much more popular  then coffee.

At afternoon tea party we serve sweet and savory food together. This recipe is a good example for savory ones.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

5 tablespoons  butter or margarine

3/4 cup  Cheddar or mozzarella cheese , grated

1 egg, yolk and white separated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 cups plain flour

2 teaspoons poppy seeds or sesame seeds

 

Sift the flour,  salt and pepper into a large bowl. Rub the butter and egg yolk into the dry ingredients. Add cheese. Knead until the dough is smooth . Cover the dough with stretch and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on  lightly floured surface and cut out of shapes. Re-roll the trimmings and cut more shapes. Place on baking paper and brush with beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle on the seeds. Bake 180C-375F for 15-20 minutes until golden.