All posts for the month October, 2011

Lemony ricotta pancakes

We had a great weekend me and the kids, on Friday I made them a fancy breakfast, lemony pancakes, hash browns and omelette. It was actually an attempt to recreate the breakfast we had at Le Mirabelle on my birthday but I will get back to the breakfast and the recipes in a little while

Later in the day we took a road trip to Jerash, a city north of Amman that has the ruins of one of the best preserved Roman.The road to Jerash is one through beautiful mountains, and scattered little villages on both sides.

Along the way you’ll find farmers selling their vegetables and fruits for the people who pass by.This time of year, it is mostly beautiful pomegranates with the colors of the sunset and all kinds of figs from green to purplish blue.

I really wanted to take a couple of pictures of the beautiful fruit displays along the road but by the time we went to Jerash and came back it was already dark and I knew the pictures wouldn’t do them justice in such a light so I decided not take any. Sorry!

I did however take a few pictures of the city

The kids had a blast running around wild-eyed asking about everything lol.The part they liked the most according to my eldest is watching the man draw with the sand and write their names inside the sand bottles

The drawings in the bottles you see are made by carefully layering colored sand into the glass bottle to create these enchanting patterns and drawings

The day ended with a beautiful sunset, two happy kids and loads of great memories

Back to the pancakes. Over a month ago Kristy from Eat play love posted a wonderful recipe for peach and ricotta pancakes that I knew at once I had to make. Eat play love is one of my favorite blogs that chronicles the journey of a family with a passion for food and good travel. I love following their cooking trips around the world and their quest for the perfect banana bread recipe.

I tried making the recipe for the first time with peaches but thought it would be smart to add chopped peaches to the batter

Big mistake

The fluid from the peaches made the batter to runny and impossible to flip, I poured it into a cake pan and baked it. The result was a delicious cake /pancake hybrid.I was determined to try this again but this time without the peaches.

The changes I made were to double the sugar because my kids like eating their pancakes plain and I reduced the baking powder in half because I felt that there was a slight baking powder taste still evident in the pancakes after cooking (the recipe below is the adapted one). I also used the blender to mix the ricotta with the eggs, butter and sugar. I wanted the ricotta to be smooth and evenly distributed in the batter.The result: Perfection!

The ricotta makes the pancakes fluffy and light, almost like eating clouds. The double dose of lemon from the lemon zest and juice adds so much freshness, a distinct lemony flavor and a heavenly smell that fills the house. I have made these lemony pancakes 2 times since then and my little one declared them her ultimate pancakes taking over from the carrot cake pancakes.

Lemony Ricotta pancakes

adapted from Eat, Play, Love

1 and 1/2 cups all‐purpose flour

4 tablespoons sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons butter

In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs with the vanilla, butter, ricotta , milk,lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar until pale in color (I usually do this in the blender)

In a separate bowl whisk the flour, salt and baking powder

Next add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients

in the large mixing bowl and stir to combine. The batter should be lumpy, do not over mix.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add a little butter to grease the surface.

Add one ladel ful per pancake and wait until you can see bubbles all over the pancake then flib it to cook on the other side

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86 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on October 17, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Breakfast, Egg

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on October 17, 2011

http://chefindisguise.com/2011/10/17/lemony-ricotta-pancakes/

Moo Shu, thin pancakes and hoisin sauce

The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce

When I first read the title of this month’s challenge the first thing that came to my mind was Mulan’s little red dragon.

After reading the challenge I realized we are not cooking little red dragons lol. Simply put, Moo Shu is a stir fry, containing thinly sliced or shredded vegetables, meat (traditionally) and scrambled egg. It is usually served on flat, thin, steamed pancakes, and is accompanied by a complementary sauce.

I have to admit that I was worried about this challenge. First off I wasn’t sure I could find the bamboo shoots called for in the recipe. Then there was the combination of cabbage, scrambled eggs with chicken.

I looked everywhere for the bamboo shoots with no luck and was worried I was going to miss the challenge. I finally decided to do without the bamboo and ended up making this on a day I was really tight on time so I couldn’t roll the pancakes as thinly as I wanted but they really turned out yummy none the less.Actually the whole meal was a yummy surprise.Everyone loved it, even the kids. My husband asked for seconds which is always a good sign lol

My only problem was with the sauce. I used half the soya sauce and sesame oil asked for in the recipe and it still came out too salty and with intense flavors. I played around with it a little,adding more honey and some mayonnaise to tone the flavors down and it worked! I know it no longer was hoisin sauce but it worked beautifully with the moo shu.

The next day I added some stir fried carrots , zucchini and peas to the leftovers. I loved the color and texture the variety of vegtables added to the dish. I think I will be making this again but with the added vegetables, fresh mushrooms instead of dried and my adapted sauce.

Thank you Shelley and Ruth for a wonderful challenge. I know I wouldn’t have tried this if it wasn’t for you

Thin Pancakes:

Makes 12- 15 pancakes
Preparation time: about 10 minutes plus 30 minutes’ standing time
Cooking time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients
2 cups (480 ml) 280 gm) all purpose flour
About 3/4 cup (150 ml) boiling water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable oil
Dry flour for dusting

Directions:

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Gently pour in the water, stirring as you pour, then stir in the oil. Knead the mixture into a soft but firm dough. If your dough is dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency.(I added about 1/4 cup more water) Cover with a damp towel and let stand for about 30 minutes.
Lightly dust the surface of a worktop with dry flour. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth, then divide into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a long sausage and cut each sausage into 8-10 pieces. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with a lightly damp dish cloth to keep it from drying out.
Roll each piece into a ball, then, using the palm of your hand, press each piece into a flat pancake. Dust the worktop with more dry flour. Flatten each pancake into a 6 to 8 inch (15 cm to 20 cm) circle with a rolling pin, rolling gently on both sides.
Place an un-greased frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to low and place the pancakes, one at a time, in the pan. Remove when little light-brown spots appear on the underside. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.

Moo Shu Chicken:

Serves 4
Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking time: 6-8 minutes

Ingredients
2/3 cup (1 oz) (30 gm) Dried mushrooms

2 chicken thighs or breasts without the skin and bones
¾ cup (3½ oz) (100 gm) bamboo shoots, thinly cut (I didn’t use it)
3 cups (6 oz) (170 gm) cabbage
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil
2 Scallions
1 tablespoon (15 ml) light soy sauce
2 teaspoons (10 ml) rice vinegar
A few drops sesame oil
Thin pancakes to serve

In a pinch, you can use pre-chopped cabbage, usually sold as a cole slaw blend, as the basis of your Moo Shu.

Hoisin Sauce:

Ingredients
4 tablespoons (60 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut butter OR black bean paste
1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey OR molasses
2 teaspoons (10 ml) white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) garlic powder
2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame seed oil
20 drops (¼ teaspoon) Chinese style hot sauce (optional, depending on how hot you want your hoisin sauce)
1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) black pepper

Directions:
Simply mix all of the ingredients together by hand using a sturdy spoon.
At first it does not appear like it will mix, but keep at it just a bit longer and your sauce will come together

My adapted sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut butter OR black bean paste

2 tablespoon (30 ml) honey OR molasses

2 teaspoons (10 ml) white vinegar

1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) garlic powder

1 teaspoons (5 ml) sesame seed oil

1/8 teaspoon (⅔ ml) black pepper

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

60 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on October 14, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Chicken, Daring cooks

Tagged Cabbage, chicken moo shu, daring cooks, home made hoisin sauce, Moo shu recipe, october challenge 2011, postaweek2011, thin pancakes

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on October 14, 2011

http://chefindisguise.com/2011/10/14/moo-shu-thin-pancakes-and-hoisin-sauce/

Honey rosemary chicken

The combination of honey and chicken might sound strange and unappealing at first but I promise you that if you try this recipe you will be instantly hooked. The chicken is not overly sweet, in fact the effect the honey has is adding a richness of flavor, a wonderful golden brown color and a hint of sweetness. Add the rosemary for the woody, earthy flavor , some lemon and mustard to make things interesting and you have a winner!

I have had this recipe written in my recipe book for years. I don’t even remember where it came from. I think it might be from cooking light but I’m not sure.

If you have never tried a combination of sweet and savory before this is a great recipe to explore, the sweetness is not overwhelming and the combination of flavors takes chicken from ordinary to interesting and appetizing.

I usually serve my honey rosemary chicken with some rosemary garlic potatoes, a salad and maybe some onion bread

Honey rosemary chicken

2 chicken breasts or thighs or a combination

1/3 cup of honey

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons mustard

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Whisk the ingredients of the marinade

Tip:

Measure the oil in your cup before measuring the honey, that will prevent the honey from sticking to the cup

Add the chicken and allow to marinate anywhere between 30 minutes and over night.

Put the chicken with the marinade in your baking dish, cover with tin foil

Place the baking dish into a 200 C (400F) oven for 20 minutes

Uncover, paste with the marinade and continue cooking until the fluids run clear when you insert a knife into the joint area. (another 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the chicken)

Usually the marinade will give the chicken a golden brown color but if you want a deeper color you can place it under the broiler for a couple of minutes

43 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on October 12, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Chicken

Tagged garlic, honey rosemary chicken recipe, lemon, lemon risotto, oven grilled chicken, postaweek2011, quick and easy, sweet and savory

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on October 12, 2011

http://chefindisguise.com/2011/10/12/honey-rosemary-chicken/

Indian naan meets arabic manousheh

First of all let me clear out the terminology I know many of you are familiar with naan (tear drop shaped Indian flat bread traditionally cooked in a clay oven) but a few know what a manousheh is.

Manousheh is basically a Lebanese flat bread topped one of a variety of ingredients: za’tar(Za’atar is generally prepared using ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or some combination thereof, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, and salt, though other spices such as sumac might also be added), cheese, labaneh (strained greek yogurt, similar to cream cheese in consistency and to sour cream in taste) and eggs are the most famous ones. However you can find restaurants and bakeries serving turkey and cheese, eggs and sausage, and nutella manusheh side by side with the more traditional ones

The easiest way to describe it is : it is a single or double ingredient topping middle eastern pizza . I usually make my manousheh using the same dough recipe I use for pizza crust, I bake them in the oven and they come out perfect and yummy every time.

The other day I had some left over naan dough in the fridge after making some naan to serve with the tandoori chicken. It was the weekend and I didn’t have any of my pizza crust dough. The kids wanted manousheh for breakfast and I thought why not!

Instead of turning on the oven at 8 in the morning I decided to make my breakfast creation on the stove top. I have made naan both ways (oven and stove top) and I have to say I like the stove top one better. It is softer and fluffier.That being said, I have come across a very interesting recipe and technique for making naan that uses potatoes and honey in the dough and cooks one side of the naan on the stove top and the other under the broiler. It promises the best naan you can ever make at home and the closest you’ll ever get to that restaurant tandoori baked naan. And though I am very happy with the recipe I am sharing with you today (it gives soft naan with a depth of flavor from the yogurt and slight smoky flavor from the little charred points )I will have to try it soon in the name of science and I will keep you posted.

Naan manousheh

2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 \ 2 cup a warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup greek yogurt
1 cup boiling water

5 and 1 \ 2 cups flour
2 teaspoons oil
2 teaspoons salt

Topping

Za’tar (ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or some combination thereof, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, and salt, and sumac)

Akkawi cheese with dried mint

Preparation of the naan manousheh

Proof the yeast (Mix it with the warm water and sugar and wait for it to bubble)
Whisk the yogurt and the boiling water together then set aside until they cool down

Add the yeast mixture, the yogurt and water mix and 3 cups of flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the mix is homogenous.

Cover and leave in a warm place for 1/2 an hour

Next add the salt and oil to it and start adding the remaining flour half a cup at a time while kneading until you get a soft smooth pliable ball of dough (you may not need all the flour)

Knead for 5-7 minutes until satiny and elastic.

Cover the bowl with oiled plastic wrap and keep it aside in a warm place until it doubles in volume (one to 1.5 hours. you may also keep it in the refrigerator to rise slowly overnight)

Turn the dough out on to well-floured surface, punch out the air out gently with your knuckles, and divide the dough into 6 or 8 portions (depending on the diameter of the pan you are going to use for cooking), plus one tiny piece (to be explained soon).

Start heating the pan you are going to cook the naan in, using medium heat.
Roll the dough out into thin discs and keep them one by one on a floured baking sheet covered with a damp towel until you’ve rolled them all. Or stretch them by hand into teardrop shapes. They fluff up, so the thinner you can roll/stretch them, the better. (you can prick the dough discs with a fork to prevent them from forming big bubbles)

Take the tiny piece you kept aside, flatten it, and put it on the pan. If it gets charred within a few seconds or the pan smokes a lot, take it off the heat, and let it cool down a tad. If it does not show brown spots in 4 or 5 seconds, your pan’s not hot enough.

When you have the pan to the heat level you want (medium), put a disc of dough on it, it will start forming bubbles almost right away.

After 2-3 minutes, brush it with butter, turn it over and spread the topping of your choice on the cooked side that is now facing upward

Wait for the bottom to get blistery spots, then fold it on half.

Allow it to cook for one more minute on this side then flip it, cook for one more minute..take it off the heat.

If you don’t prick the dough with a fork it may buff up like this

Which will give your kids something to oooh and aaaah about

78 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on October 9, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Bread and pastry, Breakfast

Tagged baking, breakfast, labaneh, manousheh, naan step by step, naan yogurt recipe, stove top naan, منقوشه, za'tar

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on October 9, 2011

http://chefindisguise.com/2011/10/09/indian-naan-meets-arabic-manousheh/

Edible flower..cheese stuffed bread

I love baking and bread is high on my list of favorites. Part of what put bread on top of my list is the fact that I enjoy jazzing up bread with different toppings or stuffings . Trying out different flavors and herbs is something I never get tired of.

Stuffed bread is so versatile, it makes for a great lunch or sliced up it is a wonderful appetizer for a party. It is faster and easier than making individualized appetizers and the best part is: the possibilities for the stuffing are endless.

Triple cheese stuffed bread: combine cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack.

Mediterranean cheese: Feta, cheddar and Halloumi cheese with mint

Not a fan of cheese try : minced meat with sautéed onions, tomatoes and pepper

Want a vegetarian version: try spinach and sautéed onions

Feeling like something sweet: some softened butter and cinnamon turn this into a yummy dessert

Not into too much butter but still into something sweet: try stuffing it with date paste with cinnamon and cardamom

Cheese stuffed bread flower

Savory treat with a lovely presentation

Ingredients

1/4 cup (60 ml) warm water
3/4 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/4 cup (57 gram) butter, softened
1/4 cup (50 gram) white sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams)salt
3 1/4 tp 3 1/2 cups ( 416-448 gram) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (8 grams) dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram)cardamom optional
For topping
1/4 cup (60ml) of milk
1 tablespoon (14 gm)sugar

stuffig

1 cup (80 grams) akkawi cheese shredded (you can use any firm salty cheese)
5 springs parsley or mint

Instructions

In a bowl whisk the egg with milk, water, sugar, butter and yeast.

Set aside

In another bowl sift the flour with the salt and the cardamom .

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and knead until you get a smooth dough.

Place it in a bowl you have brushed with some oil and cover it with a wet cloth and leave it in a warm place to double

(If you are tight on time you can heat your oven to 200 C then turn it off and place your dough in a glass bowl and place it in the warm oven with the wet cloth covering the bowl)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface

Roll into a rectangle

Spread cheese stuffing leaving 1 inch (2.5cm) margin all around

Roll the dough from the long side into a tube form

Join both ends of the tube and pinch the dough together

Using a scissor or a knife make cuts that go 2/3 of the way through the dough

Turn the slices 90 degrees so that cut part faces upward

Using a brush, brush the dough with milk

allow to rest for 15 minutes during which you would heat your oven to 270C (500F) (rack in the middle)

Bake for 5 minutes on 270C (500F) then lower the temperature to 200 C (400 F) and cook for 15-20 more minutes (ovens do differ greatly, so the time may differ..what you want is to bake it until the under side is golden brown)

turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes until it is golden brown on top