Ajvar (pepper relish)
Ingredients:
* 8-12 fresh red paprika (mild or medium-hot, to taste)
* 4 medium-size eggplants
* 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
* 1 large onion, minced
* 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)
* Salt and pepper to taste
* Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Method:
Roast the paprika and eggplants over charcoal or a gas flame, or bake them in a preheated 230 C oven, until the skin is blistered and darkened. Place the roasted vegetables in a paper bag and let them steam in their own heat for 10 minutes. Peel off and discard the burnt skin along with the steams and seeds. Mash the peppers and eggplant pulp together to form a slightly chunky mass. You can do this with a fork or in a food processor.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and saute the onion until very soft. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pepper-eggplant pulp, mixing well. Slowly drizzle the remaining oil into the mixture, stirring constantly to incorporate all of the oil. Add lemon juice or vinegar, and salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.
For longer storage fill glass jars without air bubbles in ajvar and top with layer of oil. Preferably store in refrigerator.
Note: Serve as an appetizer to spread on thick slices of country-style white bread or flat pita bread with chunks of feta cheese, or use as a side dish to accompany grilled or roasted meats.
Read MoreTzatziki
Ingredients:
1/2 of an English cucumber, partially peeled OR
1 whole cucumber – peeled and seeded
1 cup plain yogurt (preferably Greek yogurt or regular yogurt strained through a cheesecloth)
1/3 cup sour cream
juice of 1/4 lemon
1 tsp. dill weed (optional)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Grate the cucumber and squeeze out all of the juice.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a medium bowl. Add cucumber.
3. Let stand in fridge for at least 1 hour.
4. Serve with pita chips as an appetizer or with Greek meatballs (recipe follows).
Read MoreRice with Onion & Cumin
Ingredients:
2-cup cooks rice,
4-cups water
1-cup finely chopped onion,
1-tsp cumin seeds,
2-tbsp oil,
1-2 Bayleaf,
Salt to taste,
Coriander leaves for garnish (optional)
Method:
1: Heat the oil in pan and add cumin seeds and bay leaf in it.
2: Add finely chopped onion in it.
3: Cook until they are transparent not golden brown. Sprinkle salt to taste.
4: After that add rice in it and mix.Add water.
5: Cook in law flame until rice is soft.
6: Serve garnished with coriander leaves as side dish to curry or tikka.
Read MoreNaan
Ingredients:
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Superfine sugar
• 1 tsp Dry yeast
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Ghee or Oil
• Water as per requirement
Method:
•Take the yeast and dissolve it water taken in a bowl.
•Cover the mixture and leave it aside for 10 minutes.
•Now take the all purpose flour in a shallow tray and make a depression in the center.
•Add yeast, ghee, sugar and salt. Mix them properly.
•Add some more water if it is required.
•Put the mixture on a floured surface and make dough. Knead it well for 5-7 minutes.
•Keep it in a warm place for 1 hour and cover it so that it can rise.
•After due time period, make small balls out of the dough.
•Flatten each ball to make ovals of about 1 cm thickness.
•Put these ovals on a smeared heavy-duty aluminum foil.
•Grill it under a preheated broiler till golden brown color appears.
•Repeat the procedure with rest of the balls.
•Naans are ready to serve.
Read MoreRotis
Ingredients:
(makes 12 rotis)
Whole Wheat Flour (Chapati Flour) – 2 cups
Salt – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Oil – 4 tsp
Warm Water – 3/4 cup
All-purpose flour – for rolling and dusting
Method:
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix Chapati Flour and Salt well.
2. Add Oil and mix until all lumps are gone.
3. Add Warm Water a little at a time to form a medium soft dough ball. Do not overwork the dough.
4. Add few drops of Oil and coat the dough ball. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.
5. Heat Tawa or skillet on medium heat.
6. Knead the dough once and divide into golf ball size balls.
7. Dip one ball into the All-purpose flour to coat and roll it out into a thin disc. Keep dipping the rotli into the dry flour to prevent it from sticking to the rolling surface.
8. Shake or rub off excess flour from the rotli and place it onto the hot tawa.
9. Flip to the other side once you see bubbles appear on the surface. Allow it to cook for 10-15 seconds.
10. Increase the stove heat to High, gently pick the rotli up with tongs, remove the tawa off of the flame, flip the rotli over and place onto an open flame.
11. The rotli should balloon up. Flip it over and cook on the other side.
12. Place the cooked rotli into an insulated container and smear it with Ghee or clarified butter and repeat the process for the remaining dough.
Note: Steps 10-11 are optional, but they enhance the flavour. If open flame is not available, they should be baked 1/2 min per side.
Read MorePersian Jewelled Rice
Ingredients:
* 275g Basmati Rice
* 18 – 20 saffron threads (1/2 sachet)
* 1 tbspn boiling water
* 1 rounded tspn cardamom pods
* 1 rounded tspn coriander seeds
* 3 tbspn olive oil
* 75g dried cranberries
* 110g raisins
* 50g peeled pistachio nuts
* Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method:
* Rinse the rice in cold water and drain well.
* Mix the saffron with the boiling water and leave to infuse for 10 mins.
* Add rice to large pan of salted boiling water with the cardamom and coriander.
* Bring to the boil and leave to hard simmer for 8 – 10 mins until rice is al dente (soft on outside but firm in centre). Drain in a colander.
* Heat oil in a large frying pan, add the dried fruit and nuts and sauté for 1 min to plump up.
* Stir in the rice and the saffron liquid, season to taste and stir well to combine.
* Serve.
Note: This beautifully fragrant and slightly sweet rice dish is great served with cold cuts of turkey or a gammon joint.
Read More