Ahlam's Pasta and chicken bake

 

Pasta and Chicken Bake

 

600g Boneless chicken breast diced

1 Onion diced

1 Green pepper diced

300g mushroom (optional)

3 Gloves of garlic

1/4 tsp. Black pepper

3/4 tsp. Paprika

400g Pasta (in this recipe I used Penne, but I also make it with twist pasta)

5 tbsp. Tomatoe Puree

5-6 tbsp. Olive Oil

200g grated cheese

Method:

In a pan on a medium heat, put in the olive oil, once slightly warm put in the onions. Keep an eye on them as you don’t want them too brown; once they start to brown add the chicken breast. All you need to do is seal it.

Once sealed added the garlic, tomatoe puree and spices and let to simmer for a few minutes. Then add the diced peppers, mushroom and about a mug full of water and leave to simmer again for a few minutes.

Then add enough water to cover and lid on for about 20-30 minutes, keep checking until chicken is cooked and there is sufficient sauce left to mix with the pasta.

In separate pan bowl water for the pasta and follow cooking instructions for pasta. Once done risen under cold water to stop it from cooking.

In an oven proof dish pour in the cooked pasta followed by the chicken sauce and mix well till all the pasta is coated.

Then add cheese and put into a preheated oven of 175c fan operated to bake for approx. 15-20minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

 



Famous Traditional Morocain Cous Cous with 7 Vegetable

1kg Beef or Mutton (large Chuck pieces)
250g Carrots (peel and cut into half and remove the core, leaving them long)
4 Courgettes (cut into half and remove the seeds, leaving them long)
1 Small Cabbage head (cut into quarters)
4 Small Turnips (peeled and cut into half)
1 Small Pumpkin (leave the skin and into quarters)
3 Medium Sweet Potatoes (peeled and cut into half)
4 Large Onions (diced)
Bunch of coriander ( leave whole and tie with string)
500g Broad beans
6 Tomatoes (peeled and diced)
2 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Saffron or Halid
Salt to taste
1kg Cous Cous (medium)
15tbsp Olive oil
10tbsp Sunflower Oil
                                                                        2 Lamb or beef Stock cubes


Method:

In a large bowl, pour the cous cous,add 2tsp of salt , 5tbsp Olive Oil and 1/2 mug of cold water and mix with your hands.  Ensure that the grains are separate, not forming into small little balls and leave to stand.

In a 2 or 3 tier steamer, put in the sunflower oil and diced onion.   Fry the onions until then turn soft, then add the diced tomatoes. Now leave them to cook for a few minutes until the onions and tomatoes become settled. 

Add the meat along with the spices and mix until the meat is coated by the spices and onions and tomatoes.  Now add the bunch of coriander along with the cabbage and turnips, as these take longer to cook then the other vegetables.  Add enough water to cover the vegetables and meat cover and leave to cook for approx 20minutes.

On the 2nd tier add the grain Cous Cous and place it on top on the bottom pan, what this will do it will start cooking the cous cous via steam of everything that's under it. Do not remove until you see the steam coming out of the top tier from where the cous cous is.

Remove the 2nd teir and pour the steamed cous cous back into the large bowl.  In the meantime add the board beans, carrots, sweet potatoes and once again add enough water to cover everything. cover and leave to cook for around 40 minutes.

The cous cous that you have placed back in the bowl should have cooled down, using the back of  a large cooking spoon separate the grains of the cous cous.  Once separates use 1/4 mug of cold water and sprinkle over the cous cous and again with the back of the spook separate and leave to stand for about 15-20 minutes, until the grain is dry.

Check the meat to see how far it has got if its half way then you can add the separat cous cous back into the 2nd tier of the steamer and once again leave until all the steam is visible through the second tier.  Remove the 2nd tier and pour the steamed cous cous back into the large bowl.

Now at this stage the meat and vegetable should almost be cooked, if so add the courgettes and pumkin as well as some water if needed.

The cous cous that you have placed back in the bowl should have cooled down, using the back of a large cooking spoon separate the grains of the cous cous. Once separate use 1/4 mug of cold water and sprinkle over the cous cous and again with the back of the spook separate and leave to stand for about 15-20 minutes, until the grain is dry.

Add the cous cous once again for the final time to the 2nd tier of the steamer and leave to cook until the steam is visible through the cous cous. 

Now everything should be cooked, in order to serve you can either do individual plates but the traditional way is a large plate.

pour the cous cous in the the plate and mount like a volcano and in the hole place the meat and start to pile your vegetables just like in the photo.  Cabbage goes onto the meat then pumpkin and carrots.
Along the sides alternate carrot and courgette.

Pour the sauce with the board beans all over till its covered cous cous.  As cous cous absorbs the sauce, what I always have is small bowls with extra sauce as your eating the cous cous keeps getting dry. 

As we say in Arabic "besaha"

Chocolate Roulade

8 Eggs
250g Milk Chocolate, broken into cubes
250g Caster sugar
250ml Double Cream
1tsp Vanilla sugar or Essence
2 tbsp Icing sugar








Method:

Per-heat the oven to 180°C and Grease and line a 33-x23cm Swiss roll tin with greased non-stick baking paper.

Melt the chocolate slowly in a bowl over a large pan of simmering water, and then cool slightly.

Place the sugar and egg yolks into a bowl and whisk with an electric whisk on a high speed until light and creamy.

Add the cooled chocolate and stir until evenly blended. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold into the chocolate mixture.

Turn into the prepared tin and gently level the surface. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes until firm to the touch.

Remove the cake from the oven, leave in the tin and place a cooling rack over the top of the cake.

Place a damp tea towel on top of the rack; place the whole lot into a plastic bag and leave for several hours or overnight in a cool place.

Whip the cream until it just holds its shape, and dust a large piece of greaseproof paper with icing sugar. Turn the roulade out onto the sugared paper and peel off the baking paper.

Spread with the whipped cream and roll up like a Swiss roll, starting at the long edge and using the paper to help, rolling carefully but firmly.

Dust with more icing sugar and grate chocolate over it. 

Lamb with Green beans and tomatoes

750g Lamb leg ( but you can use any cut of meat)
750g Green Beans
2 Medium onions
3 Medium tomatoes (skinned and diced)
4 Gloves of garlic
1 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/2 Preserved Lemon
6-7 tbsp Olive oil



Method:

In a large saucepan put in the olive oil and diced onions. Fry the onions until then turn soft, then add the diced tomatoes. Now leave them to cook for a few minutes until the onions and tomatoes become settled.  Now add the lamb along with the spices and crushed garlic. 

Stir everything together till it starts to stick to the pan, then add lemon and boiling water, leave to cook for about approx 30minutes before adding the green beans. 

Now add small amount of water enough to cover the beans, however note that the beans realise water whilst it's cooking. 

Once the lamb and beans have cooked, remove the lid of the sauce pan and allow to simmer. 

Tip: When wanting to serve, I dish it up on  a large plate, however I remove the lamb and beans whilst leaving the sauce to reduce but leaving enough to dip your bread in. 

Authentic Chicken Tagine

Chicken Tagine

1 medium chicken(skinned and cut into quarters)

2 Small onions, diced

5 Cloves of garlic

9 tbsp Olive oil 1/4 Preserved lemon ( recipe to follow)

1tsp Ginger powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp Zafroon, if you don't have it Halid will do for colouring

Salt to taste

Handful of chopped corriender

Handful of green olives

Method:

In a large saucepan put in the olive oil and diced onions. Fry the onions until then turn soft, then add the chicken and the spices. Now the whole thing is going to stick to the pain but thats fine, just add a small amount of water and mix together.

Once the water has been absorbed, and the chicken has been coated with colour and spices, add enough water to cover the chicken, now just pop the lid on the pan and leave to cook for about 40minutes. Warming don't stir as the chicken will fall of the bone once cooked.

After the 40minutes squeeze the preserved lemon and add it to the pan along with olives, and coriander. If the chicken still needs another 10-15 minute then pop the lid back on, however if the chicken is cooked then leave the lid off until the sauce reduces and thickens.

Once all the above is done, dish up and serve with bread of your choice. I personally like it with French baguette.

 Please leave your comments once you've tried this wonderful dish.

Me

I, a devoted wife and mother of 2 have a great passion for cooking, and not to mention baking. So a group of dear friends have put me up for a challenge which is to make my dream a reality, by starting this blog. To be quite honest, I think that this is the push that I have always needed.


I’ve always talked about how I would love to write a cook book and have my own patisserie, i have never materialised it.  I want the world to enjoy what my family and I do every night, at the same time to tells people the truth about Arab cooking as the recipes are authentic, and this is my mission and  my project.   Well as for the patisserie, it a dream and that I hope one day I can make a reality, but until then the plans will remain as a plans, until that day comes.


I remember as a child being with my grandmother (rest her soul), always pushing her in the kitchen to see what she was doing, she is my inspiration and the rock that I had.  The same goes for my mother she too was and is there and has always shown me the true meaning to cooking.  Its got to come from the heart, cooking is a passsion just like art.  You have to crave it to do it, this is how I look at it. 


Passion + the correct recipe = great food


My plan is to write a recipe a week, that is full of flavor and with a pinch of true aroma that speaks for the heart, which in return I hope that you and your loved ones will enjoy. Comments are extremely welcome.