Berry Time

It's strawberry season, has been so for a while now actually. I love seeing 2 boxes for $5 at the store...makes me want to eat as much as possible before the end of summer. So well, my next couple of posts will be dedicated to the strawberry.

I start with the the simple but always in style - Strawberries -n-Cream. No recipe needed here. The cute bowls were a wedding gift. We enjoyed this delicious dessert a few days ago. It's berry time!

Foods of the Lebanon

I found this book at the library a couple of weeks ago. As the name suggests, it's a Lebanese recipe book by Cassie Maroun-Paladin.

The first time I tasted Lebanese food was in Kuwait, about 15 years ago! It was hummus and pita bread but naturally. Since then I have developed a great liking to Middle-Eastern cuisine. My all-time favorite is perhaps the ‘Shawarma’. I can still remember our summer vacations in Kuwait and the local vendors with their conical ‘shawarma’ stands.

Back to the book. It takes you through every appetizer, entree and dessert possible. There's also a special section for pickles, breads, yoghurts and refreshing drinks. My favorite section is perhaps the 'Kibbi'. Kibbi refers to a kind of ground meat preparation and is apparently the monarch of Lebanese cuisine. You can eat it stuffed, fried, with gravy or as meat balls. I would really love to try this dish. The book has an ample section for meats, poultry and vegetables. I’ve learnt that Lebanese cuisine is similar to Indian, in that they use comparable ingredients, are curry based and are served over rice. Last but not the least, dessert! I’ve eaten many kinds of Lebanese dessert. The desserts are all very rich and use dry fruits. This book has recipes to many delectable petite fours, the most popular being the ‘knafie burmah’. This dessert is common to Greece and Lebanon and you know what, I’ve even seen a variation of it at Costco!

Eggplant Stroganoff

This is G jn's recipe. The pretty picture with the stain-glass background is also hers.
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
1/2 lbs mushroom
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon pepper
1 cup cooking wine
Method:
Cut the eggplant and mushrooms into thick chunks. In a cup mix the cooking wine, salt, pepper Once they release their juices stir in the soup mix. Add some water if needed. Cook 5-6 minutes until sauce has thickened and veggies are heated through. Do not overcook.

Serve over rice.

Thanks G.

Fried Plantain

Fried Plantain was one of the many items on our July 4th smorgasboard.

Method: Cut the raw plantain diagonally. Coat in slightly salted rice flour and shallow fry in vegetable oil. Remove when the plantain turns golden. Sprinkle chilli power and serve hot.

As always, we had fun and lots of food. Happy 4th of July to everyone.

Thai Masaman Curry

The Thai Masaman curry is a dish most commonly made with beef but can be made with chicken or fish as well. I chose a nice, clean Tilapia for my curry. I used a ready-made curry paste from Whole Foods for this recipe.

Ingredients:
- Tilapia filets cut in half
- Thai Masaman curry paste
- Milk

Method:
Mix the curry paste with the right amount of milk. (as suggested on the curry paste tin). Let this mixture simmer on a slow flame. Stir constantly to remove lumps. Once the curry begins to boil add the fish filets. Tilapia cooks within 10 minutes on a medium flame, if not sooner.

Serve with jasmine rice.

Lamb Biryani

Ingredients:
1 lb lamp (cut into medium pieces), ½ packet Shan biryani mix3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter), 2 onions (finely sliced), 6 cups water, Few strands saffron, 1 bay leaf, Few cashewnuts

How to make lamb biryani:
· Add Shan biryani mix to lamb and mix well.
· Allow to stand for 15 minutes at least, overnight if possible.
· Heat oil in a large saucepan, sauté onions until burnt brown and keep aside.
· Add marinated meat to a pressure cooker and cook for about 5 whistles.
· Cook rice separately in rice cooker with ghee and bay leaf.
· Dissolve the saffron in ¼ cup milk.
· Start layering the meat, onions, rice and saffron in a big wok or pressure cooker.
· The layers are as follows: rice, saffron milk, lamb, onions. Repeat until you have 3 layers.

. Cover the wok and cook on a low flames for 15 minutes.
· Garnish with slightly sautéed cashew nuts.

Enjoy.

Front Page News

Front Page News is a New Orleans restaurant bringing authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine to you. This restaurant is on Moreland Avenue at Little Five Points. The wide outdoor seating and loud music makes it the perfect place to kick back and enjoy a happy Friday night. For an appetizer I ordered the buffalo potato wedges – a big portion of potato chips with a savory seasoning and dip. For the entrée we had the signature Jambalaya and the grouper sandwich. The jambalaya was a perfect Louisiana mix of shrimp, sausage and crawfish.

One can really make a pleasant evening out of dinner at Front Page News. That half a mile stretch at Little Five Points boasts of quaint cafes, pizza parlors, off beat clothing stores, bead shops, an ethnic food store, psychic and tarot reading parlors, used book shops and ice-cream shops. Check it out!