Nabulsi Kunafa

While 'surfing' through the internet, I came across a post on Nabulsi Kunafa from the Arabian Pilgrimage Food Tour with Frying Pan Adventures  that caught my eye. Nabulsi Kunafa is an Arabian sweet recipe that contains cheese from Palestine. As the name denotes Nabulsi cheese originates from Nablus city. It has a semi-hard white rectangular shape and when heated becomes soft and elastic.

Traditional Nabulsi Kunafa is prepared with Nabulsi cheese. If Nabulsi cheese is not available then use an alternate recipe by Huda Abu- Hamida.  Instead of Nabulsi cheese this recipe uses cream with cheese to prepare Kunafa filling.

Nabulsi Kunafa Recipe:

Ingredients:

Red food color

1 flat copper plate

500g of Nabulsi cheese

250g sugar

500g Kunafeh pulp from any pastry shop

2 tablespoons Samneh  (clarified butter)

Preparation:

1) Place the Kunafe pulp in the copper pan on the stove and stir with a spatula. When it is warm, keep it aside.  Cool the dish with cold tap water.

2) Mix Samneh with food color and spread over it.

3) Spread another layer of pulp on butter (Samneh) with a thickness less than 1 cm.

4) Arrange the cheese on top and cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes.

5) Prepare the sugar syrup.

6) When the pulp and cheese is cooked, sprinkle some cheese on the pulp and then pour a little syrup.

7) When this is done, flip the mixture over into an identical pan.

8) Brush Kunafeh with sugar syrup. Sprinkle pieces of pistachios and serve hot.


TIP: Nabulsi cheese will be very salted for conservation, but it can be de-salted by soaking in water .

Courtesy: Nablus Guide.com 

Bacon and Egg muffins - Easy Breakfast

Ingredients

Bacon-Egg Muffins breakfast

2 whole-meal muffins
2 free range eggs
4 slices of best bacon
Butter

Method

1. Grill the bacon both sides under the grill until nice and crisp.

2. Heat some butter in a small frying pan and fry the eggs.

3. Toast the muffins in a toaster and lightly butter each side, place 2 slices of crispy bacon and one fried egg on each muffin. Serve hot and enjoy.

 Courtesy: Quickfreerecipes.com 

Vegan- Amaranth Waffles

Amaranth and Pepita Waffles

3/4 cup amaranth flour
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup soy/almond/coconut milk
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. Canola oil
1/4 pepitas, toasted

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Add wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

Follow the waffle iron instructions - cook until golden brown, top with butter (vegan) and maple Syrup.

Source: Bananawonder.com

Crispy Baked Asian Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

2½ pounds chicken wings, tips removed, drumettes and flats separated
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon Chinese 5-Spice or other Asian spice blend (See Kelly's Notes)
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup blackberry jam

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2. Rinse wings and drumettes and pat dry. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with vegetable oil and spice blend until well coated. Position wings on baking racks in a single layer ensuring that the wings aren't touching.

3. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until fully cooked, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove wings from oven and transfer to a large bowl.

4. Whisk together hoisin sauce and blackberry jam in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until warm.

5. Drizzle wings with sauce, tossing until well coated. Serve immediately.

Thank  you Kelly Senyei for this awesome recipe.

Pizza Dough Sliders

Ingredients:

Pizza dough

Sandwich fixings of your choice

Directions:

• Roll your pizza dough out to about 1/3 -1/2 inch thick.
• Cut out small circles using a shot glass or small circle cookie cutter
• Place circles onto a pizza stone or a regular cookie sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal
• Bake according to recipe or package directions. Watch closely. Mine took about 8-10 minutes.
• Using one circle at the bottom of the bun and one as the top, assemble sliders to your liking.

( I chose chicken nuggets, celery straws, blue cheese, ranch dressing, Swiss cheese, deli turkey, tomato, bacon, lettuce, honey mustard. I think a meatball dipped in marinara sauce with some mozzarella cheese would be awesome)

Your  Pizza Dough Sliders are ready.

APPLE CUSTARD CAKE

This is an awesome custard recipe from Brandi

Ingredients:

3/4 tsp baking powder
3.75 Oz AP flour
1/2 vanilla bean
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp kosher salt
6 Oz sugar
1 lbs 2 Oz chopped apples
4 Oz unsalted melted butter 
3 TBSP apple cider
Unrefined sugar for sprinkling

[NB:1 Oz= 28.35g]

 Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch springform cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Sprinkle unrefined sugar on the sides of the pan and tap it around
   
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl
   
3.  In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until they’re foamy. Rub the vanilla bean seeds into the sugar and add to the eggs. Blend well
   
4.   Whisk in the apple cider, half the flour blend well
   
5. Add half the melted butter and the remaining flour and butter. Mix gently after each addition so that you have a smooth, rather thick batter. 
   
6. Fold in the apples, so that it’s coated with batter. Scrape the mixture into the pan and poke it around a little with the spatula so that it’s even. Sprinkle the top of the cake with unrefined sugar. 
   
7. Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 30 minutes.
   
8.  Wait until the cake is cooled, then carefully remove the cake from the pan & serve it.

Mini Quiches

1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cup whole milk

1 cup cream
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 teaspoons salt
A dash of pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Peppers or mushrooms or any other vegetable you desire! (Diced or cut thin)

Preparation:

1. Lightly grease two mini muffin pans (preferably 24-count).
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Whisk together cornstarch, cream and milk. Add eggs, whisk until light and frothy. Stir in salt and pepper.
4. Sprinkle a teaspoon of cheese in the bottom of each mini muffin tin. Arrange vegetables on top of cheese. Pour in 1 1/2 tablespoons of egg mixture (or until near the top of the muffin tin).
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for ten minutes.
6. CAREFULLY remove with a knife. 

These can be enjoyed right away or frozen after they’ve thoroughly cooled.

Thanks Monet Moutrie for this recipe!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

Makes about 25 small squares

Ingredients

For the Crust:
22 Nabisco FAMOUS Chocolate Wafers, finely crushed (about 1⅔ cups crumbs)
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

For the Filling
6 firmly packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 cups Confectioners’ sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1⅓ cup creamy peanut butter (I like Skippy Natural “No Need To Stir”)
Pinch of salt

For the Milk Chocolate Ganache Topping
1-11.5 ounce bag Ghirardelli (or similar best quality) milk chocolate chips
6 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Make crust: Combine chocolate wafers, sugar and butter in bowl of food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until cookies are finely crushed. Press mixture firmly into prepared baking pan (I spread it with my hands first, then use the bottom of a measuring cup to even it out). Bake for 8 minutes. Set on rack to cool completely.

3. In the meantime, make peanut butter filling: Combine all ingredients together in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix at low speed until just combined (do not whip). Set bowl in refrigerator while you prepare the rest.

4. Make chocolate ganache topping: Combine milk chocolate chips and heavy cream in microwave safe bowl and cook in microwave at medium power (50%) for 1-1½ minutes. Stir until bowl no longer feels warm. Continue heating at 15-30 second intervals, stirring until smooth and melted. Do not overheat.

5. Put it all together: Use an offset icing spatula (see photo above) to spread about ¼ cup of chocolate mixture evenly over cooled crust; place pan in freezer until chocolate is set, about 5-10 minutes. Spread peanut butter mixture into an even layer over chocolate (if it’s firm, you can use your hands; if it’s soft, use a butter knife or spatula). Give chocolate ganache a quick stir to smooth any lumps, then spread evenly over top of peanut butter layer. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 1 hour to set (or, if you’re not in a hurry, you can just leave it in the refrigerator for a few hours). When firm, use a sharp knife to cut into squares (make them smaller as they are very rich!). Keep refrigerated and serve cool.

Recipe taken from Once Upon A Chef 

Lamb with Rice

Saudi Cuisine has a wide range of lamp recipe. Given below is one such recipe with lamb, tomato and green peas as main ingredients. I make this recipe very often for lunch.

Ingredients

750 g lamb, cut into big chunks
8 cups water or 2 liters
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion or 125 g, chopped
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 medium tomatoes or 300 g, peeled and diced
1 tin canned green peas or 400 g, drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cubes MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon
2½ cups basmati rice or 500 g, washed and drained

Preparation

1) Put lamb chunks and water in a large pot and bring it to boil. Remove froth as it appears. Simmer over low heat for about 1½ hours or until lamb becomes tender. Set aside. 

2) Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add onions and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes  (or until they become golden brown in color)

3) Add spices, tomatoes, green peas, tomato paste and MAGGI® Chicken Bouillon cubes. Stir for 2 minutes.

4) Add the cooked lamb with 4½ cups of the lamb stock, add water if needed.

5) Add the rice and stir occasionally and bring to boil. 

6) Cover with a lid and simmer for 25 minutes (or until rice is cooked).                                

Source:  Nestle Saudi Recipe 
 

Condensed Milk Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Mix butter and condensed milk. Add salt, baking powder and flour, and mix just until combined.
2. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Source:http://www.jensfavoritecookies.com/2013/02/25/condensed-milk-cookies

Sausage Pizza Balls

Ingredients.

• 10 refrigerator biscuits
• 3 string cheese sticks, quartered
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce
• 1/4 cup precooked sausage crumbles
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Flatten the refrigerator biscuits to about 3 1/2 inches wide.
3. Top biscuits with 1 teaspoon pizza sauce, a few sausage crumbles, a string cheese piece and a sprinkle of oregano.
4. Gather the edges up around the toppings and pinch together at the top.
5. Place the pizza balls into a greased pie pan with the seams on the bottom.
6. Brush the tops with a beaten egg white.
7. Sprinkle the tops with grated Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake at 425°F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Serve with additional pizza sauce, if desired.

http://www.thegunnysack.com/2013/03/sausage-pizza-balls-recipe.html

ROASTED SWEET POTATO RISOTTO

Ingredients.

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled & chopped
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 diced shallot
• 1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1 1/3 cups dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 4 cups chicken or veggie stock
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp brown butter
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs I went with parsley and rosemary

How to brown butter: In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium high heat. Once melted, stir constantlyand continue to cook until butter turns rich brown color. Remove from heat immediately.

1. Roast Potatoes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with foil. Toss sweet potato chunks with nutmeg, paprika, salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp of the olive oil, making sure everything is well-coated. Spread out on cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 30 minutes, tossing every 1o minutes or so to keep from burning. Let cool then mash with potato mash (or use food processor). Set aside.
2. Warm stock in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Don’t let it boil, just keep it warm.
3. Make Risotto: Heat a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and butter (not the browned one, just the regular 2 tbsp) followed by the shallots. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Increase heat slightly and add arborio rice. Stir to coat rice evenly in oil/butter mixture and cook until rice becomes translucent and slightly toasty, about 5 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add in the wine, stirring continuously until the rice absorbs the wine. When most of it is absorbed, add in about 1/3 cup stock. Repeat this process until all of the stock is absorbed, only adding more stock when most of the previous batch has been absorbed by the rice. It should take about 20-30 minutes, and you may need more liquid. I ended up adding in about 2 cups of water at the end, but it varies so keep adding liquid until the risotto is no longer hard but is still a little chewy.
6. Once the rice is cooked, reduce heat to low and stir in sweet potato mixture. Really stir it in so that it is completely mixed. Then, stir in Parmesan cheese and brown butter until fully combined.
7. Remove from heat, and serve.
8. To serve: place on plate/bowl and top with crumbled bacon, additional cheese, and fresh herbs.

Source:http://onsugarmountain.com/2013/03/05/roasted-sweet-potato-risotto