Lamb chops with breadcrumbs and pistachio

       

This is a very easy recipe that I love to use when I have a big crowd. Yesterday I made about 50 in no time for a client party.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoon  mustard
• 1 rack of lamb (8 chops)

Directions

1. Prepare lamb: Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. In a food processor or blender, add bread crumbs, pistachios, garlic, thyme, parsley, orange zest and salt and process to a coarse texture add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and pulse a few times.
3. Brush lamb with mustard. Press on the crumb coating. Place lamb in a shallow roasting pan that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Roast for 30-40 minutes.

           serves 4

Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Pumpkin cupcakes

pumpkin and cream cheese frosting cupcakes

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup Oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Corn Starch
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

FROSTING

• 2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 8 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange peel
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. To make cupcakes: Blend the eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl; set aside. Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into lined muffin tins. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 minutes or until center springs back when touched. Cool 30 minutes.
2. To make frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

NOTE

I used heath bar to decorat the cupcakes

ribollita (Tuscan bread soup)

2 garlic cloves chopped

1 bunch of parsley chopped

4 celery stalks chopped

3 carrots chopped

2 onions chopped

3 tablespoon of olive oil

1 14 oz diced  tomatoes

2 pounds black cabbage or Swiss chards coarsely chopped

2/3 cup of  dried cannellini beans ( see note on how to cook the beans)

1  one day old ciabatta bread sliced

a few tablespoons of the best olive oil

salt and peperoncino ( hot pepper flakes )

• In a large pot sautè the garlic, parsley, celery, carrots and onions in the olive oil for about 30 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cook for on additional 20 minutes, then add the swiss chards or the black cabbage, 1/2 of  cannellini with enough water to cover and cook for on additional 30 minutes.
• Pureè the rest of the beans in a food processor and add to the soup with enough of  boiling water to make the soup liquid. Add the bread, the olive oil and season with salt and hot pepper flakes.

    Serves 6

  note

Soak the beans in three times their volume of cold water for six hours or overnight. After soaking, drain the beans and add fresh water to a large cooking pot. Bring the beans to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the beans are tender. The beans are now ready to be used in your recipe.

eggplant salad

This beautiful salad is a recipe from my Iraqi friend Wassan. It is on alternative to baba ganoush and just another way to use eggplants.

Ingredients

• 2  large eggplants
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1/2 read pepper chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 diced firm-ripe tomatoes chopped
• 4 pita breads cut into triangles

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 500°. Pierce each eggplant in one place with a knife. Set in a rimmed pan and bake until very soft when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Slit eggplants open and let cool.
• 2. Scoop out flesh, finely chop, and put in a bowl; discard peels. Stir mint, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic red pepper and tomato into eggplant. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Things I love in the kitchen

Do you remember when our mothers and grandmothers used the very noisy pressure cooker on top of the stove? Things have changed since then, this beautiful electric pressure cooker will cook your beens in a very short time. I have had this for over a year now and I love it!

Cuisinart Pressure Cooker

www.bedbathandbeyond.com

Shop for Cuisinart Pressure Cooker at Bed Bath & Beyond. Also shop for Slow Cookers/Rice Cookers,Kitchen Electrics. Cuisinart’s 1000 watt state-of-the-art pressure cooker allows you to create delicious dishes while locking in flavors, vitamins and nutrients of your meat and vegetables. Features Fing…

Pumpkin cake with bourbon glaze

Here we go my first pumpkin cake of the season.

Everybody loves this cake and  they  always ask me for the recipe.

I can’t believe how easy this is, it will really take you 10 minutes to make.

The bourbon syrup is fantastic and brings this simple cake to another level.

Happy fall!

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12×18 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, cloves and black pepper . Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Spread batter into prepared 12×18 inch pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Bourbon Syrup

1/2 c butter

1 c sugar

1/2 c bourbon

Melt butter with sugar in a small heavy saucepan; whisk in bourbon. Bring to a boil; boil, whisking constantly for 3 minutes.

You may drizzle the syrup on top of the warm cake.

truffled egg salad sandwiches

Sweet little things perfect for a party or a Sunday afternoon. 

INGREDIENTS

• 8 eggs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon cream fresh
• Truffle salt, to taste
• 8 slices white sandwich bread
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons of chives

PREPARATION

Fill a pan with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Gently lower the eggs into the water and cook for 9 1/2 minutes. Drain. When cool enough, peel the eggs. In a bowl, mash the eggs, then add the olive oil, cream fresh and mayonnaise and continue mashing until smooth and pale yellow, fold the chives. Season to taste with truffle salt.

Remove the crusts from the bread. Toast the slices, then cut in half diagonally. Rub each piece with the garlic clove, then spoon on the egg salad.

Rose petals and pistachio ice cream bonbons

 It is believed that in ancient Greek or Roman days foot runners brought snow from Mount Etna to Taormina or Catania to be flavoured with nuts or berries and honey. It was a treat reserved for aristocrats. In the ninth century the Arabs introduced sugar cane, and this revolutionised Sicilian cooking. Before the ninth century local honey was used to sweeten Sicilian ices and sorbets. Sicilian gelato (ice cream), as it has come to us, is probably an Arab invention based on sorbet made with cane sugar, though its earliest origins, like that oftorrone, are clearly Roman.

From ( Best of Sicily  magazine)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups heavy cream
• 6 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoons dry rose petal
• ¼ cup crushed, raw, unsalted pistachios

Method:

Heat the cream, milk and rose petals over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until the mixture is just below the boil. In a small bowl beat together the egg yolks, honey and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Add about ¼ cup of the hot cream mixture to the yolks stirring vigorously so the eggs won’t scramble. Add warmed yolk mixture back to the heated cream, whisking constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens slightly,  3 to 5 minutes. Strain the mixture and cool completely in ice water bath.

Pour the cooled custard into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions. When finished churning , remove the ice cream and fold in the pistachios, mixing well to distribute evenly. Freeze ice cream until ready to serve.

For the Bonbons

3/4 lbs chopped chocolate (bittersweet, milk and/or white, separated)

2 TBLS vegetable oil

pistachios and rose petals for decoration

Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place it in the freezer for an hour.

Working quickly with a melon baller, scoop the ice cream into twelve ½” round balls. Place the balls on the frozen sheet pan about 1” apart. In the ice cream gets too soft as you are working, return it to the freezer. Stick a sturdy toothpick in the center of each ice cream ball, making sure it stands up straight. Place the pan back in the freezer and freeze until very hard.

Melt the chocolate and the oil in the microwave. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and shiny. Pour into a small bowl and let cool slightly.

Using the toothpick as a handle, quickly dip the ice cream balls in the chocolate, turning to coat evenly. Let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Set the bonbons on the sheet pan and return to the freezer until the chocolate shells harden, at least 5 minutes. If you wish, spread the cookie crumbs on the sheet pan. Transfer pan to the freezer until they are ready to serve. The bonbons can be made a day or two in advance.

Sicilian bread

Baking bread must be done with love and patience.

Making bread is a magical thing, sharing the  bread  that you have made is even more wonderful  and magical.

I hope you try this recipe during the cold winter months and fill your home with the wonderful smell of bread.

1 ½ cups warm water (115F)

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

3 ½ cups semolina flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Sesame seeds

Combine ½ cup of water, the yeast and ½ cup of the flour in a stand mixer. Stir to dissolve and allow to proof for 20 minutes.

Add remaining water, salt and as much of the remaining flour as needed and mix on medium speed to create a ball of dough that is just slightly tacky and winds around the dough hook. Let dough rest in the mixer for 5 minutes, then mix again on medium speed for 3 or 4 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise. When risen, punch down and place in a plastic container or bag and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the dough from refrigerator and transfer it to a bowl, cover and allow it to come to room temperature.

Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough for about 4 minutes, then shape into a 10 inch round and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or baking peel. Cover and allow dough to rise until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Place the stone in  the oven and heat it 30 minutes prior to baking the bread. Score the top of the dough with a lame, razor or sharp knife. Brush the top of the bread with water and sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly over the top.

Transfer the dough off the peel directly onto the stone with the parchment paper. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the bread is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Half-way through the baking, pull away the parchment paper from the dough.

If baking on a baking sheet, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 25- 30 minutes or until the bread is nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped.

Jam tart

One of the first dessert that I ever prepared was a tart. In Italy this is one of the most loved dessert, perfect for breakfast or with a cup of tea in the afternoon.

 

2 1/4 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 ts salt

grated zest from one lemon

1 3/4 sticks of butter cold and cut into small cubes

1 egg and 1 yolk

1 1/2 cup apricot jam

in the food processor place the dry ingredients, including the lemon peel, and pulse 4 times.

Scatter the cold butter over the flour and pulse about 12 times.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and with the machine running add the liquids and mix until the dough comes together.

Form a  ball and wrap in plastic and with a rolling pin make a 1″ thick disk, refrigerate for 30 min.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, divide it into 2/3 for the bottom and 1/3 for the top strips.

Roll the larger piece of dough on a lightly floured surface and transfer in a buttered tart pan.

Fill the tart with the jam and spread into the crust evenly.

Roll the rest of the dough and cut 1″ strips with a pizza cutter or knife and place the strips onto the tart criss crossing them.

Brush the top with a little cream or egg (beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork) and bake for 30 to 40 minutes in a preheated 375° F oven.