Nations food – Page 2 – Rozina's Persian Kitchen

Meat pie

This type of beautiful and delicious stuffed fried bread is made in different countries such as Iran, Turkey, Afghanestn, Republic Azerbaijan, India, China, Korea and referred to by different names.

For example in Iran it’s called ‘ Kelane ‘ in Afghanestan is called ‘ Bolani, in India is called paratha, and yet , you can call these kinds of filled pastries or stuffed bread: pie or pan cake too.

It is baked in the oven or fried in the pan with meat or vegetable filling. The filling can be beef, lamb, pork or combination of meat with vegetables or just simply all vegetables. So the fillings might be differ from one house to the other house.

In above attached photos you can see Persian Kelane and Indian Paratha.

Ingredients for dough

400g all purpose flour
167ml boiling water
140ml warm water
2g salt
27ml vegetable oil

Ingredients for filling

600g ground beef
400g potatoes, cooked and mashed
30g soy sauce
1tsp fresh ginger, grated
50g fresh mint, finely chopped
50g fresh spring onions, finely chopped
1tsp spices including: fennel, cinnamon, salt and chilli powder

How to make it??

Mix flour with salt. Add boiling water to the flour and whisk it with a spatula. Then add warm water and knead the dough with hand. Rest the dough for half an hour.

After 30 minutes, add oil to the dough and knead it for 1 minute. Cover the dough with a towel and allow to rest for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, preparing the filling: In a large bowl, mix ground meat with mashed potatoes, chopped veggies, grated ginger, soy sauce and season with spices until combine well.

After 2 hours, dust your hands and divide the dough into 8-10 pieces. Scoop 2 tbsp of beef filling. Dust your hand and give a ball shape to them.

Now, place one of meat balls on the dough and slowly slowly seal the wrapper completely. Heat the oil in a pan and fry each side 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

Heat the oil in a pan and fry each side 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

Serve these beautiful stuffed bread or pie with Sesame oil, soy sauce, or sweet chilli sauce.

Meat pie

Ingredients for dough

400g all purpose flour
167ml boiling water
140ml warm water
2g salt
27ml vegetable oil

Ingredients for filling

600g ground beef
400g potatoes, cooked and mashed
30g soy sauce
1tsp fresh ginger, grated
50g fresh mint, finely chopped
50g fresh spring onions, finely chopped
1tsp spices including: fennel, cinnamon, salt and chilli powder

How to make it??

Mix flour with salt. Add boiling water to the flour and whisk it with a spatula. Then add warm water and knead the dough with hand. Rest the dough for half an hour. After 30 minutes, add oil to the dough and knead it for 1 minute. Cover the dough with a towel and allow to rest for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, preparing the filling: In a large bowl, mix ground meat with mashed potatoes, chopped veggies, grated ginger, soy sauce and season with spices until combine well. After 2 hours, dust your hands and divide the dough into 8-10 pieces. Scoop 2 tbsp of beef filling. Dust your hand and give a ball shape to them.

Now, place one of meat balls on the dough and slowly slowly seal the wrapper completely. Heat the oil in a pan and fry each side 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Serve these beautiful stuffed bread or pie with Sesame oil, soy sauce, or sweet chilli sauce.

Nachos

Dish, Nations food

If you do not know what to make for tonight dinner and you are looking for something easy and scrumptious, so you can make beef nachos. It’s layers of tortillas, cheese, meat, beans and spices. It’s super delicious, super cheesy and most important is, this beef nachos satisfy all your family members.

So today I made a grand sized platter of beef nachos. I used minced beef but you can use chicken or if skip the meat, still is a meatless super tasty nachos.

Nachos is a traditional Mexican dish consists of tortillas bread or chips with cheese, meat and beans.

There are variety of different kind of cheese that you can use. In my recipe I used my favourite orange cheddar cheese, but you can use whatever cheese you like.

For veggies you can add cilantro, spring onions, black/green olives, bell pepper, corn, jalapeños,…

For meat you can use beef, lamb, chicken or make a meatless nachos.

Ingredients

400g ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes, diced
300g orange cheddar cheese , shredded
3tbsp tomato paste
1 lime juice
5 tortillas bread, cut into small pieces OR a large bag of tortilla chips
200g cooked kidney beans
200g refried kidney beans
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp cumin powder
Salt and black pepper

For topping

Sour cream
Guacamole
Pickled jalapeños, sliced
Coriander, chopped

How to make it???

Preheat the oven at 175 C degree.

Cut the tortillas bread into small pieces. Heat the oil and fry pieces of bread until golden, set aside.

Once the meat is golden, squeeze lime juice on it. Add kidney and refried beans and tomato paste. Stir ingredients until well combined. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spread out some pieces of fried tortillas bread and sprinkle some of shredded cheese, then cover it more tortillas , the sprinkle the meat mixture and shredded cheese over the bread. Top the nachos with diced tomatoes.

Place the baking tray into the oven and let to cook for about 15 minutes.

Then remove from the oven and top it with chopped coriander, sour cream, guacamole and DIG IN 🙂

Nachos

Ingredients

400g ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes, diced
300g orange cheddar cheese , shredded
3tbsp tomato paste
1 lime juice
5 tortillas bread, cut into small pieces OR a large bag of tortilla chips
200g cooked kidney beans
200g refried kidney beans
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp cumin powder
Salt and black pepper

For topping

Sour cream
Guacamole
Pickled jalapeños, sliced
Coriander, chopped

How to make it??

Preheat the oven at 175 C degree.

Cut the tortillas bread into small pieces. Heat the oil and fry pieces of bread until golden, set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, add chopped onion and saute it until begin soft. Stir in salt, black pepper, cumin and chilli powder. Add ground beef and continue browning the meat. Once the meat is golden, squeeze lime juice on it. Add kidney and refried beans and tomato paste. Stir ingredients until well combined.

Simmer for about 5 minutes. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spread out some pieces of fried tortillas bread and sprinkle some of shredded cheese, then cover it more tortillas , the sprinkle the meat mixture and shredded cheese over the bread. Top the nachos with diced tomatoes. Place the baking tray into the oven and let to cook for about 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven and top it with chopped coriander, sour cream, guacamole and dig in.

Kimchi

Nations food, Salad/pickles/ jams

I love any kind of salads and pickles. Kimchi is one of those pickles that I enjoy a lot. Kimchi in Korean cuisine is a traditional dish. There are many kinds of kimchi recipes made from salted vegetables. I have attached some photos some of different kimchi.

IMG_20181013_125623

Kimchi was traditionally made in large amounts and then stored in ceramic jars to keep cool. It’s delicious, hot and easy to make.

As you see in the following photos, kimchi is very red due to chilli powder. In some areas of Korea, kimchi is made with less salt and chilli so it is brighter colour and in some area is made with more salt and more chilli powder, therefore, it is deep red colour and very hot. So using chilli powder would be based on your taste, if you enjoy hot dish, so add as much as you like, but in my recipe I made a mild taste kimchi.

This is traditional style kimchi.If you have never made kimchi , this is good chance to learn how to make traditional and easy kimchi.

Ingredients

500 g napa cabbage
6 tbsp salt
1 tbsp white or brown sugar
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp gluten free rice flour ( if you have not access to this kind of flour, simply use plain or all purpose flour)
1 cup water
3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
2 ½ ginger, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp chilli powder ( you can add even more, if you wish, it depends on your taste)
1 tsp black pepper
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup radishes( white or red), cut into thin pieces

How to make it??

Slice the cabbage into short strips. In a large bowl with water add add cabbage and 6 tbsp salt. Mix and set aside for an hour.

Meanwhile, make porridge for the kimchi 🙂 at this point, add 1 cup water, and rice flour in a pot and mix it well. Once started to boiling( it takes about 9 minutes). Remove from the heat. Now you have a thin soupy porridge. Let it cool down.

Now, rinse the cabbage under cold running water and drain well thoroughly.

For making the kimchi paste, put garlic, ginger, and onion in the blender and mince them.

Add minced mixture, fish sauce, sugar, black pepper and chilli flakes to the rice flour porridge and mix.

Then add all chopped vegetables to the paste and mix well. Kimchi paste is ready. Now mix the paste with the cabbage leaves.

Store it in a jar or container in the fridge for 2 days until kimchi starts fermenting. At this point kimchi smell sour cabbage and top or surface of the kimchi is bubbling.

You might serve kimchi with rice or soup.

IMG_20181013_125452 IMG_20181013_125621 IMG_20181013_125502 IMG_20181013_125626 IMG_20181013_125623 IMG-bf61341a4b1d2e6d926c70611436217a-V IMG-bcd326326c4842b92b8cdf885d6e8f5d-V IMG-1cb4d9d3646fd4c322b7029d59e02a57-V IMG-a7feece3fe629cc82dbef14feabfcc32-V IMG-ad25765b57d440d4e41785842bd7033c-V IMG-8f66f4559bc85815e81b70fc89ae30fe-V

Kimchi

Ingredients

500g napa cabbage
6tbsp salt
1tbsp white or brown sugar
1tbsp plus 1tsp gluten free rice flour ( if you have not access to this kind of flour, simply use plain or all purpose flour)
1 cup water
3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
2 ½ ginger, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2tbsp fish sauce
1tbsp chilli powder ( you can add even more, if you wish, it depends on your taste)
1tsp black pepper
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup radishes( white or red), cut into thin pieces

How to make it??

Slice the cabbage into short strips. In a large bowl with water add add cabbage and 6 tbsp salt. Mix and set aside for an hour. Meanwhile, make porridge for the kimchi 🙂 at this point, add 1 cup water, and rice flour in a pot and mix it well. Once started to boiling( it takes about 9 minutes). Remove from the heat. Now you have a thin soupy porridge. Let it cool down.

Now, rinse the cabbage under cold running water and drain well thoroughly. For making the kimchi paste, put garlic, ginger, and onion in the blender and mince them.

Add minced mixture, fish sauce, sugar, black pepper and chilli flakes to the rice flour porridge and mix. Then add all chopped vegetables to the paste and mix well. Kimchi paste is ready. Now mix the paste with the cabbage leaves. Store it in a jar or container in the fridge for 2 days until kimchi starts fermenting. At this point kimchi smell sour cabbage and top or surface of the kimchi is bubbling. You might serve kimchi with rice or soup.

My Homemade Sushi Recipe

Fish, Nations food

Well first of all I should confess I dislike seafood. So I had no idea I could eat Sushi or Sashimi. So once I was with Japanese friends in a restaurant, they ordered Sushi, and asked me to try. I said, nooooooooooo, never, ever,, I do not like cooked fish so how can I eat raw fish, but they insisted and I tried but you can imagine my face when I wanted to try sushi. Then magic happened and I was in love with sushi. Oh my God, it was FAN TAS TIC, so delicious, so tasty and not a fishy tasting fish.

The popular and commonly raw fish used for Sushi are: Tuna, Salmon, Octopus, cuttlefish, prawn, squid. For making Sushi, a very important factor in eating raw fish is freshness, so you need sushi grade fish from a qualified supplier. Then you would need a dark green seaweed wrappers or Nori.

So if you are a Sushi lover, as I am, here is an easy and tasty sushi recipe. Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish that is low in fat and high in protein. Sushi literally means sour, due to using vinegared rice. Main ingredients for making Sushi is sticky rice. There are varieties of Sushi for vegetarians and non vegetarians.

First of all for making Sushi you should consider a few items such as:

Sushi mat or rolling mat
Wasabi
Soy sauce
Nori or Sea weed sheets
Sharp knife

Secondly, is about what you can put in Sushi as ingredients!! Answer is you can use smoked or raw Salmon fish, Tuna, Shrimp, squid, egg, and vegetables such as cucumber, avocado, asparagus,carrots ….

Ingredients

250g sushi rice, cooked
30ml rice vinegar
Nori seaweed sheets
Smoked Salmon fish
Avocado, sliced
cucumber, sliced lengthwise and take out the seeds
3 eggs
pinch of sugar
Soy sauce
Wasabi
Sushi mat
Cling film
Sharp knife

How to make it??!!

Cook sushi rice and let it cool down. As the rice is chilling down, add vinegar. Mix together and set aside. Vinegar adds flavour and taste to sushi.

Crack the eggs, add pinch of sugar and beat them. Heat the oil in a pan and pour in the eggs . Allow to cook and then roll it. Once omelette is done, slice the omelette lengthwise.

Cut Salmon meat into nice thin strips or slices. Cut avocado and cucumber into thin strips too. Now everything is ready for sushi.

Put cling film onto a sushi mat ( it will make it easier to prepare sushi). One side of Nori sheet is silky and other side is rough. So place smooth side down and rough side facing you.

Wet your hand, grab a ball of rice and gently spread on sea weed sheet. Now, get a strip of salmon fish, avocado and cucumber and omelette and place them on the rice. Roll the mat and slightly squeeze and roll it again.

Other way for making sushi is, to spread the rice on one side of the nori . Then sprinkle sesame seeds on the rice and flip over it and place slices of salmon fish, avocado and cucumber and roll it.

Now dip the knife into the water and take off the ends of the sushi and them slice them all in same size.

Serve sushi with Wasabi, soy sauce, pickled ginger.

My Homemade Sushi

Ingredients

250 g sushi rice, cooked
30ml rice vinegar
Nori seaweed sheets
Smoked Salmon fish
Avocado, sliced
cucumber, sliced lengthwise and take out the seeds
3 eggs
pinch of sugar
Soy sauce
Wasabi
Sushi mat
Cling film
Sharp knife

How to make it??!!

Cook sushi rice and let it cool down. As the rice is chilling down, add vinegar. Mix together and set aside. Vinegar adds flavour and taste to sushi.

Crack the eggs, add pinch of sugar and beat them. Heat the oil in a pan and pour in the eggs . Allow to cook and then roll it. Once omelet is done, slice the omelet lengthwise.

Cut Salmon meat into nice thin strips or slices. Cut avocado and cucumber into thin strips too. Now everything is ready for sushi.

Put cling film onto a sushi mat ( it will make it easier to prepare sushi.

One side of Nori sheet is silky and other side is rough. So place smooth side down and rough side facing you.

Wet your hand, grab a ball of rice and gently spread on sea weed sheet. Now, get a strip of salmon fish, avocado and cucumber and omelet and place them on the rice. Roll the mat and slightly squeeze and roll it again.

Other way for making sushi is, to spread the rice on one side of the nori . Then sprinkle sesame seeds on the rice and flip over it and place slices of salmon fish, avocado and cucumber and roll it.

Now dip the knife into the water and take off the ends of the sushi and them slice them all in same size.

Serve sushi with Wasabi, soy sauce, pickled ginger.

Monte Cristo sandwich

Nations food, Sandwich

What a great sandwich. You can make it savoury by adding Mayonnaise and mustard sauce or sweet by adding jam, it is just your choice and both are equally tasty.

Traditionally the whole sandwich is dipped in the beaten egg and then pan fried or deep fried.

Ingredients

6 slices of toasted bread
8 sliced cheese
8 slices of ham or turkey
Strawberry jam
4 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread crumbs
Vegetable oil or butter

How to make it

Cut the crusts off the bread. Spread jam on the bread. Put one slice of cheese on it, then put 2 sliced ham and another slice of cheese. Spread jam on the bread and place on top of the cheese. Spread jam on the bread again and repeat the process.

Crack the eggs into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs.

Dip the sandwich thoroughly in the beaten eggs. Coat with the bread crumbs.

Heat the oil or melt the butter in a pan. Fry the sandwich on both sides and four corners.

That’s it our tasty sandwich is ready.

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Monte Cristo sandwich

Ingredients

6 slices of toasted bread

8 sliced cheese

8 slices of ham or turkey

Strawberry jam

4 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

Bread crumbs

Vegetable oil or butter

How to make it

Crack the eggs into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs.

Dip the sandwich thoroughly in the beaten eggs. Coat with the bread crumbs. Heat the oil or melt the butter in a pan. Fry the sandwich on both sides and four corners.

Peach Cookies شیرینی هلویی

desserts, Nations food

These tempting, pretty peach shape cookies are just beauties and suitable for any occasion, for 4 seasons, and resemble to the real peaches.

Ingredients

210g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
80g unsalted butter
55g plain yogurt
2 egg yolks
pinch of salt
50g white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for filling

1/3 cup Nutella or
1/3 peach jam

Ingredients for colouring

3 tbsp white sugar
Yellow and red food colouring
Two small bowls with water

How to make

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Line the baking tray with parchment paper. Place egg yolks,vanilla extract, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat for 3-4 minutes. Add yogurt and beat until creamy. Mix the flour with baking powder and sift it.

Add butter to the flour and combine and add it to the batter. Knead it for 3-4 minutes until all comes together and non stick to your hand.

Divide the pastry into small amount (about 15g). Take one the dough and roll it into ball. Continue rolling all of the batter into balls. Place them on the tray. Put your finger on each ball and and gently press down each ball.

Bake them for 15 minutes. Once they are baked, allow them to cool.

Now, use a sharp knife and core out the centre of cookie from the bottom of each cookie and remove the cookie centre( as you see in the photos).

Break up cookies pieces and mix them with nutella or peach jam. Carefully fill cavity of each cookie and place tow cookies together.

Mix few drops of red colour in one bowl and few drops of yellow colour in other bowl. Dip cookie in yellow/red food colouring and roll them in the sugar. Allow the cookies to set and serve it.

طرز تهیه شیرینی هلویی

این شیرینی‌های هلویی شکل که واقعن مثل هلو خوش آب و رنگ دیده میشن نوعی شیرینی معروف ایتالیایی از شهر پسکارا است. یک شیرینی شیک و خوشمزه برای چهار فصل..

مواد لازم

دویست و ده گرم آرد همه منظوره

نصف ق چ بیکینگ پودر

هشتاد گرم کره ی بدون نمک

پنجاه و پنج گرم ماست

دو عدد زرده ی تخم مرغ

یکذره نمک

پنجاه گرم شکر سفید

یک ق چ عصاره وانیل

مواد لازم میانی

یک سوم پیمانه شکلات نوتلا و یا مربای هلو

مواد لازم برای رنگ کردن

سه ق غ شکر سفید

چند قطره رنگ زرد و قرمز خوراکی

دو پیاله ی کوچک با آب

چگونه تهیه کنیم؟

فر را روی حرارت 170 درجه سانتیگراد گرم کنید.

کف سینی کیک پزی را با کاغذ آشپزی بپوشانید. داخل یک‌کاسه زرده های تخم مرغ – نمک – وانیل و شکر راداخل یک‌کاسه ریخته و با همزن برقی برای سه چهار دقیقه هم بزنید . سپس ماست را افزوده و مجددن همزدن را ادامه دهید تا مایع کرمی رنگی داشته باشید.

آرد را با بیکینگ پودر مخلوط کرده و الک کنید. کره را به آرد افزدوه و کمی با هم مخلوط کنید و سپس آرد را به مایع تهیه شده در بالا اضافه کرده و برای سه چهار دقیقه ورز دهید تا خمیر کاملن شکل بگیرد و به دست نچسبد.

خمیر آماده شده را به تکه‌های کوچک ( 15گرم)برش دهید. هر تکه خمیر را به صورت کوفته یا توپک در آورید و داخل سینی بچینید. وقتی تمام خمیرها آماده شدند با نوک انگشت به آرامی روی توپک ها فشار دهید تا کمی مسطح شوند.

سینی را داخل فر بگذارید تا برای 15 دقیقه بپزند.

وقتی شیرنی ها آماده شد بگذارید سرد شوند. با یک کارد تیز و مطابق تصاویر زیر شیرینی‌ها را خالی کنید و خرده شیرینی‌ها را داخل یک بشقاب جمع کنید.

وقتی ته تمام شیرینی‌ها خالی شد. خرده شیرینی‌ها را با مربا یا نوتلا مخلوط کنید و داخل حفره های شیرینی را با آن پرکنید.

شیرینی‌ها را دو به دو روی هم قرار دهید.

برای رنگ کردن: داخل پیاله ها کمی آب را با چند قطره رنگ مخلوط کنید. شیرینی‌ها را دانه دانه داخل رنگ قرمز و بعد زرد قرار دهید و بعد در شکر بغلطانید.

شیرینی‌های آماده شده را داخل ظرف مورد نظرتان بچینید و بگذارید کمی بماند و سرو کنید.

Tiramisu truffles

desserts, Nations food

A delicious Italian dessert with creamy texture, wonderful flavour and simple to make it.

Ingredients

140g lady fingers biscuits
1 tsp Nescafe or espresso
3tbsp = 30 ml boiling water
1 cup Mascarpone or soft cheese
1/3 cup= 50g powdered sugar (icing sugar)
½ tsp vanilla extract
Nutella
Cocoa powdered

How to make it

Add boiling water to Nescafe, mix it and set aside to cool. In a bowl, add Mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and Vanilla. Combine until smooth then add cold coffee and mix together.

Using a blender and process process lady fingers biscuits until powdered. Combine it with cheese mixture.

Freeze it for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes you can shape the tiramisu mixture by two methods: In first option you can just shape it like small balls and then roll it in the cocoa powder.

In second method you can flatten the paste and fill it with Nutella and shape it into ball. Both are delicious. I made both of them 🙂

Once all tiramisu truffles are ready, fridge them for half an hour and then serve them.

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Tiramisu truffles

Ingredients

140g lady fingers biscuits
1 tsp Nescafe or espresso
3tbsp = 30 ml boiling water
1 cup Mascarpone or soft cheese
1/3 cup= 50g powdered sugar (icing sugar)
½ tsp vanilla extract
Nutella
Cocoa powdered

How to make it

Add boiling water to Nescafe, mix it and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, add Mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and Vanilla. Combine until smooth then add cold coffee and mix together.

Using a blender and process process lady fingers biscuits until powdered. Combine it with cheese mixture.

Freeze it for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes you can shape the tiramisu mixture by two methods: In first option you can just shape it like small balls and then roll it in the cocoa powder.

In second method you can flatten the paste and fill it with Nutella and shape it into ball. Both are delicious. I made both of them 🙂

Once all tiramisu truffles are ready, fridge them for half an hour and then serve them.

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Pesto Pasta Recipe

Nations food, pasta/ spaghetti/ macaroni

Basil pesto Pasta is my darling. It is a quick dish, super tasty and comforting meal. Just in less than half an hour, you can prepare this delicious dish and Enjoyyyyyyy it because it is just piece of paradise in your plate.

About Basil pesto, yes I know we can get it from local supermarket but sometimes it is really fun and pleasant just you make it at home from scratch.

In most of pesto recipes , Parmesan cheese is used but I had Mozarella cheese in the fridge and I used it. I should say, it was very good.

Ingredients for basil pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
½ cup olive oil
½ cup nuts such as : almond. Cashew, pine nuts, walnuts
¼ cup Mozarella cheese
Salt – pepper to taste

Ingredients for pasta

3 cups pasta penne
Few cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it

To make the basil pesto, combine basil leaves, almonds, cloves of garlic, some olive oil, Mozzarella cheese and , season with salt and pepper in a bowl. With a food processor blend it until you have a smooth paste, and add remaining of olive oil. Mix well and set aside.

Simply cook Penne pasta in salted water until cooked well and is soft.

Heat some water in a pot, add some salt, and make sure salt is enough. Bring it to a boil. Add Penne pasta and boil it until soft ( about 15 minutes). Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and fry cherry tomatoes for 2-3 minutes, until slightly soft.

Add pesto sauce and fried tomatoes to the pasta and gently mix together. Garnish with cheese and drop some olive oil. If there is leftover sauce, store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for a week.

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Pesto pasta recipe

Ingredients for basil pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
½ cup olive oil
½ cup nuts such as : almond. Cashew, pine nuts, walnuts
¼ cup Mozarella cheese
Salt – pepper to taste

Ingredients for pasta

3 cups pasta penne
Few cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it

Simply cook Penne pasta in salted water until cooked well and is soft. Heat some water in a pot, add some salt, and make sure salt is enough. Bring it to a boil. Add Penne pasta and boil it until soft ( about 15 minutes). Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and fry cherry tomatoes for 2-3 minutes, until slightly soft. Add pesto sauce and fried tomatoes to the pasta and gently mix together. Garnish with cheese and drop some olive oil. If there is leftover sauce, store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for a week.

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Chilli con carne

Nations food, Stew with polow

If you are a spicy and hot dish lover, chilli con carne would be right choice. Chilli con carne means chilli with means. It serves with bread or rice.

Ingredients

500g minced beef
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, peeled and finely chopped
1 red pepper
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground cinnamon
400g kidney or Pinto beans, cooked
400g chopped tomatoes
1 small bunch of coriander
2tbsp vinegar
plain yogurt as much as you wish
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

How to make it

Place the pan on a medium heat and add oil and all chopped carrots, onion, celery, garlic, red pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Stir frequently and fry them for few minutes until softened.

Add minced meat, Pinto beans and chopped tomatoes and chopped coriander . Fry until meat lightly coloured. Pour 1 ½ cups water and vinegar into the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Serve chilli con carne with fluffy rice, or tortilla bread.

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Chilli con carne

Ingredients

500g minced beef
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, peeled and finely chopped
1 red pepper
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground cinnamon
400g kidney or Pinto beans, cooked
400g chopped tomatoes
1 small bunch of coriander
2tbsp vinegar
plain yogurt as much as you wish
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

How to make it

Place the pan on a medium heat and add oil and all chopped carrots, onion, celery, garlic, red pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Stir frequently and fry them for few minutes until softened.

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My Homemade Olive Bread

Bread, Nations food

I love freshly baked breads, their smell is amazing and because I am an olive lover, I have baked and shared my different kinds of olive breads in my page and today I baked other olive bread with crunchy outside and soft inside.

This bread is salty, peppery, and combination of olives and garlic flavour makes magic and you will have a beautiful bread.

Ingredients

500g all purpose flour
25g yeast
5g salt
2g garlic powder
1 fresh thyme
1 ½ tsp chilli flakes
1 g dried rosemary
92g black olives, pitted, drained and chopped
92g green olives, pitted, drained and chopped
360 ml water

Instructions

In a bowl, mix flour with garlic powder, salt, thyme, rosemary, chilli flakes. Dissolve the yeast in the 120 ml water and then add to the flour mixture. Now add the rest of the water ( 240 ml) and kneading the mixture until mix well together and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add chopped olives and knead again.

Grease with the olive oil the bowl and transfer the dough into the bowl. Drizzle some olive oil top of the dough and cover with kitchen towel in a warm place and let it rest for 2.5 hours until doubled in size.

On a floured surface, flatten the dough and knead the dough 1-2 minutes and shape it into a ball. Sprinkle flour over parchment paper , add the dough , sprinkle some flour top of the dough and cover with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, turn the oven to 240 C and add a round iron cast pan inside the oven ( without the lid) for 45 minutes until the dough rise.

After 45 minutes remove the pan from the oven and transfer the dough with parchment paper into the pan and put the lid on. Bake the dough at 240C for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the lid and keep baking for 20 minutes at 230 C. By this way the bread get crispy golden crust. Let it cool before cutting the bread.

March 2019
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