Thursday, August 29, 2013

Prawn Skewer With Avocado Puree

Ingredients:

Pack of shrimps, pre-boiled or fresh, peeled
1 ripe avocado, peeled
Bunch of fresh coriander leaves
1/4 small chili pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
skewers
salt&pepper
*

Last kiss of summer. The prawn skewer was barbecued on a disposal set on a deserted island and was liked by everyone. Such a simple thing to cook. Just marinade the prawns in a mix of olive oil, dash of lemon juice, finely chopped coriander and chili pepper, salt and ground black pepper. Stick them onto the skewer and grill, bake or fry on a pan for a few minutes. Prawns do not take too long, especially if already pre-boiled. Avocado pure is made by mixing the avocado with chili pepper, lime juice, drop of olive oil, salt and pepper with an immersion mixer. Easy peasy. Serve with whatever you like. Could be couscous, rice, bread, tortilla chips.
Bon Appetit!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Chicken Breast Fillet With Pear and Sage

Ingredients:

2 medium sized chicken breast fillets, pounded softly
1 big pear, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup pecan nuts, crushed finely
2 tbsp butter, soft
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
Dash of fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Parmigiano cheese, grated finely
Bunch of fresh sage leaves
Few fresh oregano leaves
toothpicks
salt&pepper
*

Back to the good old chicken. This recipe was a great success and again the combination of sweet and salty flavors never fails. Start with preparing the filling by grating the Parmigiano cheese, chopping the fresh herbs finely (keep some of the sage leaves aside for later), crushing the pecan nuts and placing all of the above into a bowl with a tablespoon of soft butter, pinch of salt and pepper. Mix it all together until you have a firmer paste. Pound the chicken breast fillets so that you can roll the meat. Smear the paste on the inner side of the breast fillet and place a slice of peeled pear in the middle. Roll the breast so that the pear is in the middle, fasten with toothpicks. Preheat oven to 200C. Heat up the olive oil on a saucepan and place the chicken breast wraps on the pan. Fry from all sides quickly in high heat so that the meat seals. Remove from the frying pan and place it on roasting pan, put it in the oven and let it roast for about ten to fifteen minutes until done. Melt a tablespoon of butter on the frying pan you used before, add a dash of fresh lemon juice and place the rest of the pear slices in the pan. Add rest of the chopped sage leaves and a bit of honey. Cook the pears until they are soft. Once ready, place the chicken wrap and the cooked pears on the plate, serve with rice or potatoes. Don't forget to take all the toothpicks out from the wrap.
Bon Appetit!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Roasted Aubergine With Couscous Filling and Feta Cheese

Ingredients:

1 larger aubergine
50 g couscous
2 stripes prosciutto ham, chopped roughly
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Handful dried apricots, chopped
Handful pine nuts
Bunch of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Pinch of cinnamon powder
Pinch of grained nutmeg or powder
1 tbsp virgin olive oil
salt&pepper
*

Tasty not only summer meal with a bit of exotic Arabic feel to it. Wash the aubergine and prick it couple of times with a fork, place it whole on a baking paper in a baking pan and bake in oven at cca 200C for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile place couscous in a bowl and pour boiling water over so that it just covers the amount, put a lid over and let it rise. Take out the aubergine and cut it in half. Scoop out the soft inside but be careful not the penetrate the sides. Chop it finely and add it to the already risen couscous along with chopped prosciutto ham, apricots, mint leaves, pine nuts, olive oil and season with salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir all together and fill the aubergine with the mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese, put back into oven and bake for another 10 minutes or so until the cheese starts to brown. Serve on a bed of salad leaves and optionally with white yogurt dressing which can be made from Greek yogurt with salt, pepper, dash of lemon juice, chopped fresh mint and coriander leaves. If you prefer vegetarian version, just omit the prosciutto ham.
Bon Appetit!

Friday, August 9, 2013

Spanish Gazpacho

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1/2 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 tomatoes, sliced and seeded
1/4 red onion
1 celery stalk
1 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup ice cubes
2 tbsp virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Bunch of fresh parsley
1/4 chili pepper
salt&pepper
*

The best food in hot hot summer days. Period. She fell in love with this soup while living in South of Spain and truly, there was nothing else she could possibly eat during temperatures as high as 43C. Refreshing, healthy, light, super easy. Just chop roughly all the vegetable ingredients and put them into mixer along with the herbs, seasonings and tomato juice. Mix it well. The ice cubes will chill the soup immediately. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop. Serve with bread.
Bon Appetit!