Sunday, September 29, 2013

CousCous With Smoked Chicken Ham And Melon Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of plain couscous
1 pack of smoked chicken ham, cut in stripes
Handful dried apricots, chopped roughly
2 tbsp pine nuts
1/2 fennel bulb, sliced thinly
Bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt&pepper

1/2 small galia melon, cut in cubes
1/2 pack feta cheese, crumbled
Bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt&pepper
*

Couscous is such a versatile staple that can be prepared in hundreds of different ways. This time she used what she had in the fridge and this very taste mix came out of it. Put the couscous in a bowl and pour boiling hot water over it, cover with a lid or a plate and let raise up. Roast or fry the smoked chicken breast ham on a saucepan. Once couscous ready, throw all the ingredients in the bowl, stir and season with olive oil, lemon juice, fresh mint leaves, salt and pepper. She had a bunch of mint leaves left so she wanted to try this melon salad recipe she saw on Jamie Oliver show. His recipe was with watermelon but that one was not sold in the Netherlands anymore, so she tried with Galia. Very tasty, easy, new flavor combintation.
Bon Appetit!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Potato And Cauliflower Curry Beef Pot

Ingredients:

200-300 g minced beef meet
5-6 big potatoes, pre-boiled (with or without skin)
1/2 head of small cauliflower, divided into smaller florets and pre-boiled
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 pot creme fraiche
2 eggs
50 g Gouda cheese, grated
2 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinaigrette
bunch of fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely
Pinch of cumin seeds
salt&pepper
*

Autumn is here and with it comes a number of vegetables that are quite missed out from our dietary regimes for the rest of the year. One of them is cauliflower, a vegetable that is cheap, low in fats and carbohydrates yet high on vitamin C and compounds that might protect against cancer.
Pre-boil potatoes until soft and cauliflower florets al dente. Cut the potatoes into thin slices. Prepare a sauce by mixing creme fraiche, eggs, grated cheese, olive oil, curry powder, mustard, chopped parsley leaves, balsamic vinaigrette,cumin seeds, salt and pepper together. Or buy an already made curry sauce for meats :)
Fry finely chopped onion on a little bit of olive oil until golden colored and add minced beef. Stew the beef until cooked with a pinch of salt and grounded pepper. Dispose of any fat that might arise from the meat. Towards the end add cauliflower florets and mix together.
Drizzle bottom of a baking pot with a bit of olive oil and place a layer of potatoes circles. Afterwards layer the minced meat with cauliflower and top it up with another layer of potatoes. Depending on the size of the pot repeat another layer if you can. At the end pour the sauce over and place it into 180C pre-heated oven for about 20 mins. Top it up with more cheese for a cheese crust if you like.
Bon Appetit!